The National Times - News around the clock from Sydney, Australia and around the world

Wales manager Ryan Giggs's trial on charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and her sister has been delayed until August because of a courts backlog, meaning Robert Page is set to lead the side in March's World Cup play-offs.

World Player of the Year Antoine Dupont has been named in France's Six Nations squad by head coach Fabien Galthie despite not having played since December 11.

The EU's effort to implement an internationally agreed minimum tax on big multinationals was met with opposition by Poland and Hungary on Tuesday, endangering a major priority of France's presidency of the bloc.

Teenage US Open champion Emma Raducanu sent 2017 Flushing Meadows winner Sloane Stephens crashing out of the Australian Open at the first hurdle Tuesday, producing some devastating tennis in a return to form.

Microsoft announced Tuesday a $69 billion deal to purchase US gaming giant Activision Blizzard, the firm behind hits like "Call of Duty" that has been hit by allegations of sex discrimination against women.

Former world number one Andy Murray turned back the clock in typically combative style and favourite Daniil Medvedev set up a blockbuster second-round showdown with Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Greek painter Alekos Fassianos, one of the country's greatest 20th century artists, was laid to rest Tuesday at a funeral in an Athens suburb attended by the prime minister, senior officials and hundreds of mourners.

Novak Djokovic may be public enemy number one to many in Melbourne but he has found an unlikely ally in Nick Kyrgios -- and now the Australian wants them to play doubles.

Doctors in Ethiopia's Tigray region are recycling surgical gloves and using salt to disinfect wounds as essential medical supplies run out, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday.

The influential former leader of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev denied any conflict with his successor Tuesday, in his first appearance since unprecedented violence in the Central Asian country sparked rumours of a power struggle.

Stefanos Tsitsipas eased past practice partner Mikael Ymer into the second round at the Australian Open on Tuesday -- but admitted he must be more "daring" as he pursues his first Grand Slam title.

Owen Farrell has been retained as England's captain for the Six Nations but there are several high-profile absentees from the 36-strong squad announced by Eddie Jones on Tuesday.

Dan Biggar will captain title-holders Wales during the Six Nations in place of the injured Alun Wyn Jones, the Welsh Rugby Union announced on Tuesday.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka revealed Tuesday that Mark Philippoussis helped iron out her early season serving horrors as she recovered from a set down to make the Australian Open second round.

Sudanese shuttered shops and barricaded Khartoum streets on Tuesday in a civil disobedience campaign to protest one of the bloodiest days since an October coup derailed the country's democratic transition.

Andy Murray said that the injury hell which nearly forced him into retirement now seemed worth all the pain after battling to his first win at the Australian Open since 2017 on Tuesday.

Beijing on Tuesday pushed back against claims from Canberra that a detained Australian writer was being arbitrarily held and not receiving adequate medical support despite his declining health.

Eleven people were killed in coalition air strikes on Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, a witness and medical sources told AFP Tuesday, after the insurgents launched a rare and deadly attack on the United Arab Emirates.

Paco Gento, the only footballer to win six European Cups, has died aged 88, his former club Real Madrid announced on Tuesday.

Former world number one Andy Murray turned back the clock in typically combative style and Daniil Medvedev underlined his status as the man to beat on day two of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

A state TV series documenting high-profile officials caught in President Xi Jinping's purge of the Communist Party's upper echelons has captivated millions in China and renewed focus on widespread abuses of power.

A major winter storm blanketed a swath of North America in snow stretching up the east coast from Georgia to Canada, disrupting travel and cutting power to thousands of homes.

Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday passed a law approving the relocation of its capital from slowly sinking Jakarta to a site 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away on jungle-clad Borneo island that will be named "Nusantara".

Daniil Medvedev has played down talk of being the Australian Open favourite in the absence of nine-time winner Novak Djokovic as he made a winning start to his campaign in Melbourne on Tuesday.

A police officer was killed and two others injured in a shootout with Pakistan's Taliban in Islamabad, officials said Tuesday, a rare attack by the militants in the heavily guarded capital.

The world's top-selling carmaker Toyota said Tuesday it no longer expects to meet its annual production target with operations hampered by the global chip crunch.

Tongan Olympic flagbearer Pita Taufatofua -- who made global headlines for going bare-chested at the Games -- is praying for news of his father after failing to hear from him following a devastating tsunami.

A United States court has awarded the family of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after being jailed by Pyongyang, $240,000 seized from a North Korean bank, court records showed.

Britain's unemployment rate dropped and payrolls recovered further at the end of last year despite the onset of the Omicron variant, official data showed Tuesday.

South Korean speed skating star Shim Suk-hee's Beijing Olympic hopes were dashed Tuesday as she lost a court battle over a two-month ban that will rule her out of the Winter Games, local media reported.

China's postal service has ordered workers to disinfect international deliveries and urged the public to reduce orders from overseas after authorities claimed mail could be the source of recent coronavirus outbreaks.

Former world number one Simona Halep said she was still dreaming of more Grand Slam success Tuesday despite an error-strewn performance to reach the Australian Open second round.

Australian Open organisers said Tuesday they "deeply regret" the impact that the Novak Djokovic deportation saga had on other players and admitted there were "lessons to learn".

EU car sales fell to a new low last year as the auto sector was hobbled by the Covid pandemic and a shortage of computer chips, industry figures showed Tuesday.

Leylah Fernandez said she must "improve in every aspect" after the US Open runner-up was dumped out in the first round of the Australian Open by a wildcard on Tuesday.

Jamaica have qualified for three Olympic bobsleigh events for the first time ever, their team said, setting the stage for a "Cool Runnings"-style underdog drama to unfold at the Beijing Games.

The Pacific island nation of Tonga has suffered widespread damage after a huge underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami on the weekend.

Painted in blood red on an improvised memorial in Vienna, the number 31 is a stark reminder of a grim toll: the women killed by men in Austria last year.

Title favourite Daniil Medvedev wore down Swiss Henri Laaksonen to win his opening match at the Australian Open on Tuesday with little fuss.