Northern Ireland News for January 2003

Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
NI remembers victims of ferry disaster
Survivors and relatives of the Princess Victoria ferry sinking joined today to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy at services in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The ferry, which sank in stormy ...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Minister voices concern over civil service sickness
NIO Minister Ian Pearson has expressed his "concern" over sickness levels in Northern Ireland's civil service. The Minister’s comments came as a reaction to a report published by the Civil Service wh...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Opposition grows against possible conflict with Iraq
Amid growing fears that war is imminent in the Middle East, Sinn Féin TD's and Dublin City Councillors will be taking part in a number of anti-war meetings as part of the build-up to the National Anti...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Assets Recovery chief to target 37 crime cartels
Northern Ireland's new head of the Assets Recovery Agency is set to target 37 local criminal cartels when he officially takes up his post next week. Under the guidance of Alan McQuillan, the agency a...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Anger as CS Lewis's house is demolished
A last-ditch plea has failed to prevent the demolition of an historic east Belfast building with strong links to world-famous author CS Lewis. City councillors along with heritage groups such as the ...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
H&W benefit from £2.9bn aircraft carrier contract
Harland & Wolff are set to benefit from a £2.9 billion contract to build two new massive aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. The Minister of Defence have awarded the contracts to UK defence giant B...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Real IRA says 'war' will continue
The Real IRA has dismissed calls for a ceasefire and says the ‘war’ will continue until there is a British withdrawal from Northern Ireland. Responding for the first time to calls from founder member...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Ryanair's ‘Buzz’ brings Belfast route closer
Ryanair could be operating from Belfast International Airport (BAI) following the announcement that it has bought over KLM's Buzz for €23.9 million – or just over £15 million. Buzz currently operates...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Trimble slams council decision as 'offensive'
Former First Minister David Trimble has described as "offensive" the decision by Derry City Council to abandon the city's official name. During his visit to Londonderry last night, Ulster Unionist le...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2003
Man arrested after shotgun attack
A man has been arrested after a gun attack on a house in Co Londonderry last night. At around 9.30pm, the house on Redthorn Court, Coleraine, was hit by two shotgun blasts. A man in his 30s and a wo...
Business News, Jan 31, 2003
NI 'Centres of Excellence' recognised
Invest NI has recognised some of Northern Ireland's leading 'Centres of Excellence' at an awards ceremony in the Ramada Hotel in Belfast. Speaking at the ceremony, which formally recognised 16 new c...
Business News, Jan 31, 2003
Belfast company wins Australian contract
It has been revealed that Belfast-based customer relationship management specialist, Lagan, has been selected as a strategic partner in an £11 million contract to provide an integrated housing system ...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
No show for unionists at talks
Inter-party talks aimed at restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland have gone ahead at Stormont without the input of the Ulster Unionist Party or the Democratic Unionists. UUP party leader D...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Ulster company pioneers new cancer treatment
It has been revealed that a University of Ulster spin-out company has developed a pioneering laboratory technique which can be used to destroy the cells of cancerous tumours. Gendel, based at the Un...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Blair attacked over plans to scrap NI grammar schools
Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy has said the Prime Minister is "deluded" in his interpretation of the way forward for education in Northern Ireland. The former chairman of the assembly’s Education ...
Business News, Jan 30, 2003
Scheme to start 6,000 new businesses is on course
A business start-up programme, which is set to create over 6,000 new businesses by 2005, is on target, according to Prof Terri Scott – Invest NI’s Managing Director of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise....
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Northern Ireland house prices rise by 9%
The average housing price in the province has increased by almost 9% in the third quarter of last year, according to the Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin (NIHB). Today's report, published by the De...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Farm incomes slip to £88 a week
It has been revealed that the average farm in Northern Ireland is operating on £88 per week, according to figures released by the Department of Agriculture today. According to the department, last ye...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
New Deputy Chief Constable appointed
The officer who will take over as Chief Constable Hugh Orde's number two in the PSNI has been named by the Policing Board today. The current Assistant Chief Constable of the Northumbria Police Paul ...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Over 300 jobs go at Derry clothing company
A leading Londonderry clothing firm has announced that 315 of its employees are to lose their jobs. After a detailed review of their operations, Desmonds & Sons Limited – which employs almost 2,000 p...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Burnside backs imposed firefighters pay deal
Ulster Unionist MP David Burnside has welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister's pledge to take emergency powers to impose a pay settlement on striking firefighters. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Bu...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Sinn Fein urges Irish government to oppose war
Sinn Fein chairman Mitchel McLaughlin has called on the Irish government to use all its "diplomatic resources" to promote a peaceful solution as the crisis over Iraqi arms deepens. The assembly membe...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2003
Man arrested over Portstewart death
Man has been arrested following the discovery of a woman's body at a house in Co Londonderry. The body of the 43-year-old mother-of-two, who has been named as Jillian Doherty, was discovered at aroun...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 29, 2003
£69m reallocated from departmental savings
NIO Trade Minister, Ian Pearson has today announced the re-distribution of millions of pounds of savings garnered from within departmental programmes in 2002-03. The Minister emphasised that this is...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 29, 2003
Community must 'play its part' in tackling organised crime
NIO Minister Des Browne has urged the public to "play their part" in tackling the scourge of organised crime. Mr Browne made his comments at a meeting of local business people and elected representat...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 29, 2003
Man dies following stabbing incident
A man has died following a stabbing incident in Co Down this morning. Police were called to the flat close to the centre of Bangor at around 3am after an alarm was raised. Inside they found the body ...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 29, 2003
Alliance 'no confidence' in paramilitaries' payments probe
Alliance Party assembly member Seamus Close has said that he has "no confidence" in a government investigation into payments to alleged paramilitaries posing as ‘community workers’. Mr Close was spea...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 29, 2003
Tougher measures against sex crimes introduced
Tough new legislation against sex offenders - including measures against Internet 'grooming' - has been introduced in the Commons today. If passed, the legislation provides for tougher penalties, th...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 29, 2003
Unionists angry over Maiden City name proposal
Unionists have reacted angrily to a nationalist motion in Derry City Council to begin a process of change to the city's name from Londonderry to Derry. The proposal, which was passed last night, stat...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 29, 2003
Man linked to McGartland shooting is arrested
A man who is suspected of being a member of the IRA assassination team that attempted to murder police informer Martin McGartland has been arrested in the Czech Republic. Michael Dickson, 38, a forme...