Fire Alert Delays Treatment

Urgent medical attention was delayed last night when a deliberate fire prevented a doctor from reaching a sick patient. The medic was held up due to the malicious blaze in Ballycastle, it has emerged. Believed to have been started by youths, it broke out in a vacant dwelling in Fairhill Street on Thursday night. As emergency services closed off the surrounding area to deal with the fire, the doctor was unable to reach a patient and was delayed from making the call.

NI Firms Dubai Bound

Four Northern Ireland companies and senior staff from the University of Ulster are visiting Arab Health in Dubai, from 26-29 January, with Invest Northern Ireland. Taking part in the Invest NI delegation are: CIGA Healthcare, Ballymena; G-Care, Belfast; James Leckey Designs, Dunmurry; and Trucorp, Belfast. The University of Ulster is represented by UU Business Institute and UU Health, both based at Newtownabbey. UU Health, a training and consultancy operation, has an existing contract in Saudi Arabia for nurse training programmes. In addition to the companies visiting the region's most important health exhibition, three Northern Ireland businesses, Fortress Diagnostics, Antrim; Randox Laboratories, Crumlin; and TG Eakin, Comber, have individual stands at the exhibition.

Divis Towers Gets Facelift

With the Army's Troubles observation posts long gone, the west Belfast icon, Divis Towers has just seen the completion of a major high specification upgrade. The £1.1m improvement scheme was carried out at Divis Tower by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. In recent years the block benefited from a 24-hour concierge service, with the latest work on the 18th and 19th floors seeing the flats totally refurbished and reinstated as social housing. The move has been broadly welcomed by the local community.

Omagh Master-plan To 'Capitalise On Potential'

A massive regeneration master-plan proposed for the centre of Omagh has been unveiled. The Omagh Town Centre Master-plan and the Omagh Visioning Framework 2025 will influence future regeneration policies and proposals for the town. Speaking at the launch of the plans, NI Minister Margaret Ritchie said: "The regeneration of Omagh is of paramount importance to the local people and I will strive to ensure that all works reflect the aspirations of everyone involved. In response to new developments, my department will use the master-plan to guide future investment in improvements to the public realm, and will work closely with the council and other implementing bodies to take forward the proposals."

Foster Calls For Overhaul Of NI Electricity Grid

Northern Ireland must shore-up other energy resources to avert threats posed by foreign fuel supplies, the Stormont Energy Minister has said. Arlene Foster, speaking to industrialists at an international energy conference in Belgium, said the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine highlighted the vulnerability of Western economies when external fuel supplies are cut off. "We must ensure that energy, the life blood of modern economies, continues to flow," she said.

NI Water Fined £5,000 For Pollution

Northern Ireland Water Ltd has been fined £5,000 plus £22 court costs at Lisburn Magistrates' Court for making a polluting discharge to a waterway. On 23 October last, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (formerly the Environment and Heritage Service) observed a significant discharge of untreated sewage to the Glenavy River, a tributary of Lough Neagh following complaints from a member of the public.

(BMcC/JM)