Capital city of Northern Ireland, a port on the River Lagan
A June 18 Makerfield by-election has become a de facto national leadership test. Labour has placed Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham in the contest to enter parliament and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Polls show Labour leading by five to 12 points, but Nigel Farage's Reform UK and the splinter Restore Britain party are splitting the right‑wing vote and shifting the race.
A PwC study shows AI exposure is changing entry-level work, with junior staff increasingly expected to demonstrate leadership, judgment and data‑driven decision‑making even as overall entry‑level hiring slows. UK and US markets exhibit mixed trends, with prime emphasis on human skills and targeted training.
A car exploded outside Dunmurry police station after being hijacked to the scene. No injuries have been reported. A 66-year-old man has been charged with offences including attempted murder and explosives offences. PSNI views this as an attack possibly linked to the New IRA, continuing a pattern of dissident activity post-Good Friday Agreement.
The Item Club has warned that the UK faces a year of job losses driven by higher energy costs and supply disruptions linked to the Iran war, with South Wales and the Humber hardest hit. London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow are also expected to shed thousands of posts as discretionary spending contracts.
A UK/Ireland–based crowd aboard Ambassador Cruise Line's Ambition has been kept onboard Bordeaux after a GI illness outbreak. About 50 people have shown symptoms; a 92-year-old passenger has died, though officials say the death is not linked to the illness. Disembarkation is paused while samples are analysed and safety measures are stepped up, with refunds offered for affected guests.
Tony Blair has published a 5,700-word essay urging Labour to prioritise policy over personality and return to a “radical centre.” Keir Starmer has rejected major elements of the critique. Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting have publicly attacked Blair’s omissions on inequality, leaving the party divided as the June 18 Makerfield by-election and a potential leadership contest approach.
A video of a north Belfast stabbing has prompted days of disorder that have left homes and vehicles burned, forced families from their houses and prompted deployment of extra police. A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder; the victim remains seriously injured in hospital. Political leaders have urged calm and condemned attacks on minority communities.
A 30-year-old Sudanese national has been charged with attempted murder after a man in his 40s was stabbed in Belfast. The suspect remains in custody as police investigate amid protests tied to immigration tensions in the UK. The Home Office says the attacker arrived in the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status; officials say there is no record of prior security alerts.
Protests in Belfast — sparked by a knife attack in which a Sudanese national is charged with attempted murder — have erupted into violence across multiple districts. Rioters have set vehicles and buildings alight, with police deploying water cannon and crews working to protect residents amid rising tensions tied to immigration debates.
A knife attack in Belfast has become a crusade point for far-right actors online. Video of the incident is circulating with calls for demonstrations across Britain and Northern Ireland, while authorities urge calm as they investigate.