Teen Soldier Dies In Crash

A teenager soldier has died in a road accident in England. He was driving a car which left the Whitehill Road in Borden, Hampshire, on Tuesday night and hit a tree. The unnamed 18-year-old came from Belfast. Two of the passengers, a 17-year-old from Blackpool and an 18-year-old from Devon - were seriously injured and are being treated in hospital in London. Another teenager suffered minor injuries. All four people in the car were serving Army personnel. The dead man's name has not yet been released.

Jobless Numbers Grow

The number of people unemployed in the UK increased by 23,000 to 2.47 million during the three months to April, official figures have shown. The unemployment rate was 7.9%, up from 7.8% in the quarter to January. However, the number of people claiming jobseekers allowance fell in May by 30,900 to 1.48 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. When compared with the figures for the three months to March, unemployment has fallen from 2.51 million.

Sex For Road Fine Scandal

A traffic police officer has been jailed for having sex with female drivers which he sought in exchange for excusing their motoring offences. Jamie Slater, 33, of Port Talbot, was sentenced to three and a half years at Cardiff Crown Court for misconduct while in public office. He contacted the women after stopping them and offered to let them off if they had sex with him. Slater was dismissed from South Wales Police in December. The court heard how the South Wales Police officer used the police national computer to access personal data on his victims. The married father-of-two stopped six women for minor motoring offences and requested their mobile phone numbers and harassed them until they complied.

Lanark Murder Probed

A police officer leading a Scottish murder hunt said the response to earlier appeals for information had been "slightly disappointing". Police are investigating the killing of a man shot on his doorstep in Lanarkshire a week ago and have now turned to interviewing passers-by in a bid to glean more information. Father-of-four Anthony Wright died in hospital after being shot in Inverkip Drive in Shotts last Wednesday morning. Today, detectives began questioning pedestrians and motorists in the town and have also released video footage of a person who they believe may be able to assist with their inquiries after few came forward after the original appeal for help.

'Aim For Zero Waste' Says Poots

Aspirations for a 'zero waste' society have been outlined at a major conference in London. NI Environment Minister Edwin Poots gave a keynote address on the first day of the 'Futuresource 2010 Conference', which brings together the sustainable waste management, recycling and resource efficiency sector and its major client base under one roof. With some 300 exhibitors, a full conference programme and an expected 9,000 attendees from across the UK and Europe, it provides the ideal platform for public, private and third sector professionals to come together to debate and help shape the future of waste, recycling and resource management. The Minister said: "The reality is that we cannot continue to dump our waste in large holes in the ground, without thought for the materials and energy that can be recovered, or for its impact on our environment."

(BMcC/GK)