Latest news with #BBCNewsNI
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Danske Bank cards working again after glitch
Danske Bank has apologised for a "technical issue" that affected their debit cards in Northern Ireland on Saturday evening. One Danske Bank customer from Dundonald contacted BBC News NI to say he could not use his bank card to withdraw cash, neither from an ATM nor a post office. He also said his card did not work when he tried to pay for groceries. At about 21:45 BST, a spokesperson for Danske said the bank's debit cards were "now back to being fully operational". "We'd like to thank our customers for their patience while this issue was being resolved," they added. "We apologise again for any inconvenience caused."
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Danske Bank: Company apologises over problem with debit cards
Danske Bank has apologised for a "technical issue" that affected their debit cards in Northern Ireland on Saturday Danske Bank customer from Dundonald contacted BBC News NI to say he could not use his bank card to withdraw cash, neither from an ATM nor a post office. He also said his card did not work when he tried to pay for about 21:45 BST, a spokesperson for Danske said the bank's debit cards were "now back to being fully operational". "We'd like to thank our customers for their patience while this issue was being resolved," they added. "We apologise again for any inconvenience caused."
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Black Mountain: Concern over 'cruel' fox traps on Belfast mountain
A wildlife conservationist has spoken of his "heartbreak" after finding makeshift fox traps on Belfast's Black Mountain. Aaron Kelly said the traps were made out of old shopping trollies and hidden on privately-owned land overlooking the city. One was baited with a dead magpie on a lever which would slam the trapdoor shut behind any hungry small animal which ventured into the Kelly said he fears hunters were trying to trap foxes alive so they could later throw them to packs of young hunting dogs "to give them a taste for blood". "What a terrible way to go, and I don't know what sort of human could do that," he told BBC News NI. "We've done a lot of work to bring wildlife onto this mountain and the last thing we need is any pressure from hunting." 'It's the last wild place in Belfast' Mr Kelly founded the Black Mountain Rewilding Project during the first Covid lockdown five years started the voluntary initiative by organising weekly litter picks in the area which he said looked "like a dumping site" when the project started. Since then, he and his fellow volunteers have planted new trees to increase woodland coverage and they regularly engage with the local community to help protect the mountain. One of the project's successes was attracting a barn owl back to the Belfast hills last year by building nesting boxes. "What we have up there is very special... it's the last wild place in Belfast," Mr Kelly said. "All the work we do is just to enhance the habitat and make it a better place for wildlife, so when people come up they actually see wildlife and they can enjoy it." The fox traps were discovered "a 10-minute walk apart" when Mr Kelly was patrolling the lower end of the mountain about two months ago."It was a rainy day, I was trooping through and I was hoping to find something nice that day and I didn't - I found that and it really disheartened me," he recalled. Having spent years working with animals, he believes foxes were the target, but said badgers, hedgehogs, birds and even cats and dogs were all at risk from these snares.A local landowner helped him remove the traps and cameras have since been installed to monitor "areas where this kind of cruelty might occur". Mr Kelly did not share the photos immediately as he was waiting to see if more traps would be set, but on Thursday he posted photos on Instagram, pleading for an end to the practice."Killing an animal is one thing - but leaving it to suffer in fear and pain before dying is something else entirely. And it has no place here," he wrote. Mr Kelly explained the woman who owns the land where the traps were found is a personal friend, who would be very upset by any form of cruelty to animals. "She's a great artist and she paints foxes," he said. "There is no permission to hunt on any of this land." Animal snares 'are completely inhumane' The traps have been condemned by the Belfast Hills Partnership - a charity which helps to manage about 5,500 hectares of high ground including Black Mountain. "Snares are actually banned and they are completely inhumane," said the charity's operations manager, Jo Boylan."But anti-social behaviours and wildlife crime is unfortunately something that happens across the hills."The land the partnership advocates for stretches from Carmoney Hil in County Antrim, along the north and west of Belfast city, through to to Ms Boylan, 38% of that land is currently open to the public. Pinpointing crime hotspots in the hills However, she said the hills suffer from a range of abuse including fly-tipping, badger baiting, persecution of birds of prey and deliberate partnership works with landowners, public bodies and community groups to record criminal incidents in a central system so they can "pinpoint the hotspots"."We map wildfires, we map badger setts, we've got a great conservation team here that do quite a lot of survey work and really monitor what is going on in the hills," she explained. "The more data that we have and the more information that we have, the better that we can protect our hills for the future."Ms Boylan also praised Mr Kelly for giving up his free time to protect Black Mountain and its inhabitants."Aaron actually was one of our youth rangers," she said, explaining the charity runs a training programme for young people who have an interest in the environment. "He's so passionate about the landscape, he's so passionate about the mountain and he's a good advocate for the wildlife and the hills and its people."
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Warrenpoint: Residents have 'had enough' of port stenches
People living in a County Down beauty spot have "had enough" of industrial stenches coming from Warrenpoint Port, campaigners have said. Liz Weir said she was sometimes driven out of her home by the smell of compacted rubbish from a waste management firm at the harbour. Re-Gen has been working in Warrenpoint for more than 12 years and told BBC News NI its facility was "regularly inspected by independent and statutory bodies".But Ms Weir said: "You get sometimes a big waft of air… it would make you gag." BBC News NI first reported the issue in 2023, and at that time Re-Gen said it was taking steps to reduce odours from stockpiled waste nearly two years on, campaigners insist not enough is being done to address concerns about the thousands of tonnes of waste stored at the port. Ms Weir has attended every public meeting and protest about the issue since she first noticed the said there were occasions when her family could not use their garden or even open their windows. "My husband is not a well man and the fact that he has to get into the car and go somewhere to get fresh air is just not right," she said. What is causing the stink? Much of the smell in recent years has been blamed on the storage of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at Re-Gen's Warrenpoint facility. The firm processes black bin rubbish from a number of Northern Ireland councils, much of which cannot be recycled. The unrecyclable waste is packed into bales and driven to Warrenpoint to be shipped to places like customers burn the waste to produce electricity. Resignations over port pong Earlier this month, two councillors quit the board of Warrenpoint Harbour Authority (WHA) in protest over the failure to resolve the odour problem. When Sinn Féin's Jim Brennan resigned, his party insisted it would not re-engage with the board "until there is a complete and permanent end to all RDF activities" at the Social Democratic and Labour Party then pulled out councillor Laura Devlin, saying there was "strength in the message of leaving the board together".Independent councillor Jarlath Tinnelly is the last politician on the board. Mr Tinnelly questioned what quitting said he was staying on to represent the public from within WHA's boardroom. "We have made incredible strides over the past 12 months," he said. "So much so that in this calendar year of 2025, the average weekly stock of RDF being stored on site is less than 50% of actually what is permitted."The councillor added he was "not in denial" over the smell but it had "diminished greatly over the past number of months". Smelly telegraph poles He pointed to a separate issue when "an exceptionally large" consignment of telegraph poles were imported during last month's Wake the Giant of the public lodged at least 25 formal complaints about a pungent smell, described as a mix of creosote and outdoor cleaning Tinnelly believes the incident reignited concerns over Re-Gen's unconnected waste operation. WHA chairman Gerard O'Hare issued a statement apologising "for the odour that came from a cargo of telegraph poles" and pledged they would not be imported through the port O'Hare declined a BBC interview request about Re-Gen's facility but said WHA is meeting the firm "to discuss odour concerns and to agree a solution". 'It's like putting aftershave on a dirty nappy' Colum Sands, from the campaign group Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment (RARE), said the telegraph poles incident must not distract from the ongoing Re-Gen dispute. "We're in a town of breathtaking beauty and the breath of the town is being taken away by a stench," he Sands insisted it was "a long-term smell" which would "continue to be there so long as black bin waste comes into Warrenpoint Port". He also questioned Re-Gen's practice of spraying the bales with odour treatment."As someone said to me the other day - it's like putting aftershave on a dirty nappy, rather than changing the nappy," he campaigner called the resignations a "positive" development."Sheer pressure and, I'd imagine, vote counting forced a number of politicians to make a move and of course it's very welcome," he said. Inspectors identified problems at Re-Gen The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) conducts regular inspections to ensure Re-Gen complies with its waste spokesman said monthly off-site odour assessments conducted between January and July 2025 "did not detect any odours attributable to the licenced waste facility".However, NIEA said some previous inspections identified "minor non-compliances".These included "storage outside the licence boundary, control of pests, exceedance of the three-month storage limit and control of odour" in also recorded "further non-compliance" on odour control in June NIEA added that Re-Gen "implemented measures to address these issues and bring themselves back into compliance". Re-Gen insists it is "fully compliant with all industry regulations". "Since June 2024, NIEA has carried out 13 inspections, all resulting in full compliance, including the most recent on 8 July 2025," the company said. Ms Weir is aware inspectors carry out "sniff tests" near the she explained the problem, and her family's plans, are determined by wind direction."If you're out here and there is a south-westerly wind - which is the prevailing wind in this area - we get the smell," she said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Country singer taking a break after 'very difficult' time
Country music singer Lisa McHugh has been diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) after a "very difficult couple of weeks in hospital". Posting on social media on Tuesday, the 36 year old said that after "multiple CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, blood tests, lumbar punctures and every kind of test you could imagine" she was diagnosed with the condition. FND is a condition that affects the way the brain and nervous system work. The County Fermanagh-based mum of two said she is taking time off to "concentrate on recovering fully". She said that she was also diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia earlier in the year. Trigeminal neuralgia is sudden, severe facial pain. It is often described as a sharp shooting pain or like having an electric shock in the jaw, teeth or gums, according to the NHS. "The specific cause for FND is unknown but one of the main triggers is stress, trauma and anxiety," McHugh said. "And while there is no cure, it is treatable providing you adapt your life as much as possible to manage it. "I guess the stress and trauma of this last year and everything we've went through has finally caught up with me and my body and it's now decided to make me physically stop, process and heal from everything properly." Earlier this year, McHugh told BBC News NI her baby daughter spent 10 "horrendous" days in hospital after contracting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Speaking of her own recovery, McHugh said: "I've a good bit to go on the healing front, going from walking into hospital with a very bad headache and severe facial pain, to losing function in both legs and then trying to walk again using a zimmer frame." She said that she needs to "drastically adapt things" to "reduce the severity of the symptoms in any future flare ups". McHugh also thanked the staff at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) for the "care and first class treatment" she received. "With all of that said, I'm going to sign off and take time out from everything for a while to concentrate on recovering fully," she said. "In the meantime, I'd really appreciate all of your prayers and I'll soak up this time with my beautiful family and be grateful for every day. "Sending you all lots of love, I'll be back soon." What is functional neurological disorder (FND)? Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a condition that affects the way the brain and nervous system work. Symptoms can vary from person to person, but can include limb weakness, paralysis, seizures, walking difficulties, spasms, sensory issues and cognitive problems. Treatment can vary. Some people may experience short-lived symptoms, while other can have them for many years. Most treatment options come in the form of rehabilitation therapy, according to NHS Inform. This can include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and psychological therapy. More on this story Singer 'helpless' after baby girl contracted RSV virus Solve the daily Crossword
