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The Journal
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Concerns that Eleventh Night bonfire may be putting power supply to Belfast hospitals at risk
THERE ARE CONCERNS that a bonfire planned for the Eleventh Night could cause power outages at the two main hospitals in Belfast City. The fire is to be located on a vacant lot off the Donegall Road, which also has a significant amount of asbestos on-site. It's about halfway between Belfast City Hospital and Royal Belfast Hospital. Nearby is a major electricity substation, which Northern Ireland Energy (NIE) said could be damaged by the fire, potentially leading to significant knock-on effects in the surrounding area. The Belfast Trust told the BBC that senior engineers will remain on site at Belfast City Hospital during the Eleventh night to act in the event of an outage. Bonfires are lit annually in some unionist areas of Northern Ireland the night before the Twelfth of July celebrations. The bonfires have grown in size over the years. Some are made of hundreds of wooden pallets that tower over communities and produce large volumes of smoke when burned. Former senior PSNI officer Jon Burrows told The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster that many agencies, from the police to the Council, need to come together to ensure that this bonfire can go ahead safely, or be cancelled altogether. 'The police can't blunder in these things alone. What they need to be doing is being part of a solution led by the likes of Belfast City Council,' he said. 'People have a right to have cultural traditions and they should be respected and protected, but bonfires should be safe, should be lawful and should be respectful.' Advertisement Wooden pallets stacked for a bonfire off Oldpark Road, Belfast, in 2023 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O'Toole said that loyalists have a right to celebrate their culture, but the bonfire, if held in this particular area, 'will pose a real risk to the public health of everyone in the vicinity'. He said that the Minister for the Environment, the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency nor Belfast City Council have taken responsibility for removing the asbestos. 'Allowing a bonfire to be lit beside asbestos would not be allowed to happen in any other jurisdiction and we shouldn't have to put up with it here,' he said in a statement. 'This will pose a real risk to the public health of everyone in the vicinity of this bonfire and it's clear that given how harmful this material is it will be almost impossible to mitigate that risk.' A man waving a Union Jack flag in front of a bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast on the 11 July, 2019 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Former DUP Health Minister Jim Wells told The Nolan Show that if he were in office, he would engage immediately with the bonfire organisers 'to ensure that the bonfire did not cause any damage to essential infrastructure'. Wells said he'd like to see a return to smaller displays so that people can celebrate the Eleventh Night but 'you wouldn't know there'd been anything there the following morning after the clear up'. 'That's a way the loyalist community can celebrate its culture without causing damage to its own community and antagonism to others,' he said. 'We cannot, over the Twelfth weekend, endanger the power supplies to our major hospitals, because there'll be many people at bonfires who may well end up in A&E for various reasons.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mum distraught to find 'metal screw' in son's baby food and says it made him ill
An Irish mum was left aghast after discovering a 'metal screw' in a jar of baby food she was giving to her young son. The Lisburn-based mother, known as Kelly, was gobsmacked to find the foreign object in a jar of Heinz baby food purchased from her local Tesco. While Tesco has expressed uncertainty about how the item got into the jar, Heinz insists it didn't come from their factory. Chatting on The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster on Wednesday, Kelly recounted how she had picked up the Heinz By Nature Spaghetti Bolognese toddler meal from her nearby Tesco for her one year old son Reuben. She had already fed him half the jar before stumbling upon the "absolutely terrifying" discovery of a sharp piece concealed within the meal. "When I was putting it (the food) out, a rivet or nail type item, clearly metal, fell out of the jar. It seemed to be lightweight and light in colour. I'm no metal expert but my guess would be that it's an aluminium rivet and about the size of your thumbnail. "I was completely shocked and didn't know what to think. I called my partner in and we stood there looking at it. We didn't know what to do. I think the worst bit was that these jars keep and I had already fed the baby half of that jar the day before. That was the frightening part about it, it was the second half of the jar that I found the rivet in," reports Belfast Live. "Obviously there's two issues when you find something in a jar of baby food. The main one is the choking hazard when babies are only learning how to chew and how to manage different foods. As an adult we would know to spit that out but babies don't know that so if there's metal in there they'd easily swallow that, choke on it or it'd cause all sorts of issues with its insides. I'm just grateful that I did see it before it was fed to him." Kelly wasted no time getting in touch with Heinz, and they were quick to respond, offering a letter and a £10 (€12) voucher as "a sincere gesture". Explaining further, she recounted, "They (Heinz) were very good at the start and obviously concerned about it. They sent out a package for me to return the piece of metal and the jar lid. Apparently that's how they trace the batch. That came out very quickly in the first class post and returned for them to investigate it. They came back with a letter, again that was very quick, with the outcome of it." However, Kelly expressed dissatisfaction with their response: "They said they'd given the matter their careful attention and consideration that the item is metal (which was obvious) but regrettably we cannot come to any definitive conclusion on its source. "Our processes include powerful magnets and metal detectors and we cannot explain how this issue came to be associated with our product. So there's no outcome and to me that hasn't been investigated properly. There's no mention in the letter of them doing a batch recall, which was the part that concerned me most. "If something has gone wrong in that batch room machinery and there were rivets falling off into the food, in my opinion that whole batch should be recalled. Whether they've done that and not mentioned it in the letter, I don't know. And there's nothing in Tesco to say there's been a recall so to my knowledge it's not being recalled." Kelly says she had to take Reuben to hospital two days later due to a rash all over his body: "It sounds silly now but at the time I didn't associate it with that and now looking back, it could potentially be due to some contamination from that metal. We don't know and we'll never know now." At this stage it is not known how the nail found its way into the product or if this was an isolated incident and similar items have been found in any other products. "That's not enough for me - if you don't know then production needs to stop until you do know. This is metal in baby food," Kelly added. "And for me this was never about money, compensation or anything like that. It literally was a concern and when they came back to say 'here's a voucher', it was for £10 and that's what Heinz valued this incident as. "To me that outraged me, it's insulting, my son could have choked on this and they valued that incident with £10 - would that even get you two bottles of brown sauce because nobody in their right mind would buy any more baby food off them?". After being unimpressed with Heinz's approach, Kelly reached out to Tesco, who explained they couldn't look into the issue as she didn't have the metal shard anymore, having sent it back to Heinz already. Heinz has not yet made a statement regarding the matter. Meanwhile, a Tesco representative shared: "We were sorry to hear about this customer's experience with a Heinz product. We work closely with branded suppliers to ensure that they have robust quality procedures in place and are in ongoing conversations with the supplier about the outcome of their investigation."
The Irish Sun
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘Disturbing scenes' as houses destroyed in Ballymena riots hours after two boys charged over attempted rape of teen girl
HOMES were destroyed and missiles were thrown at cops by masked thugs last night in "disturbing scenes" as rioting broke out in Ballymena, Co Antrim. The unrest broke out after an estimated 2,500 people gathered after a teenage girl was allegedly the victim of a serious sexual assault at the weekend. 6 A number of missiles were thrown towards police during the incident Credit: Pacemaker 6 Amidst the carnage, a boat could be seen overturned in the street Credit: Pacemaker 6 Firefighters attended the scene after two properties were set alight Credit: Pacemaker The crowd had initially gathered to support the family of the girl but A line of police vehicles advanced towards the protesters followed by officers on foot. Those involved in the violent incident burned plastic road barriers and bins that were making up a part of the barricade on the street and clips show masked yobs tossing missiles at Firefighters later responded to the burning debris on the road and inspected a nearby house which had filled with smoke. READ MORE IRISH NEWS Justice Minister Naomi Long said there can be 'no justification' for such 'appalling' scenes. She said: "I am absolutely appalled by the disturbing scenes in Ballymena yesterday evening during which PSNI officers were injured, residents terrorised, and properties damaged. 'There is absolutely no place in our society for such disorder and there can be no justification for it." Long said attacking homes and police officers "serves no purpose other than to damage communities and raise tension", adding that those involved in the violence will be "held accountable". MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN The carnage erupted hours after two 14-year-old boys appeared at Coleraine Magistrates' The boys, who legally cannot be named due to their age, spoke to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges. Tyler Hoey, Deputy mayor of Mid and East 'NARRATIVE HAS BEEN DIVERTED' Speaking on BBC's The Nolan Show, he added that the violence that followed "has to be condemned" and called for peace on the streets. North Antrim MP Mr Allister said he had spoken to the family of the girl who was the victim of the alleged sexual assault and they did not want to see violent scenes. He said: 'Sadly the narrative has been diverted, and it has been diverted by those who wrongly and foolishly involved in violence and made the story something that what it otherwise should be. "My message is the violence should stop. The concerns are there, I am certainly aware of them, I hear them and there needs now to be a period of calm and justice needs to take its course." 'URGING EVERYONE TO REMAIN CALM' Several properties in the Clonavon Terrace area suffered severe damage last night, including broken windows, and a boat could be seen overturned in the street. It is understood that at least two houses were set alight during the incident, with flames from these homes spreading to nearby properties. Police dogs were deployed to the area and PSNI riot officers attended the scene in an attempt to "bring calm". Chief Superintendent Sue Steen appealed for locals to remain calm and refrain from engaging in violence. She said: "We are urging everyone to remain calm and to act responsibly. "Violence and disorder will only place people at greater risk. "Our priority is to keep the community safe, and I would appeal to everyone to work with us to bring calm to the area as quickly as possible." 6 People wearing masks threw masonry and other missiles at police, while houses were set on fire Credit: Pacemaker 6 Police remained in the area overnight to monitor the situation Credit: Pacemaker 6 PSNI riot officers were among those deployed to the scene Credit: Pacemaker
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
'Girls shouldn't have to wear skirts to school'
Two school girls from County Fermanagh are campaigning for legislation to force schools to offer girls a choice between skirts and trousers. Rhea and Astrid successfully campaigned for Enniskillen Integrated Primary School to allow girls to wear trousers, and said it's "weird and unfair" that some schools still enforce skirts. They are taking their case to Stormont's education committee on Tuesday afternoon as part of a hearing into broad changes to school uniform law. Education Minister Paul Givan told BBC News NI the decision lies with individual schools and their boards of governors. Some schools in Northern Ireland already allow girls to have a choice between trousers and skirts. Enniskillen Integrated Primary were prompted to change their policy after Rhea and Astrid contacted Dr Mairead Ryan, whose research outlined a relation between school uniforms and physical activity. In a letter to the school, Dr Ryan said: "Gendered uniforms can limit girls' movement and engagement in physical activities." "Uniform items like dresses and skirts can restrict certain movements and inhibit young girls from climbing, jumping, and participating in other forms of active play that are crucial for their development," she added. Rhea said: "I didn't really like being made to wear a skirt, it just felt wrong. It's 2025. "It's quite hard to run around without your skirt blowing up in the wind," she added. "All schools have the power to change it so if you have the power, then I think you probably should." Astrid said: "I think its important to have the choice for our privacy and for our comfort. "It's weird that some schools don't give you the choice to wear trousers. It's a bit old school." Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Education Minister, Paul Givan, said: "Whenever it comes to decisions should I then give the legal right for a child to say I'm going to wear a school tie or not." When challenged, he said "I'm widening it out, because it can't be taken in isolation between a trouser and a skirt." The committee hearing on Tuesday will examine wide ranging changes proposed to the law around school uniforms. It includes proposals to make school uniforms more affordable, and limiting the amount of branded items which parents and retailers have said drives up the cost. Sports kits that 'don't last' push prices 'up and up and up' Should there be a school uniform price limit? Schools could be forced to explain uniform price under new law
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police defend arrests of Pro-Palestinian protestors
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has defended its actions after two women, one of whom is a pensioner, were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest in Belfast. Sue Pentel, 72, a long-standing campaigner and member of Jews for Palestine Ireland, and another woman in her 50s were detained by police outside a Barclays Bank branch in Castle Place on Saturday. Both were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Stickers had been placed on an ATM. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said having looked at body-cam footage of the incident, determined that the officer's actions were "lawful and proportionate". "I am limited in what I can say about this incident as due process must be allowed to run its course," he said in a statement to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show. "However, due to the degree of interest in this case, I want to reassure the public that, having reviewed footage of the incident (including from body worn camera,) I am satisfied that our officers acted with courtesy and professionalism." ACC Henderson said the officers were reacting to an emergency call from a city centre business. "Their actions were lawful and proportionate to the situation they discovered," he added. Both of the women were released later on Saturday, pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service. ACC Henderson said the right to both freedom of speech and assembly are "fundamental human rights". "However, they must be balanced with the need to uphold the rights of others, protect public health and safety, minimise disruption to normal life and by the need to prevent and detect crime." Following the arrests, a number of pro-Palestinian protesters held a further demonstration outside Musgrave Street PSNI station. Branches of Barclays have been targeted around the UK by pro-Palestinian groups, who want the bank to stop investing in certain companies. There has been mass condemnation of the arrests, with Ms Pentel's solicitor Pádraig Ó Muirigh saying she was detained after "peacefully protesting". "She has committed no offence and should not be criminalised for exercising her right to peaceful protest against these ongoing atrocities," he said in a statement. "Our client will robustly contest any attempt to criminalise her if a decision is made to prosecute. "We will also be advising her in relation to the lawfulness of her arrest." Patrick Corrigan, the Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International UK, told The Nolan Show that the right to protest is "fundamental to our democracy". "That includes making the point with your body – standing in the street or even with placing a sticker - those symbolic acts," he added. "It's in the public interest that police protect those rights." Mr Corrigan said peaceful protest is protected by law "even when it disruptive or causes a minor nuisance to people but that is not a reason to criminalise people". "When you arrest people for a sticker you lose all sense of balance." Pensioner arrested during pro-Palestinian protest
