There has been a significant drop in the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19, according to latest figures from the HSE, but the National Public Health Emergency team has warned that the situation remains precarious.

A giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal after a gust of wind blew it off course, the vessel's operator said.

Chipmaker Intel has said it will create 1,600 permanent high-tech jobs at its Leixlip campus, once it has completed the construction of a new chip manufacturing factory there.

A human rights committee of the Council of Europe has found that local authority tenants in Ireland continue to live with inadequate housing standards.

A 92-year-old writer has plotted a novel way for his neighbours to come together while staying apart during lockdown.

The European Commission is expected to announce further restrictions on Covid-19 vaccine exports as global tensions rise over vaccine availability.

Britain's Prince Harry has announced that he is the "chief impact officer" at a San Francisco startup that provides mobile-based coaching, counselling and mentorship.

From 4am on Friday, mandatory hotel quarantine will come into effect for arrivals from 33 designated countries, deemed to be "high-risk".

Poland will likely have to toughen Covid-19 restrictions again after reporting what early figures suggest will be a record number of new infections, the prime minister's top aide has said.

The UN has been asked to request the Irish Government to establish an independent investigation into mother-and-baby homes and forced adoptions during the 20th Century.

North Korea has slammed European Union human rights sanctions imposed against its senior officials this week as a "despicable political provocation" and the result of "a psychotic way of thinking".

The shooting death of a seven-year-old girl in her own home has triggered fresh outrage at Myanmar's military crackdown, with at least 20 children reported killed since the junta took charge last month.

Plans for an economic corridor between Dublin and Belfast will be launched by the eight local authorities it passes through.

As of this evening, there have been 26 bookings under the new mandatory hotel quarantine system.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that walk-in PCR Covid testing, without a referral, will be introduced this week in areas around Ireland where Covid-19 rates are high.

People living in the Republic of Ireland have been warned to stop booking Covid-19 vaccination jabs at centres north of the border unless they are registered with a doctor there or have an NHS number.

The Cabinet has approved a revised Climate Action Bill which includes specific targets on reducing carbon emissions - a key objective of the Green Party going into Government.

The move to a 'net zero' carbon society will involve changes to several aspects of our lives in the coming decades.

Northern Ireland has experienced its worst year in living memory, First Minister Arlene Foster said as she and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill reflected on the anniversary of the first lockdown announcement.

As the rate of vaccination ramps up in the coming months, other countries could serve as a blueprint for what life might be like, writes Prime Time's Philip Gallagher.