Teen Soldier Dies In Crash

A teenager soldier has died in a road accident in England. He was driving a car which left the Whitehill Road in Borden, Hampshire, on Tuesday night and hit a tree. The unnamed 18-year-old came from Belfast. Two of the passengers, a 17-year-old from Blackpool and an 18-year-old from Devon - were seriously injured and are being treated in hospital in London. Another teenager suffered minor injuries. All four people in the car were serving Army personnel. The dead man's name has not yet been released.

PSNI Probe Wildlife Crime

Police are investigating a wildlife incident which has led to the detection of carbofuran, a pesticide which can kill wildlife. Two dead buzzards were discovered by a member of the public in a rural area at Paisleys Road, Carrickfergus on Sunday 25th April. Following a report to local police, who organised several weeks of tests by external specialists to check for poisoning, the substance carbofuran was detected and it was established that the birds had died of poisoning. The police have now warned users of carbofuran that its use leading to the death of wildlife could result in offences under the Wildlife (NI) Order 1985 and the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 1972. Enquiries will be carried out by police and could lead to robust action against individuals. Any suspected incidents should be reported to a local police station on 0845 600 8000 as soon as possible. Information about crime can also be passed to the Crimestoppers charity anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

Robinson Seeks Justice

Atrocities in Northern Ireland and those who caused them should all be open to probe and the perpetrators should put their wrongdoing on public record, First Minister Peter Robinson said last night. While he accepted the Saville report findings into Bloody Sunday and said it was time for closure for victims, he also commented that 'everybody needed to come clean'. Speaking to the Belfast News Letter he said: "We can't expect the truth to be told and then not be prepared to tell it yourself. There's a requirement from all the paramilitary organisations to 'fess up' and indicate the roles they played." Mr Robinson accepted Lord Saville's findings that the 14 killed and 13 wounded on Bloody Sunday were innocent but said that such a legal bill - of nearly £200m - could not be spent investigating every incident.

Advice On Prosecutions

Legal advice about how to respond to the findings of the Saville Report is being sought by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in Northern Ireland with the PPS consulting the Crown Prosecution Service to establish where jurisdiction lay in such cases. The PPS said that was because some evidence was given to the inquiry sitting in London.

Dáil Suspended After Row

The Dáil was suspended briefly this morning following a heated row. Fine Gael spokesman on children Alan Shatter insisted that a European directive on combating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child pornography should be discussed in a plenary Dáil session. "It should be discussed on the floor of the House and not simply be nodded through," he added. When Ceann Comhairle Seamus Kirk said that the matter could not be raised on the Order of Business, Mr Shatter insisted on continuing to speak. Mr Kirk ordered him to leave the House and then adjourned proceedings for 10 minutes. When the Dáil resumed, Sinn Féin's Aengus O Snodaigh said that important issues should not be passed by the House without debate.

(BMcC/GK)