This is lower than the corresponding figure for each year from 2018 to 2024 and is the first time the total has dropped below 50% since the survey began

Less than half of adults agree that asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Northern Ireland, a new survey has suggested.

The results of the research from Stormont’s Executive Office suggest a hardening of attitudes towards asylum seekers and refugees in the region.

The report analyses data from the Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey, examining public attitudes to refugees and asylum seekers.

It found that in 2025, 49% of respondents agreed that asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Northern Ireland.

This is lower than the corresponding figure for each year from 2018 to 2024 and is the first time the total has dropped below 50% since the survey began.

The research also found that just over one quarter (27%) of respondents in 2025 agreed Northern Ireland is a society that welcomes refugees escaping persecution in their home country, again a decrease from previous years.

In 2025, 57% of respondents agreed that it is “our duty to provide protection to refugees who are escaping persecution in their home country”.

It also found that just over two fifths (41%) of respondents in 2025 agreed that “refugees contribute to our society”.

The same question received support of 53% in 2023 and 50% in 2024.

In 2025, 37% of respondents agreed that they would like more opportunities to get to know asylum seekers or refugees. The total was 44% in 2023 and 47% in 2024.

There was no change in the proportion who agreed that people’s perceptions of refugees and asylum seekers were negatively affected by the media between 2024 and 2025 – 69% in both years.

Data for the 2025 NILT survey was collected between September 26 and December 14 2025 from 1,000 adults, weighted to reflect Northern Ireland’s population.

Racially motivated riots have broken out in Northern Ireland on three occasions in recent years.

In the most recent unrest there was violence in Belfast and some other areas in June after a refugee was charged with the attempted murder of a man in the city.

The survey also reveals variations in attitudes to asylum seekers based on geographical location and religious background.

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

Minnie Driver has been left with a sprained neck after colliding with another car in a ‘really bad’ crash during a trip to Paris.

The 56-year-old Emily in Paris star shared a video on Instagram in which she wore a neck brace and lay in bed while detailing the crash on a French country road.

Speaking from her London home, she said the collision had happened a few days ago while driving with a friend and they ‘somehow walked out of it’

Driver said: ‘Well, we didn’t walk out of it; we crawled out of it, but we did get out of it alive. To be very clear, it was not our fault.

‘We were driving on a country road in the middle of France and a car didn’t stop at an intersection and was going at speed, and we just T-boned it.

‘I’m fine. I’ve got a sprained neck, and I’m really in shock and cry all the time. But I’m going to heal and the reason that I’m not dead, honestly, is the car that we were driving.’

The Good Will Hunting star went on to describe how the 360-degree airbags in her Kia car ‘saved their lives’.

Noting she has never been in a crash before, Driver continued: ‘The fact the entire car didn’t just concertina and crush us is down to the design of that car – which is frankly astonishing.’

Joking that she was not doing an advertisement for the Kia car, she went on to sing its praises, emotionally adding: ‘We’ve got families and people who love us and I am so grateful to be alive.’

The video also included an image of the car wreckage and a photograph of Driver and her friend Ben walking out of the French hospital, having been treated.

In the caption, Driver offered a shoutout to ‘the van driver who stopped and helped us before the ambulances arrived’, but also mentioned ‘the car who slowed down, took in the scene and drove off without stopping’.

She added: ‘My brain keeps replaying the crash, which is very hard but seems to be a necessary part of processing. Weeping, too, feels good and helpful.

‘Thank you to my friends, my family, all the people at work and especially my friend Ben and his family. I love you.’

An electricity supply failure is causing major disruption across much of England’s train network this afternoon. 

The outage is expected to last until the end of the day and is impacting rail companies in the North West and Greater Manchester area. 

National Rail has warned services are delayed by two hours, while others are being cancelled or rescheduled due to a fault at a communications centre in Manchester.

The chaos has brought rail misery for many commuters, with passengers on a train in Manchester having to be evacuated from the train tracks.   

One rail firm said it had to halt its services as trains are ‘unable to run safely’ due to a failure of the communication systems on the network. 

Network Rail’s Regional Operating Centre – which houses all the controls to safely operate the railway – has also been impacted, the BBC reported. 

The cause of the power outage is an ‘external power supply failure’ in the Ardwick area of Manchester, according to Network Rail.  

The lines affected are: Avanti West Coast, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express, Lumo and Transport for Wales. 

Network Rail has warned of major disruption in the North West for the rest of the day and said power issues happened in Manchester just before 2pm. 

It said no trains were running between Manchester Piccadilly through to Manchester Victoria and Bolton with other services across the North West network also impacted.

Commuters wait inside Euston stations. The cause of the power outage is an ‘external power supply failure’ in the Ardwick area of Manchester, according to Network Rail 

An electricity supply failure is causing major disruption across much of England’s train network this afternoon

Trains departing London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street also face delays or are being cancelled.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is receiving regular updates about the disruption. 

The Labour MP wrote on X: ‘I am sorry to hear passengers in the North West are affected by a power outage, with trains cancelled or delayed.’ 

An electrical fault at Manchester Piccadilly also halted trains in April.

An extended 12-hour closure of the railway was needed for repairs because of the ‘complex area where this took place, with over 400 metres of damaged lines’, Network Rail said at the time.

Chris Wright, Network Rail North West route director, said: ‘We’re sorry to passengers impacted by a power issues in Manchester which is causing significant delays to trains through the city. 

‘While some services are now running, major disruption is expected for the rest of the day. Passengers with tickets can travel on any Bee Network services. I’d urge anyone planning to travel to check National Rail Enquiries for the latest information.’ 

TPE said it had stopped ‘all trains due to a failure of the communication systems on the network. Trains are unable to run safely’. 

The firm said: ‘There is major disruption and no trains or replacement buses are operating and we strongly advise you not to travel.’

Andrew McClements, Customer Experience and Transformation Director for TPE, said: ‘We’re advising customers not to travel on any TransPennine Express services.

‘This power outage has had a significant impact on services through Manchester and across our network, and major disruption is expected for the rest of the day.

‘We’re sorry for the disruption and thank our customers for their patience.’

London Northwestern Railway said a power cut at Crewe was causing disruption to some of its services and that ‘replacement services have been ordered ‘between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street’. 

Avanti West Coast is offering customers full refunds if they no longer wish to travel, while East Midlands Railway and TPE said passengers who have tickets dated for today can use them tomorrow if they decide not to travel. 

Meanwhile, East Midlands Railway said it can not run trains between Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street and it is ‘looking at alternative arrangements’ for passengers. 

The rail firm said in a post on X: ‘Please remember that this can take time. We appreciate your patience whilst we do this.’ 

Some passengers caught in the chaos told Sky News that they had been told ‘to get taxis’ with others stranded at stations for more than 90 minutes. 

A heavily pregnant woman said she had to pay an ‘extortionate amount of money for an Uber’ so she could get to her midwife appointment on time.   

Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, the city’s integrated transport system, revealed the outage took place at Manchester Rail Operating Centre.  

A spokesperson said: ‘Delays and cancellations are expected on all operator routes across Greater Manchester until the end of today (Thursday 6th August). Rail operators have issued a do not travel notice with travel advice and the latest information on the National Rail website.

‘Ticket acceptance is in place on all Bee Network buses and Metrolink services across Greater Manchester for rail passengers affected. More information can be found on the TfGM website.’

Cancelled and delayed trains at Liverpool South Parkway station in Merseyside 

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TransPennine Express and Northern passengers are being advised not to travel at all as trains are not able to run on multiple routes

Avanti West Coast posted on X: ‘Due to failure of the electricity supply between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street, all lines are blocked.

‘Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed.’

CrossCountry Trains said: ‘Due to a fault with the signalling system at Manchester Piccadilly, fewer trains can run on all lines.

‘Train services running to and from this station may be cancelled or delayed.’

Transport for Wales said: ‘Due to a fault with the signalling system between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester, services will be delayed by up to 60 minutes or cancelled in both directions.

‘Disruption to services is expected until 17:30.’

Northern posted on X: ‘Due to a major power failure all lines in the North West are being heavily disrupted.

‘Services will be cancelled or delayed.’

TransPennine Express, meanwhile, posted on X: ‘Due to a power failure within Network Rail in the Greater Manchester/North West area.

‘All trains will be stopped due to a failure of the communication systems on the network. Trains are unable to run safely.

‘We are currently looking into how this disruption may impact your journey, and we will update you on any alternative travel options as soon as possible.

‘Train services running across the whole TransPennine Express network will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 16:00.’

When your mum is global supermodel and era-defining sex symbol, Cindy Crawford, it can be hard to avoid comparisons.

That’s exactly what Kaia Gerber has been dealing with – and trying to avoid – in Ryan Murphy’s latest controversial TV drama The Shards, she told Metro.

The nine-part coming-of-age thriller series, an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s semi-autobiographical novel, follows Bret (Igby Rigney) as he navigates senior year at an elite prep school in Los Angeles in the 80s.

Bret’s trying to suss out the mysterious new student Robert Mallory (Homer Gere, son of Pretty Woman’s Richard Gere), who’s hiding secrets up his sleeve.

Kaia plays Susan Reynolds, the ‘it-girl’ of her year who seems to have it all. But she’s more complex under the surface, keeping her insecurities hidden behind lock and key.

Alongside jock Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), their group of hedonistic students find themselves alarmingly close to a serial killer who’s preying on their peers.

Kaia, the daughter of Cindy and American businessman Rande Gerber, revealed to Metro how she found photos of her famous mum in the 80s sporting a hairstyle exactly like her character in The Shards.

‘My mum was a freshman in 1981, so there are images that I’ve seen of her with that exact hairdo in high school’, she said.

But despite their striking resemblance, Kaia originally wasn’t keen to embrace their similarities.

‘I didn’t wear my hair in a side part for so long because I didn’t want to get compared to my mum,’ she admitted.

‘And then I was like: “The only person that this hurts is myself.”‘

It’s not just their resemblance that’s striking – both Kaia and her mum started their careers as models, with Kaia booking her first gig with Versace aged 10.

Cindy, on the other hand, began her career at 16 after being featured by a local photographer in Illinois, where she grew up.

She went on to become a world-famous supermodel, working with top brands including Chanel to Balmain.

Like her daughter, she also enjoyed an acting career, starring in 1995’s Fair Game and making cameos in shows like Frasier and Cougar Town.

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While Kaia might boast Cindy’s striking genetics, she isn’t the only member of The Shards cast with a famous doppelgänger.

Graham, who rocks luscious blonde curls in The Shards, has drawn parallels with American Horror Story star Evan Peters, a frequent Ryan Murphy collaborator.

‘I should be so lucky! Those are big shoes to step into, Mr Evan Peters,’ Graham said about the actor who’s appeared in nine seasons of American Horror Story and won the Golden Globe for playing the lead in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

‘I guess I see it now, and I really appreciate it because I really admire that guy quite a bit,’ he added.

Evan is apparently not Graham’s only celebrity lookalike. He was told that he looked like Shawn Mendes when his hair was short and brunette, and was even mistaken for Timothée Chalamet at an SNL party when the Marty Supreme star hosted the show.

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The Shards is available to stream on Disney Plus.

MORE: American Horror Story fans threaten to boycott show after ‘Ariana Grande drops out last minute’

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The Berlin Pride terrorist attack was a wake-up call. Although the LGBT+ community has made great progress in overturning homophobic laws in many countries, this attack shows that our safety is precarious. There are still people who want to kill us, even in Europe. We cannot take our wellbeing for granted. What happened in Berlin is a reminder that the price of LGBT+ freedom is eternal vigilance.

In the shadow of this attack and with heightened security, World Pride takes place this week in Amsterdam. As well as remembering the Berlin victims, the participants will be mindful that 66 countries still criminalise members of the LGBT community, six Commonwealth nations have life imprisonment, 12 states stipulate the death penalty and over 40 territories penalise trans and gender non-conforming people. In about 30 countries, LGBT people are suffering escalating repression.

The terror attack in Berlin reminds us why Pride events matter: they are acts of joy and defiance against those who want to banish us from public visibility – and worse. Violence reinforces the need for Pride to be more than just a celebration and a party. Fifty-four years ago, in London in 1972, I helped organise the UK’s first Pride. About 700 brave souls marched from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park. Today, there are more than 180 Pride events across the UK with a combined attendance of over a million people.

In less than six decades, what began in a handful of western cities has become an unprecedented international phenomenon, of which World Pride is the symbol. That is why it is so exciting that London’s World Pride 2032 bid will be launching on 6 August in Amsterdam.

Today, the Pride movement is the most ubiquitous and universal worldwide movement of all time – and the most successful. It exists in more than 160 countries, sometimes covertly, with a common goal of LGBT+ liberation; uniting the global LGBT+ family across all borders, classes, ideologies, cultures and ethnicities. It is a movement of love, passion and hope. Why can’t the whole world be more like the Pride spirit?

But Pride has its enemies. Our community is also menaced by the rise of far-right movements in the US, Europe and the UK. They mostly do not espouse physical violence, but they seek to undermine our human rights and public presence.

Even in many Western nations, there is homophobic and transphobic backlash, mostly spearheaded by Christian fundamentalists and right-wing political parties. They are joined by some anti-trans activists who have now expanded their campaigns to undermine the whole LGBT+ community because we refuse to abandon support for our trans siblings.

The Berlin terrorist represents a different threat. The 21-year-old suspect, Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Islamist connections, was shot dead in a confrontation with police the following day. Hardly any LGBT+ organisations at World Pride – or anywhere else – mentioned that the killer was inspired to murder by an anti-LGBT+ Islamist ideology, a political-religious ideology that seeks to impose a form of clerical fascism. It must be confronted wherever it appears, while at the same time rejecting prejudice, discrimination and violence against Muslim people.

The main victims of Islamist repression are, in fact, not white Westerners but Muslims, including LGBT+ Muslims. In large parts of the Muslim world LGBTs live in fear of imprisonment, torture, execution and so-called honour killing by families, mobs and Islamic authorities. Yet we rarely hear any LGBT+ organisation condemn or campaign against Islamism. My Peter Tatchell Foundation is almost a lone voice.

The answer to the Berlin attack is not scapegoating, division and repression. Democracies must defend the rights of all minorities, including the right of LGBTs to hold Pride parades, without fear or violence. Simultaneously, our society must ensure that the tiny minority who seek to destroy our freedoms, whether Islamist or far right, are prosecuted with the full force of law.

Local councils run by Reform UK have banned Pride flags from their buildings, defunded Pride festivals and ordered the removal of LGBT+ exhibitions from libraries.

Nigel Farage has pledged to repeal the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act, as well as withdrawing the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights. This would remove protections against discrimination for LGBTs – and everyone else. It would leave us all with fewer safeguards and redresses against the abuse of state power by institutions such as the government, police and the security services.

Reform UK has also vowed to deport at least 600,000 people. Statistically, about 30,000 to 60,000 of them are likely to be LGBT, probably including many LGBTs who have fled persecution on the grounds of their sexuality or gender identity in Africa, Russia, South Asia and the Middle East.

Reform UK is a serious threat to the LGBT+ community, which is why when I mentioned Reform during my speech from the main stage at Brighton Pride last Saturday, the 20,000-strong crowd broke into a spontaneous and prolonged chant of “Block Reform!” We see you, Nigel!

Despite the threat from Islamists and the far-right, and anti-LGBT+ backlash, I’m optimistic. Overall, LGBTs are still making progress worldwide. The message from World Pride is: Queer freedom is an unstoppable global trend!

The Independent’s Pride List 2026 was published last month and celebrates the work and achievements of British individuals within the LGBTQ+ community . Read it in full here

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said crews from 10 areas remain at the scene as well as Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

In an update at 4.15pm SWFRS said: “Crews, appliances and specialist equipment including an aerial hydraulic platform and water bowsers from Rhymney, Aberdare, Abercynon, Brynmawr, Ferndale, Treorchy, Gilfach Goch and Aberbargoed, Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff Central are in attendance along with support from Mid and West Fire and Rescue Service.

“We are advising local residents to keep windows and doors closed due to smoke in the area.

“The incident remains ongoing and our crews are working to bring it to a safe close.”

CHICAGO (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose for a fifth consecutive week to its highest level in just over a year, marking the latest strain for prospective homebuyers who are facing steep borrowing costs.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.69%, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday, up slightly from 6.66% reported last week. By comparison, the average rate was 6.63% at this time last year — and hadn’t been higher than its current level since late July in 2025.

Higher mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting homebuyers’ purchasing power. As rates rise, that can lead prospective home shoppers to delay buying a home, one reason U.S. home sales have been sluggish this year.

Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages — which are often sought by borrowers looking to refinance a home loan — fell slightly this week. That rate averaged at 6.01%, down from 6.04% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.75%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including inflation, broader policy rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and expectations from bond market investors for the economy. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Rates have been mostly rising this year as the U.S. war with Iran, which has fueled expectations for hotter inflation as crude oil prices soared. Despite easing oil prices recently, long-term bond yields remain steeper than they were before the conflict began in late February, pushing mortgage rates to tread higher.

The 10-year Treasury yield was 4.65% as of midday Thursday on the bond market. Before the war, it was just 3.97% in late February.

After serving half his original sentence, Bear was released from prison, but between 1 March 2025 and 21 July 2025 began posting on Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Facebook about the case and Harrison.

The court heard these were “consistently posted messages of the most abhorrent and harmful type”.

Addressing Bear, the judge said: “What you did in that three to four-month period is simply victim-blaming.”

Harrison did not attend court, but the prosecution read out a statement in which she described feeling isolated, exposed and unsafe, and asked for the restraining order to be extended.

She said the significant stress had made her worry about her unborn child and caused her to “spiral” on some occasions.

“I shut him out of my mind for a long time and it’s not fair that he’s managed to crawl his way back in,” she said.

Bear arrived for Thursday’s sentencing with his wife, who is eight months pregnant.

As he walked in to court, he refused to answer questions but gave a thumbs-up and said: “Wish me luck guys. See you soon, hopefully.”

As his barrister spoke about why there should be a reduced sentence, Bear appeared to briefly cry.

He shook his head as he was taken away to begin another prison term.

One of the cats was found dead and infested with fleas in the lounge of Chelsea Brown’s home in Coundon, Bishop Auckland, while the other was hiding on top of kitchen cupboards.

The 33-year-old of Tyne Walk admitted causing unnecessary suffering to two cats during a hearing at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, July 23.

She was also handed a five-year animal ownership ban, along with a £200 fine and ordered to pay £480 in costs.

It comes after a gas engineer reported concerns about two underweight cats left alone at the property to the RSPCA.

Oscar has now been rehomed. (Image: RSPCA)

RSPCA inspector Heidi Cleaver visited on September 18 last year, placing seals on the doors and leaving a calling card. When she returned the next day, the seals were unbroken, indicating no one had entered the home.

On September 20, with police assistance, she gained entry to the property.

Inside, she found a black and white cat dead on the living room floor, infested with fleas, and a second, tabby and white cat hiding on top of the kitchen cupboards, also heavily infested and visibly underweight.

(Image: RSPCA)

Inspector Cleaver said: “These two cats were left without food or water and, were it not for a member of the public intervening, both would likely have died in that property.

“We are so grateful he contacted us.

“It’s very sad that one cat has died, but we’re delighted that the other one has gone from strength to strength and has now found a loving new home.”

The black and white cat was found to be in an emaciated condition and is believed to have possibly died after choking on some food.

The surviving cat was given a body condition score of one out of nine, weighing just 2.5kg – about half the expected weight for his size.

The cat’s food bowls were empty. (Image: RSPCA)

The cat was dehydrated, suffering from severe anaemia, and was heavily infested with fleas.

Brown did not attend scheduled interviews with the RSPCA.

In court, mitigation was given that she has mental health issues.

The surviving tabby cat has since been rehomed and is now named Oscar.

Inspector Cleaver said: “If you can no longer care for your pets, it’s vital that you make arrangements to ensure their welfare.

“For any pet owners struggling, there’s cost of living advice on the RSPCA’s website.”