Other News In Brief

'Music In The Parks' Grand Finale At Belfast City Hall On 30 September

Belfast City Council has announced that the grand finale of 'Music in the Parks' will be held at City Hall on Saturday 30 September.

'Groove in the City' will feature a range of live music from 12.30pm to 5pm, with performances by: String Ninjas, Wookalily, Kerry Fearon, Belfast Groove Collective, Belfast Rock Choir.

This is a free ticketed event with tickets available from Visit Belfast at visitbelfast.com/event/groove-in-the-city/

Music in the Parks featured live music performances in several council parks across the city on Fridays and Sundays from May.

Councillor Micky Murray, Chair of Belfast City Council's People and Communities Committee, said: "Our parks and open spaces in the city are to be enjoyed throughout the year and we were delighted to host live music performances in various locations from May to September.

"We're very much looking forward now to hosting 'Groove in the City' outside City Hall on Saturday 30 September marking the grand finale of the programme."

Green Party Calls For Public Ownership Of Lough Neagh

The Green Party has called for Lough Neagh to be brought under public ownership in order to address the ongoing "environmental disaster".

The party's group leader at Belfast City Council, Cllr Brian Smyth, has brought forward a motion calling for the lough to be transferred from current owner, Lord Shaftsbury.

Cllr Smyth's motion calls for an ownership model "fit for the 21st century" and one that involves the involvement of the lough's local communities.

Cllr Smyth said: "The situation has been compounded with no sitting Executive at Stormont currently in place, this has led to no political leadership on what is an environmental and ecological disaster.

"Yet previous decisions regarding the implementation of the Going for Growth Strategy, signed off and supported by all Executive Parties in 2015 and the rapid expansion of industrial agriculture has played a significant role in the levels of pollutions now in the Lough. As well as dredging of the Lough bed for sand, which was given the go ahead by then the sitting Minister for Department for Infrastructure, Nicola Mallon in 2020.

"Only the Green Party NI opposed this decision as we believed it would further the environmental degradation of the Lough."

Cllr Smyth has also called on Ireland's Minister for the Environment and Climate, Eamon Ryan, to intervene with the Secretary of State for NI, and for Lough Neagh to be declared an environmental emergency and for the UK government to devise and emergency response plan.

East Belfast Security Alert Declared 'Elaborate Hoax'

A security alert in east Belfast has been declared an "elaborate hoax".

The alert began at around 3pm on Thursday, 14 September, when a suspicious object in Glenlea Park was reported to police.

Emergency service attended the scene and a number of residents where evacuated from their homes as army bomb disposal experts examined the object.

The object was declared a hoax and was taken away for further examination.

The PSNI thanked local residents and the public affect by the security operation for their "patience and understanding".

An investigation has been launched and police have issued an appeal for information about the incident to contact them.