Robinson Remains 'On Top'

Despite losing his Westminster seat last week, the DUP's Peter Robinson is to stay on as NI First Minister. At a meeting of the DUP Stormont Assembly team on Monday, the DUP leader was given unanimous support. Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey will meet his MLAs on Monday to discuss the consequences of his party's poor performance at the general election. Speculation that he would step down as leader remains, but a decision on that move is not expected before the end of the week.

Blaze Tragedy Probed

The police are this morning investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal fire at a house in the village of Carrowdore on the Ards Peninsula in Co Down. The fire, at the house on Manse Road, was reported at 4am on Monday morning.

Larne Alert Ends

A security alert in Larne on Monday morning has been declared a hoax, police have said. The scare came as a suspicious object was discovered at the junction of Hope Street and the Circular Road. The area was cordoned off for a time while police and army bomb experts attended the scene, but, following examinations of the object, the alert has now ended.

Fat Boy Spins

With laser lights visible from as far away as Scotland and the Isle of Man, the 22,000 fans who turned up to see superstar DJ Fatboy Slim perform, helped make pop history in Belfast on Saturday night. The Brighton-born DJ, real name Norman Cook, became the first artist to perform a concert at Giant's Park in the north of the city - the site of the former Belfast City dump - which has since been closed.

Gunman Robs Shop

Police are hunting three robbers after a supermarket cashier had a gun held to his head before being punched in the face during an armed robbery in west Belfast on Saturday night. Two masked men armed with handguns entered the shop on the Andersonstown Road shortly before 7pm. A third man kept the automatic doors open. They threatened a security guard and a female customer before attacking the cashier. After stealing cash from the till they fled in a green Vauxhall Astra. Meanwhile, an off-licence in south Belfast has also been robbed by -gain by three men, one of them armed with a handgun. The three robbers entered the Winemark shop on the Lockview Road at about 9.30pm on Saturday and forced staff to hand over cigarettes and cash before escaping.

Barracks Bomb Suspect Freed

A man arrested near Dunmurry on Saturday by police investigating the Real IRA bomb attack on Palace Barracks in Holywood last month has been freed. He was released just hours after being held over the blast at the army base and MI5 HQ. The car bomb went off minutes after policing and justice powers were devolved back to Northern Ireland from Westminster and left an elderly man who was walking near the barracks injured.

Flag Row Blights City

A DUP MLA and long-standing councillor, Robin Newton has described the decision of the Belfast City Council's Alliance group to turn down a request from the Ministry of Defence to fly the Armed Forces Flag for six days in June as "appalling". "It is inexcusable that Lord Mayor Naomi Long - now East Belfast MP as well - joined with Sinn Fein and the SDLP to vote down the MoD's request. In doing so she has insulted all the brave young service personnel who fight terrorism at home and abroad," he said.

(BMcC/GK)