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

European officials and tech campaigners on Friday slammed Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok after its controversial image creation feature was restricted to paying subscribers, saying the change failed to address concerns about sexualized deepfakes.

Venezuela said Friday it launched talks with the United States on restoring diplomatic ties, days after US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro as its president.

South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk hammered 20 runs in the final over for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's thrilling last-ball win over defending champions Mumbai Indians Friday to kick off the season's Women's Premier League.

Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion, will attempt to win his third consecutive men's crown at the World Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida.

The Winter Olympics main ice hockey rink will be ready for the start of competition next month, the IOC's sport director said on Friday, ahead of a key test event for the arena.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday vowed the Islamic republic would not back down in the face of the biggest protests in years, as authorities pressed an internet blackout as part of a crackdown that has left dozens dead.

Recalled striker Iliman Ndiaye scored in the first half to give Senegal a 1-0 victory over 10-man Mali in Tangiers on Friday in the first Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.

Switzerland held a national day of mourning Friday for the 40 mostly young people killed when fire ravaged a ski resort bar filled with New Year partygoers.

A man pleaded guilty Friday to sending "totally abhorrent" social media messages to England women's defender Jess Carter during last year's European Championships.

Two events in Mexico and stops in Japan and Bermuda highlight the US PGA Tour's eight-tournament fall schedule announced on Friday.

Russia's Oreshnik missile attack in Ukraine near the EU border aims to intimidate Kyiv's Western allies and signals Vladimir Putin's displeasure at recent foreign policy setbacks including in Venezuela, analysts said Friday.

Manchester United interim boss Darren Fletcher said Friday that the club's academy is one of the best in the world after recent critical comments from sacked manager Ruben Amorim.

Stock markets advanced Friday despite mixed US jobs data and as traders awaited a possible Supreme Court ruling on US President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.

Mass heating outages caused by Russian strikes on Kyiv are set to last into the weekend, as the capital's mayor called on residents to temporarily leave the city with sub-zero temperatures expected to fall even lower.

Dilsia Caro slept on the ground Thursday night outside the Venezuelan prison where her husband has been held since 2023 for posting a WhatsApp status update critical of the government.

World champion Luke Littler has agreed the most lucrative sponsorship deal in darts' history, worth a reported £20 million ($27 million).

Switzerland held a national day of mourning Friday for the 40 mostly young people killed when fire ravaged a ski resort bar filled with New Year partygoers.

Syria's army said it would renew strikes on a Kurdish district of Aleppo on Friday after fighters from the minority refused to leave, as a fragile ceasefire deal to halt days of fighting faltered.

Britain's future queen, Princess Catherine, marked her 44th birthday Friday with a video about the healing power of nature, almost a year since she revealed she was in remission from cancer.

A Russian warship arrived off South Africa's main naval base Friday to join Chinese and Iranian vessels for military exercises that risk further damaging Pretoria's relations with Washington.

Carrying a bucket filled with white roses, Azeddine Mekrabech made his way to Crans-Montana on Friday as Switzerland remembered the dozens who died in the New Year fire tragedy.

A German juvenile court started the so-called "White Tiger" trial Friday in which a man is accused of multiple sadistic online crimes including coercing a 13-year-old to take his own life.

Stock markets advanced Friday despite mixed US jobs data and as traders awaited a possible Supreme Court ruling on US President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.

The director of Oscar-shortlisted film "Palestine 36" said her big-budget production about a crucial but little-known Arab rebellion is a statement about Palestinians "refusal to disappear".

US President Donald Trump said Friday he called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela after the government, whose leftist president was removed by Washington, began releasing prisoners.

The United States added fewer jobs than expected in December, government data showed Friday, capping the labor market's weakest year since the Covid-19 pandemic amid growing concerns about hiring.

Switzerland has been left "devastated" by the deadly Crans-Montana bar fire that killed 40 people celebrating the New Year, President Guy Parmelin told a national service of remembrance on Friday.

Antoine Semenyo said Friday that he wants to "rewrite history again" at Manchester City after joining from Bournemouth for a reported fee of £65 million ($87 million).

Liam Rosenior said his challenge is to take Chelsea to the "next level" as he prepares to take charge of the Blues for the first time in Saturday's FA Cup trip to Charlton.

Gale-force winds and storms barrelled through northern Europe on Friday, disrupting air and rail travel and cutting power to hundreds of thousands in freezing temperatures.

Polish farmers descended on Warsaw on Friday to protest a European trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc, marching just moments after it was accepted by a majority of EU nations in Brussels.

World number two Iga Swiatek defied a partisan crowd to thrash Australian Maya Joint in Sydney on Friday and help take Poland into a United Cup semi-final clash with the USA.

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has turned off its image creation feature for non-paying users following backlash over its use to create sexualized deepfakes of women and children.

Two-time Olympic champion skier Marcel Hirscher announced on Friday that he was pulling out of the rest of the season, including the upcoming Winter Games, due to a lack of form.

Russian strikes cut heating to half of the Ukrainian capital on Friday, prompting the mayor to issue an exceptional call for residents to temporarily leave the city with temperatures at -8C and set to drop further.

Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that war was "back in vogue" and highlighted the "ambition of belligerents", as his own country the United States flexes its military muscles.

Gale-force winds and storms barrelled through northern Europe on Friday, disrupting air and rail travel and cutting power to hundreds of thousands in freezing temperatures.

France has the right to say "no" to its historical ally the United States when it acts in a way deemed unacceptable, the foreign minister said on Friday, warning that the European political order was "in danger".

Prague has long been a tourism hub thanks to its Baroque architecture and deep cultural history, but its latest draw -- a statue of thousands of books made famous on TikTok -- has blindsided officials in the Czech capital.