Denis O'Reilly, director of Difference Days, with brothers Rory and Dylan O'Connor and their mother Yvonne Nolan at Saplings Special School, Rathfarnham. Photograph: Bryan Meade/The Irish TimesParent Yvonne Nolan says she “knows the difference” the work of the Difference Days organisation has made for students at Saplings Special School in Rathfarnham, Dublin. It just feels very surreal that it’s happening.”On the day, they created a zen den – a free-standing multi-use sensory room – raised beds and accessible pathways in the school’s garden. Roman Przewoznik, originally from Poland, has been principal of Saplings School for the past three years after joining the school 10 years ago. Some elements, such as the zen den, were funded by SMBC Aviation Capital.

Homebuilders are “extremely concerned” about the supply of housing going forward due to “significant delays” in many of the housing supply determinants, the Oireachtas has heard. Photograph: iStockHome builders are “extremely concerned” about the supply of housing in the future due to “significant delays” in many of the housing supply determinants, the Oireachtas has heard. CIF chief executive Andrew Brownlee said the supply of zoned land was the issue he was “especially concerned about”. “Unless we zone and service more land housing supply will not increase.”He said: “Some local authorities have yet to commence the process of varying their development plans and increase the amount of land zoned for housing. “For example, create exemptions for larger water and wastewater infrastructure projects by classifying them as a strategic infrastructure development,” he said.

The Minister was speaking in a Dáil debate on international protection on Wednesday, during which he outlined measures being taken to deal with asylum applications within 12 weeks. The Minister pointed to immigration figures as he outlined measures to deal with asylum applications. From 2022 to 2024, in the region of 44,000 to 45,000 people came to Ireland, claiming international protection, he said. Last year, he continued, they delivered 14,000 first decisions on asylum applications, compared to 8,500 in 2023. Sinn Féin justice spokesman Matt Carthy said the international protection system was dysfunctional.

Photograph: CollinsRTÉ is set to wind down its in-house television documentary unit as it continues to find cost savings after the financial and governance crisis that shook the national broadcaster in 2023. “We have spoken to the in-house documentary team about some changes to how we will produce documentaries for RTÉ television and RTÉ Player next year,” the spokesman said. “RTE’s flagship TV documentary unit is just the latest to be earmarked for complete closure. This follows the closure of RTE’s religion department, as well as plans to hand both Fair City and The Late Late Show over to the private, for-profit sector. In May, RTÉ announced plans to switch production of some religious programming, specifically “Christian worship content”, to outside producers.

Back in the grim Covid-affected echo chambers of 2021, Johnny Sexton adamantly maintained that Ireland’s attack would click despite opening Six Nations defeats against Wales and France. Ireland’s kicking game is Sexton’s primary remit, and described their kicking efforts as excellent during the 20-minute spell when they were reduced to 14. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho“It’s a little bit of both, really,” said Sexton. A little bit unlucky on one, a little bit unlucky on another, and maybe on another one we could have played the edge instead,” said Sexton. Did we do it a little bit too much on Saturday?

It is Mr Bowe’s case that, arising from injuries allegedly sustained in the incident, he was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder, causing him to suffer with fatigue, tremors and other symptoms. Mr Bowe is seeking damages for the alleged injuries suffered. A civil trial into Mr Bowe’s case opened this week before Mr Justice Micheál O’Higgins and a jury at the High Court. After some time – about 10 and 15 minutes, said Mr Bowe’s side – Mr Bowe said he stopped his car and proceeded to run through a field. On seeing the flashlights of pursuing gardaí, Mr Bowe said he put his hands up, remained on his knees, and said “you have me”.

There were 1,255 Ukrainian refugees studying in Ireland’s universities during the last academic year and some 600 more in further education courses. Previously tuition fees were paid for full-time Ukrainian students through the Temporary Tuition Fee Support Scheme (TTFSS). This saw the applicable EU tuition fee for the student paid to the Ukrainian student’s third-level institution. Previously all Ukrainian students were entitled to a financial stipend. Ukrainian students who began their third level education in previous years and have continued their studies from September continue to have their fees covered under the Temporary Tuition Fee Support Scheme this year.

Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPAThe armed wing of Hamas said it would hand over the body of a hostage at 7pm on Wednesday, while the Israeli military said it had killed two Palestinians who had approached an area it occupied in a “threatening” way. The Israeli military was not able to immediately clarify to Reuters whether the incidents were related. Hamas turned over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held in Israel. Hamas has so far returned 21 of the 28 bodies of hostages buried in Gaza. In return, Israel handed over 285 bodies of Palestinians had killed since the war began in October 2023, Gaza health authorities said.

M&S has said it believes DragonForce, a group of largely Russian cyber criminals, was behind the attack. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA WireMarks and Spencer has said it will take a £136 million (€154 million) hit to its annual profits from a cyber attack that caused havoc with the UK high street retailer’s online sales earlier this year. The attack caused a 55 per cent fall in first-half profits to £184.1 million, down from £413.1 million a year earlier. However, chief executive Stuart Machin said he expected profits in the second half to rebound “to be at least in line with last year”. Growth in food sales, its largest business by revenue, offset a decline in fashion and home and beauty, which was hard hit by the cyber attack.

Ms Rowland said the prosecution intends to prove that there were a series of assaults on the boy that escalated on March 13th. Ms Rowland told the jury that the deceased’s mother and father had been in a relationship for some years, but split up and began new relationships. She told gardaí that he was a “bold, cheeky child” who would be put on the bold step. When the boy was grounded, the accused told gardaí, he was not allowed to leave his room and could not sit on his bed but had to sit on the floor. He remained grounded in his room for the following three days even though there were two different family celebrations with other family members visiting over those days, Ms Rowland said.

Norway's finance minister Jens Stoltenberg said that Norway has suspended its ethical investing rules to avoid its $2.1tn oil fund being forced to sell out of Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet due to their work for the Israeli government. Norway’s centre-left government pushed an urgent proposal through parliament on Tuesday, putting the work of the independent ethics council on hold. Mr Stoltenberg said the ethics council had planned soon to look into technology companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet, as well as those on a UN blacklist issued in July. The existing arrangement has involved the oil fund’s ethics council giving recommendations on whether to sell out of a specific company to Norway’s central bank, which houses the fund and takes the final decision on whether to divest. But we need to handle them better than we have done so far in the ethical guidelines.”The fund’s ethics council welcomed the review, adding that it had noted the “political disagreement” about companies connected to Israel and Gaza.

Former Conservative minister Greg Hands is “opposed” to an agreement where London would agree to align with EU regulations on sanitary and phytosanitary rules. Photograph: PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty ImagesA European Union/UK agreement on food exports designed to resolve problems in existing trade between Britain and Northern Ireland could come at too high a price, a former British minister for trade has warned. However, Mr Hands said: “Why would the UK voluntarily and dynamically align with rules over which we have no say? He had doubts that an SPS agreement would remove all of the GB/NI hurdles that are being claimed for it: “It’s an arguable thing. The Irish Government has frequently “smoothed things over” when difficulties have emerged between London and Brussels, said Mr Hands, who now works with a Czech-based industrial group.

Photograph: Getty ImagesGardaí have been unable to speak to a 10-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted in west Dublin last month, “due to medical advice”, a court has heard. “She is in a secure facility – due to medical advice, we can’t speak to her,” she also said. The defence solicitor told the court his client was on a waiting list for the Central Mental Hospital, but no report was yet to hand. The judge told him to inform his client the court was asking that medical doctors see him in prison. The case triggered violent scenes in Citywest, Dublin, in the following days, resulting in more than 30 arrests.

The planned investment in the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise service will see an hourly service between the two cities, doubling the current eight services per day to 16. Photograph: Bryan O’BrienA High Court challenge to the awarding of a €650 million contract to replace the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise train service rolling stock could mean the loss of up to €165 million of European Union funding towards the project, a judge was told on Wednesday. It will also mean the replacement of “non-Enterprise sets” of rolling stock which do not have the same feel and kit-out as Enterprise trains. Mr Smyth said funding for the project is coming from the Irish Government, the Northern Ireland department of infrastructure and EU funding programmes for the six counties. If the EU funding is not ultimately achieved, it would be for the sponsoring departments here and in Northern Ireland to make up the shortfall, he said.

Under a ceasefire deal that took effect on October 10th, Hamas turned over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held in Israel. In return, Israel handed over 270 bodies of Palestinians it had killed since the war began in October 2023, Gaza health authorities said. Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in their cross-border attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in the Gaza Strip killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, health officials in the enclave say. Earlier on Tuesday, Gaza health authorities said Israeli fire killed a man in Jabalia in northern Gaza.