Irish War Dead Remembered

Traditional Royal British Legion Poppy wreaths will be laid side-by-side with the tricolour wreaths of the Organisation of National Exservicemen, (ONE) as the last post is sounded and the traditional two-minute silence observed in Drogheda tomorrow morning. Royal British Legion Standards will fly in the Irish Republic as ex British regular army and former UDR soldiers mingle with the Irish Ex Servicemen's Association for a pre-Poppy Day service of remembrance. Taking place at the war memorial in the Boyne-side town's Mary Street, the former servicemen from both sides of the Irish border will stand shoulder-to-shoulder to honour the 'fallen' from the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. The event is at 11am, on Saturday 7th November, to recall the men from all over the island of Ireland killed or wounded in the British army during WWI.

Ballymena Road Death

A man taken to hospital last night after he was hit by a vehicle in Ballymena, has died. The incident happened on the Larne Link road – between the Seven Towers Leisure Centre roundabout and the Tesco roundabout – around 6.30pm. A PSNI spokeswoman said the vehicle involved was a blue Chevrolet Captiva. She said the incident was not a hit-and-run.

Councils 'Should Oversee Regeneration'

Proposals for local councils to have more control over the generation of Northern Ireland's towns and villages have been welcomed. Work is underway to condense the province's 26 local authorities into 11 super councils and these new councils will have more planning powers, which assemblyman Billy Armstrong said this week is a good thing: "One of the weaknesses of the current arrangements is that functions are spread across departments, most notably Social Development, Regional Development and Environment," said the UUP MLA. "That does not make for quick decision-making. The more powers that are transferred to new councils, the better it will be."

City Hall Grounds 'Shut'

Due to preparations for the forthcoming Christmas Continental Market, the grounds of Belfast City Hall will be closed to the general public from this coming Monday (9 November), until 10am on Tuesday 17 November. Access to the City Hall during this period will be via the Donegall Square South entrance. Entrance to The Bobbin coffee shop will be via Donegall Square East (beside the Belfast Wheel). Access will be available to the Cenotaph and Garden of Remembrance on the morning of Wednesday 11 November, for those wishing to observe Armistice Day, although there will be no official commemoration event. The Christmas Continental Market will officially open at 10am on Tuesday 17 November.

Co-Ownership On Way

There's to be a fresh boost for first time home buyers with news that Northern Ireland's co-ownership scheme is to get £48m in new funding. It will build 15,000 affordable homes for first-time buyers over the next three years with money provided by Bank of Ireland and Barclays who are working alongside Co-ownership Housing. Co-ownership Housing Chief Executive Alan Crowe said it was a an exciting arrangement which offered people the opportunity to own their own home.

(BMcC/KMcA)