Other NI News In Brief

NY Link To BFS

Pictured at the launch of a New York/Belfast summit are Len O'Hagan, Chair of Belfast Harbour and Eamonn Donaghy, Partner with KPMG with conference organiser Alison Sweeney. The events aim at greater collaboration between New York City and Belfast to help secure future economic, cultural and social progress and success. Encouraging greater cross-Atlantic cooperation Len O'Hagan, said that the major summit entitled 'New York-New Belfast' will take place in New York City between 9-10 June. He said the event represents a major opportunity to showcase an emerging and vibrant Belfast to some of New York's most influential business, political and civic leaders.

Shot Man 'Stable'

A man has been shot in the leg during an attack at a block of flats at Juniper Park in Twinbrook on the outskirts of west Belfast. It happened on Monday night with the victim taken to hospital where his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. Police have appealed for anyone with information about the attack to get in touch while local MP, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams has this morning condemned the incident "without reservation".

Cops Shun NI Street Policing

A police federation in Yorkshire has said its members do not want their officers to take part in training programmes in NI over the next few months. The group representing police officers in England said they are concerned that their officers could be deployed in Northern Ireland if trouble flares up during the summer. Police officers from Yorkshire, Northumbria and Strathclyde are due to be instructed by the PSNI on how to deal with public disorder as part of an exchange programme between police forces in the UK.

UVF Murdered Moffett

The illegal Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) killed Bobby Moffett, 43, who was shot on Friday afternoon by two masked gunmen on Belfast's Shankill Road. According to a victims campaigner, Raymond McCord, whose son was murdered by the paramilitary group 13 years ago, Mr Moffett's family told him they wanted the area to be free of the UVF.

Clerical Abuse Probe

It make-up of a special inquiry team to probe sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland has been revealed by the Vatican. The Apostolic Visitation, as it is known, was first announced by Pope Benedict in a letter to the Catholics of Ireland in March. The team includes five senior prelates, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, retired Archbishop of Westminster and Cardinal O'Malley, Boston, USA as well as Archbishop Timothy Dolan, New York, Archbishop Thomas Collins, Toronto, and Archbishop Terence Prendergast SJ, Ottawa.

Cash Remains 'Tight'

InterTradeIreland's quarterly All-island Business Monitor survey has shown companies continued to take action to fight the recession in the first quarter of 2010. Cash-flow, however, remains the single most important issue facing businesses this quarter (41%), which is up from 39% in the previous survey. One of the problems contributing to this issue has been the increased demand from a third of customers who have requested longer payment terms. Encouraging bank lending was also cited by 20% of companies as something that Government could do to help them. Also, half of businesses (51%) across the island recorded a fall in profitability between January and March this year, with the same number reporting a drop off in turnover. Companies reporting a severe or moderate impact from the downturn remained high at 86%.

UU Firm Tackles iPad

The University of Ulster spin-out company EyeSpyFX, is one of the first local companies to develop an application for the iPad - Apple's latest innovative product to hit the marketplace. The portfolio app, 'Ireland; Myths and Legends', was submitted to Apple in Dublin yesterday and should be available worldwide by mid June. This is an exciting new step for EyeSpyFX, both in terms of future iPad development opportunities and in creating an App which is both culturally significant and aesthetically unique. The App has been developed in close collaboration with Jim Fitzpatrick, one of Ireland's most celebrated artists, internationally renowned for his colourful and iconic decorative Celtic artwork. EyeSpyFx is a cutting edge software development company based in Londonderry. It was established by University of Ulster academic Anthony Hutton in 2002 and initially was based in the business incubation centre at Ulster's Magee campus.

(BMcC/GK)