Head of Northern Ireland’s only secure care facility has warned that the sector is failing vulnerable young people

Young people as young as nine are being locked up for their own protection and that of others, according to the head of Northern Ireland’s sole secure care education facility for those under 18.

Jon Bleakney, principal of Co Down’s Lakewood School, maintains the secure care sector is experiencing a crisis and letting down our most vulnerable youngsters.

His comments come ahead of his inauguration as President of the Ulster Teachers’ Union at its annual conference in Limavady this week.

“We work with children who have already faced extremely adverse circumstances in life and so require very specific support and intervention in order to progress as positive and productive citizens,” Mr Bleakney said.

“However, without a major restructure our secure care sector is struggling to cope, placing the safety of these young people and the wider community at risk.

“Most of them – whose ages range from 13 to 17 – come via care homes, but because of the level of their needs and behaviours, they can no longer be supported there. They need a more intensive and secure environment.

“In the 30-plus years I’ve worked in this sector those behaviours have become increasingly distressing and our students younger, as evidenced by the nine-year-old we had recently.”

Mr Bleakney said that while once it was those caught up in petty criminal activity who the school saw, now it’s young people with significant mental health problems, additional educational needs, neurodiversity issues and multiple addictions.

“Often victims of sexual or criminal exploitation, adverse childhood experiences and developmental trauma, they’re being referred for support which isn’t here,” he said.

“Some end up sent away to facilities in the Republic and GB, only compounding their problems by ripping them from family.

“The NI Review of Children’s Care Services in 2023 made a range of recommendations yet nothing’s changed. We must not allow this to be yet another report commissioned by Stormont which goes nowhere.

“These are our most vulnerable young people who, from even before birth, have faced unimaginable disadvantage, born to mothers with addictions or into violent homes.

“Even their brain development in the womb can be compromised, affecting how they’ll react to danger, their fight, flight or freeze responses.

“Aggression and violence is the only way they know how to and it’s kept them safe even though it’s not acceptable within our societal norms.

“So it’s about supporting them to change that.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran intensified its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors’ energy infrastructure Thursday, setting Qatari liquified natural gas facilities ablaze as it hit back following an Israeli attack on its main natural gas field, a major escalation in the Mideast war that has sent global fuel prices soaring.

A ship burned off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and another was damaged off of Qatar, underscoring the ever-present danger facing vessels due to Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar, a key source of natural gas for world markets, said firefighters had put out a blaze at a major LNG facility after it had been hit by Iranian missile attacks. Production had already been halted there after earlier attacks but it said the latest wave of missiles caused “sizeable fires and extensive further damage.”

Damage to the facility could delay Qatar in getting its supplies to the market even after the Iran war ends.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi said the country had been forced to shut down operations at its Habshan gas facility and Bab field, calling Iranian overnight attacks on the sites a “dangerous escalation” of the war.

Gulf states condemn Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure

Missile alert sirens sounded in multiple other areas around the Gulf, and Israel warned of incoming Iranian fire.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all denounced the Iranian attacks, with Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat saying assaults on the kingdom meant “what little trust there was before has completely been shattered.”

In morning trading, Brent crude oil, the international standard, was above $110 a barrel, up more than 50% since Israel and the United States started the war Feb. 28 with strikes on Iran.

Iran strikes back after Israel hits critical gas field

The wave of Iranian attacks came after Israel hit South Pars, the world’s largest gas field located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly by Iran and Qatar.

With some 80% of all power generated in Iran coming from natural gas, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, the attack directly threatens the country’s electricity supplies. Natural gas is also used to supply household heating and cooking across the Islamic Republic.

Hitting the gas field is a “clear expansion of the conflict,” the New York-based Soufan Center said in a research note.

“Israel’s target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure …” the think tank said. “It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.”

Iran condemned the strike on South Pars, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that “could engulf the entire world.”

In Washington, President Donald Trump said that Israel would not attack South Pars again, but warned on social media that if Iran continued striking Qatar’s energy infrastructure, the U.S. would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.

“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran,” Trump said on social media.

Energy infrastructure targeted around Gulf region

Qatar Energy said on X that it was a missile hit on its massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility that caused the blaze early Thursday.

A ship was also hit off the country’s coast, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. It was not clear whether it was deliberately targeted of was struck by falling debris as Qatar fired off missile interceptors at incoming Iranian barrages.

Saudi Arabia also reported downing Iranian drones targeting its natural gas facilities overnight, and authorities in Abu Dhabi said it had been forced to shut down its Habshan gas facility and Bab field after interceptions over the sites.

Another ship was set ablaze early Thursday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. It was also unclear whether it was targeted or hit with debris, the UKMTO said.

It said the vessel was just off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is normally shipped.

More than 20 vessels have been attacked during the Iran war so far as Tehran has kept a tight grip on shipping traffic through the waterway, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.

Iran insists the waterway is open, just not to the U.S. or its allies, and while some vessels have sailed through, it has only been a trickle.

Iran executes 3 men detained during January protests

Iran announced the execution of three men detained in January’s nationwide protests, the first such sentences known to have been carried out, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.

The men were accused of stabbing two police officers to death in Qom, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, during the protests.

Iran put down the demonstrations with intense violence that killed thousands of people and saw tens of thousands others detained, and activists have warned that authorities might carry out mass executions of those detained.

Iran long has been accused by rights campaigners of extracting coerced confessions from detainees and not allowing them to fully defend themselves in court.

Death toll climbs in third week of war

More than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed during the war. Israeli strikes have displaced more than 1 million Lebanese — roughly 20% of the population — according to the Lebanese government, which says 968 people have been killed.

In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire, including a Thai agricultural worker who died overnight after getting hit with shrapnel. Three people were also killed in the occupied West Bank overnight by an Iranian missile strike, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed.

___

Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, and Rising from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.

From early next week, a change in wind direction will bring lower temperatures.

A north-westerly wind will drag in some colder air with temperatures on Monday actually falling below average in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It will also temporarily turn more unsettled with an area of low pressure tracking across Scotland into Tuesday.

This will bring some showers which could turn a little wintry over the higher ground of Scotland, northern England and Wales.

Feeling chilly early next week too with temperatures ranging from 6C in northern Scotland to 13C in south-east England.

Looking further ahead, there are signs that high pressure will return to bring the settled weather back for the start of the Easter school holidays.

You can stay up to date with the details of that on our monthly outlook.

Harwood residents spoke of their shock after the paths and grass in Longsight Park were covered in mud and bike tracks – with some calling for signs to be put up.

After the incident, Jane Wilcock, of friends of Harwood and Longsight Park, asked the public to be more considerate when using public parks.

Residents have appealed for signs to be put up after Longsight Park was destroyed by bikes (Image: Public)

She said: “I’m not sure how much is deliberate and how much is real ignorance.

“There’s nothing to tell people that they can’t take quad bikes in there, I really feel if there was a sign that would be a step up.”

Bolton Council has now said that they are “actively looking” at how to tackle the problems caused by quad bikes.

A spokesperson said: “Bolton’s parks are for everyone and they should be a place of calm for all to enjoy.

“Quad bikes have no place in our parks, especially when they are causing damage and danger.

“We always take these issues seriously and we are actively looking at ways to tackle the problems caused.”

Residents have appealed for signs to be put up after Longsight Park was destroyed by bikes (Image: GMP)

In 2024 a section 59 order was placed on Longsight Park, subjecting the park to a protection order of The Police Act from off road bikes. 

The Section 59 increases police powers to seize off-road and e-bikes where they are being driven off road or in public spaces.

The order also made it an offence for a person to fail to stop a vehicle when required to do so by a police officer punishable by a fine of up to £1000.

As Donald Trump appeared to suggest that Northern Ireland should ‘merge’ with the Republic, we want to know how you would vote in a future border poll

US President Donald Trump appeared to back a United Ireland as he thanked deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly for attending the events in Washington over St Patrick’s Day.

During remarks at the Friends of Ireland luncheon in Washington DC, President Trump thanked Ms Little-Pengelly for her attendance and noted her friendliness with Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The deputy First Minister is in Washington for the celebrations alongside Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, Education Minister Paul Givan, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley, UUP leader Jon Burrows and the Chief Constable of the PSNI Jon Boutcher.

Speaking at the luncheon, President Trump said: “Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and they [Michaél Martin and Emma Little-Pengelly] get along so well.

“I saw that, you get along very well, the way it’s supposed to be.

“I don’t know if I should be promoting a merger. I love mergers. We’re going to get into trouble… more trouble than the beauty

“But, Emma Little-Pengelly. Thank you very much, Emma.”

Following President Trump’s remarks, we want to know how you would vote if a border poll were held tomorrow.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our politics newsletter here.

The UK government has issued advice on what to avoid in the event of a radiation emergency – with other advice on the key foods and water supplies to keep in your cupboards

Amid growing concerns following recent tensions with Iran, questions about nuclear strikes continue to mount, with people questioning how they might possibly prepare for the worst-case – though highly improbable – scenario.

While a nuclear strike on Britain appears an exceptionally remote possibility, officials have published guidance on what actions to take, what supplies to stock and where to shelter during a radiation emergency.

Without access to retailers following an attack, these are the essential items you ought to be stockpiling in your cupboards or freezers ‘just in case’.

When radioactive material settles across an area, soil or water sources can contaminate agricultural produce, farm animals and drinking supplies, according to the gov.uk website.

This mainly impacts fruit and leafy greens, which can become contaminated via their root systems.

Food

Similarly, farm animals risk consuming these contaminated plants from the soil – now radioactive – meaning meat and dairy produce will carry identical risks.

Should this happen, food standards authorities are expected to impose “precautionary restrictions within a defined area”, limiting the sale of any agricultural produce, livestock and animal-derived products.

For advance preparation, items you can rely on before or after an emergency include tinned goods and dried provisions. Real Simple has compiled the definitive list for this purpose, guaranteeing you’re selecting foods that can still deliver some degree of nutritional value and variety to your emergency provisions.

Their list of ‘pantry non-perishable’ foods features peanut butter, crackers, nuts, cereal, dried fruits, canned tuna, salmon, chicken, or turkey and canned beans.

The government website explains: “For large releases from overseas nuclear facilities, it is possible that, if certain weather conditions occur, radioactive material carried by the wind may land in some parts of the UK.

“If this happens, it is possible that levels of contamination may be high enough to require restrictions on the sale of contaminated crops, livestock and dairy products within a defined area.”

Water

During a radioactive emergency, extraction of water from rivers, lakes or wells in the affected area may be halted in order to protect water treatment facilities. This could have a major impact on water supply once the treated water stocks run out.

Although water companies have arrangements to provide alternative safe drinking water, such as bottled supplies, it would be wise to build up your own reserve.

Bottled water is commonly used when there are interruptions to local supplies, so regardless of nuclear threats, having a stock could prove beneficial at some point.

Other advice

Additionally, Real Simple highlights several cooking supplies you might not have thought about, should you lose access to gas, power or electricity. They recommend having a backup generator for such situations, whilst a portable camping stove or oven can be extremely useful.

“If you’re stuck indoors, keep a can of Sterno handy,” the website states. “It’s essentially heat in a can. It requires no electricity and can warm up small amounts of food in cookware.”

Regarding the safest place to shelter, UK Government guidance recommends staying indoors with all windows and doors closed. The most secure location within your property, they advise, is towards the centre of the building, positioned as far from external walls as possible.

By doing this, you’re helping to “avoid exposure from any radioactive material that has collected on the outside of the building.”

Should officials instruct you to stay at home, you may need to remain there for several days, making it vital to have these provisions readily available.

I caught a glimpse of Alexa in the UK before the public launch. While Alexa’s voice remains the same as it was before, the level of understanding has jumped hugely, with conversations that are more like Google’s Gemini or ChatGPT. You can now say what you want and have discussions, which previously would be greeted with “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite get that”.

But Alexa loves to waffle. In many of the demos I witnessed, it’s clear that Alexa is happy to keep supplying information beyond the original question. This sort of contextual gumpf is typical of AI systems, with Gemini and ChatGPT both doing the same.

During the demos, Trevor Wood, Amazon’s lead speech scientist, said that a lot of adaptation had been made to cater for the UK’s 40 regional dialects. I noticed that Alexa would occasionally say “mate”, while at one point, it said, “I’ll just have a gander at that”. Hopefully, Alexa won’t always talk like a London cabbie in conversation.

For smart home users, creating ‘routines’ should be much easier. Previously, if you wanted to control a number of devices and assign certain actions (dimming the lights, switching on the central heating and boiling the kettle at certain times, as an example), it took ages to fiddle about in the Alexa app. Now you can just tell Alexa+ what you want to happen, and it should take care of it.

My first impression is that Alexa+ removes a lot of the frustrations based on voice interaction that the old system presented.

I’m going to be fully testing Alexa+ in my own home over the coming weeks to see whether it really changes the game, or just gets more irritating.

When can I get Alexa+ and what devices does it work on?

With the world’s largest gas field being set ablaze by Israeli strikes, the cost of the war with Iran is set to climb higher still.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that gas tanks and parts ​of a refinery have been hit at the South Pars gas field.

The biggest known gas field in the world, it covers some 9,700 square kilometres in the Persian Gulf.

Iran war latest: New leader vows revenge for assassination

It’s estimated to hold about 51 trillion cubic metres of gas, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Oil prices have already spiked following news of the strikes, with the cost of Brent crude rising more than 5% to over $110 a barrel.

Natural gas costs have risen too, with UK wholesale costs up 6% on Wednesday, 60% in the month to date.

The South Pars field is split between Iran and Qatar, with the larger Qatari side being discovered first, in 1971.

It’s thought to make up two-thirds or more of Iran’s gas supply, according to state media.

The attack on the field marks the first reported attack on Iranian energy infrastructure.

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Michael Clarke answers your Iran war questions

And the action will increase the cost to Iran of staying in the fight, according to Sky News’ international correspondent Alex Rossi.

He said: “What they’re trying to do is increase the cost – it’s a stream of revenue for the Iranians – and try to make it more difficult for them to prosecute the war.

“Now, that might happen in the long term, but immediately it’s going to be ordinary civilians inside Iran who are going to bear the brunt of this in terms of the cost of living, which is already terribly high and getting worse as a result of wartime.”

Read more:
Voters split over whether Starmer is handling Iran war well
Exclusive: Trump given ‘Vietnam’ warning by Iran

Middle East commentator Tara Kangarlou told Sky News the Iranian output of the gas field was “mainly used domestically”.

Nonetheless, Iranian gas flows to Iraq have also halted, a senior Iraqi official told Reuters.

And Qatar, which shares the field, has reacted angrily to the strikes, calling them a “dangerous and irresponsible” escalation that put global energy security at risk.

Iran itself has promised retaliation, warning it will respond by targeting energy installations in other Middle Eastern nations.

Mr Rossi said: “We are seeing that those states are responding by evacuating facilities now for fear that they too will be targeted.

“And this is already having a very real net effect – the price of oil has already leapt by 5%.

“So what we are seeing really as a result of this is not a war that is getting any better – it is widening tonight and intensifying.”

The US state department has clarified that it is not forcibly returning any evacuees to Afghanistan, but that some have voluntarily returned. It did not confirm whether it was paying those returning to Afghanistan, but sources have told the BBC that evacuees were offered $4,500 (£3,338) for the main applicant, and $1,200 for each of their family members.

Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said last week: “With the outbreak of the crisis in the Middle East, the issue of energy prices has clearly become even more important, which is why, at European level, we are also calling for the urgent suspension of the application of the ETS to electricity production.”