Free Republic

Police in Northern Ireland said they are investigating the unauthorized flying of the Irish national flag over Northern Ireland's Parliament Buildings. A representative for the Northern Ireland Assembly confirmed the tricolor Irish flag was flown over Belfast's Parliament Buildings for about 10 minutes Wednesday. "Two flags were flown without permission from the roof," the representative told the BBC. The roof and fourth floor of the Parliament Buildings, commonly referred to as Stormont, are currently under construction, with contractors having complete access to the areas, officials said. "Whatever the motivation behind this there must be a full explanation from the Assembly...

Americans ‘overreacted’ to the 9/11 attacks, according to the newly appointed first female vice-chancellor of Oxford University. Terrorism expert Professor Louise Richardson said the 2001 atrocity provoked such a response because violent extremism was a ‘new experience’ in the US. Widespread panic ensued in America after al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners and flew them into buildings, causing almost 3,000 deaths. In contrast, British citizens have shown themselves to be more ‘resilient’ in the face of terror when dealing with violence during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, she said.

George Galloway has been taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw after he was attacked on a London street, his spokesman has said.

The Conservatives have opened up a four-point lead over Labour after the biggest surge in their support for two years, a poll has suggested. A Guardian/ ICM poll showed that the Tories are six points up to 36 per cent, only one point short of their result in the 2010 General Election. Labour support fell one point to 32 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats were also down a point to 10 per cent.

“PARA USA regrets its decision to provide firearms for use in the film "Taken 3". While the film itself is entertaining, comments made by its Irish-born star during press junkets reflect a cultural and factual ignorance that undermines support of the Second Amendment and American liberties,” the company posted on its Facebook page. “We will no longer provide firearms for use in films starring Liam Neeson

Investigation after 328-foot turbine buckles at wind farm in County Tyrone despite only light winds A 328-foot tall wind turbine worth more than £2 million pounds has buckled and collapsed on a mountainside in Northern Ireland. Unconfirmed reports suggested the blades of the turbine had spun out of control - despite only light wind speeds - before the structure came crashing to the ground on Friday. Locals claimed the sound of the turbine hitting the mountain could be heard up to seven miles away from the Screggagh wind farm, near Fintona in County Tyrone.

English taxpayers face being held to ransom by Scottish and Welsh nationalists in a 'rainbow' coalition to prop up Labour - despite having voted overwhelmingly for the Conservatives. Even though Labour and the Liberal Democrats have now entered talks over a possible deal, they will only get a Commons majority if they ally themselves with minority parties from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But these parties, such as the SNP and Plaid Cymru, have said they will demand their countries be protected from cuts as a price for keeping Labour in No 10. Although last week's election was inconclusive across...

Northern Ireland’s most prominent anti-abortion activist was convicted Wednesday of harassing the director of Belfast’s only abortion clinic in the latest chapter of a bitter two-year confrontation. Bernadette Smyth, leader of the Precious Life group, was convicted on two counts of threatening Dawn Purvis, who runs British family planning service Marie Stopes’ Belfast branch. It is the only such clinic on the island of Ireland, where abortion is legal only in extreme cases where a woman’s life is deemed at risk from her pregnancy. …

A Northern Ireland man who says he fought against the Islamic State group in Syria appeared in court Saturday charged with terrorism offenses. Eamon Bradley of Londonderry is charged with possessing a grenade and receiving training in arms and explosives. A police officer told the court that the 25-year-old convert to Islam traveled to Syria earlier this year and joined the Army of Islam, a group fighting both the Syrian government and IS. He says he took part in two battles against the regime and one against the Islamic State group. …

Sinn Féin party leader Gerry Adams denied new accusations Thursday that he concealed child-abuse crimes within his own secretive movement, this time allegedly committed by a Belfast officer of the outlawed Irish Republican Army. Mairia Cahill, a member of one of Belfast’s top IRA families, appeared alongside a former foreign minister outside Ireland’s parliament to accuse Adams of conspiring to suppress her reports of being raped by an IRA commander from Adams’ home district in 1997, when she was 16. …

Labour leader says he's open to English-only 'scrutiny' of law but not vetoes. He refused to back English votes for English laws after being asked 13 times. Mr Miliband claims move was drawn up on back of a 'fag packet' by the PM . David Cameron said if Scotland gets new powers so should England. But Mr Miliband said the proposal would mean our 'Parliament being split up'. Mr Miliband says he's 'not in favour of a Commons that becomes divided'. Labour has 41 MPs in Scotland which could help it form a majority next year . ... Why should...

Like Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regional parliaments... However, England's lack of a similar legislative body has led to a messy situation where Scottish lawmakers can vote on issues that only affect England at the U.K.-wide Westminster parliament ... Just as Scotland will vote separately…on their issues of tax, spending and welfare, so too England, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland, should be able to vote on these issues

"I have long believed that a crucial part missing from this national discussion is England. "We have heard the voice of Scotland - and now the millions of voices of England must also be heard. "The question of English votes for English laws - the so-called West Lothian question -requires a decisive answer. "So, just as Scotland will vote separately in the Scottish Parliament on their issues of tax, spending and welfare so too England, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland, should be able to vote on these issues and all this must take place in tandem with, and...

September 12, 2014 Northern Ireland Firebrand Ian Paisley Dead At 88 DUBLIN -- The Rev. Ian Paisley, the divisive Protestant firebrand who devoted his life to thwarting compromise with Catholics in Northern Ireland only to become a pivotal peacemaker in his twilight years, died Friday in Belfast, his wife said. He was 88. Paisley was Northern Ireland's most polarizing politician throughout its three decades of civil strife, during which the evangelist's blistering oratory was often blamed for fueling the bloodshed that claimed 3,700 lives. Yet at the zenith of his peace-wrecking powers, Paisley in 2007 stunned the world by delivering...

The Rev Ian Paisley, Protestant firebrand and former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has died at the age of 88. The Rev Paisley served as First Minister of Northern Ireland for a year when power was first devolved in 2007. His deputy, Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin, expressed sadness at the news of his death. “Over a number of decades we were political opponents and held very different views on many, many issues but the one thing we were absolutely united on was the principle that our people were better able to govern themselves than any British government,” he...

Former taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Albert Reynolds has died. He was 81. He became the eighth taoiseach of the country in 1992, serving for just under three years. His family said last year that he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Northern Ireland’s leading pro-life group, Precious Life, has condemned this week's announcement by Justice Minister David Ford that a consultation on changing the abortion law will be "ready by autumn." The government is considering allowing the killing of pre-born babies suspected of being disabled and those conceived through rape or incest. “Abortion is a serious criminal offence in Northern Ireland,” said the director of Precious Life, Bernadette Smyth. “The law here protects unborn babies, and David Ford as Minister for Justice must ensure that all children are legally protected." Last December, Ford revealed he would be undertaking a consultation to...

The longest sea bridge in the world at 20.2 miles long is the Donghai bridge that links Shanghai to Yangshan in China. A bridge from either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland would have to be even longer than that. In 2007, a 21-mile rail bridge was proposed between Galloway, Scotland, to Belfast, Northern Ireland. The idea would have trains running from Dublin, through Belfast, over the sea to Scotland, and then down railways into London... "Four main routes have been proposed. Two run from Scotland to Northern Ireland - Campbeltown to County Antrim, or Stranraer to Belfast. Two...

A Christian-run bakery is facing legal action from a Government agency for refusing to produce a cake carrying a picture of the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie and the slogan “support gay marriage”. Ashers Baking Co., based in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, canceled an order for a novelty cake with a picture of the puppets arm in arm printed onto the icing saying that it went against the directors’ religious beliefs. They believe that producing the cake with the slogan and the logo of QueerSpace, a gay rights group the would-be customer supports, would amount to endorsing the campaign for...

People in Northern Ireland are older and more likely to be atheist and divorced than their neighbors in the Republic. A new census report systematically compares life in the two jurisdictions for the first time, highlighting key differences and similarities in religion, lifestyle and work. […] Marriage and living together are both slightly more common in the Republic while splitting up and lone parenthood are more common in Northern Ireland. Nearly one in 10 adults in Northern Ireland is divorced or separated—which is nearly twice as many as in the Republic—and 37% of northerners are single compared with 42% of...