For all the controversy and clamour leading up to this contest, inside the Nagyerdei Stadium it was quiet a few hours before kick-off, almost eerily so, until ‘Michelle’ – a song by Israel’s 2026 Eurovision entry Noam Bettan – started playing over the stadium speakers about 90 minutes before kick-off.
The man has been identified as 56-year-old Leighton Brown, an employee of the New York City Housing Authority.
According to local news, he was walking through east Brooklyn neighbourhood working an extra shift when the deadly incident occurred.
“We mourn deeply for the loss of Leighton Brown, a NYCHA employee who faithfully served Brooklyn residents and who was known for his warm personality,” the Office of the NYC Public Advocate wrote on social media.
The nor’easter has caused widespread power cuts. More than 160,000 households, nearly all in the north-eastern US, have lost electricity, according to tracker PowerOutage.
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More than 2,400 flights were delayed and another 1,199 grounded on Saturday, according to FlightAware.
A full moon was projected to worsen coastal flooding. Streets and homes were inundated with floodwater in the coastal New Jersey communities of Surf City and Manasquan on Saturday.
‘Stand tall up in heaven my boy as your legacy goes on in your four beautiful children’
The mother of a Welshman who died while on holiday in Spain has shared a moving tribute to mark the second anniversary of his death. Nathan Osman, a 30-year-old welder, disappeared in Benidorm on September 27, 2024, and was later found dead at the bottom a cliff on the outskirts of the city.
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The Pontypridd dad-of-four went missing within hours of arriving on the holiday with friends. His loved ones have long claimed Spanish authorities failed to fully investigate all lines of enquiry.
In a social media post on Sunday, his mother Elizabeth Osman wrote: “How have two years passed Nathan since your life was taken? It has been the most horrendous time of our lives having to go on without you here with us to love.
“I’m not going to go on about our pain because you all know and have been on our journey with us. Today the anniversary of Nathan’s passing is no different to any other day, it’s just a reminder of so much heartache in such little time.
“Looking back I’m so damn proud of us and all Nathan’s friends for the continued love and strength shown. Our fight is so real. Our lawyer is outstanding. Our fight is now ongoing and we are forever united in solidarity.
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“My boy was sooo loved and protected for 30 years and will be sooo loved forever and a day. When I think of Nathan I am totally filled with love, a love that can’t be removed or replaced.
“Nathan’s infectious smile and humour were his personality from a small boy and he excelled to share his love with us all. It’s true that where there is deep love then there is deep grief. Yes we feel it but I’m so grateful to have had Nathan in my life for 30 years. You blessed me and I’m thankful to God for every beautiful memory we shared.
“I know your with us everyday as I feel you always. Stand tall up in heaven my boy as your legacy goes on in your four beautiful children. The best Daddy ever. Keep smiling and keep being the inquisitive, smart, intelligent, funny, loving soul you are. Love you Nath with all that I am xxx.”
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The death was still being investigated by Spanish police as of December last year, according to a Sky News article from that time reporting on the family’s concerns over the handling of the case.
Local authorities had reportedly closed the case before the family carried out their own investigation and presented their findings to Spanish prosecutors as evidence that others may have been involved. This led to the case being reopened, according to Sky News.
Nathan’s family previously told the BBC they believed Nathan was abducted while walking alone to his hotel where he was staying with friends, before being robbed and taken to a remote area.
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They claimed attempts were made to use Nathan’s bank card after his body was found, and that his movements would have been captured by CCTV cameras.
The family also claimed a health app on Nathan’s phone tracked his last movements to the cliff and suggested he was in a vehicle, rather than walking or running.
Elizabeth said her son had “everything to live for” and had been “so excited” for the last-minute trip away as a break from working two jobs.
We previously reported on the efforts of four of Nathan’s friends to raise funds to support the family’s campaign to ensure the case is properly investigated. The friends drove 1,400 miles to Benidorm in a £200 car so the family could meet legal and travel costs.
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“He was just one of those people who had everything going for him,” said one of the friends, Lloyd Perry. “He was the kind of person who was everyone’s friend.”
Last year South Wales Police said it was “carrying out enquiries on behalf of HM Coroner and a family liaison officer has been appointed to provide support”.
Five men have been arrested as counter-terrorism detectives investigate whether Iran was behind a suspected car-bomb plot targeting US troops at RAF Fairford.
Peter Hennessy UK & World News Editor and Michael Knowles
23:19, 27 Sep 2026Updated 23:36, 27 Sep 2026
Counter-terrorism investigators are examining whether Iran orchestrated a suspected car-bomb conspiracy targeting an RAF base
Armed police detained five individuals, observed travelling in three vehicles, following an apparent alert from a courageous member of the public.
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However, President Donald Trump cautioned the suspected plotters intended to inflict “big damage”, stating they had been “under investigation” for “a long time”.
Scotland Yard and MI5, working alongside American intelligence operatives, were yesterday evening attempting to establish whether Tehran masterminded the plot to murder American personnel stationed at RAF Fairford. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared in July it would not permit US bombers to operate from Fairford, stating any base used to launch strikes would be a legitimate target.
The five suspects were originally detained on suspicion of “committing offences under the Explosives Act”. They were subsequently re-arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
The individuals were stripped to their torsos over concerns they might also have been wearing suicide vests, reports the Express.
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The five suspects were originally detained on suspicion of “committing offences under the Explosives Act”. They were subsequently re-arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.
The individuals were stripped to their torsos over concerns they might also have been wearing suicide vests. A police source informed the Daily Express: “This was intelligence led policing, pure and simple. There has been a lot of covert activity in the background.”
Explosive ordnance disposal specialists were sent to inspect the devices discovered in the three vehicles, with approximately 85 households relocated from their properties to a neighbouring leisure facility during the high-stakes operation.
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A remotely operated device from the Army’s specialist explosive ordnance disposal unit manoeuvred between the three stationary vehicles, with what looked to be substantial black containers positioned outside the van.
Detectives are investigating multiple potential explanations, including whether the group was executing instructions on behalf of Tehran or Moscow, or whether it constituted an Islamist terror conspiracy.
President Trump stated: “We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”
RAF Fairford had served as a launching point for US long-range bomber aircraft during military engagements in Iran. A frightened local resident in Whelford, Gloucestershire, contacted authorities after observing a “large group of hooded and ‘balaclava’d’ men” near the military installation during the early hours of Sunday morning.
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The farmer, who requested anonymity, stated: “I saw a group of Middle Eastern-looking young guys running off through the trees. Some of them had masks or balaclavas on, and they all scattered ahead of us as we drove back past.
“Some of them ran into the fields, and some of them turned to run towards the air base. We realised this was something pretty serious.
“We knew the air base had a credible threat of a terrorist attack before last night. So as soon as I saw them I was worried.”
The resident also suggested police and intelligence agencies may have been in possession of vital information beforehand.
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She said: “We thought something was going on as they had housed B1 bombers at the base until earlier this week when they were moved. And then suddenly they started blocking entrances to the air base.
“They started blocking those with diggers and tractors and things early in the week, which seems a bit Dad’s Army to be honest.
“By Friday they had sent all their civilian staff home, and then because this is a small village, we started noticing people who weren’t local and the suspicion was they were plain clothes police of some kind. We all knew something unusual was going on.”
She added: “A plucky amateur shouldn’t be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the air base is on high alert. I think it’s absolutely astonishing.”
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One of the vehicles inspected by bomb-disposal units was marked with “FUEL 2YOU” on the side in red lettering, along with a telephone number.
However, there is virtually no public trace of such a firm. A business with a comparable name, Fuel 2U, confirmed to the Daily Express that they owned two vans, and both were at their depot in London.
It raises the possibility that the alleged attackers were attempting to remain inconspicuous by masquerading as a fuel delivery firm. The firm released a statement saying: “We want to make it absolutely clear that neither the vehicle nor any of the individuals involved has any connection whatsoever with Fuel2U, its directors, employees or current business operations.
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“We are extremely concerned that our company’s name has been used without our knowledge or permission.
“We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and will assist them with any enquiries.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham admitted the “incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments across the country.”
He added: “The safety and security of the public is our first priority, and I want people to know that we will always take every step necessary to protect our communities and keep our country safe. The investigation remains ongoing, and I would urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.”
The Republic of Ireland players were jeered by the small number of Israel fans in attendance when they emerged for their pre-game warm-up.
While the FAI confirmed no tickets would be sold to Republic of Ireland supporters, a handful of fans were spotted inside the stadium.
Hallgrimsson confirmed Bazunu would be included in the squad for Thursday’s game against Austria in Dublin, but not for the second match against Israel.
“I think he is very happy that we have won the game,” said Hallgrimsson.
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“Nobody was questioning his decision. It was only the timing that was difficult for us to kind of react to it, but none of us were asking him not to take his stand and now he’s flying back with us on the plane.”
When asked if player’s opinions regarding the fixture were taken into account when selecting his team for Sunday’s game, Hallgrimsson said: “Absolutely not.
“This team selection was about who we thought could make the best performance for Ireland.”
During a dramatic day on Saturday, doubts emerged over whether the game would take place after the Republic of Ireland’s pre-match news conference was postponed because of the squad meeting.
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When the news conference commenced at 14:30 BST on Saturday – more than five hours later than planned – Courell said a players’ vote on whether to play the game passed by a “significant majority”.
Courell added that the Republic of Ireland would not engage in pre-match formalities such as handshakes.
In 2024, the Ireland women’s basketball team chose not to shake hands with Israel players or stand on court for the anthems before a EuroBasket qualifier in Riga, but the teams did exchange handshakes when they met again last year.
The Republic of Ireland have faced calls to boycott the matches since the Nations League draw in February.
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Last November, the FAI approved a motion calling for Uefa to suspend Israel from Uefa competitions.
In June, the FAI confirmed their home fixture would be played behind closed doors in Backa Topola instead of Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, citing “operational challenges that could impact on the delivery of the game on home soil”.
At an extraordinary general meeting in July, delegates backed an FAI motion to proceed with the games amid concerns that boycotting the fixtures would cause “significant and lasting harm” for the association.
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Calls for the Republic of Ireland to boycott the games have intensified in recent weeks. Earlier this week, more than 160 Irish athletes signed an open letter by Irish Sport for Palestine group urging the team not to play.
Courell also said last week Uefa had rejected a request for the Republic of Ireland and Israel to be kept apart in future competition draws.
Tensions between the teams were raised this week when the Israel Football Association accused Hallgrimsson of “ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity” after the coach said, “we’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide”.
Speaking on Saturday, Hallgrimsson said it was “a wrong word for me to use”, while Israel FA head of communications Shlomi Barzel said he would not apologise for his association’s response but said he would “take back the word stupidity”.
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The armed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza, during which more than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
Israel has repeatedly denied that it has committed genocide, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It says its military operations in Gaza have been conducted in self-defence and in accordance with international law.
I am so elated after finally ticking off a longstanding item from my ‘to do’ list that I feel as if I could do a backflip. I’ve written a new will and feel rather chuffed with myself.
Disturbingly, I’m in a minority when it comes to having a valid will, laying down how my assets (home, savings and investments) should be distributed when I shuffle off this mortal coil.
A majority of adults in this country don’t have one for various reasons: a sense of immortality and more pressing financial priorities, such as the cost-of-living crisis.
Some 230,000 people a year die intestate (without a will) with one in five adults saying the reason why they don’t have one is because they’re ‘too young’. Wrong, plain wrong.
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If you have assets – a home and investments – and/or are in a long-term relationship, a will is a financial priority. If you haven’t got one, get one now. You’re never too young or too old to get one.
Yes, the set-up will cost a bit – especially if you use a solicitor – and you won’t get any financial gain from doing the ‘right’ thing.
But that’s not the point. It will ensure that, in the event of your death, your wealth (post any payment of horrible inheritance tax) will be distributed among friends, family and good causes according to your specific wishes.
The alternative is too horrible to contemplate. Die without a will and your estate will be divvied up based on strict rules. Although these vary between the devolved nations, the formulaic rules can be cruel on unmarried partners (not civil partners), special friends, stepchildren and foster children.
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These groups are excluded from the divvying up – though a recent Government consultation (‘A Fairer End to Relationships’) could result in many unmarried couples living in England and Wales having an automatic right to inherit if their partner dies intestate.
Die without a will and your estate will be divvied up based on strict rules… these can be cruel on unmarried partners, special friends, stepchildren and foster children
The intestacy rules also take no account of those in your life who meant more to you than others – or whose life would be transformed by an inheritance.
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My need to write a new will – not update an existing one – has been a financial priority ever since my divorce was confirmed last year. Though my decision to proceed was delayed by a tedious wait for the splitting of pension assets and the purchase of a ‘hobbit’ home – insufficient to swing a proverbial cat – it’s reassuring that it is done.
It means I now have a will that ensures my three magnificent boys – all in their 30s – will rightly take the lion’s share of the proceeds from my estate.
But there will also be a sliver set aside for grandchildren (love them to bits), my partner and her grandchild. Had I not written a new will, my estate would not have been split how I wished. My previous will became void by the divorce as it named a spouse I no longer have.
Simultaneously, I’ve set up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for property and financial affairs in case there comes a point when I need a loved one or family to make financial decisions on my behalf.
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Though I’m still firing on all cylinders, it’s never too early to think of LPAs. When my late mother, Helen of Troy as I called her, lost Dad nine years ago, it took forever and an age to convince her that LPAs for both her finances and health were in her best interests.
Helen, an intensely private person, thought the ‘family’ was after her money when all we wanted to do was help as she became more housebound and fragile. In the end, she was grateful that she had agreed to set up the LPAs.
Once I’ve registered my financial LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian, I’ll complete the sister health and welfare LPA (a combined £184 well spent).
I’ve also bought myself an ‘end of life planner’ book where I’ve logged key personal and financial details. It’s called: ‘Sorry, it’s your problem now… because I’m dead’.
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If you haven’t written a will – or updated an existing one to take account of key changes in your life – I urge you to do so. The same goes for LPAs. Do it right now. Find a good solicitor in your area, ask friends and family for their recommendations or search online databases such as the one offered by the Law Society. It should cost about £300 for a straightforward will, which you can do in person, over the phone or online.
You’ll feel so much better. A weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Let me know how you get on.
Ireland and Israel players did not shake hands before their UEFA Nations League match in Hungary. The FAI had announced on Saturday that there would be no pre-match handshake.
21:10, 27 Sep 2026Updated 21:15, 27 Sep 2026
Players from Ireland and Israel declined to shake hands before this evening’s UEFA Nations League fixture in Hungary.
Following the national anthems, both sides opted against the customary pre-match handshake ritual, with the Irish squad – all wearing black armbands to honour those who have lost their lives in the Israel/Palestine conflict – bowing their heads during the Israeli anthem.
Captains Dara O’Shea and Manor Solomon did not exchange handshakes when they approached the match officials for the pre-match coin toss.
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Managers Heimir Hallgrímsson and Ram Ben Shimon also refrained from shaking hands.
On Saturday, FAI Chief Executive David Courell had confirmed there would be no handshake, no joint official photograph, and no exchange of pennants, reports the Irish Mirror.
In response, Israeli midfielder Dor Peretz said “I think we’re going to put our hands out, we give the respect. If they don’t want to shake their hands, that’s OK,” while manager Ram Ben Shimon remarked “Yes, yes, my hand is open for everyone who wants to shake it.”
Sunday night’s match got underway at 7:45pm, with goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu missing from the squad following his withdrawal on Saturday.
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In a statement, he said “Representing my country means everything to me. I have the utmost respect for every single one of my team mates, the Manager, his staff and the Irish people.
“However I have reached a decision that I have not taken lightly. I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel.
“My decision is based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.
“It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region.
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“There are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them.”
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The new presenting trio – made up of Emma, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe – caused quite the stir
Emma Willis has broken her silence following the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing amid backlash from viewers.
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The presenter, 50, was joined by fellow hosts Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe to welcome all 15 couples to the ballroom floor, who performed live in front of judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke for the first time.
The trio split presenting responsibilities with Willis and Widdicombe stationed by the judges’ table while Radebe welcomed the dancers on the balcony ahead of the score reveal.
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The first live show of the BBC dance contest saw social media star John Nellis top the leaderboard.
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The Northern Irish football content creator and his partner Katya Jones wowed the judges, who gave the couple 31 points.
The evening also saw EastEnders actress Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola dance a cha cha to How Will I Know by Whitney Houston, scoring 27 points, while actress Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu’s quickstep to Stop This Flame by Celeste scored 26.
Former Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen finally made her Strictly debut with Nikita Kuzmin, after she was forced to pull out of last year’s show because of an injury. The couple scored 22 points for their samba to Lush Life.
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Love Island star Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby were given 20 points for their quickstep to I Just Might by Bruno Mars, while hairstylist Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden’s tango to No Roots by Alice Merton earned them 16 points.
Meanwhile, the new hosts divided viewers with their presenting duties, with many taking to X to complain that the programme ‘does not need’ three presenters.
Taking to X, one viewer @SouthernCazza1 shared: “Why does it take three presenters anyway? Are Strictly Come Dancing saying that it takes three people to fill Claudia and Tess’s shoes? #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly.”
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@Claudiacc said: “This just doesn’t work. Overkill with three presenters. Josh totally wrong and Johannes lack of experience really shows. Emma is amazing but the two blokes are going to lose viewers unless the BBC act swiftly #strictly.”
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Emma has now spoken out for the first time since hosting the first live show, but failed to address any of the criticism towards her fellow hosts.
Sharing a post with her 2 million followers on Instagram on Sunday (September 27), Emma stunned in photos showing off her beautiful white dress, as well as sharing a video with her partner Matt Willis.
The caption read: “Week one, done. I’ve never had so much fun! What a way to kick things off @bbcstrictly.”
A body was found off the coast of Wales, following a prolonged search for a man missing from England
Conor Gogarty and Adam Care
21:59, 27 Sep 2026
A body has been found in the search for a missing 18-year-old last seen over a week ago. On Sunday morning a body was recovered from water at a coastal location near Newport in Wales, according to a statement from Avon and Somerset Police.
George, from Portishead, a seaside town in north Somerset, England, went missing from that area at around 8.20pm on September 17. In the following days there was a large-scale search by the police, coastguard, RNLI and other services, reports WalesOnline.
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An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson has now said: “The items of clothing worn by the man matched those George had last been seen wearing in Portishead on Thursday, September 17.
“As a matter of routine, a formal identification process will need to be undertaken. However, we have informed George’s family of this latest development and are continuing to provide them with support through a specially trained officer.
“The death is not being treating as suspicious and will be a matter for the coroner going forward.
“While George’s family have been touched by all the offers of support they have received recently, quite understandably they are requesting their privacy is respected at this time.
“Finally, we would like to thank everyone who called in with information and shared our appeals, as well as Gwent Police and the RNLI for their involvement today.”
During the search last week, neighbourhood chief inspector Andy Barry said: “I would like to recognise the strength and resilience of George’s family during this time and we continue to keep them updated through a specialist liaison officer.”
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Sir Chris Bryant’s comments came as thousands of protesters continue to blockade the predominately nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown in a bid to prevent a contentious Orange Order parade passing
21:17, 27 Sep 2026Updated 21:22, 27 Sep 2026
The Northern Ireland Secretary has appealed for calm as he urged political and community leaders to reach for compromise to resolve a tense parading stand-off in Portadown.
Sir Chris Bryant’s comments came as thousands of protesters continue to blockade the predominately nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown in a bid to prevent a contentious Orange Order parade passing.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and other senior party figures joined those protesting on the road on Sunday, prompting accusations of law breaking from unionists.
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Under parading legislation in the region, protests against parades must be notified and approved by the Parades Commission adjudication body.
The blockade on the Garvaghy Road is an unnotified gathering. Ms O’Neill and other ministers in the Stormont Executive are bound by a pledge of office that contains a commitment to uphold the law.
Through Sunday, police repeatedly notified the protesters through a loudspeaker that they are liable for arrest for blocking the road.
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On Sunday evening, Ms O’Neill encouraged protesters to the “stay the course” as she urged them to remain on the road until at least midnight.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Sinn Féin leaders needed to face consequences for their actions.
“We can’t have a situation where people who have the privilege of holding high office in Northern Ireland so flagrantly disregard the pledge of office and statutory underpinnings of their office,” he told media in Belfast on Sunday afternoon.
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A ruling by the Parades Commission permitting the Orange Order march from Drumcree Church and along the Garvaghy Road was upheld in an “unprecedented” late-night sitting of the High Court in Belfast in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Drumcree parade, which was associated with violent clashes during the Troubles, has been banned since 1998.
Protesters, many of them wearing balaclavas, clustered in large groups in heavy rain along the road on Sunday morning, a move that delayed the scheduled 8am start of the parade.
The stand-off has continued through the day and into the evening, with Orangemen waiting at Drumcree Church around a mile from the road waiting to commence their parade.
Around 6pm, several Orangemen emerged from the church hall and walked down the hill where they were met by police. Officers subsequently told senior members of the institution that they could not have more than 35 people on the hill – as that was a restriction placed on the parade by the commission.
A crowd of supporters gathered with the Orangemen.
The escalating political row over the parade is set to test the stability of the powersharing institutions in Belfast.
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Mr Robinson was asked whether he was prepared to continue to work with Sinn Féin. If either the DUP or Sinn Féin withdrew from the executive, the devolved government would effectively collapse.
“Our party is maintaining the dignity of the Portadown Orangemen as they have shown determination and patience so will we,” replied Mr Robinson.
“I can look at you all in the eye today and say we are being plunged into difficult territory because of the actions of people who are expected to be lawmakers in our country breaking the law.
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“The fundamental principle of upholding the rule of law in this society are sacrosanct and cannot be tarnished.”
Earlier, Sinn Féin vice-president Ms O’Neill told reporters on the Garvaghy Road that the reignition of the Drumcree dispute “brings into question how this whole peace process works”.
Party president Mary Lou McDonald called on Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris to intervene to ban the parade.
She said the people of the Garvaghy Road would “not be drawn back to the past”.
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“The Secretary of State needs to intervene. The chief constable of the PSNI needs to intervene and put a stop to this,” she said.
Sir Chris has the power to ban the parade if Northern Ireland’s police chief requests such a step citing concerns over the potential for public disorder.
The Northern Ireland Secretary flew into Northern Ireland on Sunday from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool to have discussions with political leaders.
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Speaking to reporters in Belfast, Sir Chris said “nobody wants to go back 28 years”.
“The whole idea of us coming here is to be able to try and be able to talk specifically face to face to some of the political leaders and some of the community leaders to see if we can get to a settled position,” he said.
“The truth is everybody has to double down on compromise – that’s what life’s all about – double down on compromise.”
Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Jon Boutcher called for people come together to try to get past their issues.
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He said the police operation thus far had involved evidence-gathering of “whatever has been happening from whatever party”.
“I am hoping we will bring all of today’s events to a sensible and peaceful conclusion,” he said.
On what a successful conclusion may look like, he added: “There has got to be a longer-term conversation which involves politicians and the people involved in what we have seen in the last 24 hours, trying to find a space that they can resolve these issues.”
There had been many “sensible voices” calling for calm which he thought had been “listened to by all parties”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appealed for “calm on all sides”, saying there have been “big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don’t want to see things go backwards”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin also urged calm as he expressed concern about the situation.
Mr Martin also described the decision by the Parades Commission to allow a parade to go down the Garvaghy Road for the first time in nearly three decades as “incomprehensible and wrong”.
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The parade was finally given the go ahead at a hearing which concluded at 2.15am on Sunday after opposing legal teams outlined their arguments over the controversial parade.
The hearing was one of three separate emergency legal challenges before the courts in Belfast across Saturday and into early Sunday.
The final time-limited sitting, which began at 12.20am on Sunday, was heard before Justice Michael Humphreys.
During proceedings he acknowledged the “unusual if not unprecedented circumstances as it is now 1.45am, with a parade scheduled to begin in just over six hours’ time”.
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Outlining his decision, Justice Humphreys cited case law that as a public body the courts must respect the commission’s judgment and “their decisions will not be lightly interfered with”.
He said: “The picture painted here is of a public body which took evidence from the relevant sources, weighed up the key issues which were in play and arrived at a reasoned decision.
“The jurisdiction to impugn (a) public body’s decision on that basis is necessarily limited to cases where no reasonable decision could arrive at that outcome and in my view, in this case that threshold has not been met.”
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He added: “This court cannot substitute its own view or anyone else’s view for that of the commission.”
Earlier, Northern Ireland’s most senior judge, Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan, also described the situation as “unprecedented” as she presided over the second challenge.
Justices Keegan and Humphreys joined Lady Justice Denise McBride in the Court of Appeal which, in the late hours of Saturday, upheld an appeal by Portadown Orangeman Alan Hynes to allow the march to go ahead. That appeal was heard after a temporary injunction was issued in the first legal challenge on Saturday that would have prevented Sunday’s parade happening as scheduled.
In that initial ruling, Justice Patricia Smyth blocked the Parades Commission’s decision, saying the “long-running dispute has the potential to escalate” across Northern Ireland.
The stand-off at Drumcree made headlines in the 1990s, with nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road opposed to the parade passing through the area, leading to violent clashes for several summers and political tension necessitating major security operations.
The Orange Order has unsuccessfully applied for more than a quarter of a century to complete its 1998 walk along its traditional route.
On Friday, the commission reversed its long-running determination, to the welcome of unionist parties and outrage of nationalist and republican parties.
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Permission was granted for a parade subject to strict restrictions, including a limit of 35 participants and the 8am start time.
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