Israeli aircraft and tanks stepped up strikes in southern Gaza overnight, residents said, after it announced plans to pullback some troops, a move the US said signalled a gradual shift to lower intensity operations in the north of the enclave. Israel says the war in Gaza, which has reduced much …

The rate of growth in prices being sought for properties listed on the market slowed in 2023, despite a significant drop in supply, according to the website, Daft.ie. Its latest analysis captured growth in listed prices of 3.4% in the year – almost half the 6% growth rate in 2022 …

South Korean opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck while talking to reporters in the port city of Busan. Mr Lee was walking in a crowd of journalists after visiting the site of a new airport when a man in front of him lunged and struck him …

Japan has struggled to assess the full extent of damage from an earthquake that struck its west coast, wrecking buildings and roads, knocking out power to swathes of homes in freezing temperatures and according to national media killing at least eight people. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the notion that Russia is winning the nearly two-year-old war is only a “feeling” and that Moscow is still suffering heavy battlefield losses. Interviewed by The Economist, he provided no substantiation of his claim on Russian losses. President Zelensky said that Ukraine’s priorities in …

In the middle of January, a couple of weeks from now, the first act in the US presidential election takes place, with the Republican Party’s Iowa Caucuses. Yes, we really are that close to the next presidential election. And right now, Donald Trump is within a whisker of winning the …

Coco actor Ana Ofelia Murguía has died aged 90, according to officials in Mexico. The death of the star, who voiced Mama Coco in the Disney Pixar film, was announced by the country’s National Fine Arts Institute. “She leaves an enormous void on our country’s sets,” culture secretary Alejandra Frausto …

A series of Budget 2024 tax changes intended to help individuals with their finances and the ongoing cost of living crisis have come into effect. As part of the plans announced in October, the Government is making a series of changes to tax rates and support schemes for the coming …

Every year brings its challenges to the farming sector and there have been many over the last 12 months – income cuts, bad weather, regulatory pressure, emissions concerns and non-stop change kept farmers fully mentally and physically engaged in 2023. Farming is one of the few ways of life directly …

Fireworks illuminated skies over Paris, Rio and Sydney to celebrate the entry to 2024, while rockets and strikes marked the year’s earliest hours in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine. Much of the world’s population – now more than eight billion – is hoping to shake off high living costs and global …