School phone bans in Ireland are not in best interests of children, report finds

A NEW report has found that blanket bans on phones in Irish schools are not in the best interests of children. The report, entitled One Size Does Not Fit All, also found that such bans are not effective in protecting children's rights from the potential harm of phones and social media. Instead, the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO), who produced the report with its Youth … [Read more...] about School phone bans in Ireland are not in best interests of children, report finds

A GROWING number of young people in Ireland are seriously considering emigration due to the cost-of-living crisis. According to new research commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), three in five people under the age of 25 are thinking about leaving the country. Based on a nationally representative poll conducted by Red C, the findings reveal the extent to … [Read more...] about Cost-of-living crisis pushing majority of Irish under-25s to consider emigration

BRITAIN and the Republic of Ireland are set to renew and expand their decade-old defence cooperation agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was originally signed in 2015 and has served as a foundation for bilateral defence collaboration, particularly in military training, intelligence sharing and cyber defence. The renewed version of the agreement is expected to be … [Read more...] about Britain and Ireland to renew defence pact amid rising security threats

THE Irish Government has committed more than €15m in funding to provide humanitarian aid to embattled nations across the Middle East. Diaspora Minister Neale Richmond announced financial support for a range of projects today, including €6m to the UN for Yemen, €1m to the UN High Commission for Refugees for Lebanon, €1m for UNICEF’s work in Jordan and €7.7m for UNICEF, to … [Read more...] about Ireland commits €15m to humanitarian aid in ‘dangerous and volatile’ Middle East

IRELAND'S independent fiscal watchdog has issued a warning to the government over their current budget plan. The government’s proposed €9.4 billion package for Budget 2026, which includes €7.9 billion in spending increases and €1.5 billion in tax cuts, has been criticised by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) as excessive. In their report, the council urged Finance … [Read more...] about Watchdog warns government over unsustainable spending ahead of budget