A security cordon and traffic diversions are currently in place on Dublin Road, Drogheda following the discovery of a suspicious device near a parked car.

The World Health Organisation has declared an international emergency over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne zika virus, which is linked to birth defects in the Americas, saying it is an “extraordinary event”.

Latest: Experts called in to examine a suspicious package outside German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin have given the all-clear.

Beijing was enveloped in eye-watering, throat-irritating smog on Saturday as the second red alert of the month went into effect in the Chinese capital, forcing many cars off the roads and restricting factory production.

Schools and much of the Brussels metro system reopened yesterday as the Belgian capital started to return to normal after four days of lockdown, but troops on the street were a reminder it remains on alert.

A security alert is underway in East Belfast.

A suspicious object is causing a security alert in Derry.

The Cork West Garda Division will in June become the first Garda division in the country to roll out a regional anti-crime text alert system to the public.