Up to 89% of parents of primary school children are concerned that heavy school bags could be injuring their children’s backs, according to the National Parents Council (Primary).

Cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad has died following a crash in the men's C4/C5 road race at the Rio Paralympics, Iran's national Paralympic committee has announced.

Home Free lets you walk a mile in a dog’s paws; you are a dog lost in an unfamiliar city, trying to survive and find your way home.

Attempts by Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan to try and restart talks on junior cycle reform have received a tentative welcome from teacher unions.

A parents group is calling for more talks, as secondary school teachers prepare go on strike.

The protection of children from bullying — in and out of school — may be helped by another 100 training sessions for parents.

China’s parliament said it will tightly control the nomination of candidates for a landmark election in Hong Kong in 2017, a move likely to trigger mass protests in the city’s Central business district by disappointed democracy activists.

Students and parents should stay calm and remember there are a range of options if Leaving Certificate results next week do not match their expectations, guidance counsellors have advised.

Parents are being asked for their views on children's security and safety on the internet.

Parents are being asked to give their views on internet security and safety for children ahead of Government plans to establish an internet content watchdog.

Parents are being pressured into giving schools hundreds of euro in “voluntary” contributions because the Government is failing to give the facilities the money they need to survive.

The possibility of talks between Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and secondary school teachers has been opened but parents still face disruption from ongoing industrial action next week.

Parents dissatisfied with how teachers are treating their children face a brick wall as legislation granting them a grievance process still has not been enacted 15 years after it was first draw up.

“Creative solutions will have to be found” if school enrolment fees are to be outlawed, school management bodies have warned.

Take That star Robbie Williams was today asked to apologise after “degrading” comments in which he joked about punching pensioners.

If Michael Bent’s abilities as a player are half as impressive as his back story then Ireland’s lack of depth at the troublesome tighthead prop position will have eased dramatically with the Kiwi’s arrival.

While the Leaving Certificate results can seem like the be all and end all, in reality there are so many other options for your future, according to mental health promoter HeadsUp.

As more than 55,000 Leaving Cert students prepare to celebrate tonight, several organisations have called for greater vigilance in the sale of alcohol to young people.

Churches have serious concerns about the religious identity of their schools as a result of moves to make them more inclusive, a Catholic schools leader said.

THOSE who entered the residential buy-to-let market, particularly at the latter end of the boom, are now experiencing a triple onslaught of a significant reduction in rental income, a raft of new Central Government taxation and a disturbing average capital equity loss of €150,000 to €200,000 on each purchase.

Munster may have Wayne Smith to thank if their new head coach Rob Penney turns out to be a success with the two-time Heineken Cup winners.

Did parents know what their kids were planning when they let them travel to RTÉ to support Jedward at the Eurosong finals?

RESPONDING to Pamela O’Leary (Letters, Jan 7), she urges parents to speak up before it is too late and Minister Quinn has his way and removes the compulsory allocation of guidance counsellors in schools and colleges around the country.

THINK again if you were going to buy your teenage child, niece, nephew or godchild a good book for Christmas because the chances are they won’t really mean it when — or if — they say “thank you”.

Leinster have signed New Zealand Maori prop Clint Newlands on a short-term deal until February.

INJURIES almost led to Kevin McLaughlin’s premature retirement last summer and the Leinster flanker’s excellent start to the season isn’t the only reason he is thankful.

New Zealander David Holwell has made a sensational return to Leinster on a short-term contract.

A ROW erupted yesterday between Fine Gael and two of the country’s biggest book publishers over the “short shelf-life” of school books.

INTERNET service providers are virtually powerless to prevent cyber-bullying, with social networking sites fast becoming a popular vehicle for targeting vulnerable young people.

Former Ireland international Kurt McQuilkin has extended his contract as Leinster defence coach for two years.

PAUL O’CONNELL, Alan Quinlan, Tony Buckley and Peter Stringer return to strengthen Munster’s Magners League challenge this weekend, but the search for Ronan O’Gara’s back-up seems set to continue after Jeremy Manning’s announcement that he is to return to New Zealand at the end of the season.

Former New Zealand School out-half Jeremy Manning will home to take up a National Provincial Chamnpionship contract with North Harbour.

DEIRDRE SULLIVAN has worked for the National Parent Council Primary section for the past nine years.

A €2 million productivity centre, which is a collaboration between the Irish Management Institute and Microsoft was opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday.

THE Advertising Standards Authority will decide today whether to take any action on a Ryanair newspaper advert featuring a scantily clad “schoolgirl”.

THE Bank Holiday weekend kicked off, literally, yesterday as the largest Sevens tournament in the northern hemisphere got underway.

THE organisers of the Northern hemisphere’s largest rugby sevens’ tournament are hoping to raise up to €10,000 from this year’s event for the Kinsale Trawler Tragedy Fund.

MUNSTER’S Christian Cullen is set to announce his retirement from all levels of rugby.

THE 1960s was the first time this country enjoyed prosperity since the foundation of the State, but that decade was marred by a series of strikes.

After an encouraging first season with Ulster, Isaac Boss could be about to top it all off by making his Ireland debut against the country of his birth.

ULSTER RUGBY announced yesterday that Andrew Trimble has agreed a new three-year contract with the club which will keep him at Ravenhill until June 2009.

A SCHOOLS’ programme to help children identify suspicious behaviour and protect them from abuse could be made compulsory in all schools, Education Minister Mary Hanafin has said.

Premier Wen Jiabao opened the annual session of China’s figurehead parliament today with promises of massive new social spending to placate the poor, restive countryside and said the sizzling economy will slow this year but should still grow by 8%.

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has warned his players Australia will arrive at Lansdowne Road confident they can halt their desperate slump in form.