NEWS

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Newly released government figures reveal 456 cattle were involved in 56 recorded operations by DAERA’s Humane Slaughter Team — putting the controversial destruction of 51 cattle near Fivemiletown into stark new context. The figures show the June operation, now at the centre of an independent external review, was one of the largest deployments contained in the records released by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. They als

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows is pressing Justice Minister Naomi Long for answers over the release of at large prisoner Gary Anderson (centre) Police are continuing to seek convicted murderer Gary Anderson as political pressure grows for a full explanation of how he came to be temporarily released from prison despite the Prison Service having initially decided he was unsuitable for compassionate temporary release. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has de

CGI design drawing of the proposed new Ballymena Health, Leisure and Wellbeing Centre Consultancy and related expenditure disclosed across four major Mid and East Antrim Borough Council projects had reached more than £3.55 million by the end of June — including almost £1.14 million across two Ballymena projects. The figures have prompted Ulster Unionist Party Braid Councillor Alan Barr to press the council over whether delays, changes or contract extensions could result in fu

Garda whistleblowers are to speak publicly about concerns from inside the force in a major new RTÉ Investigates documentary examining whether promised reforms following decades of policing scandals have delivered meaningful change. The programme, RTÉ Investigates: The Gardaí – Full Disclosure, will be broadcast on Wednesday night and includes revelations about the security and management of firearms, including concerns that a sawn-off pump-action shotgun may have been stolen

Almost 900 complaints were made to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust during a nine-month period, as new figures reveal a sharp rise in complaints across Northern Ireland’s health service. The Northern Trust recorded 896 complaints between April and December 2025 — 17% of the 5,222 received by all six Health and Social Care Trusts, including the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Across Northern Ireland, the total was up by 1,208 — or 30% — from 4,014 during the same

Fewer than one in three cancer patients in Northern Ireland began treatment within the recommended 62 days following an urgent GP referral in the first three months of 2026, newly corrected figures have revealed. The revised Department of Health data shows just 29.6% of patients started their first definitive cancer treatment within 62 days between January and March — against the official target of at least 95%. Macmillan Cancer Support described the figures as a “worrying pi

The controversial proposal to move emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital to Antrim is set to face a tougher ministerial test after Northern Ireland’s new Health Minister pledged to challenge the evidence behind major hospital changes and warned that reform cannot simply mean centralisation. Robbie Butler has also put proposed new hospital categories on hold and announced plans for an independent expert committee to scrutinise major or controversial changes to Healt

The Northern Trust has agreed £50 million of savings and confirmed it is now working to wind down Phone First — but says much of the detail showing what its wider financial plan will mean for patients and frontline staff is still being worked through. Love Ballymena put 12 detailed questions to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust after examining its 2026/27 Savings Plan, seeking clarity on a 23% reduction in winter planning funding, a targeted 25% reduction in enhanced

Rendered image South-East view of proposed i4C complex from St Patrick’s Link, Ballymena A proposed £27 million Innovation and CleanTech Centre in Ballymena is facing questions over its long-term financial sustainability after Love Ballymena learned its business model projects a cumulative operating loss of around £1.5 million over 30 years. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is currently consulting on plans for the four-storey i4C centre at the former St Patrick’s Barracks

A PSNI officer who began a sexual relationship with a woman within 24 hours of meeting her through a criminal investigation, concealed three conflicts of interest and attempted to falsify an official statement has been dismissed without notice. Police Ombudsman Jacqui Durkin described the officer’s conduct as a “catalogue of corruption”, saying he abused his position for sexual purposes, lied, tried to involve another officer in his deception and sought to bully and intimidat

DUP Agriculture Spokesperson Carla Lockhart MP Serious whistleblowing allegations involving animal welfare, biosecurity and environmental practices at Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) should be subjected to a genuinely independent examination, a DUP MP has said. Upper Bann MP and DUP Agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart has questioned whether investigations into concerns at AFBI’s Hillsborough site can command public confidence when the organis

Inset: DAERA Minister Andrew Muir, and the scenes in a Fivemiletown field where dozens of cattle were shot by DAERA officials. Monday, August 3, 2026 An independent review will be carried out into the controversial DAERA enforcement operation near Fivemiletown that resulted in the euthanasia of dozens of cattle, after Northern Ireland’s Agriculture Minister announced the investigation will now be conducted by someone from outside his department. The decision marks a significa

Police Ombudsman figures released following internal review show that 26 serving PSNI officers and three former officers are now under investigation over allegations of abuse of position for sexual purposes (APSP). The updated figures were disclosed after the Police Ombudsman changed an earlier decision to withhold a breakdown of serving and former officers in response to a Freedom of Information request. The information was released just one day before the Police Ombudsman a

Content warning: This article discusses child sexual abuse, trauma and suicide. A fully resourced statutory inquiry should investigate historical clerical child abuse across Northern Ireland after survivors described lifelong trauma, institutional silence and repeated failures to protect children. Three long-awaited reports published by First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly examine the experiences of victims and survivors, records held

Former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson A safeguarding and accountability row surrounding Jeffrey Donaldson has deepened after the DUP confirmed it is commissioning a specialised independent review into issues arising from the former party leader’s conviction. Donaldson, a former DUP leader and one of Northern Ireland’s most prominent political figures, has been convicted of 18 historical sexual offences against two women when they were children. He is await

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long Calls for a fully independent investigation into what senior figures knew about concerns surrounding former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson have intensified following revelations aired in the BBC Spotlight documentary Politician, Predator, Paedophile. On Sunday, 28 June, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said transparency was now essential regarding the actions and knowledge of senior members of the Democratic Unionist Party in relation to allegat

Muckamore Abbey Hospital A landmark public inquiry into abuse at Muckamore Abbey Hospital has concluded that vulnerable patients were abused, families were repeatedly let down, and a series of systemic failures across Northern Ireland’s health and social care system allowed poor practice to continue unchecked for years. The final report of the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry, published on Thursday, delivers a stark verdict on the treatment of people with learning disabilitie

Free electric vehicle charging for MLAs at Stormont has been suspended after mounting public criticism over taxpayer-funded electricity use and concerns around travel expense claims. The Assembly Commission confirmed on Monday morning that a new paid charging system will now be introduced for all EV charging points under its control at Parliament Buildings following a cross-party meeting chaired by Speaker Edwin Poots. The decision comes after days of political pressure and g

Ballymena Town Hall Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s interim chief executive was paid £151,725 in 2024-25, placing the borough among the higher-paid councils in Northern Ireland as the latest Town Hall Rich List records a new UK-wide high in six-figure local authority remuneration. Across Northern Ireland’s 11 councils, 59 employees received total remuneration of more than £100,000 in 2024-25, up from 51 the previous year, while all Northern Ireland councils also increas

North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston Fresh questions have been raised over spending at Stormont after newly revealed documents showed the refurbishment of the Assembly’s Blue Flax canteen cost almost £200,000 more than originally budgeted, prompting sharp criticism from TUV MLA Timothy Gaston. The final bill for the renovation of the canteen at Parliament Buildings came to £530,532, according to documents obtained by BBC News NI through a Freedom of Information request. The Bl