Northern ireland general election

By John Campbell Published 7 July Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Boris Johnson rose to the highest ranks of UK politics on the back of Brexit. He was the face of the campaign group Vote Leave and in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum the new prime minister Theresa May made him foreign secretary. Within three years, he had deposed her for taking an insufficiently hard line on Brexit. He then fought and won an election on the promise that he would "get Brexit done". He did deliver a Brexit deal with the EU but the treatment of Northern Ireland remains unfinished business, which has poisoned several sets of political relationships. How did Mr Johnson's position on Northern Ireland and Brexit evolve? November 2018: The DUP conference Boris Johnson was the star attraction at the DUP party conference in Belfast with his speech cheered to the … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson, Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol

By Geoff Maskell Published 16 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Gazing at the night sky during a clear summer night can be one of life's joys, not least here in Northern Ireland where we can spot night-shining clouds that appear luminous in the dark. These clouds - known as noctilucent - are wispy and ghost-like formations that exist in the upper atmosphere at the edge of space. They are thought to be made up of ice crystals that form on fine dust particles from meteors. From the ground, the ethereal cloud formations can only be seen during astronomical twilight. That's the point in the night when most of the sky has grown dark, but the rays from the sun can still reach these clouds up in the mesosphere some 50 miles above the surface of the Earth. What are noctilucent clouds? To see them for yourself you need to look west on a clear … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland summer nights lit up by night-shining clouds

By Joshua Nevett Published 3 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Tory leadership Beyond the shores of the UK, a small community of devoted Conservative supporters have had their eyes glued to the twists and turns of the party's leadership contest. As paid-up Conservative members who joined at least three months before the ballot closes, they get a vote in the election to pick the next British prime minister. Under party rules, these overseas members do not need British citizenship to cast a ballot, nor the right to vote in a UK general election. Provided they paid their annual membership fee, they can have a role in shaping the political future of the UK - as Giuseppe Dottore did this month. He is part of a voter base that makes up about 1% of the party's estimated 160,000-strong membership. An Italian lawyer who has never … [Read more...] about Tory leadership election: Meet the overseas voters picking the next PM

By Dickens Olewe Published 8 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Kenya general election 2022 Kenyans still do not know who their next president will be more than 48 hours after polls closed. Election head Wafula Chebukati has urged people to be patient and not to panic that media houses are releasing differing tallies. Each organisation is making calculations based on its own manual entry of data from more than 46,000 polling stations. But it is only the electoral commission that can declare the winner. The media's tallies show that the two leading candidates - Raila Odinga and William Ruto - are neck and neck. "There should be no panic about the differences we are seeing on the media screens. The results are from the same public portal; the approach [of each broadcaster] is different," Mr Chebukati, the chairperson of the … [Read more...] about Kenya Election 2022: Why the count is taking so long

Published 7 July Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Shailesh Vara has replaced Brandon Lewis after he resigned as Northern Ireland secretary. Mr Lewis was among previously-loyal cabinet ministers who told the prime minister on Wednesday that he needed to step down from office due to a loss in support. Earlier, Mr Johnson announced his resignation . Mr Vara has already begun speaking to political leaders in Northern Ireland on the phone on Thursday. In a tweet , Sinn Féin's first minister designate Michelle O'Neill said she told Mr Vara that "however short he's here, his duty is to respect the assembly election outcome and to work constructively to get Stormont moving so a local executive can set a budget and help workers and families". Mr Vara said he had spoken to Ms O'Neill as well as Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Ulster Unionist … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson: Shailesh Vara replaces Brandon Lewis as NI Secretary

Published 13 February 2012 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A second inquest has been ordered into the 1994 death of a County Down schoolboy. Christopher Coulter, from Hillsborough, was 15 years old when he died, 10 days after receiving the combined measles and rubella (MR) vaccine. The original inquest in 1995 found Christopher died from asphyxiation due to a severe epileptic fit. However, his parents said there was no history of epilepsy in the family and believed the vaccine played a part. The Attorney General for Northern Ireland John Larkin QC has issued a directive to the senior coroner and said the case was of "enormous public importance". Christopher's mother Anne told The Detail investigative journalism website that the family hoped they would get some answers and some closure. The Coulter family's solicitor Padraig O Muirigh said Christopher's … [Read more...] about Second inquest in schoolboy death

By Ciaran McCauley Published 1 October 2017 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing "It was waste ground before the greenway. The river was contaminated, it was neglected and abused. "Now, look at it - people walking dogs, on bikes, kids out playing. The place is buzzing." Gary Keenan may live in Larne but his heart's in east Belfast and Victoria Park. His father, a shipyard worker, used to take him to the park as a child and, these days, Gary is a volunteer who helps organised the weekly Park Run. Over the decades, he has seen the fortunes of Victoria Park - and east Belfast - ebb and fade. But the opening of the £40m Connswater Community Greenway in recent years has revitalised the area. And its continued success could help turn the wheels on Northern Ireland's ambitious greenway revolution. "The greenway here is unbelievable. It's opened up … [Read more...] about Ambitious NI greenway plans continue to gather momentum

By Mark Simpson Published 23 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing It is 75 years since the start of the express rail link between Belfast and Dublin known as the Enterprise service. It began in August 1947 to try to compete with the improving road network and the prospect of an air link between the two cities. There have been many changes to the inter-city train link in the past 75 years. The service survived frequent disruption in the 1970s and 1980s after violence erupted in Northern Ireland. The current journey time on the 110-mile (177km) route is just over two hours, not much faster than when the non-stop Enterprise began in 1947. However, there are now more stops. 'Ambitious plans' The service is jointly run by Translink NI Railways in Northern Ireland and Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) in the Republic of Ireland. Translink chief … [Read more...] about Enterprise rail link between Belfast and Dublin marks 75 years

By Clodagh Rice Published 17 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A Silicon Valley based software company called Harness is creating 80 jobs in Northern Ireland over the next three years. The company was set up in San Francisco in 2017 and is creating a range of roles in Belfast across engineering and management from graduate to senior positions. The roles will be a mixture of hybrid and office working. Thirty of the jobs are already in place and recruitment is taking place. Co-founder and chief executive Jyoti Bansal said the team would play an important role in expanding Harness' offering. "With many of our customers already located in the city, investing in our Belfast presence puts Harness in the centre of one of Europe's strongest technology hubs," he added. The new jobs were supported by Invest NI. 'Cutting edge' Invest NI … [Read more...] about US software firm creates 80 jobs in Belfast

Published 17 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A law firm representing the family of teenager Noah Donohoe said it had "grave concerns" over an application to withhold information in police files. KRW Law said it could not comment further as this was a live matter but it would be making "strenuous objections" at the "appropriate stage". The 14-year-old was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in 2020 . A Public Interest Immunity (PII) certificate was signed by Northern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara. There is to be a private hearing for coroner Joe McCrisken to rule on the certificate , which was brought by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and which required ministerial approval. Mr McCrisken will see all the material in unredacted form before having the final say on whether to approve the police request. 'Enormous distress' … [Read more...] about Noah Donohoe: Solicitors have ‘grave concerns’ over withheld files