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

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.

Garbine Muguruza admitted she had no clue about her Australian Open opponent Tuesday, but the third seed quickly adapted to keep intact her decade-long record of never losing in the first round in Melbourne.

Japan's central bank revised its inflation forecast on Tuesday and adjusted its view of price risks, while leaving its monetary easing policy in place in a nod to lingering pandemic uncertainty.

Anett Kontaveit began her tilt at a maiden Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at the Australian Open on Tuesday as she looks to build on a breakout 2021.

Peruvian authorities sealed off three beaches Monday after they were hit by an oil spill blamed on freak waves caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga.

North Korea said Tuesday it had launched two tactical guided missiles, its fourth sanctions-busting test of the year as it seeks to bolster its conventional weaponry while rebuffing offers of talks from the United States.

Russia's world number six Andrey Rublev brushed aside any concerns over a recent Covid-19 virus scare to power into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

In a trendy Tokyo neighbourhood, customers browse the wares at Majerca, a shop stocked with handmade items from scarves to glassware, all produced by people with disabilities.

Petite but commanding, China's former world champion gymnast Sui Lu stood among a sea of yoga mats doling out encouragement to her students as they bent their torsos towards their outstretched legs.

A photojournalist was shot dead Monday in Mexico's crime-plagued city of Tijuana bordering the United States, authorities said -- the latest such murder in one of the world's deadliest countries for reporters.

Award-winning filmmaker Yang Yonghi was just six years old when she watched her eldest brother leave Japan for North Korea as one of 200 "human gifts" for leader Kim Il Sung's 60th birthday.

Luxury label Pierre Cardin is set to return to Paris Fashion Week in a bid to breathe new life into the brand, its new boss told AFP, just over a year after the death of its legendary founder.

The chief executives of America's largest airlines warned of a "catastrophic disruption" to travel and shipping operations if telecommunication firms roll out their 5G technology as planned Wednesday without limiting the technology near US airports.

As Iraq's Shiite leaders jostle to secure a majority in the newly-elected parliament, Sunni and Kurdish minorities have been caught up in a spate of warning grenade attacks, analysts say.

For the first time since 2004, the World Rally Championship, which celebrates its 50th anniversary by introducing hybrid cars, will have neither of the great French Sebastiens fighting for the title.

Two deposed captains, Virat Kohli and Quinton de Kock, could play significant roles in a three-match one-day international series between South Africa and India, starting at Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden came in facing extraordinary challenges: a nation divided after the Donald Trump years, the Covid pandemic, and an economy in tumult.

Joe Biden 1.0 was a calming, grandfatherly figure, a low-key veteran coming out of retirement in 2020 to heal a nation deeply divided by Donald Trump. A year later, meet Biden 2.0 -- the frustrated, angry fighter.

Fourth doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against Covid-19 are only "partially" effective for the Omicron variant of the virus, the authors of an Israeli trial said Monday.

The video game giant Activision Blizzard said Monday it has fired nearly 40 employees and disciplined more than 40 others since July as it deals with allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct.

Darius Garland scored 22 points and delivered 12 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers stretched their winning streak to five games with a 114-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

Members of Martin Luther King Jr's family joined marchers Monday in Washington urging Congress to pass voting rights reform as the United States marked the holiday commemorating the slain civil rights leader.

A distress signal has been detected in a low-lying Tongan island following the volcanic eruption and tsunami, the United Nations said Tuesday as the first death was reported.

Burnley's match against relegation rivals Watford on Tuesday has been postponed after the Premier League accepted the Clarets' request for a delay on the grounds they had fewer than the required number of players available.

Bayern Munich's record-setting striker Robert Lewandowski retained FIFA's top men's player title Monday at "The Best" of 2021 ceremony as Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas collected the award for best women's player.

Japanese forward Daizen Maeda scored in just the fourth minutes of his debut as Celtic beat Hibernian 2-0 on Monday in a match that marked the resumption of the Scottish Premiership.

Kaillie Humphries, who won two Olympic gold medals for Canada before becoming an American citizen in December, was named to the US Olympic bobsled team.

Emmanuel Gyasi coolly finished a 96th minute counter-attack to give Spezia their first Serie A victory away to AC Milan, 2-1, on Monday night.

The chief executives of America's largest airlines warned ahead of Wednesday's 5G service rollout that the technology should be limited near US airports, or risk "significant operational disruption" to travel and shipping.

Ukrainian prosecutors on Monday requested $35 million in bail for former leader Petro Poroshenko after his return to the ex-Soviet country earlier in the day despite facing arrest on treason charges.