Author name: highlandnews

The defence hearing in the trial of Soldier F will begin at Belfast Crown Court today. The former paratrooper is charged with two murders on Bloody Sunday in Derry over 50 years ago, when 13 people died after members of the army’s parachute regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators. Chris Brennan has the details:

The Irish fishing industry has welcomed a warning from global seafood buyers and retailers, confirming overfishing by non-EU coastal states has pushed mackerel to the brink of collapse. The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) said that over a million tonnes of mackerel have been caught above scientific advice over the past five years and

Heather Humphreys will need to appeal to Fianna Fáil voters if she wants to win this election, according to a political journalist. The Fine Gael candidate is currently on 25 per cent – 11 points behind Independent Catherine Connolly who is on 36 per cent. Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin is on 12 percent, despite pulling

The average waiting time for a driving test in Ireland remains at 10 weeks. The Minister of State with Responsibility for Road Safety Sean Canney had instructed the RSA to provide him with a monthly report on average waiting times and pressures across test centres. September figures show the average waiting time in Letterkenny is

Fighting in Gaza should end within 24 hours, after Israeli ministers approved the first steps in a US-backed peace plan. Hamas officials say it marks the start of a “permanent ceasefire”. The remaining hostages held in Gaza will be released in a swap for Palestinian prisoners. Questions remain about how diplomats can secure long-term peace

Household incomes are set to drop by an average of 2% under the incoming budget. The ESRI has found that measures introduced in Budget 2026 will impact low-income households the most, with losses of around 4.1%. It says the return to a 9 per cent VAT rate for hospitality could prove helpful for consumers, if

A Donegal councillor says he’d like to see more cross-border cooperation in the south of the county. Cllr Michael McMahon told a recent meeting of Donegal County Council that recent flood response works in Pettigo involved officials from both Donegal County Council and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council across the border. He said more should

The Dáil has been told that the government has broken promise after promise, and that’s evidenced in this week’s budget. Deputy Pearse Doherty said despite promises of tax cuts, there were no breaks for workers in this budget. Tánaiste Simon Harris hit back, saying the government has always made it clear that spending on public

An Oireachtas Committee has been told that HSE Wet and North West is one of the two worst performing regions in the country for ambulance response times. The national target is to respond to 75% of life threatening cardiac or respiratory calls, known as purple calls and 45% of life threatening illness or injury calls

Fianna Fail Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has stopped short of expressing faith in the leadership of party leader and Taoiseach Michael Martin. Mr Martin apologised to his parliamentary party at a five hour meeting last night for the debacle over the nomination of Jim Gavin as a presidential candidate, saying he can ‘sometimes get

Taoiseach Michael Martin has been accused of misleading people about the extent of the Defective Block Scheme. Speaking during the budget debate, Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn said the Taoiseach has promised 100% Redress through what would be a three million euro scheme, the biggest ever seen in the state. However, he said the lack of

Wastewater is still being released from many areas without adequate treatment – affecting water quality in rivers, lakes and along the coasts. The EPA has published a report on urban wastewater treatment, showing that last year, four towns and villages in Donegal were still pumping raw sewage into waterways. Work is underway in Ramelton and

The DUP has distanced itself from comments made by the son of one of the founders of the party, over being “open” to the potential of a united Ireland. Ian Paisley Junior, a former member of parliament for North Antrim, also emphasised his British identity as he took part in new podcast series, Borderland by

ATU is to hold a major conference in Donegal later this month mapping out how an initiative to boost digital education in the region is structured. The Shaping Our Digital Futures Conference on October 23rd will consider how best to use the resources of the North West Tertiary Education Cluster, incorporating ATU, Donegal ETB, Ulster

The Seanad has been told that the reputation of Glenveagh Castle as a tourist destination is suffering as a result of its closure to the public on Mondays and Fridays. Senator Manus Boyle raised the issue in the chamber this morning, and urged Minister Colm Brophy to lobby to see what can be done to

It’s been confirmed that Budget 2026 makes provision for improvements to the Mental Health service in Donegal. On today’s Nine til Noon Show, Government Chief Whip and Mental Health Minister Mary Butler confirmed that the budget allows for the appointment of a Crisis Resolution Team for Donegal, and the provision of a Solace Café. She

The Taoiseach will come under pressure when he meets with his Fianna Fail party later. Micheal Martin will face questions from his parliamentary party after Jim Gavin dropped out of the Presidential race. The Taoiseach has said he will have a frank and comprehensive discussion about the controversy. Fianna Fail Junior Minister Chris O’Sullivan is

A Dail Committee has been told that when it comes to discussions on fish quotas, fishers are often told they must accept cuts based on science, but the scientific evidence offered by the fishers themselves is all too often ignored. Aranmore Island based Jerry Early, Chair of the Irish Island sMarine Resource Organisation, told the

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland is congratulating all students receiving their Junior Cycle results today. Around 73 thousand students are getting results, the third year in a row the figure has exceeded 70 thousand. Over 2,600 students will receive their results in Donegal schools today. TUI President Anthony Quinn says students should be careful in

The first of the measures announced in the Budget are now in effect. Around 2 and a half cents has been added to the cost of a litre of petrol and diesel. While tobacco products have increased by 50 cents. Meanwhile, the Budget has been criticised for not progressing the Government promise to cap the