Northern Ireland

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.” …

An investigation is underway after gardaí (Irish police) were threatened with what is believed to be a “realistic imitation firearm” in Dublin on Saturday. Gardaí had been attempting to arrest a man when a struggle broke out which also resulted in a garda being assaulted. Commissioner Justin Kelly said the …

Sir Keir Starmer has said Europe should build a common security framework, warning the change in its defence relationship with the US is permanent rather than “an aberration of the Trump presidency”. The former prime minister was speaking at a British Irish Chamber of Commerce (BICC) dinner in Dublin, external …

A security alert in Dervock has ended after a suspicious object left on a windowsill was deemed non-viable and a controlled explosion was carried out. The device, found in Greystone Crescent, was reported to police at about 17:00 GMT on Friday. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Inspector Hamilton said …

It added that if the interconnector does not return to full capacity this winter, the risk to the system increases, but remains within acceptable safety thresholds set by the Department for the Economy. SONI Director of Operations, Emma Morris, said this year’s assessment shows that, under normal operating conditions, “we …

A Lisburn-based engineering firm is creating 100 jobs as part of a £20m investment. It is the first stage of a planned expansion since Camlin was taken over by Siemens Energy earlier this year. Chief Executive Peter Cunningham said the move was “a powerful statement of confidence in Northern Ireland, …

Like a lot of other holidays, food often plays a big part in how people celebrate Halloween, but it can be a more complex to navigate if you have a food allergy – especially if you want to go to parties or take children trick or treating. How do people …