President Michael D Higgins has hit out at the leaders of the UK, US, China, France and Russia for not attending a United Nations humanitarian summit.

David Attenborough has warned of the “disastrous” delays in taking action on climate change.

Leonardo DiCaprio has joined Instagram.

A summer’s afternoon on the capital’s main street provided the perfect backdrop for the launch of the Foróige Albert Schweitzer Leadership for Life youth conference taking place in Maynooth this week.

SPECTACULAR species previously unknown to the outside world are being discovered in the Amazon rainforest at a rate of one every three days, according to environment group WWF (World Wildlife Fund).

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has expressed optimism that the United States and China would resolve major trade frictions, even as he rejected US claims that Beijing's currency policies cost American jobs.

ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley has outlined a number of wildlife areas to be protected as part of the Government’s programme to protect our natural heritage.

President Barack Obama tonight announced a “meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough” on a global effort to curb climate change.

POPE Benedict XVI decried the worsening plight of the world’s one billion hungry yesterday as a United Nations food summit rallied around a strategy of more help to farmers in poor nations but rebuffed a UN appeal to commit billions to the plan.

Former Government PR consultant Monica Leech tonight won a lawsuit against the Evening Herald which defamed her in its coverage of her work as special adviser to former Environment Minister Martin Cullen.

Irish campaigners for democracy in Burma today urged the Foreign Affairs Minister to raise the issue at a United Nations summit on Monday.

Irish campaigners for democracy in Burma today urged the Foreign Affairs Minister to raise the issue at a United Nations summit on Monday.

Ireland's recession will last at least 12 months, the country's leading think-tank predicted tonight.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to address a United Nations summit for the first time as leader next month, it emerged today.

Ireland’s role in the United Nations International Year of the Planet will be launched today.

A senior Irish Government minister today welcomed the United States’ Government’s dramatic u-turn on a roadmap for dealing with climate change.

Attempts to forge a road map for a new international climate-change agreement are entering their final day today amid accusations the US is trying to wreck the deal.

IRELAND’S reputation for corruption in the public sector has not improved in the past year according to Transparency International.

Racing against a deadline, negotiators completed the draft of the first United Nations convention to protect the rights of the world’s disabled people early today.

DNA RECORDS on thousands of innocent children are being held by police in Northern Ireland, it was revealed yesterday.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will join other world leaders at a United Nations summit in New York today to review progress in combating HIV/Aids.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed condolences, Sweden’s Prime Minister said it was a “painful example” of challenges facing the world and the premier of tiny Mauritius pointed out that vulnerable islands could face the same fate as New Orleans.

IRELAND committed itself to giving €1.5 billion or 0.7% of GNP to tackle poverty in the world by 2012, trebling its contribution and becoming one of the first countries to achieve the UN goal.

New York has gone into security lockdown as it prepares for the United Nations summit, the biggest meeting of world leaders in history.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is due to depart for New York today to attend the annual United Nations summit of world leaders.

Unionist leaders should be barred from serving in government in Northern Ireland if they cannot uphold the rule of law, United States special envoy Mitchell Reiss said today.

French President Jacques Chirac will decide whether to attend the United Nations summit this month after he leaves the hospital where he has spent the past week, his office said today.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was today urged to avoid embarrassment on the world stage by setting a new date of 2010 for honouring Ireland’s promise on overseas aid.

Some 3,000 delegates from 150 countries convened in Bangkok today to devise ways to combat drug trafficking, corruption, transnational crime and terrorism.

The Government’s commitment to decentralisation remains absolute, the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis heard.

The level of direct inward investment into Ireland by foreign multinational companies fell by 60% last year, it emerged tonight.

President George Bush, answering demands to know his intentions toward Iraq, has invited the congressional leadership to a White House briefing today.