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

England said Wednesday they expect Jacob Bethell to be fit for next week's first Test against New Zealand at Lord's after the top-order batsman suffered a finger injury playing in the Indian Premier League.

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Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has challenged his players to "win this war" against Israel when the teams meet in the Nations League.

A viral video of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picking up two writhing black snakes with his bare hands has put his often bizarre adventures with animals back in the spotlight.

Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina suffered a shock early exit in the French Open second round on Wednesday at the hands of unseeded Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva.

Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is complicating efforts to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization chief warned Wednesday, while Uganda announced it was shutting its border.

Oil prices fell Wednesday while stock markets diverged over conflicting headlines on talks between Iran and the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf crude shipments.

Danish rider Michael Valgren won the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Wednesday as Jonas Vingegaard continued his march to a first overall victory on the Grand Tour.

Germany sporting director Rudi Voeller on Wednesday urged members of the World Cup squad to avoid making political statements during this summer's tournament.

A buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed "Donald Trump" for its flowing blond hair has been spared from sacrifice after shooting to fame, and will instead be cared for at the national zoo.

Sweden's government rejected Wednesday a government-appointed commission's recommendations on ways to phase out fossil fuels, which included tax hikes on petrol and diesel to meet the country's 2030 climate targets.

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has included Corinthians forward Memphis Depay in his World Cup squad announced on Wednesday, but Liverpool wing-back Jeremie Frimpong misses out.

Manchester United's decision to sack head coach Ruben Amorim and his staff with 18 months left on the Portuguese's contract cost the Premier League giants £16.7 million ($22.5 million), according to a club financial statement published on Wednesday.

The first flight of Ghanaian nationals evacuated from South Africa over anti-immigrant tensions was en route to Accra on Wednesday, Ghana's foreign ministry said.

Nepal is eyeing a record-breaking Everest season with more climbers expected to reach the top than ever before, officials said Wednesday, as the climbing window nears its end.

The market value of South Korean memory chipmaker SK hynix soared past $1 trillion on Wednesday, fueled by frenzied global demand for the computing hardware that powers artificial intelligence tools -- a surge that also carried US-based Micron across the threshold.

The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis".

Oil prices tumbled Wednesday as investors tracked signs that the US and Iran were closing in on a deal that would open up the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf crude shipments and avoid a resumption of the Mideast war.

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina both eased into the French Open third round with straight-sets wins on Wednesday, ahead of Novak Djokovic's match against Valentin Royer.

Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed a decisive win for his favored candidate in a bitter Senate primary runoff in Texas, as scandal-plagued Ken Paxton's victory further cemented the US president's grip on the Republican Party.

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from November 30, the presiding judge said on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta is "fully convinced" Arsenal can be crowned champions of Europe for the first time this weekend after ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.

Former Australia women's boss Jo Yapp has been appointed head coach of the British and Irish Lions women's team for their inaugural tour of New Zealand next year.

Iga Swiatek navigated her way into the third round of the French Open on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 success over world number 35 Sara Bejlek.

Squeezed onto the back of a motorcycle, clearly exhausted and symptomatic, a young woman arrived at Rwampara hospital, where overwhelmed health workers have found themselves on the front line of a deadly Ebola outbreak.

Stock markets diverged and oil prices fell on Wednesday as investors tracked optimism over artificial intelligence and fragile US-Iran negotiations aimed at ending the Mideast war.

A giant statue of football superstar Lionel Messi erected in India to mark his visit last year is "swaying in the wind" and will be removed, a lawmaker told AFP on Wednesday.

Zulma Hinojosa waits anxiously in a doctor's office at La Paz's Children's Hospital for her 13-year-old son, who suffers from asthma and heart problems.

US rapper Kanye West, whose concerts have been banned in several European venues over controversial antisemitic remarks, will appear in Istanbul on May 30, organisers said.

Muslim faithful ritually stoned the devil on Wednesday in the climactic ceremony of a hajj pilgrimage held in intense heat and against the backdrop of a war that has plunged the wealthy Gulf into crisis.

Nuno Espirito Santo will remain as head coach of West Ham following the club's relegation from the Premier League, the London side announced on Wednesday.

A German far-left militant arrested in Berlin after decades on the run was sentenced to 13 years' jail Wednesday for a series of armed robberies committed while she was a fugitive.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday said a return to war with the United States was unlikely, while warning that the Islamic republic stood ready against any attack.

Germany's economy minister began a visit to China on Wednesday with Berlin saying it wanted to boost cooperation with a key partner while also warning of worsening trade imbalances.

Asian equities were mixed on Wednesday with gains driven by soaring tech stocks and guarded optimism the United States and Iran will reach a peace deal.

Moises Caicedo lifted his first trophy, a golden plastic cup, among the tightly packed little houses of a working-class neighbourhood in Ecuador. This summer he is heading to his second World Cup.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the initial news regarding superstar Lionel Messi's fitness "is not that bad" and hopes further examinations will confirm that diagnosis with the World Cup just a fortnight away.

Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca.

When Beijinger Jacqueline Li first heard one of her favourite luxury department stores in the city was closing, she was shocked -- until she considered how Chinese spending habits have changed in recent years.