British-Irish Council to be held in Co Down
Ireland's premier and deputy premier will be among attendees, along with representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government, as well as the Governments of the Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said relations across the islands are in 'a good place'.
He said 'I look forward to the BIC Summit when I will have the opportunity to discuss with our nearest neighbours our own shared, and international challenges.
'Relations across these islands are in a good place and there is always more that can be done to deepen cooperation and unlock potential to the benefit of all.'
Tanaiste Simon Harris added: 'I look forward to attending this BIC Summit, which is the first to take place in Northern Ireland since the restoration of the Executive and Assembly last year.
'The British Irish Council provides a very useful forum to discuss issues of topical concern across these islands.
'This is vitally important, particularly at a time when we are focused strongly on realising the potential of relationships across these islands.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Car
7 minutes ago
- Auto Car
Renault: Electric car grants needed 'for some years' to come
Renault's global sales boss Ivan Segal has welcomed the UK government's introduction of grants for electric vehicle buyers, saying that such support will be needed to stimulate demand 'for some years' to come. The French manufacturer has just released its sales results for the first half of 2025, with notable gains in sales of both its EV and hybrid line-ups. That has helped the firm to sell 394,278 passenger vehicles in the European region, a rise of 8.4% despite the overall market dipping by 1%.
Times
8 minutes ago
- Times
A neighbour is blocking our property sale — what can we do?
We are leaseholders of a downstairs maisonette in a building where we also have a share of the freehold. We are selling the property but the joint freeholder, who owns the flat upstairs, is refusing to co-operate. She is making unreasonable and ever-changing demands, such as demanding payment, access to our garden, cancellation of a previous debt and alterations to the lease. She has refused to sign the TR1 [ownership transfer form] to transfer the freehold share to our buyer, effectively blocking the sale. In the past, she has been abusive towards us and our tenants, resulting in police involvement and an Asbo. She is now refusing to communicate or engage in mediation, leaving us unable to proceed. We are seeking advice on how to resolve this deadlock. What legal options do we have to enable the sale of our property?DP • Read more expert advice on property, interiors and home improvement This is an extremely challenging situation and you have my sympathy. There are no easy or perfect answers but I have set out some possible options for you below: The real challenge for you is that you need simultaneously to resolve two problems: the refusal to sign the TR1 and the difficulty of physically selling the home. Dealing with the (easier) TR1 issue first, it is possible to make a relatively straightforward application to court under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996. Section 14 enables the court to make an order for sale of the freehold without the co-freeholder's signature on the TR1. Turning to the issue of actually making the sale, you could issue a claim against your neighbour, seeking an injunction restraining her from causing a nuisance. However, not only would that be expensive and somewhat risky, there is no guarantee it would convince prospective buyers that nuisance issues would not reoccur. And a buyer might be concerned about potential issues when they themselves come to sell the property. One alternative is to sell the property in an auction. Via that method, you could find a buyer who is willing to overlook potential issues, for example an investor who doesn't intend to occupy the property. You may have to sell for less than you would like but at least you would have resolved the problem. One other option — subject to your budget, obviously — would be to offer to buy the neighbour's flat. You would then control the whole property. I realise that your neighbour has proven difficult to negotiate with, but at this point nothing should be off the table. I do hope you manage to find a Cracknell, partner, Russell-Cooke, I've had dark grey limestone paving laid on my new terrace. I left a tree in the middle of the terrace for the birds to enjoy. However, the birds are seriously disrespecting my new paving — even a low-pressure hose used daily doesn't remove their mess completely. I've tried hanging reflective deterrent rods in the tree, and also photos of birds of prey, but these haven't worked. Short of removing the tree, do readers have any tips for cleaning the bird mess effectively without damaging the paving?SB Get a decoy bird (such as a hawk) and mount it on a stake close to the tree in question. Ideally, move the decoy around regularly to stop the birds getting familiar with it, and keep it as high up as possible. Most garden centres sell Evans Sprinkle cheap supermarket biological washing powder on the wet paving. Leave for an hour or so. Brush. Sluice. Works a treat. And no harm to the stone. J Walters Use a diluted solution of Wet & Forget mould remover (£12.50, Simply spray on the paving when dry (and no rain is forecast for a few hours). The solution should keep the paving clean and new-looking for some Hollowday I fold strips of silver foil (into three to make them rigid) and attach them to the branches of my fruit trees. The birds get spooked by the strips flapping in the wind. Much less hassle and far kinder than directing a hose at How can I remove oily head-hair marks from the surface of an aniline leather sofa?Brian Hayward I've bought a new kitchen and have chosen Ikea carcasses and bespoke fronts from a specialist company. The carcasses have been installed but I'll have to wait about three months before the fronts arrive. Do any readers have tips for living with a kitchen without door fronts for this amount of time? Or any affordable temporary solutions?Veronica, Leyton Send tips and questions to homehelp@ Advice given without responsibility
Daily Mirror
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Huge seaside resort built for 20k tourists bans foreigners weeks after opening
Despite years of delays and a grand opening ceremony, the world's most controversial Benidorm-inspired seaside resort has 'temporarily' prohibited foreign travellers from visiting A Benidorm-inspired seaside resort with 2.5 miles of golden sandy beach has sensationally banned foreigners from visiting, just 17 days after its grand opening. The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone might look like any other coastal destination at first glance. Complete with 43 hotels and camping sites that hold capacity for a whopping 20,000 visitors, the resort boasts a huge water park with thrilling slides, a cinema, theatre, 'recreation centre', and pristine beach. However, this seaside haven isn't located on the sunny Costa Blanca (although it is rumoured to be based on the Spanish hotspot). Instead, it's situated in the cruel dictatorship of North Korea, which has been accused of a series of gross human rights violations. These include detaining residents in prison camps for trying to flee, severely restricting the rights to freedom of expression, and rejecting international aid while people starved due to food shortages. But in 2017, North Korea sent a delegation on a trip to Benidorm so officials could take note of how the hotspot had designed many of its hotels and attractions. Following years of delay, the tourist park - believed to be a crucial part of Kim Jong Un's ambitions to boost tourism in the country - opened on July 1 this year. According to reports, the first droves of Russian tourists arrived at the resort earlier this month, with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov branding the project a 'good tourist attraction' that he hoped would become popular amongst Russians. However, on July 18, North Korea updated its tourism website, declaring that foreigners are 'temporarily' not allowed to visit. This follows North Korea's decision to abruptly halt tourism from the West - including travellers from France, Germany and the UK, back in February. At the time of writing, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all but essential travel to North Korea. "The level of tension on the Korean Peninsula remains high. While daily life in the capital city, Pyongyang, may appear calm, the security situation in North Korea can change quickly with no advance warning about possible actions by the authorities," the body warns. "This poses significant risks to British visitors and residents." Even before the site had actually opened, it garnered heavy criticism from human rights groups - including the UN which warned of 'shock brigades'. This is where workers are subject to harsh conditions and long working hours without adequate compensation. Cho Chung Hui, a North Korean who effectively defected from the country, witnessed some of these brutal conditions, although he wasn't directly involved in building the resort. "The principle behind these [brigades] was that no matter what, you had to complete the task, even if it cost you your life," he told the BBC. "I saw many women who were under so much physical strain and eating so poorly that their periods stopped altogether."
