Other News In Brief

Man Charged With The Murder Of David Black

A 33-year-old man has been charged with the murder of prison officer David Black.

The man was detained on Tuesday in the Lurgan area of Co Armagh and he will appear in Craigavon court later.

The officer, a 52-year-old father of two, was shot dead on the M1 in County Armagh when he was driving on a motorway to work at Maghaberry high security prison in November 2012.

Mr Black was the 31st member of the prison service to be killed in Northern Ireland.

Man Jailed For Defacing Queen Portrait

Tim Haries, 42, Bellis Avenue, Doncaster, who belongs at the Fathers4Justice has been jailed for six months for defacing a portrait of the Queen whit paint.

Haries, who represented himself in court, told the jurors he vandalised the picture to highlight the "social justice issue of our time".

He had denied causing criminal damage of more than £5,000 on a painting which is worth £160,000.

Town Halls Asked To Help Freeze Council Tax

Local Government Secretary, Eric Pickles, has called on councils to take up the offer of additional central government funding to help freeze Council Tax this year.

Since 2010, the government has worked with local authorities to reduce the cost of living by freezing Council Tax, cutting average bills in England by 10% in real terms. This compares to a period between 1997 and 2010, when council tax more than doubled.

A further freeze offer is on offer this year and next, and was announced by the Chancellor in June 2013. The government is providing up to £550 million in extra Whitehall grants, to each local authority that freezes their bills from this April.

New figures published today to help residents see what their council is planning, reveal that 137 authorities have already indicated they will accept the government's offer of extra funding. The figures also show each council's track record since 2010. Final decisions from all local authorities will be known next month.

(CSV/CD)