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

Ethiopia began generating electricity from its mega-dam on the Blue Nile on Sunday, a milestone in the controversial multi-billion dollar project.

A Beijing Winter Olympics which saw sporting drama and milestones but was tarnished by a Russian doping scandal ended on Sunday with an uplifting closing ceremony.

The Beijing Winter Olympics are officially over, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach announced at the closing ceremony on Sunday.

Britain's 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, a fortnight after marking 70 years on the throne, but aides said her symptoms were "mild".

Australia opens its international borders to all vaccinated tourists Monday, nearly two years after the island nation first imposed some of the world's strictest Covid-19 travel restrictions.

The UAE and its allies warned Sunday of the rising threat of drone attacks, as Middle East militants rapidly acquire a taste for the cheap and easily accessible unmanned systems.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that Iran may "shortly" agree a new nuclear deal with major powers but warned it will be weaker than the original 2015 agreement.

After two editions in Asia, the Winter Olympics returns to Europe and to Italy in 2026, in a huge event spread over hundreds of kilometres.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied throwing "caution to the wind" as he prepares to end all pandemic-related legal restrictions in England, amid a political backlash and scientific unease.

A Beijing Winter Olympics beset by concerns about rights and Covid in the build-up and tarnished by a Russian doping scandal once under way were set to close on Sunday.

Russian military exercises in Belarus will continue, Minsk announced Sunday, leaving Moscow with a large force near the northern Ukraine border as Western powers warn of an imminent invasion.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that Iran may "shortly" agree a new nuclear deal with major powers but warned it will be weaker than the original 2015 agreement.

Last-ditch diplomatic efforts were underway on Sunday to prevent what Western powers warn could be the imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine and a catastrophic European war.

China celebrated a record gold medal haul as the Beijing Winter Olympics concluded Sunday, narrowly beating out chief geopolitical rival the United States to rank third in the medal count.

Former US LPGA champion Hannah Green made history Sunday by becoming the first woman to win a mixed-gender professional golf tournament with a dominant four-shot victory at the TPS Murray River event in Australia.

A passenger was on Sunday found alive on a ferry that has been ablaze off Greece for three days, coastguards said, with 11 truck drivers still missing.

Finland roared back to beat defending champions Russia 2-1 on Sunday and win the country’s first gold medal in ice hockey, in the final event at the Beijing Olympics.

Mikaela Shiffrin said her United States team-mates got her through a disappointing Beijing Olympics that ended on Sunday with her going home without a medal, as Finland's ice hockey players won the final gold of the Games.

Indian pundits and players on Sunday hailed Rohit Sharma as the new all-format skipper after he replaced Virat Kohli in one of world cricket's biggest jobs.

Construction crews from mainland China were helping Hong Kong build two temporary isolation facilities to house thousands of coronavirus patients on Sunday as a senior official declared the city "in full combat mode".

Mikaela Shiffrin arrived at the Beijing Games as one of the most recognisable and decorated figures in wintersports, at the peak of a career in which she has dominated the World Cup.

There is a silver lining to Turkey's currency crisis and the global supply chain crunch: The country is becoming an attractive alternative at the gates of Europe for foreign firms.

Sporting powerhouse Britain has experienced a disappointing Beijing Winter Olympics with only the curling teams saving the blushes of a small but well-funded squad.

There were plenty of tears, some cheers from Covid-restricted crowds and the sight of an ice hockey match between players wearing medical masks.

The pandemic and soaring inflation have done nothing to take the shine off luxury brands, from Louis Vuitton to Gucci and Cartier, as the sector hiked prices to notch up stellar profits.

Pacific newcomers Fijian Drua had a rude introduction to Super Rugby with a heavy defeat while 12-time champions Canterbury Crusaders ground out a victory as the new season kicked off over the weekend.

The Beijing Olympics close on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on over two weeks of sporting -- and other -- drama.

French President Emmanuel Macron will call Russia's Vladimir Putin on Sunday to try to avert what Western powers predict will be an imminent invasion of Ukraine.

Mikaela Shiffrin said her United States team-mates got her through a disappointing Beijing Olympics that ended on Sunday with her going home without a medal, but there was a last-gasp gold for Britain.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns scored a record 29 points in the final round to capture the NBA All-Star Weekend's Three-Point Contest, holding off the sharpshooting duo of Trae Young and Luke Kennard.

Textile prices, like many raw materials, are soaring on resurgent post-pandemic demand and the rocketing cost of both energy and transport, industry experts say.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Russia's Vladimir Putin on Sunday to try to avert what Western powers predict will be an imminent invasion of Ukraine.