Gavin Robinson says Sinn Féin want to 'squander money' on Irish signs
He said that would "require them to remove the foreign language options that are already inbuilt for tourists coming to Northern Ireland who don't have English as their first language", adding that was "a nonsense".
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Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Gerry Adams donates to ‘good causes' after BBC pays 100,000 euro damages
The broadcaster lost a defamation case earlier this year after Mr Adams took them to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme and an accompanying online story. They contained an allegation that Mr Adams sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson. Mr Adams denied any involvement. In May, a jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour and awarded him 100,000 euro after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. Johnsons Solicitors, which represented Mr Adams in his action, announced on Tuesday that the BBC has discharged the order of the court in relation to the compensation to their client. A BBC spokesperson said: 'We can confirm the BBC has now paid Gerry Adams 100,000 euros in damages as required by the court.' Mr Adams said he intended to donate any damages awarded to good causes. The law firm said donations have been made to 'Unicef for the children of Gaza', local GAA organisations, a support group for republican prisoners and their families called An Cumman Cabhrach, to the Irish language sector, to the 'homeless and Belfast based-youth, mental health and suicide prevention projects' and others. The BBC, which was found by the jury not to have acted in good faith nor in a fair and reasonable way, was also ordered to pay the former Sinn Fein leader's legal costs, potentially in the order of millions. However, it is understood the final amount of costs have yet to be determined.
Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
E-bike licensing means ‘every bridge is Checkpoint Charlie', comedian says
Irish stand-up Dara O Briain complained that e-bikes are 'stacking up' at river crossings between the boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond in the west of the capital. Lime, one of the rental companies involved, urged councils to collaborate so riders can 'travel seamlessly across boroughs' rather than face a 'patchwork of boundaries'. Hounslow has given permission for Forest and Voi's e-bikes to be used in its area, while Richmond has licensed rival company Lime. The latter said it has agreed to a request by Hounslow for its bikes' electric motors to cut out if riders enter the borough. This causes the bikes to become heavy to ride, resulting in many users ending their trips. The PA news agency saw about 30 bikes near the southern entrance to Chiswick Bridge on Monday night. Hounslow council have banned Lime bikes, and licensed Forest and Voi; neighbouring Richmond has licensed Lime and banned the others. So every bridge is Checkpoint Charlie, with loads of Lime bikes parked on one side and loads of Forest and Voi on the other. Top work everyone! — Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) August 17, 2025 Some were parked appropriately to the side of pavements, but others had been thrown in bushes or tipped over. O Briain, 53, likened the issue to the Checkpoint Charlie border crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. In a post on social media platform X, he wrote: 'Hounslow Council have banned Lime bikes, and licensed Forest and Voi; neighbouring Richmond has licensed Lime and banned the others. 'So every bridge is Checkpoint Charlie, with loads of Lime bikes parked on one side and loads of Forest and Voi on the other. Top work everyone!' Richard Dilks, chief executive of shared transport charity CoMoUK, said: 'This rather bizarre set of circumstances is an unfortunate outcome of the current situation in London, where regulation of bike sharing schemes is decided at borough level.' He said the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill going through Parliament could make Transport for London the capital's licensing authority for rental e-bikes, enabling a 'more coherent pan-London approach' to be designed. A spokesperson for Lime said the existing scenario is 'frustrating for riders'. She said: 'We've already been contacted by many of them who are disappointed at the new rules. 'They should not have to experience London as a patchwork of boundaries. 'We want to see councils work together so that residents can travel seamlessly across boroughs, without having to stop at borders.' Alex Berwin, head of policy at Forest, said the issue is 'exactly why we have been calling for a pan-London approach to regulation'. He went on: 'We need a single regulatory framework, one enforcement model and one operational rulebook across the capital, whilst ensuring services support the local needs of each borough.' A Voi spokesperson said its users are 'free to cycle across borough boundaries, but parking must be in designated bays within participating areas'. He added: 'We're working with local leaders and TfL towards a London-wide scheme to make cross-borough journeys simpler.' Rental e-bike companies say they encourage people to switch from cars to a more sustainable form of travel, but there have been long-standing concerns about users blocking pavements with the bikes after they finish their rides. A spokesperson for Hounslow Council said: 'The issue of neighbouring boroughs having different e-bike operators is not unique to Hounslow. This is an issue at many boundaries wherever there is a change in operator. E-bike service areas are dynamic, with boroughs deciding to review operators at different points. 'We recognise that a borough-by-borough approach can be confusing for users and we continue to work closely with Transport for London and neighbouring boroughs to make the case to the Department for Transport for a pan-London approach. In the meantime, we are bringing in new measures to ensure e-bikes are better managed when left at the end of a journey.' Councillor Alexander Ehmann, chairman of Richmond Council's Transport and Air Quality Committee, said: 'Hounslow's recent decision seems to have underestimated the impact on riders to and from neighbouring boroughs, including Richmond. 'Local authorities should be working to make active travel options easier, not more complicated.'
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Disadvantaged white pupils have ‘particularly poor' education outcomes
Areas of the country where disadvantaged pupils perform worse are more likely to have large populations of poor white children, a report has suggested. The Institute for Government (IfG) think tank has said disadvantaged white pupils in England have 'particularly poor educational outcomes'. An analysis by the IfG looks at the 'high-impact' group of pupils – those for whom disadvantage disproportionately affects their performance – which it said is made up mostly of white British pupils. Local authority areas in the bottom fifth for the performance of disadvantaged pupils were 'disproportionately likely' to have 'above-average' shares of disadvantaged pupils from the high-impact group (or from white backgrounds), it found. It comes after the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was a 'national disgrace' that so many white working-class children are being 'written off' in the education system. Tens of thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to receive their GCSE results on Thursday. Many of the pupils who are waiting for their exam results were in Year 6 when schools closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The report from the IfG analyses pupil performance at Key Stage 2 (Year 6) – the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths – at a local authority level to try to understand local variation. It suggests educational inequalities have 'grown wider and more pronounced' across England and among demographic groups since the Covid-19 pandemic. The think tank has said tackling high absence rates – particularly among disadvantaged pupils – 'will be key' to narrowing educational inequalities. Recent Department for Education figures show that the number of children in England classed as 'severely absent', which means they missed at least 50% of possible school sessions, rose to nearly 150,000 in autumn 2024. Amber Dellar, IfG researcher and report author, said: 'The pandemic has undone much of the last decade's progress in tackling educational inequalities, leaving some areas and groups of children far behind. 'The Government's opportunity mission is a good starting point for narrowing the gaps, but it lacks a clear vision or plan for delivering that goal in schools. 'Any serious plan must focus on helping schools share what works in supporting disadvantaged pupils and reducing their high rates of absence.' Ms Phillipson told the PA news agency that her focus will be turning around the attainment gap between white working-class pupils and their peers. Fewer than a fifth (18.6%) of white British pupils eligible for free school meals achieved at least a grade 5 – which is considered a 'strong pass' – in their English and maths GCSEs in 2023-24, compared to 45.9% of all state school pupils in England. Earlier this month, the Education Secretary told PA: 'They're not well positioned to carry on with studies, to get an apprenticeship, to go on to university. 'That is why the schools White Paper we will be publishing in the autumn will set out an ambitious vision for how we can tackle this generational challenge of what many young people experience. '(It) is a national disgrace that so many young people are written off and don't get what they need to achieve and thrive.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Tackling the baked-in inequalities in our education system will take time, but through our plan for change this Government is taking action against the root causes that we know are holding young people back. 'We are driving high and rising standards for every child through the expert-led Curriculum and Assessment Review, new Rise teams and strengthened school accountability. 'This comes alongside work to tackle disadvantage, including expanding free school meals, rolling out free breakfast clubs and revitalising family services in every local authority. 'But we know there is more to do, which is why we will bring about the reforms needed through our Schools White Paper later this year to create an education system where every child can thrive, regardless of their background.'
