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It sounds like the plot of a budget Irish thriller movie.
Electricity rise is a shock to system
The near 18% increase in the price of electricity announced by Power NI will be punishing for many businesses and households who are already struggling to make ends meet in the face of other cost of living increases.
A very expensive lesson in learning
We often talk about how public money is wasted through the duplication of services in our divided community.
Oscar bravo
The story of little Oscar Knox, the four-year-old who has made an astonishing recovery from a rare form of cancer, is one of the best examples of the indomitable nature of the human spirit and the power of parental love.
End political paranoia and secrecy on overseas travel costs
Overseas trips last year by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister cost the taxpayer more than £350,000.
Northern Ireland must streamline rivers management
Our special report into the state of one of our best known rivers should make disquieting reading for everyone right up to Executive ministers. It reveals the threats our rivers are under from pollution by industry, agriculture and even water utilities as well as careless individual litter louts.
An age-old problem that must be tackled head-on
It is important to say at the outset that I am sorry for any stress and anxiety caused over the last few weeks to any older person currently residing in our statutory residential care homes and their families.
Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble ... in islandmagee
Belief in witches was a significant part of Irish culture, while Scottish and English settlers in Ireland often accused each other of witchcraft. It is commonly assumed that the European witch-craze of the 16th and 17th centuries, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, never reached Irish shores.
University proud of efforts to help transition to peace
For years, academics from Queen's University have been engaged in transformative research in many parts of the world, helping people to make the transition from conflict to peace.
Sir Alex cream of football crop
SIR Alex Ferguson was honoured by MPs last week for his contribution to football – not just in Manchester, but in Northern Ireland.
Darker forces at work behind our summer sorrows
All sides who took part in the Cardiff talks aimed at defusing marching season tensions certainly deserve praise for their endeavours.
University proud of efforts to help transition to peace
For years, academics from Queen's University have been engaged in transformative research in many parts of the world, helping people to make the transition from conflict to peace.
Celebrate the differences in relationships
THE gay marriage Bill (News, May 21) confuses equality and sameness. True equality will only emerge when the fundamental differences between homosexual and heterosexual relationships are openly celebrated and respected.
Allow same-sex couples to marry
AS a happily married couple, we can see no way in which the introduction of same-sex marriage would diminish our own union.
Winds will not bring change to government
NO one can know whether the tornado that hit Oklahoma would have happened without climate change (News, May 22).
Railway revamp is on right track
A RECENT letter (Write Back, May 21), signed 'Commuter', claimed that it was a flawed idea for Translink to renovate and reuse the railway terminus at the Waterside in Londonderry.
Weather brings a heavy impact
THE recent bad weather has had a weighty impact on Northern Ireland's health and wellbeing.
Why we need clear definition of marriage
MARRIAGES are entered into for a wide variety of reasons – love, sex, procreation, economic support. It is a civil social contract between two people and between those two people and the society in which they live.
Anger at 18% electricity price rise
Looks like the lunacy of wind farms is working. These environmental eyesores are not cost-effective. Result: dearer electricity.
In Pictures: Ulster Nightlife
Pubs, clubs and parties
Just Married - Pictures
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Just Born - Readers' Pictures
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Keep your tears for Facebook, Sheryl, they just don't wash at work
Sheryl Sandberg says that it's ok for women to cry in the office – "I cry at work" – adding that women are not "one type of person Monday through Friday" and "then a different person in the nights and weekend. I think we are all of us emotional beings and it's ok for us to share that emotion at work".
Why Ryan could never hit right Eurovision note
Sometimes life's just inexplicable. Take poor Ryan Dolan.
What The Fall says about our enduring fascination with evil
There used to be a phrase in Northern Ireland to characterise those who carried out non-political illegal activity. Remember "ordinary decent criminals"? They were burglars, car thieves, muggers, TV licence dodgers, double do-ers and spivs. Fair enough, it's a wide moral compass to the word "decent" but we got the point.
So, Professor Hawking, is Israel worse than China, US or Russia?
Stephen Hawking is either a hypocrite or a fool. How else can you explain his decision to boycott Israel?
Arrested celebs are guilty ... until proven innocent
So Rolf Harris had been arrested months before but it only came out a few weeks ago to a chorus of speculation but no charges yet. The release of his name to the press was never formally sanctioned but no one seemed overly bothered about the fact he hadn't been charged, the moment traditionally when two things happen – the suspect's identity enters the public domain and public comment ceases until the trial.
Olivia really does have a winning way
What is it about Olivia Colman? Everybody likes her. (And quite right too.)
Men are all torque when they wheel out women driver myths
By now you've probably watched the latest viral YouTube hit of the woman trying to parallel park in Fitzroy Avenue in Belfast. First things first, the lads responsible for it were incredibly winning. Their commentary (complete with charming north Antrim accents) was rather droll – "Get in ye girl ye!" indeed. They were chivalrous, too, even going so far as to offer to help the woman to park. We will forgive the odd sexist remark.
Why this was a stage too far for Spice Girls
Viva Forever!? Viva Six Months!, more like. The closure of the Spice Girls musical followed a critical savaging and disappointing ticket sales.
Katie Scarbrough's tragedy should make us treasure life
One of the reasons Belfast ice skater Katie Scarbrough gave for deciding to write her blog was to keep family and friends "in the know" as she battled what tragically turned out to be terminal cancer.
It's a tall order, but Charles deserves a dignified burial
To mark the snappily entitled Dying Matters Awareness Week, our local Public Health Agency has been running a campaign which, in the immortal language of leaflet-speak, is aimed at highlighting "end of life issues."
Why Pippa should say 'I do' to a job
Does Pippa Middleton tour the country, fascinator on stand-by, actively seeking out society weddings to attend?
Sometimes it takes a Jeremiah to see reality of bitter life here
I feel a bit like one of those slaves in the old Spartacus movie (the one currently aped in the TV ad) where supporters stand up one-by-one to defend the leader of their revolt by claiming to be that man. "I'm Spartacus!"
Madonna spent awful lot to look this cheap
Where Nick Clegg may have slipped up when he described how he and his wife buy their children's clothes from Primark, was that he was wearing a £600-plus designer suit at the time.
Forget protesters, this world summit is Gr8 chance for us to shine at last
Prime time dramas showcasing the scenic splendour of this part of the world are currently coming at us faster than you can say Bafta award-winning TV series. They include the dark, new thriller The Fall starring local actor Jamie Dornan as a crazed serial killer, the massive global hit that is Game of Thrones and, due curtain-up in Enniskillen in a just few weeks time, the G8-est show on earth.
This is not a nice way to treat expectant mums
You're what?! You're pregnant! How lovely. Congratulations. Now if you would just care to blow into this wee tester so we can check to see how many fags you've had in the last 24 hours ...
One is not amused at Helen's royal rip
It must have been quite a moment when a drumming party happily banging away outside the Gielgud theatre in the West End were suddenly accosted by Her Majesty in full tiara and pearls demanding that they shut up.
Let's wipe smiles off the faces of the clowns at Stormont circus
If only we had a Ukip here ... . Not the actual Farage party per se. But, oh for any oul collection of clowns (as Ken Clarke might say) who could offer us a viable protest vote option against the three-ring circus that is Stormont.
It's a wonder they didn't claim drugs evidence was planted
The PSNI have released a picture of a cannabis factory in Ahoghill where cultivation to the tune of around £500,000 was halted by a police raid last week.
Stormont's dream team is good at scoring own goals
As another football season ends, don't worry about your future in the European Community, or the slaughter in Syria, or the forthcoming G8 summit in Fermanagh.
Ulster care homes mess typifies state of Stormont politics
The First and deputy First Ministers should be commended for making a start at last. Northern Ireland cannot have a truly shared future unless Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness are demonstrating a greater togetherness in public, as has not been apparent until now.
All sides must play a part to end our culture of division
The Royal British Legion and the Irish Football Association made the right calls. Both organisations should be congratulated for the pragmatic stance they have adopted over the flying of the Union flag in one case and the playing of the national anthem in the other.
How the Maze prison could tell our labyrinthine story of horror
Before the bulldozers moved in, I was given access one wintry November afternoon to the site of the old Maze prison. I had been many times before in the days when it was crammed full of republican and loyalist inmates. The creaking of the pedestrian turnstile at the entrance is imprinted on my memory, as is the bleak reception area where visitors waited.
Leaders must bridge divide to calm our turbulent peace
The brutality of the Boston bombs brought back distressing memories for people in Northern Ireland. So many of us can relate to the loss of life and terrible suffering from our personal experience of living through the Troubles.
How Thatcher failed, but showed us that terrorism was futile
The coincidence of Margaret Thatcher's death in the same week as the 15th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement should not be lost on Northern Ireland.
Agreement failed to repair our deeply divided society
Whatever the Agreement's deficiencies, few can deny that in Northern Ireland life changed for the better after April 10, 1998. In virtually every corner of this land, people rested easier in their beds and experienced a calmer atmosphere of relative normality.
Balanced broadcasters a rapidly diminishing breed
The bar on broadcasting standards has been lowered again. The BBC's Eddie Mair has taken opinionated and aggressive interviewing on television and radio to a new level of disrespect for people in authority.
David Cameron ignores Northern Ireland at his peril
A warm welcome back to the First and Deputy First Minister after their travels to the Americas. We must hope that such an extensive tour will bear investment fruit and that their talks with the Prime Minister, David Cameron, today will give Northern Ireland some hope of countering the grim fact that unemployment is now higher than before the Good Friday Agreement.
TV show a nasty, tedious piece of derivative rubbish
This week I want to talk about The Fall. Not the Mancunian post-punk legends, whose latest album, Re-Mit, is every bit as good as the rest of their 35-year blistering output.
Cock-ups, not conspiracies, are bane of the Press
Many years ago, a young trainee journalist was sent to the house of a well-known vicar in his patch, who had been the subject of a substantial burglary.
Forget The Clash, birdsong is now music to my ears
Why am I in a field with 20 pensioners, all of us going brr, brr, brr, brr brrrrrrrrrr in unison? What a vision is this cagouled collective of hip replacements and walking sticks moving in unison through the church meadow making bizarre sounds.
How my beautiful game morphed into a Teutonic hell
If you want the tickets, you'll have to be quick, I was told; others are waiting if you don't snap them up. And so it came to pass that I have bought the most expensive tickets I have ever paid for to watch a football match.
Best show on the box gives us all a good challenge
I only watch one programme on TV these days, apart that is from the footie. I'm hooked on University Challenge. Have been for years.
Why you should never forget importance of memory
Look at the date. It's April 17. Where did the year go already? What happened to, let's say, February 25? What was I doing. I can't remember. I've just looked it up on the calendar to find it was a Monday. A bit grim then, probably.
Thanks Maggie, for teaching us hedonistic teens to think
I was 16 when Margaret Thatcher came to power. We didn't know what had hit us.
Never the Dane, but Uncle Monty you were still the best
Chin, chin Uncle Monty. You were the best. Your words, phrases and philosophies will live on, repeated by future generations of film fans stumbling across one of the finest British movies ever made.
How I enjoyed some shamrock 'n' roll with Obama
Look, I'm not trying to boast, but I did go to Washington last week for work and wound up at the White House while the world's most powerful man made a speech two feet away from me.
In a moment, all the colour in my life was drained by death of Mike
Just over four weeks ago I was reading a book by Kate Atkinson called Life After Life.
Angelina is being true to herself...in style
Loved a line from Oscar Wilde I read recently -- "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."
Life is about sharing, not standing on principles of hatred or division
I wonder what a dissident republican would do if he was in a car accident and the PSNI arrived at the scene within minutes to help him. Would he stand on his principle of hatred?
Modern society needs knuckles rapped for attitude to women
I'd never heard of rapper Rick Ross until I read that Reebok had dropped him from ads for their trainers.
It's not just Claudia Winkleman living on the fringe
I've debated whether to write this bit about North Korea or Claudia Winkleman's fringe. I want to appear serious and concerned with world affairs, but also a bit fun and down with the light-hearted types.
Why I'd like to see her divisive legacy buried alongside Mrs T
Last Thursday a friend said he'd reached Thatcheration point.
By George, he's got it! A plan to tax all those getting it too easy
At the time of writing, an online petition to get Iain Duncan Smith to live for a year on £53 a week has reached nearly half a million signatures.
Maybe they'll give us something to cheer about at the next G8
Sales of petrol have dropped by 20% in the last five years.
Why it's Groundhog Day for the DUP
The DUP have time to put forward motions in Belfast City Council condemning the murders of two corporals in west Belfast many years ago. The same party helped set up a Unionist Forum to look at problems in loyalist areas, following the fleg protests.
We’ll pay high price if free speech laws undermined
The local debate over freedom of speech versus even more restrictive defamation laws has really started to take off. And it’s a very healthy thing to watch.
Reporters rely on invaluable in-house library archive
Newspaper libraries are intriguing places. All human life is in there, normally in print and photograph, but of course, for the past decade or so, in digital format.
Online debate healthy when we play by the rules
The number of comments posted underneath stories and articles on our website is a great indication of how popular this method of engagement with, and by, readers has become.
Charter a right Royal mess that will damage Press
A grubby stitch-up which hopefully is falling apart under the weight of its own contradictions. That's my tuppence worth on the new Royal Charter on Press Conduct, anyway.
Lack of transparency adding more pain to Fenton family
The news business is, by necessity, often full of tragic events. But even by the grim standards of our trade, the story of James Fenton, a 22-year-old from Bangor, is a particularly distressing one.
Gagging whistle-blowers won't cure bad practice in NHS
Well, I've been banging on about it for a while now, but I'm delighted to say that it's finally become a burning political issue.
Labour MPs join Tories in demanding referendum on EU
AN influential group of around 14 Labour MPs have now joined the Tories in wanting a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.
Peter Robinson prophets little in throwing the Book at UUP
In spite of being painted as the Mr Angry of Ulster politics, Peter Robinson does have a sense of humour – and even the ability to be self-deprecating.
Time is right for Queen Elizabeth II to follow Sir Alex Ferguson and Ian Paisley's lead by abdicating throne
Pope Benedict did it. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands did it. Ian Paisley did it. And now even Alex Ferguson is doing it: all stepped aside at a high point in their careers. Isn't it time for the Queen to consider following suit?
Snub to Dalai Lama helps us to build bridges with China
Did anyone wonder that there were no official receptions, or no meeting with ministers, during the Dalai Lama's visit to Londonderry last month?
Maze has great story to tell, just like the Titanic
Handling the successful development of the Maze site is a major opportunity and challenge to the two big parties, which must do the heavy lifting if it is to work.
Leaders march to same tune for Cameron's stimulus package
At last, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness feel that they have some leverage with the British Government.
Inside... The call centre
Last week, I tried to find out when our car needed to go in for service, as the erroneous reminder popping up on the display was annoying me.
Our Supreme Leaders trapped in own cold war
The stand-off between Sinn Fein and the DUP reminds me of North Korean diplomacy. I'm not hinting that either party resembles a secretive, Stalinist personality cult (perish the thought).
Take down the flags? We probably need to talk about that
Flying flags from every lamp-post to mark out territory is one of the things that makes us seems most foreign to many visitors from other parts of the UK.
We need to discipline riot kids, not mollycoddle them
At what point do we stop offering love, tolerance and respect to delinquent kids and, instead, make them take responsibility for their own actions?
Are we so dumbed down that we miss the obvious?
I'd say we were dumbing down, if the phrase itself didn't seem so dumb. But there's no doubt that we are. Study after study shows that modern society is getting ever more stupid with each passing year.
How devolution has dragged us all back to the Dark Ages
Perverse. Outrageous. Shameful. Embarrassing. These are just some of the words used by free speech campaigners to describe Stormont's so-far unexplained decision to opt out of the new Defamation Bill, which passed into UK law last month.
Telling our story is not the same as creating a shrine
Commemoration is not the same as veneration. Telling a story – if it is an honest, rounded and impartial narrative – is not the same as building a shrine.
Thatcher death celebration a grave mistake - pathetic, undignified and pointless
Is there any more futile gesture than dancing on someone's grave?
If this was the best on offer I would hate to see the worst
Exactly 14 days after the Good Friday Agreement, my daughter was born. This year, this month, she turns 15. And so does that longed-for settlement.
Terri's punks, warts and all, show true spirit of the city
Shouting loudly about how world-class everything is in Northern Ireland – world-class golf courses, world-class restaurants, world-class colleges, world-class museum experiences: you name it, we're the world-beaters – leaves us with a problem.
Why bother having a child if you are going to dump it off in daycare baby farm?
It's not the sort of thing that a self-declared feminist is supposed to say, but I'm going to say it anyway: why bother having a child if you're going to plonk him or her in full-time daycare from when they're knee-high to a grasshopper?
Time to banish perpetually offended elements in society
It's the day when the world turns a particularly lurid shade of emerald.
Awesome Cannes: Irina Shayk dazzles at 'All is Lost' premiere
In Pictures: May Day races at Down Royal racecourse
Cannes glitz - stars doll up for prance down red carpet
Freedom of Belfast award 'humbles' Dame Mary Peters
Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Awards 2013
Out & About in Northern Ireland
Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2013
Jaffa Cakes Mud Madness splash in Portadown
Northern Ireland junior football weekend round-up April 13
The Masters 2013
Indian Holi festival unleashes explosion of colour in Belfast
Arm candy: 50 Best handbags
Leo DiCaprio's Gatsby will reel you in
So, a couple of weeks after pre-judging Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby adaptation as shallow and ill-judged on the basis of its shiny fashion-tastic marketing, I can now confirm that, once more, I was wrong.
Angelina Jolie should forget the trolls, she's pure inspiration
I didn't think I'd write about Angelina Jolie this week. I didn't imagine there would be much debate about her frank, thoughtful and sensibly unsensational piece in the New York Times explaining why she'd chosen to have a cancer-preventative double mastectomy.
It's best not to toy with your kids' imagination
There are, I accept, some ways in which I am a manipulative nazi mother (small n). When it comes to guiding my children's reading, watching and listening choices, I exercise a cultural stranglehold which is unhealthy, unfair and may result in years of resentment.
Why Dave Allen was my lost love
I am too young to remember Dave Allen in his pomp, and though my folks always spoke of him with reverence, he had little impact on me growing up.
Victoria Beckham's new goal after shock loss
As the man world pauses this week, either to mourn the end of the greatest reign in football history or to declare that Alex Ferguson was never as good as Bill Shankly anyway, spare a thought for the nation's Fergie widows.
BNP is least of Farage's worries
How reassuring for local election voters in England to be told by UKIP leader Nigel Farage that his is the only UK party which expressly bans BNP members from joining. Though after rejoicing in this progressive stand, mightn't some wonder why Nigel's party are the only ones who need such a policy in the first place?
BNP is least of Farage's worries
How reassuring for local election voters in England to be told by UKIP leader Nigel Farage that his is the only UK party which expressly bans BNP members from joining. Though after rejoicing in this progressive stand, mightn't some wonder why Nigel's party are the only ones who need such a policy in the first place?
Why shock at JLS split?
So, where were you when you heard the news that JLS had been shot? No, hang on, that's not right... that JLS had split up? While standing on a grassy knoll. Probably.
It's good to see a country with some politicians who have real feelings
It's not often we see politicians crying. Politicians tend to have tough hides.
As heir to the throne, Prince Charles is truly leading a cushioned life
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. But uneasier still is the bottom that sits on a throne.
Dr Who starlet Jenna-Louise Coleman's shyness is a puzzle that would leave even Dr Who baffled
The Doctor Who actress Jenna-Louise Coleman has "never been on a date" with anyone. Like many things public figures say, this is simultaneously true and untrue. It doesn't mean, as it implies, that the 27-year-old has never gone out with anyone.
Why I'm not appy with Gwyneth Paltrow's latest fad
Gwyneth Paltrow is forever getting a pasting. The willowy American actress arouses the ire of the lieges with her blogs or tweets about food, exercise and health.
Fat chance of this plan working
Of all cuts in Britain's austerity programme, surely this is the most extreme: reducing the size of the citizenry's biscuits.
It's time to drum up some support to ensure we get a quiet life again
Oh, to be free of noise! It has become the impossible dream. Even in the deepest countryside, you can find yourself assailed by the racket of farmers, fish farmers, and weirdos with guns, not to the mention the ruddy wildlife, with their endless roaring and squawking.
Are we all just going Gaga?
Top experts – usually the best kind – are encouraging tweeters who use Twitter to be more happy and interesting.
Do these unionists try a Brit too hard?
Jeez, what's with these unionist guys in Stormont? Scare-ee! I'm told Monday's debate on same-sex marriage was restrained by some previous standards. And, it's true, nobody completely lost it. But you could see it simmering underneath.
Playing House left Hugh feeling ill
Not like me to stick up for a rich person "earning" £250,000 per TV episode but, in the case of Hugh Laurie, I make an exception.
Women drive us round bend ... but never into a parking space
Reverse parking ain't easy. You have to go backwards and use the special mirrors fitted to all cars that give an inaccurate picture of your position.
The Fall: Women the victims as TV drama shows its predictable side
I first heard about the TV drama The Fall more than a year ago, when it was being filmed in Belfast. I had a tip-off that Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan were in town, working on a major crime thriller. To say my curiosity was piqued would be an understatement.
Roll on May, April’s been acting the fool for quite some time
April 2013 has been a month of anniversaries for me, none of which I've particularly felt like celebrating.
Is there anyone not in Game of Thrones?
Game of Thrones is back at last and all's right with the world of Westeros.
How I ended up living in the red light district
I was back in my old stomping ground Manchester recently.
A golden opportunity for papal garage sale
The Catholic Church has been in crisis for so long, marred by so much controversy, I can hardly remember a time when I felt proud to be part of its congregation.
So, did I enjoy a nice relaxing Mothering Sunday? My eye
My son bought me a precious casket of ocular unguent for Mother's Day.
Cheltenham fashion fillies have many hurdles to cross before they get it all right
The well-bred fillies were out in force yesterday at day two of Cheltenham Races.
How a stingy grocer repaid my mum’s lifelong loyalty
With both Mother's Day and International Womens' Day happening at once, this really is a weekend to celebrate all things female and rejoice in the matriarchs who made us who we are.
How we made a bond in Bonnie Scotland ...
Since my first-born son, Luke the Elder, flew the nest last September to go to university in London, I've been more aware than ever that my job as a full-time mum is drawing to a close.
Mark Steel
Mark Steel: Time for the United States to arm everyone with weapons
We’re supposed to admire people who think “outside the box”, so you have to be impressed with Americans who still rage against gun control.
Mark Steel: Gaza: Why does the media pretend the battle between Israel and Hamas is an even one?
To start with, why do the news channels ask Tony Blair for his advice on conflict in the Middle East? It’s like asking Gary Glitter for advice on what to do about Jimmy Savile.
Mark Steel: Jimmy Savile scandal: only the complete abolition of the BBC will do
The genius of Jimmy Savile is that each day the revelations manage to get worse. By tomorrow, it will turn out he was a commander in the Provisional IRA, and on Saturday that in 1997 he used to drive a Fiat Uno haphazardly round the underpasses of Paris.
From the archives ...
Belfast: A town is born
Alf McCreary
Alf McCreary: World hunger: If only we could resolve all the 'IFs'
Members of the Ulster Orchestra were hitting the right note this week by lending support to the 'Enough Food For Everyone Campaign (IF)', at a press conference in the Palm House in Botanic Gardens.
Alf McCreary: Same-sex marriage issue no excuse to play politics
This week, the Church of Ireland's General Synod established a select committee to consider human sexuality in the light of Christian teaching and to report back in two years' time.
Alf McCreary: Church of Ireland Synod analysis
The tone of this year’s Church of Ireland Synod was set by the low-key Presidential speech of the Primate Richard Clarke in which he outlined several important social and ethical issues.