Other NI News In Brief

Spain Link For Derry?

Ryanair is expected to announce details of a new flight route at City of Derry Airport today. It is understood Alicante in Spain will be City of Derry Airport's new destination.

No Doubts Over Knockbracken

The NI Health Minister has refuted reports that the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service was planning to close a depot at Knockbracken Healthcare Park. Michael McGimpsey said: "There are no plans to close the ambulance depot at Knockbracken Healthcare Park. Ambulances serving south and east Belfast are actively deployed from a number of locations, including Purdysburn and Foster Green, to provide the best possible response to emergency calls. This approach is helping to improve emergency response times to people living and working in South Belfast. No questions have been received by my office from Jimmy Spratt regarding the future of the ambulance depot at Knockbracken," he said last night.

Three Charged Over Ballynahinch Stab Attack

Three women have been charged in connection with the stabbing of a teenager in Co Down at the weekend. The trio, aged 35, 20 and 17 have been charged with withholding information about the stabbing of the 18-year-old in Ballynahinch in the early hours of Sunday morning. A 23-year-old man remains in custody under questioning about the attack at a house in Windmill Park. Police said the three women were been bailed to appear at Downpatrick Magistrates Court in February.

Consumer Champion Moves On

The head of the Northern Ireland Consumer Council is moving on to establish her own consulting business. Eleanor Gill leaves her post as Chief Executive after six years of being the NI public watchdog, championing the rights of bill-payers and transport-users.

Broadway Care To End

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust will go ahead with plans to close Newtownabbey's Broadway Workshops in 2009, it has been confirmed. The Trust has come under fire from angry carers in recent weeks over its plan to axe the Abbots Road facility for adults with learning disabilities as part of a comprehensive spending review. However, despite hopes that the Trust would rethink the move, local councillors were informed this week that the planned closure is still going ahead.

Taxing Time?

The huge computer system serving NI's motor tax offices was out of service for most of yesterday because of a power failure. It happened at the Driver and Vehicle Agency's headquarters in Coleraine, however, engineers managed to get the system up and running again eventually.

Businesses Learns From USA

Local businesses can capitalise on the export opportunities arising from the rapid global growth in the sustainable energy sector, particularly during the current economic downturn. That was the theme of an Invest Northern Ireland workshop today during which leading experts from the USA's renowned National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) addressed more than 70 delegates from local companies and the two universities. The NREL is the USA's primary agency for R&D in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Dr Lawrence Murphy and Dr John Ashworth from the organisation set out the significant global market opportunities that are emerging in these sectors and discussed ways in which local companies can profit from this.

(BMcC/JM)