Publication
A toe in the water... Olympic swimming legend Adlington on her new NI kids’ pool
Double Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington at her new children’s pool in Newtownabbey, which has received over 1,000 sign-ups before it has even opened.
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DUP rocked as Lockhart resigns as a party officer
DUP MP Carla Lockhart last night quit her position as a party officer. The Upper Bann politician has been on a collision course with party leader Gavin Robinson (below) over Drumcree. Ms Lockhart’s move could spark a chain of events leading to her...
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Donaldson investigated over alleged rape at Westminster
Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson is under investigation for another rape, allegedly carried out in his Westminster offices. The Metropolitan Police yesterday confirmed for the first time they are investigating the convicted paedophile about an...
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Sinn Féin MP Hazzard eyes shock switch to Stormont
A Sinn Féin MP is planning a high-stakes bid to move from Westminster to Stormont and become Strangford’s first nationalist MLA. The party’s South Down MP Chris Hazzard will launch his campaign for next year’s Assembly election tonight. Sinn Féin...
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£67m of public cash could help land new Ryanair hub for NI
Northern Ireland’s official bid to be home to a new Ryanair hub will come with a £67m subsidy from the public pocket, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal. There is stiff competition to host one of the low-cost airline’s £400m engine maintenance, repair...
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‘What other intel about the Omagh bombing is Dublin not telling us?’
Revelations at the Omagh bomb inquiry that a potentially significant warning was received by the Irish army hours before the atrocity have come “as a surprise” to the former detective who led the investigation. Former Chief Superintendent Norman...
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Met to quiz Donaldson over further sex crime allegation
Jeffrey Donaldson is set to be questioned by detectives from the Metropolitan Police over an alleged sexual assault at Westminster. The former DUP leader, who was sentenced this week for a series of child sex offences, faces an accusation he sexually...
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Free in just 7 years
Convicted child sex abuser Jeffrey Donaldson will walk free from prison in just over seven years. The EX-DUP leader was handed 15 years for abusing two women when they were children. But because the crimes were committed before the law changed in...
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NI airport staff used internal system to secure deals for friends and family
A company whose employees changed flight details so family and friends could fly cheaper from Belfast International Airport has claimed it took “all appropriate action” following an investigation. Swissport provides airport ground services and air...
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‘We need to know how our mother could end up assaulted in a care home’
A north Belfast family are calling on a care home to take responsibility after their mother with dementia was allegedly assaulted in her own room. A doctor stated the incident in Bradley Manor Care Home was a “significant contributing factor” to...
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Insults fly in Assembly as motion against O’neill fails
First Minister Michelle O’neill easily survived a vote of no confidence at Stormont last night, telling unionist MLAS “they have never accepted that things have changed”. In a tetchy debate, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston brought motions to remove Ms O’neill...
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Don’t engage with PSNI, the Orange Order in Belfast tells its members
Orangemen in Belfast have been ordered not to cooperate with police any longer, after the Secretary of State stepped in to ban the Drumcree parade. A legal challenge to Sir Chris Bryant’s intervention will be heard at the High Court today, after the...
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Drumcree parade is banned by Bryant
The Secretary of State’s decision to ban an Orange Order march along Portadown’s Garvaghy Road has left the framework for both parading and protests “in tatters”, DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said. Sir Chris Bryant last night overturned an earlier...
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Sinn Féin politicians contacted by police over role at Garvaghy
Several Sinn Féin politicians and party members have received letters from the police following protests against an Orange march on the Garvaghy Road, the party confirmed last night. People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll was also contacted by the...
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Crackdown on ‘spoofing’ sees PSNI staff facing probe into working from home abuse
Twenty PSNI officers and police staff are under investigation after an internal probe found they could have been ‘spoofing’ activity on their laptops while working from home. Operation Akarpos was carried out by the police anti-corruption unit (ACU)...
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‘Let’s get this A5 road built, and let’s save people’s lives’
Construction of the £1.7bn A5 dual carriageway should start as soon as possible after the Court of Appeal quashed a ruling blocking the road upgrade, the Infrastructure Minister has said. “The priority is now to get on with it, get it built and let’s...
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I’m First Minister for what is right, vows defiant O’neill
Michelle O’neill has vowed that she is the “First Minister for what is right” as MLAS finally got the chance to question her about taking part in an unlawful protest on the Garvaghy Road. The DUP’S Phillip Brett yesterday asked Ms O’neill (right) if...
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NI ‘is at a crossroads’ as residents return to court
THE Garvaghy Road residents return to the courts today in a fresh bid to halt a Parades Commission ruling to permit an Orange Order march in Portadown. A major policing operation was put in place over the weekend after both sides in the Drumcree...
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Order looks to ‘next step’ as it urges followers to remain calm
The Orange Order district at the centre of the Drumcree parading dispute has urged its supporters to remain peaceful as the impasse enters a second weekend — adding that it is “considering its next steps”. Ahead of the weekend, PSNI Assistant Chief...
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Bertie Ahern prepared to mediate in Drumcree dispute
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has emerged as a possible mediator tasked with breaking the Drumcree impasse. As the standoff between the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road residents continues, the UK and Irish governments are looking for a figure...
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No parade, no deal... Order unmoved by NIO proposal
Breandán Mac Cionnaith told Garvaghy Road residents last night that “we thought all our Christmasses had come at once” when he saw a proposal from the Secretary of State for ending the Portadown parades dispute. However the proposal was quickly...
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Orange parade at Garvaghy still on cards after talks stall
The Drumcree deadlock remained unbroken yesterday, with the Garvaghy Road residents now claiming mediation is “dead in the water” and they would return to court. The Secretary of State held meetings with both sides in the Portadown parading stand-off...
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Last-ditch bid to negotiate end to Drumcree impasse
As the standoff enters a third day, lastditch attempts are under way to reach a negotiated settlement to the Portadown parading dispute. Secretary of State Chris Bryant held separate talks with the Orange Order and Garvaghy Road residents yesterday....
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Standoff
There was no sign of the deadlock over an Orange Order parade down the Garvaghy Road ending late last night. Despite securing permission to walk the road for the first time in almost three decades, the 35 participants from Portadown District were...
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Last-ditch legal bid to ban Orange parade at Drumcree
A last-ditch legal challenge will take place today to try and block the first Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road for almost 30 years. The Parades Commission said tomorrow’s march could go ahead on the mainly-nationalist road in Portadown....
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Killer brother mocks justice minister from his prison cell
A convicted murderer whose brother went on the run after being allowed to attend their father’s funeral has filmed himself in jail mocking Justice Minister Naomi Long. Sean Anderson posted a video on Tiktok of himself in Magilligan Prison watching...
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Relief as NI killer caught in Donegal caravan nine days after going on run
This is the caravan in which convicted murderer Gary Anderson was caught hiding yesterday — nine days after going on the run. The 29-year-old killer was found at Lough Swilly Marina in the village of Fahan, Co Donegal, just outside Buncrana, shortly...
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First legacy report led to a ‘sacred moment’ for dying son of IRA victim
The controversial legacy commission has published its first report on a Troubles-era murder — leading to a “sacred and transformative” moment for the victim’s dying son, his family have revealed. Father-of-five Rory O’kelly (right) was shot dead by a...
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Mcnulty is staying put after SDLP leadership offers Upper Bann move
Justin Mcnulty has rejected an offer from the SDLP leadership to run in Upper Bann in next year’s Assembly election — and abandon his Newry and Armagh constituency. Sources said it would have been “absolute madness” for the MLA (right) to quit a safe...
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Victim’s brother says nothing learnt as another killer on run
The family of a murdered woman whose killer went missing while on temporary release has said the system is failing victims. Nichola Dickson’s brother spoke out as a PSNI manhunt continued yesterday for another on-the-run murderer. Gary Anderson,...
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‘I’m proof that you can recover from abuse and have a great life’
Olympian Abi Lyle has spoken of how she feels like “the luckiest girl in the world” to have escaped sadistic killer Jonathan Creswell (right) — and to thrive on the other side. Abi has used her platform to become a beacon of hope to women trying to...
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Lavery sues Law society over alleged breach of privacy as gagging order is dismissed
The High Cour t has discharged a super-injunction granted to Law Society Chief Executive David Lavery which prevented the Belfast Telegraph from reporting on a legal action he is taking against his own employer over alleged breach of privacy. Mr...
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Victim’s warning after her Tinder stalker nightmare
A young woman whose Tinder match became her stalker has said women should not be left to identify “dangerous men” and warn each other about them on dating apps. Jodie Morrow was just 19 and had recently moved to Belfast when she met Ezra Garfield,...
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‘Noah was failed... he should still be here with me’
The mother of Noah Donohoe said he was “failed” after the inquest into his death found the Department for Infrastructure “erred” in its management of the culvert in which the teenager died. The body of the 14-year-old (right) was discovered in north...
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‘Multiple failings’ in RUC’S probe into Hamill murder
A public inquiry into the sectarian murder of Robert Hamill in 1997 has found police officers who witnessed the attack as they sat in a vehicle near the scene did not collude with the killers. The report, however, outlined multiple police failings in...
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Trump doubles down on united Ireland remarks
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his support for a united Ireland, claiming it is “one of the naturals of all time”. It came as a DUP MP who publicly endorsed Mr Trump said his remarks were meaningless. Sammy Wilson said anyone who...
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Encrochat pair jailed over plot to smuggle drugs to NI
Two men who conspired to smuggle kilos of cocaine and other drugs into Northern Ireland using the Encrochat network each face years behind bars after a successful sting by UK and French authorities. Coleraine man Mark Dunford (51) and 43-year-old...
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Mum who filmed teenage son as he rioted avoids jail
A Belfast mother of six who filmed her teenage son rioting has avoided jail. Michelle Greer’s 12-month sentence for cruelty to a child was suspended for three years. Belfast Crown Court heard that in July 2024 rioting broke out in the Broadway...
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‘It could be illegal for parents to stop kids watching Tate video’
The Alliance Party’s Conversion Practices Bill could criminalise parents who stop their children watching Andrew Tate, a barrister has claimed. Alliance deputy leader Eoin Tennyson, who introduced the bill which makes providing conversion therapy an...
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John George’s mother set to sue mum of murder accused
The mother of a murdered Belfast man is suing his alleged killer’s mum, accusing her of causing “severe emotional distress, psychiatric injury, anxiety, grief-related trauma and mental suffering”. Sharon George’s son John was murdered in Alicante,...
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‘I never saw myself as someone who could be mentally ill’
Gary Middleton has opened up for the first time about the mental health battle that forced him to leave Stormont and forge a new life beyond politics. The former DUP man, who served as MLA for Foyle before stepping down earlier this year, said years...
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Orangemen could meet residents in bid to solve deadlock at Drumcree
Talks between the Orange Order and Garvaghy Road residents over the decades-long Drumcree dispute could go ahead for the first time. The Parades Commission has agreed to appoint an independent chair to facilitate mediation aimed at breaking the near...
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Orange Order ramps up pressure on parades body
The Orange Order is set to announce today that it is making a fresh application to march down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, in a move designed to put pressure on the Parades Commission. It is expected to set the date for September 27, the eve of...
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BBC NI employees’ sickness rates are the highest in UK
BBC Northern Ireland staff missed more than 3,500 days because of sickness — the highest rate in the corporation across the UK. The average employee was absent for over 10 days, which is more than counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales. Across...
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‘Drumcree publicity stunt will be disaster for parades across NI’
Re-opening the Drumcree dispute could be disastrous for parades, a leading loyalist bandsman has warned. Former Londonderry Bands Forum chairman Derek Moore said he believed unionist politicians were using the issue as “a publicity stunt” which...
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Lodges may refuse to notify Parades Commission about marches if members don’t quit
Orangemen and bands may quit notifying the Parades Commission about marches if members of the body don’t resign, it’s been warned. The move is being considered as part of plans to oust the current Parades Commission after a judge quashed its...
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NIO let child abuser evade justice – and joked about his crimes
Former Secretary of State Sir Patrick Mayhew personally vetoed a self-confessed paedophile being brought to justice — and an NIO official then joked about the abuser, it can be revealed. A declassified file discovered by the Belfast Telegraph shows...
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Parades commissioner quits in wake of Drumcree ruling
The head of the Parades Commission was coming under increasing pressure last night after a member of the body quit just hours after the chair said they would see out their term. In Belfast yesterday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that “confidence...
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Public confidence in Parades Commission damaged: Bryant
The Secretary of State has given the Parades Commission until tomorrow to provide “written assurances” over how it makes decisions after the body was criticised by a High Court judge. Sir Chris Bryant said trust “has been damaged and needs to be...
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Orange Order hoping to complete Drumcree parade after 29 years
Orangemen are hopeful that a High Court ruling quashing a Parades Commission decision to bar them from part of a flashpoint Portadown route will pave the way for their first march down the Garvaghy Road in almost three decades. The parade was at the...
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Ex-council chief asked PA to delete email sent to Foster, court hears
A former council chief in Ballymena asked her personal assistant to delete an email she sent to then first minister Arlene Foster about supposed loyalist threats to port workers enforcing the Irish Sea border, a court has heard. Mid and East Antrim...
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DUP man ‘prepared to take up weapons’ against NI peace deal
A DUP member of the body that preceded the Assembly set out his explicit support for violence just weeks before the Good Friday Agreement was signed, a declassified file has revealed. The NI Forum member told an NIO official in February 1998 that...
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‘Muddy’ links between cops and terror gangs revealed in riot report
An Executive Office-sponsored report into last year’s Ballymena riots has highlighted the “muddy relationship between police and paramilitaries”. The report from the Ending the Harm campaign examines the causes, context and formation of the disorder,...
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‘Mum cried every night over my sister’s unsolved murder’
Murdered Marian Beattie’s mother “cried herself to sleep every night” without ever seeing her daughter’s killer brought to justice, the teenager’s brother has said. Marian was 18 when she was killed on March 31, 1973. No one has ever been charged with...
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Butler is the frontrunner as UUP seek to replace Nesbitt
Lagan Valley MLA Robbie Butler is the frontrunner to become the new health minister today, sources have indicated. Ulster Unionist leader John Burrows said he would name Mike Nesbitt’s ministerial successor today, following his shock resignation on...
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Nesbitt resigns as health minister after clashing with Burrows over hospital plan
Mike Nesbitt has dramatically quit as health minister — with a dig at UUP leader Jon Burrows. He resigned following a clash with Mr Burrows over retaining emergency general surgery (EGS) at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. The Northern Trust had...
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DUP MP Shannon charged with assaulting a woman
DUP MP Jim Shannon is to appear in court in two weeks charged with assaulting a woman. The Strangford politician faces a single charge of common assault alleged to have happened on October 1, 2023. It is understood the woman is known to Mr...
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Stormont spends nearly £30k on media training for staff
Stormont departments have racked up a bill of almost £30,000 on media training for staff in recent years, it can be revealed. The total between 2021 and 2025 came out at £28,421. Topping the table is the Executive Office, headed by First Minister...
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QUB takes down AI image used for autism course ad
Queen’s University has withdrawn an Ai-generated image used to advertise one of its autism courses after admitting it was “mistakenly published”. The image, which depicted two people, appeared in an Instagram advert. A stock picture of a family of...
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Motorbike stolen from hit-and-run scene as police ‘fail to respond’
A motorbike involved in a hit-and-run was stolen from the scene in north Belfast by a masked man after reports that police had been pulled out of the area. The crash between a car and the motorbike happened in Ardoyne shortly before midnight on...
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Fears for Translink future as it faces £47m black hole
There are fears for Translink’s future as a “going concern” after documents showed the public transport operator is facing a £46.6m loss for 2026/27. The bus and train operator’s dire financial situation prompted board meeting discussions over...
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Death driver is targeted in gun attack after brawl
A gun attack at the Lisburn home of a man awaiting sentencing for a fatal hit-and-run has been linked to a brawl in Belfast. Shots were fired through the windows of Martin Olali junior’s home in the Breton Court area shortly before 1.30am on Tuesday....
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Online trolls caused me to have a stroke: DUP founder
DUP founding member Wallace Thompson has blamed merciless online trolls for a debilitating stroke that has led to weakness on his left side. The Ballymoney-born evangelist who was once one of the late Ian Paisley’s most devoted followers said his...
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Call for permanent car-free zone after success of Fleadh
The massive success of this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na héireann has shown how Belfast’s city centre can work well as a carfree zone, it’s been claimed. The Alliance Party has written to the city council, Stormont departments and Translink, urging them to...
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Over 100 £1m homes put up for sale in just six months
The number of luxury homes on the market and priced at £1m or above in Northern Ireland is on the rise. Estate agents say there is a willingness to fork out big money for the best homes. According to new data from website Proper typal, there were 110...
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Children aged five taken to A&E in mental health crisis
Children as young as five have attended hospital emergency departments for mental health issues. New data shows the extent of the crisis in Northern Ireland, with more than 40 cases of children aged nine and under being brought to A&E in 2025. One...
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Man accused of stabbing murder bid ‘could kill behind bars’ jail staff fear
A man accused of a brutal knife attack could kill someone if he is not moved to a secure mental health facility, staff at Maghaberry Prison fear. Hadi Alodid is being held on remand at the prison, charged with attempted murder following a violent...
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I’ll stand for SDLP if I return to politics, says woman who quit UUP
A former Ulster Unionist councillor who quit the party has expressed an interest in joining the SDLP — and running as a future party election candidate. Linzi Mclaren (right) left the UUP last November citing a series of failures on issues such as the...
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Neo-Nazi thug is disowned by anti-immigration group
A self-styled neo-nazi has been booted out of an anti-immigration group led by a convicted loyalist rioter. Our Northern Ireland Voice (ONIV), which has hosted anti-immigration protests in Coleraine and Portrush in recent months, has cut its ties with...
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Warning as record number of drivers caught speeding
More people are being caught speeding than ever before in Northern Ireland, amid one of the worst periods for fatal road crashes. Police are catching an average of 240 speeding motorists every day, new data shows. The news follows a plea from the PSNI...
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‘We went to England and confronted the MI5 tout who set up our loved ones to be murdered’
Two south Armagh families have confronted the informer they believe set up their loved ones for murder. They travelled to the south of England to meet the man they say was recruited by Captain Robert Nairac. The informer fled Northern Ireland shortly...
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Murder trial over US road crash that killed NI student
A man is to face a murder charge in the United States over a horror road crash that killed four students, including a Northern Ireland-born woman. Asha Weir (21) died after a car struck her and fellow students Deslyn Williams (21), Niamh Rolston (20)...
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EX-PSNI man quits as chief constable hours before hearing on misconduct
A former senior PSNI officer has dramatically resigned as chief constable of an English police force just hours before a hearing in which he faced allegations of serious misconduct. Chris Noble (right) made the decision on the eve of a public...
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‘At 19, I was advised by health care professionals to get pregnant in order to alleviate the symptoms...’
A west Belfast woman who was told her debilitating symptoms of endometriosis were just an excuse to get time off school has opened her own clinic to support others suffering from the condition. Clíodhna Hughes (27) suffered for 10 years before she got...
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