Pope Francis has wished Christmas peace on people scarred by wars and those who lost loved ones to terrorism that he says is sowing "fear and death" in many cities and countries.

Syrian president Bashar Assad has denied reports that his government is targeting hospitals and civilian infrastructure.

The UK's Chancellor George Osborne has branded a controversial poster unveiled by Nigel Farage "vile", comparing it to extremist literature produced in the 1930s.

In a refugee camp outside Athens, Victoria White meets people fleeing the horrors of war in Syria, but who still try to live a normal life, including a young woman who has just married    

Under the pressure of the migrant crisis countries across Europe have closed their borders, while xenophobic parties thrive. TP O’Mahony reflects on a new book which captures the unravelling of the EU’s liberal dream. 

The EU plan to deal with migrants is a masterpiece that seeks to bridge the largely domestic fears of intransigent politicians in the EU and Turkey, writes Ann Cahill Europe Correspondent

Latest: At least five people have been killed and ten others injured in an explosion that rocked the Turkish capital, the governor of Ankara has said.

The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide is likely to have “far surpassed” a record 60m this year, mainly driven by the Syrian war and other protracted conflicts, the UNsaid.

The same-sex marriage referendum, Ed Sheeran and miniature Guinness cakes were just some the most viewed and talked about videos and issues Irish people engaged with this year.

If, as is suggested, €10,000 is being paid per refugee to get to Europe, a boat overloaded with 600 people, could provide criminal gangs with €6,000,000.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is the wrong choice for the Tipperary International Peace Prize for several reasons:

Syrian government forces are targeting civilians in barrel bomb attacks in Aleppo that have forced hospitals and schools to move underground, Amnesty International said.

At least 3,500 refugees drowned close to European shores in 2014, but the EU shows no willingness to change the very policies that have led to this crisis, writes Aurélie Ponthieu.

I object to the selection of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the Tipperary International Peace Prize. It is untimely and misplaced.

With Turkey’s government-run refugee camps operating at full capacity, more than 1 million Syrian refugees who have flocked to Turkey to escape fighting at home are struggling to survive on their own, according to an Amnesty International report.

Europe has utterly failed to grasp the gravity of the Syrian exodus, and Lebanon is paying the price, says Éamonn Meehan

The US will not be sending more troops into combat in Iraq to deal with Islamic militants, but will explore “a range of other options”, Barack Obama has said.

The head of Syria’s air defences has been killed in clashes near the capital, Damascus, one of a few high-ranking military officers to be killed in the country’s civil war.

A suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden car has targeted a Lebanese army checkpoint near the Syrian border, killing and wounding several soldiers.

Ireland has pledged another €5m to assist civilians affected by the Syrian crisis.

A powerful car bomb that tore through a busy area of Beirut has killed at least 18 people in the bloodiest attack so far linked to Syria’s civil war on Lebanese civilians.

Austria announced it is withdrawing 377 UN peacekeepers from the Golan Heights after Syrian rebels briefly overran a crossing point near the border with Israel, a development that has deepened concerns the civil war is spreading to neighbouring countries.

Israel’s military has deployed a rocket defence system to the north of the country following reported Israeli airstrikes in neighbouring Syria targeting weapons believed to be destined for Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has referred to Israel's attack on a military research facility a "declaration of war".

At least 65 people were found shot dead with their hands bound in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday in a new massacre in the near two-year revolt against president Bashar al-Assad, activists said.

Syria's bombardment of its citizens should be declared a war crime, Turkey's foreign minister told the World Economic Forum.