News

29 year old Jordan McSweeney had only recently been released from prison A sexual predator has admitted murdering law graduate Zara Aleena, who was brutally kicked and stamped on, then left for dead. Jordan McSweeney had only recently been released from prison and had targeted more than one woman before he preyed on the 35-year-old as she walked home from a night out early on Sunday, June 26. Two days […]

They escaped injury after a bomb detonated at the side of their vehicle in Strabane last night Police are investigating whether the New IRA was responsible for the attempted murder of two officers on patrol in Co Tyrone. PSNI assistant chief constable Bobby Singleton said the location of the incident on Thursday in Strabane and previous attacks made the involvement of the dissident republican splinter group a “strong line of inquiry”. Two […]

Rail passengers are being warned of fresh travel disruption because of more industrial action in disputes involving drivers and other workers. Rugby fans are among those who will be affected over the next two weekends. Members of the drivers union Aslef at 11 train operators will walk out on November 26 in a long-running dispute over pay which will cripple services across the country. Rail companies advised passengers that some […]

The Chancellor has delivered his autumn statement in the Commons this lunchtime Households will face increased energy bills, high inflation and tax hikes as the country is hit by recession. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told MPs he was having to make difficult decisions to ensure a “shallower downturn”, but the economy was still expected to shrink 1.4% in 2023. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast the UK’s inflation rate to […]

Jeremy Hunt will deliver his autumn statement in the Commons today Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will promise a plan to weather an economic “storm” as he risks a backlash by unveiling a £54 billion package of tax hikes and spending cuts. He will insist to MPs on Thursday that his autumn statement puts the UK on a “balanced path to stability” as he tackles the “enemy” of inflation, which has soared to a […]

A series of weather warnings are in place across the country Flooding is causing chaos on road and rail networks after heavy rain affected large parts of the UK. The Met Office issued weather alerts as a band of rain – which arrived in Cornwall on Wednesday afternoon – travels across the country before passing over Scotland’s east coast on Friday. Conditions may be “atrocious” for much of the UK, […]

Director general of MI5 gives security summary The UK “must be ready for Russian aggression for years to come”, the boss of MI5 warned as he laid bare the “very real threat” posed by hostile states. Director general Ken McCallum described how the UK is in a contest with “adversaries who have massive scale and are not squeamish about the tactics they deploy”, setting out in stark language the dangers […]

The Rugby Players Association is calling for a limit of 30 games per season to reduce injury risk. New research funded by the RPA indicates that players making “31 match involvements” in a campaign face a “significantly higher injury burden” in the following year. The study, entitled: “The Influence of Match Exposure on Injury Risk in Elite Men’s Rugby Union,” and conducted by the University of Bath, defines match involvement […]

Cutting speed limits on urban roads to 20mph does not significantly improve safety, a new report suggests. Researchers analysed data from before and after the limit was introduced on 76 roads in central Belfast in 2016. The study found “little impact on long-term outcomes” in the city. Comparisons with streets in the surrounding area and elsewhere in Northern Ireland that retained their 30pmh or 40pmh limit showed there were “no […]