Irish News

Scotland’s drug and alcohol minister has insisted her “eye is absolutely on the ball” after the number of drugs deaths in the country surged to 1,133.

Former Glentoran boss Mick McDermott says he is “living the dream” after agreeing to stay on as assistant coach of Ghana under the stewardship of manager Carlos Queiroz, as the team embark on a campaign to qualify for next year’s African Cup of Nations.

The Transport Secretary will meet the chairman of the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) board in the “coming weeks”, she has said, as the company’s chief executive faces calls to resign.

Life insurance and pensions giant Legal & General has said it expects to cut around 1,000 jobs by the middle of next year.

Three gunmen barged into a small house in an impoverished neighbourhood in South Africa and opened fire on a group enjoying a party inside, killing at least 11 people including a pregnant woman, police and local authorities said.

Loughgiel and champions St John’s are unlikely to be expelled from this year’s Antrim SHC, The Irish News understands.

Stormont Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has been urged to take action on the “total mess” of public areas across Northern Ireland.

Andy Burnham has stood by his warning that Britain should be less “in hock” to the bond markets, saying the country’s high level of borrowing has left it “over-exposed” to global shocks.

Oasis have announced four additional shows for their live tour next year.

Road signs in one of the rudest-named streets in the UK have had to be secured with concrete to stop tourists stealing them, but residents are “very proud” to live there, the town mayor has said.

Weight-loss jabs like Mounjaro have led to a rise in people needing extra holes in their belts, the chief executive of Timpson has said.

Earl Spencer has said he could write a “hit piece on the royal family” but said it was not a threat as he would not put pen to paper.

“Made from two simple, lighter-than-air lemon sponges, soaked in a maraschino liqueur syrup, it’s filled with an orange, cherry and chocolate ricotta filling and wrapped in a layer of marzipan before being topped with decorative royal icing and maraschino…

“This is an adults-only cake: unapologetically bold in flavour and paired with a subtle hit of booze in every department,” laughs Bake-Off star and TV cook Ruby Bhogal.

Sandie Peggie has said a union representative “was not taking it as seriously as I was” when she was placed on special leave after objecting to sharing a changing room with a transgender medic, an employment tribunal has heard.

“Burnt Basque cheesecake was originally developed back in the Eighties by chef Santiago Rivera,” explains columnist and TV cook Ruby Bhogal.

Six people have been arrested after anti-migrant protesters gathered at a marina in Hampshire mistakenly believing a small boat was due to arrive.

ANY competition that Roberto Martinez is able to win as an international manager deserves to have critics, and it is fair to say the Uefa Nations League is yet to really capture the imagination of the public.

The north’s largest independent eye care business has opened a new standalone practice in Portadown.

As the nation enjoys the return of The Great British Bake Off, season nine finalist Ruby Bhogal reveals something about the famous Paul Hollywood handshake – it’s not just his bakes that are moist.

Coleen Rooney has said “the nerves are setting in” as she returned to work in a new clip from her documentary series, The Real Rooneys.

Andy Robertson feels Tottenham’s players must forget about the past and not get “panicked” in matches as they look to turn their season around.

Growth across Britain’s private sector has slowed to a three-month low in September amid a “worrying combination” of sluggish expansion and rising inflation in the wider economy, according to a report.

An asylum seeker accused of a serious knife attack which triggered rioting across Belfast is to stand trial for attempted murder, a judge ordered today.

UK economic growth is now expected to slow next year in a blow to Andy Burnham’s ambitions despite a stronger-than-expected performance in 2026 in the face of the Middle East conflict, according to new forecasts.

Sandie Peggie is at the centre of a second employment tribunal case in Dundee after taking action against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union in a dispute over her gender critical beliefs.

Northern Ireland’s largest further and higher education college has cut student places and cancelled a number of courses.

Northern Ireland’s largest McDonald’s franchisee has said a £2 million upgrade of two restaurants in Co Antrim is creating 20 new jobs.

Tyrone Ladies Senior Final: Errigal Ciaran 0-10 Dungannon Thomas Clarkes 0-6 A repeat of last year’s final produced the same outcome as Errigal Ciaran collected their third Tyrone senior title in four years, although the scoreline does not do justice to a…

Convicted paedophile Jeffrey Donaldson is set to attend a pre-sentencing hearing on Friday as part of the process that will lead to a “lengthy” period behind bars.

Pop star Taylor Swift has announced the release of a new single, Patient Zero.

Ulster Orchestra's pop-up Belfast concert

Donald Trump has said the UK agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is a “terrible deal” and that Andy Burnham is “going to be looking at it”.

A woman and three children have died in a house fire in Merseyside.

There are calls for prayers for a Co Antrim priest following a ‘freak accident’ in which he suffered a serious spinal injury.

Relations between the US and the UK are “more up” now that Andy Burnham is Prime Minister than when Sir Keir Starmer held the role, Donald Trump has claimed.

IF ‘a week is a long time in politics’ then seven years is almost a lifetime in international football.

Antrim GAA legend recalls 'cutting off cast' to play in game

A deal between the US and Denmark over Greenland will make Europe safer, Donald Trump has told world leaders as he said he would get the Ukraine war “done”, claiming both sides “have had it”.

Two men have been arrested over a suspected terrorist plot to target the Jewish community in Manchester ahead of Yom Kippur.

Mikel Arteta has committed his future to Arsenal by agreeing a new contract with the Premier League champions.

Nationalist residents on the Garvaghy Road have called for an international mediator to be brought in to resolve the Drumcree parades dispute.

TV presenter Claudia Winkleman has donned a jacket bearing the word “Faithful” across the back ahead of the new season of Celebrity Traitors.

Morgan Gibbs-White earned the pretend ire of his fiancee after his late England call-up caused him to cut his family holiday short.

Reform MSPs have walked out of the Holyrood chamber after the party failed to get a debate on Scottish independence cancelled.

Ulster kick-off their United Rugby Championship season on Friday night with a home clash against Edinburgh.

A Co Antrim builder who left a couple’s home resembling “a shell” in a £32,000 extension fraud has avoided being sent to prison.

Northern Ireland are in Tbilisi for their opening Nations League game of 2026.

Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death has been revealed as an accidental drug overdose, a South Carolina coroner’s office confirmed.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has pledged tax cuts that the party plans to pay for with the economic growth they expect to see from rejoining the EU single market and customs union.