Other NI News In Brief

Potter Magic To Boost UCF

A magical screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will cast a spell over Belfast next week in aid of the Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF). Hogwarts fans are invited along to the special event which will be held at the Movie House Cinema, Dublin Road, on Friday (November 19). Cinema-goers will also be able to tuck into a goodie bag of free snacks and soft drinks, conjured up by Lidl. All proceeds from the evening will go directly to the UCF's Family Support Service. Maeve Fox, Development Officer, UCF said: "We are Northern Ireland’s leading local cancer charity and we provide a range of services for people who have been affected by cancer." Tickets cost £10 per adult and £7 per child (14 and under). For tickets or more information contact Maeve Fox on 028 9068 0761.

Teens Lifted Over Riots

After the PSNI were criticised for not making any arrests during recent rioting in the loyalist Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey, three teenagers have been arrested by police investigating the two nights of trouble. Hundreds were involved in the disturbances near the Co Antrim estate at the end of October, during which two busses and several other vehicles were destroyed causing damage in excess of £500,000. Following a recent meeting between senior PSNI officers and local politicians including MLAs, the teenage suspects have been taken into custody and were yesterday still being questioned by officers.

'Support Ex Servicemen' Call

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Leader Tom Elliott has said that the UUP's Armed Forces and Veterans Bill is the most "sincere form of appreciation for the work of servicemen and women", as we approach Remembrance Sunday. "It is vital that we commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, but more so that we take practical steps to improve their circumstances here and now," he said, also noting: "I commend my colleague, David McNarry, on his commitment to members of the armed forces, their families and veterans who suffer because of service in the armed forces. His Bill, which has passed its first stage in the Assembly, is a practical demonstration of the huge respect that the UUP has for service members, their families and veterans based in NI and our efforts to recognise and react to their needs, which currently differ from the other nations," said the UUP MLA. Meanwhile, an NI charity has apologised to a number of its staff members after a manager asked them to cover up their poppies. DUP MLA Jonathan Bell said he was contacted on Thursday by staff at Extern about the issue as they had told him they were instructed by a manager that they could wear a poppy but that they had to conceal it. Mr Bell said Extern had said the manager would issue an apology. It said the manager had "wrongly believed that the wearing of poppies at this time did not contribute to a neutral working environment".

University Helps Disaster Relief

A University of Ulster disaster relief healthcare specialist, Pat Deeny, has been invited by the South Korean government to advise nurses, educators and practitioners on healthcare in disasters at a major international nursing conference in Daejeon, South Korea. Pat, who is based at the University's Magee campus in Londonderry, is a specialist with emphasis on the adaptation needs of older people. He will present findings from a comparative study carried in Sri Lanka and in the USA where findings in both countries highlight the needs of older people in relation to disaster response and preparedness.

'Is This The Ballymena Bus?'

A life-size mock-up of the new London bus was unveiled this week to give Londoners the first glimpse of how the bus will look when it hits the streets in 2012. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, London's Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, unveiled a full-size mock-up of the new bus at the London Transport Museum's depot at Acton. With the outside of the bus painted the famous red of London Buses and the interior decor taking inspiration from the old Routemaster, the full size static mock-up has brought the designs to life and demonstrated how the bus will look. The mock-up will be used to fine-tune the design of the bus to make sure that the model that hits the streets is perfectly suited to the needs of Londoners. Owen Paterson said: "This is a very exciting moment for London and for Northern Ireland. All of us in NI can be very proud of the fact that the new bus for London will be collaboratively designed and built by one of our local, world-class companies, Wrightbus of Ballymena, and London-based Heatherwick design studio."

York Road PO Sought

Residents living in the York Road area are suffering while they wait for a replacement post office following the closure of Jennymount post office earlier this year. That's according to the North Belfast DUP MP, Nigel Dodds. He has just e met with senior Royal Mail representatives and other agencies to push for the opening of a new branch to serve the district. "At the time of the closure of Jennymount post office in February this year the Post Office gave a firm commitment that it would do everything possible to have a new post office open in the locality. I am holding them to that promise and I am doing everything I can to help bring about a solution," he said.

(BMcC/KMcA)