Other NI News In Brief

Killers From '73 Hunted

The hunt for the people who murdered a 19-year-old girl almost four decades ago has led to the arrest of two suspects for questioning. Eileen Doherty was shot dead by gunmen who hijacked a taxi she was taking from south Belfast's Ormeau Road to Andersonstown on 30 September 1973. The men being held, both aged 57, were arrested in Newtownards and south Belfast on Tuesday morning after the police made a new appeal for information about the murder in September this year.

IRA Remains 'Are Peter Wilson'

The Commissioners of The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR), Sir Ken Bloomfield and Frank Murray, have today confirmed the results of the DNA examination carried out on the human remains recovered by the ICLVR team at Waterfoot in Co Antrim last month as positively indicating that the remains are those of one of the 'Disappeared' IRA murder victim, Peter Wilson. The Coroners Service for Northern Ireland has accepted this as evidence of identification and has authorised the release of the remains to the family. See: Disappeared's Remains Found At Beach

DARD Looks To Young

Department of Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew has set out the programme of work that her Department (DARD) plans to take forward over the next three years. This will ensure that the needs of rural children and young people are incorporated into the business of the Department. "This is an important area of work and one that is very close to my heart. My Department's vision is for a thriving and sustainable rural community and environment. We have one of the youngest populations in Europe, with children and young people forming a substantial part of the rural community. The rural community and environment's prospects are very much dependent on the next generation and we need to ensure that the children and young people who live there are developed to their full potential," she said, noting that she "was very impressed by the many groups of young people and the organisations who provided their guidance and responses in the development of this Action Plan".

Booze Tackled By Lottery Funds

The National Lottery has donated £10m to help fight alcohol abuse in Northern Ireland. The funding will be used to boost the Impact of Alcohol Programme, which aims to help individuals and their families overcome their issues. A budget of £3m will be provided to nation-wide projects organised by voluntary and community groups and a further £7m will be given to the five health and social care trusts to work with organisations in their area. Chairman of the Big Lottery Fund in Northern Ireland, Frank Hewitt, said the money will help tackle the huge problem of alcohol abuse across the country.

UTV Launches On PS3

UTV shows will soon be available to a wider audience after the broadcaster announced a partnership with Sony to make its content available to PS3 users. PS3 users with a broadband connection will be able to stream content from the UTV Player directly to their device, which will include family favourites like Coronation Street and X Factor as well as local programmes such as UTV Live, Lesser Spotted Ulster and Ultimate Ulster. Michael Wilson, Managing Director, UTV Television, said: "This is an exciting step forward for UTV. As the lines between internet and TV blur, the way people consume television is changing and we need to change with them. "By making the UTV Player available on the PS3, we are making it easier for UTV viewers to catch up with programmes they have missed. UTV continues to innovate and stay at the forefront of technology. Launching on PS3 is the next step in our UTV Everywhere strategy, which has more exciting developments planned for the coming months."

Directors Named

The Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey has announced the appointment of two Non-Executive Directors to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care (NIAS HSC) Trust. They are Sean McKeever (Financial Member) and Angela Paisley (Lay Member). The appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointment for Northern Ireland. Both terms of appointment are for the period 1 December 2010 to 30 November 2014.

Water Polluted

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) was fined £500 plus court costs of £34 at Dungannon Magistrates' Court this week for making a polluting discharge to a waterway. On 31 March last year, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency observed a grey/white polluting discharge entering the Killymoon River from a pipe. The discharge had a significant odour of untreated sewage. The source of the polluting discharge was traced to Sandholes Sewage Pumping Station operated by NIW. A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

(BMcC/KMcA)