Other NI News In Brief

Guilty Plea To Teen's Murder

A 31-year-old man has pleaded guilty at Londonderry Crown Court to the murder of Limavady teenager Wendy Anne McAteer two years ago. The victim, aged just 17, was found dead in an alleyway beside her former school, St Mary's, in November 2007. Terence Philip Whiting, who has an address at Maghaberry Prison but is originally from Kent in England, changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial at Londonderry Crown court having originally denied the killing. Whiting was the boyfriend of Ms McAteer, and the pair had been living together in a house in Robertson Crescent in Limavady at the time of her murder. Sentencing has been adjourned until next month.

Orange Halls Targeted

A number of Orange halls across Northern Ireland have been attacked over the last week. The latest incident happened in Co Londonderry at Ballykelly Orange hall shortly before 6am on Sunday morning, when it was broken into and a small fire started. The blaze was extinguished before any extensive damage was caused, although the building did sustain scorch damage. The police said that a 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident. Meanwhile sectarian graffiti was daubed on three Orange halls in the Lisburn area, on Saturday. A fourth hall was also targeted in the area last week.

Cash Van Hit

Police are appealing for help in tracing a car used during a robbery in Belfast. The money was stolen from a cash-in-transit van at commercial premises on the Crumlin Road in the north of the city. It happened about 1010am on Saturday, when a security guard was approached by a man armed with a handgun. He was ordered to drop the cashbox he was holding. The robber picked up the box, which contained a substantial sum of cash, and made off in a blue Renault Laguna in the direction of Ardoyne. Police recovered the vehicle a short time later and as a result are have appealed for information on the whereabouts of the car, registration number HEZ 7993, between 19 March and the time of the robbery.

Boost For Fall's Tenants

Tenants living on Belfast's Lower Falls area are to get new kitchens, as part of a £275,000 scheme by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, it has been announced. The 71 homes are a mixture of two and three storey houses, bungalows and flats, which were all built between 1982 and 1988. As part of the scheme the kitchen layout will be improved to provide additional space for kitchen appliances. Electrical and plumbing installations will be upgraded and new floor covering and mechanical extract fans will be provided.

Praise For High-Tech Construction Sector

Stormont Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has lauded Northern Ireland's composite materials sector for its innovation and significant contribution to economic success. Ms Foster was speaking at the 2009 International Conference for Manufacturing of Advanced Composites in Belfast. The two-day event, sponsored by Invest NI and Bombardier Aerospace, showcased Northern Ireland's strength and vibrancy in this high-tech niche sector, to an international audience. Composite materials, such as carbon fibre, offer a high-strength, lightweight alternative to metals. These advantages are seeing composites become increasingly important to the aircraft, automotive, construction, medical and other manufacturing sectors.

Derry Wood Energy Centre Praised

A wood energy centre in Londonderry has been lauded by the Rural Affairs Minister Michelle Gildernew. The scheme, located on the Brook Hall Estate, is managed by Rural Generation Ltd and is recognised as a 'centre of excellence', demonstrating wood fuel in a range of applications. The Wood Energy Visitors' Centre consists of conference facilities, office accommodation and exhibitions on wood energy, pellets and other energy crops from biomass. Following a guided tour of the facilities, Ms Gildernew said: "I was very interested to hear how developing sustainable energy is vital to our economic, environmental and social well-being, and is fundamental to our future sustained growth and prosperity."

(BMcC/JM)