Other News In Brief

Three Assaulted In Race Hate Crime

Three people have been assaulted in what police have described as a "racially motivated hate crime".

The attack happened at around 3am on Sunday on the Queen's Bridge in Belfast.

A man was arrested but was later released on bail pending further inquiries.

Alliance East Belfast MLA, Judith Cochrane, said: "I am outraged this attack has taken place. There can be no place for racism in our society.

"Those responsible for this attack have no regard for the well-being of other people, so I would encourage those with information about this attack to contact the Police.

"This latest attack has shown the importance of having a properly funded racial equality strategy."

Lifeboat Scrambled For Mickey Mouse

Responding to reports of a man falling into the sea, Dún Laoghaire RNLI found the "victim" to be a large inflatable Mickey Mouse.

It is understood that a number of callers to the Irish Coast Guard co-ordination centre in Dublin, reported seeing 'a man' crashing into the sea at Bray in Co Wicklow.

Initial reports suggested that it may have been a paraglider in difficulty.

However, when rescuers arrived all they recovered from the water was a large inflatable balloon of the cartoon character.

Despite the unusual outcome, the lifeboat operations manager at Dún Laoghaire said that people did the right thing by reporting the object, saying: "We're happy that this was a call made with good intent and calling 999 and asking for coast rescue is always the best course of action."

Call For Action On Northern Trust Problems

Sinn Fein has called for urgent action to be made after it was revealed that 49 serious adverse incidents had taken place in the Northern Trust in two months.

Sinn Féin MLA and health committee chair Maeve McLaughlin said there needs to be a clear and concerted effort to tackle these problems.

She said: "We have had review and review into these issues and now it is time for action. We also need to make sure that when serious incidents do occur that families are informed which has not always been the case."

(CD/JP)