AddThis SmartLayers

New executive editor for North Wales titles

Dan Owen has been appointed executive editor for the North Wales Weekly News, Denbighshire Visitor and its companion websites.

His remit will cover all the print editions of the Weekly News and Visitor as well as editing the websites dailypost.co.uk, northwalesweeklynews.co.uk and caernarfonherald.co.uk.

Dan previously worked as a reporter for the North Wales Weekly News before joining the Daily Post as a digital journalist and later multimedia editor.


Sir Anthony O’Reilly will retire as chief executive of Independent News and Media in May.

The company, which owns the Belfast Telegraph, Sunday Life and sister nationals, will be handed over to his son Gavin with immediate effect. Sir Anthony’s final day will be 7 May – his 73rd birthday.


Scottish political journalist Iain Macwhirter has been officially installed as the 50th rector of the University of Edinburgh.

Iain, who writes for Glasgow titles The Herald and Sunday Herald, was elected last month after taking 69pc of the votes ahead of Labour MSP George Foulkes.

A short video of the ceremony, which was attended by Prince Philip, can be seen on YouTube.


A thanksgiving service has been held in memory of former News Letter journalist Ken Nixon who died on New Year’s Day.

Ken was born in 1934 and worked as a reporter for the Portadown Times and Portadown News and later joined Belfast daily the News Letter as features editor.

He later switched to radio with BBC Northern Ireland but ill health forced him into early retirement which he spent mainly in Wales.

Ken’s wishes were that his ashes were scattered on his parents’ grave in Tandragee, near Portadown.


A senior Tory MP has backed the Derby Evening Telegraph’s campaign to force a government U-turn over its decision to award a train building contract to a Japanese consortium.

Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers told the DET she would continue putting pressure on the Government to answer questions over the £7.5bn contract award.

The ‘Change Track’ campaign was launched last month in a bid to secure more work for Derby-based train maker Bombardier, creating or safeguarding around 12,500 jobs.