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

Tens of thousands of BTS fans were gathering in Seoul on Thursday for the K-pop superstars' first live concert in South Korea since the pandemic began -- although Covid rules will prevent them from dancing or singing along.

Ukrainian Winter Paralympians wept and pumped their fists in the air in defiance against Russia's invasion of their homeland during a moment's silence at the Athletes' Village on Thursday.

German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer said Thursday it has agreed to sell its pest control unit to British private equity firm Cinven for $2.6 billion (2.4 billion euros).

Asian equities rallied Thursday following a strong bounce on Wall Street and a breathtaking surge in Europe sparked by a plunge in oil prices and bargain-buying following a Ukraine-fuelled rout.

China's President Xi Jinping has his sights on domestic critics' riches as a corruption crackdown gathers pace to consolidate his power and secure an unprecedented third term.

India greats such as Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday welcomed cricket's governing body changing the law on controversial "Mankad" run outs, which will no longer be classed as "unfair play".

Daniil Medvedev, who will contest his first tournament as world number one at the Indian Wells ATP Masters, says he's matured since his loss to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final.

Russian forces neared Kyiv on Thursday, as international leaders and Ukraine accused Russia of a "barbaric" attack on a children's hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol.

Six people exiled as children under Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship will now play a vital role in Chile's future as part of new president Gabriel Boric's cabinet.

Indonesia's Mount Merapi unleashed a torrent of hot clouds, turning the sky a fiery red, as molten lava flowed down its slopes on Thursday with the eruption forcing over 250 people to flee their homes, authorities said.

Threatening a pre-emptive strike, swiftly responding to missile tests, and telling "rude boy" leader Kim Jong Un to behave: South Korea's next president looks set to get tough on the nuclear-armed North, analysts say.

US President Joe Biden has ordered the federal government to look into creating a digital dollar, a move with the potential to reshape how money is moved and used around the world.

Far from home, Mariana Sova could only pray for Ukraine and an end to the war from a Catholic pilgrimage site in southern Bosnia where she had found safe haven from the fighting.

Tens of thousands of dogs and their owners are expected for the return of the world's biggest dog show on Thursday, as Crufts makes a comeback after a two-year absence.

Tens of thousands of BTS fans were gathering in Seoul on Thursday for the K-Pop superstars' first live concert in South Korea since the pandemic -- although Covid regulations will prevent them from dancing or singing along.

India will be strong favourites to stay unbeaten in pink-ball Tests at home as new captain Rohit Sharma eyes a clean sweep of Sri Lanka in the second Test starting Saturday.

The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Turkey for face-to-face talks set for Thursday morning, officials said, in the first high-level contact between the two sides since Moscow invaded its ex-Soviet neighbour.

Australia are likely to play two spinners as they go in search of a win in Saturday's second Test in Karachi after Pakistan batted their seamers into the ground in the draw at Rawalpindi.

Adam Buksa scored two second-half goals to power the New England Revolution over Mexico's Pumas UNAM 3-0 on Wednesday in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals.

Germany has rejected a complete ban on Russian gas and oil imports over Russia invading Ukraine, but voices are growing louder for Berlin to ditch its economic imperative to take a moral stand.

Devin Booker returned from a four-game absence to power Phoenix over Miami 111-90 on Wednesday in a matchup of conference leaders, clinching an NBA playoff berth for the Suns.

EU leaders will scramble Thursday to find ways to urgently address the fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that has imperilled the bloc's economy and exposed a dire need for a stronger defence.

Russia has moved to throttle independent media after its invasion of Ukraine, allowing state television to dominate the airwaves with broadcasting that relentlessly promotes Russian successes and carefully toes the Kremlin line.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been an "El Dorado" for match fixers due to the negative impact the virus has had on the finances of individual sports, a leading sports technology company has told AFP.

The International Paralympic Committee president said Thursday he is still waiting for China's state broadcaster to explain the apparent censorship of his forceful anti-war speech at the opening of the Beijing Winter Games, nearly a week on.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and spiralling energy prices have upended the economic outlook and left European Central Bank policymakers with the task of navigating the eurozone through a fresh crisis at their meeting on Thursday.

"Real Madrid are still alive," said Karim Benzema, the 34-year-old striker who scored a second-half hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain again self-destructed in the Champions League knockout stages.

Authoritarian Turkmenistan is quietly preparing for a father-son power transition during a presidential election on Saturday as the world reels and markets jangle over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

First one, then two, then 20: a small Stockholm agency has in recent days been deluged with bids for the rights to air the hit comedy series starring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former actor turned wartime hero.

Asian equities rallied Thursday following a strong bounce on Wall Street and a breathtaking surge in Europe sparked by a plunge in oil prices and bargain-buying following a Ukraine-fuelled rout.

A vast array of solar panels floats on the shimmering waters of a reservoir in northeast Thailand, symbolising the kingdom's drive towards clean energy as it seeks carbon neutrality by 2050.

Singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso, a living legend of Brazilian music, was jailed and exiled by his country's military dictatorship in the 1960s.