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Teachers fear new special needs plans will be red-tape nightmare
A NEW approach to catering for pupils with special education needs (SEN) is recommended in a major report – but primary teachers warn it could turn into a bureaucratic nightmare.
Cowen 'happy to take part' in banking inquiry
FORMER Taoiseach Brian Cowen will take part in any Oireachtas inquiry into the banking collapse.
Abuser uncle who 'stole' nieces' childhoods jailed for two years
Two sisters have told how their childhoods were shattered when they were sexually abused by an uncle who has been jailed for two years.
No breakthrough in talks over Twelfth parades
Talks in Cardiff between community figures and politicians from both sides of the divide in the North and the PSNI have been described as “frank and respectful” but no major breakthrough to ease community tensions ahead of the Twelfth is expected.
Burton pledges crackdown on the 'excessive fees' in pension industry
THE pensions industry has been threatened with new legislation to force it to make its charges more transparent.
Grand Slam women inspire 300 new recruits to pick up the oval ball
ALMOST 300 rugby novices had their first introduction to the oval ball as Ireland's Grand Slam winning women's team showed what can be achieved by an amateur squad.
Enda's on the ball at emotional visit to GAA museum
TAOISEACH Enda Kenny had an emotional moment in Croke Park when he was given an All-Ireland programme featuring his late father.
Refund letters on way over mis-sold insurance
SOME of the thousands of people mis-sold a special insurance by banks will get letters next week telling them if they are to get refunds.
Callinan's last-minute talks stopped publication of informants' names Martin Callinan: concerned
A REPORT into alleged collusion between gardai and a convicted drugs trafficker originally contained sensitive intelligence and the names of informants.
School gets lift with jungle makeover
THE next time Aer Lingus chief pilot Frank Lawless comes in for landing at Dublin Airport, he'll be flying directly over a children's paradise that he and other airline staff helped create.
Teachers union ready to rejoin pay talks
The country's largest teachers' union will re-enter talks on a revised public sector pay deal.
Sacking threat to Ryanair pilots over letter on safety
RYANAIR pilots have been warned not to sign a letter to airline regulators expressing concern that the airline's employment practices could jeopardise passenger safety.
Special needs children being excluded from schools, say inspectors
Some schools put up barriers to stop parents from enrolling children with special needs, inspectors have claimed.
Parents may sue chemist who gave child overdose
THE parents of a severely disabled girl who was dispensed an overdose of an anti-epileptic drug may sue the pharmacy and the pharmacist in question.
'Idiotic' cutbacks force family to place disabled daughter in care
Cutbacks to special education transport scheme.
Shatter: Wallace was let off for using phone behind wheel
Shatter claims Mick Wallace escaped sanction for offense.
House visitors are traced in garda rape claim inquiry
GARDAI are now working to establish the identities of everybody who visited a house where an alleged rape by a serving garda took place at the weekend.
Work gets underway on G8 security fence ahead of summit
WORK to erect a massive security fence to protect eight of the world's most powerful leaders during the G8 summit in Fermanagh was started today.
Gardai need extra €36m to pay wages this year
A MASSIVE shortfall in the garda budget this year will result in 400 members of the force not being paid if it is not sorted out.
Snail mail: card four months late after trip to Oz
SNAIL mail has taken on a whole new meaning after a Christmas card finally dropped through the letterbox four months after it was originally posted eight kilometres away.
VHI 'billed for patients on trolleys'
THE VHI can end up wrongly paying out more than €1,000 to a public hospital even though a patient is on an emergency department trolley, the insurer's chief executive John O'Dwyer has admitted.
Informants 'face death on streets if identities are leaked'
Garda informants could be "killed on the streets" if confidential details about their identities are leaked.
Parents may sue chemist who gave child overdose
THE parents of a severely disabled girl who was dispensed an overdose of an anti-epileptic drug may sue the pharmacy and the pharmacist in question.
Boy (5) to get MMR vaccine after parents' court dispute
A FIVE-year-old boy will have to be given vaccine booster injections following a High Court dispute between his estranged mother and father over whether he should have the shots.
Man held over police ambush in North
A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a gun attack on three police officers responding to a call for help in Northern Ireland.
Gardai arrest man after seizing €134k of cannabis plants in Cork
Gardai have seized €134k of cannabis and arrested a man in Cork.
Schools 'failing' their Down Syndrome pupils
The Children's Ombudsman has sharply criticised the Department of Education over its approach to children with Down Syndrome.
Passengers face further fare hikes in bid to save CIE firms
BUS and rail fares are set to rise in the wake of an agreement on cost-cutting plans for troubled Bus Eireann.
Alcoholic who lived in toilet will be buried here
JOSEF Pavelka, who lived in a public toilet, is to be buried in Ennis, Co Clare, after efforts to repatriate his body to the Czech Republic failed.
Eoin puts stamp on city's soul – in 224 words
IT took James Joyce 700 pages to sum up the quintessential spirit of Dublin in his masterpiece 'Ulysses'.
Fraudsters who conned AIB out of €920m have sentences increased
TWO fraudsters who orchestrated an elaborate €920m fraud against AIB have had their sentences increased after an appeal court found their initial jail terms were too lenient.
Lyster – I'm lucky to be alive after heart scare
RTE sports presenter Michael Lyster (59) has revealed he was close to death after being diagnosed with a serious heart complaint when he thought he was merely battling flu.
Kenny denies archbishop's claim bill hits rights of unborn
Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday rejected the Archbishop of Dublin's claim the abortion legislation will give less rights to the life of the unborn.
Officials have no information on suicides by expectant mothers
HEALTH officials say they have no information about the number of pregnant women who have taken their own lives, despite plans to allow for threat of suicide as grounds for abortion.
Garda breakthrough in chute killing
GARDAI are following a definite line of inquiry into the unlawful killing of a homeless man who was savagely beaten and then stuffed into a rubbish disposal chute.
Stolen 15th century font returned to site
A 15th century baptismal font that had been stolen from the grounds of the church it was in for hundreds of years has been recovered.
Deadly ash tree disease now in 50 locations
THE deadly tree disease ash dieback has now been found in over 50 locations around Ireland.
Dad of two lay dead in flat for over a month
THE decomposing body of a man was found in a council residential complex more than a month after he had died.
GAA stars line out in battle to reduce suicide
THE Gaelic Players Association (GPA) is throwing its weight behind a campaign aiming to reduce suicide in men.
Dangerous driver nearly twice the limit when she killed woman
A MOTHER of one who had almost twice the legal alcohol limit in her system the morning after the night before has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for killing a woman in a two-car crash.
Gas suppliers are ordered to pay €400,000 damages over refill scams
TWO fuel suppliers have been ordered to pay nearly €400,000 in damages over the unauthorised rebranding and refilling of bottled gas cylinders.
Developer loses challenge over Mahon Tribunal
DEVELOPER Owen O'Callaghan has lost a legal challenge to the Mahon Tribunal, which found he was involved in making corrupt payments to councillors.
Ex-priest is extradited from UK for abuse trial
A FORMER priest, who was extradited from the UK to stand trial on 34 child sex abuse charges, has been remanded in custody by a court in Dublin.
Sacking halted as lawyer claims she was bullied
A LAWYER with a leading finance firm who made bullying complaints against senior managers has secured a High Court order restraining her dismissal.
Mother assaults woman for not collecting her child
A WOMAN assaulted another mother in front of her daughter's school because she thought she had not bothered to collect her child, a court heard.
30,000 a day signing up to pay property tax
MORE than 30,000 people a day are signing up to pay the property tax.
FG spends €800,000 on PR and opinion polls
FINE Gael has outspent all of its rivals in splashing over €800,000 of taxpayers' money on consultants, public relations and opinion polling.
McGuinness reveals son got most in aide overtime pay
McGuinness son was the highest overtime claimant.
ESRI predicts 1.8pc growth this year, urges Government to continue with austerity
The Economic Social and Research Institute has predicted growth in the economy of 1.8pc for this year.
Extradited former priest faces 34 child sex abuse charges
A FORMER priest, who was extradited from the UK to stand trial on 34 child sex abuse charges, was remanded in custody by a court in Dublin today.
Taxi licences can be passed onto children after death
Junior Minister Alan Kelly is going to allow taxi licences to be passed on to a family member in the event of the tax driver’s death.
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Irish Video
Oireachtas Health Committee hearings begin over abortion legislation
The states chief medical officer has told the Oireachtas Health Committee that he doesn't expect the number of women seeking terminations on suicidal grounds to be significant
Trucks bring emergency fodder for Munster farmers
Four dozen trucks carrying nearly 800 tonnes of hay are on their way to farmers around Munster
Schools urged to change special needs assessment
The government is being urgerd to change the way children with special needs are accessed in schools
Irish Independent's bumper GAA championship preview supplement
The long wait is over for the All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling Championships which begin in earnest this weekend, and the Irish Independent has all you want to find about this year’s action in our bumper preview supplement
Taoiseach defends abortion legislation after Archbishop's comments
The Taoiseach has said upcoming abortion legislation is about bringing clarity on the protection of a mother's life and that of unborn children
World's largest ocean liner leaves Dublin Bay
The Largest ocean liner in the world has just left Dublin Bay after achoring off dun laoghaire
Shots fired at PSNI officers in Belfast
Three PSNI officers escaped injury when shots were fired at them in a West Belfast housing estate.
Queen Mary 2 visits Dun Laoghaire
Queen Mary 2 visits Dun Laoghaire. Credit: Mark Condren
One Direction announce Croke Park date
Teen superstars One Direction are set to storm Croke Park as part of their world tour.
Callinan defends penalty point investigation
Garda commissioner has strongly defended the investigation into the quashing of penalty points for officers
Features
Calcium, osteoporosis and Coeliac Disease
People with coeliac disease have a higher risk of developing the bone disease osteoporosis
John Rocha talks eyes
John Rocha, known for his signature muted tones, has brought in a vibrant palette for his debut foray in to eyewear
Be fab at 50 ‘Shouts’ Lulu with new Aurora Collection
Lulu unveils a collection of glasses created specifically for stylish women aged 50 plus
Features
Should’ve gone to Specsavers …New Hawkeye will give refs a clear view
‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’, will be a phrase aimed less often at referees, now that the new Hawkeye points detection technology is going live at Croke Park.
A splash of colour as … John Rocha and Specsavers join forces
Bright crimson, blush pink and indigo blue are the keynotes in one of the biggest fashion stories of this year. Designer John Rocha has launched his first ever eyewear collection, teaming up with Specsavers.
Managing cross contamination on a gluten-free diet
One of the problems with managing a gluten free diet is making sure that you don’t accidentally pick up gluten.
