Northern Ireland

A 35-year-old man has been remanded in custody charged with storing explosives and detonators in west Belfast. Wesley Thomas Fletcher is also accused of having a consignment of Taser stun guns. Police seized the devices during searches at properties on the Shankill Road and Edwina Street over the weekend. A …

Speaking at Stormont on Monday, SDLP leader Claire Hanna said there was “more to life than DUP soap operas”. She added: “I think most people are frustrated by weeks and weeks of turning over again and again what Carla or what Jonny said or did next, while confidence is ebbing …

A teenage boy fell into a bonfire after being punched and knocked unconscious in County Tyrone at the weekend. The 17-year-old was attending the bonfire in the Bradley Way area of Strabane on Saturday when he was attacked at around 22:35 GMT. The police have commended a woman who “bravely” …

A woman who was arrested after a crash in which a child sustaining critically injuries has been released on bail. It is understood that the injured child is still in a critical condition in hospital. The collision, involving two cars, one of which was towing a caravan, happened on the …

Two men have been charged after police were attacked in the Holylands in Belfast on Halloween night It happened in Agincourt Avenue about 19:40 BST on Saturday, during which a police vehicle was repeatedly kicked and glass bottles were thrown towards officers. A 19-year-old man has been charged with three …

Like thousands of women in Northern Ireland, Colleen Crothers waited decades for medical help to treat chronic endometriosis – and, now thanks to an all-island first, she’s hoping her long road will be a thing of the past. “Robotic surgery came too late for me,” she said. “I hope other …

Democratic Unionist Party MLA Cheryl Brownlee said the rise in attacks on halls was worrying and unacceptable. “If you cannot have your traditions and your culture respected without being petrol bombed, graffitied, attacked, what sort of society do we have?” she asked. Brownlee, who is an Orangewoman, said there needed …

The stars never aligned for her at the Olympic Games. She ran in two – Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 – but was never at her best and even when she was two years ago, a last-minute injury stopped her competing in Paris. She was all set to try again …

Athletics Ireland said it was “deeply saddened” by the death of a “much-loved and inspirational figure”. “Her courage, warmth and spirit will leave a lasting legacy,” the organisation said. World Athletics described the two-time Olympian as “an inspiration to many, on and off the track”, highlighting her historic European gold …

A child is in a critical condition following a road collision near Markethill, County Armagh, on Saturday. The collision, involving two cars, one of which was towing a caravan, happened on the Cusher Road at about 13:20 GMT. Three children were taken to hospital for treatment. Two of the children …

European champion and two-time Olympian Ciara Mageean has died at the age of 34. Mageean, from Portaferry in Northern Ireland, revealed in July last year that she had been diagnosed with cancer. A statement on her social media said: “At 6.30am this morning, Ciara lost her battle with cancer surrounded …

Prof Tom Hulme is a cultural historian of modern Ireland and Britain at Queen’s University Belfast. He said that the history of same sex convictions in Northern Ireland is “quite a complex one” as Victorian laws were used against gay and bisexual men prior to decriminalisation. After the repeal in …

As a child growing up in Slovenia in 1999, Dr Rok Nežič couldn’t have known that an asteroid that was discovered in New Mexico that year would be named after him almost three decades later. The Orchard County may be best known for its apples, but for Nežič the real …

For Stanley, he had spent more than two decades playing rugby, but needed a change. “I got to 40 with a lot of injuries. A lot of broken bones. I thought, right, I need something low impact,” he said. The 47-year-old always had a passive interest in the sport of …

Fireworks were deliberately directed at fire crews during six separate incidents on Halloween night as they responded to dozens of callouts across Northern Ireland. The fire service responded to 89 incidents, several of which were Halloween-related with 23 of them involving bonfires, between 18:00 GMT on Saturday and 01:00 on …

Broughshane Environment Wildfowl and Wildlife Trust’s chairman, Gary Hayward, said they incident had been a “nightmare”. “We are devastated,” he told BBC News NI. “One of our volunteers appeared on the Thursday morning to feed [the birds], and walked down through the park and smelt this kerosene smell and saw …

Broughshane Environment Wildfowl and Wildlife Trust’s chairman, Gary Hayward, said they incident had been a “nightmare”. “We are devastated,” he told BBC News NI. “One of our volunteers appeared on the Thursday morning to feed [the birds], and walked down through the park and smelt this kerosene smell and saw …

According to Greer, the university had a deficit of about £12.5m in the last financial year. While the university hoped to reduce that, he said that a combination of cuts in funding from Stormont and a fall in student fee income meant the university had to “control costs”. There have …

A man has been charged with explosives offences after police seized suspicious items during searches in west Belfast. The searches were carried out at properties on the Shankill Road and Edwina Street on Friday and Saturday. The suspect, who is 35, is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on …

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said they were aware of the incident and are working with the PSNI and relevant partners. “It is just awful for this to be done in a public park and a lot of people are horrified,” Gibbons said. “I’m just completely shocked by it.” …