NEWS

Stena Line carries out fire drill Thursday 15 October 2026 A major emergency exercise has tested how Stena Line and emergency services would respond to a fire breaking out onboard a ferry at sea, with the simulated incident continuing after the vessel reached port. The large-scale operation took place at Stena Line’s 12 Quays Terminal in Birkenhead, bringing together maritime authorities, police, firefighters and ferry personnel to assess their readiness for a potentially ser

Friday 9 October 2026 Patients in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area have faced waits of more than four years for an adult autism assessment, as a landmark independent review warns that people are being left without timely support because help is too often dependent on securing a diagnosis. The major UK Government-commissioned review, published on Friday 9 October, calls for fundamental changes to mental health, ADHD and autism services in England, arguing that pe

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham Thursday 08 October 2026 amilies affected by dementia could benefit from faster access to clinical trials and the development of new treatments under a £48 million UK-wide research partnership being unveiled by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The initiative aims to overcome one of the biggest obstacles in dementia research – finding enough volunteers to test promising new medicines – while giving more people the opportunity to co

HMS Queen Elizabeth sailing into Belfast on Wednesday morning. (Photo: Michael Luke) Wednesday 07 October 2026 The arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth in Belfast has prompted TUV leader Jim Allister to call for a significantly stronger permanent Royal Navy presence in Northern Ireland, arguing its strategic importance has grown amid heightened security concerns in the North Atlantic. The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier sailed into Belfast on Wednesday morning, marking the first visi

Carla Lockhart MP Sunday 27 September 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing renewed pressure to revisit controversial inheritance tax changes affecting family farms, with DUP Agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart welcoming reports that the policy could be reconsidered ahead of the autumn Budget. The Upper Bann MP said any move by the new Prime Minister to change the reforms introduced under his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer would be welcomed by farming families, includi

Thursday 24 September 2026 Northern Ireland’s public services could receive more than £1.5 billion in additional UK Government funding under a new package aimed at breaking the long-running Stormont budget deadlock. The offer includes £1.25 billion in extra funding for the Northern Ireland Executive over three years, alongside £150 million specifically for transforming public services and £100 million for social housing. A further £75 million would be provided to address frau

Thursday 24 September 2026 Holidaymakers planning ahead for summer 2027 have 18 new easyJet routes to choose from, including new connections to Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Montenegro, Germany and Bulgaria. The airline has put the new flights on sale from 10 UK airports, with fares starting from £35.48 and package holidays also available across every destination announced. New destination joins easyJet network Among the biggest additions is Girona, which easyJet will

McDonald’s Ballymena where McHappy Day will be celebrated this upcoming weekend Wednesday 23 September 2026 Northern Ireland has emerged as one of the UK’s most generous regions in a new survey released ahead of the first McHappy Day in the UK and Ireland this weekend. McDonald’s commissioned the research before the fundraising day on Saturday 26 September, when £1 from every qualifying main meal sold will be donated to Ronald McDonald House UK and Ronald McDonald House Irela

Monday 21 September 2026 Ryanair has demanded the immediate resignation of NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe as a fresh air traffic control technical failure causes flight disruption at both Belfast International and Belfast City airports. The airline says more than 25,000 of its passengers are expected to be disrupted, with over 140 Ryanair flights delayed, and has called on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to remove Mr Rolfe if he does not step down voluntarily. The disr

Sunday 20 September 2026 Ulster University has achieved its highest-ever position in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, climbing 15 places to rank 34th in the UK. The university has also been named University of the Year, Northern Ireland, 2027, adding to a series of national rankings and awards for its teaching, research and student experience. Ulster University has more than 30,000 students, according to 2023/24 HESA figures cited by the university, with

One in four Northern Ireland shoppers had already started buying for Christmas by the middle of August, almost double the UK average, as households look to spread the cost of the festive season. New research from PwC shows Northern Ireland is leading the UK for early Christmas shopping, but the head start comes against a much tougher financial backdrop, with only three in ten local adults describing their household finances as “healthy”. The findings suggest many shoppers are

Hundreds of heating oil customers are set to receive compensation after suppliers cancelled orders as prices surged following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) intervened amid concerns that some cancellations may have breached customers’ contracts, leaving households facing substantially higher costs to secure replacement fuel — or, in some cases, going without heating oil altogether. Around 800 affected customers have al

Ulster Unionist East Antrim MLA John Stewart Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart has accused First Minister Michelle O’Neill of engaging in “smoke and mirrors” as she joins nationalist leaders from Wales, Scotland and Ireland in Cardiff today for talks focused on greater co-operation and constitutional change. Speaking on Sunday (August 13), the East Antrim MLA said any declaration agreed by Sinn Féin, the SNP and Plaid Cymru could not be made on behalf of Northern Ireland or it

Big Brother is preparing to throw open the doors of its famous house for a brand-new series this weekend — but before the real housemates get anywhere near it, a group of online troublemakers are being handed the keys. For the first time in Big Brother UK history, viewers will be allowed to watch the programme’s pre-series “dry run”, as creator collective The Bov Boys move into the brand-new house for a chaotic 24-hour takeover ahead of Sunday’s launch. The special live strea

Chancellor John Healey delivers a growth speech at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry. (Pictures by Kirsty O'Connor / Treasury) Northern Ireland businesses could benefit from a major shift in how the UK Government directs investment, awards public contracts and assesses infrastructure projects, as Chancellor John Healey pledged to pursue economic growth “in every postcode”. In a wide-ranging speech on Monday (August 7), Mr Healey said investment in Northern Irela

The first Wrightbus ultra low-emission buses are hitting the streets of Liverpool as part of a £150 million investment in a new 560-strong fleet. Ballymena-built buses are beginning to arrive on the streets of Liverpool as part of a major £150 million investment in a new public transport fleet. Many of the 560 new ultra low-emission buses being introduced across the Liverpool City Region have been manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland, providing another significant or

A new children’s series created in Belfast is putting the experiences of autistic pupils at the heart of stories about starting school, friendship, inclusion and bullying — with autistic young people helping to shape what viewers see and hear on screen. Pablo: Next Level, produced by Belfast-based Paper Owl Films and Crayola Studios, launches on Monday 7 September on RTÉ KIDS and CBBC, before being rolled out internationally. Aimed at children aged five to eight, the 40-episo

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows Unionism must confront its past mistakes and give people practical reasons to support Northern Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom rather than relying on traditional identity and inherited allegiance, UUP leader Jon Burrows has argued. The North Antrim MLA has set out a striking assessment of the challenges facing unionism, acknowledging previous strategic failures while warning that constantly portraying Northern Ireland as ne

Austen, Boelo and Chloe are the first names set to appear in severe-weather forecasts under the new 2026/27 storm list — with Shaun the Sheep also joining the line-up following a public vote. The names will be used by the Met Office and its Irish and Dutch counterparts for storms with the potential to cause significant disruption, helping people across Northern Ireland and neighbouring countries recognise approaching severe weather and prepare. This year’s choices include tri

Former England football star Michael Owen is swapping the pitch for family life, racehorses and plenty of chaos in a new six-part docuseries available to stream from today. All six episodes of Meet The Owens have landed exclusively on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland, giving viewers access to a year behind the scenes with the former Ballon d’Or winner, his wife Louise and their four children Gemma, James, Emily and Jessica. Far removed from a conventional football documentar