Latest news with #BelfastTelegraph
Belfast Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
D:Ream's Peter Cunnah on fame, war and finding his birth parents
He's talking to the Belfast Telegraph via Zoom from London about the group's newest album, Do It Anyway, which he made with long-time bandmate Al Makenzie. It's his biggest regret, he explains, that D:Ream's famous hit — Things Can Only Get Better — an anthem of hope and optimism, was used in New Labour's landmark 1997 election campaign which saw Tony Blair enter Number 10.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Joel Cooper is a serial winner who can help our title dreams come true, insists Coleraine coach
Coleraine's new coach Kevin Deery says he expects Joel Cooper to fire the club back into the hunt for major silverware and he's also shared his fears that the winter game will keep slamming the brakes on Irish League progress in Europe. After the Belfast Telegraph had disclosed details of a pre-contract deal in December, Coleraine announced in June the arrival of title winner Cooper on a 'multi-year deal'.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Concerns over accuracy of department-led survey on integrated education in NI
Conversely though, the survey, which campaigners said they were 'blind-sided' by on its release on Tuesday morning, does show that almost three quarters of the 9,700 parents who responded to the questionnaire said they would prefer or would not mind if their child went to an integrated school. The Belfast Telegraph also understands there are further concerns about how the findings have been presented after authors claimed almost 25% of parents have expressed a preference for their child 'not to attend an integrated school', Meanwhile, it found 32.9% of parents said they had expressed a first preference for an integrated school, with 67.1% saying they hadn't. The survey reported that quality of education was the most important (32.5%) factor considered when selecting an integrated school as first preference. Quality of education was again the most important (39.6%) factor considered when selecting a non-Integrated school as first preference. Almost a quarter of parents (24.0%) said they would rather their child was not educated in an Integrated school compared with 31.2% who preferred sending their child to an integrated school. Of those who selected an integrated school as first preference, 85.3% stated that it was either important or very important that their child received their education in an integrated environment. The Department said the survey was conducted specifically to asses the views of parents towards integrated education. But it comes after Education Minister Paul Givan rejected a bid by Northern Ireland's largest school, Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College, to transform to integrated status earlier this year, despite a parental vote in favour of the move. Though the Department's Parental School Admission Survey 2025 has been released as a stand alone document, it is expected to feed in to a more general survey due for release in December this year which will also incorporate other data collected by both The Life and Times Survey 2024 and a Lucid Talk poll conducted by the Integrated Education Fund. The Lucid Talk poll found that 65% of parents felt integrated education should be the standard model for the school system in Northern Ireland while the Life and Times survey found that 55% of parents would prefer for their child to be educated in an integrated school. Though the latest Department of Education survey found that, 32.9% of parents said they had expressed an integrated school as the first choice for their child, currently only around 8% of pupils attend a school with integrated status. Proximity to home was the second most important factor in which school parents opted for, behind quality of education, though campaigners have pointed out that there remains a limited choice of integrated schools in many areas of NI. Those who selected a non-integrated school were also asked if they would want their choice to transform to become an integrated school. In response, 37.5% said they 'don't mind', while 37% responded 'no' and 16.9% said 'yes'. The remainder said they did not know or would prefer not to say. Almost eight out of 10 parents (78.4%) said they had considered a school's admissions policy before deciding on a first preference selection for their child. Two thirds (66.4%) of parents made their school selections because their child met the admissions criteria well, though over a fifth (22.6%) of parents stated that the admissions criteria made no difference to their selection. The funeral of Jaidyn Rice takes places in Bangor Another potential issue is a lack of transparency over who responded to the survey, with the report noting that: 'policy officials responsible for drafting the Integrated Education Strategy contacted sectoral bodies asking them to encourage parents in their school sector to complete the survey and shared the link to the survey with them. This means it is possible that parents who did not go through the admissions process in 2025 may have completed the survey if they chose to access it though the survey link. This is considered unlikely, but it is not possible to determine the extent to 'which this may have occurred because the survey was anonymous.' The department said the survey was issued by the Education Authority to 63,349 parents whose children were going through the school admission process to meet the requirements of the Integrated Education Act and to measure demand.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Rampage continues as 5G mast is torched overnight in west Belfast
A 5G mast has been attacked overnight in west Belfast. Emergency services were called to reports of a 5G mast alight on Upper Dunmurry Lane shortly after 11:45pm on Monday. Firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to access the site due to a locked gate. The Belfast Telegraph understands the mast failed to ignite fully. Police officers at the scene removed material from the interior of the mast that was used, in an attempt to start the blaze. A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said: 'Firefighters used a CO2 extinguisher to extinguish the fire and the scene was handed over to the PSNI. 'The cause of the fire is believed to be deliberate ignition and the incident was dealt with by 1.07am.' A PSNI spokesperson said: 'Some damage was caused to electronics in a nearby building and we're treating the fire as deliberate, with our enquiries into the matter ongoing. 'We understand the concerns regarding the recent series of attacks on 5G masts in the west Belfast area and the significant disruption these incidents are causing across the community, impacting both businesses and local residents. 'We believe there are individuals with knowledge that could assist us in identifying those responsible for these attacks and, once again, are appealing to the public to share any information with us. We're also keen to speak with anyone who might have CCTV or other footage that could assist with our enquiries. The overnight incident brings the total number of masts destroyed since January 2023 to 18. Earlier this week the Sunday World reported that a group calling itself 'Anarchy 61' have claimed responsibility for the most recent attacks. Firefighters battle 5G mast fire in Poleglass The value of each mast ranges between £100k and £200k meaning the cost of the damage to date could be as high as £3.4m. In a statement Mobile UK, the umbrella organisation of the UK's main network providers, said the time for condemnation of such incidents has long passed, with providers now seeking what they say will be 'a crucial intervention' from Stormont to help stop the attacks and ensure seamless network coverage for all, across Northern Ireland.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Orange Order hits out at ‘inaccurate, sensationalist and divisive' media coverage
Releasing a statement on Monday evening, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland (GOLI) criticised the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life, BBC NI and the Irish News. The statement also criticised recent coverage around the cancellation of a cross-community sports event at North Down Cricket Club last week and said this newspaper had 'erroneously reported the cost of policing the 2025 Twelfth'. Responding to the statement from the organisation, a spokesperson for the Belfast Telegraph said: "The Belfast Telegraph reports on issues across Northern Ireland without fear or favour and will continue to do so. 'We are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation and any complaints about our journalism can be made directly to us. "In relation to the Twelfth, we featured extensive coverage, as we do every year, including three separate supplements across the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life. "We have investigated one factual inaccuracy brought to our attention by the Orange Order statement and are happy to correct it as soon as possible.' In their statement, the Orange Order referenced a story published in the Sunday Life at the weekend on the back of a political row around the cancellation of children's sports event organised by North Down Cricket Club in Comber – branding the story 'victimisation'. The organisation also criticised media coverage of the Portrush Sons of Ulster band parade which took place during The Open golf tournament on the north coast, claiming it 'provided another opportunity for sections of the media to demonise the unionist community and our culture'. Criticising BBC NI, the Orange Order said their reporting of the cancellation of the North Down Cricket Club in Comber was 'relentless and unbalanced' and said the broadcaster's coverage of the Twelfth continued to "marginalise Orangeism". Responding in a statement on their website, a BBC NI spokesperson said its coverage of the Twelfth reflected "their scale and significance for those taking part". "We provided extensive, cross-platform coverage of the Orange Order's 12 July events," they added. "Our multiple news reports were informative and impartial.
