Belfast news

• PSNI urgent appeal after woman wakes to masked man holding her down by throat in bed

  22-12-2017 23:40 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Police have issued an urgent appeal after a woman woke to find herself pinned to her bed by a masked man holding her by the throat.
  
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• Watch: Christmas in Belfast 1971 - soldiers and Santa

  22-12-2017 22:03 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Things in Belfast have seen some change over the years.
  
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• Growing concern for missing woman Saoirse Smyth not seen in 7 months

  22-12-2017 20:33 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Police and the family of missing Saoirse Smyth are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare.
  
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• Listen: Ed Sheeran Christmas number one for 2017

  22-12-2017 19:12 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Ed Sheeran has scored the Christmas number one this year.
  
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• Northern Ireland traffic alerts: Plane, train, bus and road travel updates for Christmas homecoming

  22-12-2017 19:00 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Follow our feed for the latest traffic updates from across Northern Ireland.
  
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• Hugo Duncan declared bankrupt

  22-12-2017 16:48 via bbc.co.uk
  Proceedings were brought against him over tax arrears related to his private entertainment firm.
  
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• BBC's Hugo Duncan declared bankrupt

  22-12-2017 16:45 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Singer and broadcaster Hugo Duncan has been declared bankrupt at the High Court in Belfast.
  
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• Stuart Olding: One rape charge against Ulster rugby player dropped

  22-12-2017 16:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Ulster and Ireland rugby player Stuart Olding was facing two rape charges but one has been dropped.
  
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• Man charged with stealing from safes to be banned from entering east Belfast, court hears

  22-12-2017 16:08 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  A man charged with smashing his way into a tattoo parlour and fast food restaurant to steal their safes is to be banned from entering east Belfast, a judge ordered on Friday.
  
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• Engineer charged with threatening to kill wife's twin sister had been having an affair with her, court hears

  22-12-2017 15:46 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  An electronics engineer charged with threatening to kill his wife's twin sister had been having an affair with her since before his marriage, a court has heard.
  
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• Woman suffers broken nose after being assaulted by man in Portadown

  22-12-2017 14:35 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  A woman suffered a broken nose after being pushed to the ground by a man in Portadown.
  
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• One rape charge against Ulster player Stuart Olding dropped

  22-12-2017 14:34 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  One of two rape charges against Irish rugby international Stuart Olding was dropped on Friday after it emerged "no evidence" is being offered by the Crown.
  
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• 'Iconic' blue British passport to return after Brexit

  22-12-2017 14:10 via bbc.co.uk
  The 'iconic' design will replace the burgundy passports that have been in use for almost 30 years.
  
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• Police probe sudden death of man in Enniskillen

  22-12-2017 13:31 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Police are investigating the circumstances around the sudden death of a 50-year-old man in Enniskillen.
  
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• No foul play suspected in Enniskillen sudden death

  22-12-2017 13:31 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Police investigating the circumstances around the sudden death of a 50-year-old man are not treating it as suspicious.
  
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• Unionists react as Varadkar says Dublin expects to have 'real and meaningful' say on Northern Ireland should efforts to revive Stormont fail

  22-12-2017 12:55 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  UUP leader Robin Swann has hit back at the Taoiseach's comments that Dublin would expect to have "real and meaningful involvement" in Northern Ireland if efforts to restore Stormont powersharing fail.
  
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• Watch: Skating at the King's Hall in 1960

  22-12-2017 12:54 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  A video of Christmas in Belfast during the 1960s has emerged from Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film archive.
  
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• Ian Paisley calls for investigation into all previous Ombudsman reports after Loughinisland ruling

  22-12-2017 12:24 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  The DUP's Ian Paisley has called for an investigation into all previous Ombudsman reports after the High Court ruling on the Loughinisland atrocity.
  
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• Darren Cave eager to seize Ulster opportunity against Connacht

  22-12-2017 12:22 via bbc.co.uk
  Darren Cave is keen to use the opportunity of his 200th appearance for Ulster to impress the province's coaching staff in Saturday's Pro14 Irish interprovincial derby against Connacht at the Sportsground.
  
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• Christmas getaway - what you need to know

  22-12-2017 12:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Busy roads, last order timings and will it be a white Christmas? BBC News NI has the lowdown.
  
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• Catalan vote fails to clarify Spanish region's future

  22-12-2017 11:41 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Elections in Catalonia have failed to clarify the region's immediate future, exposing a split between those for and against independence from Spain.
  
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• Belfast man wins UK nursing prize

  22-12-2017 10:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Colm Darby hopes being named UK Neonatal Nurse of the Year will encourage other men to take up the profession.
  
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• Leo Varadkar will not support direct rule for NI

  22-12-2017 10:21 via bbc.co.uk
  Leo Varadkar says he expects to have "meaningful involvement" in NI if talks to restore Stormont fail.
  
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• Can 'Roo' believe it?

  22-12-2017 09:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Northern Ireland facing "the greatest terror threat in Europe" also features in Friday's papers.
  
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• QUB student wins battle over letting agents' fees

  22-12-2017 08:31 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  A Queen's University student has won a legal challenge against a Belfast letting agent for levying what he believes are unfair and unjustifiable extra charges on tenants.
  
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• Losing the power of speech made me feel trapped... stroke victim tells of her struggles as new awareness campaign begins

  22-12-2017 08:30 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  A stroke survivor has described the torment of losing her speech as part of a campaign to raise awareness of people living with communication difficulties.
  
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• 34 complaints against Northern Ireland councillors last year, two of which were upheld

  22-12-2017 08:30 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Complaints were made about 31 councillors in Northern Ireland this year.
  
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• John on how he rebuilt his life... and why hunt for killers of Michaela McAreavey still drives him

  22-12-2017 08:22 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  The husband of honeymoon murder victim Michaela McAreavey has spoken of how he met his second wife Tara, his continuing mission to find Michaela's killers, and his fears over how Brexit is affecting society.
  
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• School discipline shock as levels of suspension and expulsion revealed

  22-12-2017 08:21 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  More than 10,000 pupils were suspended from schools across Northern Ireland in just three years.
  
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• Family's horror at finding shin bone in crash victim's trousers

  22-12-2017 08:21 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  The heartbroken family of a Northern Ireland man who died in a horrific crash have told of their shock and anger after finding his shin bone still in his jeans after his belongings were returned by the gardai.
  
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• RHI ruling leaves some claimants fearing for their future

  22-12-2017 08:19 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  A High Court ruling against a group of more than 500 RHI claimants has been met with "shock and disappointment".
  
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• Life of hotelier Sir William Hastings to be celebrated at St Anne's Cathedral

  22-12-2017 08:19 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  A celebration of the life of renowned hotelier Sir William Hastings will be held in St Anne's Cathedral on January 5 (3pm).
  
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• Funeral of Northern Ireland jogger hit by car to take place in Edinburgh

  22-12-2017 08:19 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  The funeral of a Northern Ireland mother who died after being hit by a car while jogging in Edinburgh will take place today.
  
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• Dublin expects to have a real and meaningful say on Northern Ireland should efforts to revive Stormont fail, insists Varadkar

  22-12-2017 08:17 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Direct rule from London is not an option amid the ongoing standoff between Sinn Fein and the DUP, the Taoiseach has insisted.
  
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• Watch: Johnson clashes with Russian minister over Moscow ‘interference’ in UK polls

  22-12-2017 07:39 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Boris Johnson has clashed publicly with his Russian counterpart over Crimea and Moscow’s alleged cyber attacks on the West, as the two men met in Moscow.
  
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• Johnson clashes with Russian minister over Moscow ‘interference’ in UK polls

  22-12-2017 07:39 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Boris Johnson has clashed publicly with his Russian counterpart over Crimea and Moscow’s alleged cyber attacks on the West, as the two men met in Moscow.
  
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• Men's Shed Antrim - a boyband with a difference

  22-12-2017 07:37 via bbc.co.uk
  Members of Antrim's Men's Shed are singing and spreading some Christmas cheer.
  
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• Celebrating the stars of the east: shortlist for city awards unveiled

  22-12-2017 07:00 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  The finalists have been announced for this year's Eastside Awards, which celebrate the achievements of the community in east Belfast.
  
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• Irish woman, 25, among those injured after car hit pedestrians in Melbourne

  22-12-2017 05:11 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  The driver of a car driven at pedestrians in Melbourne, injuring more than a dozen people including an Irish citizen, attributed his actions to the "treatment of Muslims", police said.
  
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• U2 Experience + Innocence tour 2018: Irish rockers to play Belfast - report

  22-12-2017 00:24 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Irish supergroup U2 could play Belfast in 2018 as part of their new world tour, it has been reported.
  
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