Other News In Brief

Work To Begin On Resurfacing Project In Lurgan

Construction work is expected to start on a £230,000 carriageway resurfacing project in Lurgan.

The work on Flush Place and Queen Street/Avenue Road is to begin on Monday, 07 August, and is to be completed by 21 August.

The scheme will deliver significant improvements to both the structural integrity and surface of the roads.

The Flush Place works extend from the roundabout at Millennium Way to its junction with Queen Street/Avenue Road. The Queen Street/Avenue Road works extend from the Queen Street/Foster Place junction to the Avenue Road/ Park Avenue junction on the A3.

Road closures on Flush Place, Queen Street and Avenue Road, Lurgan will be necessary during the duration of the works, which will be in effect from 7pm to 6am to minimise traffic disruption within the town centre. Traffic will be diverted via the M1, Lough Road, Kiln Road, Francis Street, Edward Street and Millennium Way. Local access will be maintained at all times during the scheme.

Call For Paramilitary Flags To Be Removed

Alliance Justice spokesperson Trevor Lunn MLA has said there is no place for paramilitary flags in Northern Ireland after an IRA flag was placed on a lamp post in North Belfast.

He said: "Almost 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement, we should not have to tolerate the intimidation caused by paramilitary flags marking out areas of our community. We have been told the IRA has left the stage, so why is there an IRA flag on a lamp post in North Belfast?

"Paramilitary displays on both sides of the political divide are to be condemned without reservation. Speaking out against these shows whoever is responsible that they are not welcome and should be removed."

Bríd Rodgers Appointed Chair Of Civil Rights Committee

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MLA has appointed Bríd Rodgers as Chair of a Civil Rights Committee charged with planning the 50th Anniversary of the movement.

Mr Eastwood said that 2018 offers an opportunity to deliver on the lasting legacy of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland on it's 50th anniversary.

He said: "The movement for political, social and economic rights for every citizen in the North was a watershed period in this island's history. The broad coalition of activists – Hume, Devlin, Cooper, Currie and others – changed this place through the politics of persuasion. Their fierce endeavour took on a unionist establishment consumed with the denial of rights and they broke down that edifice.

"The Civil Rights Movement belongs to no one person and no one party. But it undeniably played a pivotal role in the history of the SDLP. That's something we are immensely proud of and we'll be marking the 50 year anniversary with a series of commemorative events.

"Bríd Rodgers played a critical role in the struggle for equal civil and political rights in the North. I'm delighted that she has agreed to lead the efforts to mark the 50th anniversary of the movement."

(CD/LM)