I ALWAYS associated Belfast with the eight-hour gruelling road trips of old. Today though, thanks to the motorway, it’s four hours from Cork, door to door. OK, so with two kids in the car we all felt the last half hour of driving — but it was worth every second of it.

Police have warned that the docks area close to Belfast city centre could flood in a tidal surge later today, but have expressed hope that serious flooding in the east of the city may now be prevented.

Almost 2,000 vehicles have been stopped at checkpoints designed to thwart dissident republicans in Belfast, police said.

Two men have been arrested in connection with an attempted car bombing in Belfast city centre.

Vehicle checkpoints are to return to Belfast after a bomb partially exploded in the city centre yesterday.

A Northern Ireland chief constable has warned of a surge in dissident republican activity after a bomb partially exploded under a shopping centre.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has condemned today’s attempted bombing of a Belfast shopping centre as “attempted murder”.

A bomb left in Belfast city centre last night partially exploded, city police have confirmed.

TAKING the elevator up to the dome crowning Victoria Square Shopping Centre, peering out over Belfast’s twinkling skyline, I try to take in the changes that have washed over this city.

Victoria Square in Belfast suffered another blow today when it was announced that two restaurants were closing immediately.

Almost 100 workers at a car components company are facing redundancy, it was announced tonight.

The manufacturers of a Belfast version of Monopoly have been urged to scrap the ’Go to Jail’ card with one which declares: ’Go to Dublin.’

A company has won a six-figure deal to clean the new House of Fraser department store in the showpiece Victoria Square shopping centre in Belfast, it has been revealed today.

A COMPANY has won a six-figure deal to clean the new House of Fraser department store in the showpiece Victoria Square shopping centre in Belfast, it has been revealed.

The tallest building in Ireland is to be turned into luxury apartments, it emerged tonight.

INTERNATIONAL clothing giant Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) will open the first of its Irish stores in Dublin’s Dundrum early next year.

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), Europe's largest fashion retailer, have planned to increase the pace of its international expansion in 2004, despite weak sales in the fourth quarter.

The British government has approved a €300m development plan for Victoria Square in Belfast city centre.

Two former stars from soap rivals EastEnders and Coronation Street are due to play opposite each other in a production of Taming of the Shrew in the autumn.

Belfast has moved a step closer towards a new €400m city centre shopping development.

House of Fraser is to open one of its largest UK stores in Belfast with the creation of more than 500 new jobs, it was announced tonight.

Belfast was today on course to get two new multi-million pound city centre retail developments.