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Green energy in NI #1: The Renewables boom, and what came after

18 May 2026

What is renewable energy doing for people in Northern Ireland? What more can it do? How do we make that happen? Recent shocks in the

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Peace

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Flags in NI: What does the PSNI’s new instruction on removing “harmful” flags mean?

5 March 2026

On 16 January 2026, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) published a service instruction: Responding to Complaints about Public Displays. This contained guidance as

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Education

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Education in NI: Does Northern Ireland have a shortage of university places for local people?

2 October 2025

[This article was updated on 3 October 2025 with extra figures supplied by Queen’s University Belfast and to make explicit that the MaSN applies to

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Demographics of NI: What religions are followed by the people living here?

26 September 2025

FactCheckNI has been researching and publishing a short series of articles exploring the demographics of Northern Ireland, examining changes in population age, religion and place

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Explainer: Where were the people who live here born?

4 September 2025

FactCheckNI is planning a short series of articles looking at the demographics of Northern Ireland, examining changes in population age, religion and place of birth.

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Europe

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Explainer: Who migrates to the UK and what are they entitled to?

9 July 2025

We were prompted to write this explainer after a viral video which featured a man at a demonstration in England making various claims, for example

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Health

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Law

Explainer: What we don’t know about Violence Against Women and Girls in Northern Ireland

2 July 2025

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a big problem under a bright spotlight. But what do we really know about it? Late last year,

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Health

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Law

Explainer: What has changed after Westminster’s vote on abortion?

25 June 2025

The House of Commons voted on amendments to abortion law last week. Despite causing a buzz on social media, none of the proposals directly affect

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Health

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Law

Explainer: What does the Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of the word “woman” mean for Northern Ireland?

9 June 2025

In April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that use of the word “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to people whose biological sex is

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Economy

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Housing in NI: Why “vacant domestic properties” are different than “houses without usual residents” and neither actually means just “empty homes”, plus other statistical pitfalls

11 April 2025

In a 24 February debate in the Assembly on a new deal for private renters, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said: “According to Land

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Health

Health in Northern Ireland: are forced vaccinations on the way?

13 November 2024

A recent consultation from the Department of Health has left some people asking if vaccines will be mandatory. The short answer? Maybe, maybe not, it

Environment

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Explainer

Agri-food policy, environmental protections and plans within plans within plans

1 December 2023

A single sentence in a newspaper unravels to reveal how strategic policy can be 1) like a Russian Doll, and 2) open to various interpretations