Latest news with #Today'sNews
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Country singer Sina Theil on battling with alopecia and why she's dumping her wig
Sina Theil shares her alopecia with fans and is blown away by positive reaction The 35-year-old entertainer, who started her music career busking on the streets of Dublin, says she has been suffering from baldness since her teenage years when she was diagnosed with alopecia areata. Sina says she would disguise it with various hairstyles until it got so noticeable that she began covering it up with wigs and a hat. Last week on her social media, Sina took the brave step of removing her wig and telling the fans about her hair loss. She posted: 'The time has come to be free — life is not to be lived in fear! This is how I really look like.' Sina Theil famously sported a hat whenever she performed in public Now, in an exclusive interview with the Sunday World, Sina says: 'It has taken a lot of years for me to go public, but I really feel if there is something that you keep as a secret, whether it's wearing a wig or you are gay or whatever, the things you keep a secret really weigh on you even if you don't realise it. That's what I realised when I started taking the wig off.' Sina, who grew up in Germany and moved here in 2015, recalled how the issue developed as she hit her teenage years. 'I started having it when I was 11 or 12 and into early teenage years and it always fluctuated. It never fully went away,' she tells me. 'In my teenage years if people asked me about it I would totally deny it. I would be just mortified if somebody asked me. 'I would go to a nightclub with my friends and I would be afraid that someone would tug at my hair and discover the truth. When it's a secret that you are guarding you are on guard the whole time, even though you don't realise it because you get so used to it. And that weighs on you. 'There was so much I missed out on that I told myself I couldn't do because you can't jump into the water without a wig. You can't ride a rollercoaster. You are afraid because nobody knows.' Sina decided to share her hair loss with fans on social media Sina says that as the years went on the loss of her hair increased and she found it more and more difficult to cover it up. 'In the last seven years they (bald patches) got bigger and united and that's when it became really noticeable,' she explains. 'Before that I could change hairstyles and cover it up so it looked more like a hairstyle. In recent years if people asked me about it privately I would tell them I had alopecia and, gradually, that made me feel better about it. 'Then recently with the help of some good friends who said, 'Come on you can do it, be brave, be yourself, there is nothing wrong with the way you look or who you are or what you are dealing with.' Sina proudly shows off her natural look Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 19th 'That kind of gave me that extra push to say, 'OK, I'm ready.' Sina, who has just finished an American tour supported by Culture Ireland, says that the reaction of her followers online and at her live shows has been totally positive since she went public with her condition. 'We tell ourselves we have to have this certain image, we have to look a certain way, but actually there's one thing I found out by making it public and putting it out there is that people are really wonderful. 'People, especially in Ireland, are very honest and they appreciate honesty. People will love you more if you are honest with them. 'I say now, 'If you feel in doubt about how people react look at the thousands of reactions that I got of the most beautiful, lovely kind and caring comments and messages from people just saying, 'look, we love you, just be you.' Sina was known for her trademark hats when she performed 'I would now say to people not to be alone in your little corner dealing with your issues when you could be sharing the load with other people that are going through the same thing, that have already come out on the other side 'In my case it's alopecia but it could be any sort of condition or difference that people have. Since I went public I'm now talking about it on stage and telling how I used to hide this and now I've learned to embrace me and to learn to love myself the way that I am. 'One person came up to me at a show and said, 'I had a motorbike accident and now I wear sunglasses because I have a scar.' 'I said. 'If I can stand here with a mohawk you can take off your sunglasses. Do you think I look horrible, do you think less of me?' No, well no one is going to think less of you. 'And then to see that person in audience later with no sunglasses… that to me is mission achieved, that's part of why I'm doing it.'
Sunday World
15-07-2025
- Sunday World
Man (23) accused of assaulting his granny appears in court
Ben Chauhan, 23, told the clerk 'no' when asked if he understood the charge in court. Appearing at Ballymena Magistrates Court by video link from police custody, 23-year-old Ben Chauhan told the clerk 'no, not really to be honest with you,' when asked if he understood the charge. Chauhan, from Tullan's Park in Coleraine, was charged with common assault of his grandmother on 13 July this year. Ballymena courthouse Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 15th 2025 Defence solicitor Pearce MacDermott told District Judge Natasha Fitzsimmons, the defendant 'understands the charge but not why he has been charged.' 'There is no compliant from the grandmother,' he told the judge. The lawyer also confirmed that as a result of the alleged assault, Chauhan's bail address has been revoked, adding that 'there is a way forward but the difficulty is the address.' Giving evidence to the court, a police officer said she believed she could connect Chauhan to the offence and while she conceded there had been no formal statement, 'there is a body worn account' from the complainant. That will be reviewed by the PPS, said the officer, further conceding that the case 'may not make it through court ultimately.' Although Judge Fitzsimmons granted bail in the sum of £300 and adjourned the case to 11 August, she told Chauhan he would not be released until he had an approved bail address.
Sunday World
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Lidl Oasis themed parkas resold for six times the price after ‘unprecedented demand'
The €35 parkas sold out in minutes with some customers reporting their credit card details were refused Parkas resold up to six times the asking price A Lidl-themed Oasis-inspired parka sold out in minutes ahead of Noel and Liam Gallagher's reunion shows at Croke Park on August 16 and 17. The launch of the parkas, much like the ticket sales, caused major chaos on the Lidl by Lidl site this morning at 10am, with users reporting their credit card details were getting declined and jackets appearing on Ebay for nearly six times the sales price. A spokesperson for Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland said: 'We have seen unprecedented demand for our limited-edition Lidl by Lidl jacket, with fans from across the island of Ireland waiting in line to access the website when sales opened. 'We understand this is disappointing for many Oasis and Lidl fans, however we encourage customers to stay tuned to our social channels for future limited-edition merchandise ranges,' they added. The parkas, which were sold at €35 a pop, feature two built-in drink cooling pockets along with the zipper doubling as a bottle opener. They were sold as a set with an accompanying tambourine, with all proceeds to be donated to Family Carers Ireland and Age NI from sales in Northern Ireland. The discount retailer added: 'We understand some users reported payment issues with the website however we can confirm this was due to the item being fully sold out at the time of purchase and not an issue with the site.' After the parkas sold out, they quickly appeared on with some listed at roughly six times the original price. Prices ranged from £120 to £209. The tickets to the band's Croke Park gigs, which went on sale late August, were originally priced at €86.50. However, users on X, reported the price for standing tickets more than doubling from around €176 on pre-sale to over €400 on Ticketmaster. Many users waited hours to secure their place in the queue for tickets. However, the brothers later decided in October that for concerts in the US, Canada and Mexico, dynamic pricing would not apply. The pair began their tour at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 5 July. Before hitting the stage at Croke Park, they are set to play Heaton Park in Manchester and Wembley Stadium in London, both for five nights, and Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh for three nights. Oasis themed Lidl parka Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 9th
Sunday World
09-07-2025
- Sunday World
Spanish national pleads guilty to conspiring to smuggle large quantity of drugs into Ireland
He pleaded guilty to the charge, with the matter put back by Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, to July 21 next for sentencing At the non-jury, three-judge Special Criminal Court today, Juan Antonio Gallardo Barroso (56), of no fixed address in Spain, was arraigned on one count, that he did conspire with his co-accused to do an act in the State that constitutes a serious offence, namely the importation of controlled drugs in excess of €13,000 on dates between February 27 and March 14 2024, both dates inclusive, within the State. The offence is contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. He pleaded guilty to the charge, with the matter put back by Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, to July 21 next for sentencing. On that date, co-accused Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz (45) of no fixed abode but from Spain; Anuar Rahui Chairi (42) of Malaga in Spain; and Aleksandar Milic (27) with an address in Belgrade in Serbia, are also listed for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to a similar charge of conspiring with others to import drugs. A further six men are charged in connection with the case. They are Kiumaars Ghabiri (52) with an address in Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Ali Ghasemi Mazidi (50), with an address in the Netherlands; Sean Curran (37), with an address at Carrickyheenan, Aughnacloy, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh; Raul Tabares Garcia (48), of Cadiz in Spain; Pedro Pablo Ojeda Ortega (36) of Cadiz; and Angel Serran Padilla (40) of Malaga. The men were arrested by gardai in March last year during operations in the villages of Tragumna and Leap near Skibbereen in west Cork, where a jeep, camper van, articulated truck, and rigid inflatable boat were seized as part of the suspected drug smuggling operation. Juan Antonio Gallardo Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 9th
Sunday World
06-07-2025
- Sunday World
Key members of ‘The Family' drugs gang splash the cash after jetting off to Ibiza
Suspected gang members were spotted living it up on the party island last month after flying out from Ireland to celebrate an upcoming wedding Six people were arrested after the network was hacked Six people were arrested after the network was hacked Key members of 'The Family' drugs gang splashed the cash after jetting off to Ibiza for a stag weekend — just months after gardai looked to have smashed the mob by hacking into their encrypted phone network. The suspected gang members were spotted living it up on the party island last month after flying out from Ireland to celebrate an upcoming wedding. A source said the party included a number of key associates of the leader of 'The Family' mob, as well as a 'tech expert' who operated the Ghost encrypted phone network for the west Dublin gang. However, the source claimed one of the gang leaders pulled out at the last minute because he believed he was under surveillance. Six people were arrested after the network was hacked The Ghost network claimed to provide criminals with devices that could not be infiltrated by police due to a special triple-encryption system. A source told the Sunday World that 'no expense' was spared with members of the gang splashing the cash on the weekend trip. Known as 'The Family', the gang have filled the void left by the demise of the Kinahan Cartel and are regarded as major importers of cocaine and heroin into the country. However, it appeared that gardai had effectively brought down the leadership of gang when they carried out a series of raids in March. Three brothers, including the overall gang boss, were among six people arrested as part of country's first major encrypted phone hack case. Six people were arrested after the network was hacked Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 6th The arrested men also included a 'tech expert' who is suspected of selling and maintaining the encrypted communication devices. They were held after gardai accessed the gang's day-to-day business when the encrypted network Ghost network was hacked last September as part of an international policing operation. After the Ghost network was compromised, gardai seized €15.2m of cocaine, €350,000 in cash, €320,000 worth of cannabis and a further €100,000 of heroin from the gang following 33 searches and the seizure of 42 devices. A further 153 electronic devices were also seized from suspected gang members at that time. But days after their arrests, the gang's leaders were released without charge — with a file being prepared for the DPP — despite the wealth of evidence exposed on the encrypted phones. To date, Ireland has remained an outlier when it comes to prosecutions involving evidence against criminal groups and individuals discovered on encrypted networks. An Garda Siochana have failed to bring any cases relating to the Encrochat takedown despite the fact that numerous successful prosecutions have been taken in Northern Ireland and hundreds of networks have been dismantled and jailed in the UK. It is understood that the evidence against the leadership of 'The Family' found on the phones is overwhelming but, months later, the DPP has yet to give direction on charges. Last year, gardai teamed up with their international partners after French authorities broke into two Ghost network servers and made contact with Europol. The investigation subsequently revealed that Australia and Ireland were the two countries with the greatest use of the Ghost system. As well as 'The Family', a Wicklow-based crime gang were also on the devices, and a separate Irish crime group was supplying and operating the phones. Despite the fact that the Ghost encrypted phone network was used almost exclusively for organised crime, it was run by a 'computer geek'. Jay Je Yoon Jung, (32), from Sydney in Australia, has been charged with allegedly creating and administering the Ghost network from a room in his parents' quiet suburban home. Even while running the Ghost network, he continued to work for his parents' commercial cleaning business in the Sydney suburb of Narwee. According to neighbours, he was the polite and quiet 'perfect son' who was well-known for his love of karaoke.
