GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know to start the day.

Taoiseach speaks at the UN

1. In our main story this morning Jane Matthews reports from New York on the Taoiseach’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

Micheál Martin used his address at the UN General Assembly this year to highlight the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and to also draw attention to human rights violations in other parts of the world.

In a wide-ranging speech, the Taoiseach reaffirmed Ireland’s support of Ukraine against Russia, called out the rollback of women’s rights and LGBTQ rights in parts of the world, and drew attention to what he described as the “forgotten war” in Sudan.

Nations League 

2. Jason Knight has become the first player to declare that the Republic of Ireland should not play Israel.

He said he doesn’t think the game “should be going ahead but it is going ahead”. 

State dinner 

3. US president Donald Trump hosted a lavish state dinner for Chinese president Xi Jinping, and the heads of some of the world’s biggest tech companies were in attendance.

Numerous US tech titans attended the banquet, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Sam Altman of OpenAI, underscoring that trade and artificial intelligence were high on the agenda for Xi’s visit.

 Protests

4. Actors Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were among a reported 100 people detained by police in New York on Thursday during a protest against the Israeli prime minister.

Images showed Thelma and Louise star Sarandon surrounded by police at the protest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was readying to address the United Nations General Assembly.

Roads 

5. A teenager has been seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash in Kilkenny.

The crash happened on the N24 near Aglish South, Carrigeen, Co Kilkenny at about 12.05am on Friday.

Sayed Abu Farchi

6. An Israeli player was sent off for his goal celebration as Austria claimed a 3-1 victory in Ireland’s Nations League group on Thursday evening.

Sayed Abu Farchi had just equalised for Israel in Linz when he ran to the corner of the pitch, pulled out the corner flag and appeared to mimic firing a gun with it.

Greenland

7. The United States will have to pay for any new military bases it establishes in Greenland under a new security agreement, Denmark’s foreign minister has said.

The comments from Lars Løkke Rasmussen come after US President Donald Trump claimed the agreement between the US, Denmark and Greenland would come at “no cost” to the United States.

Lisa O’Rourke 

8. Ireland’s Lisa O’Rourke won a gold medal at the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Thursday.

The 24-year-old defeated Anastasiia Demurchian of Russia in the 80kg final.

Taylor Swift

9. In her latest Nobody Needs This column Emer McLysaght discusses Taylor Swift releasing new music.

She says she is begging Taylor Swift to take a day off and asks: Has she never heard of the old showbiz adage to “always leave them wanting more”?