Northern Ireland News for August 2008

UK National News, Aug 29, 2008
Police To Re-Enter Arson House
Police are hoping to resume searching inside the fire-gutted Osbaston House later today as their search for clues into the occupants' fate continues. Earlier today officers had to pull out of the sev...
UK National News, Aug 29, 2008
Zoom Flies Off
An airline, which employed over 700 people - 450 staff in Canada and 260 staff in the UK - has ceased to trade, leaving 100s of passengers expecting to fly to Canada today stranded. UK-Canadian compa...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Belfast Shooting Probed
There has been a further shooting incident in north Belfast's nationalist Ardoyne area. A man has been taken to hospital after being shot four times in the early hours of Friday morning. Three maske...
UK National News, Aug 29, 2008
Poster Appeal Launched In Couple's Murder Hunt
Police have launched a dual language poster appeal for more information about the brutal killing of a young Chinese Couple in Newcastle. The poster - written in English and Mandarin - has offered a r...
UK National News, Aug 29, 2008
B&B Reports Massive Pre-Tax Losses
UK buy-to-let specialist Bradford & Bingley has reported massive pre-tax losses for the first half of this year. The company posted a loss of £26.7 million compared to a pre-tax profit of £180.4 mill...
UK National News, Aug 29, 2008
Minister Sets Olympic Ambition For School Sport
Culture Secretary Andy Burnham today set out his ambition to offer coaching and competition for all by 2012 as part of plans to offer young people five hours of sport a week. Speaking at the third UK...
UK National News, Aug 29, 2008
Nine-Inch Slice Of 'Royal Favour' Sold For A Grand
For millions it was a fairytale event, the Prince of Wales marrying his blushing English rose, but for one Scottish family a memento from the enchanting day has proved a worthwhile investment. Form...
Recruitment News, Aug 29, 2008
Bus Drivers Begin Strike
London bus drivers have begun a 24-hour striker due to a dispute over pay. Around 2,500 employees of travel company First will take part in the action, which will affect 80 routes across the east and...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Zoom Airline 'Crashes'
An airline, which employed around 700 people - 450 staff in Canada and 260 staff in the UK - has ceased to trade, leaving about 100 passengers expecting to fly to Canada today stranded. UK-Canadian c...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Police Blamed For Craigavon Violence
Recent street violence in Co Armagh has been blamed on the police. A republican has spoken out about the trouble in mid-Ulster, calling it "a symptom" of the non-acceptance of the PSNI in the area. ...
UK National News, Aug 29, 2008
More Financial Help Needed For British Carers
Around six million people in Britain who are looking after sick and elderly relatives are not receiving adequate financial support, a new report has revealed. The Work and Pensions Select Committee t...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Rose Leaves 'Beeb'
Mystery surrounds the sudden departure of a top TV personality from the BBC. Rose Neill has left the corporation after more than 20 years on screen after she presented her last bulletin on the Newsli...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Sammy Goes 'Wild' Over Salmon
There were moves today to protect a Northern Ireland river which hosts wild Atlantic Salmon stocks. NI Environment Minister Sammy Wilson today has approved a submission which will be sent to the Euro...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Strike Looms At Fujitsu
Industrial action looms in Co Antrim as staff at the hi-tech Fujitsu manufacturing plant in Antrim are set to go on strike later in a dispute over pay. Members of the Communications Workers Union hav...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Other NI News In Brief
BBC Boost For NI Building Firm A Moira building firm is bucking the trend on the continued slow-down in the construction industry and has been awarded a £12 million contract to construct part of the ...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Targets Achieved Says Invest NI
Invest NI has met or exceeded substantially all of its targets, and continues to witness high levels of interest in the 'product offerings' and its range of support programmes. According to the 2007-...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Tips Diminish As Crunch Bites, Says Post Office Travel
Tourists from Northern Ireland weren't tipping indiscriminately on holiday this year as the credit crunch continues to bite. According to a new study by Post Office Travel Services, against the backd...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 29, 2008
Dodds Wants Publics' Views On Rates Reforms
NI Finance Minister Nigel Dodds has urged member of the public to respond to the current consultations to improve the domestic rating system. The consultations, which end next month, focus on three p...
UK National News, Aug 28, 2008
British 'Hacker' Loses US Extradition Appeal
A British computer expert, accused of hacking into secret military computers has today lost his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, and now faces extradition to the US. Gary McKinnon, born ...
Recruitment News, Aug 28, 2008
Ireland's Largest Construction Firm Lays Off 300
The Sisk Group, the larget construction firm in Ireland has laid off more than 10% of its staff this year. The Group Chief Executive, Liam Nagle, said around 300 of its 2,900 workers had been made re...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 28, 2008
Stormont Devolution Talks To Halt 'Crisis'
Yet another crisis is looming next week as the two top Stormont parties - the DUP and Sinn Fein are set to hold crisis talks on policing and justice matters to try to avert what is being billed as the...
UK National News, Aug 28, 2008
Life Sentence For Garden Shed Gunsmith
A man who adapted replica guns into live firing weapons used in a series of gangland murders has been jailed for life. Grant Wilkinson, 34, was found guilty on Wednesday at Reading Crown Court of sup...
UK National News, Aug 28, 2008
Retailers Experience Record Sales Dip In August
British retailers experienced a record slump in sales during August, with the sharpest annual drop in around 25 years. The continued contraction in the property market, coupled with poor summer weat...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 28, 2008
Other NI News In Brief
Bronze Star Greeted Olympic star, Boxer and bronze medal winner Paddy Barnes has received a hero's welcome as he arrived home in Belfast. Hundreds of fans turned out to greet the boxer as he paraded ...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 28, 2008
Fire Ravaged Mansion Echoes Another Tragedy
There were echoes today of another tragic fire - and a strong connection to Northern Ireland - as the police wait to enter a Shropshire mansion destroyed in a huge mystery blaze. As the tortured sear...
UK National News, Aug 28, 2008
18 Royal Navy Sailors Test Positive For Cocaine
Eighteen Royal Navy sailors have tested positive for cocaine, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reported. The crewmen tested positive for the class A drug during routine testing onboard HMS Liverpool...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 28, 2008
Low Flying Aer Lingus Still Committed To NI
Despite tumbling passenger numbers on the newly introduced Aer Lingus Belfast to London Heathrow route running more than 60,000 behind the airline's abandoned Shannon to Heathrow link, the airline has...
UK National News, Aug 28, 2008
Rise In C Diff-Related Deaths
The number of deaths involving the hospital bug Clostridium difficile in England and Wales rose sharply between 2006 and 2007, new figures show. According to the report from the Office for National S...
UK National News, Aug 28, 2008
House Prices Drop By 10.5%
House prices have dropped by 10.5% over the last year, according to the latest research by Nationwide Building Society. The price of a typical house has fallen to £164,654, the fastest annual rate in...
Northern Ireland News, Aug 28, 2008
'Peaceful' Marching Season Almost Over
The end of what has probably been NI's least contentious 'Marching Season' in three decades draws to a close this weekend with parades by the 'senior' loyal order, the Royal Black Institution - common...