Other NI News In Brief

Gun Gang Wound Victim

The victim of a paramilitary-style attack has been treated in hospital after being shot last night. The 39-year-old man was wounded in the arm and leg by a masked gang, the police have said. It happened on the outskirts of west Belfast shortly before 9pm on Thursday. Five masked men dragged him into an alleyway in Iris Link in Twinbrook and shot him.

Legal Commission Member Appointed

Gillian McGaughey has been appointed as a member of the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission. Mrs McGaughey's appointment by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, fills an existing vacancy. Mrs McGaughey has joined the Commission with effect from 10 February for a period of three years.

Derry Meeting For Policing Board

The Northern Ireland Policing Board has invited members of the public to a meeting being held in Londonderry next week. This will give people the opportunity to find out more about the work of the Board and how it oversees policing. The meeting, the second of its kind held by the Board, which takes place between 7.00-9.00pm in the Auditorium, Millennium Forum, Derry / Londonderry on Wednesday 18th February 2009, will allow people to question Board Members and the Chief Constable on current and future policing issues. There will also be an update on the Board's Community Engagement work and how it is taking this forward in partnership to help build safer communities.

Export Market 'Healthy'

A Belfast-based health supplement company Paradox Omega Oils is investing over £500,000 to increase its exports, with support from Invest Northern Ireland. Paradox Omega Oils specialises in the production and distribution of a range of unique, hand-blended nutritional omega oils, derived from fish and olive extracts. The company will create seven new jobs through this project as it targets markets in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and Europe. Oonagh Hinds, Invest NI's Eastern Regional Office Manager, said: "Paradox Omega Oils is an entrepreneurial business that is exploiting a specific market opportunity through R&D and the production of premium innovative health supplements that can be sold internationally. Invest NI is helping the company to promote its products in external markets and increase its turnover from exports."

Proposed Ballykelly Corridor Revealed

A proposed bypass of Ballykelly to the west of Limavady will be located south of the village, it has been announced. NI Roads Minister Conor Murphy said: "I am pleased to report that the first key milestone, which is the production of a preliminary options report, including recommendations for a preferred corridor to the south of the village, has been met." Mr Murphy said the project will significantly improve safety and journey time reliability on the A2 between Derry and Coleraine, and provide an environmental improvement to the village of Ballykelly.

Look Out For 'True' Love

As Valentine's Day approaches, consumers in Northern Ireland may find themselves buying jewellery for a loved one that has not been hallmarked. That was one of the main findings of a survey of Northern Ireland retailers selling jewellery. The survey, carried out by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment's Trading Standards Service (TSS), was aimed at determining the level of compliance by traders with the law on hallmarking. A hallmark means that an item of jewellery has been independently tested and guarantees that it conforms to all legal standards of purity. Inspections by TSS officers covered a range of outlets with the results of the survey showing that one in four jewellery retailers were found to be selling items that were not hallmarked.

Fraudsters Pay The Price

Three people were convicted at Strabane Magistrates Court yesterday for claiming benefits they were not entitled to. Stephen Marriott (43) of Castlegrange Park, Strabane was given 120 hours community service, a conditional discharge for two years and ordered to pay court costs of £28 for failure to declare capital while claiming Job Seekers Allowance totalling £12,104. Stephanie Rice (25) of Linkside Park, Strabane was given 100 hours community service, a conditional discharge for two years and ordered to pay court costs of £40 for failure to declare employment while claiming Income Support and Housing Benefit totalling £1,725. Brian Devine (59) of Mill View, Strabane was given a three month custodial sentence suspended for 12 months for failure to declare his partner's employment while claiming Income Support totalling £8,517. All are also required to repay the money wrongfully obtained to the Social Security Agency. This brings to 64 the total number of successful prosecutions this year.

(BMcC/JM)