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

Tens of thousands of protesters blocked roads and occupied bridges in Serbia's Novi Sad on Saturday to push the government into new concessions as they marked three-months since the fatal collapse of a train station in the city sparked an anti-corruption movement.

Bayern Munich stretched their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to nine points on Saturday with an extraordinary 4-3 victory over Holstein Kiel.

Mohamed Salah's controversial penalty put Liverpool on course for a 2-0 win at Bournemouth as the Premier League leaders moved nine points clear on Saturday.

Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones at Ukraine killing 12 people, Kyiv said Saturday, as Moscow claimed its forces were pressing in on the key city of Toretsk.

A hat-trick of tries by Huw Jones inspired Scotland to a 31-19 victory over Italy in their Six Nations match at Murrayfield on Saturday.

President Donald Trump is due to unleash fresh tariffs Saturday on major US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, threatening upheaval across supply chains from energy to autos.

Hamas freed three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli custody in the fourth such swap under a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

Stuart Lancaster, the former England rugby coach, has left Racing 92 after a string of poor results, the French Top 14 side announced on Saturday.

Chris Wood netted a hat-trick as Nottingham Forest thrashed Brighton 7-0 to reignite their charge towards next season's Champions League at the City Ground on Saturday.

Germany's former president Horst Koehler, who also once headed the International Monetary Fund and was a strong backer of Africa, died Saturday aged 81 after a brief illness.

The conflict in eastern DR Congo risks escalating into a broader regional war, Burundi's president said Saturday, as Africa's top health agency warned the fighting could spark new outbreaks of serious diseases.

Double Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock won Saudi Arabia's Al_Ula Tour on Saturday in his first race since joining the Q36.5 team.

Unsettled Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is close to joining Aston Villa on loan, according to reports on Saturday.

Russia said on Saturday it had captured a village flanking the eastern flashpoint city of Toretsk in Ukraine, while Kyiv said eight people had died in Russian attacks overnight.

Freed Palestinian inmates were greeted by a cheering crowd in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah Saturday, after Hamas released three Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip in the fourth exchange under the group's ceasefire deal with Israel.

Uganda's president condemned on Saturday a Supreme Court ruling that civilians cannot be tried in military court, while the army said it would continue court martialling ex-presidential candidate Kizza Besigye.

Germany's former president Horst Koehler, who served as head of state from 2004 to 2010, died on Saturday aged 81 after a brief illness, officials announced.

Australia crushed a lamentable England by an innings and 122 runs in a one-off pink ball Test on Saturday to complete a historic women's Ashes whitewash.

Under-fire Wales head coach Warren Gatland challenged his side to get "the monkey off their back" with a long-awaited win when they play Italy in the Six Nations next Saturday.

Sri Lanka suffered their heaviest defeat in Test cricket history on Saturday as Australia flexed their muscles to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series with a crushing victory by an innings and 242 runs.

Music world A-listers took the stage Friday to honor the Grateful Dead at an annual pre-Grammys benefit gala, which this year raised millions for musicians impacted by the recent wildfires that devastated Los Angeles.

French captain Antoine Dupont played down France's chances of being crowned Six Nations champions despite thrashing a hapless Wales 43-0 in their opening match on Friday.

Hamas on Saturday released three Israeli hostages in the fourth exchange of the ceasefire deal, ahead of the expected release of 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

A humanoid robot gyrates to pulsing music at a shopping mall in Beijing, part of an exhibition harnessing artificial intelligence to enhance the flavour of China's biggest annual festival.

Afghanistan's Taliban government took over management of Kabul's famed Serena hotel on Saturday, a hotel statement said, a luxury property targeted by Taliban attacks during their insurgency.

Hamas on Saturday released two out of three Israeli hostages in the fourth exchange of the ceasefire deal, ahead of the expected release of 183 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

New Zealand's Ally Wollaston powered home ahead of the Netherlands' Karlijn Swinkels in a bunched sprint finish to claim her first World Tour victory in the women's Cadel Evans Road Race on Saturday.

Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel of their worst-ever Test defeat Saturday after Australia enforced the follow-on and made early inroads, dismissing their top three batters before lunch on day four.

Mathias Azonnoudo, a 50-year-old farmer in Benin, was taking a break sitting on a large pile of freshly picked cotton, which the government hopes will feed the country's nascent textile revolution.

Marco Rubio heads Saturday to Panama on his debut trip abroad as US secretary of state as he looks for how to follow up on President Donald Trump's extraordinary threat to seize the Panama Canal.

Old rivalries between India and Pakistan are driving a shift in regional ties, with New Delhi courting Afghanistan's Taliban while Islamabad befriends the new leaders of post-revolutionary Bangladesh.

A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the Sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles.