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

British rider Simon Yates of Bike Exchange won stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday, crossing the Budapest finish line of the 9.2km time-trial 03sec faster than Mathieu van der Poel, who retained the overall lead, while Tom Dumoulin was third.

FIFA has rejected Algeria's desperate bid to have their World Cup play-off with Cameroon replayed, saying on Saturday "they consider the dossier closed".

Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce posted the fastest 100m in the world this year as she clocked 10.67secs to win her season opener in Nairobi on Saturday.

Dutch winger Sheraldo Becker grabbed a goal and an assist as Union Berlin stunned top-four hopefuls Freiburg with a 4-1 win in a dramatic afternoon in the Bundesliga race for Europe on Saturday.

Napoli strengthened their hold on third place in Serie A on Saturday after beating Torino 1-0 to keep Juventus at bay.

US First Lady Jill Biden hailed the "amazingly strong" refugees from war-torn Ukraine as she visited neighbouring Romania on Saturday.

The death toll after an explosion ripped through a luxury hotel in central Havana climbed to 25 people including a Spanish tourist, state television reported Saturday, one day after the powerful blast due to a suspected gas leak.

Celtic virtually guaranteed a 52nd Scottish league title by coming from behind to beat Hearts 4-1 on Saturday.

Russia on Saturday held its final rehearsal for an annual parade marking the Soviet victory in World War II, where its military might will be showcased amid Moscow's campaign in Ukraine.

The Taliban on Saturday imposed some of the harshest restrictions on Afghanistan's women since they seized power, ordering them to cover fully in public, ideally with the traditional burqa.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday vowed a new start to face immense challenges in foreign and domestic policy, as he was inaugurated for a second term after his election victory over the far right.

A Colombian drug cartel has set fire to dozens of vehicles, retaliating over the extradition of the group's leader to the United States on trafficking charges, authorities said Friday.

Chelsea have some clarity after an uncertain few months with the consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly set to buy the Premier League giants.

Postwoman Iryna Fedyanina's laughter drowns out the mortar fire ringing out as she hands out pensions to the frightened masses near a river splitting Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Ukraine hoped to evacuate more civilians from a besieged Mariupol steel plant on Saturday as Russian forces unleased new bombardments across the country ahead of Victory Day festivities in Moscow.

French President Emmanuel Macron was on Saturday inaugurated for a second term after his election victory over the far right, facing immense challenges in foreign and domestic policy following a first term which had often polarised the nation.

Belgium has refused to extradite Ecuador's former president Rafael Correa, his lawyers announced Friday, after Brussels recently granted him asylum.

The Taliban on Saturday imposed one of the harshest restrictions on Afghanistan's women since seizing power, ordering them to wear the all-covering burqa in public.

Chelsea confirmed on Saturday that a consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly has won the battle to buy the Premier League club in a £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion) deal.

Israeli forces on Saturday destroyed the home of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli settler last year, sparking clashes.

Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs withdrew at the last minute on Saturday from his long-awaited return to the track in Nairobi because of intestinal problems.

North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile Saturday, Seoul said, its second missile launch in three days, after the United States warned Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test.

Northern Ireland on Saturday resumed counting ballots from an election that has put the nationalist Sinn Fein party on course for a historic victory.

Football fans have become familiar with final calls being made by "VAR" -- video assistant referees -- but at one of Venezuela's biggest radio groups, it also controls what news gets aired.

The Indonesian Navy has seized a tanker that was carrying palm oil out of the country in violation of an export ban, a spokesman said Saturday.

Russia's war on Ukraine has sent grain prices skyrocketing -- a worry for consumers worldwide but potentially a boon for producers like Argentina, which hopes an influx of soybean "agridollars" will boost its faltering economy.

Thousands of migrant labourers, many of whom have worked on Qatar's new stadiums, have formed long queues to see the World Cup trophy that will be contested in the Gulf state this year.

On the municipal beach at Nikopol in southern Ukraine, barbed wire, sand bags and other defences have replaced children playing on the sand.

Paintings of wounded children and grieving women line the walls, while loudspeakers spit out the sound of approaching war planes.

Philadelphia's star center Joel Embiid returned from injury to help the re-energized 76ers beat the Miami Heat 99-79 on Friday, clawing back a game in their NBA playoff series.

Chelsea FC said a group led by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly would acquire the London club after agreeing terms in a deal worth £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion).

The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was set to address hundreds of thousands of supporters Saturday on the final day of presidential election campaigning, as polls show him heading towards a landslide win.