Other NI News In Brief

Zapcats Make A Big Splash On Lagan

The Belfast Zapcat Racing Grand Prix has been speeding up the Lagan and into the heart of the capital. Zapcats are one of the largest powerboats in the world with Belfast being the first City Championship venue of the 2010 National Championship season. The weekend event was held as part of the Belfast Maritime Festival.

Shop Worker Shot

The police have made an arrest after a woman was shot in the stomach during an armed robbery attempt in Newry. At about 11.35pm Sunday, a man armed with a handgun entered a gaming arcade at Upper Water Street and demanded cash from a woman working in the shop before shooting her in the stomach. The man fled empty-handed. The woman was taken to hospital with injuries which are serious but not life-threatening.

RUC GC Honoured

Justice Minister David Ford has honoured the extraordinary service of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC on RUC GC Memorial Day. The Minister attended the 8th annual RUC GC Memorial Day service, which was held in St Mark's Parish Church in Armagh. "I am pleased to attend this service as the first local Justice Minister in 38 years. Although the peace process has progressed significantly it is important that we do not forget the sacrifices made by members of the RUC and the Policing family," he said, yesterday.

Residents 'Turbulent'

Local residents are calling for an independent inquiry into aircraft safety after roof tiles on two bungalows in east Belfast were apparently dislodged by a low-flying aircraft bound for George Best Belfast City Airport. The incident was the second such case in the area within just nine months. Dr Liz Fawcett, Chair of the Steering Group of the umbrella residents' group, Belfast City Airport Watch, said the UK aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, should be called in to investigate both incidents, and the whole issue of aircraft safety for local people living close to the airport. "It's extremely fortunate that no one was injured in either this or the previous incident," she said. "It's now incumbent on the Environment Minister, Edwin Poots, to hold an independent, open, and transparent inquiry which would properly investigate these incidents to determine how any further accidents of this nature could be avoided in future, and to examine whether the level of safety risk to which residents are being subjected is acceptable."

11 + Fails

The SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Dominic Bradley has said Transfer 2010 - Sinn Féin's replacement for the 11-plus - is simply not working. "In practice, Transfer 2010 -which currently applies to non-selective schools only - is turning out to be a more insidious tool of transfer than the 11plus itself. It runs counter to the Minister's stated aims of fairness and equality and the situation will only get worse when grammar schools abandon testing. Pupils who have not sat any tests are now being rejected by non-selective schools where generations of their families traditionally attended," he said. "This is leaving many pupils and parents disappointed and angry at having to resort to the appeals mechanism in an attempt to gain a place for their children whose sibling already attend the local school. My office in Newry has been contacted in relation to an unprecedented number of appeals. Transfer 2010 is clearly not working and is in need of urgent review."

£12m Deep Water Quay Opens

NI Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy has opened the new Deep Water Quay at Warrenpoint Harbour in Co Down. Cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the new facility the Minister said: "The port at Warrenpoint plays a key role in servicing industry, retail and commerce along the eastern seaboard of Ireland. I welcome the opening of this new Deep Water Quay at Warrenpoint Harbour, which marks the completion of a major upgrade of facilities. Today's £12m investment represents the final construction stage of a scheme totalling £22m that will secure the long-term viability of the port and its contribution to the local economy." The ceremony was also used to officially welcome Cardiff Container Line services to the Port of Warrenpoint.

Pollution Fine

A Co Antrim businessman was fined £500 plus £70 court costs for water pollution at Coleraine Magistrates' Court last week. Raymond Todd trading as Glenview Foods, of Moyarget Road, Ballycastle, was fined for making a polluting discharge to a waterway. On 3 May 2008, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) found that a tributary of the Tow River was polluted with a heavy contamination of fungal growth and was brown in colour. Inspection of the waterway revealed that it was contaminated for approximately 400 metres. The source of the polluting discharge was traced to the premises of Glenview Foods owned by Mr Todd. A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious and polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life .

(BMcC/GK)