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

Emergency workers continued search and rescue operations in flood-stricken southern Brazil on Saturday despite a new burst of torrential rains, as the death toll continued to climb.

Luton manager Rob Edwards broke down in tears after a 3-1 defeat at West Ham all but confirmed their relegation from the Premier League on Saturday.

Rafael Nadal said Saturday that he is leaning towards playing at the French Open despite his second-round elimination in Rome, as Novak Djokovic laughed off being hit by a bottle which briefly cast doubt on his continued participation.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy returned bowling figures of 2-17 as Kolkata Knight Riders booked their play-off spot with an 18-run win over Mumbai Indians in a rain-reduced IPL match.

Russia on Saturday said it had captured five villages in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region during a surprise ground offensive that prompted mass evacuations, as President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent call for military aid.

Mainz hammered a second-string Borussia Dortmund 3-0 on Saturday to haul themselves out of the Bundesliga's bottom three, as Cologne came back to beat Union Berlin in a day of much importance for the relegation battle.

Spanish champions Real Madrid romped to a 4-0 victory over relegated Granada to get their title celebrations started on Saturday.

Rescuers and onlookers cheered and applauded Saturday as a survivor emerged after 116 hours from underneath the rubble of a collapsed building in South Africa, with the tragedy having killed at least 13.

Thousands of protesters marched through central Tbilisi on Saturday at a rally against a controversial "foreign influence" bill backed by the Georgian government and likened to Russian laws silencing dissent.

Harry Kane will miss Bayern Munich's final home game of the season against Wolfsburg with the back problem that forced him off in the Champions League semi-final, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday.

More than a thousand environmentalists protested outside Tesla's factory near Berlin Saturday, police said, a day after some of them tried to force their way into the plant.

Novak Djokovic light-heartedly donned a cycling crash helmet on Saturday after being hit on the head by a water bottle at the Rome Open but insisted he was feeling "fine".

Record-breaking Al Hilal sealed their fourth Saudi Pro League title in five years on Saturday, extending Cristiano Ronaldo's wait for silverware in the big-spending competition.

Thousands of protesters marched through central Tbilisi on Saturday at a rally against a controversial "foreign influence" bill backed by the Georgian government and likened to Russian laws silencing dissent.

Jawed's whole life was ripped away when flash floods tore through Afghanistan's Baghlan province, drowning every member of his family except a young son who clung to a tree above the churning mud.

Ireland's Eurovision Song Contest entry Bambie Thug on Saturday said a "situation" that required "urgent attention" from show organisers had led to them missing the dress rehearsal ahead of the final in Sweden.

Burnley were relegated from the Premier League after a 2-1 defeat against Tottenham on Saturday.

On a three-day visit to Nigeria to promote his Invictus Games, Prince Harry on Saturday played a seated volleyball match with army veterans, most wounded in battle against the country's Islamist insurgency.

Manchester City closed in on a fourth consecutive Premier League title by thrashing Fulham 4-0 on Saturday, while Burnley were relegated from the top flight after a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.

Teenager Damion Downs came off the bench to score a 92nd-minute winner against Union Berlin to keep Cologne's hopes of a miraculous great escape alive and plunge Union back into the thick of the relegation battle.

The climate catastrophe that has struck southern Brazil, killing more than a hundred people and displacing nearly two million, has also spawned a spate of bizarre conspiracy theories, some involving jets' vapor trails and weather antennas in faraway Alaska.

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have the destiny of the Premier League title in their hands after a 4-0 demolition of Fulham took them to the top of the table on Saturday.

Tadej Pogacar tightened his grip on the Giro d'Italia on Saturday winning the 152km mountainous stage eight over rolling terrain for his third success of this year's race.

Excitement is soaring with the mercury in the sunny streets of the Spanish capital as Real Madrid fans await the arrival of French striker Kylian Mbappe.

Russia on Saturday said it had captured six villages in Ukraine's east during a surprise ground offensive that prompted mass evacuations, as President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent call for military aid.

England star James Anderson believes the "time is right" to end his Test career after revealing July's clash against the West Indies at Lord's will be his final appearance in the five-day format.

Jorge Martin cruised to his third MotoGP sprint victory of the season as he won in Le Man on Saturday to increase his championship lead.

Rafael Nadal said Saturday that he is leaning towards playing at the upcoming French Open despite being eliminated in the second round in Rome, 6-1, 6-3 by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.

Manchester City swept to the top of the Premier League as Josko Gvardiol's double inspired a vital 4-0 victory against Fulham on Saturday.

Harry Kewell warned there was "still a long way to go" after his Yokohama F-Marinos claimed a narrow Asian Champions League final advantage over Hernan Crespo's Al Ain with a 2-1 win in Saturday's first leg in Japan.

Rafael Nadal was knocked out of the Rome Open in the second round on Saturday with a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.

More than 300 people were killed in flash floods that ripped through multiple Afghan provinces, the World Food Programme said on Saturday, as authorities declared a state of emergency and rushed to rescue the injured.