Other NI News In Brief

Motorbiker Dies

The police have said that no other vehicle was involved in the overnight fatal accident of a tricycle-style motorbike. A 55-year-old man died in the crash on the Derrycarne Road near Portadown on Tuesday evening.

Drugs Runner Jailed

A drugs 'mule' caught with £30,000 of cocaine in Coleraine has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Ballymena Crown Court heard police found a package of cocaine in the passenger footwell of a car driven by Robert Colvin on Portstewart Road. Colvin, from High Street, Moneymore, confessed there was another package of drugs hidden in his home. He admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply and driving while disqualified and without insurance. Colvin, who was to be paid £1,000 for delivering the drugs to Portstewart, is to spend a year on probation on release.

Mosaics Reflect Belfast's Success

Hours after Northern Ireland bid farewell to the Tall Ships, Stormont Tourism Minister Arlene Foster has unveiled a series of maritime mosaics and plaques at Queen's Quay. These were installed by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, which sought to ensure a tourism legacy would be left in the wake of the four day international Maritime festival. Along the walkway around the Odyssey, nine mosaics, each measuring around one metre in size, have been embedded in the ground. They tell the stories of some of Belfast's most famous ships such as SS Canbera and RMS Titanic. Plaques can also be found, which depict the local maritime heritage alongside pieces of short narrative. "The eyes of the world fell on Northern Ireland over the four days of the Tall Ships festival. It is important now that we continue to build on this success and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has installed a series of mosaics and plaques on the walkways along the River Lagan, which bring the history of our seafaring heritage to life for visitors and residents alike," commented the Minister.

Good Relations Targeted

A 'Meet The Neighbours Event' is being planned in north Belfast to promote community cohesion and community awareness. The sixth such initiative, it is being held in Glenbank Community Centre, Crumlin Road on Saturday 26th September, from noon-4pm. The event is being supported by Ballysillian Community Forum, Glenbank Community Centre and the North Belfast Partnership. A wide range of stand providers from the statutory, community and voluntary sector will be attending the event on the day. In conjunction with Meet The Neighbours, the War Years Remembered exhibition is also taking place from 22nd-24th September in the nearby Willowgrove Centre.

Calling Up Staff Development

A Belfast contact centre LBM is implementing a £600,000 project to develop staff capability and improve its commercial competitiveness, with support from Invest Northern Ireland and the EU. LBM, which has six contact centres across the UK, provides sales and marketing support for a number of global blue-chip businesses in sectors such as telecoms, automotive, financial services and retail. The Belfast base was set up in 2005 with support from Invest NI and now employs almost 400 people. Its range of clients includes Centrica, Carphone Warehouse, O2, Orange and Vodafone. Invest NI has now offered over £177,000 towards the initiative, including part finance from the European Regional Development Fund. Further details: LBM Targets Staff Development

Agricultural PR Goes Online

A Co Down website designer has just completed a project for a busy agricultural PR agency. The Rodney Magowan Press & PR Agency selected Newry's Fotocol and principal designer Columba O'Hare following recommendations from others seeking to serve the farm and food sector. The new website www.rodneymagowan.co.uk features continually updated examples of public relations initiatives and details of services provided.

SMEs Go Green

The number of small businesses in Northern Ireland taking action to improve their energy and water efficiency has doubled in just two years, to a level higher than anywhere else in the UK. That was the main finding contained in the biennial SME environment survey by NetRegs.gov.uk the environmental guidance website. It reveals that over half (56%) of SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) in Northern Ireland now have measures in place to reduce the harm they do to the environment. Some 85% are recycling their waste, up from 73% in 2007 and is the highest figure for any UK country, while a third have made energy efficiency or water reduction improvements. Welcoming the findings NI Environment Minister Edwin Poots said: "It is encouraging to see improvements in SMEs' green business activities. The benefits to come from introducing such measures include reduced operating costs, improved relationship with customers and a more motivated workforce."

(BMcC/KMcA)