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

The Israeli army kept bombing the Gaza Strip and fighting Hamas militants on Wednesday as US top diplomat Antony Blinken met the head of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.

Morocco's ambassador in Geneva was elected Wednesday to become the president of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2024 in a rare secret ballot among member states.

A court in Nepal on Wednesday sentenced former star cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane to eight years in prison for rape.

Star India batsman Virat Kohli will miss the first of three internationals against Afghanistan due to "personal reasons", coach Rahul Dravid said Wednesday.

Botswana and global diamond giant De Beers have approved a $1 billion investment to dig under the world's richest diamond mine by volume, their joint venture said on Wednesday.

World number three Elena Rybakina and fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula ground out wins at the Adelaide International Wednesday to book their spots in the quarter-finals.

European and Asian stock markets diverged on Wednesday, the eve of key US inflation data and the latest earnings season.

The global unemployment rate will increase slightly in 2024, the United Nations said Wednesday as it raised concerns about stagnant productivity, worsening inequalities and inflation biting into disposable income.

Disgraced former international Marc Overmars's one-year fixed ban from working in Dutch football for sending sexually explicit pictures and videos to women staff has been extended worldwide by FIFA, the Dutch football federation said on Wednesday.

French investigators have opened a rape probe into actor and film director Samuel Theis, the star of the Golden Globe-winning film "Anatomy of a Fall".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Lithuania on Wednesday on an unannounced visit to staunch Baltic allies as he seeks to bolster wavering support among other Western backers.

Nationwide strikes brought German transport to a standstill Wednesday, with railway workers on a three-day stoppage while farmers on tractors blocked autobahns in a bitter protest over subsidy cuts.

Chinese state-backed experts have found a way to identify people who use Apple's encrypted AirDrop messaging service, according to the Beijing municipal government.

France's new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was on Wednesday choosing his cabinet team after his stunning promotion by President Emmanuel Macron to become the youngest French head of government.

Israel kept bombing Gaza on Wednesday as US top diplomat Antony Blinken met the head of the Palestinian Authority, which Washington hopes could govern the coastal territory after the war ends.

Ecuador's president gave orders on Tuesday to "neutralize" criminal gangs after gunmen stormed and opened fire in a TV studio, as bandits threatened random executions on a second day of terror in the country.

The former Chinese national football team coach has made a televised confession in which he admitted to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to secure the top job, as well as involvement in match-fixing.

Bhutanese voters have elected Tshering Tobgay to become prime minister for a second time after his party won nearly two-thirds of seats, the election commission said in results released Wednesday.

Indian purchases of Russian crude in defiance of Western pressure over the Ukraine war have fallen to an 11-month low as the price tag on the discounted oil rises, figures show.

A 97-year-old Mel Brooks accepted a lifetime achievement Oscar in Hollywood on Tuesday, more than half a century after he won his only Academy Award with "The Producers."

Asian markets on Wednesday resumed the losses that have characterised the year so far, following a tepid lead from Wall Street as traders prepare for the release of key inflation data and start of earnings season.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to hold talks Wednesday with the head of the Palestinian Authority, which Washington hopes could govern Gaza after Israel's war with Hamas ends.

World number five Jessica Pegula rallied from a slow start on Wednesday to overcome 69th-ranked Bernarda Pera and set up a quarter-final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Adelaide International.

They don't own smartphones and can't go online, but that doesn't prevent them from being connected: Pets are benefitting from a slew of animal-oriented technology at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Already under the yoke of inflation and product scarcity, many Cubans don't know how they will cope with a new 500-percent surge in the fuel price.

Anthony Davis scored a season-high 41 points as the Los Angeles Lakers edged past the Toronto Raptors 132-131 in a thrilling NBA clash on Tuesday.

The Asian Cup begins on Friday with defending champions Qatar the hosts, Japan favourites and Son Heung-min's South Korea vowing to win the title for the first time in 64 years.

The recent stabbing of South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was meticulously planned by a well-prepared assailant who wanted to prevent the politician from becoming president, police said Wednesday.

Republicans prepared Wednesday to launch efforts to impeach Joe Biden's immigration chief and target the US president's son for prosecution, in a major escalation of election-year hostilities with the White House.

A deafening explosion shakes the ground, sending lumps of dirt and smoke into the air, breaking the seeming tranquility of a cold January morning in the frozen fields of war-torn Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Algeria captain and former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez believes he knows the recipe for winning the Africa Cup of Nations -- thorough preparations, good luck and experience.

Senegal captain Sadio Mane predicts that "a really difficult group" lies ahead for the Africa Cup of Nations holders when they face Gambia, Cameroon and Guinea.