Do you speak to the neighbours? Most of the year we exchange glances, but at Christmas a quarter of us actually speak them – but we find it difficult because we forget their names. Six in 10 of us give Christmas cards to neighbours simply signed ‘To all at number 22’ or similar, to avoid […]
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Librans are most likely not to break speed limits while Taureans are the worst for speeding. A survey of drivers found 46% of Librans were “cautious” motorists unlike just 17% of Taureans. Aquarius was 43%; then Sagittarius on 38%; Gemini 37%; Aries 36%; Pisces 36%; Leo 35%; Cancer 34%; Virgo 32%; Scorpio 31%; and Capricorn
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Comedian Jake O’Kane will be bringing his new show, Maskerade, to theatres across Northern Ireland. Starting off on Tuesday, December 28th in Omagh, Jake will travel to venues across the province throughout the new year, ending with a 3-day run at The Grand Opera House next February. Tickets for the show can be found at
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Sir Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ has received 7 nominations in this year’s Golden Globes Awards. The semi-autobiographical drama has received nods for Best Screenplay, Best Motion Picture and Best Director. Several of the film’s actors have managed to scoop some nominations including Ciaran Hinds, Jamie Dornan, and Caitriona Balfe. The scale of nominations is a promising
What do you get the person who thinks they have everything? Chocolate or gift cards may be your best bet, according to new research. Two in three of us say we’re impossible to shop for because we’re extremely picky about what we want. Nearly half of us say we have everything we could possibly want
News In Brief: Chocolate Best Gift For Those Who Have It All Read More »
Sir David Attenborough, Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley are the nation’s most-loved wafflers. A plummy tone is the accent we love to listen to for longest, the Irish accent is most attractive while a Brummie dialect is the most boring. Sir David was named the “best voice” in the survey. More than a third of
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Award-winning circus company, Tumble Circus, return to Writers’ Square today with Winter Circus. Running from today until January 3rd, Winter Circus is an all-human performance, including everything from comedy, fun and hilarity, alongside professional circus and aerial performances. Over three weeks, Tumble Circus will perform 27 shows right in the heart of Cathedral Quarter. Tickets
Will you be sending a Christmas card to your dog, or cat, or rabbit this Christmas? One in ten of us send a Christmas card to our pets. Royal Mail’s carried out a survey and discovered 3% also send one to an ex-partner. On average we send 18 cards for the festive season – with
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They reckon we’ll spend seven hours and 24 minutes online on Christmas Day – and have the most ‘connected’ Christmas ever. And after last year, a third of us believe it’s more important than ever to feel close to loved ones. As a result, many of us will be going overboard to spend time with
News In Brief: Four In Ten Plan To Have A ‘Connected’ Christmas Read More »
On average we do 730 good deeds a year and 56% of those good deeds, we expect nothing in return. The top acts of kindness are opening a door for someone, accepting a neighbour’s parcel, and giving a compliment. Donating to charity and saying hello to someone were also on the do-gooders’ list. Hear
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Irish singer-songwriter, Gavin James, will be returning to Belfast and Derry next year. His headline shows will stop at Derry’s Millennium Forum on April 18th and at Belfast’s Telegraph Building on April 21st during his April Irish tour. The musician is currently working on his third album and is due to join fellow star James
Entertainment Briefs: Gavin James To Return To Belfast And Derry Next Year! Read More »
The first deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing has inspired a surge in people learning British Sign Language. The director of one firm offering BSL courses says enrolments have gone up by more than 2,000% since Rose Ayling-Ellis has been on the show. Google Trends, which analyses online search data, also suggests more and more
Whether it’s Fairytale of New York, Frosty the Snowman, or Santa Claus is Coming to Town, we all have our favourite Christmas songs. But it turns out dogs also have their Yuletide go-tos, according to new research by the charity Guide Dogs. A survey of dog owners found that the most popular song for pooches
News In Brief: Wham!’s Last Christmas Dogs’ Favourite Festive Song Read More »
A new documentary directed by Belfast filmmaker, Kathryn Ferguson, is due to have its world premiere at the iconic Sundance Film Festival. The documentary called Nothing Compares showcases Irish musician Sinéad O’Connor’s rise to fame and offers a ‘bold, multi-layered portrait’ of the star. The Northern Irish director’s film will premiere on January 21st in
Forget finding the perfect gift or trying to like the mother in law — the most stressful part of Christmas is actually cooking for those with different diets. The survey of millennials and baby boomers found 46% of us chose “cooking for those with picky tastes or diets” as the thing that stresses us out
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Fewer than half of kids will send a written wish list to Santa this year – and a third have never written one, a survey found. Three out of four parents said gadget-mad kids do not have the time to write. Instead, one in 20 will send Santa an email with a list of toys
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The iconic DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future films is Britain’s favourite piece of big-screen technology. Doc Brown’s invention took top spot with 22% of the vote, ahead of the Star Wars lightsabre and Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak on 19%. Hear more news and showbiz from me, Tina Calder, on Belfast 247
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The average person has six family members we have completely lost touch with – according to research. Aunties, uncles and cousins are the relatives we’re least likely to make the effort with, although a third of us say we hardly ever see a sibling. Around 12 per cent of us said we don’t see much
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The Belfast Giants have announced a new partnership with Four Star Pizza for the 2021/2022 season. The pizza brand, with 15 stores across Northern Ireland will be supporting the ice hockey team, in their upcoming season. They will also be giving out free pizzas to fans that make the most noise in the stands during
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The UK’s dog owners are set to spend £162 million on their canine companions this Christmas as a thank you for their support this year. A survey of dog owners found almost three-quarters will be treating their furry friends – spending an average of £22 on their pet. With an estimated 10.1 million dogs in
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A new giant-screen documentary narrated by Liam Neeson is set to be released in the US in February 2022. The film called Ireland will celebrate the island’s rich history, culture, arts and music, as well as the incredible scenery. The documentary sponsored by Tourism Ireland will take viewers across Ireland and Northern Ireland’s most iconic
Derry Girls actor Ian McElhinney has said that the cast of Derry Girls were the last people to enjoy the iconic rides at Barry’s Amusements in Portrush. The star, who plays Granda Joe in the hit Channel 4 series, has revealed that they had the chance to go on some of the rides while they
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How does Santa deliver all those gifts over Christmas – the kids have the answer. They think Santa can freeze time and uses magic to bring presents into our homes. Kids are also convinced Father Christmas has a shrink-ray to make billions of gifts really small so they can be transported down chimneys. Hear
News In Brief: Children’s Theories On Santa’s Delivery Methods Revealed! Read More »
Crude bingo calls may have had their day as many feel it is time for a shake-up of its terminology. Around 40% of adults believe some terms should be modernised, according to a poll. Two fat ladies (88) is the call most want replaced, followed by overweight (28) and meal for two (69). Hear
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The Black Box has launched a new programme that aims to tackle isolation and allow adults with learning disabilities and autism to enjoy gigs across the city. Gig Buddies Belfast will pair those with additional needs with a volunteer to build friendships and attend monthly events together in Belfast. The aim of the Belfast City
A bag of sprouts, novelty loo roll and a Simon Cowell mask are among the strangest Secret Santa gifts Brits have received, according to a survey. Researchers have identified some of the weird and wonderful presents we’ve received – including cat food and Cumberland sausages. Other bizarre items include a T-shirt with their work bestie’s
News In Brief: Sausages Amongst List Of Weird Workplace Gifts Read More »
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been named Time Magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year. The magazine has said that the award has been given due to his work in space, electric cars and his plans to take us to Mars, along with his interest in crypto currency. The publication also gave an award for ‘Heroes
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Northern Ireland is experiencing the ‘largest ever’ outbreak of bird flu in the UK. Two additional cases of the avian flu have been discovered in two commercial flocks in County Armagh and in County Tyrone. Chief veterinary officer, Dr Robert Huey, has asked flock keepers to ‘urgently review’ their biosecurity measures to avoid more cases.
Manchester United’s Premier League fixture away to Brentford on Tuesday night has been postponed due to a Covid outbreak among the visitors’ squad. United made a request to the Premier League to postpone the fixture after being forced to close first-team operations at their Carrington training complex on Monday afternoon. Hear more news and
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Jude Hill has been signed to a talent agency at just 11 years old. The Belfast star, who was only 9 when he was picked out of 300 other applicants for his role in Sir Kenneth Branagh’s new film, has been signed to UTA and Berwick and Kovacik. Jude is up for the ‘Newcomer Award’
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One in five of us are planning on giving more real life experiences than physical gifts this year. And almost half of us would rather receive a gift which creates memories, over something we’ll forget about and leave in a cupboard or drawer. Half of us are, apparently, ‘desperate’ to have plenty of exciting and
Designer bin bags, belly button warmers and inflatable walking frames are among the most unusual gifts received in office Secret Santas. New research has revealed a third of us opt to gift something humorous to their colleagues at Christmas, with nude calendars and mankinis also among the most gifted funny items. Hear more news
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A new survey from pollster and Tory peer, Lord Ashcroft, has revealed that a majority of people think Northern Ireland will quit the union in a decade. The survey, based on interviews with over 3,300 people found that if a referendum were held tomorrow, most people would not vote for a united Ireland by 54%
A study of office workers found a third of us believe slow internet speeds are a sign of an old-fashioned office – and a quarter of us cite out-of-date fax machines as the ultimate sign of being behind the times. And more than one in five of us think companies using Microsoft tools like Word
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A spectacular display of shooting stars will light up the skies tonight. The Geminid shower produces more than 100 multi-coloured meteors an hour at its peak. Metals in the meteors such as sodium and calcium – used to make fireworks colourful – create white, yellow, red, green and blue streaks as they hit the atmosphere
News in Brief: Shooting Stars Will Light Up Skies Tonight Read More »
Today (Dec 13) is officially the day when we finally start to feel ‘Christmassy’, a study’s found. Despite Christmas promotions starting earlier each year, a nationwide poll has revealed the festive feeling only arrives when we’ve ticked off 60% of the Christmas shopping and start counting down the days until the family comes together for
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The deadline for the High Street Voucher has been extended yet again. Economy Minister, Gordon Lyons, announced the decision on Thursday after it was reported that 10,000 people were still waiting for their Spend Local to arrive. The £100 prepaid cards will now have to be spent before midnight on Sunday December 19th. Hear
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Who Wants to be a Millionaire host Jeremy Clarkson has been revealed as the UK’s Most Painful TV Celebrity at the inaugural B-Cure Laser UK Pain in the Neck Awards. The 61-year-old former Top Gear presenter topped the charts in his category as the B-Cure Laser by Good Energies team delved into the most irritating
A cost of living ‘storm’ will engulf millions of us this Christmas amid soaring bills and falls in pay, a study shows. Real wages this month are on course to be 0.8% lower than in September, a TUC report says this morning. According to the study, workers are set to have the worst ‘Christmas wage
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