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

Mack Hansen has been recalled to Ireland's squad for next month's Nations Championship fixtures after almost a year of injury-enforced exile from international rugby union.

The German economy likely contracted in the third quarter as record low levels on the Rhine river caused by heatwaves and drought hampered goods shipments, the central bank said Wednesday.

Russia is open to resuming trilateral talks with Washington and Kyiv towards ending the Ukraine war, the Kremlin said after Vladimir Putin met US special envoy Steve Witkoff Wednesday, but decried little "substance" in new Ukrainian and European approaches.

OpenAI has revealed that two of its artificial intelligence agents disabled or weakened systems built to catch them misbehaving, with one later denying it had done so.

A leading Arab candidate who could emerge as a kingmaker in next week's Israeli elections warned on Wednesday of disaster if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won again, voicing hope for high Arab turnout.

Flanker Gregory Alldritt returns to the France squad after a year away as coach Fabien Galthie also named seven newcomers on Wednesday to prepare for next month's Nations Championship matches.

South African lock Hyron Andrews, who was found dead in his team's hotel ahead of a Champions Cup match in France, died due to a "tear in the aorta", his franchise Lions announced on Wednesday.

The El Nino weather phenomenon gripping the planet is heading off the charts, the United Nations warned Wednesday, saying countries should take urgent action to prepare for the worst.

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Riyadh in a surprise "solidarity" visit, making him the first Western leader to touch down in the kingdom since Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis intensified their attacks this month.

The Ebola case detected in Nigeria is the Bundibugyo strain behind a major DR Congo outbreak, officials said Wednesday, marking the spread of the deadly disease to points across Africa.

Right-wing politicians around the world have seized on France's riots, casting immigration as the culprit ahead of tense elections testing their own populist credentials.

Stock markets mostly rose Wednesday, with sentiment boosted by news that Elon Musk's SpaceX reported its first quarterly profit as a publicly traded company.

South Africa announced fresh fuel-relief measures on Wednesday to cushion motorists and commuters battered by record pump prices as uncertainty roils global energy markets.

Bournemouth manager Marco Rose paid tribute Wednesday to the team that helped preserve the club's English Football League status as they prepare to face Italian giants AC Milan in a landmark European fixture.

Veteran Hollywood director Woody Allen is shooting his latest film on the streets of Madrid as the Spanish capital seeks to burnish its status as a global cinema hub.

Argentina's far-right President Javier Milei called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a "dictator" in a visit to Madrid on Wednesday, urging voters to oust the Socialist leader in upcoming elections.

European companies from automakers to drug firms to banks need to embrace artificial intelligence, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Wednesday, as the continent looks to capitalise on the technology even as the United States and China drive its development.

Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo will miss Sunday's Clasico in La Liga against Real Madrid after being ruled out for around a month through injury on Wednesday.

A sell-off in French government bonds amid a budget standoff and after violent protests pushed the yield on the benchmark 10-year note past five percent Wednesday, the highest level since 2002.

With wars in the Middle East and Ukraine putting pressure on global energy markets, Britain has approved drilling at a controversial North Sea gas field in a bid to strengthen its energy security.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said there was "much more to come" from Rio Ngumoha following the teenage winger's central role in a thrilling Champions League win over Villarreal.

Marco Jansen took five wickets as Australia crashed to 99 all out in reply to South Africa's first innings of 425-9 declared on the fourth day of the second Test at St George's Park on Wednesday.

Sitting in his narrow dugout canoe, Jean-Romeo Senguemboli frowned at the meagre catch in his nets on the Central African Republic's Mbali River, where experts say deforestation is devastating the fish population.

The Ligue 1 match between Toulouse and Troyes this weekend has has pushed back a day at the request of local authorities struggling to contain unrest in France, the French league (LFP) announced on Wednesday.

The images of France's riots posted and broadcast around the world have cast a pall on the country's important tourism sector, with many fearing worse consequences if violence returns.

Paris Saint-Germain could be without star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for the rest of the season after he tore his ACL in the Champions League win against Barcelona while Ousmane Dembele also faces weeks out of action, the European champions said on Wednesday.

President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday took an apparent swipe at counterpart Donald Trump of exploiting France's riots for advantage in the US midterm election battle, as Paris prepared for more protests this weekend.

Russia's Vladimir Putin began talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff on ending the Ukraine war in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday, with the American official saying he had brought "ideas" for a possible peace deal.

North Korea plans to begin once again blasting loudspeakers across its border with South Korea, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un said on Wednesday, after warning Pyongyang had moved new troop units into "firing position".

Stock markets mostly rose Wednesday, with sentiment boosted by news that Elon Musk's SpaceX reported its first quarterly profit as a public company.

Indonesia's president lashed out at MSCI on Wednesday, accusing the index compiler of "trying to scare us" over its threat to downgrade the country's stock market.

More than 150 writers and personalities signed an open letter Wednesday urging the UK government to amend its "draconian" ban on Palestine Action after Irish author Sally Rooney said she was halting book sales in Britain as a result.