The mildest start to Christmas Day on record has been recorded for Northern Ireland and Scotland. In Kinloss, Moray, temperatures reached 11.9C, while at Killowen, Co Down, it peaked at 11C for the 24 ...

In his homily, Francis said the Holy Year is an opportunity to relieve the debt of poor countries and commit to protecting the planet.

The wife of deposed Syrian leader Bashar Assad is severely ill with leukaemia and has been given a 50/50 chance of survival, media reports have claimed. Asma Assad is being isolated to prevent ...