Spanish Seniors

Visitors from Madrid's Foundation for Volunteers and Councillor Diane Dodds, Chairman of Belfast City Council's Older Peoples Reference Group admire a banner made by people attending a day care scheme in Grove Wellbeing Centre. The Spanish delegation was assessing opportunities for volunteers to work in Belfast as part of an exchange programme between Belfast and Madrid being organised for older people. Pictured, from left are: Dolores Flores, Councillor Dodds, Yasmina Benabud and Sonsoles de Juan.

Civil Servants 'Difficult To Sack'

NI Environment Minister, Edwin Poots has claimed it is "incredibly difficult" to sack civil servants, following a question he was asked about a recent critical report on the Planning Service. The service was recently slated for consistently failing to meet its targets. Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster, Mr Poots was asked why no one at the Planning Service lost his or her job as a result of the report: "Even when there is gross incompetence, it is very difficult to sack people in the Civil Service," he said. The Minister said that even when he had too many civil servants working in his Department, instead of making them redundant, he was forced to redeploy them to other areas. Speaking about the realities of terminating the employment of incompetent staff, he said: "I think you have to be particularly incompetent to be sacked in the Civil Service."

Hearing Loss

Police have appealed to anyone who witnessed an assault which saw a 36-year-old man having medical treatment when his ear was badly bitten to contact them. The assault happened in the male toilets of the Cardan Bar in Lisburn city centre at about 12.45am on Sunday. A 28-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the attack.

Keady Alert

A security operation in Keady was finally over last night following the discovery of a viable mortar bomb. Police said people moved from their homes as a result of the bomb returned to their homes on Sunday afternoon while a number of road closures remained in place for a time afterwards. Residents had been out of their homes for a second night following the discovery of the bomb in a van near Keady police station on Friday.

Stab Man On Mend

A 21-year-old man taken to hospital after being stabbed in a house at Coalisland, Co Tyrone is today recovering. He was injured when three men entered a property in the Maplebrook Hill area with a kitchen knife and a hurling bat and attacked the victim shortly before 6pm on Saturday. They beat and stabbed the man in an upstairs room before making off in a black coloured car. Police said the man's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Snow, slow, quick, quick,slow!

A spokesman for the Roads Service said roads said last night that heavy snow had hit counties Antrim, Down and Armagh, but had "been treated accordingly". However, the snow affected many parts of Northern Ireland with road conditions said to be dangerous yesterday. The police warned motorists to drive with extra care and allow additional time for their journey. There were reports of up to nine inches of snow in Newcastle, Co Down. Little or no more snow feel overnight.

(BMcC/GK)