The Independent

 SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said it has been a “great privilege” to lead the party and tipped fellow MP Claire Hanna as his successor.Mr Eastwood is set to resign at the party’s conference in October after nine years at the helm of the party he joined as a teenager.Speaking at a press conference in Londonderry on Thursday, Mr Eastwood said he wants to become a voice for change and developing a new Ireland, describing the post-Brexit environment as a “moment of opportunity”.Ms Hanna has not ruled herself out of the running to be the next SDLP leader.Colum Eastwood...

Eastwood says ‘great privilege’ to lead SDLP and tips Hanna as successor

 Colum Eastwood is to quit as leader of the SDLP, the PA news agency understands.Mr Eastwood is expected to announce the decision when he “makes a personal statement” about his future on Thursday, a senior SDLP source said.The MP for Foyle became the party’s youngest ever leader in 2015, having taken over from Alasdair McDonnell following a leadership contest that he won by fewer than 40 votes.The 41-year-old father of two also previously served as the mayor of Londonderry.While Mr Eastwood led the party as it consolidated its position in Westminster, the SDLP has failed to make progress at...

Colum Eastwood to quit as SDLP leader

Firefighters were called to the Enva site at the Colwick Industrial Estate in the early hours.

Fire crews tackle blaze at industrial site

Dr Christopher Ogbonna is suspended after pressuring patient to help with an assessment.

Doctor who asked patient to cry suspended

PopCulture

The 'Hardy Bucks' actor's cause of death has not been disclosed.

Comedic Actor Found Dead in Ireland: Investigation Underway Into Alan Carter's Death

A report has found failings in safeguarding at Brook House, a year after an inquiry ended.

'Continuing failings' at Brook House after inquiry

NHS Grampian says the electrical the fire broke out at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Part of hospital evacuated following fire

A farmer has been ordered to pay £3,500 for letting his grandchildren ride on a tractor. Howard Walters, 78, was also given a 12-month community order after he was spotted with a child in the cab as he fed cattle. Walters had already been handed a prohibition notice by...

Farmer fined for letting grandchildren on tractor

The Home Office says it will also deploy 100 intelligence officers to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

Ministers pledge to return more illegal migrants

The 57-year-old man is also charged with assaulting an emergency worker.

Man charged following house explosion

The government confirms three more cases of bluetongue virus in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Three more cases of bluetongue disease confirmed

Bryonie Gawith and her three children Denisty, Oscar and Aubree died in the blaze in Bradford.

Murder charges over house fire that killed family

 Pensioners across the country are facing a bleak winter, as Ofgem increased its price cap meaning average household bills could rise by £149 from October. For the older generation, this financial blow follows Rachel Reeves’ decision to means test the winter fuel payment for pensioners in order to tackle a £22bn “black hole” in this year’s budget. The loss of this payment, worth between £100 and £300, means that a number of society’s most vulnerable are facing the prospect of choosing between food and heating.Philip Mulholland, from Mansfield, is dependent on keeping his council bungalow well-heated due to his...

‘A bad winter would finish me off’: The pensioners facing fuel poverty

Two men have been arrested after almost 150 cannabis plants were found at a house in Nottingham. Nottinghamshire Police said they were called to reports a man had been threatened on Monday, which led to them finding the grow at a house in Tunstall Crescent, Aspley. The force said plants...

Arrests after almost 150 cannabis plants found

White paint daubed in three locations is removed by Birmingham City Council.

Police investigate 'no whites' graffiti on walls

 A fire at a church in east Belfast is being investigated as a racially motivated hate crime.Police said an angle grinder-type tool was used to cut a hole in shutters at the premises in Templemore Street on Tuesday night before a fire was started.Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which caused damage to the shutters and front hall of the building, which is used by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG).Let us be clear, racism has no place in our community. We are deeply saddened that this has happened, especially to a church and organisation which seeks to help...

Race hate crime suspected after arson attack on east Belfast church

Jake Spencer has shared his story to raise awareness and empower people to seek a second opinion.

'My cancer was misdiagnosed for three years'

A 17-year-old boy who was part of a mob that attacked and damaged a BMW with three Romanian men inside has been given a 12-month detention order. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously admitted violent disorder, burgling three shops and damaging two vehicles in Hull after trouble flared in the city centre on 3 August.

Hull riot: Boy's actions 'some of worst' judge has seen

A motorcyclist has died in a crash with a car in Herefordshire. It happened on the A4112, near Kinnersley, at about 11:00 BST on Sunday, police said. West Midlands Ambulance Service said the motorcyclist, a man in his 20s, was being cared for by an off-duty doctor when crews arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Motorcyclist dies in crash involving car

A vigil has been held in Londonderry for Spanish woman Montserrat Martorell, who was killed in the city last weekend. Dozens of people gathered in Guildhall Square on Thursday evening with banners saying 'End Violence Against Women'. Earlier on Thursday a man appeared in court charged with the murder of...

Vigil held in Derry to remember Montserrat Martorell

NewsBreak

Good time to step down for burnt-out SDLP leader

With the next planned elections three years away, it seemed as good a time as any to call it...

Good time to step down for burnt-out SDLP leader

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