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

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell maintained her unbeaten start to the season on Saturday, storming to victory in the 60m hurdles at the Millrose Games in New York in a world-leading 7.76sec.

Yealimi Noh birdied eight of the last 11 holes to grab the lead after Saturday's third round of the LPGA Founders Cup while top-ranked Nelly Korda charged into contention.

Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma sent Chelsea crashing out of the FA Cup as the Japan star sealed a 2-1 win in the fourth round, while Kevin De Bruyne spared Manchester City's blushes in their 2-1 victory at third-tier Leyton Orient on Saturday.

Kylian Mbappe secured Real Madrid a 1-1 draw against rivals Atletico Madrid which kept Los Blancos top of La Liga on Saturday.

England captain Maro Itoje was proud his side delivered on head coach Steve Borthwick's call for "bravery" following a dramatic 26-25 win over France in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday.

Carlos Alcaraz scrapped his way into the final of the Rotterdam Open on Saturday with a hard-fought and entertaining three-set win over Hubert Hurkacz.

If Patrick Mahomes can lead the Kansas City Chiefs to an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory when they face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, expect the debate over the NFL's greatest-ever dynasty to heat up.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered negotiators on Saturday to return to Qatar to discuss the fragile ceasefire in the war with Hamas, after the fifth hostage-prisoner swap agreed under the truce was completed.

Kevin De Bruyne spared Manchester City's blushes with a late strike to beat third tier Leyton Orient 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, while Newcastle also came from behind to win 3-2 at Birmingham.

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra suffered a sickening blow to the head after he appeared to misjudge a catch during his team's ODI victory over Pakistan on Saturday.

Replacement Elliot Daly's try a minute from time helped England to a thrilling 26-25 Six Nations win over France at a rainswept Twickenham on Saturday.

Los Angeles superstar LeBron James was ruled out of the Lakers' NBA game against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday with a sore left ankle, the team said.

The three Baltic states on Saturday seamlessly cut ties with Russia's power grid to integrate with the European Union's network, a switch that gained urgency with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Head coach Warren Gatland said he and his Wales team are feeling the pressure after Saturday's Six Nations defeat to Italy took their record-breaking losing streak to 14 Tests.

Glenn Phillips cracked a maiden century and Mitchell Santner grabbed three wickets to help New Zealand overpower Pakistan by 78 runs in the opening match of a tri-nations series in Lahore on Saturday.

Fresh protests against the extreme right drew massive crowds in Germany on Saturday, including 250,000 people in Munich, authorities said, as the country heads for clutch elections.

Oihan Sancet hit a hat-trick to fuel Athletic Bilbao's Champions League push with a 3-0 win over Girona on Saturday in La Liga.

Belinda Bencic secured her first title since returning from maternity leave with a come-from-behind victory over American Ashlyn Krueger at the Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday.

Kevin De Bruyne spared Manchester City's blushes as they came from behind to beat third tier Leyton Orient 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round, while Southampton's miserable season hit a new low with an embarrassing exit against Burnley on Saturday.

Italy sent Wales spiralling deeper into crisis on Saturday after triumphing 22-15 in the Six Nations and handing their sorry opponents a record-extending 14th consecutive Test defeat in front of delighted fans in Rome.

Bayer Leverkusen dropped eight points behind league leaders Bayern Munich with a scoreless draw at Wolfsburg on Saturday.

From the United States to Thailand, users of the popular Sony PlayStation consoles might encounter "difficulties," the Japanese group said Saturday, as game players around the world expressed their frustration.

Ireland captain Caelan Doris said there is "no room for complacency" as the defending Six Nations champions face a Scotland side who are seeking to end a 10-Test losing run to their opponents.

Israel's "lack of commitment" is putting the Gaza ceasefire in danger of collapse, a senior Hamas official told AFP on Saturday with talks yet to start on its second phase.

Brazil's president this week amped up pressure for a major oil project to go ahead at the mouth of the Amazon River, despite criticism from environmentalists as the country prepares to host UN climate talks in November.

Belinda Bencic secured her first title since returning from maternity leave with a come-from-behind victory over American Ashlyn Krueger at the Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday.

Australia's Alex de Minaur eased into the Rotterdam Open final on Saturday, bringing to an end the extraordinary giant-killing run of Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci with an entertaining straight-sets win.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and France's Marine Le Pen headlined a rally in Madrid on Saturday by Europe's biggest far-right bloc, buoyed by Donald Trump's return to power and calling for "a 180-degree pivot".

A summit of African leaders meeting to address the crisis in Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday called for an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" within five days.

South Africa on Saturday condemned a "campaign of misinformation" after US President Donald Trump issued an order freezing aid to the country over a law he alleges allows land to be seized from white farmers.

Ester Ledecka's bid to get Olympic chiefs to reschedule the programme for next year's Winter Games to allow her to compete in both alpine skiing and snowboarding races received a massive boost when she took downhill bronze in the World Ski Championships on Saturday.

Manchester City needed a late winner from substitute Kevin De Bruyne to beat Leyton Orient 2-1 and reach the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday after the third-tier side threatened to shock the Premier League champions.