RIR March Home

There's been a homecoming parade for the 1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) in Market Drayton today as around 300 of the NI-linked soldiers marked the Shropshire-based battalion's return from its latest six-month tour of Afghanistan. There was sadness as well as relief though, as three soldiers from the battalion were killed in the tour, which began in September. Ranger Aaron McCormick, 22, from Macosquin in Co Londonderry was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in November last year. Ranger David Dalzell, 20, from Bangor was fatally shot in February and Lance Corporal Stephen McKee, 27, from Banbridge, was killed by an IED in March. Similar parades are being planned for various towns in NI later.

Police Probe Beating

The PSNI has appealed for help after a man was beaten with baseball bats by a gang of masked men who forced their way into his Dundonald home. The attackers broke into the flat at Morven Park in the Ballybeen estate shortly after 10pm on Sunday. After assaulting the 36-year-old victim, the gang smashed up the flat - breaking a window, some furniture and a LCD television.

Call To Raise Booze Prices

Londonderry GP Dr Tom Black has urged the Northern Ireland Assembly to introduce minimum alcohol pricing at a level of 50 pence per unit. Speaking at an annual conference of family doctors, Dr Black said: "Alcohol is too cheap. We need to protect our children and young people from buying alcohol with their pocket money. Excessive drinking costs lives. The international evidence is clear - increasing the price will decrease consumption, saving lives." See: GPs 'Frustrated' By NI Health Service

School Judged Winners

Bloomfield Collegiate has been crowned the winner of the Laganside Mock Trial Championships. Laganside Courts played host to the Annual Magistrates Mock Trial Competition for the sixth successful year at the weekend with ten schools from across NI participating in this year’s heat in a bid to become winner in this national competition. Each team prepared for two mock trials and competed against each other, with one team prosecuting and the other defending. The performances were accessed by a magistrate, judge and other legal professionals. Winner, Bloomfield Collegiate School will now travel to Birmingham Magistrates' Court to participate in the national final in June.

Tourism Fillip On Way

The NI Tourist Board (NITB) is expecting 2012 to be one of the most profitable tourism years in decades. Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, speaking at the opening for the annual Meet the Buyer Workshop in Fermanagh, urged operators to make the most from meetings with overseas buyers as 2012 will offer an even wider, more diverse range of products to meet demand. "We have the capacity to make it the best year ever," he said. NITB are hoping to achieve £1bn in tourism revenue by 2020, and with £300m put toward new investments such as the Titanic centenary, Giants Causeway and other festivals in 2012, the tourism board are hoping it will be a tipping point for operators."

Stormont Nominations Complete

Some 218 candidates are chasing 108 Assembly seats, which means that close to half of those standing will be going to Stormont. Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly are held every four years, with this one due to be held on 5 May. The full list of candidates has now been published by the NI Electoral Office and show that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - led by the outgoing Executive First Minister, Peter Robinson - has the largest number of candidates with 44; followed by the republican group, Sinn Fein. The party is fielding 40 candidates in all. The longest established pro-union party, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), has 29 candidates, but have surprised commentators by not standing in the Foyle constituency at all.

(BMcC/GK)