It is the very slipway where the Titanic was launched on its doomed voyage. Now, almost 100 years later, it is the site of Europe's biggest riverside regeneration project, which the owners believe will rescue Northern Ireland from a prolonged recession. After a week when unemployment reached levels not seen since 1971 and as property prices crash faster than in the rest of the UK, the Titanic Quarter site at the edge of Belfast's river Lagan may appear to be as ill-fated as the ship whose name it bears. But the developers believe that despite the gloom the ship's legend can be harnessed to power the city through the rest of the 21st century. "With the credit crunch and the slow market conditions there are very, very few developers doing any serious work at present," says Mike Smith, Titanic Quarter's chief executive and a veteran of Belfast urban regeneration over the past two decades. By securing finance before the credit crunch took hold, he believes the project will go ahead. "We at … [Read more...] about It’s got fancy flats, a hotel. Even a bank. But can the Titanic Quarter stay afloat?
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Francis Lanigan trial: Woman claims she took gun off murder accused
A woman has told Belfast Crown Court that she took a gun off a man accused of murder as she thought "he was going to kill us all''.Francis Lanigan, 55, denies murdering 22-year-old John Stephen Knocker outside the former Glengannon Hotel, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.The shooting took place on 31 May 1998.The accused was extradited from Dublin last January, where he had been living under an assumed name for more than 15 years.Mr Lanigan, who is originally from Belfast but gave an address of Delhurst Terrace, Clonsilla, Dublin, also denies possession of a 9mm Browning pistol.Nuala Brid Delaney was giving her evidence at the Diplock-style trial via a live link from a courthouse in the Republic of Ireland.Ms Delaney, was 19 at the time of the murder, and said she had gone from Belfast to a nightclub at the hotel in a car owned and driven by a man she said was nicknamed "Foxy", as well as Francis Lanigan and another woman.She said that the defendant "didn't want to leave by the regular … [Read more...] about Francis Lanigan trial: Woman claims she took gun off murder accused
Brussels attacks: the confirmed victims
Loubna Lafquiri, Belgium-Morocco The gymnastics teacher at an Islamic school in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels had three children. She died in the suicide bombing on the metro at Maelbeek. Lauriane Visart, Belgium, 27 The jurist and legal adviser was killed in the metro attack. Her father, an economics correspondent for the state broadcaster RTBF, appeared on an evening bulletin and said: “Lauriane had extremely strong values that she fiercely defended, including equality, justice, tolerance, gender equality. I’m not naive, I know very well that security is essential today. But I think that if we build walls of exclusion, if we cultivate hatred, we’re heading for disaster. If we want a different world in the future, we need respect, tolerance and love. And we owe that to all the Laurianes in the world.” Sabrina Fazal, Belgium, 24 The nursing student was on her way to college when she was killed in the metro attack. Justin and Stephanie Shults, US Justin … [Read more...] about Brussels attacks: the confirmed victims
Britain, Holland and US spearhead fightback against Putin’s cyber war as they reveal how Moscow’s web of hackers hit high-profile targets across the globe – including chemical weapons watchdog probing Salisbury attack
Russian hackers waged a four-year disinformation campaign against the west in which they obtained sensitive information from weapons watchdogs and anti-doping sports bodies, it emerged today. Seven Kremlin agents working for the GRU are accused of hacking the records of 250 athletes from 30 countries as they travelled across the globe using the intelligence obtained to spread fake news designed to bolster President Vladimir Putin's position on the world stage. The targets included FIFA, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the 2016 US presidential race that resulted in the election of Donald Trump. Spies also attempted to hack computers at the UK Foreign Office and the Porton Down military research facility days after assassins tried to murder the Skripals in Salisbury. The unit - nicknamed 'Sandworm' - tried and failed to infiltrate UK IT systems as part of a series of attacks across Europe this year. American intelligence identified the spies as working for the GRU's Unit 26165, … [Read more...] about Britain, Holland and US spearhead fightback against Putin’s cyber war as they reveal how Moscow’s web of hackers hit high-profile targets across the globe – including chemical weapons watchdog probing Salisbury attack
Unit 26165’s trail of blunders: How Putin’s elite globe-trotting hacking squad left a trail of clues including a selfie at the Olympics, a pile of beer cans and a TAXI RECEIPT from their spy base to airport
Western intelligence yesterday revealed the trail of clues that bungling Russian spies known as Unit 26165 left in their wake as they waged a war of disinformation across the globe. Kremlin agents working for the GRU targeted FIFA, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Organisation for the Prevention of the use of Chemical Weapons as it investigated both the Salisbury novichok attack in the UK as well as the Douma chemical weapons attack in Syria, the international investigation of the downing of MH17 and a US company providing nuclear power to Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin's elite squad even created the fake 'hacktivist' group Fancy Bears to disseminate misleading statements designed to exonerate Russia of doping allegations and instead level them at the US. But it was yesterday revealed that the spies left a trail of clues including blunder after blunder during their international campaign. These extraordinary errors included: The cyber unit's 'burner' mobile … [Read more...] about Unit 26165’s trail of blunders: How Putin’s elite globe-trotting hacking squad left a trail of clues including a selfie at the Olympics, a pile of beer cans and a TAXI RECEIPT from their spy base to airport