Injured Man Arrested

A man who was taken to hospital with hand injuries after a device exploded in north Belfast at the weekend has been arrested. The 36-year-old man is being questioned in connection with the pipe bomb attack in Kansas Avenue after residents heard a loud bang at about 1.40am on Sunday morning. The occupants of the house were uninjured and the police are appealing for anyone who was in the area and witnessed the incident, or has information, to contact them.

MI5 Bomb Suspect Held

There has been a fresh arrest over the Real IRA bomb attack on Palace Barracks in Holywood. The bomb exploded outside the Army base which houses MI5's Northern Ireland headquarters on 12 April, within minutes of policing and justice powers being devolved from Westminster. Police arrested the 45-year-old man in north Belfast on Monday morning.

Flags Flop

An academic report, Public Displays of Flags and Emblems in Northern Ireland - just published by the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen's University - has shown that the number of paramilitary flags being flown on main roads in Northern Ireland during July has more than halved. It reports that the figures are down from 161 flags in 2006 to 73 in 2009 with the largest proportion of flags flying in July 2009 belonged to the UVF.

Boxing Success Welcomed

Sinn Féin President and West Belfast MP Gerry Adams has congratulated those from the Irish Boxing Team who won medals at the European Championships taking place in Moscow. He paid a particular tribute to north Belfast Boxer and Olympic Bronze medallist Paddy Barnes on his magnificent achievement at being crowned champion of Europe. "I want to congratulate the team again on their success and look forward to continued achievement for Ireland in the time ahead," he said.

Health & Safety Promoted At Belfast College

Tool and equipment hire company, HSS Hire recently teamed up with the Patton Construction Group to promote health & safety at the new campus site at Titanic Quarter, Belfast Metropolitan College. The new campus, which will replace the Institute's current facilities at Brunswick Street and College Square East, is expected to be completed in August 2011 and will house 18,000 full-time and part-time students. Both the Patton Group and HSS Hire demonstrated their commitment to safety with a dedicated team of experts delivering Working at Height workshops, toolbox talks and product demonstrations.

Businesses 'Given Power' To Improve Towns

New laws are to give greater powers to businesses to improve our town centres. The NI Social Development Minister Alex Attwood has announced that he would take forward new legislation following a meeting with Department of Environment Minister Edwin Poots at which the issue was discussed. The new legislation will introduce Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to our towns and cities. This will mean greater powers and control for councils and local businesses. BIDs allow businesses to vote on the services they want to invest in to improve their trading environment.

Health Cover Needed For Jersey

NI residents visiting the Channel Islands must ensure that they have adequate health insurance cover. The recommendation comes from the Department of Health, as the health care arrangements for UK visitors to the Islands have changed. The agreement, which allowed UK travellers to get a limited number of medical treatments in the Channel Islands free of charge, ended last year. Anyone now travelling to the Islands, which include Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark and Herm, will be required to pay for medical treatment, should they become ill or injured during their stay there. The Channel Islands are not a full member of the European Union so travellers should note that possession of a European Health Insurance Card will not allow visitors to avail of free immediate health care on the Islands. It is therefore essential to take out adequate health insurance before travel.

Coaching Soccer Success

The Umbro Irish FA National Coaching of Coaches Courses programme has seen several high profile names attending the training at Stranmillis College, Belfast. Newly appointed Celtic Manager Neil Lennon, was one of several candidates who participated in the IFA/UEFA Pro Licence course, and was full of praise for the programme. He said: "I completed my A-Licence with the Irish FA's coaching programme and was so impressed that I started my Pro-License the very next week. The standard of the teaching here is of the highest quality and I must praise Nigel Best and his team for the professional way in which they run these courses."

(BMcC/GK)