Two Deny Murder In Constable Carroll Killing

Two men on trial, charged with the murder of Police Constable Stephen Carroll in Craigavon three years ago have denied charges put to them. Former Sinn Fein councillor Brendan McConville, 40, and John Paul Wooton, 20, deny charges of murder and possession of an AK47 assault rifle. The prosecution counsel however said that DNA and other evidence could tie the pair to the murder. Constable Carroll was the first police officer to be killed since the formation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). He had gone to Lismore Manor, in Craigavon, County Armagh, after a woman called police when her window was broken. He was shot through the rear window of his police car when he arrived at the scene.

Oil Regulator Must Be Appointed Now – SDLP

The SDLP spokesperson on the Environment John Dallat has called for immediate action to appoint a regulator for the oil industry. The East Derry MLA said: "The announcement that oil heating prices are to rise by 3.5 % at a time when demand has fallen by 15% has caused uproar among many constituents."Confidence in the ability of the oil industry to regulate itself has been waning for a considerable time and for many, especially older people, this is the straw that breaks the camel's back."The Office of the First and Deputy First Minister and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment cannot sit on their hands any longer and must move to restore confidence in the oil industry and the only way to do that is appoint an independent regulator. "This price-hike is brass-necked and has caused my offices to take an unprecedented number of calls today demanding to know what assembly members are going to do about this.”

Alcohol Intake Recommendations Need Changed

A parliamentary committee has found that the current advice on drinking alcohol needs to be changed. The report from the Science and Technology Committee into the UK's alcohol guidelines said the current Government recommendations did not marry up with the latest health advice and gave the wrong impression on how regularly alcohol should be consumed. According to the report, current guidelines have a daily recommended intake level, which is misleading to the public. The report said: "What matters most is that the message should not be that you should drink two to three units a day. Somehow, we have to get the message over that you do not have to drink at all, and that you certainly should not drink at all on a couple of days a week." Existing guidelines suggest that 48-hours should elapse after a heavy session to allow tissues to repair. However, the committee felt that this could give the impression that drinking to the recommended levels on a daily basis provided no health risk.

(LB/GK)