Other NI News In Brief

Police Death Crash Mystery Remains

The cause of a Co Down road tragedy that claimed four police offices lives may remain a mystery after the police revealed that the vehicle's onboard computer was destroyed. Investigators had hoped that the computer, also known as a 'black box' recorder, would provide vital details about what caused the accident. The computers are designed to survive crashes, but on this occasion it was so badly damaged by the fire as to be unrecoverable.

See: Last Of Tragic PSNI Officers Buried

Psychometric Testing Praised

Invest Northern Ireland has helped a Carrickfergus entrepreneur to set up a new business which aims to tap into the potential offered by the multi-million pound psychometric testing market. MindMill, established by Laing Mewhort, has developed a unique product called Censeo, in association with world renowned psychometrician Professor Sidney Irvine. Provisional figures indicate that over the next two years at least 30% of the company's sales will come from Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and continental Europe. MindMill recently won a £50,000 contract to provide the product to the Belgian Defence Forces and is currently targeting opportunities in the £150m UK psychometric testing market.

Aer Lingus To Cut Seat Prices In 2009

Highflying passengers on both sides of the Irish border can look forward to bargain prices in the New Year as airlines gear-up to battle for capacity. The boss of Aer Lingus - which flies from Belfast International Airport - has said he aims to get volumes up in 2009. Dermot Mannion is targeting short-haul routes from Belfast, Dublin and Cork for the first three months of the year. "We can get the volume but we have to be very competitive on price. It is going to be very competitive in the first quarter of 2009 - there is no doubt about that." At the same time, the executive threw out the idea of a takeover by rival Ryanair: "Our attitude is simple. The board has rejected the bid, I don't think it could be any clearer."

Think About Intellectual Property, Says INI

Local companies can access new market opportunities and gain a competitive advantage by protecting their Intellectual Property (IP) and using Espacenet, the European Patent Office (EPO) search engine. That was the focus of two Invest Northern Ireland workshops this week in which local companies heard expert advice from IP specialist Lisa McDonald-Maier of the EPO in Vienna. Representatives of around 30 companies from across Northern Ireland attended the workshops. Ms McDonald-Maier described the benefits to companies of using Espacenet, which is free to access and enables users to search the EPO archive of over 50 million patent documents from all over the world.

Ballymoney Wastewater Treatment Scheme Opens

A new £7m wastewater treatment plant has officially opened in Glenstall, Ballymoney. The new works are capable of treating wastewater flow from a population of approximately 40,650 in the area. The state-of-the-art treatment facility will result in reduced carbon footprint, operational flexibility, and will ensure that wastewater treatment in the area meets European standards. Welcoming the project's completion, Infrastructure Minister Conor Murphy said: "This significant investment will ensure that the facility supports growth and ongoing development in the Ballymoney area. Since April 2007, NI Water has now officially opened 22 Wastewater Treatment Works representing an investment of over £146million."

Sod Cut At New £275k Armagh Football Pitch

Stormont Regeneration Minister Margaret Ritchie has welcomed the start of work on a new football pitch at Cathedral Road in Armagh. Mr Ritchie performed a sod cutting ceremony on site for the £275,000 project which, when completed, will provide a much needed recreation facility for Cathedral Road residents. The project is being jointly funded by a contribution of £175,000 from the Department's Neighbourhood Renewal Investment Fund and £100,000 from Armagh City and District Council.

(BMcC)