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

The former top US infectious disease official on Wednesday faced adversarial questioning from Republican senators about the origins of Covid-19, and on the advice of lawyers invoked his constitutional right not to answer, casting the hearing as a character assassination.

Ukraine said Wednesday that it had appealed against the International Olympic Committee's decision to ease restrictions on Russian athletes, arguing the move was premature and violated the Olympic Charter.

Neymar has confirmed his international retirement, tearfully declaring he was done playing for the Brazil national team following their World Cup defeat by Norway.

German weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall on Wednesday reported record second-quarter core profit, beating analyst expectations, sending shares in the firm up almost nine percent.

The Formula One season will finish in Europe if the planned races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled due to the Middle East war, the sport's CEO Stefano Domenicali said Wednesday.

The Israeli military on Wednesday said it had struck a mosque in the Gaza Strip which it said had been used by Hamas as a weapons storage facility.

Thousands of Spaniards evacuated from huge wildfires returned home on Wednesday while in France firefighters braced for worsening conditions in their own battle with raging flames.

President Donald Trump vowed to hit back hard at Iran after it attacked US bases in Jordan on Wednesday, as the Middle East war reignited and once again drew in the Islamic republic's proxies.

French DJ and musician Kavinsky, known for his electronic classic "Nightcall", has been found dead at his home in Paris, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Swiss banking giant UBS reported Wednesday that net profit rose 17 percent to $2.8 billion in the second quarter, driven by investment banking.

AFP photo editor Maximilien Lamy was on holiday with his partner and daughter last week when he took a series of snapshots of vacationers in fire-struck southwest France with his smartphone.

There was a furious backlash on Wednesday to FIFA's controversial plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a private subsidiary.

Just over half of England has been declared in drought after "record-low rain and exceptionally high temperatures", the UK government said Wednesday.

TRON DAO, the community-governed DAO dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet through blockchain technology and decentralized applications (dApps), today announced the listing of TRX spot trading and perpetual contracts on Backpack Exchange. The listing expands market support and access to the native utility token of the TRON network, one of the industry's most actively used blockchain ecosystems.

“In a rapidly maturing digital asset market, relying on fragmented risk data is a critical vulnerability. Building a resilient ecosystem demands institutional-grade intelligence.”

Tottenham striker Mathys Tel scored a stunning freekick as the London club were held to a 1-1 draw by Sydney FC on Wednesday in a setback to their pre-season momentum.

Global stock markets largely retreated Wednesday, with South Korea's index suffering one of its steepest plunges as investors further unwound bets on the AI boom.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday he would convene new talks on ending the half-century-old Cyprus conflict, inviting leaders on the divided island and its three guarantor powers.

The wildfire that engulfed Spain's Avila region, northwest of the capital Madrid, is now considered the largest in the country's modern history, with around 50,000 hectares burned, the government said this week.

As far as the eye can see, Jose Fernandez spied only burnt furniture, half-collapsed walls and mountains of ash on what used to be his house and land.

The vice-president of the German FA (DFB) on Wednesday slammed FIFA's controversial plans to sell stakes in its competitions, including the World Cup, as "an outright attack on football".

Nepal's tiger population has risen by roughly 20 percent in the past four years to an estimated 429, officials said on Wednesday, a conservation milestone despite challenges from human-wildlife conflict.

FIFA's plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a semi-private subsidiary has sparked disbelief and outrage globally.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced a rising chorus of criticism from within his own centre-right CDU party Wednesday as he completed a chaotic cabinet reshuffle.

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington was named on Wednesday as a vice-captain of Europe's team for the 2027 Ryder Cup in his native Ireland.

US and Saudi forces said they struck an Iraqi militant alliance on Wednesday, as the Middle East war expands beyond its main focus in Iran to involve the Islamic republic's proxies.

Thousands of Spaniards evacuated from the path of huge wildfires were returning home on Wednesday while in France firefighters braced for worsening conditions in their own battle with raging flames.

CONCACAF followed UEFA on Wednesday by criticising FIFA's controversial plans to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup and its other competitions through the creation of a semi-private subsidiary.

Veteran Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said it is "very likely" he will retire at the end of the upcoming season.

Russia announced on Wednesday that it was seeking the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov over accusations of "complicity in terrorism", alleging he had let the platform be used for recruitment by Ukraine's security services.

Premium carmaker BMW is to offer almost half its German staff voluntary redundancy in a bid to cut 8,000 jobs by the end of 2027, a company source told AFP Wednesday.

South Korean stocks suffered one of their steepest plunges on Wednesday, with the blood-letting that has battered chip firms over the past month deepening as nervous investors unwound their bets on the AI boom.