Other NI News In Brief

Arrests Follow Car Bomb

The police have arrested two men in connection with the attempted murder of Constable Peader Heffron, (pictured here palying GAA). They said today that a 33-year-old was arrested on Monday morning in north Belfast and a 34-year-old in west Belfast. Both men are being questioned at Antrim police station. Constable Heffron was critically injured by a dissident republican car bomb on 8 January and has since had his right leg amputated and has just regained consciousness in recent days.

Road Accident Victims 'Serious'

Two men have been seriously hurt in a one vehicle crash in Waringstown, Co Armagh. It happened on the Tullyraine Road shortly after midnight on Sunday. Today, the injured pair were understood to be in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Strangford MLA Named

A senior social worker in Newtownards, Jonathan Bell, who has been a DUP councillor in Ards since 2005 and previously sat on Craigavon Borough Council - serving as both deputy mayor and mayor - has been selected as an MLA for Strangford to fill the vacancy after the resignation of the party's Iris Robinson. He is a Queen's University graduate in psychology and also holds a Masters degree and a professional diploma in social work. The move was announced by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland on Friday. Mrs Robinson, wife of the NI first minister, resigned her three political positions as an MP, MLA and councillor.

Paddy's Day Planned

Plans already are well advanced for Belfast City Council's annual St Patrick's Day carnival and concert on Wednesday 17 March. Community groups across the city are hard at work designing their colourful carnival costumes, which this year will reflect the theme of 'Spring'. The council wants it to be the best, biggest and brightest yet, and so is reminding community groups who have not yet signed up to participate that it is not too late to do so. Community group who want to take part, contact Beat on 9043 4767 or email workshops@belfastcarnival.com before 5pm on Friday 5 February.

Pensioners Targeted In Homes

Elderly women have been targeted by robbers in two separate incidents at the weekend. Around 8pm on Saturday two men broke into the home of an 84-year-old woman in Titania Street in east Belfast and kept her in a chair while they searched the house and stole cash. Later, four masked men robbed an 86-year-old women at her home at Harmin Park in Glengormley. Neither woman was injured during the burglaries, but they were both left extremely shaken by their ordeals.

Bank Robbed

A car recovered in Belfast is though to be linked to an incident on Friday when three masked men, one of whom was armed with a short sword, robbed a building society in Enniskillen. The trio entered the Halifax at High Street shortly before 10.30am on Friday. They ran off with a small sum of cash and are believed to have left the area in a silver Volkswagen car before switching to a silver Toyota vehicle, which was found abandoned at Culmore Gardens in west Belfast shortly before 2pm.

Ford Rounds On Executive

The Alliance Party leader has used his party's weekend conference to warn of the growing crisis at Stormont, which he said is deepening. David Ford attacked what he called a dysfunctional Executive and commented: "Matters got worse when Peter Robinson replaced Ian Paisley as First Minister." He said the deadlock over devolved powers of policing and justice "must be got right" and condemned the parties for failing to deliver a shared vision.

Still Running

NI Sports Minister Nelson McCausland has welcomed many of the world's top distance runners for the Antrim International Cross Country Races. The Minister was at the event in the CAFRE Greenmount Campus to see the competition and present prizes to a selection of winning athletes. "This event is one of the largest and most popular occasions in the Northern Ireland sporting calendar, with up to 1,000 athletes from across the globe taking part. I have seen an impressive array of running talent. I applaud all those taking part for their skill, determination and dedication to their sport. I also congratulate Athletics Northern Ireland for organising a first-class event," he said.

(BMcC/GK)