Famous Irish peace activist Mairead Maguire has been hit with a rubber bullet fired by the Israeli military at a non-violent protest Ramallah on the West Bank.

Protestant and Catholic church leaders in Ireland have welcomed the agreement between the leaders of the DUP and Sinn Fein to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein and the DUP have reached an historic deal that will see the two parties sharing power in six weeks' time.

Protestants and Catholics who have previously been fiercely critical of each other – refusing even to recognise one another as fellow Christians, in some cases – have come together to oppose legislation in the province that would require them to treat lesbian and gay people on an equal basis in terms of public provision.

The leaders of Northern Ireland's four major churches have called for an end to sectarianism and prejudice in a joint New Year message. The move represents an increasing willingness among Protestant and Catholic leaders to speak together in the face of division.