The news is a significant blow for Malachy O’Rourke and comes weeks after star forward Darragh Canavan left for a month-long trip to Australia while former Footballer of the Year Kieran McGeary recently returned to the squad

Tyrone have suffered a huge setback after defender Rory Brennan has stepped away from the squad for the rest of the season.

The Trillick man is understood to have informed Malachy O’Rourke of his decision earlier this week and he will focus on his club commitments for the rest of 2026.

Brennan won an All-Ireland with Tyrone in 2021 before stepping away from the squad at the end of the 2022 campaign.

On the back of a series of excellent displays for Trillick which included captaining them to the 2023 O’Neill Cup, he returned to the county fold last season and was a regular starter during O’Rourke’s first season as they reached the last four of the Championship, losing to eventual winners Kerry in Croke Park.

His departures comes just weeks after star forward Darragh Canavan left for a month-long trip to Australia while former Footballer of the Year Kieran McGeary is back in training after missing the first two months of the season after going travelling.

The Red Hands are in action in Croke Park this weekend as they face Meath in their penultimate League game. Tyrone eased their relegation concerns with a nine-point win over Offaly in round five in Dungannon earlier this month.

They cannot be overtaken by the Faithful and would only be relegated if they lose to Meath and Cork and Cavan win both their final games and Kildare pick up one more win.

In that scenario, Tyrone could be relegated on scoring difference as they drew with the Lilywhites.

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here.

Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the latest sports news, headlines and top stories

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden is breaking her silence about Joe Biden’s decision to abruptly end his 2024 presidential reelection bid under pressure from Democrats concerned about his age, health and viability against Republican Donald Trump in a rematch of their 2020 campaign.

A political spouse for nearly 50 years, Jill Biden said she has never publicly discussed her feelings about the three-week stretch when her husband ended his political career, instead saving her thoughts for the pages of her soon-to-be-released memoir.

Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, on Wednesday announced that her book, “View from the East Wing: A Memoir,” is scheduled to be published June 2.

Jill Biden told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that the book is a “reflection of my four years as first lady” and that writing it was somewhat healing.

“It was kind of cathartic for me to write it, and I wrote about all the, you know, sometimes painful — but other times, most of it really beautiful moments that Joe and I shared during his presidency,” she said.

Jill Biden declined on Tuesday to discuss any of those moments, good or bad — including watching her husband work his way to the decision to end his five-decade-long political career by dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

In an announcement video shared on Instagram, she said she wants to “set the record straight.”

The last chapter of her husband’s political career

In April 2023, then-President Joe Biden was 80 and the oldest president in U.S. history when he announced he was running for a second term. His age and fitness to serve another four years — which would take him to age 86 — became a source of concern for the public. Some fellow Democrats began to pressure him to step aside after he turned in a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June 2024 in which he struggled, in a raspy voice, to land his debating points and often appeared to lose his train of thought. Aides blamed the poor performance on a cold.

Joe Biden at first insisted that he would stay in the race, but after a few weeks he withdrew from the campaign and endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris, his vice president. Harris became the party’s presidential nominee but lost to Trump in the November 2024 election.

Jill Biden said that, with the book, “I have put things in perspective,” presenting what she describes as a “more balanced view” of her husband’s time as president.

The memoir is also a tribute of the sorts to women who, like herself, juggle multiple roles.

“It’s also a story about my being able to balance life, you know, as a working woman and as a mother, a grandmother, a first lady,” she said.

During her four years in the role, Jill Biden, 74, made history as the first first lady to continue the career she had before entering the White House. She had taught English and writing for decades at the community college level, and she continued teaching twice a week at a Northern Virginia school while serving as first lady.

Joe Biden ‘doing well’ after his cancer diagnosis

The former president’s office announced in May 2025 that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bones. He’s receiving treatment.

Jill Biden said it was “quite a shock getting the diagnosis” for her husband, who’s now 83.

“The fact that it is in his bones means that he will have cancer, you know, all his lifetime,” Jill Biden said. She said the doctors say he will “live out his natural life.”

“Like most retired couples, he’ll probably drive me crazy till the end of it,” she joked.

She said he visits Washington at least once a week for meetings or to give speeches.

A unique period in American history

The former first lady also writes in the book about serving during a unique period in U.S. history, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the publisher.

Her husband was sworn into office on the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021, just two weeks after a mob of Trump supporters, spurred by his false claims that the Republican lost because of election fraud, stormed the building in a violent attempt to keep lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s victory.

Joe Biden’s first year in office was dominated by the federal response to the pandemic and, while he mostly stayed at the White House, Jill Biden wore face mask and traveled around the country to encourage people to get their vaccinations. She also continued her advocacy on behalf of military families, education and community colleges, cancer prevention and women’s health initiatives.

Before she became first lady, Jill Biden was second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, when her husband was Barack Obama’s vice president. She currently chairs the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network.

Jill Biden is also the author of “Where the Light Enters,” published in 2019, in which she writes about meeting Joe Biden, then a U.S. senator from Delaware, and marrying and building a life with him. She also has written three children’s books.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of Jill Biden at https://apnews.com/hub/jill-biden.

Noah was 14 when his naked body was found in a storm drain tunnel in North Belfast in 2020, six days after he left home on his bike to meet two friends

Questions have been raised at an inquest as to why the PSNI did not provide a water sample from the storm drain where Noah Donohoe’s body was found.

The pathologist who conducted the 14-year-old’s postmortem examination said an additional test “would be supportive and helpful” but would not have changed her conclusion that Noah drowned.

On Tuesday, two other pathologists told the jury at the inquest into Noah’s death at Belfast Coroner’s Court they agreed that the boy’s cause of death was drowning, and that he had likely died closer to the time of his disappearance than to the discovery of his body.

Noah, a pupil at St Malachy’s College, was 14 when his naked body was found in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he left home on his bike to meet two friends in the Cavehill area of the city.

On Wednesday there was discussion of diatoms, a form of microorganism, that were found in Noah’s lungs, when the pathologists explained to the jury that the presence of these would indicate a person had drowned in natural water, as diatoms wouldn’t be found in treated or tap water.

A sample can be taken from the water a body is found in and tested for diatoms, to see if they match those found in the deceased person.

Dr Marjorie Turner, who carried out Noah’s post-mortem examination, told the court that a diatom test from a water sample “may have come back negative but that would not change my opinion of cause of death” being drowning.

In questioning, Brenda Campbell KC, representing Fiona Donohoe, posited that in a post-mortem process there is an “opportunity in that autopsy to try and find answers” and that “opportunity might not come again”.

She acknowledged that the absence of that test “doesn’t change anyone’s opinion on the agreed cause of death” but it does “potentially deprive” us of additional information.

Former state pathologist for Northern Ireland Professor Jack Crane agreed, adding “if we had ability to compare diatoms in water and found in Noah’s body it would be supportive evidence” of the theory that he died in the storm drain.

Dr Turner said it would sometimes be the case that a water sample would be presented at the lab along with the body, with Professor Crane saying that in his experience of dealing with “deaths occurring in rivers and lakes and so forth the expectation was that that water sample would be provided when we did the autopsy”.

Ms Campbell then presented a police document saying a PSNI officer “spoke to pathologist Dr Turner” who requested water samples, and contacted another officer to confirm a water sample was being collected.

A later document claimed officers were informed by former Coroner McCrisken in early July that a water sample was not needed.

Dr Turner said she was “quite certain” it’s not the case that she directed that no sample was needed.

Later, Donal Lunny KC, representing the PSNI, said the officers believed it wasn’t an “urgent request” to get a water sample, to which Dr Turner said she “probably wouldn’t have used the word urgent” and the sample was “not going to be critical, but would be supportive and helpful in an ideal world”.

The pathologist further reiterated that “no matter what the result would have been it would not have altered” her conclusion of cause of death.

Also continuing to give evidence was Dr Nathaniel Cary, a Home Office registered consultant forensic pathologist, who supported Dr Turner’s prognosis of drowning.

In a statement read to the court on Tuesday, with the caveat that it would be for an adolescent psychologist to determine, he analysed Noah’s behaviour prior to entering the culvert, when he had been seen on CCTV cycling naked.

The toxicology report on Noah’s post-mortem examination was negative for drugs.

Under questioning on Wednesday from Ms Campbell, Dr Cary said that based on his “analysis of many similar cases”, Noah’s behaviour was typical of an “acute psychotic episode”.

Advertisement

He said he had worked on cases where people had entered a “very strange mental state” as a result of taking drugs like cocaine where they “feel hot”, may remove clothing and “pour water over themselves”, and this behaviour can also be seen with new synthetic drugs like MDMA.

Dr Cary agreed with the proposition of Ms Campbell that analysis of Noah’s behaviour would have to be taken into account with the negative toxicological report from the post-mortem as well as other evidence in the inquest.

Dr Turner said that when asking for a toxicological screen it would check for a “wide range” of drugs but “not entirely exhaustive particularly in relation to new ‘so-called designer’ drugs”.

“In this instance all findings were negative but there are some drugs that they will not have been able to test for,” she said.

She added that “some drugs are unstable in blood” and can continue to break down after someone has died, meaning they would have “disappeared in his blood therefore we cannot completely exclude that as a possibility, either”.

All three agreed that psychiatrists would be better placed to speak on Noah’s behaviour and toxicologists on the intricacies of that analysis, and possible impact of synthetic drugs, and it was said that the jury will hear from those experts at a later date.

The experts were also in agreement over analysis of potential trauma to Noah’s brain.

Dr Turner said there was “no visible abnormality” to the 14-year-old schoolboy’s brain and “no evidence of any trauma at all” beyond light exterior bruising.

Prof Crane said there was “no apparent injury to the brain at all”, but it is “theoretically possible” to get a “concussive-type injury without any abnormality being seen”.

Dr Cary said he had “never seen” behaviour like Noah’s before his death, resulting from a head injury “of this nature, especially given there was no injury to the brain apparent”.

The inquest will resume on Friday.

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

Teachers at Llantwit Major High are walking out on Thursday with a second strike next week if talks fail

A Welsh secondary school will be closed to most pupils as teachers go on strike on Thursday. Members of the NEU are walking out in a row over a cut in the time they are given to prepare lessons and mark work.

The NEU said around 30 members will be on strike with a picket line outside the school first thing. The Vale of Glamorgan Council, which runs the 900-pupil school for 11- to 18-year-olds, confirmed it will be shut to most pupils on March 12.

Union officials said members voted overwhelmingly for strike action after the school and governors confirmed a decision to cut planning, preparation, and assessment time (PPA) to the absolute stautory minimum allowed. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

Those times depend on the number of hours individual teachers are contracted to work.

In Wales teachers are statutorily entitled to a minimum of 10% of their timetabled teaching time for PPA, which must take place during the school day.

This time is non-contact, must be in blocks of at least 30 minutes, and cannot be used for cover. Some schools offer above the stautory minimum.

“Our members are clear that by taking this action longstanding behavioural issues at the school will get worse as sufficient PPA time is essential for dealing with these issues,” the NEU said.

“Whilst there have been meetings between union officials, the school leadership, and local authority, and despite numerous warnings that taking this action would result in strike action, the school have decided to proceed with this cut regardless.”

Daniel Maney, senior Wales organiser for the National Education Union Cymru, said the mood among those on strike was “resolute” with another walkout planned for March 19 if no resolution is reached.

He acknowledged pupils were approaching a key exam period.

”NEU members have taken strike action due to a lack of commitment on protecting existing terms and conditions,” Mr Maney said.

“Our members are not asking for anything unreasonable – just to be treated fairly and in keeping with longstanding entitlements. We remain committed to reaching a negotiated outcome but equally will not stand by when they are facing detriment.”

He said there were longstanding behavioural issues at the school including “unruly behaviour and disrespect to teachers”.

While the union acknowledged the head and school leadership were taking measures to address this he said cutting planning and preparation time would only make these matters worse.

When the school was last inspected in 2017 it was rated ‘good’ – the second-highest outcome possible – by inspectors.

A second teaching union, NASUWT Cymru, was meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss its response to the cuts to PPA.

A spokesman for the Vale of Glamorgan Council said: “Llantwit Major School will be closed to most pupils on Thursday, March 12, due to industrial action being taken by some staff.

“The strike action is being coordinated by the National Education Union (NEU). The school’s leadership team, board of governors, and the Vale of Glamorgan Council have been negotiating with union representatives in the hope of avoiding this strike action but this has not been possible.”

Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.

Sir Billy Connolly, 83, said his baby great-grandchild in Scotland gave him hope when people described the world as “a terrible place”.

Sir Billy Connolly has spoken of his joy at being a great-grandfather and how seeing a new life come into the world gives him hope for the future.

Connolly, 83, said his baby great-grandchild in Scotland gave him hope when people described the world as “a terrible place”. An image of a baby features in his latest limited edition series of artworks, Born on a Rainy Day, The Collector Series, released today through Castle Fine Art.

The picture, titled “A Peep at the Past”, originally created between 2012-13, shows an infant playing on the floor with a snow globe like those Connolly has loved and collected for much of his life. Speaking from his home in Florida, the comedian, actor and musician who has five children and two grandchildren, said the picture now reflects his own experience of becoming a great-grandfather, and the joy of seeing a new life enter the world.

He said: “It’s a little baby person playing on the floor with one of those lovely crystal balls that change, with the snow. They’re lovely things. I used to collect them (snow globes). It’s wonderful, and these things give babies hours of entertainment and I always wonder what they see when they look in.

“I have a baby that size in Scotland – I’m its great-grandad. I’m a great-grandfather and it’s a joy. Another life coming into the world and you’re partly to blame. It’s a great thing.

“People say ‘the world’s a terrible place’. I say ‘no it’s not’, That’s the world, up near Loch Lomond, playing with a sparkly ball. That’s the world. That’s the world that’s going to be. It’ll be in their hands.”

Connolly, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, retired from comedy in 2020, and has since concentrated on creating art at his home in Florida.

Advertisement

Connolly has said: “Drawing has given me a new lease of life. I managed to get pictures together and people like them, which surprises me and amazes me and delights me.”

His new collectors’ series features six giclée artworks each in a “boutique edition” run of only 50, priced at £1450 each. The series has a variety of inspirations.

One was titled “Just a Thought”, after a phrase Connolly admitted he dreaded hearing during his long career in stand-up and music, whenever he thought a task was completed and he was ready to go home.

Advertisement

Offering an insight into the picture of a person sitting pondering, he said: “There’s been managers and people in charge of my work on the live stage – the promotion side of things – who seem to think they know what you’re going to do. They always, when they’re talking to you, use little phrases like that – ‘Oh Billy, just a thought’.

“You think you’re finished and you want to go. You’ve got your gear packed and you hear ‘just a thought’. ‘Oh f***’. It’s just a thought – don’t panic‘.”

Other pictures in the series include “The Waving Tree” and “Waiting To Be Discovered”, which was inspired by archaeological excavation programmes Connolly loves watching on TV. Another, “Angel And Pillar Of Salt”, depicts the Biblical tale of Lot’s wife who was turned to salt as a punishment for disobeying the angels’ warning.

And “A Chat At The Gym” depicts two women combining their exercise routine with a chance to laugh, chat and enjoy time away from everyday responsibilities.

Connolly, who admits gym memberships have not always been the best use of his time or money, added: “If you go to a gym anywhere, you’ll see those two people. These are women, messing about, passing a ball to each other and not really building their bodies or getting fit. They’re having a laugh, having a chat.”

“They’re going through the motions of doing exercises and most of the money spent on gyms is squandered – people do it up to the point where they think they’re looking right, and it’s a good thing. It does you just as much good as going for it.”

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

Score: 9/10

We like: Simple to use and easy for beginners to get to grips with

We don’t like: Lacks extras

If you want a straightforward VPN, ExpressVPN is hard to beat. It lacks a few extras offered by rivals, but those are mainly for advanced privacy needs and are unnecessary for most users.

What ExpressVPN does offer is a far-reaching server network, extending to servers in 105 countries. In our tests, it performed quickly whether accessing sites or streaming videos.

It’s also beginner-friendly. Some VPNs overwhelm with menus and technical jargon, but ExpressVPN keeps things simple, with a large on/off button front and centre.

The service supports a wide range of devices, including computers, phones, Apple TV and even Wi-Fi routers, though you’re limited to five devices per account.

Like most VPNs, it keeps no logs of user activity. The company highlights a case in Turkey where authorities seized servers as part of an investigation, but found no data, since nothing is stored on disk.

There are no advanced features such as the ability to choose a dedicated IP address. There is, however, a useful kill switch which stops all internet traffic if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly.

Key specifications

• Free tier: No
• Devices: Five
• Features: No logs, kill switch, threat protection

The council’s 2026 garden waste subscription service is now open, with brown bin collections set to run from Tuesday, April 7, to November 13.

The annual fee is £41 for one bin, with up to three additional bins available at £27 each, plus the cost of the extra bins.

Residents who subscribe by Monday, March 23, will receive eight collections in total.

Councillor Owen Riddle, Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services Committee, said: “I’d like to thank the thousands of residents who have signed up annually for this service since it was launched.

“As a local authority, we are committed to increasing our recycling rates, so we would encourage even more people to support us by subscribing as soon as possible.”

Residents signing up after March 23 will receive fewer collections but will still pay the full fee.

Cllr Riddle said: “Last year, just over 13,000 households subscribed and 1,831 tonnes of garden waste was collected and taken to be composted at a local facility.”

Only loose, compostable garden waste should be placed in brown bins, the council say, and garden waste should not be placed in plastic bags or other packaging, as this affects the composting process.

Non-subscribers can continue to use the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) on Burn Road free of charge, although a booking system is being reintroduced.

The council says brown bin collections remain the most convenient option for regular garden waste disposal.

For more information or to subscribe, visit hartlepool.gov.uk and navigate to the garden waste subscription service.

Everyone loves fresh, everlasting flower bouquets but they aren’t the easiest arrangements to care for and their maintenance can take up a lot of time. Thankfully, there’s another option: dried flowers.

These natural blooms are a more sustainable choice, offering longevity and guaranteeing forever-artful arrangements with low maintenance. Like fresh flowers, dried blooms or preserved flowers are available in a surprising range of vivid tones. As an interiors and DIY specialist, I’ve always found them the easiest go-to option for home decoration. With Mother’s Day approaching, they also make superb gifts, since they’re hardy and travel well.

Several retailers across the UK offer beautiful bunches, from well-known names like Bloom & Wild and Lisa Angel to more boutique options such as Grace & Thorn. Prices vary widely, from as little as £11.66 to over £100 for a bouquet. These florals make lovely mantelpiece or side-table decorations, eye-catching centrepieces or simple gifts for mum and dad.

You can read my reviews of the best dried flowers below, followed by answers to the most frequently asked questions about their care and upkeep. But first, here’s a bit more detail about how I ranked them.

Best dried flowers: At a glance

The council will soon be asking Wishaw locals to help shape their community priorities over the next decade.

Wishaw residents are set to be given the chance to create community projects for the next 10 years.

The council will soon be asking Wishaw locals to help shape their community priorities over the next decade.

Your views will guide what NLC will focus on with local communities and partners across the public and voluntary sector, including Police Scotland, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, NHS Lanarkshire and Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire.

As the council gets ready for this next stage, NLC are shining a light on projects that the public helped bring to life over the past few years.

These included the new outdoor gym in Overtown and the new King George V Community Garden in Wishaw.

The council state: “A new outdoor gym in Overtown is giving local residents a free and accessible space to stay active and enjoy exercising outdoors. The project was shaped through community engagement, with residents highlighting the need for more opportunities to support health and wellbeing in the area.

“The new equipment provides a welcoming space for people of all ages to build fitness, spend time outside and connect with others in their community.

“The outdoor gym has already been well received and is becoming a popular addition to Overtown’s local amenities, reflecting ongoing investment in spaces that encourage healthier, more active lifestyles.

READ MORE: North Lanarkshire Council writes off almost £3.6 million in taxes

“The new King George V Community Garden in Wishaw was officially launched as part of Mental Health Awareness and Green Health Week, offering a welcoming space for residents to connect with nature and support their wellbeing.

“The garden was created through close collaboration with local groups, who helped shape a space designed for relaxation, community activity and outdoor learning.

“The launch event brought together partners, volunteers and community organisations who have played a key role in bringing the project to life.

“Their involvement has helped create a garden that not only enhances the local environment but also provides meaningful opportunities for people to come together, support their mental health and enjoy time outdoors.

“The project reflects ongoing investment in community‑led spaces that promote wellbeing, connection and a healthier lifestyle for people across Wishaw.”

READ MORE: Police found cannabis plants worth £150,000 when they raided house in Wishaw

*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.