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

Mauritanians began voting Saturday to decide whether to re-elect President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani as head of the desert country, an oasis of peace in Africa's volatile Sahel region.

England manager Gareth Southgate is confident his side will embrace the pressure of the knockout stages at Euro 2024 after failing to fire in their three group games.

India won the T20 World Cup title with a thrilling seven run victory over South Africa in a classic final at Kensington Oval on Saturday.

Two-time defending world champion Kalle Rovanpera, who was not even due to be racing this weekend, enjoyed a dominant Saturday to take the lead in Rally Poland, the seventh round of the WRC season.

Switzerland dumped reigning champions Italy out of Euro 2024 with a stunning 2-0 victory on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals for the second time in their history.

Voting got underway in France's overseas territories Saturday in high-stakes snap parliamentary elections that could see the far-right party of Marine Le Pen take power in a historic first.

Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona believes England possess the best squad at Euro 2024, ahead of their last 16 meeting on Sunday, despite the Three Lions stuttering form in Germany.

A Serbian police officer killed a man who shot him in the neck with a crossbow in front of the Israeli embassy in Belgrade on Saturday, in what the prime minister called a "terrorist act".

Novak Djokovic said Saturday it would not have been "correct" to miss Wimbledon despite having undergone knee surgery just over three weeks ago.

Daria Kasatkina and Taylor Fritz won the women's and men's singles titles respectively at the Eastbourne International on Saturday as they both enjoyed morale-boosting grass-court triumphs just days out from the start of Wimbledon.

George Russell plans to sit back and enjoy a perfect view of an expected front row scrap between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix – and then try to steal an advantage and pass them.

Virat Kohli delivered when India needed him the most, making 76 as South Africa were set a target of 177 to win in the final of the T20 World Cup at Kensington Oval on Saturday.

French climber Romain Bardet of the DSM team claimed the overall leader's yellow jersey when he won the opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday with a late escape on a 206km run from Florence to Rimini.

Max Verstappen continued his imperious form in Red Bull’s homeland on Saturday when, after winning the sprint race, he claimed a convincing pole position for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Taylor Fritz completed a hat-trick of Eastbourne International ATP titles on Saturday as the American became the first three-time men's singles champion in the tournament's history.

Pole-sitter and two-time defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia won the Dutch MotoGP sprint at Assen on Saturday to pile the pressure on present series leader Jorge Martin.

Fans in blue India jerseys erupted into cheers at a sports bar in New Delhi on Saturday as Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first against South Africa in the blockbuster T20 World Cup final in Barbados, hoping their long title drought was about to end.

The far-right AfD declared its ambition to rise to power in Germany as its party congress kicked off Saturday with clashes between hooded demonstrators and police, just weeks after it scored record EU election results.

A Serbian police officer on Saturday killed a man who shot him in the neck with a crossbow in front of the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, in what the prime minister called a "terrorist act".

Haiti's new leader was in the United States on Saturday for a visit set to include meetings with international financial institutions as well as a White House official, his office and a National Security Council spokesperson said.

India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat in the final of the T20 World Cup against South Africa at the Kensington Oval on Saturday.

Daria Kasatkina won her first grass-court title by defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-4 to win the Eastbourne International on Saturday a year after losing in the final of the WTA Tour event.

Heptathlon world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson has insisted she feels "healthy now" following concerns over her fitness ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

Alexander Zverev placed himself amongst the serious contenders for the Wimbledon title on Saturday, insisting that this year's showpiece "is the most open in 20 years".

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka said Saturday she is "not 100%" certain of playing her first round Wimbledon match due to a "really rare" shoulder injury.

Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps appeared to fire a parting shot at the direction of the club under minority owner Jim Ratcliffe on Saturday as she became the latest high-profile player to leave the Women's Super League side.

Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza on Saturday, the third day of an Israeli military operation that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the UN called "unbearable" living conditions in the territory.

Georgia coach Willy Sagnol insisted the rank outsiders would go into Sunday's Euro 2024 clash with Spain in relaxed mood having already far exceeded expectations by making it to the last 16.

Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps has become the latest high-profile player to leave the Women's Super League club following the expiry of her contract, it was announced Saturday.

Voting got underway in France's overseas territories on Saturday in high-stakes snap parliamentary elections, which could change the country's trajectory and see the far-right party of Marine Le Pen take power in a historic first.

France international hooker Peato Mauvaka has penned a three-year contract extension with Toulouse until 2029, the club announced after winning the Top 14 title.

The sole reformist in Iran's presidential election, Masoud Pezeshkian, will face the ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in a runoff, authorities said on Saturday, following a vote marred by historically low turnout.