The Minister for Children has said the Government wants to avoid a "long-scale shutdown" of schools and childcare providers, but he added that the situation is under constant review.

As the UK begins to roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, injections of the new coronavirus jab will start in Northern Ireland GP practices today.

Irish teenager Nora Quoirin died by "misadventure" after disappearing in the Malaysian jungle on a family holiday and no one else was involved, a coroner has ruled.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn has urged the public to reduce contacts to a minimum as the number of people infected with Covid-19 continues to soar.

Indonesia is preparing to begin mass inoculations against Covid-19, its plan to prioritise working age adults over the elderly, aiming to reach herd immunity fast and revive the economy, which will be closely watched by other countries.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden head to Georgia today to rally their party faithful ahead of twin runoffs that will decide who controls the US Senate, one day after the release of a recording of the outgoing president that rocked Washington DC.

In a saga about which there has been very little that is either pure or simple, many see the latest court case involving Julian Assange as a straightforward assault on the freedom of the press.

New Year's Eve 2020 was the busiest day ever for voice and video calls on WhatsApp, the messaging app has said.

An out-of-control bushfire is threatening lives and homes in Australia's west coast city of Perth, with locals told to shelter in place from toxic fumes.

The Irish manufacturing sector saw a boost to business in December as firms prepared for the end of the Brexit transition period, according to the latest Purchasing Managers Index from AIB.

The Department of Health has been notified of 4,962 new coronavirus cases and seven further deaths.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the situation regarding Covid-19 is alarming and further restrictions cannot be ruled out.

A teenage boy has died following an apparent fall from a height near An Daingean (Dingle), Co Kerry.

Childcare providers are calling for more clarity on the definition of frontline and essential workers, the day before they have been asked to reopen to cater for priority groups.

An investigation is under way after a man in his 20s died following an alleged assault in Co Kildare in the early hours of this morning.

Rescue workers have uncovered a seventh body from a landslide that buried homes in a village near Norway's capital, according to police, but hopes persist that three people still missing might yet be found alive.

Nancy Pelosi was narrowly re-elected speaker of the US House of Representatives, as a new Congress took office amid political uncertainty, with Senate control undecided and a Republican fight looming over presidential election results.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned the country to expect tougher restrictions to combat spiralling coronavirus cases, as a row flared over whether schools should reopen.

US President Donald Trump pressured Georgia's top election official to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in the state, according to audio of a phone call obtained by the Washington Post.

WikiLeaks has called for the United States to drop charges against Julian Assange ahead of a judge's decision on whether he will be extradited from the UK.