Several people have been injured in an explosion at a facility belonging to chemical firm BASF in south-western Germany, the company said.

A masked man was shot dead yesterday after entering a movie theatre in southwestern Germany with what appeared to be a rifle and taking several hostages, authorities said. No one else was hurt in the incident.

Latest: Hesse's interior minister, Peter Beuth, said it was not clear whether the weapon was real.

USA:  A macaque monkey who took now-famous selfie photographs cannot be declared the copyright owner of the photos, a federal judge said.

Ireland’s dominance of the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show came to end in yesterday’s feature €200,000 Longines Grand Prix, courtesy of American Kent Farrington.

Sam Watson is as confident as the capricious sport of eventing will allow that he will give a good account of himself when defending his CIC three-star title at Camphire International Horse Trials this weekend.

It’s been 15 years since an Irish team won the nations cup at Rotterdam and it’s guaranteed to be 16, as Ireland will not be represented today.

German analyst and investor sentiment rose in November for the first time in almost a year, surpassing expectations and raising hopes of an improvement in Europe’s biggest economy after it dodged recession in the third quarter.

The eurozone recovery failed to gather momentum last quarter, as France unexpectedly stalled and economies from Italy to the Netherlands shrank.

THE decision of Pope Francis to suspend Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst has brought worldwide attention to his lavish spending. But it’s also drawn attention to the special relationship that the Catholic Church has with the German state.

Medtronic, the world’s biggest maker of heart-rhythm devices, said fiscal first-quarter sales missed analysts’ estimates on weaker-than-expected demand for defibrillators and the InFuse bone-growth product.

UNDEFEATED Cork-based heavyweight Mike “The Rebel” Perez improved to 19 victories with a convincing points decision over Travis Walker in Germany on Saturday.

William Whitaker gave Britain its second feature win in as many days at Millstreet International Horse Show yesterday, but Alexander Butler also laid down a marker ahead of tomorrow’s €50,000 grand prix.

Ozzy Osbourne has reassured fans that he is in good health after cancelling a recent concert.

ECB governing council member Jens Weidmann says common euro bonds or joint debt liability could be established in the currency area in the context of a true fiscal union.

The RDS and other historic show jumping venues could face serious competition in remaining in the top-level Nations Cup series if proposals for a revamp proceed next year.

A court ruled yesterday that Microsoft infringed Motorola Mobility’s patents and ordered Microsoft to remove its Xbox 360 consoles and Windows 7 operating system software from the German market.

European stocks advanced yesterday, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbing to the highest since July 26, as reports showed German investor confidence in March increased more than forecast and US retail sales rose in February.

Apple has temporarily blocked Motorola’s attempt to have it withdraw several iPhone and iPad models from its internet store in Germany, in the latest twist in an extended legal duel over patents between the companies.

Apple has temporarily blocked Motorola's attempt to have it withdraw several iPhone and iPad models from its internet store in Germany, in the latest twist in an extended legal duel over patents between the companies.

GERMAN investor confidence fell to the lowest level in more than two-and-a-half years in September as Europe’s debt crisis and a global slowdown damped the outlook for growth.

THE Stars Go Racing episode in which my apprentice Alan Quinlan and I were involved in a battle with Mick Halford and Ella McSweeney, was aired this week and we all got a little over-excited when Dundrum, ridden by Kate, won. I have to say I’m delighted with how it all went. It was a great experience and Alan has been a great sport.

LEOPARDSTOWN: 6.05: Seeharn; 6.35 Mannheim; 7.05; Emiyna

ROCK CRITIC can add to a wonderful week for Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen by landing the featured Ladbrokes Biggest Names Best Prices Premier Handicap at Galway this afternoon.

SIXTH in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and narrowly beaten at listed level, the John Oxx trained Zabarajad scraped home to land odds of 30/100 in the opening Bennettsbridge Maiden at Gowran Park last night.

INVESTOR confidence in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, dropped to the lowest in two-and-a-half years in June as the region’s debt crisis dimmed the economic outlook.

DENIS LYNCH will be aiming to further repair his “dented pride” this weekend when he lines out in the second leg of the Global Champions Tour (GCT) in Valencia, Spain.

Berlin: German investor confidence unexpectedly fell for the first time in five months in March after the European Central Bank said it may raise interest rates and Japan’s biggest earthquake on record caused a slump in global stocks.

Wladimir Klitschko has pulled out of his world heavyweight title defence against Dereck Chisora for the second time – fuelling speculation he is set to fight David Haye instead.

FRANK WARREN has criticised David Haye’s camp for their failure to agree a heavyweight unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko.

Frank Warren has criticised David Haye’s camp for their failure to agree a heavyweight unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko.

Dereck Chisora’s dream of becoming a world heavyweight champion is over for now after Wladimir Klitschko pulled out of his WBO and IBF title defence with a back injury.

WITH the majority of the Irish athletes due to fly into Barcelona today, Paul Hession has opted to remain at the training camp in Murcia until Monday, the day before the European Championships get under way.

EDMUND O’HALLORAN (St Francis College, Rochestown) wants to join his Leevale clubmate, Patrick Maher, at the world junior championships in Canada and yesterday he took another step towards fulfiling his ambition when he got his schools campaign off to a flyer with an emphatic victory in the 110m hurdles at the South Munster Schools championships at the Cork IT Track in Bishopstown.

MARATHON man Martin Fagan believes he can land a medal at the European Championships if he is selected for the showpiece event.

Ireland's Ciara Mageean won a silver medal in today's 800 metres final at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Sudtirol, Italy.

Wladimir Klitschko stopped Hasim Rahman in the seventh round to retain his IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles at the SAP-Arena in Mannheim, Germany.

LIVERPOOL fans may believe that this was their weekend, but even beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge doesn’t quite match the achievements of Hoffenheim and Leixoes.

An Australian historian wanted in Germany for alleged Holocaust denial will face an extradition hearing today.

OLYMPIC race walker Olive Loughnane claims she is in “really good shape” ahead of next month’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

IN his letter (April 24), Brian Geoghegan tries to contend that the Lisbon treaty will bring about common corporate taxes in Europe.