Other NI News In Brief

High Rise At Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoo has welcomed three young Rothschild's giraffes to their existing herd, bringing the total number of giraffes to nine. Daisy, a two-year-old female, travelled by boat from Givskud Zoo in Denmark and Finn, a three-year-old male, travelled from Fota Wildlife Park, in Cork, while Sandsteen (Sandy), a two-year-old female, came from Dublin having been born and hand-reared in Dublin Zoo after her mother unfortunately passed away shortly after her birth.

Hazel Stewart 'Didn't Know'

Hazel Stewart, 47, who denies murdering her husband Trevor Buchanan, 32, and Mrs Lesley Howell, 31, in May 1991 has said in court that she did not know her lover's wife's body was in his car on the night of the double killings. In a tape of her sixth police interview, she said: "I did not think anything was going to happen to Trevor. "I did not know Leslie's body was going to be in the car." However, Coleraine Court also heard on Tuesday that a police officer who conducted the interview said Mrs Stewart said she 'did know' her former lover, dentist Colin Howell, 51, was coming to her house on the night of the murders. Trevor Buchanan and Leslie Howell were originally thought to have died in a suicide pact on the north coast of Northern Ireland but detectives reopened the inquiry, 18 years after the deaths, when dentist Howell, 51, stunned his church elders by confessing to murdering the two.

Empty Homes Tax Welcomed

The Stormont Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has revealed that up to £10m a year could be raised for public services following the introduction of the rating of empty homes in October. The Minister was speaking as he legislated on the rating of empty homes. "The rating of empty homes should encourage more people to make better use of these properties and increase the supply of affordable housing. In addition, it will address the fact that those who have ownership of empty homes make demands on public services including roads, police, fire services and public health. It is only fair that owners of these properties make their contribution towards public services as well as rate paying households," said, noting that it could also raise additional money expected to be up to £10m annually."

Derry Port Fined Over Waste

Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners, Foyle Recyclers and one of its Directors were fined a total of £14,000 for illegal waste offences at Londonderry Crown Court this week. The Derry Port and Harbour Commissioners was fined £3,000, Foyle Recyclers was fined a total of £10,000 for four breaches of waste management legislation and one of its directors, Sinead O'Hara, was fined £1,000. During previous confiscation proceedings in relation to benefit from criminal conduct each party was made the subject of a Confiscation Order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners Order was for £56,300.39, Foyle Recyclers Order was for £60,000 and Sinead O'Hara's Order was for £28,302.27. The charges were brought under the Waste and Contaminated Land Order (NI) 1997 to which each party had pleaded guilty in December 2009 after the case was the subject of an investigation by officers from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency regarding the operation of an unlicensed scrap yard at premises owned by Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners between November 2006 and November 2007.

School 'Costing Millions More'

A school is costing the Department of Education an extra £3m after going ahead with a bigger building than approved. The figure was revealed in a Stormont Assembly report into improper spending and suspected fraud in the case of Magherafelt High school, where the capacity of the school was changed from 500 to 600 pupils. However, the report showed this was due to a lack of awareness rather than a deliberate attempt to avoid approval. The original school was to have cost just over £8m, but the one currently being built is costing the department £3m more.

YFC Supported

The Alliance Agriculture Spokesperson Kieran McCarthy MLA has put pressure on the Stormont Agriculture Minister to ensure continued funding for Young Farmers' Clubs in Northern Ireland. He has campaigned for the maintenance for this funding at the Stormont Agriculture Committee."It is vitally important that funding continues to be provided by the Department of Agriculture for Young Farmers' Clubs in Northern Ireland. Their excellent work is very important as the organisation gives a lot back to the community and also helps in the development of young people. The amount of funding needed to safeguard these clubs is relatively small and to cut this cash would be a disgrace. Rural communities have faced and are facing too many cuts already, so this proposed move is simply unacceptable," he said.

(BMcC/GK)