Ben Lowry

​You will have seen on page 8 (in the print edition, see below for a link) a long report about a court ruling on the new legacy body for examining the past.

​The extraordinary spell of summer weather reached its peak on Thursday.

​The weather was as good if not better in Belfast as Paris and Rome today, with Northern Ireland reaching 24 Celsius, the French and Italian capitals low 20s.

​The island of Cyprus has been divided now for 50 years – more entirely divided, indeed, than Northern Ireland.

​Oil prices in Northern Ireland have dipped to their lowest point since last summer, and one of the cheapest levels since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Over the last fortnight on this page we have examined the controversy around references to the ‘invasion’ of Cyprus by Turkey 50 years ago.

​This week it was reported that Sue Gray, an influential ex civil servant, was pushing hard to get funding for the Casement stadium.

It was described as a rather uneventful Northern Ireland election campaign, but it in the end it was an earthquake.

With the general election only days away, unionism is facing into perhaps the most challenging period in the 103-year history of Northern Ireland.

​On Thursday I was on radio to discuss the controversy over the refusal of Pat Cullen to explain her position on IRA violence.

An estimated audience of 5,500 people at the SSE Arena roared their appreciation as the singer Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe played hits from the 1980s, when they were formed and rose to rapid success, as well as more recent songs. The synth-pop outfit have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and are listed as the best-selling two-piece outfit in British musical history. The two-hour set included the hits Suburbia, Opportunities, Always on my Mind and West End Girls. The audi…

​The price of home heating oil in Northern Ireland has fallen again, putting it at a level almost as low as last summer.

​There was non-stop sunshine across Northern Ireland yesterday, but Tuesday morning was fine too.

(Click here to read Ben Lowry on the latest terrorist presence at Roselawn crematorium) ​Rishi Sunak was one of the speakers at the conference of the Society of Editors, in which he explained the government’s support for free expression. The Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer also spoke at the event, as did the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, Baroness Carr. These are three of the most influential people in the land, and all of them outlined their personal interest in, and commitment to, free…

Over the last couple of years, I have written occasional articles asking the question: is this a good time to buy oil?​

​Two weeks ago I wrote about how Leo Varadkar’s green politics underlined the need to keep Northern Ireland’s two-state solution.

If, as some conspiracy theories suggest, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s arrest was carefully timed by government then it was a complete bolt from the blue for his party.

(Click here for Ben Lowry’s main column about there being no sign of a unionist realignment)​ It is going to make it harder to use amplification in the city centre. The key streets have been almost destroyed by blaring music. The council has been seeking views on proposed new byelaws which it says are aimed at “reducing noise nuisance in the city centre”. It says: “The council has encountered issues in recent years relating to loud busking, religious preaching and various other activities involv…

​Home heating oil prices in Northern Ireland are at their lowest price since summer.

​On Monday the News Letter reported on how Captain McCabe’s daughter Sheila McCabe flew with her family from New Zealand for the remembrance service, held in the school where he was once principal (Aughnacloy College, then Aughnacloy Secondary). Captain McCabe’s killing is well remembered in that area, but is less widely known – the family has been private since that terrible day, Saturday January 19 1974. Cormac, an officer in the Ulster Defence Regiment, travelled in the evening with his wife…