The residents were in the house at the time of the shooting

Residents of a house in Newry have been ‘left badly shaken’ after a report that shots had been fired through a window of a property, PSNI say.

At around 9.15pm on Monday evening, March 16, it was reported that two shots had been fired through a window in the Damolly Village in Newry.

Detective Inspector Handley added: “The residents, who were in the house at the time, were uninjured however have been left badly shaken by the ordeal.

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“Enquiries are ongoing and I am appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anyone suspicious or any suspicious vehicles in the area, or to anyone with CCTV, door-bell or other footage that could assist with the investigation, to contact detectives on 101 quoting 1817 16//03/26.”

Alternatively, information can also be provided online via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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Joe Cole has revealed his prediction for the Carabao Cup final between Premier League title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City.

The first piece of silverware of the season will be won on Sunday when Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola’s sides meet at Wembley.

Arsenal beat London rivals Chelsea 4-2 on aggregate to reach the final, while Man City overcame Carabao Cup holders Newcastle United in the semis.

Sunday’s showpiece event is particularly intriguing as it involved the two teams going for this season’s Premier League title.

Arsenal, who last won the Premier League in 2004, have opened up a nine-point lead over Manchester City, who have won six titles over the past decade.

It has been suggested that the winner of the Carabao Cup final will have renewed momentum ahead of the title run-in and Cole ‘fancies’ Arsenal to beat Man City to both trophies.

‘I’m not working on the Carabao Cup final but I’m going as a fan which I actually haven’t done for a long time,’ Cole said on The Dressing Room podcast.

‘I fancy Arsenal, I think Arsenal beat them. Having watched Man City live, I fancy Arsenal – but it’s a great game for the neutral.

‘I’ll make another prediction, I think there will be a bit of needle and a little bit of nastiness on the benches. There’s a lot of tension building at this point in the season so look out for that.’

Turning his attentions to the Premier League title race, Cole added: ‘I was doing the West Ham-Man City game and we’re in the tunnel, the City players are behind me and Arsenal just scored.

‘I’ve been in that situation when you’re waiting on a result and it does deflate you. I just can’t see Arsenal dropping that many points now.

‘If Man City win their game in hand it will be six points, then if City beat Arsenal it will be three points.

‘But City have got to beat Arsenal and I can’t see that. Do you know what I mean?’

While Cole is backing Arsenal to secure their first major trophy since 2020, Wayne Bridge and Carlton Cole both expect Man City to triumph at Wembley.

‘I think Man City win it,’ ex-West Ham striker Cole said. ‘They know it’s time, if they lose this I think they lose all hope of winning the league.

‘So they’re going to have to put this one to bed. I’m going with Man City.’

Bridge added: ‘I’m going to go with Man City.

‘We know it’s kind of almost over with the league but them getting a win here puts a bit more pressure on Arsenal. I’m living in hope.’

Before attentions turn fully to this weekend’s Carabao Cup final, Arsenal and Manchester City are in Champions League action, facing Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid respectively.

The Gunners drew 1-1 in Germany last week while Man City were thumped 3-0 in Spain ahead of the decisive second legs in England.

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At 28 years of age, the Ulster winger picked up the Rising Star award to go with the Triple Crown after Ireland’s win over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday

Robert Baloucoune’s name appears prominently on two lists following the completion of the 2026 Six Nations tournament.

Given the importance of the top try-scorer’s list – the Ulster winger’s three touchdowns against Italy, England and Wales, in four games is impressive.

The first was against Italy, taking in Stuart McCloskey’s ‘quarterback pass’ and beating two defenders.

Against England, he stays wide after a 35 metre McCloskey bust is stopped just short, and he gets the Jamison Gibson-Park recycle.

Against Scotland, a rifled 30m left-handed spin pass from McCloskey to the wing sees him beat two defenders to dive over the line in the tackle.

Baloucoune’s position in the second list is at the top, the winner of the Rising Star award which was established and presented for the first time last season.

“The award was a bit of a shock, to be honest – 28 years-of-age and getting the Rising Star,” he says good-naturedly, clutching the big silver trophy nonetheless.

“I’m getting slagged for it already, so I’m sure I’ll get slagged by a lot more people, but I’m grateful for it and at least people are seeing what I’ve put out there.”

But then life’s full of surprises for the Enniskillen-born star, doubling his Ireland caps from four to eight, a Six nations debut, a Triple Crown and a Rising Star award

“It’s been an unbelievable experience. It’s something I wouldn’t have expected and I’m just grateful to actually getting here.

“I’ve been in before where I haven’t played and done that so, yeah, I’ve been able to finish it off with a trophy and being part of the group has been really special.

“The group’s been massive. It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience for me because I wasn’t expecting it when I came in and to finish it off like that, it’s been class.”

This comes after he claimed, following Ulster’s win over Stade Francais in the first week of January that he was just happy to be playing rugby at the level he was.

Injury blighted, it was just his fifth game of the season – Bulls, Lions in October, Ireland ‘A’ against Spain and Benetton in November – and that was on the back of only playing twice in 2024/25.

“It was always in the back of my mind that that I wanted to play the best that I can and still I always had to have some belief in the player that I am.

“But just being given the opportunity has been class and I suppose that’s what I needed this season, being able to back up games and that was a big focus for me from the start of the season.

“I feel like whenever I’m playing back-to-back games I’m able to fit in and get used to having a bit of game time and stuff.

“That’s what I probably lost last season and probably the years before I’d come in a bit rusty, I’d be up and down.

His sensational April 2022 hat-trick in Toulouse was nearing its fourth anniversary, receding almost.

“I suppose those sorts of performances give you belief,” he says emphasising they can’t just be stand-alones.

“It’s just being able to back up performances and doing it consistently, is a big part of the game.

“I knew what I was capable of doing. More so, it was like being able to back that up. Like, the next week after Toulouse I didn’t play well or as good as I wanted to.

“So, hopefully it’s now an upward trajectory and I’ll try to push on from there.”

What Baloucoune has done since being put into the Ireland side shows he is suited for the new kicking/chasing laws.

While his Ulster partnership with another unexpected breakthrough star, McCloskey, has been a boon.

Two of his three Six Nations tries were set up ‘from nothing’ by McCloskey but, each time, thee 30m finish was all Baloucoune; the other try was also created by McCloskey although convention says Gibson-Park gets the assist.

“We talk about it at training camp, you know, trying to get the ball into space and taking on defenders.

“Stu’s done it before as well, taken on that big long pass, so I knew that was coming and, yeah, just trying to beat defenders, trying to get to the try-line, it’s what I’m good at, what I try to do.

“If I see space, I know it’s there in front of me and I’m going to take that all day. I backed myself to beat defenders and got around Darcy Graham, so happy enough to get in the corner.

The Ireland back-three’s scoring rate this Championship has been a reflection of that coaching mantra.

“Yeah, everyone, Goody, Johnny as well, they’re like, ‘Get the ball in space, try and make things happen,’.

“And I think you’ve seen that over the course of the championship, you know, even when I feel like it’s not on and we take it, we can still make something out of nothing.

“It’s something that’s been driven in training, something that you can see in matches as well.”

Don’t underestimate McCloksey-Baloucoune’s partnership, they may yet do a 2026 Rising Star and 2026 Player of the Tournament double.

“Stu’s kinda got a big Ulster head on him in the Irish squad,” giggles Baloucoune. “No, no, I joking but he knows he’s played well.

“He got a shout out as well, Faz said that he’s one of his players of the tournament. I think everyone can see that from the outside as well, how well he’s done in this tournament.

“He’s always been class whenever I’ve played with him for Ulster. We know his skill set and what he can do, so it’s good that he’s showing it out here playing for Ireland.”

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“There is no water because there is no electricity to run the pumps. There is no electricity, no food, no oil, no fuel, and private businesses have high prices because everything is going up now, since they have to move their goods by truck and transport. All of this is really very bad.”

Sky’s SNL UK premieres this Saturday with some big Hollywood names

SNL UK will be arriving on screens later this week on Sky as the British comedy sketch show makes its debut. Ahead of the series premiere, Sky has revealed the hosts for the first three episodes and the writing cast. American comedy legend Tina Fey will be fronting the opening episode after previously serving as a head writer on the original Saturday Night Live between 1997 and 2006 and making subsequent appearances, reports the Mirror.

The Golden Globe and Emmy-winning comedian, actress and writer, who is known for creating and starring in Mean Girls, is joined by indie band Wet Leg as the episode’s musical guest. Following her appearance, 50 Shades of Grey and The Fall star Jamie Dornan will be presenting the second episode of SNL UK.

He will be joined by British rock group and two-time Brit Award winners Wolf Alice. Meanwhile, BAFTA and Oscar-nominated actor Riz Ahmed, who is best known for Sound of Metal and Four Lions, will be presenting the third episode. Ahmed will be joined by the rock group Kasabian as the musical guest of the week.

SNL UK will consist of a total of six episodes, which will be broadcast weekly on Sky One. The show premieres this Saturday (March 21) and Sky previously released a teaser for the forthcoming show, introducing the writing team. The teaser has been viewed over 3million times on YouTube since it dropped on March 6.

Many rushed to the comments section as one person posted: “Officially excited, applied for tickets to be in the audience, would love to be there for opening show… Can’t believe they’ve got Tina Fey to Host the first ever episode!”. A second penned: “Hmm, interesting. We were hearing at first that the cast was going to consist entirely of people who have never been on TV before.

“I was never sure that was practical. Still, it’s a pretty fresh line-up, not saturated with over-exposed UK comedians. Just going off of this, it looks like they have good chemistry. I’ll certainly give it a shot. I’d like nothing more than to be blown away by a show like this in 2026.”

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A third posted: “I’m so excited for this – we love SNL, and we’ve wanted a UK one for YEARS (even knowing a previous version didn’t do so well.) We have faith. It will be great.

“BUT – slightly bemused that they went for ‘off-brand chicken shop/getting p***** in the back of the cab’ for their intro rather than ‘theatres/Trafalgar Square/high end club’ like the NY SNL. I guess that was what they were going for? To be fair, though, that’s probably more accurate of the average Saturday night out in the UK.”

Another individual added: “I really hope this works out! I think Britain’s ready for this, we all need a good laugh.”

Leading as head writer is Jonno Johnson and Charlie Skelton as weekend update head writer. Skelton’s previous credits include 10 O’Clock Live and 8 Out of 10 Cats.

Other names include Bella Hull, a writer for Have I Got News For You, Gráinne Maguire from The Last Leg, Hari Kanth of Horrible Science, and Humphrey Ker, who has contributed to Mythic Quest and Welcome to Wrexham.

Additional members of the writing team encompass Al Roberts, Ayo Adenekan, Celya AB, Chris Cantrill, Ellie Fulcher, James Farmer, Joseph Moore, Keith Akushie, Laura Claxton, Lorna Rose Treen, Louis Waymouth, Nathan Foad, Omar Badawy, and Omodara Olatunji.

The writers are a blend of experienced professionals and rising talent.

Head writer Johnson previously stated: “The number of funny, talented writers we have got to work on SNL UK is ludicrous. Some of them have been doing this for years, some of them it’s their first ever writing job. All of them make me giddy to come to work each day. Could not imaginably feel luckier that we get to make this show together.”

Meanwhile, Sky executive Phil Edgar Jones OBE said: “As SNL UK races towards launch our brilliant team of writers are already hard at work crafting some sublime and (importantly) funny sketches for our equally brilliant cast to perform. I’ve been lucky enough to attend a couple of table reads and I am delighted to report I cried laughing. We cannot wait to share the fun with a wider audience.”

SNL UK will premiere on Sky One on March 21

Available for over a year

For nearly forty years, Fergal Keane has reported for the BBC from some of the world’s most brutal conflicts – in Gaza, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan, Ukraine and beyond – and in that time interviewed scores of children who are the innocent victims of adult wars.

As he came to understand the impacts of trauma on young minds, Keane began too to experience his own mental breakdowns – the result of a troubled childhood and a career spent running towards danger – and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD.

In today’s episode, he reflects on what he has learned from his own experiences and reporting about how childhood traumas can be treated, and the hope for those living through today’s wars.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Displaced children play in Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Haitham Imad/ EPA/ Shutterstock.

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It is hoped the guidelines will bring ‘meaningful change’

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New guidelines are set to bring ‘meaningful change’ to how the police and media work together. The new Policing and Media Charter was officially launched at the Society of Editors’ ‘Future of News’ conference in London today (Tuesday, March 17), and sets out clear guidance to police force communication teams and journalists to help them work more effectively together during major incidents.

The charter has been jointly developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), College of Policing, Crown Prosecution Service, Crime Reporters Association, Society of Editors and Media Lawyers Association.

It follows the forming of a national working group in 2023 which was prompted by the College of Policing’s review into the missing person investigation of Nicola Bulley. The working group has also produced updated guidance for police forces on the release of information to the public and new guidance on journalists requesting material used in open court.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, Chair of the NPCC, said: “Policing needs open and honest communication with the public, and the media has a central role to play in this, especially in fast-moving or sensitive situations.

“This ground-breaking charter represents the willingness of policing and the media to come together to build mutual trust and bring about meaningful change in how we work together.

“It will form the backbone of stronger relationships between police forces and media organisations across the country, and I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the vital discussions, debate and disagreements that shaped it.”

Dawn Alford, Chief Executive of the Society of Editors, said: “The relationship between journalists and the police is central to ensuring the public receives accurate and timely information about crime and policing. This charter represents a genuine effort from both policing and the media to rebuild trust and improve the way we work together in the public interest.

“When information flows well between policing and professional journalists, the public benefits. This charter is an important step towards strengthening that cooperation.”

Rebecca Camber, Chair of the Crime Reporters Association, added: “This charter has the potential to fundamentally transform the relationship between police and the media, which remains essential to public confidence and policing legitimacy in the UK.

“Two years ago, the Crime Reporters Association made a series of recommendations kickstarting a vital conversation between policing and the media about rebuilding trust.

“I’m delighted that police have listened and together we have produced a groundbreaking charter which I hope will make a real difference to journalists, police and press officers everywhere.”

You can read the charter here.

The Affair was set to make its ITV debut last week but the schedule suffered a last-minute shake-up.

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ITV has rescheduled the “best drama ever” with fans soon able to immerse themselves in the iconic series The Affair.

On Friday, March 13, ITV viewers eagerly anticipated the 2014 drama featuring Ruth Wilson, Dominic West, and Dawson’s Creek star Joshua Jackson making its terrestrial television premiere.

Yet audiences were baffled when the schedule was abruptly altered, with The Affair replaced by an instalment of game show Beat The Chasers in the 9pm time slot.

Whilst the rationale behind the eleventh-hour alteration remains uncertain, ITV has subsequently confirmed to Reach Plc that audiences won’t face a lengthy wait for the drama’s broadcast.

The Affair will launch on ITV this Friday, March 20, at 9pm, with plans to transmit the acclaimed series weekly every Friday evening.

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There’s an alternative viewing option available, as the first three seasons have recently become accessible on ITV’s streaming platform ITVX.

Consequently, eager audiences needn’t wait through weekly Friday instalments to discover subsequent events, though series four and five remain unreleased.

The Affair centres on married educator and writer Noah Solloway’s (played by Dominic West) forbidden affair with waitress Alison Lockhart (Ruth Wilson) whilst she grapples with her own devastating loss.

Episodes are usually divided into two segments, presenting the same events from differing viewpoints, which helps establish The Affair as a distinctive programme for many viewers.

Describing it as the “best TV show ever”, one fan wrote on IMDb: “They don’t make TV shows like this. This is drama at its best.

“Superb writing and cast of actors, so much talent in this one show.”

Another viewer concurred: “Love this series, the way the episodes play out showing both sides of the story from two different perspectives is brilliant. The acting is superb!”

“What a brilliant show, gripping from start to finish. Watched all seasons and it certainly wasn’t predictable at all,” commented a third.

Meanwhile, another fan enthused: “I think this is my favorite show of all time!”

“Please keep going, the stories are great, exciting, realistic, fun, mind blowing and so much more!”

The Affair premieres on Friday, March 20, at 9pm on ITV.

Steve Clarke will lead Scotland at their first World Cup since 1998 but is likely to go into this summer’s tournament in North America with only a few months left on his contract

Scotland manager Steve Clarke has revealed that he’s yet to be offered a new contract, despite guiding them to their first World Cup in 28 years. Clarke’s current deal with the Scottish FA will expire after this simmer’s tournament, where his side have been drawn to face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in Group C.

The 62-year-old has guided Scotland to three major tournaments since taking charge in 2019. But his position came under scrutiny before the World Cup qualifying campaign, having finished bottom of their group at Euro 2024 and suffering relegation in the Nations League.

Ahead of their friendlies against Japan and the Ivory Coast during the upcoming international window, the former Kilmarnock and West Brom boss says that the ball is in the SFA’s court. Quizzed on his future, Clarke said: “Obviously the thing in my head is what do I do next, where do I go next, what’s next for me?

“I’ve qualified for three tournaments out of four. I think that’s a pretty decent record.” The Scot added: “Obviously, I’d like to do a little bit better at the tournament this summer, but that’s something that we can address when we get out there.

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“Do the Scottish FA think that I’m the guy that can go forward and progress the squad into the next tournament and hopefully set us up for a further World Cup qualification in four years’ time? That’s what they have to decide.

“At the moment I don’t really have a choice to make because they haven’t put an offer in front of me and none of the club sides have put an offer in front of me either. I’m just sitting here talking to you guys, having a good time.

Should Steve Clarke be offered a new contract? Have your say in the comments section.

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“I’ve just got to sit and see if any club approaches me between now and the end of the season, and then I’ll have a decision to make.”

Clarke went on to confirm that he’s had a ‘very brief conversation’ with SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell regarding their future plans. As for the next step, the ex-Chelsea and St Mirren right-back explained: “I think I’m waiting on the Scottish FA now coming to me and saying, ‘look, this is what we see as the future’ and if I’m part of that then we can have that discussion.”

Last month, Clarke was present at the draw for the 2026-27 Nations League. Having been relegated to League B, Scotland will face Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia, but the question of who’ll be in the dugout at Hampden Park when the competition begins in September remains unanswered.

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