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1. Phil Hogan urges Ireland to keep distance from UK on Brexit
This country’s strategic interests in the Brexit negotiations could be seriously damaged by an excessive focus on the relationship with the UK, Irish EU Commissioner Phil Hogan has warned.
In an opinion piece in today’s Irish Times, Mr Hogan said Ireland’s focus should be on developing a wholly different set of relationships with our EU partners
2. Over 70% of students drop out of certain college courses
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More than 70 per cent of students do not get beyond their first year of college in some higher education courses, new figures show.
The scale of these drop-out rates comes as some senior academics question whether many students who are unsuited to higher education are being shoehorned into college.
The Irish Times has obtained figures from third-level institutions which show individual progression rates for courses between 2015 and 2016.
3. ‘Quango cull’ results in just 17 fewer agencies
The ambitious "quango cull" of State agencies promised by Fine Gael and Labour in the run-up to the 2011 general election has amounted to a net reduction of no more than 17 bodies and practically no savings.
Both parties separately promised to abolish or merge many dozens of what they termed inefficient and wasteful State agencies. Fine Gael listed 145 quangos which would be terminated when it got into power.
4. Golden Globes: ‘La La Land’ breaks records with seven wins
La La Land continued its seemingly unstoppable charge toward the Oscars with a record-breaking night at the Golden Globes. It won seven awards including best acting awards for Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone and best director for Damien Chazelle, but Moonlight – which had been snubbed throughout the evening – took home best picture drama.
But the standout moment of the evening came away from the awards action. Meryl Streep's searing critique of Donald Trump's imitation and treatment of the disabled New York Times journalist Serge Kovaleski was a sobering moment which brought a stunned silence to the usually boisterous Globes.
5. Pay freezes for 10,000 teachers if ASTI rejects ‘final’ offer
Almost 10,000 secondary teachers will lose out on thousands of euro in planned pay increases over the coming months if they reject proposals aimed at ending their dispute with Government.
A ballot involving members of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) is due to begin shortly based on talks following industrial action which led to the closure of hundreds of secondary schools last year.