DCAL Gets New Minister

The DUP MLA Nelson McCausland (pictured) has been appointed Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL). A long serving member of Belfast City Council - having been first elected in 1989 - he said: "I am very much looking forward to leading on the very diverse portfolio," noting that arts and culture make a vital contribution to overall quality of life as well as attracting inward investment and tourism.

Ex-Cop Jailed Over Porn

A police officer who downloaded over 5,000 images of child abuse has been jailed for three years. Aaron William Ernest Payne, 32, formerly of Ballyhenry Crescent in Newtownabbey was arrested last July after a raid at that address when his computer was seized for examination. As well as the jail term, Payne was ordered to sign the police sex offenders register for the rest of his life and was banned from working with children.

Car Thefts Targeted

Six men and a 19-year-old woman have been detained after three stolen cars were stopped in what appear to be linked incidents in west Belfast. Shortly after midnight, a Ford Focus was stopped on Pantridge Road and a 28-year-old man and a woman arrested. A Seat car was stopped on Blacks Road and four men arrested around 4am and soon afterwards, a 23-year-old was stopped in an alleged stolen car in Downfine Gardens. The six men who were arrested, all of whom are in their 20s, are still being questioned.

Road Crash Victim 'Serious'

A two-vehicle crash in Co Down has left a woman seriously ill in the Royal Victoria hospital. She was driving a car which collided with another vehicle on the Bryansford Road in Hilltown at around 7pm on Friday. A second woman was also taken to hospital following the crash.

Call To Release Two Detained By Israel

The Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has called for the release of two Irish nationals who are being held in Israel following the seizure of a boat. The two, NI-born Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire and Derek Graham, who have been held since the taking of their vessel on June 30 while en route to Gaza with humanitarian aid, are awaiting deportation following the seizure of vessel, The Spirit of Humanity. In a statement, Minister Martin said his department has been closely following the situation and was in ongoing contact with Israeli authorities.

Tyrone Blaze Man Worse

A man who was rescued from a house fire in Co Tyrone is to be transferred to the intensive care unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. The man suffered burns to his legs after a house fire in Strabane. Fire crews rescued the victim - who is in his thirties - from the house in Artigarvan at around 2am on Friday. Two women in the house at the time were awoken by the fire alarm. The man was taken outside by firefighters, where he was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Air Ambulance Boss Flies Off

A senior figure in the Ireland Air Ambulance charity has resigned from the organisation. Citing stress, Mark Sellers, who helped set up the charity three years ago, was its aviation director. The charity faced calls for an inquiry last month when it emerged that 90% of donations of £194,000 in its first year were spent on wages and overheads.

Ballymoney Gets UCF Shop

The Ulster Cancer Foundation has opened a new charity shop in Ballymoney. Hilary Scott, Shops Co-ordinator, said: "Our new charity shop offers a full range of goods at a fraction of their previous prices. We look forward to developing our new shop in Ballymoney and to meeting local people from the area," she said, noting that it is located at 56 Main Street.

(BMcC/JM)