Dr Annette Clancy, an assistant professor of management at University College Dublin, isn’t convinced the case for open-plan offices is open and shut. “I’ve worked in open-plan offices and found them challenging at times,” Clancy says. A product and industrial designer, he spent years designing offices in London and in 2018 published an academic paper about open-plan offices. “So they will have to look at how to make open-plan offices work better for people.”He advises employers to start with acoustics. “Seize the opportunity to share ideas and build alliances, particularly with new employees, who can find large open-plan offices intimidating.”

Mourners gathered at Dunblane Cemetery on Friday morning to pay their respects to the 16 children and their teacher who were murdered at Dunblane Primary School on March 13 1996. A number of the bouquets had cards with messages expressing grief and sorrow at the incident. Among the items are two letters from the late Diana, Princess of Wales, to the school’s headteacher Ron Taylor. “That’s just a tiny, tiny fraction of everything that exists in terms of gifts and letters and cards that were sent to Dunblane after the shooting,” she said. She said the ultimate aim is to find a permanent home for the collection “so that people know about what happened”.

Andy Farrell wants Bundee Aki and James Lowe to sign new contracts to remain with Ireland through to next year’s World Cup and says he is confident the duo will commit to the cause. Aki is back on the Ireland bench for tomorrow’s Triple Crown decider against Scotland after he was suspended for the first three matches of the Six Nations and wasn’t selected against Wales, while Lowe is recovering from groin surgery having played against Italy and England.

Bailiffs boarded a Ryanair aircraft after the airline refused to pay compensation to a passenger whose flight was delayed. Austrian officials took action after the airline ignored a court order to pay the unnamed woman €890 in legal costs and compensation for a delayed flight two years ago. The dispute began in 2024 when a flight from Linz to the Spanish island of Mallorca was delayed by 13 hours. A passenger who was forced to pay for an alternative flight claimed a refund of her expenses and compensation under aviation regulations. French authorities, however, impounded a Ryanair plane carrying 149 passengers in 2018 after a years-long battle over illegal subsidies.

“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. The war continued to escalate on its 13th day as oil prices spiralled up again to 100 dollars (£75) per barrel, and stocks sank worldwide over fears that the conflict could drag on longer than hoped. The new exemption applies only to Russian oil already at sea. Iran has made clear it plans to keep up attacks on energy infrastructure across the region and use the effective closure of the strait as leverage against the United States and Israel. A fifth of the world’s traded oil flows through the waterway leading from the Persian Gulf towards the Indian Ocean.

Jose Mourinho will serve a two-game ban after his red card in Benfica's draw with Porto that saw him clash with an opposing coach. But the game was overshadowed by Mourinho's red card in the second half, after he was adjudged to have kicked a ball towards the away bench. 'The FC Porto bench person who was also sent off called me a traitor 50 times in the tunnel,' Mourinho said in his post-match press conference. 'I was at FC Porto, I gave my soul to FC Porto. 'The referee says he sent me off because I kicked a ball towards the FC Porto bench, which is completely false.

Gardaí are investigating after a woman's body was found in a Cork suburb under suspicious circumstances. The woman was found with injuries in the home and died a violent death, it is understood. The woman's body remains at the scene but will be taken to the morgue at Cork University Hospital, it is understood. "I'm hearing very early reports of a suspected murder in the village this evening. Gardaí said that they are at the very early stages of investigating "a serious incident" and cannot comment further at this time.

Photograph: Nicolas Hansen/Getty ImagesDoctors at an Irish hospital accidentally operated on the wrong testicle during surgery on a patient who had gone under the knife for a procedure on his genitalia, it has emerged. However, a patient advocacy group criticised this stance and said wrong-site surgery should never happen. In 2024, incidents were reported at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown; Nenagh Hospital in Tipperary; and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital in Limerick. A State Claims Agency review previously found that 25 claims in respect of wrong-site surgery had been settled between 2016 and 2020, costing taxpayers more than €6 million. Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients Association noted wrong-site surgery is classed as a “never event”, meaning it is the kind of mistake that should never happen.

A husband accused of killing his wife by driving her to suicide viewed her only as a 'trophy' and stopped wearing his wedding ring two weeks after she hanged herself, her mother told a court today. Ms Baird hanged herself aged 34 at their home in Swindon, Wiltshire. Trybus is charged with manslaughter, controlling and coercive behaviour and two counts of rape in relation to Ms Baird. At Winchester Crown Court, Hants, prosecutors say that Trybus unlawfully killed Ms Baird on November 28 2017. Ms Baird worked for Trybus's company from home, doing his administration and accounts.

‘Incredible’ Envoi Allen dies after collapsing following Cheltenham Gold CupBy Adam Morgan, Press AssociationEnvoi Allen collapsed and died after finishing ninth in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup. The 12-year-old was having the final start of his glittering career in the Cheltenham Festival highlight, with owners Cheveley Park Stud having confirmed he would retire following his run in the blue riband – his eighth appearance in all at the Festival. Envoi Allen won 10 Grade Ones in total, having started with Gordon Elliott before moving to Henry de Bromhead, most recently becoming the first horse to win Down Royal’s Champion Chase on three occasions. Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson said: “We didn’t see it. “He’s been an incredible servant, wonderful over the years, and this is such a sad way to go.

Jonathan Ross was joined by his daughter Honey as they arrived at Global Studios in London to record a podcast on Friday. Honey, 29, opted for a cropped brown jacket which she paired with a racy mini skirt. The pair walked by a group of people wearing Renaissance / Elizabethan style theatrical costumes while making their way to the studio. The outing comes after Honey celebrated her first Valentine's Day with boyfriend Gav Murphy, 40, after striking up a romance with the video producer last year. He recalled an embarrassing moment where Jonathan had Googled him to find his birthdate only to discover his unflattering nickname.

James Lowe, Josh van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park, thirtysomethings all, have all been given the Farrell treatment over the past six weeks and bounced back with excellent performances. And the Ireland boss may well pull off another masterstroke with the selection of Bundee Aki on the bench to face Scotland at Aviva Stadium in Saturday’s Triple Crown decider. A bench role followed for the openside flanker as he picked up his 78th cap as a replacement against Wales in round four. “I'd always want to start every game,” van der Flier said. And on top of that, he’s been pretty good for us coming off the bench as far as energy is concerned.

Many other children will receive new “individual support plans”, which do not carry the same legal protections as EHCPs. Yet, despite the Government’s plans being set out in a 300-page white paper, there is still much we do not know. Too often relationships between schools and parents fighting for their children are tense and these SEND reforms must not exacerbate this. Article continues belowIn order to help shape my contributions in Parliament as these SEND reforms progress, I want to hear directly from you. Your experiences will be incredibly important as the Government’s plans are brought forward.

Attendees at the recent Tóchar project event in Birr on the restoration of Ireland’s rare fen wetlands. Wetland restoration initiatives outlined at Offaly eventLocals in Offaly learned about the restoration of Ireland's rare fen wetlands during one of a series of public information evenings organised by Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration. Technical experts from Arup, who are supporting delivery of the fen restoration programme, outlined the hydrological processes that underpin these habitats. In addition, financial incentives are available through the Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration Incentive Scheme. The public information evenings form part of wider engagement taking place across the Midlands as the three-year €12 million Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration project progresses.

Work taking place earlier this week on the development of the long-planned Aldi store in Moate. Construction work now fully underway on Moate Aldi storeA spokesperson for Aldi Ireland said the retail chain was "excited" about its long-awaited new store in Moate with construction work on the development now fully underway. Aldi was granted planning permission in late 2023 for what was described at that stage as €6.8m new store development on the Athlone Road approach to Moate. Early this week, activity at the site stepped up significantly and a site notice stated that construction work had commenced on Monday, March 9. When contacted by the Westmeath Independent for comment, an Aldi spokesperson said: "We are excited to see construction now underway at our Moate store.