Northern Ireland News for August 2018

Business News, Aug 31, 2018
Council Intensify Efforts To Keep City Centre Open For Business
Belfast City Council has said that it "continues to intensify its efforts to do all it can" to assist in the recovery operation and keep Belfast city centre open for business following the fire at Ban...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
Journalists Arrested Over Suspected Theft Of Loughinisland Documents
Police have reportedly arrested two investigative journalists in Belfast over the alleged theft of "sensitive documents" connected to the Loughinisland massacre. Alex Gibney, producer of the document...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
Sinn Féin Backs Campaign To Oust Paisley
Sinn Féin MLAs and MPs from across Northern Ireland have come together to back the recall petition campaign in Ballymena to oust disgraced North Antrim MP Ian Paisley from office. The petition is set...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
SSE Airtricity Announces 18% Electricity Price Hike
SSE Airtricity has announced that it is set to raise electricity tariffs by 18% and its gas prices by 11% this autumn. The company said that it was "disappointed" to have announced the price hikes, b...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
Dunmurry Manor Investigation Must Be 'Thorough And Robust'
The PSNI investigation into allegations of criminality and wrong doing at Dunmurry Manor care home must be "thorough and robust". Making the call, Sinn Féin MLA and Carers spokesperson, Colm Gilderne...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
Man In His 60s Shot In The Leg In L'Derry
Police in L'Derry have issued an appeal for information following a shooting incident on Thursday night, 30 August. A man, aged in his 60s, suffered a gunshot wound to his leg when a number of masked...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
Man Dies In Maghaberry Prison
A 22-year-old man has died while in custody at Maghaberry Prison, the Northern Ireland Prison Service has reported. The Department of Justice has confirmed that the man died in custody on the morning...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
Police Search For Five Men Who Ransacked Home Of Elderly Couple
The PSNI have issued an appeal for information following a burglary at the home of an elderly couple in Coleraine on Wednesday, 29 August. At about 9.15pm five masked men forced their way into a hous...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 31, 2018
Other News In Brief
Alliance Propose Motion To Tackle Verge Maintenance Issue Alliance have proposed a motion to deliver a way forward in tackling the issue of verge maintenance and grass cutting across the cit...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
Primark Fire: Safety Cordon Reduced But Made More Permanent
Belfast City Council have hosted another multi-agency meeting at City Hall this morning, Thursday, 30 August, to share the lastest information on the recovery operations following the Primark fire. L...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
Sinn Féin Calls For Closure Of RHI Scheme
Sinn Féin has called for the closure of the Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) scheme. The party's Economy Spokesperson Conor Murphy made the call in response to the Department for the Economy's consu...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
Over 200,000 Waiting More Than Nine Weeks For First Hospital Appointment
As of the end of June 2018, more than 200,000 patients (73.2%) were waiting more than nine weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment, according to the latest quarterly Northern Ireland W...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
Road Safety Issues Report Published
The Department for Infrastructure has published the latest report of Road Safety Issues in Northern Ireland. The report has been produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
Public Consultation On Local Policing Launched
The PSNI and Policing Board have launched a public consultation to explore how police can best meet public needs and demands and deliver the most effective local policing. Launching the consultation,...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
People In North West Urged To Register As Organ Donors
People from the North West are being encouraged to register as Organ Donors and to inform their loved ones of their wishes. Making the call ahead of Organ Donation Week, SDLP Health Spokesperson Mark...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
Royal Avenue Social Security Office Reopens
Following safety checks due to the fire at Primark, normal service will resume at the Department for Communities offices in CastleCourt and Royal Avenue Social Security Office today, Thursday 30 Augus...
Business News, Aug 30, 2018
Businesses Affected By Primark Fire Urged To Contact LSP
Businesses affected by the fire at Belfast's Primark store are being encouraged to contact the Land & Property Services (LPS) to discuss available supports. The LPS said that any premises damaged by ...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 30, 2018
Other News In Brief
Sinn Féin Welcomes Supreme Court Decision On Widowed Parent's Allowance Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court to grant Siobhan McLaughlin access to a Widow...
Business News, Aug 29, 2018
Retail Therapy Workshop Announced
Belfast City Council and the East Belfast Enterprise have announced a new Retail Therapy workshop, which aims to help retail start-ups launch their business effectively. Funded by the Council via the...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
Primark Building 'Structurally Intact'
Hundreds of workers at Belfast's Primark store have been told that their "jobs are safe". The historic Bank Building on Castle Street and Royal Avenue in Belfast city centre was gutted in a major fir...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
Some Benefits Customers To Be Affected Following Primark Fire
The offices of the Department for Communities (DfC) in CastleCourt, Belfast, will be closed until at least Thursday, 30 August, due to the fire at Primark, Bank Buildings on Royal Avenue. This decisi...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
Dept Of Infrastructure Reverses Decision On Taxis In Belfast Bus Lanes
The Department of Infrastructure has been accused of an "act of bad faith" in its u-turn on allowing taxis in Belfast bus lanes. In March, the Department confirmed a 12-month experimental scheme to p...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
Student Paralympian Compensated In Discrimination Case
A Northern Irish student, who won a gold medal for badminton at the Special Olympics Ireland National Games, has been awarded compensation after he was refused funding for the final year of a catering...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
£40,000 Worth Of Drugs Seized In West Belfast
Drugs worth an estimated street value of £40,000 have been seized in west Belfast. Detectives from the PSNI's Terrorism Investigation Unite seized suspected cannabis, cocaine and LSD during the searc...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
Man Stabbed In South Belfast
Two men have been arrested in connection with a stabbing attack in south Belfast. A man, aged in his 40s, sustained a stab wound to the neck at residential premises in the St Jude's Parade area at ar...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
SDLP Call For NI To Follow Scotland In Tackling 'Period Poverty'
The SDLP have welcomed the Scottish Government's move to provide free sanitary products for all students and have called for a similar policy in Northern Ireland. SDLP Councillor Stephanie Quigley sa...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2018
Other News In Brief
Appeal Issued Following Vehicle Hijacking In West Belfast Musgrave CID have issued an appeal for information following a vehicle hijacking in west Belfast on Tuesday night. Making the appea...
Business News, Aug 28, 2018
Ulster University And QUB Commended On Work To Drive Economic Growth
Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor Deirdre Hargey has commended Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast on their commitment to work together to support innovation and drive economic growth across ...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 28, 2018
Major Fire At Belfast's Primark Store
Update: Police have now closed Royal Avenue in Belfast City Centre as Northern Ireland Fire And Rescue Service continue to try and bring the fire under control. Video footage from the scene reveals ...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 28, 2018
Devenish Chosen To Take Part In UK Trade Mission To Africa
Belfast-based agri-technology company, Devenish, is to travel to Africa alongside UK Prime Minister Theresa May, on her first official visit to the continent. Devenish develops sustainable and innova...