Northern Ireland

Amy, 17, who is a pupil at Harberton, gave a speech in front of an audience who had come to find out about #hearMe Out. “Young people with disabilities face challenges others may never see,” she said. “Challenges around being misunderstood, feeling excluded, facing assumptions, even not feeling heard.” For …

Coulter was sentenced on Thursday at Belfast Crown Court to three concurrent nine-month prison terms, one for each offence. The court heard his illegal waste collection service was advertised on social media under the names A1 Recycling Ltd and Bin It Ltd. Coulter admitted operating an unlicensed waste collection business …

The coroner at the Noah Donohoe inquest has told the jury they must exclude several theories from their verdict. The inquest has been examining 14-year-old Noah’s disappearance and death in north Belfast just over six years ago on 21 June 2020. The schoolboy was naked at the time. During a …

A man charged with the murder of a woman in County Galway in the Republic of Ireland has been found dead in his prison cell. The body of 35-year-old Ali Sohrabi was discovered on Thursday morning, Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports. Foul play is not suspected. He had been remanded in …

Baroness Sue Gray, former chief of staff to Sir Keir Starmer and one-time civil servant in Northern Ireland, has said she “fears for Stormont”. She said people in Northern Ireland “deserve action and decisions”, which she accused of being too slow at times, due to bureaucracy within the power-sharing institutions. …

Ryanair has changed its family seating policy to allow parents to sit with their young children without paying a seat reservation fee, after an investigation was opened. Adults travelling with children who do not wish to pay for a reserved seat will now be told of their free seat allocation …

In a city renowned for its shirt making past, its seems strangely fitting that the sound of sewing has returned to the home of Derry City. But the colossal sewing machine at work over recent months has not been crafting collars or cuffs – instead it’s been stitching together a …

A school and a charity have developed a scheme An Droichead – The Bridge – to span the gap between school and employment. BBC News

Temperatures in Northern Ireland are expected to climb close to the all-time record on Thursday. That currently stands at 31.3C and was set in Castlederg in County Tyrone in July 2021, with similar temperatures expected on Thursday in western areas. Cooler and more manageable conditions are expected towards coasts with …

Speaking recently on Sky Sports Toe2Toe podcast, McKenna reflected on the unlikely friendship. The 26-year-old now finds himself preparing for a much bigger moment. When Lamar was watching ringside, McKenna was a teenager with only a handful of professional fights behind him. In August he will challenge Italian fighter Etinosa …

At night, the visiting tall ships will be transformed by an array of lights to create Sails of Solace. Created by Visual Spectrum, the display will illuminate the ships in homage to the days when Derry’s docks were home to a busy fleet of working vessels. Throughout the festival, the …

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is an independent body that investigates complaints about the conduct of police officers and the actions of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). It can examine allegations of misconduct, criminal behaviour, or failures in policing to help ensure the police are held accountable. …

A Belsonic gig turned into a life-changing moment when a young fan was invited on stage by Zach Bryan to perform in front of 45,000 people. With golden circle tickets bought back in November and a handmade sign ready, 16-year-old Paul had one goal – to join the American singer …

A new Lidl supermarket in Londonderry has been given the green light following a planning process that has lasted more than five years. The proposed store near Crescent Link retail park was first submitted back in 2021 and approved by Derry City and Strabane District Council in January, but the …

The coroner at the Noah Donohoe inquest is due to begin his charge to the jury on Thursday. Noah disappeared just over six years ago on 21 June 2020 and was found dead days later. Mr Justice Rooney will address the eight men and two women on the jury before …

In April, UU announced it needed to make savings of about £25m and would be making up to 450 staff redundant. While the university said it hopes to achieve this through a voluntary scheme, it has outlined the number of jobs that could be at risk at each of its …

Last year Belfast Pride decided to exclude Stormont executive parties from their summer parade for supporting a ban on puberty blockers for under 18s. Puberty blockers are drugs used to delay or prevent puberty happening and have sometimes been prescribed to children questioning their gender. The move led to a …

Christine Smith KC said that O’Brien was a skilled surgeon “who did not set out to cause harm”, but the trust “failed to recognise that he was a doctor in difficulty and failed to manage him appropriately”. The report said concerns about O’Brien’s practice were known for many years before …

Stormont has committed £16m to tackle persistently high levels of economic inactivity in Northern Ireland. The most recent data suggests that almost 27% of people aged 16-64 in Northern Ireland are inactive, compared to a UK average of 21%. That equates to about 317,000 people, although about 75,000 of those …

The committee also said “both drug use and drug policy can cause distinct harms” and said both should be addressed “as a matter of urgency”. “The state should address these harms through a whole-of-government approach, incorporating health, education and justice-based strategies.” The committee recommended “significantly improving funding for community-based services” …