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Price: 80p (IR 1.10 EURO) Monday, November 19, 2012

The pride of Northern Ireland

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at the Ulster Hall

Marching Bands
Souvenir Supplement 201 2

Festival of

News Letter, Monday,

November 19, 2012

33

Your Marching Bands souvenir pull-out SEE INSIDE

SportsUlster
News Letter, Monday, November 19, 2012

19

Sports Editor: Richard Mulligan

Email: nlsport@jpress.co.uk

Phone: 02838 395578/5574

Penalty try earns victory in Italy See P2-3

Monday, November 19, 2012

ON THE CHARGE: Ulsters Nick Williams takes on the Zebre defence during yesterdays PRO12 clash
PICTURE: PRESSEYE

IRISH LEAGUE:
Cliftonville blitz Ballymena while champions falter

SEE PAGES 7-11

Ulster leave it late in Italy

29 PAGES OF SPORT

MOTORCYCLING:
Rutter claims eighth Macau Grand Prix win

SEE PAGES 18-19

Rathlin pauses to remember

Adrian Millar from Coleraine sounds the Last Post as Standard Bearer Dermot Dallas from the Ballycastle branch of the Royal British Legion looks on during the Rathlin Island Remembrance Day service yesterday. Royal British Legion members from across the Province joined organisers Ballycastle RBL for the Service of Remembrance, held at St Thomas Church of Ireland on Rathlin Island
PICTURE: Steven McAuley/Kevin McAuley Photography Multimedia

CLOSE SHAVE FOR ULSTER

BOXING:
Magee camp dismiss Carl Frochs calls for Kessler rematch

SEE PAGE 22

INSIDE
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W NL oman
News Letter, Monday,

November 19, 2012

17

Were in the army now

P56

We put tans to the test

P57

Light up

P60

A new chapter for Judy

P18&55

Dont miss our Monday magazine

Christmas life or death for traders

BY PHILIP BRADFIELD
p.bradfield@newsletter.co.uk

Celebrations as city lights up for Christmas

See page 3

IT will be a life or death Christmas for many small traders this year, it has been claimed, with Northern Ireland now having almost twice the national average for vacant shops. The warning came last night

from the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) after a survey showed that 20 per cent of shops across the Province are vacant by far the worst figures in the UK. NIIRTA chief executive Glyn Roberts said: It is life or death for a lot of small shops in the run-

up to Christmas this year come January, many of them may not be there. He said the retail sector in Northern Ireland is the largest part of our economy in terms of private sector employment and turnover. Yet in the last two years we have lost 2,000 shops and a

number of medium-sized chainstores as well, he added. He has both short-term and longer-term proposals to address the decline. This year he is calling on shoppers to spend a little bit more in the smaller independent stores such as grocers, butchers and chemists. Turn to page 4

UKIP appeal to TUV over pact

See pages 8&9

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