Other NI News In Brief

Ash Cloud Scatters

There was good news for travellers today as flights in and out of Northern Ireland returned to normal following disruptions caused by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud covering much of the UK airspace. Belfast International Airport, George Best Belfast City airport and City of Derry Airport have said that all airlines are operating a normal schedule however passengers who are due to travel have been advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport.

Howell Sentenced

Disgraced dentist and double murderer Colin Howell has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years for indecent assault on five female patients after he had pleaded guilty to total of 12 charges of indecent assault last week. They occurred over a four year period at his dental surgery in Ballymoney. All the women were sedated at the time. The 52-year-old is already serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife and his former lover's husband in 1991.

Man Faces Wife's Murder Charge

A Newtownabbey man has been remanded in custody after appearing at Belfast Magistrates Court. Gerard O'Kane, 51, of Hollybrook Avenue was charged with the murder of his wife, 50-year-old Ann Marie O'Kane in Belfast on Monday. She was found dead in a flat in Northview off the Antrim Road. She had been stabbed.

Watch The Skies!

NI's Culture Minister has welcomed astronomers from around the world to the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) Board meeting in Armagh. SALT is the largest single-mirror telescope in the southern hemisphere and the largest telescope in Africa. Construction of the telescope was largely completed in 2005, funded and built by a consortium of over 20 individual universities and observatories on four continents including the Armagh Observatory. Sinn Fein Minister, Carál Ní Chuilín said: "The Armagh Observatory is at the forefront of astronomy - together with groups in Queen's University Belfast and other universities across the island. Their work helps to promote a positive image of Ireland on the international stage and also helps to attract visitors to the City of Armagh for business and leisure. Having access to SALT has many scientific benefits not least involvement in many new projects but also a long term legacy to the world of science."

Farmer Fined

A Co Antrim farmer was fined £300 plus £88 court costs at Ballymena Magistrates' Court this week. William Wylie, Garryduff Road, Dunloy, Ballymena, was fined for making a polluting discharge to a waterway after a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency inspected the Glenlough River, Ballymoney last August. In excess of 200 dead brown trout were found over a two to three kilometre distance of waterway. The source of the polluting discharge was traced to a farm owned by Mr Wylie. An electrofishing survey carried out by fisheries officers from Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) indicated that there had been a complete kill of salmon and trout from the source of the pollution to the Greenshields River, a distance of approximately 6.5 kilometres.

High Level Praise

The Stormont First Minister and Deputy First Minister have met organisers of the 'Maize 'n Grace' event which will be held at The Odyssey Arena on 27 and 28 May. South African farmer and world-renowned evangelist Angus Buchan will be the keynote speaker after previously addressing crowds as large as 350,000 and spoken at gatherings that have included Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa. The organisers believe he will convey how the Christian message is able to bring down walls not only between individuals and God, but also between people and communities.

NIE On Line

NI Energy Minister Arlene Foster has welcomed Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE)'s round-the-clock efforts to restore power to thousands of homes. Since mid morning on Monday, NIE has dealt with over 500 faults affecting around 70,000 customers across Northern Ireland, following severe gales gusting up to 80 mph. DUP Minister Foster said: "In the space of several hours on Monday we were faced with unusually strong winds for this time of year which brought down trees and other debris, damaging the electricity network across Northern Ireland. I would like to pay tribute to all NIE staff, particularly engineers on the ground, who worked tirelessly through Monday night in challenging and very dangerous circumstances."

(BMcC/GK)