Other NI News In Brief

Ritchie For Limerick

NI's Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie (pictured) will spend the next two days examining housing and urban regeneration in the Republic of Ireland. The Minister will meet with three members of Taoiseach Brian Cowan's new ministerial team. The subjects on the agenda range from liquor licensing and social security regulation in meetings with Mary Hanafin, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Michael Finneran, the Minister of State for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas, and Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform.

Drugs Accused For Court

A 26-year-old man is to appear at Newtownards Magistrates Court on Monday morning charged with growing cannabis and with possession of a firearm and ammunition. He has also been charged with a number of other drugs related offences. It follows a police operation in the Whitehill Pass area of Bangor on Friday evening.

Derry Assault Man's Jaw Broken

An early morning assault has left the victim suffering a broken jaw after being assaulted in Londonderry in the early hours of Sunday. It happened around 2.30am and saw the 19-year-old attacked by three unknown in the Foyle Street area. He was taken to hospital and treated for a head injury, the broken jaw and broken fingers.

Conlon Mum Dead

Campaigning west Belfast woman Sarah Conlon, whose husband Giuseppe and son, Gerry, were wrongly convicted over the Guildford IRA pub bombings has died aged 82. Mrs Conlon helped secure an apology from former prime minister Tony Blair in 2005 for the wrongful imprisonment of her husband and son. Her son Gerry spent 15 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the Guildford bombing. Guiseppe Conlon, arrested after going to London to help him, died in jail. Sarah Conlon spent 16 years campaigning to have the names of her husband and son cleared. The Guildford Four, Gerry Conlon, Paul Hill, Carole Richardson and Paddy Armstrong, were jailed for life in 1975 for an IRA bombing campaign which killed five people and injured 65.

Pet Dog Killer Jailed

A man who killed a family pet to spite his wife has been sentenced to six months in jail. William David Streeter, 29, of Cloyfin Park, Coleraine, was convicted of seven counts of animal cruelty and one of making threats to kill his wife after he hung the dog. He hanged golden retriever Mac by his collar, kicked him with steel toe-capped boots and hit him with a boulder in October 2006 and then threatened to kill his wife two days after the dog's death.

Rising Costs Discussed

NI First Minister, Peter Robinson and the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have held the first in a series of meetings with key sectors to discuss the continuing impact of rising food, fuel and other costs and pressures on both individuals and businesses to determine what additional measures need to be taken to alleviate hardship and grow the economy at this difficult time. Today's initial meeting allowed the pair to hear at first hand the assessment and proposals of the banks and other financial institutions to tackle rising costs and maintain economic growth as well as addressing the availability of mortgages to customers during the current credit crunch.

(BMcC)