Protestant leader may step aside for new Belfast unity deal

The senior Protestant politician in Northern Ireland left the door open Sunday for stepping aside as part of a potential deal to revive the British territory’s unity government with Catholics. Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster said she asserted no personal claim to be “first minister,” the top post that she held before January’s collapse of power-sharing.

Growing Consensus that Time Has Come for Unity

There have been vocal and widespread calls for Irish reunification in the face of the British government’s determination to leave the European Union and a historic election result last week which has delivered unprecedented political strength for nationalism and Sinn Fein. Speaking on the Falls Road in west Belfast, flanked by senior party representatives, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams pointed to the significance of the fact that the unionist majority at Stormont has been ended by last week’s election.

Sinn Fein cut talks with James Brokenshire short because of ‘waffle’

Sinn Fein have blasted Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire for delivering nothing but “waffle, waffle, waffle” to the Stormont crisis talks. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein leader Michelle O’Neill are pictured outside Stormont Castle in Belfast Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne Sinn Fein have blasted Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire for delivering nothing but “waffle, waffle, waffle” to the Stormont crisis talks.

‘Mr. Big’ drugs dealer is jailed

Police have welcomed the jail sentence imposed on a man who is described as a major figure in illegal drugs supply in Coleraine and Ballymena. Mark Dunford , of Ballylagan Lane, Coleraine has already been behind bars for 7 months and today at Dungannon Crown Court was sentenced to an additional 4.5 years, half of which will be spent in custody and the other half on licence after admitting supplying amphetamines.

No ID on lost lambs located in Dervock field

PSNI Ballymoney explained on a Facebook posting: “There is no identification on these lambs which are Texel crossbred and are approximately 70kgs live weight. “If you have lost any lambs over the last few months, please contact Constable McMullan or McCaughan at Ballycastle Neighbourhood Police Team.”

Denise Brewster told the Supreme Court she was the victim of serious discrimination

A woman who was denied payments from her late long-term partner’s occupational pension has won a landmark Supreme Court appeal which could affect millions of other cohabitees across the UK. Denise Brewster, 42, a lifeguard from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, challenged a ruling that she was not automatically entitled to a “survivor’s pension” as she would have been if the couple had been married.

Decision raises issues on devolution

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected a bid from a cross-party group of Stormont politicians who argued that consent was needed from the NI Assembly to bring about Brexit. While the plaintiffs, including senior politicians from the Green Party, Alliance, SDLP and Sinn Fein, welcomed the Supreme Court ruling that Parliament must vote to trigger Article 50, disappointment was expressed that regional assemblies will not have a say on the process.

Decision raises issues on devolution

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected a bid from a cross-party group of Stormont politicians who argued that consent was needed from the NI Assembly to bring about Brexit. While the plaintiffs, including senior politicians from the Green Party, Alliance, SDLP and Sinn Fein, welcomed the Supreme Court ruling that Parliament must vote to trigger Article 50, disappointment was expressed that regional assemblies will not have a say on the process.

.com | Sinn Fein hands reins to new generation

Michelle O’Neill is Sinn Fein’s Stormont Leader in the Long Room at Parliament Buildings, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. London – Sinn Fein signalled a shift to a new, post-conflict generation in Northern Ireland on Monday when the Irish republican party named a 40-year-old woman to replace a former IRA commander as its leader in Belfast.

“Sinn Fein’s northern operation risks becoming an…

Not least because he lays out some of the key assumptions of Sinn Fein’s plan to re-unite the island, some of which, like “cross-border bodies confirm the legitimacy of the border” demonstrate the party’s enduring disdain for a pragmatic to the matter. The party hopes that Stormont’s future style and content of governance will reflect an economically unified, post-Brexit Ireland.

Over 30 employers set for major Ballymena job fair

Reminding the public that the countdown is on for the Mid and East Antrim Job Fair on February 2 is Joan Connolly, Ballymena Jobs & Benefits Office. Local jobseekers have been urged to ‘seize opportunities’ as Ballymena prepares to hold a major job fair with over 30 employers in attendance.

Northern Ireland sets March 2 election after government collapse

Northern Ireland’s former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness leaves Assembly at Parliament Buildings in Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, January 16, 2017. Britain’s Northern Ireland minister called an early election on Monday for March 2 following the collapse of the region’s power-sharing government that risks a lengthy period of political paralysis just as Britain prepares for talks to leave the EU.

Did a coal fire sink the Titanic?

Did an intense fire on board R.M.S. Titanic lead to one of the worst disaster’s in maritime history? A new documentary by author and journalist Senan Molony suggests the emergence of pictures hidden in a forgotten album for a century prove that the supposedly unsinkable passenger ship was weakened by a smoldering coal fire even before it left on its catastrophic maiden voyage. Titanic, which at the time of its sinking in 1912 was the biggest ship afloat, hit an iceberg in the north Atlantic on the night of April 14 and went down with the loss of about 1,500 lives.

Former Union Flag protestor credited with aiding Trump election victory

Jim Dowson addressing loyalist flag protesters at a demonstration against the decision to restrict the flying of the Union Flag at Belfast City Hall A loyalist convicted over his role in the Belfast flag protests has been credited with helping Donald Trump win the US presidential election. According to the New York Times, Jim Dowson – a regular speaker at rallies protesting against the decision to restrict the flying of the Union Flag at Belfast City Hall in 2012 – bombarded millions of Americans with “fake news” demonising Trump’s rival Hillary Clinton.