By Hubert O'Hearn and Bianca Da Silva This Belfast Book Festival has proven so far to be an absolute joy, with the only debate being what has been the most thought-provoking: Is it the discussions and readings in the various workshops, or the spontaneous chats in the Crescent Arts Centre happening over coffee? Writers in their unique and splendid way are rather like zoo animals that one hears of escaping from captivity, gamboling through cities with literal unbounded glee. Release...

The world's longest aircraft, dubbed the "flying bum", took the skies yesterday for a surprise test flight. Hundreds of people gathered to watch the 20-tonne Airlander 10 perform aerial manoeuvres in a four-hour flight. The 92m-long part-airship part-aeroplane was badly damaged when it nosedived during a test flight on 24 August last year. Following extensive repairs, it reached the highest altitude so far in its fourth test flight after taking off from hangars in Cardington, Bedfordshire, at 6.05pm on Tuesday....

Hg Capital sells Zitcom for £8.8m. HgCapital, the Manager of HgCapital Trust, has announced that it has sold Zitcom, a leading Danish hosting and cloud solutions provider operating in the SME segment, to Intelligent, a Belgian headquartered provider of hosting services. The terms of this transaction were not disclosed. The sale of Zitcom delivers a c. 3.3x investment multiple and a c. 145% gross IRR over the investment period. The trust will realise cash proceeds of approximately GBP8.8 million on...

A strong technology sector, resilient financial system, fantastic talent pool and low business costs put Toronto on the global fintech map. Not only does Toronto boast housing the headquarters of major Canadian banks, but it also lays claim to 3 of the top 60 global pension funds and 7 of the largest global hedge fund administrators. The financial sector in Canada is expected to shell out $15 billion in technology spending by 2018. Toronto is the second largest financial centre...

A reveller caught up in the London Bridge terror attack returned to Borough Market as it reopened today - to pay his restaurant bill. Richard Angell, director of the think tank Progress, who also tipped staff at the Arabica Bar and Kitchen, was enjoying a meal there on Saturday June 3rd when the horror unfolded. Mr Angell, 33, who has launched a campaign called #TipLondon, to raise money for the affected businesses, said it was "emotional" to see the "brave"...

An abandoned dog was unrecognisable after its fur was so matted its leg became fused to its ear and caused the fur around his eye to peel away from the skin. The six-year-old lhasa apso, now named Soldier, was rescued by a dog warden who found him wandering the streets of Leeds, West Yorks. The dog was badly neglected and his rescuers believe the tiny ball of fluff had not been groomed in months in a case which had shocked...

Well many Corbyn supporters and wider left-leaning voters are surprised/delighted that the Labour leader managed to make significant gains on the Conservative party. Theresa May could not secure a majority and recent polling has shown that Labour could indeed win an election if it was held now. It was such a dramatic turnaround but how did he manage it? This Channel 4 video is definitely worth a watch, to see how Corbyn came from nowhere and shook the electoral landscape...

These hilarious photographs shows the extraordinary lengths that New York commuters are going in order to get around a ban on dogs on the subway. New laws say you cannot take your beloved pet on underground trains in the Big Apple unless they are 'carried in a manner that would not annoy passengers.' But the rules do not state a maximum size bag which they can be carried in. So crafty pet-lovers are now carrying around their pooches in outsize...

The average pay has dropped by 0.4 per cent, new figures have a revealed - a day after news broke that inflation has shot up to 2.9 per cent. Even taking into account bonuses real average weekly earning, taking account of inflation, decreased by 0.4 per cent and by 0.6 per cent excluding bonuses. Today’s figures are the first time average earnings, including bonuses, have gone into decline since 2014. GMB says the squeeze in pay and living standards is more evidence the...