Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the country is looking at a very challenging January, but the situation must be viewed with some perspective.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said he intends to sell part of the State's 71.12% shareholding in AIB Group over the next six months.

The Cabinet will meet this morning where changes to the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) are expected to be discussed.

New Zealand has postponed its phased border reopening plans until the end of February over concerns of the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

On the shortest day of the year, people have gathered at Newgrange in Co Meath for the winter solstice sunrise.

A welcome, furry distraction from political morass and flagging approval ratings has arrived at the White House, with Joe Biden introducing the residence's newest inhabitant - a German shepherd puppy named "Commander."

Japan has carried out its first executions in two years, with the government saying it was necessary to maintain capital punishment in the face of continued "atrocious crimes".

The share of British goods as a proportion of our total imports declined from 23% in 2015 to just above 7% last year, according to a detailed analysis of trade between the islands carried out by the ESRI and the Department of Finance.

While banana bread and sourdough were crazes of the first lockdown of 2020, many people have continued to fight stress and boredom by baking at home.

The stars of And Just Like That have said they are "deeply saddened" by the allegations made against Chris Noth and praised the women who have come forward.

The early closing time of 8pm for all restaurants, bars and cafés has come into effect this evening, as part of new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Department of Health has confirmed 4,799 new cases of Covid-19 as the Chief Medical Officer has warned that the virus has "increased sharply" among people aged 16-34.

Boris Johnson has said the British government reserves the "possibility of taking further action" to protect public health due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

A 54-year-old man has been found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict of murdering his wife by stabbing her to death in their Dublin home two years ago.

More than 300 people have been in killed by a powerful typhoon in the Philippines that destroyed homes, flooded towns, severed power and communications lines and displaced many people in its central and southern regions.

Premier League clubs have decided against any suspension of the season as a means of bringing the latest coronavirus crisis under control, with 90 confirmed cases among players and staff recorded last week.

The European Union's drug regulator has approved use of the Covid-19 vaccine from US-based Novavax in people 18 years and older, paving the way for a fifth coronavirus shot in the region as the Omicron coronavirus variant spreads.

The jury in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex abuse trial began deliberations today after hearing closing arguments over whether the British socialite set up teenage girls to have sexual encounters with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Three men who abducted and tortured the businessman Kevin Lunney in September 2019 have been jailed at the Special Criminal Court.

For years, the directors of Mannok, formerly Quinn Industrial Holdings, endured a campaign of intimidation and threats. However, the brutal attack on Kevin Lunney two years ago was a turning point.