Northern Ireland News for June 2003

UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
2,000 jobs to go in Network Rail efficiency drive
Up to 2,000 jobs will go at Network Rail over the next three years as part of the company's drive to drive down costs and improve efficiency. Network Rail, which took over the running of the UK's rai...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
Gay 'partnerships' proposed to get legal recognition
Same-sex partners could soon have similar legal rights and entitlements as heterosexual couples, under proposals currently being considered by the government. At the moment, same-sex couples have n...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Garvaghy Road Orange Order parade banned
The Orange Order has again been banned from parading along the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The Parades Commission announced on Monday that the Orange Order would not be allowed to process along the G...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Five people killed in ‘horror’ car smash
A horrific head-on collision between two cars on the Dublin Road near Newry has resulted in the deaths of five people. The accident, which occurred at 1.30 am on Monday morning, killed two sisters an...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
South Belfast racist attacks continue
The issue of racism in Northern Ireland, and particularly in south Belfast, has again been thrust into the limelight with a pipe-bomb attack on a house in the Donegall Avenue area. Police are current...
Business News, Jun 30, 2003
Search is on for a winning image of construction
The construction industry wants amateur photographers to help boost its image in an innovative new photography competition. People, construction sites and exterior shots of completed buildings and st...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Royal selected as central Belfast maternity unit
Health Minister Angela Smith has announced that the Royal Group of Hospitals will be the location of the new centralised maternity unit for Belfast. Following a prolonged battle between the City and ...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Minister ‘encouraged’ by NI manufacturing figures
The sale of locally manufactured goods in markets outside NI in 2001/02 totalled £7.2 billion, an increase of £18 million (0.2%) on the corresponding period last year, according to the annual Manufact...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
Prescott outlines plan for renamed and reformed fire service
The deputy prime minister has unveiled a White Paper in the Commons today outlining government plans to reform the fire service – including proposals that will reform its name to the Fire and Rescue S...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Police open ‘information door’ to public
Detailed information about the Police Service of Northern Ireland and how it does business is to be made more widely and readily available to members of the public. The move has been prompted by legi...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Wind farm underscores commitment to renewable energy
Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister, Ian Pearson, has announced an increase of 80% in Northern Ireland’s renewable energy generation capacity. Speaking at the opening opened of the largest wind...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Modern Apprentice recognised at awards ceremony
Christopher Robinson, a Plumbing Engineering Modern Apprentice with Roy Finlay Plumbing in Fermanagh, has been named as one of Northern Ireland's most promising young people at a special Awards cerem...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Derry City pontoon nears completion
Work on the newest infrastructure development in the city of Derry, the Foyle Marina, is nearing completion. A joint project between the Londonderry Port and Cruise Initiative, the 200-metre long 2.5...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 30, 2003
Experts urge study of Italian furniture design trends
Furniture manufacturers in Northern Ireland were encouraged to “invest in design” at a special briefing on the latest Italian trends, held recently in Lisburn City. Important design trends from the r...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
CMO calls for reform of clinical negligence system
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has today called for a "fundamental reform" of the way clinical negligence cases are handled. In his report, 'Making Amends', Professor Sir Liam Donaldson sets out pl...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
Hundreds detained during arrest operations in Iraq
The US military has said that thousands of suspected Baath Party members and sympathizers have been rounded up following search and seizure operations in Iraq over the past two weeks. Operation Deser...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
Rape drug GHB is outlawed
The drug GHB, which has been frequently linked to drug-assisted rape cases, is set to be outlawed from midnight tonight – and convicted dealers could face up to five years in prison. Gammahydroxybut...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
BMA backs 'non-compulsory' triple MMR vaccine
A new BMA report has backed the practice of offering triple dose MMR vaccines to children and found that single dose treatment could leave patients open to greater risk of infection. The report, 'Ch...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
Staff pay back wages to help reduce school's deficit
Staff at a Leicestershire school are set to hand back one day's wages to help reduce their school’s £38,000 budget deficit. Teachers, cleaners and support staff from the Ashby Church of England Prim...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
Academic apologises over 'distress' caused to Israeli student
A genetics professor from the University of Oxford has been forced to apologise after it was claimed that he rejected an Israeli student's application on the grounds that he dislikes Israeli governmen...
UK National News, Jun 30, 2003
Service sector pay awards fall: CBI survey
Pay awards in the service sector have crept down to their lowest level for nine years, according to the latest survey of pay settlements published today by the CBI. The survey shows service sector p...
UK National News, Jun 27, 2003
Connex loses south east rail franchise
Connex Transport has lost its franchise to run rail services in the south east, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) announced today. Connex has been told that its franchise will be terminated no lat...
UK National News, Jun 27, 2003
Mobile charges to be cut following court ruling
Mobile phone calls under some tariff structures will be reduced by up to half following a High Court ruling against Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile. On Friday, the three UK phone giants finally lost th...
UK National News, Jun 27, 2003
Culture change needed in approach to prostitution
Home Secretary David Blunkett has called a cultural change in the way prostitution is dealt so as to enable victims to break out of the cycle of abuse. During an address to the Coalition for the Remo...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 27, 2003
Rebel UUP MP's suspended from party
Three rebel Ulster Unionist MP's have been suspended from the party, it has been announced today. Lagan Valley MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, South Antrim MP, David Burnside and South Belfast MP, Martin Smyt...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 27, 2003
Integrated education attracts increased support
A recent study on the attitude of people in Northern Ireland to integrated education has found that eight out of ten people consider integrated education is vital to peace and reconciliation in the pr...
UK National News, Jun 27, 2003
NHS workforce rises by 60,000 on last year
The latest workforce census has shown there are now 57,808 more health professionals working in the NHS than last year. The latest figures represent an increase of almost 5% in the last year taking ...
UK National News, Jun 27, 2003
‘Miracle’ cardiovascular pill for those over 55
A ‘miracle pill’ could drastically reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack for those aged 55 or over, say researchers. The proposed ‘polypill’ treatment would combine several commonly used drugs ...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 27, 2003
Man's body found in park
The body of a man has been found in a park on the outskirts of Coleraine. The man's body was discovered by a passer-by at around 7am on Friday morning. The dead man, who had not been named on Friday ...
Northern Ireland News, Jun 27, 2003
Australian company shelve lignite plans
The Australian company behind plans for a major lignite mine site in Co Antrim have shelved the idea. Auiron Energy said they had been unable to find a partner for the £500m Ballymoney project which ...