Other NI News In Brief

Further Arrest Over John Mongan Death

Police investigations into the death of 30-year-old John Mongan in Belfast in February, who was hacked and beaten to death in front of his heavily pregnant wife at their home in Fallswater Street, has now led to the arrest of a fourth person. The 24-year-old was held after searches in the Shantallow and Rosemount areas of Londonderry. Two men aged 32 and 36, and a 15-year-old boy, have already been charged with Mr Mongan's murder.

Rats Close Arcade Bakery

A Belfast city centre 'home bakery' has been ordered to close down because of an alleged rat infestation. A judge has been told of an imminent risk to public health due to conditions at Ann's Pantry, in Queen's Arcade. An environmental health officer with Belfast City Council said she went to the shop when problems were discovered last Thursday. She claimed evidence was found of a rodent infestation throughout the bakery, including store rooms and the kitchen area. Action was taken but wasn't enough to sort the problem out resulting in an Emergency prohibition order being granted to shut the premises yesterday (Tuesday).

North West Tourism Needs 'Super-Agency'

A well known, highly respected Derry businessman and hotelier, Garvan O'Doherty has said that the tourism resources in the area are too thinly spread and underfunded. He has now called for the creation of a 'super-agency' to 'drive tourism in the north west'. "At the minute, too many resources are divided between too many agencies and we need one super-agency," he said. "This body should be created to drive the tourism sector because at the minute efforts are honest but too disparate."

Trailer Success in Antipodes

A local manufacturer, Fleming Agri-Products, has won its first business in Australia for an innovative trailer developed with help from Invest Northern Ireland. The company, based at New Buildings in Co Londonderry, has shipped a container load of a new design of general purpose trailers to a customer in Melbourne. The tractor trailers were developed by the company with R&D support from Invest NI. The small tractor trailers are geared at a niche market demand for a multi-purpose trailer that can be used by farmers, building contractors, waste disposal businesses, and in maintenance operations on golf courses and parkland. The export breakthrough in Australia was announced by George Fleming, Managing Director of Fleming Agri-Products, and welcomed by Des Gartland, Manager of Invest NI's North West Regional Office.

Work Accidents 'Fall'

There have been less 'falls' and other work-related accidents in Northern Ireland. New figures from the NI Health and Safety Executive show incidents have dropped by over 20% in the last five years. The Executive's latest Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, covering the period April 2007 to March 2008, records that from 2003 to 2008 the number of injuries at work being reported fell from 4,162 to 3,273 - representing a 21% reduction.

Implement Child Poverty Report: SF

Sinn Féin MLA for West Belfast, Jennifer McCann has called for the rapid implementation of a new report into child poverty. Speaking yesterday at the launch of Save the Children's 'Keep the Promise' campaign at Stormont to highlight the effects of child poverty Ms McCann stated: "Following the completion of the inquiry into child poverty by the Committee the actions in this report need to be implemented as a matter of urgency. The levels of child poverty in the north of Ireland are nothing short of scandalous - around 30% of children here live in poverty and within deprived wards this figure is even higher."

(BMcC)