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Northern Ireland

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Police in the North are investigating a paramilitary-style shooting in Belfast on Monday night.

One man was wounded in the incident, though his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

The man, believed to be in his 30s, was shot in both of his legs in the Ardoyne area of North Belfast at around 9.00pm.

He has been taken to hospital for treatment.

Sinn Fein councillor, Gerry McCabe, said: "There can be no place for these type of actions in our society.”

“The people responsible need to end their campaign against the community.”

Adding, “I would encourage anyone with information to bring it forward to the police.”

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A young man has died following an assault in Derry in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The 19-year-old victim was attacked by another man in the William Street area of the city.

The man suffered serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital before he was pronounced dead a short time later.

MLA, Mark H Durkan, has expressed sadness following the incident:

'”There is a real sense of sadness and shock across Derry today as the city wakes to the awful news that a young man has lost his life as the result of an incident in our city centre last night.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone affected at this unimaginably difficult time.”

An investigation has commeneced and police in the North are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

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Amnesty International have welcomed the clarification as the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North has confirmed that medical staff in Northern Ireland who refer women for abortions in other parts of the UK will not face criminal prosecution.

The move has been hailed as a significant breakthrough by those who oppose the laws surrounding the procedure.

It's thought that the uncertainty around the topic left doctors feeling as though they were unable to refer their patients over fears of possible prosecution.

Grainne Teggart from Amnesty International in Northern Ireland, said: "The threat of prosecution has long loomed over medical professionals in Northern Ireland, who have previously felt unable to refer women to other parts of the UK for abortion services for fear of criminal prosecution. This has acted as a significant barrier for women seeking to access abortion."

"The Public Prosecution Service has now stated clearly they can see no risk of criminal prosecution in these circumstances. This is hugely important and should relieve the profession of this chilling threat. This is a significant breakthrough in the fight for abortion rights here."

Northern Ireland remains the only country in the United Kingdom where a ban on terminations remains in place.

As a result, hundreds of women of forced to travel every year in order to avail of the procedure.

The UK government recently committed to funding for women from Northern Ireland to access free abortions in England.

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Northern Ireland is the only part of the country in which marriage equality does not exist.

Thousands of people are taking part in a demonstration in Belfast city centre to urge the government to rectify this. 

The march set off off from Writers' Square and will culminate in a rally at Belfast City Hall.

The ban is a major issue for NI. 

The Northern Ireland Assembly has already voted five times on whether to introduce same-sex marriage.

Celebrities such as Liam Neeson, Gary Lightbody, Graham Norton and Neil Hannon have given their support to the campaign.

'My own mother was from Northern Ireland, so of course I have a huge affection for the place and its people,' said Graham Norton.

'I know it is hugely frustrating for gay people there that it is the last part of these islands still without marriage equality.'

'Especially when there is such overwhelming support for it among the public.'

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The British government will fund abortions for Northern Irish women who travel to England, it was today announced.

The news, announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond, comes following mounting pressure from MPs calling for the government to provide funds to those women who are forced to travel for terminations.

Northern Ireland remains the only county in the United Kingdom where abortion is illegal, expect in cases where the life or mental health of the mother are at risk.

Should a woman wish to have an abortion, she must do so privately and travel to England at her own expense, despite paying UK taxes, which contribute to the NHS.

A proposed amendment to the Queen's Speech, coordinated by Labour lawmaker, Stella Creasy, gathered widespread support throughout the House of Commons.

The proposal asked the government to ensure "the provision of adequate funding and guidance so that all UK citizens including those from Northern Ireland may access medical services including abortion procedures in England if they so wish without charge."

However, it is thought that today's announcement will be enough to satisfy Tory MPs enough to ensure that Ms Creasy's amendment does not pass, or she withdraws it.

The Labour MP took to Twitter to react to today's announcement:

Charities across the UK and Ireland have also welcomed the move with a spokesperson from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service saying:

"We are absolutely delighted that the government has committed to funding abortion care for women who travel from Northern Ireland to England."

"This is a landmark moment: for years the women of Northern Ireland, despite being UK citizens and taxpayers, have not been entitled to NHS-funded treatment."

Stella Casey has also vowed to help the women of Northern Ireland to fight for their rights in their own country 

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Currently, women who reside in Northern Ireland are not eligible to receive free abortions on the NHS, despite being citizens of the United Kingdom.

However, the UK's highest court is to rule on a legal battle around this issue after a case was brought forward by a 20-year-old woman and her mother.

The woman at the centre of the appeal was just 15-years-old when she and her mother travelled to Manchester in October 2012.

She was told she would have to pay hundreds of pounds for a termination as she was not entitled to the free services.

The mother and daughter, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had originally lost their action in the London High Courts when a judge ruled that the exclusion was lawful in May 2014.

They then suffered another defeat at the Court of Appeal in 2015.

The Supreme Court's deputy president Lady Hale and four other justices are ruling on their challenge against that earlier decision.

During proceedings last year, the justices heard how the women of Northern Ireland were being treated as “second-class citizens.”

Stephen Cragg QC (Queen's Counsel), for the mother and daughter, told the court: " They live in the UK, but – unlike all other women and girls in the UK – they are at risk of the most serious criminal penalty if they procure an abortion in their own area."

He also pointed out that  "unlike all other women and girls in the UK", they "cannot access abortion services through the NHS free of charge", adding: "In terms of reproductive rights, they are second-class citizens."

The news comes following statistics published by the UK Department of Health showing that 3,265 women from the Republic of Ireland and 724 women from Northern Ireland travelled to the UK for terminations in 2016.   

Feature Image: The Independent

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European Union leaders have agreed today that Northern Ireland will automatically become part of the EU if a future Border poll shows favour of a united Ireland.

The decision was made at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels to discuss the implications and effects of Brexit on Ireland which concluded this afternoon. 

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that Ireland’s difficulties in regards to border negotiations were understood by European leaders.

The leaders of the remaining EU states also approved guidelines for how the EU trading bloc will conduct its Brexit negotiations with the United Kingdom.

European Council president Donald Tusk said the summit had approved the guidelines in less than a minute, according to The Irish Times.

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Parents in their 50s have been shot and are currently in hospital – after trying to protect their son.

The man and the woman refused to hand over their child to a Northern Irish gang, and were subsequently shot in the legs by the gunmen.

It is understood that the perpetrators of the attack are paramilitaries based in west Belfast. 

They arrived at a house in the Turf Lodge area of the city yesterday evening at around 6.15pm, but the boy's parents bravely fought them off. 

A police source told RTÉ News: "The parents wouldn't give the son over so they were shot instead. There are a number of other lads in Belfast under similar threat at the minute."

The parents are currently in a stable condition at Royal Victoria Hospital.

A local Sinn Féin politician, Pat Sheehan, was adamant that none of the family are involved in any criminality.

"There can be absolutely no justification for these type of actions," he told RTÉ. "Whoever is responsible needs to stop these barbaric attacks immediately."

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A letter dated today has confirmed that Martin McGuinness will step down from his position as Deputy First Minister this evening.

The Sinn Fein member will resign with "deep regret and reluctance" at 5pm today.

As confirmed by his party, Mr McGuiness's resignation is in protest at the Democratic Unionist Party's handling of a renewable energy scheme.

RTÉ reports that it is likely the move will prompt a snap election in the Northern Ireland Assembly. And independent.co.uk has stated that a "dangerous political crisis is now looming" in the region. 

His DUP counterpart, Arlene Foster, continues to refuse to resign over a lingering financial scandal – despite repeated calls to do so from various political fractions in Northern Ireland.

She is accused of badly bundling a major government scheme while she was an executive minister.

Dubbed the “cash for ash” scandal, an apparent loophole seemed to give businesses a financial incentive to burn fuel pointless; close to half a billion pounds is thought to have been misspent in the process.

Furthermore, there is some suggestion that Ms Foster tried to cover-up her involvement in the programme. 

She strongly denies any wrongdoing.

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Watch out, ladies, because Kit Harrington is in Northern Ireland!

The star is currently filming season seven of Game of Thrones, and has been spotted out and about in Belfast.

He's a firm fave among fans there as he rarely says no to a picture. He was also spotted his girlfriend, former GOT co-star Rose Leslie. Rumour had it that the pair had split up, but if she's following him over to our green shores, we'd say they're very much still together.

Have you spotted any other GOT cast?

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It's the first week since the controversial Brexit vote was passed in the United Kingdom, and we are slowly starting to see results in our everyday life. 

Ireland has seen a MAJOR surge in applications for passports this week from British citizens, with 1 in 4 claiming Irish heritage.

And it would seem that many Britons are desperate to maintain a link with the European Union. 

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Our Foreign Affairs Minister, Charlie Flanagan, has had to intervene, pleading with desperate Britons to hold off with passport applications unless it is urgent.

According to reports, increased interest is putting a major strain on our passport services department. 

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'The increased interest clearly points to a sense of concern among some UK passport holders that the rights they enjoy as EU citizens are about to abruptly end.' said Mr. Flanagan.

The Minister went on to explain that the freedom of movement act would still be in tact until discussions take place regarding the terms of Brexit.

This all comes as post offices in Northern Ireland ran out of Irish passport application forms.

It has been explained to those wanted to claim Irish citizenship that if one of your parents was born in Ireland, you are eligible. 

However, some people are going to mind-blowing lengths to maintain EU citizenship.

The government in Malta has been selling passports to wealthy Brits for up to €650,000. Applicants to this scheme are also required to buy property and invest in government bonds. 

Cyprus are offering a similar scheme, which would set you back a cool €5million.

It was confirmed that Britain had voted to leave the EU last Friday.

Centre Images: dailymail.com

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*UPDATE Wednesday, June 15, 12pm: Kane has now been found. His friends say he was attacked and robbed in Nice, but that otherwise he is well and safe. They have thanked everyone who shared the campaign for their support. 

 

The friends and family of soccer fan Kane Leslie are getting behind a social media campaign to locate him in Nice. 

The young Northern Irish man has been missing since Sunday afternoon and significantly missed his team's first Euro 2016 match against Poland.

It is believed that he has last seen heading towards the French costal city's beach.

Among those who retweeted the appeal was Calum Best, the socialite son of Belfast legend George, and radio presenter Colin Murray.

He has now officially been reported as a missing person to French police. A close friend – Steve Hudson – who is driving the campaign with the hashtag #findKane added on Twitter this morning that he believes Mr Leslie has lost his wallet.

Anyone with information about Kane's whereabouts is being asked to contact Steve on social media.

Yesterday, it was revealed that a young Northern Irish fan had become the first fatality of Euro 2016. Darren Rodgers, who was 24 and from Ballymena, fell 8metres to his death on Nice's beach promenade. 

As a mark of respect, Republic of Ireland fans stood up and applauded on the 24th minute of their team's game against Sweden yesterday evening. 

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