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

An iconic steel bridge blocking passage to the sea for a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is splitting sentiments along Rotterdam's windy quays, with opinions swinging between pride and dismay.

Moroccan rescuers were in the nerve-wracking final stages Friday of a marathon effort to rescue Rayan, a five-year-old boy trapped down a well for a fourth night.

An attack that killed at least 173 people including 13 US service members during the chaotic Kabul airport evacuation last year was undertaken by a single suicide bomber, a Pentagon investigation concluded Friday.

The maker of the notorious "Grand Theft Auto" video game franchise announced Friday that a new edition is under development, confirming long-bubbling speculation.

Machine gun fire echoed through the abandoned buildings of Pripyat in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, as Ukrainian National Guard troops on Friday staged urban combat exercises.

The heaviest flooding to hit Ecuador in two decades claimed 27 lives this week and left 53 people injured, municipal officials said Friday.

Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs marked his long-awaited return to the track with victory in the 60m at the Berlin indoor meet on Friday.

China's support for Russia in the standoff over Ukraine upends the strategic calculus for US President Joe Biden, who must now contend with a second front in a geopolitical fight whose ramifications could be felt worldwide.

Ottawa's police chief vowed Friday to crack down on an "unlawful" occupation of the Canadian capital by protesters opposed to vaccine mandates, as the trucker convoy's clogging of the city enters a second week.

Scotland captain Stuart Hogg heads into Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash adamant that playing old rivals England is no longer the "scary" task of years gone by.

Federal lawmakers investigating sexual assault and harassment allegations involving Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder demanded Friday that the NFL release the findings of an internal investigation into the claims.

American Harold Varner III and Spain's Adri Arnaus surged into the halfway lead at the Saudi International on Friday, both carding four-under-par 66s in the second round of the opening event in the Asian Tour schedule.

The Venezuelan president's daughter was on the telephone when the first shells hit the official residence in Caracas 30 years ago in a coup attempt led by a then-unknown paratrooper, Hugo Chavez.

Dan Biggar says he will be very surprised if he has to deliver a rousing captain's talk prior to the titleholders' Six Nations opener with Ireland on Saturday but hopes instead his self-belief rubs off on his less experienced team-mates.

West Brom manager Steve Bruce insists he has not been scarred by his miserable spell at Newcastle as he sets his sights on promotion to the Premier League.

US lawmakers voted Friday to greenlight a multibillion-dollar bill aimed at jumpstarting high-tech research and manufacturing, countering China's growing influence and easing a global shortage of computer chips.

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been ruled out of Saturday's crucial derby clash against Inter with an Achilles tendon problem, coach Stefano Pioli said.

Iceland, one of the only countries that still hunts whales commercially, said Friday it plans to end the practice from 2024 as demand for whale meat dwindles.

Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez said on Friday he hopes to emulate the "dream scenario" of compatriot Rafael Nadal's return from injury as he prepares for pre-season testing in Sepang, Malaysia after an injury-blighted two years.

President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open Friday as China tried to turn the page on a build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns, Covid and a US-led diplomatic boycott.

Chelsea defender Reece James will miss his side's Club World Cup campaign because he has not recovered from his "big" hamstring injury, manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed on Friday.

US lawmakers were due to vote Friday on a multibillion-dollar bill aimed at jumpstarting high-tech research and manufacturing, countering China's growing influence and easing a global shortage of computer chips.

Media giant News Corp said Friday it was hit by hackers who stole company data in an attack that the firm's cybersecurity consultant said could likely be traced back to China.

American Samoa flag-bearer Nathan Crumpton added to a fledgling Olympic tradition by appearing shirtless and with his torso gleaming at the Beijing Winter Games opening ceremony on Friday despite sub-zero temperatures.

A surge in oil prices to close to $93 per barrel as well as robust US jobs data weighed on stock prices Friday as they fuelled expectations central banks will move forcefully to raise interest rates.

The death toll among dozens of people who consumed cocaine likely laced with opioids in Buenos Aires rose to 23 on Friday, with 37 still in hospital, health officials said.

More than eight months after the Nyiragongo volcano erupted in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, toxic ash has started falling on nearby Goma, the city's Volcano Observatory said on Friday.

Despite freezing temperatures and tight Covid restrictions, Beijing on Friday tried its best to celebrate the start of a Winter Olympics chilled even before its start by the pandemic, frosty relations with the West, and a dose of been-there-done-that indifference.

The US economy brushed off a spike in Covid-19 infections to add 467,000 jobs in January, far better than expected and a potential sign that the pandemic's days of disrupting businesses are numbered.

Antonio Conte has passed scathing judgement on Tottenham's recent history in the transfer market, saying they made "big mistakes" they cannot afford to repeat after the club offloaded four high-profile players on transfer deadline day.

"Strange that a stadium supposed to host the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics is already considered outdated and dead, isn't it?" asks Gianfelice Facchetti, son of Inter Milan legend Giacinto Facchetti, of the lack of debate surrounding the future of the iconic San Siro stadium.

The European Union and the United States signalled Friday a further thawing of trade tension as they agreed to resume trade in mussels, clams, oysters and scallops after a decade-long halt.