Northern Ireland News for November 2003

UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
Opposition parties dismiss Labour's 'Big Conversation'
The Opposition parties have slammed the government's 'Big Conversation' campaign, launched today, as a "very public admission of failure". Prime Minister Tony Blair launched the campaign during a spe...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
President Bush joins troops in whirlwind Iraq visit
President George Bush has made a surprise visit to US troops stationed in Iraq for impromptu Thanksgiving celebrations. Coalition administrator Paul Bremer was finishing a speech to 600 troops at the...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
Vinnie Jones charged over alleged air rage incident
Vinnie Jones, the former Wimbledon footballer turned Hollywood film star, has been charged today in relation to an alleged air rage incident on a flight to Japan. Mr Jones, who appeared in the 1998 f...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
Final counts underway but Trimble declares election 'stalemate'
Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble has declared the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly Elections a "stalemate". Although the final few results were yet to be anounced on Friday afternoon the Upper Ban...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
Final results in for 2003 NI Assembly election
UPDATE: With all counts declared on Friday evening the clear winners are the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party who have claimed 10 more seats on the Assembly and Sinn Féin who have won 6 sea...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
How the political parties fared in the 2003 Assembly election
UPDATE: The results by political party for the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election are as follows: 30 - Democratic Unionist Party (1998 - 20) 27 - Ulster Unionist Party (1998 - ...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
£52m package secures 4,000 mining jobs
Over 4,000 coal-mining jobs in the UK are to be secured and 300 jobs created as part of a £52 million investment package for 12 mines in England and south Wales. Twelve projects at mines in Northumbe...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
Two million cigarettes bound for NI seized
Nearly two million smuggled cigarettes destined for Northern Ireland have been seized by Customs officers in Liverpool. The Sovereign-branded cigarettes were discovered hidden in lead-lined crates of...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
Transsexuals to legally marry and gain birth certificates
Transsexual people will be able to marry in their acquired gender and be given birth certificates that recognise that gender, under new proposals published today. For the first time, the Gender Recog...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
UK employers to benefit from £46m skills boost
UK employers are set to receive a £46 million skills boost, thanks to extra investment in Skills for Business – a UK-wide network of employer-led Sector Skills Councils. Designed to ensure that each...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
SF election candidate in police controversy
Lagan Valley Sinn Féin representative Paul Butler was at the centre of controversy today after his election motorcade was stopped by police following acting on information that one of the vehicles had...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
Women want to retire later, claims report
New research published today shows that a third of women in the workforce aged 50 and over plan to retire after State Pension Age (SPA). Almost a third of the workforce, both men and women, aged 50-...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
Poorer customers to struggle with water prices, says watchdog
Low income customers across the east of England may struggle to pay their water bills if the proposed price increases get the go-ahead, says the local watchdog. With the average household bill possib...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
Police return to murder scene in Lisburn
Police have returned to the scene of an attack on a man who died after being assaulted in Co Antrim. James McMahon, 21, was attacked by three masked men in Lisburn at around 10.30pm on Thursday Novem...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
Human Rights Commission to visit asylum detainees
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is to visit asylum and immigration detainees being held at Maghaberry Prison on Monday. The Chief Commissioner, Professor Brice Dickson, along with two ot...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
Quarter of NI people claim key benefits
Latest survey figures have revealed that nearly a quarter of working people in Northern Ireland are claiming at least one key benefit. The figures are the latest in a series of statistical reports, e...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
Film Council study finds post-production sector generates £1.4b for UK economy
British film industry creative and technical expertise has helped to generate £1.39 billion and 15,000 jobs in the UK economy, a major new report published by the Film Council has revealed. According...
UK National News, Nov 28, 2003
'Environmentally friendly' Energy Bill unveiled
The government has claimed that measures in the new Energy Bill will help develop "more environmentally friendly power" and also deal with UK's nuclear legacy. The Bill, published today, is designed ...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
NI R&D jobs on the increase
Figures released on Friday for the Northern Ireland region show that there were 2,590 employees in businesses working in the area of research and development (R&D) in 2002, an increase of 4.5% compare...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 28, 2003
Health lecture outlines workplace safety for nurses
The third Annual Health and Safety Lecture has tackled workplace health for nurses across Northern Ireland, during a lecture at the University of Ulster's Magee Campus in Londonderry. Delivering her ...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
Al Qaeda suspect arrested in Gloucester
Gloucestershire Constabulary officers working with the Metropolitan Police Service have arrested a 24-year-old man at his home address in the Barton Street area of Gloucester this morning. The man, ...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
Asylum applications halved in a year, says Home Office
The government has claimed that it has met its target to halve the number of asylum applicants Home Secretary David Blunkett published figures today showing a 52% reduction, with 4,225 applications i...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
IAEA slams Iran over nuclear treaty 'breaches'
The UN nuclear watchdog agency has strongly deplored Iran’s "past breaches" of a safeguards agreement aimed at preventing the development of nuclear weapons. While welcoming Tehran’s recent cooperat...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
New measures to curb 'abuse' of asylum legal aid
New measures aimed at cutting out abuses of the asylum legal aid system could save the taxpayer around £30 million next year, the government has claimed. The changes, unveiled today by Constitutiona...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
Anti mini-cab touting measures could 'cut sex attacks'
Illegal mini-cab drivers caught touting for business with unlicensed vehicles face being fingerprinted and having their DNA recorded on the national criminal database, the Home Office announced today,...
Northern Ireland News, Nov 27, 2003
First results announced for 2003 NI Assembly election
See Friday's Results Update With a 23 of the counts in the Northern Ireland Assembly election declared by early evening, ...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
Beckham receives OBE from Queen
England captain, David Beckham has received an OBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace today. The Real Madrid star, who was nominated for his honour by Prime Minister Tony Blair, was accompanied to t...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
EastEnders star banned for driving over legal limit
One of the UK's most high-profile TV soaps stars, Karen Wallace, who plays Kat Slater in EastEnders, has received a driving ban for driving over the legal alcohol limit. Karen Wallace, from Wanstead ...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
Exploration of 400m barrel Scottish oil field gets go-ahead
The government has given the green light for the development of the giant Buzzard oil field in the Moray Firth which could yield over 400 million barrels of oil. Energy Minister Stephen Timms today g...
UK National News, Nov 27, 2003
Farmers' incomes hit six-year high, says Defra
Farmers' incomes have recovered to their highest level since 1997, following the third annual increase in a row, according to latest government forecasts. Total income from farming rose by 34% this y...