Northern Ireland News for February 2014

Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
UTV Ireland Given The Go Ahead
UTV Ireland has received approval to start a new television service in the Republic of Ireland. The new station will air from the January 2015 following the signing of a 10-year agreement with the Br...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Life Sentence For Joanna Dennehy
Joanna Dennehy, 31, had admitted to killing Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, Kevin Lee, 48 and 56-year-old John Chapman in the Peterborough area in March last year. She was also found guilty of the attempted ...
Recruitment News, Feb 28, 2014
Minister Welcomes Drop In Unemployment
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore T.D., today welcomed the fall in the unemployment rate to 12.1% in the fourth quarter of 2013 and, in particular, the decrease in...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
Arrest Threat For 'On The Runs'
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain has warned that secret letters sent to "on the run" republican paramilitary suspects are not "immunities". Speaking to the media, Mr Hain added that of t...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Royal Mail To Increase Stamp Prices
The cost of stamps is to increase from 31 March, Royal Mail has announced. From the end of next month, a first-class stamp will increase by 2p to 62p, while second-class stamps will increase by 3p t...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
Digger Used To Steal ATM
Police are appealing for information following a burglary at a service station on Friday morning (28 February). Shortly before 3.45am, thieves used a Volvo digger to remove an ATM machine from the s...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
Ballykelly Alert An 'Elaborate Hoax'
Police have described a security alert in Ballykelly, Co Londonderry, as an "elaborate hoax". On Thursday evening, army bomb experts were called to the Carnamuff Road following reports of suspicious...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Man Convicted Of Neglecting Puppy
A man from Edinburgh has been convicted of puppy neglect. The man, 36-year-old Alistair Stuart, had neglected his puppy who was suffering from brain damage. Mr Stuart had been pleaded guilty to fa...
Business News, Feb 28, 2014
MATRIX Foresight Report Launches
Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster has launched the MATRIX Foresight Report Into the Exploitation of Intellectual Capital by SMEs in Northern Ireland. The Minister said: "Innovat...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Energy Suppliers To Return £400m To Former Customers
Ofgem is calling on large suppliers to make sure money is returned to their former customers after its analysis revealed that the companies hold more than £400m in credit from closed accounts. This ...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
Kelly Withdraws PSNI Legal Action
Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has said he is no longer taking legal action against the PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott, it has been reported. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Mr Kelly – who is ...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
ABB Launches New Code For Responsible Gambling
The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) is today launching the betting industry's new code for player protection and responsible gambling. The new code brings forward a range of measures, volunt...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Police Renew Appeal For Missing Nida Naseer
Police still have no information on the whereabouts of a 19-year-old woman who disappeared from outside her home while putting the bins out. Nida Naseer has not been seen since around 20:00 on Saturd...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
Green Light For Business Park In Crumlin
Environment Minister Mark H Durkan has said planning approval has been recommended for a business park near Crumlin. The plans are for 23 small business units and 2,000 square metres of floor-space ...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Murder Investigation Launched After Body Found In Flat
A murder investigation has been launched following the discovery of a woman's body in a flat in Glasgow. The body of 48-year-old Angela Humphrey was found a flat in Quarrywood Avenue, Barmulloch, at ...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
Sandvik To Relocate 160 Jobs To NI
An engineering company from Sweden has relocated 160 of its jobs to Northern Ireland. The firm, Sandvik, will move its business from Derbyshire, England, to another of its sites in Ballygawley, Co D...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 28, 2014
Other News In Brief
Two Convicted Of Benefit Fraud Two people have been convicted at Antrim Magistrates' Court for claiming benefits they were not entitled to. Douglas Lavery, 67, from Antrim was found to have ...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Burst Pipe Floods Major London Road
The Clapham Road in Kennington has been cleared after a burst water main flooded the south-west London road. Thames Water has confirmed that the road, which had been under 10cm of water since Thursda...
UK National News, Feb 28, 2014
Other News In Brief
Man Arrested Following Attempted Burglary A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary after being found in a cupboard at a petrol station. Detectives had located the 37-year-o...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 27, 2014
Inquiry Launched Into OTR Letters
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he has appointed an independent judge to review letters sent to "on-the-run" IRA suspects. The announcement comes just hours after Northern Ireland's First Minis...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 27, 2014
Energy Project To Power 75,000 Homes
A project, planned just off the Co Antrim coast, could generate enough electricity to power up to 75,000 homes in Northern Ireland, it has been reported. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the comm...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 27, 2014
Ulster Bank Records £1.5bn Loss
Ulster Bank has announced a loss of almost £1.5bn for 2013. This compares with a loss of around £1bn in 2012. The news comes as the bank's parent group, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) confirmed loss...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 27, 2014
Shot Fired At North Belfast Home
Detectives are appealing for information after a shot was fired at a home in north Belfast. The incident happened at a property in the Glenbryn Gardens area of the city at around 1.15am on Thursday ...
Business News, Feb 27, 2014
Invest NI Helps 60 Local Firms Gain Investment
Since its inception in 2009, the Invest Northern Ireland Propel Programme has helped 60 local companies gain more than £6.5m of investment and has created 221 new jobs. These significant results were...
Recruitment News, Feb 27, 2014
Action Plan For Jobs 2014 Launches
Minister Fergus O'Dowd has welcomed the launch of the Government's Action Plan for Jobs 2014. He said: "Already we can see the dividends of the plan to date with 58,000 more people in employment this...
UK National News, Feb 27, 2014
11 Arrested After Two People Jump From Stena Ferry
An investigation into two people missing from a ferry has led to the arrest of 11 people in the Netherlands. The Stena Britannica, sailing from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, reported on Thursday mo...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 27, 2014
Arrest Warrant Issued For Keith Gillespie
An arrest warrant has been issued for former Manchester United and Northern Ireland footballer Keith Gillespie, it has been reported. The 39-year-old failed to attend Newtownards Magistrates' Court ...
Northern Ireland News, Feb 27, 2014
'One Last Month' For Exploris Funding
Ards Borough Council has given the NI Executive one more month to confirm a funding package to keep Exploris Aquarium open. The announcement follows a meeting on Wednesday (26 February), where the C...
UK National News, Feb 27, 2014
ONS Figures Reveal Rise In Net Migration
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed that net migration to the UK has risen to 212,000 as of September 2013. The ONS report showed a net flow increase of 154,000 in...
UK National News, Feb 27, 2014
Gtr Manchester Recycling Plant Fire Produces 'Toxic Smoke'
Some 40 firefighters were needed to tackle a fire at a Greater Manchester recycling plant, which had been producing "toxic smoke" due to the amount of plastic at the site. The fire at the Horwich Loc...