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Belfast North voters: tell us which issues will decide this election

The Guardian is reporting from the constituency of Belfast North to find out what issues people there care about most – and we want your help

The Guardian will be reporting from the new constituency of Belfast North ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there.

If you live in the constituency of Belfast North, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, public transport, local facilities for young people, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at?

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© Photograph: Radharc Images/Alamy

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© Photograph: Radharc Images/Alamy

"I hope my manager allows me to play next week"

GQ: "It's happening very fast," said Saurabh Netravalkar, the Team USA cricket player with the world-famous LinkedIn profile ... Several fans in attendance held up signs calling Kohli a god; one held up a sign asking Netravalkar for a job reference. Guardian: As it happened: USA beat Pakistan. The Athletic: So, for a son of Mumbai to inflict such a humiliating defeat on the old enemy was a case of Netravalkar - in the words of his younger sister Nidhi on social media - "making two countries happy". Times of India: Balancing his dual roles as a cricketer and a software engineer at Oracle, Netravalkar manages his demanding career alongside his sports commitments. Interviewed in cricbuzz: "I filed for a patent. It was an innovation algorithm that we had."

Cricinfo: After the Pakistan win, a screen grab of his Slack out-of-office message was all over social media. It said he would be away from work until June 17, when the group phase of the World Cup ends. Netravalkar is not thinking ahead to whether he might have to extend his leave of absence in case USA make it to the Super 8s... ...update on that: As of an hour ago, the USA have enough points so they can't be caught by Ireland, Canada or Pakistan in their group. This means the USA qualify, along with India, into the final group stage of the current World Cup: this also gives the USA automatic qualification for the same World Cup tournament in 2026, two years before cricket returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles. Saurabh is going to need to ask for an extension to WFWCM (Work From World Cup Matches).

Neil Jordan claims ex-taoiseach told him of money-for-endorsement agreement

Irish director says Garret FitzGerald said he was expecting payment from Warner Bros for endorsing Michael Collins biopic – which son refutes

When the Irish film director and screenwriter Neil Jordan’s biopic of Michael Collins was released in 1996, it unleashed criticism from historians and politicians who contested its depiction of the rebel leader and Ireland’s war of independence.

Some disputed Liam Neeson’s portrayal of the doomed, charismatic guerrilla chief and his romance with a character played by Julia Roberts. Others cited inaccuracies in the film’s depiction of the 1919-21 conflict with Britain and ensuing Irish civil war.

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© Photograph: Maximum Film/Alamy

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© Photograph: Maximum Film/Alamy

‘Firemen are some of my favourite human beings’: evacuated hotel guest turns out to be Henry Winkler

Irish TV reporters interview evacuees after fire alarm, only to find incredibly upbeat Hollywood star

Irish TV viewers watching news coverage on Wednesday night of a hotel fire were surprised to find themselves tuning in to an interview with a Hollywood legend.

RTÉ News dispatched a camera crew to the Shelbourne hotel in Dublin city centre, only to discover that one of the guests who had been evacuated was the Happy Days star Henry Winkler.

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© Photograph: Henry Winkler/X

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© Photograph: Henry Winkler/X

‘I didn’t discover rationality until I went to England’: Neil Jordan on Tom Cruise, sandwich-boarding and seeing his dad’s ghost

Warring with Harvey Weinstein, marvelling at Tom Cruise, realising Mona Lisa and many other films were about himself … the great Irish director looks back on his astonishing career

Neil Jordan has spent his career telling strange, twisting stories that have mesmerised, surprised and occasionally misfired. Mona Lisa, The Crying Game, The Company of Wolves, Breakfast on Pluto – these films all veer off in unexpected directions, ambushing the audience. But it turns out the director saved the biggest twist for himself. Watching some of his films at a festival some years ago, Jordan was startled to see his own private life up there on the screen. It seems he had unknowingly channelled his relationships with his father, his wife and his children into stories about gangsters, terrorists and hot vampires. “I was shocked at how much of myself I revealed,” he says. “It was like a physical shock.”

That Jordan burgled his own psyche injects fresh meaning into a highly idiosyncratic body of work that spans mainstream hits like Interview With a Vampire and Michael Collins, Hollywood duds such as High Spirits and We’re No Angels, and art-house darlings such as Angel and The Butcher Boy. The disclosure is one of many plums in his new book Amnesiac, a memoir of a life (and imagination) less ordinary. It hop-scotches from a childhood in 1950s Catholic Ireland to bohemian 1970s London, then on to a shimmering 90s Los Angeles, before reaching a peripatetic lion-in-winter stage, with Jordan, now 74, making forays from Dublin for TV and film work.

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© Photograph: Brid O'Donovan/The Guardian

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© Photograph: Brid O'Donovan/The Guardian

‘We’re seeing firearms, arson, attacks on homes’: the families in the eye of Ireland’s cocaine storm

With use in the country soaring among both young and older people, it’s not just the drug that is devastating lives but the violence and abuse that surround it

Patrick Murphy remembers very clearly the first time he took cocaine. “I was 19, and that first line, I just fell in love with it,” he says. “The confidence it gave me, it was like nothing else. It was just so easy to keep taking it because it was everywhere. Even now, sitting here, I could get a bag in my hand in 10 minutes, faster than ordering a taxi.”

It took seven years for addiction to destroy Murphy’s life.

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© Illustration: Carl Godfrey/The Guardian

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© Illustration: Carl Godfrey/The Guardian

Controversial Dublin MEP candidate Clare Daly loses seat despite celebrity backing

Backed by Annie Lennox and Susan Sarandon, Daly had appeared on state-leaning media in China and Russia

Clare Daly, Ireland’s outspoken and controversial Dublin MEP candidate, has lost her seat despite celebrity endorsements from Annie Lennox, Susan Sarandon and other prominent figures.

The leftwing candidate was eliminated on Tuesday after falling behind rivals in the Dublin constituency on the 17th count.

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© Photograph: Gareth Chaney/PA

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© Photograph: Gareth Chaney/PA

Disappointment for Sinn Féin as Irish local elections bolster coalition

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil each win 23% of first preference vote, with Sinn Féin on just 12% after expected landslide

Voters in Ireland have bolstered the centrist government, chastened Sinn Féin and elected a handful of far-right candidates in local elections.

The ruling coalition hoped also to perform well in the European elections, with preliminary results on Monday suggesting Ireland had, like other European countries, shored up pro-EU mainstream parties.

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© Photograph: Damien Storan/PA

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© Photograph: Damien Storan/PA

Tories accuse Reform of ‘Nazi apologism’ after it defends candidate who said UK should have made peace with Hitler – live

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer says Reform candidate’s claim ‘shows a shocking lack of judgment’

Davey sums up the Lib Dems’ plans on health and social care

And he says he wants to mention one other policy he is particularly proud of – the proposal to give proper bereavement support to parents whose partners have died.

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© Photograph: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

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© Photograph: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

PSNI Facing £750,000 Fine After Data Breach Exposes Officers’ Details

PSNI data breach

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is bracing for a hefty £750,000 fine following last year’s data breach. The PSNI data breach saw the exposure of approximately 10,000 officers and staff who had their personal information inadvertently exposed online.  The PSNI data breach occurred last August when details, including surnames, initials, ranks, and roles of all serving police personnel, were mistakenly published in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

PSNI Data Breach and £750,000 Fine

The gravity of the situation became apparent when it was revealed that this sensitive information remained accessible online for two-and-a-half hours before being removed. Worse, it was confirmed that the data had fallen into the hands of dissident republicans, posing what the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) described as a "tangible threat to life. In response to this PSNI data leak, the ICO has announced its intention to levy a £750,000 fine on the PSNI, citing inadequate internal procedures and sign-off protocols for the safe disclosure of information. However, it's worth noting that this fine has been mitigated by the organization's public sector approach, which aims to avoid undue impact on public services. Had this approach not been applied, the PSNI could have been facing a staggering fine of £5.6 million. John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner, emphasized the severity of the breach, highlighting the "perfect storm of risk and harm" it created, particularly given the sensitivities in Northern Ireland. Edwards noted that during the investigation, numerous accounts emerged of the distressing consequences faced by those affected, including having to relocate, sever ties with family members, and drastically alter their daily routines due to genuine fears for their safety.

Understanding the Depth of the PSNI Data Leak

The proposed fine remains provisional, allowing the PSNI to make representations before a final decision is made. Edwards stressed that while the potential fine could have been significantly higher, discretion was exercised to ensure that public funds were not diverted from essential services. In addition to the fine, the PSNI has been issued a preliminary enforcement notice mandating improvements in personal information security protocols when responding to FOI requests. Edwards pointed out that simple and practical policies could have prevented this incident and urged all organizations to review and enhance their disclosure procedures to safeguard entrusted personal information. A previous independent review concluded that the breach was not an isolated incident but rather the culmination of systemic shortcomings in data security measures within the PSNI. This underscores the need for proactive measures to better secure and protect sensitive data. Despite the financial implications, the PSNI remains committed to addressing the fallout from the breach. Deputy Chief Constable Chris Todd affirmed ongoing efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for the data loss, with several arrests already made in connection to the investigation. Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.
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