Northern Ireland News for July 2001

Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
Hospice management step down
The management team of the Northern Ireland Hospice have resigned their positions and ruled out any chance of re-election to the council because they are “too closely linked” with the Tom Hill affair....
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
Walking tours of Armagh hailed as a success
The historic City of Armagh has recently hosted yet another successful series of guided walking and bus tours in the summer period. Armagh’s historic City environs are packed full of interesting arch...
Business News, Jul 31, 2001
New proposals aim to promote ‘financial initiative’
New proposals published by the Government could see ‘honest’ bankrupts cleared of constraining laws only one year after declaration. The white paper, published on Tuesday 31 July, covers issues relat...
Business News, Jul 31, 2001
Code Red Worm represents a threat to the internet
Entropy, the Dublin based Internet security company, has warned companies to be vigilant about the Code Red computer virus. The FBI’s National Infrastructure Protection Centre has issued an alert on ...
Business News, Jul 31, 2001
Consumer credit could grow further if interest rate is cut
A rise in consumer credit that has outstripped City forecasts, and could herald a further cut in interest rates to buoy up the economy. According to the latest figures, released on Monday 30 July, UK...
Business News, Jul 31, 2001
Halifax and Bank of Scotland merger costs total £21 million
The Halifax's merger with Bank of Scotland has cost £21 million, the mortgage bank has revealed. The merger which took effect on Tuesday July 31st will see the Halifax, the UK’s biggest mortgage lend...
Business News, Jul 31, 2001
Nationwide statistics show house prices steadily rising
Despite worries of a slowdown in the economy, the latest figures suggest that the UK housing market remains strong. The Nationwide Building Society’s latest house figures reveal an increase of 1.1 pe...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
Derry man described as ‘serious risk’ to women
Police in England have launched a hunt for a Northern Irish man which they describe as posing “a serious and substantial” risk to women. Greater Manchester Police have taken the unusual step of namin...
Business News, Jul 31, 2001
NEC shed 600 jobs as memory chip production halts
NEC has confirmed that the company is to axe 600 jobs at the firm’s semiconductor production facility in Scotland. Despite an £80 million investment made last year and a restructuring plan that had a...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
UTV in race for ITV news contract
UTV is part of a consortium of news providers bidding for the contract to supply news to ITV. With applications to close on Tuesday July 31, ITN was facing competition from the consortium known as Ch...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
Secretary of State attends urgent talks with Chief Constable Flanagan
The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Dr John Reid has attended an urgent meeting on Tuesday evening with the Chief Constable to address the escalating sectarian violence in Belfast after which he ...
Business News, Jul 31, 2001
UK internet access flourishes as dial-up competition hots up
The UK has a flourishing dial-up Internet access market that offers a wide range of unmetered access services at competitive prices, Oftel confirmed in a report published on July 30. Oftel has set ou...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
All-Ireland movement of sheep to resume
Farmers are to be allowed to move sheep for import and export between Northern Ireland and the Republic for the first time since foot-and-mouth restrictions were applied in February. Cross-border mov...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
Ulster Hospital gets £100 million cash boost
The Ulster Hospital is set to receive a huge cash boost of nearly £100 million as part of a major refurbishment programme. Health, Social Services and Public Safety Minister, Bairbre de Brún announce...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
New sex discrimination legislation to be introduced in August
New legislation to improve clarity and fairness in sex discrimination cases in Northern Ireland has been passed and is due to take effect from 20 August 2001. Sex discrimination legislation now inclu...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
Trimble insists that disarmament is the main issue
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has again warned that if the Northern Ireland Assembly is to survive, then arms decommissioning must take place. Prior to the publication of the British and Irish...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 31, 2001
Youth festival targeted in North Belfast pipe bombing
Two pipe bombs have been thrown at a crowd of young people attending a community festival in North Belfast. The attack, carried out late on Monday 30 July, came as the Golden Thread theatre on the C...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Protestant youth gunned down by loyalists
Loyalist paramilitary group the Red Hand Defenders has claimed responsibility for the murder of a Protestant teenager outside a GAA club in Glengormley. Gavin Brett was standing with a group of his f...
Business News, Jul 30, 2001
BT faces future competition from Virgin
Sir Richard Branson is planning to take on British Telecommunications by pitting Virgin against BT in the fixed-line telephone market next year, as reported by the Independent on Sunday. In an interv...
Business News, Jul 30, 2001
Blair to hear TUC objections at conference
The TUC have published the agenda for their annual conference, to be held in September, which includes a list of objections to be put to the Prime Minister Tony Blair. Several unions have tabled moti...
Business News, Jul 30, 2001
IFAs singled out for criticism by Treasury-backed inquiry
A Treasury-back inquiry into the savings industry has criticised Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) for being unduly influenced by potential marketing revenues when giving out financial advice to c...
Business News, Jul 30, 2001
Analysts concerns grow over continued profits warnings
Business consultants Ernst & Young have warned that many UK managers may not be coping properly with the current downturn in the UK economy. The top business consultancy has expressed concern that UK...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Professor to chair Invest Northern Ireland
Professor Fabian Monds has been appointed as the Shadow Chairman of Invest Northern Ireland (INI), the new economic development agency which will come into existence early in 2002. The appointment wa...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Galway smash Derry hopes by sailing into semi finals
Galway sauntered through to the All-Ireland semi-final after disposing of Derry's challenge at Croke Park by 4-23 to 1-11 on Sunday afternoon. Eugene Cloonan and Kevin Broderick were in lethal scorin...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Stanley wins Senior British Open
Ian Stanley has won the Senior British Open after a play-off victory against two times winner Bob Charles at Royal County Down. The 52-year-old Australian led for most of the day but 65-year-old Char...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Farmers given go-ahead to resume livestock sales
Northern Irish farmers have been given the go-ahead to resume live sales of cattle and pigs following the gradual relaxation of the restrictions surrounding foot-and-mouth disease. Monday 30 July see...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Tourism lift as cruise liner docks in Belfast
Economy Minister Sir Reg Empey has welcomed the news that Northern Ireland is proving to be a popular pit stop for cruise liners, following the arrival of the eighth cruise liner to dock in Belfast th...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Camelot “determined” to track down NI winner
There is a winner of the National Lottery draw sitting unbeknownst in Northern Ireland who could be the lucky recipient of nearly £125,000. The winner bought the winning ticket in February and has ye...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
Police investigate County Antrim pipe bomb attacks
Police in Northern Ireland are investigating three overnight pipe bomb attacks on houses in County Antrim. The first incident happened in Newtownabbey when a stone, followed by a bomb, was thrown int...
Northern Ireland News, Jul 30, 2001
County Meath man charged with 1974 murder
A 51 year old man has been charged with the murder of a soldier 27 years ago following a landmine explosion in Country Tyrone. Joseph Jordan from County Meath appeared before Enniskillen Magistrates ...