Marathon Countdown

With deadline day looming, this year's Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon looks set to be the biggest and most successful yet with some 15,000 people already signed up for the May Day extravaganza, with organisers expecting thousands more to do so before the entry deadline of next Friday (16 April). For the first time this year, the Marathon is introducing pacers, for those seeking to finish the run in times of three hours, 3.5 hours, four hours and 4.5 hours. Three of them, Clare McCoy, Peter Fleming and Robert Wilson are pictured with a timely sign-up reminder.

Cherrybomb Gets UK Break

NI-made movie, Cherrybomb, which tells the story of two best friends locked in fierce rivalry for the same girl as she seductively encourages a ruthless competition for her heart, has achieved national distribution. Michelle (Kimberley Nixon) tests the limits of Luke (Robert Sheehan) and Malachy's (Rupert Grint) friendship, and how far each of them is willing to go to win her over. But what starts off as an uneventful summer soon transforms into a wild ride of drinking, drugs and sex - with devastating consequences that will change the lives of all three teenagers forever. The film goes on release on 23 April, with a 15-certificate. See: 'Cherrybomb' Distributor Bid Intensifies

Robbers Hit Cash Van

A shot has been fired during an armed robbery in Lisburn. It happened just before midday on Thursday, when two masked men approached a cash-in-transit van in Longstone Street and threatened security guards. After firing a shot they ran off with a cash box containing an unknown amount of money. The guards were not injured but were left shaken by the incident. The robbers escaped in a red Hyundai car and may have transferred to a white van shortly afterwards. Police are seeking witnesses to come forward.

Small Businesses In Focus

Joining Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Theresa May, in meeting with representatives of the Federation of Small Businesses, Ulster Unionist Party Leader, Sir Reg Empey, said that "a new Conservative government is best placed to support this embattled sector and aid Northern Ireland's economic recover". "We are knee-deep in an economic crisis and cannot afford to wade into another era of Labour's financial mismanagement," he said, yesterday. Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Theresa May, said that the Conservative Party is committed to leading the UK out of "more than a decade of Labour's mismanagement". "We know that small businesses can pave the way out of this downturn, set us back on to the path to sustainable growth and create the new jobs that Northern Ireland needs," she commented.

Water Plant Contract Starts Soon

A substantial contract to upgrade an existing water treatment plant is about to begin in Co Londonderry. Costing a cool £800,000, construction on the Foreglen site at Ballymonie Wastewater Treatment Plant will be compliant with all environmental regulations and when finished. It will also improve health and safety at the plant and increase capacity to better serve a local population that is growing fast. Builders will be on site in late April to begin the project.

Petrol Cost Accelerates

Fuel prices in Northern Ireland have soared to new highs this week, overtaking the 120p per litre mark with Enniskillen the most expensive place to fill up, with petrol and diesel prices up to 123.9p per litre while it is costing motorists up to 121.9p per litre in both Londonderry and Newtownabbey. Ballyclare, Bangor, Cookstown, Carrickfergus and Coleraine had some of the lowest petrol prices, from 115.9p per litre. The AA said with the price per barrel of oil creeping up, it was unlikely to get any cheaper, adding that fuel prices in Northern Ireland tended to be the highest in the UK outside London.

Romanian Centre For Belfast

A new welfare centre to offer support to Romanians living in Northern Ireland is due to be opened in Belfast. Around 100 Romanians were forced to flee their homes in the city last year, following a spate of racist attacks. "That is why we opened this centre," said Nikola Nikolae, Manager of the new centre at Agincourt Avenue in the south of the city. There are between 250 and 300 Romanians living here - including the Roma population. We will offer them support with housing, education and welfare rights, as well as whatever general help we can give."

(BMcC/GK)