Other NI News In Brief

Sainsbury's 'In Deep'

A team of managers from Sainsbury's are taking to the water for charity. Starting on 23rd September the group with the support of Mobile Team Adventure will undertake a gruelling 100-mile kayak over four days from Blackwatertown across Lough Neagh to Castlerock on the north coast. The team will be camping at night and will be raising funds and awareness for their nominated store charities. Pictured making final preparations are Sainsbury's Sprucefield Manager Richard Heaton and his daughter Laura. They will be joined by Sprucefield night shift Manager John Clarke, Armagh HR Manager Jim Taylor and store Manager Andy Relf.

Cyclist Critical

A young teenage cyclist (14) who was knocked off a bicycle at 6.40pm on Monday on the Knockmore Road, Lisburn, is in critical condition in hospital after being hit by a car. Police said the victim has been taken to hospital "with injuries which are understood to be serious".

Murder Accused Men Charged

Two men, Aaron Hogg, 20, from Woodvale Drive and Derek Armstrong, 21, from Silverstream Gardens have been in court charged with the attempted murder of a teenager in north Belfast on Saturday. They were also charged with assaulting a second man and both were remanded in custody. The 18-year-old's injuries are described as serious but not life threatening.

Ballymurphy Killings Probe Sought

Calls by the Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor for an independent international inquiry into the deaths of 11 people killed in Ballymurphy, west Belfast, in 1971 were underlined yesterday when Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and the SDLP's Mark Durkan stood alongside the families at Stormont to express their support for the campaign. The Ballymurphy families want an independent international investigation into the circumstances of the deaths and are also calling for an apology from the Government. A Catholic priest and a mother-of-eight were among those killed by the Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy in August that year after troops claimed they opened fire after being shot at by the IRA.

Down But Not Out

Supporters turned out en-masse to greet Down's GAA footballers on Monday night when they return to the county after losing the All-Ireland final. Cork beat Down by just one point in Sunday's showpiece match at Croke Park. The main homecoming event was held in at Páirc Esler in Newry before the team travelled to be met by more supporters in Castlewellan later yesterday evening.

Advice Gets Funds Fillip

The East Belfast DUP MLA Robin Newton has welcomed the news that the East Belfast Independent Advice Centre, based on Castlereagh Street, is to receive £500,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Fund, through their Reaching Communities Northern Ireland programme. "The grant awarded to the advice centre will be put to good use to run the Community Advocacy Skills Training (CAST) project which will offer free, independent and confidential advice to people in the Belfast area. The project will train 40 volunteers from the local community to work as volunteer advocates on issues such as housing, benefits, employment and debts and consumer rights," the Stormont Junior Minister said.

Cheers To Guinness

One of Ireland's most iconic brews, the famous pint of Guinness, is to be celebrated this week with a range of activities to celebrate the founder 'Arthur's Day', across Northern Ireland and worldwide. The celebrations will begin on Thursday, at 17:59 (the year the company began) when pubs and bars throughout NI will be asked to simultaneously raise a glass to Arthur Guinness and his beverage legacy. The celebration will then continue at various locations in Ireland and throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and North America.

(BMcC/GK)