Other News In Brief

13-Year-Old Arrested After Lit Firework Put In Schoolgirl's Pocket

The PSNI have arrested a 13-year-old boy in connection with a lit firework being put into the blazer pocket of a schoolgirl.

It is understood that the incident occurred at Newry Bus Station on Wednesday 18 October. The firework is said to have exploded in the girls pocket. It is not clear how badly injured the girl was but police said it was "fortunate that she did not suffer "much more serious, potentially life-changing injuries".

The boy was arrested on suspicion of having a firework without a licence and setting it off within 15m (49ft) of a road.

Alliance Welcomes Almac Job Creation

The Alliance Party has welcomed the announcement of the creation of 550 new jobs by pharmaceutical company Almac, which is headquartered in Craigavon.

The firm is to invest £80m in two new pharma services and diagnostic facilities.

Upper Bann MLA Eóin Tennyson said: "It's fantastic news that Almac is to create 550 highly-skilled jobs with this £80m investment.

"This will be a huge boost to the local area, is a sign of confidence in the wider Northern Ireland economy, and will no doubt make a significant contribution to improving health outcomes globally.

"Northern Ireland now has a relative competitive advantage via the dual market access provided for under the Windsor Framework. This is particularly evident and visible in highly regulated areas such as pharma.

"I wish the team at Almac every success with their expansion."

DUP Calls For 'Christian Ethos' To Be Protected In Schools

The DUP has called for the protection of Northern Ireland's schools "christian ethos".

The party made the call in their response to the Department of Education's consultation on changes to Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE).

Commenting, DUP Education Spokesperson Diane Dodds MLA said: "Despite being a requirement of the school curriculum for many years, RSE has been the focus of rising concern among parents in recent times, in part because of some of the classroom resources being promoted. However, these concerns have been amplified by the Secretary of State's disgraceful decision to impose laws on Northern Ireland which will make abortion a compulsory element of RSE for post-primary schools going forward.

"The DUP opposed, and voted against, these regulations in the House of Commons.

"RSE is a devolved issue and should have remained in the gift of a restored Executive and Assembly. Instead, these reforms were railroaded through without prior consultation with local communities. Even at this late stage, there is deep uncertainty surrounding the impact of the changes. The Department of Education was expected to consult on the circumstances in which a parent will be able to request that their child is withdrawn from the new teaching. The consultation, however, offers precious little in the way of detail."