Northern Ireland
Trump's comments on a united Ireland may have targeted audience across the Atlantic
Trump's comments on a united Ireland may have targeted audience across the Atlantic When another world leader meets US President Donald Trump the only certainty about what might happen is the uncertainty about what might happen. This was exactly the case ahead of President Trump's two-day visit to Ireland. Nobody could have predicted that by the end of the first day, the main global headline would be his desire to see a unified Ireland . As the shockwaves of his remarks rippled through this island and Great Britain, it was unclear whether this represented a new US administration policy, or an off-the-cuff remark from a president who likes to take questions from reporters, and likes to give answers. Former Republican Congressman Mick Mulvaney was Trump's special envoy to Northern Ireland in his first term in office. He cautioned against anyone reading too much into the president's remarks.
'I was beating adults at chess when I was eight'
'I was beating adults at chess when I was eight' When I was eight or nine I was beating adults at chess and they were raging when they lost, like'I just lost to a little kid'. Ethan first became interested in chess when he was six years old after he spotted someone else playing. Now 13, he plays for Strand Chess Club in east Belfast and has represented Ireland through all his age groups. Last week he became the youngest Ulster chess champion in history - not just in his age category but across all ages. I was really surprised because I've never won any of the big tournaments before, I've always got so close and I managed to win it in the end, Ethan told BBC News NI.
'I was blown away' - the fans who heard Phoebe Bridgers' unreleased album in a planetarium
'I was blown away' - the fans who heard Phoebe Bridgers' unreleased album in a planetarium Image caption, Lost Weekend is Phoebe Bridgers' first solo album in six years What happens when a Grammy Award-winning artist, one of the most anticipated albums of the year and a planetarium collide? This week the small city of Armagh found out. It's been six years since songwriter Phoebe Bridgers last released an album, so the release of Lost Weekend on Friday marks, as The Guardian says, a long-awaited return, external . Since her last record, the critically acclaimed Punisher, she's recorded and toured with Grammy Award-winning supergroup boygenius, as well as navigating grief after the death of her father. And now, in the days leading up to Lost Weekend's release, she's giving a handful of fans an immersive audio-visual experience at planetariums across the world. Only two venues in the UK - Glasgow and Armagh - were chosen to take part.
From singing in a bar to performing as an alien in new Supergirl film
How a singer's chance encounter led to an alien experience in Hollywood Would you like to be in my film? It's a question any singer songwriter dreams of being asked by a big movie director, and when the question was put to Winnie Ama after performing in a bar one night, she couldn't believe her luck. But there was a catch. As part of her role in the new Supergirl movie, her original song What Are We needed to be translated into an alien language. Two weeks after the Belfast singer's chance encounter with the film's director, she and her pianist were invited for an official audition.
New photograph marks Queen's 79th birthday
New photograph marks Queen's 79th birthday A new photograph of Queen Camilla has been released to celebrate her 79th birthday. The picture, showing the Queen in a long blue dress, was taken last month in the state drawing room of Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Buckingham Palace said the Queen was marking her birthday with a renewed commitment to supporting children's literacy, with the announcement that every year 6 and P6 child across the UK will be gifted a special edition of the book Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell this Christmas. Much of the Queen's public work supports reading and literacy, including the creation of the Reading Room charity designed to promote the benefits of reading. Rundell's book will be distributed to children through schools and libraries.
Young people in NI to be offered MenB vaccine from 31 July
A meningitis B (MenB) vaccination programme targeting young people and university students in Northern Ireland will roll out from 31 July, NI's chief medical officer has said. It follows an outbreak in England earlier this year, in which two people - a university student and a sixth-form pupil - died. The two-dose vaccine will be offered to those deemed most at risk from the infection, including Year 14 students and under-25s starting university or a Higher Education institution for the first time this autumn. MenB is a bacterial infection that can cause serious, life-threatening illness including inflammation of the lining of the brain and blood poisoning (sepsis). It is spread by close contact such as kissing, sharing vapes or drinks, or living in close quarters - like student accommodation - with a person who has the disease.
Millions of people can get discounts on their bills - here's how
Millions of people can get discounts on their bills - here's how Water, phone and broadband companies are willing to give millions of people discounted deals on their bills. Social tariffs - sometimes known as essential, or basic, tariffs - can reduce bills for people on various benefits. Generally, you only need to ask your supplier to get on one. Importantly, they are not price promotions designed to attract customers, but lower bills for the same service for those who would otherwise struggle to pay. Most people who have fallen behind on paying their bills are unaware this help is available, a major report has suggested.