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

Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis lost his last-minute fitness battle Wednesday and was ruled out for game three of the NBA Finals in Dallas with what the team has called a "rare" lower left leg injury.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the most successful male European athlete in Rome on Wednesday, while Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis won his third pole vault title and Marcell Jacobs set the crowd alight with a second gold as part of the Italian relay team.

The producers of the James Bond movies will receive honorary Oscars at a ceremony this November, the Academy said Wednesday, as anticipation swells for the announcement of who will next play 007.

The US Federal Reserve left its key lending rate unchanged on Wednesday and penciled in just one rate cut this year, down from the three expected in March after inflation stalled in the first quarter.

The United States became the first team to be penalised five runs under the new stop-clock rules in their T20 World Cup loss to India on Wednesday but coach Stuart Law insisted it "did not affect the outcome of the game".

Hundreds of security forces fired teargas and water cannon at rioting demonstrators in Buenos Aires who were protesting Wednesday against proposed economic reforms, according to AFP reporters.

Pinehurst's lightning-fast domed greens, already seen by some as "borderline" unfair, will bring peril for every golfer when the 124th US Open begins Thursday.

The US Federal Reserve left its key lending rate unchanged on Wednesday and penciled in just one rate cut this year, down from the three expected in March after inflation stalled in the first quarter.

Norway's Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen etched his name in European history in Rome on Wednesday, his victory in the 1500m making him the most successful male athlete on the continent.

European and US stocks mostly rose Wednesday after data showed US inflation slowed in May, with Wall Street indices holding onto records even after the Federal Reserve projected fewer interest rate cuts in 2024.

Norway's Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen etched his name in European history in Rome on Wednesday, his victory in the 1500m making him the most successful male athlete on the continent.

US transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has had a legal case against World Aquatics dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, swimming's governing body said on Wednesday.

Nick Dunlap has had amazing success at Pinehurst already, but asking the 20-year-old American to conjure a US Open triumph this week is still a bit much.

India captain Rohit Sharma admitted it was a "big relief" for his highly-fancied team to reach the T20 World Cup second round after a seven-wicket win over the United States on Wednesday.

Argentine police used pepper spray Wednesday on demonstrators outside Congress, where lawmakers debated a swath of liberalizing reforms proposed by budget-slashing President Javier Milei.

US sprinter Trayvon Bromell's dream of a third straight Olympic appearance is over after he was forced to withdraw from this month's US trials in Oregon due to injury.

Group of Seven leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with $50 billion via the use of frozen Russian assets by the end of the year, the French presidency said on Wednesday.

The US Golf Association will examine creating a path for LIV Golf players into the US Open in the next off-season, USGA chief executive officer Mike Whan said on Wednesday.

Newly-crowned French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz and 14-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal will play at the Olympic Games next month, the Spanish tennis federation (RFET) announced Wednesday.

The dissident brother of Nicaraguan strongman Daniel Ortega, who the president has accused of "treason," has been hospitalized, according to exiled press.

The US Federal Reserve left its key lending rate unchanged on Wednesday and penciled in just one rate cut this year, down from the three expected in March.

Suryakumar Yadav hit an unbeaten half-century and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh claimed a career-best 4-9 as India defeated the United States by seven wickets to reach the T20 World Cup second round on Wednesday.

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler can laugh at the internet-sensation tribute video to his arrest last month at the PGA Championship now that all charges have been dropped.

Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille said Wednesday that greater security and a crackdown on corruption would be priorities for his newly installed government in the troubled Caribbean nation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, said he discussed preparations for a peace summit this weekend with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

French prosecutors called on Wednesday for six associates of Paul Pogba, including his brother, to face trial as part of the investigation into the alleged extortion and kidnapping of the French footballer, AFP has learned from a source involved in the case.

Britain's Adam Peaty said on Wednesday he believes he will travel to Paris 2024 as an even tougher rival for his opponents now the three-time Olympic swimming champion is living his "true life".

Italian giants Juventus on Wednesday named Thiago Motta as their new coach, replacing Massimiliano Allegri who was sacked last month.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that a controversial offshore oil exploration plan near the mouth of the Amazon River was a key opportunity for the country's growth.

When US President Joe Biden meets world leaders at a lavish Italian resort this week he will be shadowed by an invisible and, for now, uninvited guest: Donald Trump.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed on Wednesday that Budapest would "not block" plans for the alliance to play a bigger role in coordinating arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi says he expects Inter Miami to be the club where he closes his legendary playing career, but he is not intending to depart right away.