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

A loud cheer swept through the crowd gathered at a Tel Aviv plaza known as Hostage Square, where giant screens livestreamed the long-awaited release of four Israeli hostages on Saturday, the latest to be freed under a Gaza ceasefire deal.

Sebastien Ogier ploughed through the Monte Carlo mud on Saturday to retain his lead in the opening race of the World Rally Championship season.

Justine Mettraux became the fastest ever woman finisher in the gruelling, round-the-world Vendee Globe yacht race when she crossed the finish line off the French coast on Saturday.

Real Betis signed Manchester United winger Antony on loan on Saturday until the end of the season after a disastrous stint at Old Trafford.

Napoli continued their Serie A title charge on Saturday by coming from behind to win a feverish contest with rivals Juventus 2-1 and go six points clear at the top of the pile.

Arne Slot hailed Liverpool's "almost perfect" 4-1 demolition of Ipswich as the Premier League leaders moved a step closer to the title on Saturday.

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed terms with Brain Schottenheimer and will appoint him as their new head coach replacing Mike McCarthy, the team said on their website.

Novak Djokovic blasted "all sports injury experts" on Saturday when he posted the results of a scan which demonstrated the extent of the leg injury which shattered his Australian Open dream.

Aleksandr Golovin scored the decisive goal in an entertaining contest as Monaco beat Rennes 3-2 in Ligue 1 on Saturday, boosting their push for Champions League qualification and deepening the woes of their struggling opponents.

Mikel Arteta urged the Football Association to overturn Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly's controversial red card in Saturday's 1-0 win at Wolves.

Applause and cheers filled a Tel Aviv square on Saturday as Gaza militants released four Israeli hostages, followed by celebrations in the occupied West Bank when Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

Tilak Varma anchored India's chase with an unbeaten 72 to lead the hosts to a thrilling two-wicket victory over England in the second T20 international on Saturday.

Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg's avoidable error helped Toulouse to a 27-17 home win over Montpellier as the hosts moved to the French Top 14 summit.

US tech billionaire Elon Musk gave a video address to a campaign rally of Germany's anti-immigration AfD party Saturday, his latest show of support ahead of the country's election next month.

Atletico Madrid dropped two more points in the La Liga title race in a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Saturday.

Cody Gakpo scored twice as Liverpool took another step towards the Premier League title with a 4-1 demolition of Ipswich at Anfield on Saturday.

Cody Gakpo struck twice as Premier League leaders Liverpool thrashed Ipswich 4-1 to maintain their six-point lead over Arsenal, who survived Myles Lewis-Skelly's controversial red card to snatch a 1-0 win at Wolves on Saturday.

Harry Kane scored as Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Freiburg on Saturday to move six points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, who threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at RB Leipzig.

Some of the few remaining survivors of Auschwitz will gather at the site of the Nazi death camp on Monday as the world marks the 80th anniversary of its liberation in the final months of World War II.

The United States has ceased issuing passports with a gender-neutral "X" option, the State Department said, following President Donald Trump's order limiting government recognition of transgender identity.

Azzam al-Shallalta dropped to his knees and wept at his mother's feet as he arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah with other Palestinian prisoners released under the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump will hold a rally at a casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, wrapping up a tumultuous week that saw him double down on promises to reshape American politics and culture.

The British Museum said it had closed a number of exhibits after a fired IT contractor "shut down" some of its systems, in one of several unrelated incidents targeting European museums on Saturday.

Six foreign peacekeepers have been killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fighting between the Congolese army and Rwandan-backed M23 fighters intensified on Saturday, officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said allies should work towards determining a format for potential peace talks with Russia, reiterating that only talks involving Kyiv could bring about a sustainable peace.

Attacking knocks by skipper Jos Buttler and Brydon Carse helped England reach 165-9 against India in the second T20 international on Saturday.

Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Britain's Henry Patten won an epic late-night men's doubles final to add the Australian Open crown to their Wimbledon title on Saturday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine was prepared to send coal to fuel a major power plant in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria, hit by an unprecedented energy crisis.

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who are poised to return to the US terrorism blacklist, released more than 150 prisoners of war in tearful scenes on Saturday.

Madison Keys paid tribute to her coach and new husband Bjorn Fratangelo saying it "was the best honeymoon ever" after winning her first Grand Slam title on Saturday aged 29 -- and then revealed he did not even want the job.

A loud cheer swept through the crowd gathered at a Tel Aviv plaza known as Hostage Square, as giant screens livestreamed the long-awaited release of four Israeli hostages, the latest to be freed under a Gaza ceasefire deal.

A Seoul court rejected a second request Saturday to extend the detention of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt to declare martial law, putting pressure on prosecutors to quickly indict him.