Other News In Brief

Money And Phone Stolen In Belfast Aggravated Burglary

Two men burst into a house and stole money and a mobile phone during an aggravated burglary in Belfast.

The incident happened at a house in the Hill Street area at around 4.20am on Thursday 25 October.

It is believed one of the men was armed with a knife. A sum of cash, a wallet and a Samsung S7 mobile phone were taken.

Detective Sergeant Maguire appealed to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity or vehicles in the area to contact detectives at Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101.

Wages On The Rise In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has seen the joint largest increase in earnings across the UK, and remains the only region where women earn more than men, new figures have revealed.

The data was published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency which surveyed the earnings and hours worked by the public.

Average weekly wages in Northern Ireland in April 2018 were £521, a figure that has risen 4.2% from last year when it was £500.

This was the biggest increase in the UK, along with the West Midlands.

The highest 10% of Northern Ireland workers were paid around £48,941 a year.

The region is the only part of the UK where women are paid more than men, with full-time female workers earning 3.5% more than their male conterparts.

Despite this, women earned 8.6% less per hour than men, as revealed in the figure that represents the whole of the UK.

Northern Ireland's gender pay gap is driven by a larger proportion of full-time females than males being employed in higher-paid positions.

However, the earnings still remain below the UK average, as has been the case for the past 20 years. This year saw Northern Ireland present with the fifth lowest of the 12 UK regions.

Rise In Patients Waiting 12 Hours In NI A&Es

There has been a significant increase in the number of people waiting over 12 hours in emergency departments over the last year, new data has revealed.

The amount rose from 919 to 1,716, according to the Department of Health.

The draft ministerial target is that no patient attending an emergency department (ED) should wait more than 12 hours.

The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) said the increase in such long waits is "simply not acceptable" and that steps towards improvement are being taken.

It also said that EDs had experienced a challenging quarter in the period between July and September 2018, with a 3.6% increase in people attending compared to the previous year.

"We recognise this needs to improve," the HSCB added.

Despite the shocking figures, 71.3% of people who attended A&E were seen and treated within four hours.



(JG)