In his Christmas homily Archbishop Eamon Martin made timely reference to the scourge of human trafficking for which Ireland now appears to be a significant route.

The IRA were determined to gain control of an increase in haulage business between the Republic and Northern Ireland, in a bid to extort protection money, declassified state papers show.

Linking the US’s favourable treatment of the city to its continued autonomy comes at crunch period in bilateral talks to defuse bruising trade war, says John Ruwitch

The latest declaration by the US government has put a greater onus on other countries unite against Israeli occupation, writes Daoud Kuttab

Far from being defeated, Islamic State continue to battle on several fronts, write Anne-Marie Slaughter and Asha C Castleberry

The lives of asylum seekers are being put in danger in Tamaulipas state by the US government’s Migration Protection Protocol (MPP) and Mexico’s government lack of humanitarian assistance, the international medical organisation has warned.

An Garda Síochána has refused to comment on warnings from the US State Department and the US embassy in Ireland that there is “a potential for violence” at this weekend’s Longitude music festival in Dublin.

The International Transport Workers Federation said the settlement it reached with the Government in April was aimed at addressing, what it described as, severe labour trafficking and human rights abuses caused by the Atypical Work Permit scheme.

A Garda review of 70 cannabis growhouse cases did not find that a single person arrested at the production facilities was a victim of human trafficking, a major US report has found.

A no-deal Brexit would mean a certain return to violence along the Irish border a UNESCO backed report has warned.

State Department approved $28k spend for Secret Service activity coinciding with visit by Trump’s son

Report says lack of ‘people trade’ convictions since 2013 a concern.

As optimism surges on Korea, US president Donald Trump should know that empty promises have long been a favourite tactic of the regime in the north, argues Eli Lake.

Last year, Democrats and Republicans alike agreed that if anyone could bring order to the Trump White House, it was the retired four-star US Marine general. Were they wrong?

Diplomacy, the only alternative to war, is about meeting your enemy, and that is not a sign of weakness. Donald Trump is right to meet Kim Jong Un, says Peter Van Buren

America’s failure to commit resources has enabled a multiplicity of players — Iran, Russia, Islamic State, Hezbollah — to muddy the bloody waters of the civil war, says Christopher R. Hill

American spies were so grateful they sent the Dutch cake and flowers, reports say.

Venezuela's constitutional assembly has ordered presidential elections by April 30 as the ruling socialist party seeks to consolidate its grip on power amid a worsening economic crisis.

Airbus said it had uncovered inaccuracies in its filings to US regulators over arms technology sales, drawing the US for the first time into a scandal over alleged misconduct at Europe’s largest aerospace firm.

A former hostage has said upon arriving back in Canada that the Haqqani network in Afghanistan killed his infant daughter and raped his American wife during the years they were held in captivity.

A high-ranking Vatican priest working in the Holy See's embassy in Washington has been recalled after US prosecutors asked for him to be charged in an investigation into images of child abuse, officials said.

A man believed to be an American citizen who was fighting with Islamic State militants has surrendered in Syria and is being held in American custody.

Prohibiting Americans from visiting North Korea prevents them from being held to political ransom and sends a message that Pyongyang is out of line, says Andray Abrahamian

The Department of Foreign Affairs has received no information that would suggest Irish J-1 visas are under threat, despite weekend reports that the US administration is considering “major reductions” in the number of summer work exchange visitors.

Donald Trump's administration has officially told the United Nations that the US intends to pull out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Ireland is a member of the ‘Global Coalition to Defeat Isis’, a US Government terrorism report has said, writes Cormac O'Keeffe.

Ireland is a member of the ‘Global Coalition to Defeat Isis’, a US Government terrorism report has said.

The Trump administration has again told Congress that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal, but insisted Tehran would face consequences for breaching "the spirit" of the agreement.

A Vietnamese blogger has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of distorting government policies.

While US action is needed over the death of Otto Warmbier in North Korea, the goal must be to ensure no other student meets his fate, writes Dan DePetris.

This country is deficient when it comes to supporting victims of human trafficking, with a report claiming Ireland is still a destination and source country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour, including forced criminal activity.

Suspected jihadists in Mali's capital have attacked a resort that is popular with foreigners on the weekends, a security official says.

LATEST: Emerging reports suggest 18 people have been killed and 90 wounded in bombings at the funeral of a protester killed in Kabul.

A suicide attacker has targeted a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul with a truck bomb, killing 90 people and wounding up to 400.

The US State Department said that it believes about 50 detainees are being hanged each day at the Saydnaya military prison

North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons is an urgent national security threat and the US will exert pressure through diplomatic measures and tighter economic sanctions, the Trump administration has said.

America’s global re-engagement should be welcomed, but not through a military lens. Diplomacy, not fighting, brings peace, says Carl Bildt.

China has strongly criticised what it called America's "terrible human rights problems" in its annual report on rights abuses in the United States, citing police brutality, high levels of incarceration, racial prejudice and money politics.

Donald Trump has hit back after a judge temporarily blocked his travel ban on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

The former Exxon Mobil oil giant boss has more influence than most presidents and knows how to cut a deal. He would be an able secretary of state, says Amir Handjani

Counter-terrorism authorities in Europe warned of the risk that refugees could be targeted by extremist recruiters weeks before the Berlin Christmas market carnage.

Update 10.38pm: A truck has rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing at least nine people as it tore through tables and wooden stands.

A theme park in the Paris area was apparently among the targets listed by terror suspects arrested in France over the weekend.