Northern Ireland's Thursday morning headlines

  • Nathan Hanna has Thursday morning's headlines for Northern Ireland

M2 Crash

The M2 at Ballymena is currently closed following a serious crash this morning. Police say the motorway is shut at the Larne Road roundabout to the turnoff at Broughshane in both directions. Motorists are asked to avoid the area.

FUEL POVERTY

Fuel poverty in Northern Ireland could cause a “significant humanitarian crisis with millions of children's development blighted". That's the warning being issued today across the UK by the UCL Institute of Health Equity. Eighteen percent of Northern Ireland households are estimated to suffer from fuel poverty, with that number expected to rise given the increase in energy prices.

VIGIL

A vigil will be held this evening in Strathfoyle in memory of the teenagers Reuven Simon and Joseph Sebastian, who drowned in Lough Enach on Monday evening. The young men were described by their school principal as "exemplary" and "mature beyond their years."

BLOOD CANCER

Nearly half of all adults in Northern Ireland cannot name a single symptom of Blood Cancer. That's according to a new survey released today to mark the start of Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Charity Blood Cancer UK is running an awareness campaign to increase public understanding of the disease.

PAKISTAN AID

The public are being asked to donate to the Disaster Emergencies Committee's new Pakistan Flood Appeal. The floods have impacted thirty million people across the country, with the UN secretary General saying the nation faced "a monsoon on steroids".

Members of the Belfast Pakistani Community spoke to UTV earlier this week, saying that richer nations who contributed to climate change had a moral obligation to aid countries like Pakistan suffering the worst effects of the crisis.

POLICING BOARD

The NI policing board will meet today in public for the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic.

There's no official agenda yet released, but issues of Professional standards and misconduct and the Noah Donohoe investigation PII are expected to be discussed.

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