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

Rob Howley has been restored to Wales' coaching staff for the first time since being banned for breaching betting regulations, it was announced on Thursday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida replaced four ministers Thursday as the unpopular leader reels from a major corruption scandal in the ruling party.

Exeter's director of rugby Rob Baxter said on Thursday England must maintain their ban on selecting overseas-based players despite the furore sparked by Henry Arundell's unavailability for the national side.

Facebook owner Meta's text-based app Threads arrived in the European Union on Thursday, months after its global launch in July, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

An agreement to "transition away" from fossil fuels may be a landmark moment but don't expect quick changes among the major producers of the Gulf, where the deal was hammered out.

EU leaders met Thursday to boost their long-term support for Ukraine in its fightback against Russia's invasion and secure a European future, but faced a defiant challenge from Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday he was open to toughening up his controversial plan to send migrants to Rwanda, which has divided his ruling Conservative party.

After COP28's landmark call for the world to move away from fossil fuels, experts say the pressure is on to fast-track -- and fund -- the global energy transition.

A Senegalese judge on Thursday ordered that jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko be reinstated on the electoral roll, clearing the way for him to stand in next year's presidential election.

European equities leapt Thursday with Frankfurt and Paris striking all-time peaks, after the Federal Reserve pivoted toward interest rate cuts next year and sent Wall Street soaring to record highs.

President Vladimir Putin voiced renewed confidence Thursday in Russia's offensive in Ukraine, as he staged a marathon press conference a week after announcing plans to stay in the Kremlin until at least 2030.

The special Kosovo court in The Hague on Thursday quashed an appeal by a former rebel commander convicted for torture and murder in the tribunal's "landmark" first conviction, but reduced his sentence by four years.

Veteran opener David Warner hammered a gritty 164 to silence the critics and steer Australia to 346-5 against an inconsistent Pakistan attack in the first Test at Perth on Thursday.

A top EU court rejected Thursday Brussels' appeal against a ruling blocking its bid to force Luxembourg to recover 25 million euros ($272-million) in back taxes from Amazon.

former top commander of Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, Igor Girkin, went on trial in Moscow on Thursday on charges of extremism for criticising the Kremlin's military strategy towards Kyiv.

Eddie Jones said Thursday that he did not "feel any guilt at all" about becoming Japan's head coach, six weeks after he walked out on the Wallabies.

The European Central Bank and the Bank of England were on Thursday expected to pause rates again as inflation retreats, while markets cheered the US Federal Reserve's clear signal that it would start slashing borrowing costs in 2024.

Slowing demand growth and rising US crude production will make it more difficult for OPEC+ to continue to prop up prices, the IEA said on Thursday.

A Russian court began on Thursday hearing the appeal of Oleg Orlov, a veteran human rights campaigner and co-chair of the Nobel-Prize-winning group Memorial, who has been convicted of discrediting Russian forces.

Vladimir Putin on Thursday holds his first year-end press conference since sending troops into Ukraine, with the Russian president feeling the tide turning in his favour nearly two years into the conflict.

Equity markets rallied Thursday and the dollar extended losses after the US Federal Reserve indicated it would begin cutting interest rates next year.

If Zack Snyder's new Netflix sci-fi movie epic "Rebel Moon" looks and feels a lot like a "Star Wars" film, that's because it was originally pitched as one.

Veteran opener David Warner hammered an unbeaten century to silence critics and steer Australia to 210-2 at tea against an inexperienced Pakistan attack in the first Test at Perth.

EU leaders will face off against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday as he threatens to veto a massive aid package and a start to membership talks for Ukraine.

The number of journalists killed in the line of duty fell this year, despite reporter deaths in Gaza in the past two months, media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said Thursday.

LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman says that Jon Rahm's move to the Saudi-backed circuit will "create a domino effect" of more high-profile players making the lucrative jump.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Samantha Stosur was Thursday named captain of Australia's Billie Jean King Cup team, succeeding Alicia Molik.

Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for a career-high 64 points as the Milwaukee Bucks avenged last week's in-season tournament exit to the Indiana Pacers with an ill-tempered 140-126 victory on Wednesday.

Four-time winners Leinster host Sale in the second round of Champions Cup on Saturday with a cautious mindset despite last weekend's statement win over double holders La Rochelle.

Australia's Usman Khawaja staged a muted protest against the war in Gaza on Thursday, wearing a black armband during the first Test against Pakistan and taping up messages on his shoes.

When Chang'e-3 became the first Chinese craft to land on the Moon 10 years ago, it kicked off nationwide celebrations -- and a decade of major successes for a rapidly accelerating space programme.

Eddie Jones has been named Japan's rugby head coach for a second time, six weeks after quitting Australia following their disastrous World Cup.