The Irish Press - News from Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Drogheda, Galyway, Ireland and the world

Five-time winners Brazil roll into the World Cup on Saturday when they play surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in one of the standout group-stage matchups.

Skipper Shubman Gill's unbeaten 84 and inspired bowling led India to an emphatic seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in a rain-reduced 25-overs-a-side ODI contest on Saturday.

George Russell returned to an approach that suits him well as he claimed pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in Saturday's qualifying session.

Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas said officials at "local, state and federal levels" were investigating after World Cup equipment belonging to England was stolen ahead of the squad's arrival at their training base on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump will take part in a G7 working session with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in France on Tuesday, but no bilateral meeting between the two is scheduled, a senior administration official said.

What promised to be a hyper-competitive hypercar class in the 24 hours of Le Mans started with a flurry of overtaking and four leaders in the first hour on Saturday.

The leader of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua has been killed in southern Venezuela as part of a joint operation with the United States, in what a top Pentagon official on Saturday described as a warning to "narco-terrorists" in Latin America.

George Russell of Mercedes claimed pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix after a thrilling end to the qualifying session on Saturday.

Thousands of people on Saturday gathered for an anti-racism rally in the Northern Irish city of Belfast after unrest sparked by a horrific stabbing.

US tennis great Serena Williams, on the comeback trail nearly four years after retiring, will partner Czech Karolina Muchova in the doubles at next week's Berlin Open grass court tournament.

Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit an attacking century but India bowled out the opposition for 194 in a rain-reduced 25-overs-a-side ODI contest on Saturday.

Mexican Isaac del Toro won Saturday's seventh stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes to close in on overall leader Luke Tuckwell as pre-race favourite Paul Seixas lost time due to a crash.

The United States and Iran could finalise an agreement to end the Middle East war within as little as 24 hours, mediator Pakistan said Saturday, after both sides expressed optimism about the chances of concluding a deal.

US qualifier Robin Montgomery upset Australian Ajla Tomljanovic to advance to the final of the s'Hertogenbosch grass court tournament on Saturday where she will meet Czech Barbora Krejcikova.

Ghana said Saturday it has formally lodged a protest over Canada's refusal to issue a visa for the World Cup to player Thomas Partey, who is facing trial in Britain on rape charges.

Five-time winners Brazil roll into the World Cup on Saturday when they play surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in one of the standout group-stage matchups.

George Russell built confidence ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix by topping the timesheets in the final practice session on Saturday.

A dominant Lani Pallister swept to victory in the 1500m freestyle at the Australian trials on Saturday to cap a marquee week where she also won the 400m and 800m in super-quick times.

The United States and Iran could finalise an agreement to end the Middle East war "within 24 hours", key mediator Pakistan said Saturday, after both sides expressed optimism about the chances of concluding a deal.

International Cricket Council chief executive Sanjog Gupta, insists the Women's T20 World Cup can "co-exist" with the football World Cup.

Batsman Will Young was drafted into the New Zealand Test squad on Saturday in place of Kane Williamson, who called time on his international career mid-series against England.

The body of the Thai king's eldest daughter was brought to the royal palace in Bangkok on Saturday, as thousands of black-clad mourners lined the procession route.

Days of anti-immigration violence in Belfast have shown how three decades of unrest in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, still shape the contours of daily life, residents and academics said.

The Wellington Hurricanes powered clear in the second half to crush the Auckland Blues 57-21 on Saturday, setting up a Super Rugby final against the Waikato Chiefs.

Six Georgians have been sentenced to up to seven years' jail in France over the theft of rare editions of Russian literary classics, including by 19th-century luminary Alexander Pushkin, from prestigious French libraries.

He netted twice on his World Cup debut but US striker Folarin Balogun is not about to celebrate wildly, telling reporters Friday he plans to finish his epic night by curling up in front of Netflix.

England's World Cup preparations have been hit by the theft of equipment ahead of the squad's arrival at their Kansas City training base on Saturday.

The World Cup arrived in the United States on Friday in a blizzard of celebrity and glamour, with Los Angeles pulling out all the stops for the opening game between Team USA and Paraguay.

The United States launched their home World Cup in emphatic fashion Friday, thrashing Paraguay 4-1 with a perfectly scripted opening performance to delight a star-studded home crowd in Los Angeles.

The World Cup is officially underway in the United States and the biggest breakout star is...Freddy.

The United States could scarcely have scripted a better start to their World Cup as a Folarin Balogun brace and Gio Reyna curler fired the co-hosts to a 4-1 drubbing of Paraguay in front of Hollywood royalty in Los Angeles on Friday.

The United States said it downed multiple Iranian drones targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz early Saturday, hours after both sides said a deal to end the Middle East war was closer than ever.