What is Environment Minister Denis Naughten’s problem with deposit-refunds on bottles, cans and plastic bottles, and a ban on cups and tableware that can’t be composted or used again?

An Irishman has described the scene of devastation after a van ploughed into pedestrians in Toronto.

Latest: An Irishman has described the scene of devastation after a van ploughed into pedestrians in Toronto.

More than 300 stadiums, statues, museums and towers worldwide are set to go green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day next month.

Around 100 million people shivered In the United States as temperatures plummeted - with a wind chill close to minus 100F (minus 73.3C) on New Hampshire's Mount Washington meaning it vied for the world's coldest place.

It is gradually becoming unacceptable to pollute for free and pass the bill on to future generations. Some 40 countries are now putting a price on carbon pollution, write Catherine McKenna and Feike Sijbesma

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Pope Francis has today denounced the proliferation of adult and child pornography on the internet and demanded better protections for children online.

Matt Kuchar will attempt to bounce back from his Open Championship heartache by claiming his first PGA Tour title since 2014 in the RBC Canadian Open.

The chaos in immigration laws in the US must be tackled, but the distinct role played by Irish people in American history should be addressed, writes John P Collins.

Living close to a busy road increases the risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia by up to 12%, a major study has found.

US workers are putting in more hours than workers do almost anywhere else. They are also increasingly retiring later and taking fewer holiday days.

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Germany: A fraudster persuaded a 75-year-old Swiss woman to transfer 45,000 francs (€41,000) to him as a “police officer” supposedly taking part in a nationwide programme to guard elderly people against telephone scams.

Brandt Snedeker hit a third-round 66 to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the RBC Canadian Open in Ontario.

Two pilots were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a transatlantic passenger jet from Scotland to Canada.

Three people connected to one of the San Bernardino terrorists have been arrested in a marriage fraud conspiracy.

Some of the stranger stories from around the world

An Ontario man who vanished in 1986 and was believed dead will soon be reunited with his family.

A Canadian cybersecurity company planning to create some 100 jobs in Cork has announced a bursary with Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) to develop a pool of Irish talent to help drive its rapid expansion.

Open Championship hero Paul Dunne will attract much of the attention at Royal Portrush in two weeks as Ireland bid to defend their Home Internationals title on home soil.

Close to 100 jobs are set to be created in Cork over the next five years, with leading international cyber-security firm, eSentire identifying the city as the location for its European headquarters.

I didn’t mind indulging my boyfriend’s fantasies at first because they were not extreme and they were something we kept between the two of us

Specialist technology firm First Derivatives has acquired Canadian company Affinity Systems, for a maximum consideration of Can$14.5m (€10.6m).

Bill Cosby said he had a “wonderful time” and got a standing ovation from polite Canadian fans at his first show following a string of cancellations in the wake of sexual assault allegations from more than 15 women.

Bill Cosby said he had a “wonderful time” and got a standing ovation from polite Canadian fans at his first show following a string of cancellations in the wake of sexual assault allegations from more than 15 women.

A scandal-plagued Bill Cosby is returning to the stage tonight for the first time since November.

Bill Cosby has “every intent” to perform at three shows in Canada next week amid a series of sex abuse claims against the veteran entertainer, promoters have said.

DVDs of Sony’s controversial film The Interview will be dropped into North Korea by balloon, a South Korean activist says.

Tributes have been paid to three members of the same family killed in the Glasgow bin lorry disaster. 

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe today welcomed the beginning of an agreement which allows for the mutual exchange of driving licences between Ireland and the Canadian province of Ontario.

Toronto’s next mayor will be a straight-laced, button- down moderate conservative — almost the polar opposite of current mayor Rob Ford, whose term was plagued by scandals involving public drinking and illegal drug use.

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POLICE: MAN REFUSED TO MOVE FOR HELICOPTER LANDING

In the spring of 1860, America’s Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History tells us, a flock of passenger pigeons estimated at more than 3.7 billion — yes, billion — flew over Ontario.

Investigators tracking down the assets of the suspected pyramid scheme, Banners Broker, have successfully moved to Canada in a bid to recover money for investors in the internet marketing product.

THE best way for us to sort the issue of abortion in Ireland is to take politicians out of the decision making process.