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

The first of three flights to evacuate French and European citizens from Niger lifted off Tuesday evening, six days after a coup toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the jihadist-plagued Sahel.

Patrick Mahomes topped player sales for NFL souvenirs in the months after his second Super Bowl triumph, edging Aaron Rodgers according to an NFL Players Association list released Tuesday.

Saudi side Al Nassr announced the signing of Bayern Munich striker Sadio Mane on Tuesday.

New England Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena has been placed on administrative league as Major League Soccer reviews allegations he made "insensitive and inappropriate remarks."

Spain full-back Jordi Alba says he is targeting more trophies after re-uniting with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami.

India's batting finally fired properly and resulted in a formidable total of 351-5 batting first against the West Indies in the decisive third and final one-day international at the Brian Lara Stadium on Tuesday.

X is suing a nonprofit group in US federal court over reports that hate speech has flourished at the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ronald Jones, a two-time Super Bowl champion, was suspended for two games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Russia said Tuesday it downed another wave of Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow, Crimea and vessels in the Black Sea, as a skyscraper in the capital's financial district was struck for the second time in days.

The coup in Niger has left former colonial master France with an array of headaches ranging from how to extract its citizens in the face of a deteriorating security situation to future French military strategy.

Workers lowered a hammer and sickle from a towering sculpture overlooking Kyiv on Tuesday in a campaign to remove Soviet icons that ramped up after Russia invaded last year.

Bongi Mbonambi will become the second black Test captain of South Africa on Saturday when he leads the Springboks against Argentina in a Rugby World Cup warm-up match in Buenos Aires.

Tiger Woods is joining the PGA Tour's newly expanded policy board, the tour announced Tuesday, in a move aimed at cooling player tensions over secrecy surrounding merger talks with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf.

The owners of Birkenstock are planning an initial public offering as soon as September that could value the German sandal maker at more than $8 billion, reports said Tuesday.

NASA's distant Voyager 2 probe has sent a "heartbeat" signal to Earth after mission control mistakenly cut contact, the US space agency said Tuesday.

Driving rain, rivers of mud and traffic jams in northern Germany led organisers of Wacken Open Air, billed as the world's biggest heavy metal festival, to ask fans Tuesday to stay away.

Caterpillar reported strong second-quarter profits Tuesday behind robust demand for industrial equipment and an improving cost environment that boosted profit margins.

Iran on Tuesday declared a two-day holiday for government workers and banks nationwide as searing temperatures sweep across the country, state media reported.

Social media giant Meta on Tuesday said it intends to ask EU-based users to give their consent before allowing targeted advertising on its networks including Facebook, bowing to pressure from European regulators.

Coach Shui Qingxia said the gulf between her side and European opponents was "huge" after a 6-1 thrashing by England saw China bundled out of the Women's World Cup in the group stage for the first time.

New Paris Saint-Germain recruit Lucas Hernandez said Tuesday his team are still adapting to new coach Luis Enrique, shaking off their failure to win a single game on their pre-season tour of Japan.

An armed gang robbed a Paris store of luxury jewellery and watch brand Piaget on Tuesday, making off with 10 to 15 million euros worth of goods in broad daylight, police and prosecutors said.

Crowds of flag-waving pilgrims converged on Lisbon on Tuesday for the start of a week-long religious festival known as World Youth Day, a day before the arrival of Pope Francis.

NASA's distant Voyager 2 probe has signaled it is in "good health" after mission control mistakenly cut contact for several days, the US space agency said in its latest update.

Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko's presidential plans have been blighted by a fresh barrage of criminal charges and the dissolution of his party ahead of next February's elections.

France and Italy prepared on Tuesday to fly out their citizens and other Europeans from Niger, six days after a coup toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the jihadist-plagued Sahel and stoked anti-French demonstrations.

Anton Moiseyev sat for the third day in the cabin of his lorry, parked by a roadside cafe in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, in a bottleneck triggered by Russia's scrapping of a grain shipping deal.

Holders the United States squeezed into the last 16 of the Women's World Cup on Tuesday with a nervy 0-0 draw against Portugal but England and the Netherlands powered through with big wins.

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it would allow environmental activists to "assemble peacefully" at this year's UN climate talks, despite a prohibition on unauthorised protests in the Gulf state.

Workers on Tuesday lowered a hammer and sickle from a gigantic sculptural figure that watches over the Ukrainian capital, as part of a campaign to remove Soviet symbols which has ramped up since Moscow invaded last year.

US and European stock markets mostly slid on Tuesday as investors reacted to macroeconomic data and corporate earnings, while the dollar firmed.

Uber reported a surprise profit on Tuesday, pointing to strong growth in its core mobility and delivery businesses despite missing revenue estimates.