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

The two riders duelling for the MotoGP title, leader Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, qualified fourth and fifth on Saturday for the Qatar Grand Prix, setting the tone for a white-knuckle ride on Sunday.

The second test launch of SpaceX's Starship got off to a successful start Saturday, with the booster separating from the spaceship, but both then exploded shortly after over the ocean.

A Hamas health official said more than 80 people were killed Saturday in twin strikes on a northern Gaza refugee camp, including a UN school used as a shelter for people displaced by the Israel-Hamas war.

Tens of thousands of Spaniards took to the streets of Madrid on Saturday to denounce a proposed amnesty law for Catalan separatists and activists, which was key for the left-wing government to retain power.

Home skier Manuel Feller led an Austrian podium sweep after two descents of the Kirchenkar slalom for a combined time of 1min 47.23sec in the Alpine skiing World Cup's opening men's race on Saturday.

Captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday said his players understand the pressure of being Indian cricketers and remain "calm and composed" for the World Cup final against five-time champions Australia.

SpaceX on Saturday carried out the second test launch of Starship, the largest rocket ever built that Elon Musk hopes will one day colonize Mars, while NASA awaits a modified version to land humans on the Moon.

World champion Max Verstappen has given his support to rival Carlos Sainz after the Ferrari driver was hit with a ten-place grid penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Former world number one and three-time major winner Andy Murray pulled out of the Davis Cup finals on Saturday, depriving the tournament of a likely heavyweight clash against Novak Djokovic.

Home skier Manuel Feller of Austria was fastest on the first run of the Kirchenkar slalom in the Alpine skiing World Cup opening men's race on Saturday.

Pat Cummins may be an unusual captain, but he heads into Sunday's World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad on the verge of leading Australia to their second global title this year.

Hundreds of people fled on foot Saturday after the director of Gaza's main hospital said Israel's army ordered evacuation of the facility where more than 2,000 patients, medics and displaced people were trapped by the war between Israel and Hamas.

Clutching a blown-up surgical glove as a makeshift toy, a Palestinian child is stretchered onto a plane to Abu Dhabi -– one of the Gaza war's first evacuees to the United Arab Emirates for urgent medical treatment.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start from pole position in Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix after posting the fastest time in Friday qualifying.

A boat carrying Rohingya refugees that was forced back to sea earlier this week was sighted Saturday several miles off the coast of Indonesia's westernmost region, according to a local commander.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the final match of the Cricket World Cup on Sunday, as fans across the cricket-mad country held prayers for a win.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start from pole position in Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix after posting the fastest time in Friday qualifying.

In a ramshackle Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Hayat Shehadeh wrings her hands as she watches the Israel-Hamas war. Her daughter is in Gaza, and she has not spoken to her for a week.

Hundreds of people fled on foot Saturday after Israel's army ordered the evacuation of Gaza's main hospital where more than 2,000 patients, medics and displaced people were trapped by the war between Israel and Hamas.

Rohit Sharma will carry a billion hopes when he leads India out for the World Cup final on Sunday, the pinnacle of a journey which began in poverty but which has led to a personal fortune of around $25 million and the high-pressure captaincy of the national cricket team.

Paris booksellers, who have operated from little dark green kiosks on the banks of the Seine for some 150 years, are incensed by plans to remove them for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics.

The guitar that the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain used during his last tour sold for more than $1.5 million, an auction house announced Friday.

Australia are adamant they will be "ready for anything" India throw at them in the Cricket World Cup final after controversy hit the tournament in a 'pitch switch' row.

Rohit Sharma's undefeated India will look to end a 10-year global title drought in front of 130,000 fans in the World Cup final against five-time champions Australia on Sunday.

Victor Wembanyama put on a show but his San Antonio Spurs slumped to a seventh straight defeat on Friday as group play continued in the NBA's new in-season tournament.

Liberian leader and football legend George Weah conceded defeat to opposition leader Joseph Boakai after a tight presidential run-off, saying it was "time to put national interest above personal interest".

Australia captain Pat Cummins has urged his side to "embrace" the challenge of facing a hostile crowd when they play in-form hosts India in Sunday's World Cup final in Ahmedabad.

Singer Cassie and rap mogul Sean Combs have reached a settlement "amicably" a day after she filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and physical abuse, US media reported late Friday.

Mercedes' George Russell posted the fastest lap-time in the third practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Friday.

Indian rescuers said Saturday they had paused efforts to reach 40 men trapped in a collapsed road tunnel after a cracking sound created a "panic situation" over the possibility of a further cave-in.

The big problem with the famously picturesque Alsace Wine Route in eastern France, said Jean-Louis Meyer as he put down his glass of white wine, is that there are so many vineyards where you can stop for a tasting.

A first consignment of fuel has entered Gaza after US pressure on Israel, allowing communications to resume in the territory, where a hospital director on Saturday said 26 people had been killed in a strike in Khan Yunis.