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

Hostages hauled into Gaza during Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel were drugged to keep them docile in captivity and subjected to psychological and sexual abuse, a specialist said Monday.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders has less than two months to win over potential coalition partners uneasy about his hardline anti-Islam and anti-European views, according to a much-anticipated report published Monday.

Heavy urban battles raged Monday in the bloodiest-ever war in Gaza, with more than 18,200 Palestinians and 104 Israeli soldiers reported dead amid a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

Women and girls getting their periods in Gaza face humiliating conditions and infections, forced to use diapers or scraps of cloth after more than two months of war.

Stock markets diverged on Monday ahead of a busy week for interest rate decisions from major central banks.

A proposed conservative government failed to win a majority in the Polish parliament, a widely expected outcome that paves the way for Donald Tusk's rival pro-EU alliance to form the next administration after eight years of right-wing populist rule.

Saudi Arabia, the staunchest opponent of phasing out fossil fuels at COP28, may dominate the Arab bloc at the UN climate talks in Dubai. But it is far from the only voice.

The Emirati head of COP28 climate talks on Monday stopped short of pushing for a phase-out of fossil fuels, in a first bid for consensus that drew immediate fire from Western powers and environmentalists who had hoped for a historic turning point.

Erik ten Hag insisted his faltering Manchester United team would continue to "think positive" as they prepare for a must-win Champions League match against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The wait could be over for internet users in the European Union keen to sign up to Threads, an Instagram app.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday defended his scheme to encourage people to eat out following the first coronavirus wave, saying it was not responsible for a second wave of infections.

More than 400 South African gold miners who remained underground for four days amid tensions between unions and the mine owners returned to the surface on Monday, with some telling AFP that workers had collapsed due to lack of food.

The north-east city of Sunderland will stage the opening match of the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in England, with the final of a "generational" event to be played at Twickenham, officials announced Monday.

A quarter of freshwater fish species worldwide are at risk of extinction, according to an update to the global red list of threatened species on Monday, highlighting the escalating impacts of human-caused climate change on the planet's wildlife.

A freshly planted Guyanese flag flaps on the summit of a table-top mountain rising from thick forests in a remote region near the Venezuelan border.

Walter Mazzarri said Monday that he wants Napoli to end their home hoodoo by beating Braga and confirming a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Russians have voiced concern about the growing cost of a basic food staple -- eggs -- pointing to the fragile state of the sanctions-hit economy, as President Vladimir Putin seeks a fifth term in office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set Monday to make a last-ditch plea for US aid before it runs out this year, with Republicans arguing that the United States should no longer provide open-ended backing to Ukraine's battle against Russian invasion.

The Emirati head of COP28 climate talks on Monday proposed a compromise on the future of fossil fuels, endorsing a major reduction but not calling for their phase-out, in an 11th-hour bid for consensus that outraged environmentalists who hoped for a historic turning point.

The head of the Dubai climate summit on Monday proposed a compromise on historic language on fossil fuels, calling for a major reduction but not an explicit phase-out, in an 11th-hour bid to reach a deal.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday said he was "deeply sorry" for those who lost family during the Covid pandemic as he was quizzed about his actions as finance minister during the global health emergency.

"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" -- the unlikely pair of films that dominated the box office and spawned countless internet memes this summer -- topped the newly revamped Golden Globes film nominations Monday.

A French frigate that shot down two drones in the Red Sea was acting in self-defence after coming under attack from the unmanned aerial vehicles, the foreign ministry in Paris said on Monday.

UK leader Rishi Sunak faces the riskiest week of his premiership, with lawmakers gathering Monday to decide whether to back his flagship policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to AC Milan as an advisor to the Serie A club's management, owners RedBird Capital Partners confirmed on Monday.

More than 400 South African gold miners who remained underground for four days, amid tensions between unions and the mine owners, returned to the surface on Monday, some telling AFP that workers had collapsed due to lack of food.

Stock markets diverged Monday ahead of a busy week for interest-rate decisions from major central banks.

The children of imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi said Monday they were "extremely worried" about her health after she undertook a hunger strike in a Tehran prison.

UN leaders on Monday urged an end to obstruction hours before a deadline for a deal at a climate summit in Dubai, as oil producers resisted historic calls for the world to wind down fossil fuels.

With less than eight months to go before the Paris Olympics, the organisers and the French government are entering an awkward period in which cracks in the preparations are straining relationships.

A new sleeper service between Berlin and Paris will set off from the German capital on Monday evening after a decade-long hiatus, as night trains gain in popularity as an alternative to short-haul flights.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders appeared Monday to have persuaded his preferred coalition partners to keep negotiating but reportedly major "stumbling blocks" remain over his hardline anti-Islam, anti-European views.