Five things you need to know today

Cerebus tax on Project Eagle profits; ASTI to consider proposals; Plane crash in Colombia

Syrian pro-government forces amid heavy destruction in Aleppo’s Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood during their assault to retake the city from rebel fighters. Photograph: George Oourfalian/AFP/Getty Images
Syrian pro-government forces amid heavy destruction in Aleppo’s Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood during their assault to retake the city from rebel fighters. Photograph: George Oourfalian/AFP/Getty Images

1. Cerberus paid €1,900 tax on €77m Project Eagle profits
Cerberus, the US vulture fund that bought Nama's Northern Ireland loans, paid less than €1,900 tax on the €77 million profit it earned from the assets last year, newly published figures show.

The figures also show that it paid just £1,598 – just over €1,870 – to the Republic's exchequer in 2015.
That is because the company structured its business here so that it could benefit from a tax break introduced in the late 1990s to lure financial services firms to the Republic.

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2. ASTI to consider proposals aimed at ending industrial action
Secondary teachers are to consider proposals aimed at resolving an industrial dispute which caused the closure of hundreds of secondary schools earlier this month.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) suspended its industrial action earlier in November after it agreed to enter mediation talks with the Department of Education.

The discussions concluded in the early hours of Tuesday morning and members are likely to consider the proposals soon.

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3. PTSB fined €4.5m for overcharging at subprime unit
Permanent TSB has been left to pay a €4.5 million fine imposed by the Central Bank against the lender's former subprime unit for overcharging tracker mortgage customers.

The bank has also been forced by the regulator to pay 222 customers of its Springboard Mortgages unit €5.8 million in redress and compensation to date.

The penalty is the highest to be paid by a company regulated by the Central Bank. It is the first enforcement action to conclude in an industry-wide probe of issues relating to the treatment of customers on tracker mortgages.

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4. Plane carrying Brazilian club football team crashes in Colombia
A chartered aircraft with 81 on board, including a Brazilian football team heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, has crashed on its way to Medellin's international airport.

Officials from the airport reported only six survivors in a statement.

The plane had declared an emergency due to power failure before losing contact with the control tower.

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5. Major changes to primary school day proposed
Major changes to the time given to teaching subjects during the school day at primary level will be proposed in a report to be published next month.

Under the proposals, traditional subjects may be replaced by "areas of learning" during the initial years of primary schooling aimed at boosting the transition from pre-school. Traditional subjects would be introduced for children in later years in primary school.

Schools may also be required to prioritise teaching time for State-backed curriculum in later years, such as maths, Irish and English.

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And finally: What people who know about money wished they knew when they were 20
What do other people who know better wish they had done when they were younger to secure their financial future? And what might people in their 20s and 30s learn from the mistakes or mis-steps they made along the way?

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