1. Religion may slip from primary school core curriculum
Religious education will no longer feature as part of the State's core curriculum at primary school under new proposals being considered by policy-makers.
Instead, schools will have the freedom to decide how much time they wish to spend on teaching religion as part of "flexible time". At present, schools typically spend up to two and a half hours a week on religion.
Under proposals to be formally launched next month, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment says a minimum of 60 per cent of the school day could be set aside for teaching the core curriculum, such as English, Irish and maths. Up to 40 per cent of the rest of the school day would be designated as "flexible time" for roll call, assembly, breaks, discretionary curriculum time and the patron's programme.
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2. State to seek automatic EU entry for NI in event of unification
The Government is to push for a commitment that Northern Ireland will be given speedy admittance to the European Union in the event of Irish unity.
Sources have said the talks on Britain's departure from the EU, due to begin by the end of March, must take account of the prospect of a future Border poll.
A referendum on Irish unity is allowed for in the Belfast Agreement but only if certain conditions are met.
The example being cited, and the argument that will be deployed by the Government, is that of East Germany becoming an automatic member of the then European Community on the day of German reunification in October 1990.
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3. HSE faces further unrest as support staff ballot on strikes
The likelihood of serious industrial unrest in the health service is set to increase further with an announcement on Wednesday that 30,000 support staff are to ballot on strike action.
Siptu plans to ballot healthcare assistants, radiographers, home helps and other grades on a variety of pay issues next month. The HSE is already facing the threat of industrial action by tens of thousands of doctors and nurses in the new year.
The union is seeking access for up to 12,000 home helps and healthcare assistants to an evaluation scheme and believes the outcome of this process will result in many staff being paid more.
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[ 4. Japanese PM offers ‘everlasting condolences’ to Opens in new window ]
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe made a symbolic visit to Pearl Harbor with president Barack Obama on Tuesday, commemorating the victims of Japan's second World War attack and promising that his country would never wage war again.
"I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Mr Abe said.
"We must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of Japan, have taken."
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5. HSE pays €53m to 100 GP practices, co-operatives
The State's 100 top-earning GP practices and co-operatives shared gross payments of more than €53 million from the HSE in 2015.
Twenty GP practices and co-operatives received payments of more than €500,000 from the Health Service Executive (HSE) last year for their participation in the medical card and other State primary healthcare schemes.
Five GP co-operatives topped the list of highest earners. Four received payments of more than €1 million from the HSE last year.
Excluding co-operatives, the highest-earning individually-named GP was Dr Andrew Jordan, whose two practices in Dublin were paid €827,474 in fees and supports by the HSE.
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And finally: Donald Clarke writes that there is a touch of Hollywood macabre to death of Hollywood actor Carrie Fisher.