Other News In Brief

Former NI Footballer Released On Bail After Alleged Assault

A former Northern Ireland international footballer has been released on bail following an alleged assault in Belfast over the Twelfth.

Billie Simpson was taken into custody after showing fears she may be under threat by the UDA.

It followed an incident in the Sandy Row area of south Belfast.

Footage circulated on social media appeared to show a woman fighting while a man lay on the ground.

She has been released pending further enquiries.

Police are appealing to anyone with information to contact them.

TUV Lodges Complaints After Video Appears To Show NIE Employee Saying 'Up the Ra'

The TUV has lodged complaints with PSNI and Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) after a video emerged of an NIE employee saying "Up the Ra" in front of a bonfire.

TUV Mid Ulster chairman Glenn Moore: "The use of this phrase is highly offensive to all right-thinking people in Northern Ireland given the suffering which the IRA inflicted upon society with their indiscriminate terrorism. However, in this occasion the offence is aggravated by the fact that the individual wearing NIE clothing used the phrase while standing close to an Eleventh Night bonfire given that the brunt of the IRA terror campaign was directed against members of the Unionist community.

"I have written to the PSNI about the matter as well as NIE. I have also brought the issue to the attention of Cookstown Boxing Club where the individual is a coach and will watch with interest to see what the response of all three organisations is."

GRAHAM Surpasses £1bn Turnover Milestone

Hillsborough-based construction firm GRAHAM has surpassed the £1 billion turnover milestone.

In recently published accounts, the contractor and developer generated revenue of £1.094bn following the successful delivery of major projects across its core market sectors (building, civil engineering, interior fit-out, facilities management and development management).

The figure is a 15.3% increase on the Group's 2022 results (£948.3m in 2022).

Cash at bank and in hand also increased to £177.1m – a 28% rise (£127.1m in 2022) – while profit before tax was recorded at a healthy £15.1m.

The strong balance sheet position has enabled GRAHAM to further improve its supply chain management and supplier payment statistics and to continue to invest in the training and development of its 2,200+ staff cohort.

Andrew Bill, GRAHAM Group Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are very pleased with these latest published accounts, which demonstrate a strong performance in our core markets. This has been achieved despite the complexity of the current inflationary environment and other notable external factors. Strong governance and commercial management are at the heart of our approach to sustainable growth. We focus on quality delivery and take pride in our record for securing repeat business and the development of collaborative client relationships. The adoption of a pragmatic and selective approach to work winning, built on a platform of risk management, allows us to positively approach the rest of 2023, and beyond. With a significant pipeline of opportunity, which is strong in both volume and quality, we look forward to the future with continued optimism."