The fall in the number of births in this country between between 2011 and 2012 has been the largest drop in the last decade.

There were 71,986 births here in 2012, representing a reduction of 3.2% since 2011 and 5.9% since the peak in 2009.

Despite the decline, Ireland has the highest birth rate out of all 27 EU member countries with Irish people giving birth to 15.6 children for every 1,000 people compared to the EU average of 10.4.

An Irish nanny accused of murdering a toddler in her care in Boston is due in court today.

Aisling McCarthy Brady, who's originally from Lavey in Co. Cavan, is charged with murder, assault and battery of a child, in relation to the death of one-year-old Rehma Sabir last January.

The child was hospitalised as a result of her injuries on her first birthday and died two days later.

The manhunt for a gunman thought to be targeting media organisations in Paris has been stepped up this morning.

The gunman went on a shooting rampage yesterday, leaving one person fighting for his life.

Shots were fired at the offices of a French newspaper and at the headquarters of one of France's biggest banks.

An Irish charity is travelling to the Philippines to provide internet and phone access to those affected by Typhoon Haiyan so they can re-connect with their families.

Disaster Tech Lab is a non profit organisation that works to restore communications following natural disasters.

It will provide internet access to local and foreign relief organisations as well as two temporary hospitals.

Selfie, the act of taking a photo of yourself, typically on a smartphone, has been named by Oxford Dictionaries as the Word of the Year.

A huge 17,000% increase in the use of the word since last year helped selfie beat other front runners including twerk, popularised by pop star Miley Cyrus but originally used in the early 90s, binge-watch and showrooming, the practice of examining a product in a brick and mortar shop before buying it online at a lower price.