55 m. ago ‘Where are the foreigners’: does a facile explanation lie behind Ballymena’s outbreak of hate?

Northern Ireland faces stark questions over the racism, xenophobia and intolerance that has forced families from abroad to fleeFirst came the shouts as the crowd worked its way through narrow terraced streets, proclaiming its mission to rid the town of “scum”. Then came the shattered glass as rocks exploded through windows. Then the flames, licking up curtains and spreading to sofas, carpets, books and framed pictures until smoke billowed into the summer night.They might have been scenes from another century, another country, but they played out in Northern Ireland this week in the glare of rolling news and social media, which recorded a soundtrack of glee and hate. “Where are the foreigners?” the mob shouted. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago ‘On a peak under a blue sky’: the joy of summer in Europe’s mountains

Our writer recalls his favourite mountain experiences, from hard-won views to splendid isolation and the comforts of simple refugesAfter a tough scramble to the summit of Rhinog Fach, we look down into the deep valley holding the chilly waters of Llyn Hywel, then west across several miles of heather, bilberry and bare rock to the Welsh coast. Turning my gaze north, there is the entire Llyn peninsula leading east to the peak of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), no doubt weighed down by thousands of visitors. Up here there are just two of us in an utterly peaceful landscape. No clouds on the horizon. No surprises.I lie down for a few minutes and feel myself drift off. There are no human voices to be heard, only birds. Summer has come early to these mountains and I wouldn’t be anywhere else, drinking in that particular kind of tranquillity to be found on a peak under a blue sky. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Air India plane crash latest: British investigators reach India as second black box found in decade’s worst aviation disaster

Air India's Boeing 787 fleet could be grounded temporarily

Events

4 h. ago Underworld gangster who planned fire attacks on mob boss Richardson’s empire in desperate bid to stay in Dubai

The lout did a runner – forcing his father and young sister to flee their Edinburgh family home over retribution fears.

Events

7 h. ago Girl, 15, mauled to death by pack of rescue dogs, including pit bulls, while feeding them

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Makayla Fortner, 15, was mauled to death by the pack of around 40 dogs, including pit bulls, as she tried to feed the neglected animals

Events

7 h. ago Petrol bombs and fireworks launched at police as Ballymena riots spread across Northern Ireland in fifth night of violence after 'alleged attempted rape of local girl, 16, by two Romanian teens'

Crowds of masked thugs gathered in Portadown where a protest had been held earlier in the evening before it descended into carnage.

Events

7 h. ago Dangerous Animals review – serial killer meets shark movie in this formulaic fizzer

Jai Courtney eats up his role as the crazed captain of a tourist boat – but he can’t quite wrestle this creature feature from its straitjacketGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailFor a long time, serial killer and shark movies were separate forms of cinema; never the twain did meet. In Dangerous Animals they’ve been blended into one foul fishy stew, theoretically delivering the best of both worlds: a Wolf Creekian adventure with a creature feature twist. But, sadly, this collision of genres hasn’t resulted in any real freshness or flair, playing out with a stinky waft of the familiar.Jai Courtney gets the meatiest and most entertaining role as Tucker, the owner of a Gold Coast business that ferries thrill-seekers out into shark-infested waters, where they observe the great beasts from inside an underwater cage. After they’re hauled back on to the boat, Tucker kills them and feeds them to the sharks, while filming their grisly deaths on a camcorder for his personal collection o...

Events

8 h. ago US Open: Rory McIlroy makes cut as defending champion DeChambeau bows out at Oakmont

Northern Irishman’s birdie on 18th secures placeBig names tumble out as DeChambeau finishes on +10Clubs were thrown but the towel was not. Rory McIlroy battled Oakmont’s treacherous setup and his own frustrations to survive for the weekend at the 125th US Open. As McIlroy clung on, high-profile exits from Pennsylvania included the defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Justin Thomas and Shane Lowry. In epitomising how Oakmont can mess with the mind, Lowry earned a one-stroke penalty after lifting his ball on the 14th green while forgetting to mark it. The Irishman could only laugh and, to be fair, did.McIlroy’s day began with two double bogeys inside three holes. By the 12th, the Masters champion flung his iron 30 yards down the fairway in anger at a loose shot. Five holes later, McIlroy broke a tee marker after cracking it with his three-wood. Yet amongst this was admirable fighting spirit; McIlroy fired an approach shot to within 4f...

Politics

9 h. ago Teens accused of killing a homeless man in a tent after he asked them to stop shooting in a nearby creek

Police said the teenagers fired over 10 shots in Christopher Sturluson’s direction

Events

10 h. ago Reality TV star Georgia Harrison ‘blown away’ at MBE for campaigning efforts

Harrison has advocated for online safety and the prevention of violence against women and girls.

Politics

13 h. ago Tropical Storm Dalila forms and is expected to bring rain to southwestern Mexico

The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Dalila has formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Events

14 h. ago Gangland war probe arrest total hits 44 as cops lift two more suspects

Cops announced tonight, Friday, June 13, that two more men have been arrested in connection with the gang violence in Edinburgh and Glasgow, bringing the total to 44.

Events

14 h. ago Man accused of nearly decapitating schoolboy in Hainault sword attack 'took psychedelic drug ayahuasca and drank his own urine', court hears

Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, allegedly skinned and deboned his pet cat before launching a 20-minute spree of violence in Hainault, east London, while high on cannabis, the Old Bailey heard.

Events

14 h. ago The Guardian view on riots in Northern Ireland: racist violence does not express ‘legitimate grievance’ | Editorial

Politicians must analyse the forces behind mob unrest, but not in terms that make excuses for itA reputation for political violence is one reason Northern Ireland has historically attracted fewer immigrants than the rest of the UK. In that context, increasing diversity could be read as a measure of progress; a peace dividend after the Troubles. That isn’t how it has felt to families cowering in fear of racist mobs this week. The riots started in Ballymena, ostensibly triggered by the arrest of two boys, reported to be of Romanian origin, accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. A community vigil mutated into a racist rampage. Masked thugs targeted the local migrant population. When police came to quell the pogrom, officers were attacked with bricks, fireworks, petrol bombs. There was contagion. Windows were smashed and a fire started at a leisure centre in nearby Larne that had been used as a temporary refuge for those fleeing the Ballymena violence. There were outbreaks of di...

Events

15 h. ago Love Island contestant dubbed 'Barbie' jailed for 14 years over her role in 'eye

A blonde Love Island contestant dubbed "Barbie" is starting a 14-year stretch behind bars for helping a major international crime cartel flood UK streets with illegal drugs.

Events

16 h. ago Love Island star who was 'business brain' of £53m drug cartel learns her fate

Crime bosses called her 'Barbie' - Magdalena Sadlo, 30, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after using her management skills to prepare accounts for an international gang

Economics

16 h. ago Revealed: 'Boastful' Romanian wrongly arrested over 'sexual assault of girl' in Ballymena goes public to protest his innocence and says mob violence has caused his family to flee the country

The 28-year-old father-of-two named Alex said his Antrim home and car were attacked by anti-immigrant rioters while he was in custody and again a second time when he returned home.

Events

16 h. ago Farmer who didn't let blindness stand in way of his dreams nominated for award

Happy animals and caring founders are at heart of The Inclusive Farm where they are making a career in agriculture possible and accessible for people with disabilities

Events

16 h. ago Are we having a global meltdown? The animals of the Arctic seem to think so | Fiona Katauskas

The news is getting hard to bearSee more of Fiona Katauskas’s cartoons here Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Air India plane crash latest: Second black box recovered from Dreamliner wreckage as grieving families demand answers

Air India's Boeing 787 fleet could be grounded temporarily

Events