Other News In Brief

New Units Open In Antrim Area Hospital

A new Specialist Dental Unit and Neonatal Unit in Antrim Area Hospital has officially opened.

Northern HSC Trust Chief Executive Tony Stevens added: "Delivering excellent health and social care services today and in the future means not only responding successfully to the challenges faced but also continuing to embrace advances in medicine and technology. These present exciting opportunities which require us to be forward thinking and open to change, in terms of our approach to the development of services and how they are provided to the people we serve."

Call For More Support On Climate Change

The SDLP calling for more support on climate change if Britain and Northern Ireland are to remain world leaders.

South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said support is urgently needed for carbon reductions, particularly in rural and low income communities.

She said: "We greatly welcome the commitments that the UK and other nations made in December through the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, but the Prime Minister's words must be met with action and commitment from the Treasury. While David Cameron may say all the rights things on climate change, the cuts to support for solar power and the scrapping of a major carbon capture and storage in November paint a very different picture.

"The Government still claims that the UK is on track to meet its carbon budgets, yet the reality is their assessment pre-dates the Treasury's cuts to DECC's budget and does not reflect the damage that has been done to low-carbon industries since the last year's general election."

Met Office Issues Yellow Weather Warning

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland from Thursday at 7pm until Friday at 9am.

Snow is expected to accumulate over ground above 200 to 300 metres.

Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone are on alert and possible disruption is expected.

(CD)