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

From the spectre of refrigerator-infecting AI worms to warnings of "major" security incidents at the horizon, calls to prioritise safety in the development of artificial intelligence dominated an industry summit Wednesday.

The Louvre Museum risks having to close its doors to the public unless lawmakers approve a major overhaul of the creaking and over-capacity institution, its head told a French newspaper on Wednesday.

Moldovan tourist Raisa Neagu spent hours on Wednesday waiting to fuel up her scooter, one of many people snared in a petrol shortage on resort island Bali that Indonesian authorities blamed on supply disruptions.

Courtney Lawes and Ellis Genge have called on England to end their ban on selecting overseas-based players for Test rugby union.

Seven of eight grades customer-certified and first 13 of 57 containers of ULVAC equipment landed in Pohang on the path to more than 10,000 metric tons of annual capacity; SmCo production equipment targeted for mid-2027 as DFARS 252.225-7052 extends its mine-to-magnet restriction to SmCo magnets on January 1, 2027

Federal contract awarded, effective August 17, 2026, covers stablecoin and digital asset payment expertise

A lawyer for a Ukrainian accused of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines said Wednesday that Russia used them as a "weapon" to exert political and economic pressure, as the former military officer's trial opened in Germany.

Kenya hosting the 2029 World Athletics Championships will help combat the endemic doping problem among its athletes, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said on a visit to Nairobi on Wednesday.

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and graffitied its outside walls on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank village of Mikhmas, Palestinian sources and the Israeli military said.

A British prosecutor told a London jury that comedian Russell Brand was a "sexual predator" who was "ruthless, calculated and manipulative" when targeting women for sex, speaking Wednesday at the start of the actor's rape and sexual assault trial.

French President Emmanuel Macron believes students waging three weeks of protests that have closed many schools have "legitimate" grievances but are also being "exploited" by political forces, a government spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined £25,000 ($33,000) by England's governing Football Association after he claimed officials would "not let Manchester United lose".

Global stock markets diverged on Wednesday ahead of the release of crucial US inflation data that could shape the outlook for interest rates in the world's largest economy.

Nepal's disaster authority said Wednesday that an avalanche of rock and ice triggered a recent flash flood, echoing the mountain collapse that unleashed a tsunami-like wall of water in August.

Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador on Wednesday to lodge a protest over Moscow's arrest of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage, with the foreign ministry urging "fair and impartial treatment".

The family of a mentally ill man killed by a tiger at a UK wildlife park have urged people to stop posting "deeply offensive media content" of the attack, as US President Donald Trump uploaded disturbing footage online.

Workers at the world's largest copper mine in Chile will go on strike on Wednesday after pay talks with Australian mining giant BHP fell apart, the union said.

The chair of English football's Independent Regulator has said he expects Manchester City's appeal after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules to be heard by January.

Ukraine on Wednesday accused the United States of helping Russia, saying Washington failed to warn it of incoming missile strikes and slowed the Starlink system it relies on for its battlefield communications and frontline logistics.

Rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct after shouting an expletive at a ballboy in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday.

A drone hit a data centre belonging to the Russian state-owned lender Sberbank, a company executive said Wednesday, though the bank's systems and services were operating normally.

Gael Monfils, the last of his generation's French musketeers, has officially retired from tennis, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

The Bivial App now offers full dashboard capabilities, giving business clients access to their accounts, payments, FX, and cards on iOS and Android.

A Ukrainian former military officer on Wednesday became the first person to stand trial over the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline bombings when proceedings got underway in a German court.

France's tallest mountain was nearly two metres higher last month than its last reported measurement in 2023, surveyors said Wednesday, putting the Alpine peak at 4,807.47 metres (15,772.5 feet).

The British and Irish Lions will play their inaugural women's match against France in Cardiff ahead of their 2027 tour of New Zealand, officials announced Wednesday.

Pope Leo XIV began post-surgery recovery Wednesday after a tumour removed from his lung was found to be cancerous, plunging the Catholic Church into a period of uncertainty.

Moldovan tourist Raisa Neagu spent hours on Wednesday waiting to fuel up her scooter, one of many people snared in a petrol shortage on resort island Bali that authorities blamed on supply disruptions.

Air pollution in part of Singapore hit the country's "very high" band on Wednesday, while East Timor shut schools, as haze from forest fires raging in Indonesia causes a regional crisis.

The plump, bright-green vanilla pods growing in tiny Sao Tome's vast leafy plantations may well end up in some of Europe's finest dining.

The higher interest rates on France's government debt are an alarm signal for the country even though Paris retains the confidence of bond investors, the country's finance minister said Wednesday, as concerns grow over the sustainability of the French budget.

A new bridge linking China and North Korea will finally open on Thursday, 12 years after its construction, with Beijing vowing it will spur trade and "enhance the well-being of the two peoples".