Other NI News In Brief

Robinson Fires Warning

Just hours before republican dissidents bombed the Policing Board offices in Belfast, the Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson said he could not guarantee the future of the power-sharing government, but assured the DUP will not "walk away". The leader of the DUP was speaking at the party's annual conference near Belfast on Saturday. Referring to the negotiations between the DUP and Sinn Féin over the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont, he said they needed to be satisfied community confidence existed before agreeing on the move. See: Bomb 'Attempt To Derail Peace': Baggott

Murder Link To Second Body

Police have linked the death of a man believed murdered in east Belfast with another man's body being found in a building site, close to Custom House Square, on Friday morning. The body of a man, believed to be from Poland, was discovered in a house at Ardenvohr Street, off the Woodstock Road at about 5.30pm on Friday, but police only released the details on Saturday. They said the death of a second man in the city was linked to the murder, but they are not treating it as suspicious. It is understood the two men lived in the same house.

Sex Assault Probed

Detectives are investigating a report of a sexual assault in Banbridge that happened in the early hours of Sunday morning when an 18-year-old woman was reportedly attacked in the town centre at Rathfriland Road, police said. Police are working to establish the circumstances and are appealing for help to identify a man described as 20 years of age, 5'8" in height with blond spiked hair.

McDonald Wins Again

A leading business journalist has come out tops in an island-wide award. Irish News Business Editor Gary McDonald has won one of the main business journalism accolades for the second consecutive year. Gary, who this year celebrated 25 years in journalism – including several years running the monthly title, Ulster Business, and a decade at The Irish News - scooped the Northern Ireland Business Journalist award at the UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards 2009. He won the award for his article entitled End of an Empire, a piece about the demise of Taggart Holdings, the Co Derry property development company. The judges commended the strong, colourful news piece about the sudden collapse of Taggart Holdings, which had a major impact on the Northern Ireland economy and society.

Power On

Electricity has been restored to most of the 40,000 homes and businesses affected by a widespread power cut in Londonderry. Derry customers as well as those in many of the surrounding areas were without power from about 4.30pm on Saturday. Northern Ireland Electricity said power was restored at 7pm and a spokesperson said engineers were still trying to establish the cause of the fault.

(BMcC/KMcA)