Latest news with #AmandaFerguson
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Northern Irish rioters attack police for second night
BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland (Reuters) -Rioters threw petrol bombs and other missiles at police in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena in the second successive night of disorder that followed a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town, police and local media said on Tuesday. Police said they were dealing with "serious disorder" in a part of the town, which is about 45 km (30 miles) from the capital Belfast, and urged people to avoid the area. Officers responded by using water cannon against the rioters, a video posted on social media by a journalist from the Belfast Telegraph showed. Separate protests also blocked off some roads in Belfast, a Reuters witness said. Fifteen police officers were injured, with some requiring hospital treatment, after they came under sustained attack for a number of hours on Monday when masked people broke from the protest to build barricades and attack properties. Four houses were damaged by fire and windows and doors were smashed in other homes and businesses, in what police said they are investigating as racially-motivated hate attacks. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Ballymena on Monday in response to a case involving two teenage boys who appeared in court earlier in the day, accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the County Antrim town. Local media reported that the charges were read to the teenagers via an interpreter. (Reporting by Amanda Ferguson and Clodagh Kilcoyne; Writing by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
British soldier's trial over Bloody Sunday killings to start in September
By Amanda Ferguson BELFAST (Reuters) - The sole British soldier charged with murder over the 1972 'Bloody Sunday' killings of 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers in Northern Ireland will face trial in September, a court heard on Friday. Bloody Sunday became one of the defining moments of the Troubles, three decades of sectarian violence involving nationalists seeking a united Ireland, unionists wanting to remain part of the United Kingdom, and British forces. The Parachute Regiment soldier, who cannot be identified and is known as Soldier F, is accused of murdering William McKinney and James Wray, when members of the British army regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry on January 30, 1972. The British government apologised in 2010 for the "unjustified and unjustifiable" killings of the peaceful protesters. Soldier F has already pleaded not guilty to a total of seven charges he faces, including five of attempted murder, in connection with the incidents over 53 years ago. Judge Justice Fowler told a court in Londonderry that the trial would start on Sep. 15. Soldier F was not required to be in court for the proceedings. "We welcome that a trial date has now been set. Let's get on with it," William McKinney's brother Mickey McKinney told Reuters. "For us it's important at least one soldier is into court". The case will be mentioned again in court on April 11.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Northern Ireland's first minister to boycott White House's St Patrick's Day celebrations
By Amanda Ferguson DUBLIN (Reuters) - Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said on Friday she would not attend St Patrick's Day events at the White House in protest over President Donald Trump's position on Gaza. Political leaders from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland usually travel to the United States for the annual celebration of Irish culture on March 17. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "We are all heartbroken as we witness the suffering of the Palestinian people and the recent comments of the U.S. President around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza, something I cannot ignore", O'Neill said at a press conference in Dublin alongside the leader of her Sinn Fein party, Mary Lou McDonald. "The decision not to travel to the White House has not been taken lightly, but it is taken conscious of the responsibility each of us as individuals have to call out injustice." Trump announced a plan on February 4 for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians living there, upending decades of U.S. diplomacy focused on a two-state solution. Ireland is sending Prime Minister Micheal Martin to the White House celebrations. Martin said earlier this month he would raise "a broad range of issues" with the U.S. president. Mostly U.S.-owned foreign multinationals employ about 11% of Irish workers and the funding of public services is hugely reliant on the corporate tax they pay. Just three big U.S. companies account for about one in every eight euros of total tax collected in Ireland. (Writing by Graham Fahy; Editing by Ros Russell)
