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Kingspan evaded responsibilities over Grenfell

UK Housing Secretary Michael Gove has accused insulation company Kingspan of trying to “wriggle out of their responsibilities” in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire as he blamed the firm for giving capitalism “a bad name”. Mr Gove welcomed the news this week that Ulster Rugby’s sponsorship deal with the …

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Call for improvement to defective blocks grant scheme

The Government’s Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme needs to be improved, according to a draft report from the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee. A delegation from the committee travelled to Ireland last year to investigate issues related to Mica, following the submission of a number of petitions received from Ireland. …

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Irish-language film Kneecap premieres at Sundance

The Irish-language film Kneecap, “the origin story of the riotous and ground-breaking” Belfast rap trio of the same name, had its world premiere at the iconic Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Thursday and garnered an enthusiastic reaction among attendees. The Utah audience gave the film an enthusiastic round of …

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Newborn baby found alive in shopping bag in east London

A newborn baby is being cared for in hospital after she was found in a shopping bag by a dog walker in London during sub-zero temperatures. Police are trying to trace the little girl’s mother who they say will be in need of immediate medical attention. The baby, who police …

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Ireland takes case against UK over NI Amnesty Law

The European Court Of Human Rights has said that Ireland had launched a legal challenge against Britain over a new law that gives conditional amnesties to former soldiers and paramilitaries during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The law has been condemned by victims’ families, human-rights groups and all major political …

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Rise in number of people who received PUP while working

The number of people believed to have received the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) while they were working has “increased quite significantly” with the estimate more than doubling, the Department of Social Protection has said. Last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) reported that the department hoped to recover up …

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Wet and windy weather to replace icy conditions

Snow and ice warnings are set to be replaced by wet and windy weather as temperatures rise slightly after this week’s cold snap. Met Éireann said that after another cold day today, it will be milder tomorrow with outbreaks of rain drizzle. However, heavy rain and strong winds will hit …

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Ukrainian drone downed, oil depot catches fire

Oil tanks at a storage facility in the town of Klintsy in Russia’s Bryansk region caught fire after the military brought down a Ukrainian drone, Alexander Bogomaz, the regional governor, has said. According to preliminary information, nobody had been hurt in the incident, Mr Bogomaz said, adding that the fire …

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How Ballinamore has fared 4 years after asylum protests

It is more than four years since people in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, mounted protests in opposition to plans to move asylum seekers into the town. In October 2019, placards with the slogans “Community Not Compounds”, “System Failure” and “Proportionate Provision” were carried by locals on pickets outside the apartment complex …

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N Korea says tested ‘underwater nuclear weapon system’

North Korea has said that it had tested an “underwater nuclear weapon system” in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that involved a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The drills were “seriously threatening the security” of the North, so in response, Pyongyang “conducted an important test of …

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