Your Friday lunchtime catch-up

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

TOP STORIES

The mother of a boy with autism is chaining herself to the gates of the Department of Education offices  in Athlone  in a bid to highlight her campaign to have her son educated in a specialised setting close to home.

A man who was caught cycling the wrong way down a city centre street  with a stolen phone box under his jacket has been jailed for three years.

Government efforts to fix rents amid escalating rates in Dublin  and elsewhere have been declared “unconstitutional” and an “attack on the property rights” of landlords, TDs and senators have been told.

Gardaí have urged people to contact them immediately after claims that children set dogs on a kitten  and tore it to pieces.

WORLD

Two Libyans have been identified as suspects in the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing  , Scottish prosecutors have confirmed.

Left-wing prime minister Alexis Tsipras today faces his first test in the Greek parliament since a bailout rebellion  split his party and triggered a snap general election last month.