Your Afternoon Headlines ‐ 14/11/2014

Good afternoon. Here are your headlines for the afternoon.

1. Teacher Strike

Teacher unions have confirmed that secondary school teachers are to go on strike in December over the row on the proposed Junior Cycle reforms.

Spokespersons from the Teacher’s Union of Ireland as well as the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland have confirmed  their intent to strike on the 2nd of December with another day of action planned provisionally for January.

Talks over the replacement to the Junior Certificate exam broke down on Tuesday as teachers rejected revisions from Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan on a proposed ‘internal assessment’ method. By then, the unions had already balloted their members on industrial action.

Writer ‐ Leandro Pondoc

2. Bristol-Myers Squibb

350-400 highly skilled jobs are to be created  after Bristol Myers Squibb announced it is to invest 720 million into a new plant in Dublin.

The US based pharmaceutical company will see the manufacturing of  a range of biological drugs in its new facility at Cruiserath near Blanchardstown

IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan said that when the expansion is complete it will represent a huge overall boost to Ireland’s portfolio.

Writer  Aisiling Loughlin

3. Brendan McGraw

Brendan McGraw is being laid to rest today, 36 years since he disappeared from his home in west Belfast.

McGraw was 23 years old when the IRA abducted him from his home in 1978 and became one of the Disappeared, people secretly killed and buried by the IRA. McGraw’s body was found last month in a bog in Meath.

McGraw’s wife was expecting their first born when he was abducted. He is to be laid to rest at St. Joseph’s graveyard in Glenavy.

Writer ‐ Leandro Pondoc

4. British Jihadists

Britain has outlined new plans to ban British jihadists who went abroad to fight from re-entering the country.

The plans include seizing the passports of suspects along with landing bans for airlines unwilling to comply with London’s no-fly lists. The plans were outlined as part of a Counter-Terrorism Bill by Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking from Australia in preparation for the G20 summit.

An estimated 500 Britons have gone overseas to fight in Iraq and Syria, specifically in the offensive instigated by the Islamic State.  Many of these were radicalized through extremist material on social media.

Writer ‐ Leandro Pondoc

5. Horse Rescue

Horses stranded in the middle of the River Slaney by rising floodwaters in Enniscorthy have been rescued.

The horses had been spotted there in the morning but rescue operations were unable to reach them due to heavy floodwaters after the River Slaney burst its banks. Only recently has it been confirmed that the horses are now safe and out of the river.

The operation was headed by the Wexford Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and have soon headed to another area where another group of horses are reportedly at risk.

Writer ‐ Leandro Pondoc

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