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

Mark Cavendish crashed out of the Tour de France on Saturday ending the star British cyclist's quest to break the all-time record of stage wins.

David de Gea announced his exit from Manchester United on Saturday after 12 years as the club's number one goalkeeper.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova stayed on track for a third title by beating Serbian qualifier Natalija Stevanovic 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday.

More than 1,000 people defied a ban and on Saturday gathered in central Paris for a memorial rally, with dozens of marches planned throughout France to denounce police brutality and racial profiling.

Play-offs in the CAF Confederation Cup -- the African equivalent of the Europa League -- will be ditched from the 2023-2024 season, it was confirmed on Saturday.

England's quest for Australia wickets in the third Ashes Test at Headingley on Saturday was halted by bad weather after rain meant there was no play before tea on the third day, with the match outcome on a knife edge.

Mark Cavendish crashed out of the Tour de France on Saturday after a fall 140km into stage eight left the star British cyclist with what appeared to be a broken collarbone.

David de Gea announced Saturday he is leaving Manchester United after 12 years, saying "it's the right time to undertake a new challenge".

Carlos Alcaraz will seek to extend his unblemished start to Wimbledon on Saturday as defending women's champion Elena Rybakina faces Britain's last hope Katie Boulter.

Former Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar remained in hospital Saturday after a brain haemorrhage and his condition is stable but still of concern, his ex-club Ajax said.

South Africa, which has experienced crippling electricity outages in recent months, will "survive" this winter season thanks to a huge improvement in generation, a cabinet minister said on Saturday.

At least seven people were killed and dozens more injured in India Saturday after clashes over local polls in West Bengal, a state notorious for political violence during election campaigns.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will personally tender his resignation to the king on Saturday after his coalition government collapsed in a row over migration, triggering elections later this year.

On the 500th day since Russia's invasion and as the war grinds on, Ukrainian forces are advancing slowly without enough arms and ammunition and with its main cities under constant threat.

Rain delayed the scheduled 11:00 am (1000 GMT) start of the third day's play in the third Ashes Test at Headingley on Saturday, with the match outcome on a knife edge.

President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed "brave" Ukraine on the 500th day of Russia's invasion on Saturday, as the war's toll mounted with six deaths reported in Russian rocket fire.

Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini takes on big-serving Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon on Saturday as British wildcard Katie Boulter faces defending women's champion Elena Rybakina.

Washington and Beijing should communicate "directly" on concerns about specific economic practices, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Saturday, urging greater cooperation between the two biggest economies despite fraught ties.

Iran hanged two men in public on Saturday over an October attack on a shrine in the southern city of Shiraz that claimed over a dozen lives, the judiciary said.

Japan on Saturday marked a year since the shock assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, the country's longest-serving leader and a towering political figure.

In her first speech in parliament as France's riots ebbed this week, far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused the government of turning the country into a "hell" that she had foreseen.

Cravont Charleston surged past 2019 world champion Christian Coleman to win the men's 100m at the US athletics championships on Friday as Sha'Carri Richardson won the women's 100m to book her long anticipated World Championships berth.

NBA top draft pick Victor Wembanyama delivered a lackluster performance in his long-awaited San Antonio debut, struggling for long stretches as the Spurs defeated Charlotte 76-68 in an NBA Summer League contest Friday.

Cravont Charleston surged past 2019 world champion Christian Coleman to win the men's 100m at the US athletics championships on Friday as Sha'Carri Richardson won the women's 100m to book her World Championships berth.

American qualifier Bailey Tardy, ranked 455th in the world, found herself with a two-shot lead at the US Women's Open after shooting 68 in Friday's second round at Pebble Beach.

NBA top draft pick Victor Wembanyama was a winner in his long-awaited first game with the San Antonio Spurs, who defeated Charlotte 76-68 on Friday in an NBA Summer League contest.

It is "critical" for Washington and Beijing to keep working together on climate finance, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Saturday, urging deeper cooperation in addressing the "existential threat" of global warming.

The smell of freshly cut wood floated over a newly built Belarusian camp site that could end up housing Russia's Wagner fighters after their short-lived rebellion against the Russian army's leaders last month.

Shericka Jackson ran the fastest time of the year as she won the women's 100m at the Jamaican national championships on Friday with a personal best of 10.65 seconds.

Dozens of marches against police violence in France have been announced for Saturday after authorities banned a memorial rally, fearful of reigniting the recent unrest that engulfed the country.

NBA top draft pick Victor Wembanyama played his long-awaited first game with the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, the 19-year-old Frenchman starting in an NBA Summer League contest against Charlotte.

Misinformation about everything from election fraud to Covid-19 vaccines is reaching millions of Americans through a popular but opaque medium: podcasts.