Shots Fired At House

Shots have been fired at a house in west Belfast, police have said.

The incident happened in the Whiterock Gardens area of the city at around 10pm on Wednesday. It is understood a man and woman were in the property at the time but were not injured in the attack.

A number of windows were damaged at the house.

Police have said they are treating the incident as a hate crime.

NI Landfill Rates Continue To Fall

The amount of rubbish being sent to landfill sites in Northern Ireland has fallen.

According to latest statistics, the amount sent to landfill has fallen by 7% when compared to the previous year.

Just over half (50.4%) of municipal waste collected by local authorities was sent to landfill between October and December 2013, compare to 57.6% from the previous autumn.

The amount of household waste recycled or composted was 39.2% – an increase of 3% on the previous year, with recycling comprising of 22.8% while composting made up 16.4%.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: "The continued decrease in landfilled waste is important. Together with the continued increase in the recycling and composting rate, this shows that as a society we are making more use of what must be viewed as resources and not waste."

Two People Left Shaken In Hammer Attack

A woman and a 16-year-old boy have been left shaken after two armed men broke into their house.

The incident happened in the Connsbrook Avenue area of east Belfast in the early hours of Thursday morning.

It is thought one of the men was armed with a hammer. During the attack, the man used the hammer to smash glass in the front door, a front window, the bathroom suite and a television. Damage was also caused to other furniture.

Man Knocked Unconscious In Attack

A man was knocked unconscious during an attack in L'derry.

Police have said they believe the attack was sectarian.

The victim was walking in the Rosemount/Glen Road area of the city at around 3pm on Wednesday when he was approached by a man wearing a blue hoodie. He was then called an offensive name and was punched in the face. The victim was left unconscious by the hit and he also received a swollen, split lip.

The attacker is said to be 5ft 9in in height and of skinny build with short brown hair. He is thought to be aged between 19 to 21 and was wearing a blue hoodie with white laces and grey tracksuit bottoms at the time of the attack.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 101.

(JP)