RIR To Parade

The Royal Irish Regiment may soon be honoured with homecoming parades. Soldiers who are currently serving in Afghanistan are expected to enjoy the honour if discussions currently underway with Belfast and Castlereagh Councils, among others, are successful. The 2nd Battalion RIR has been carrying out duties based in Helmand province since March.

Body In Burnt Out Car

Reports are coming in that a man's body has been found in a burned out car in a Co Down costal beauty spot. The vehicle was discovered on fire in Crawfordsburn Country Park. Police were still at the scene by late afternoon and a PSNI spokesperson has said that officers are investigating the cause of the death.

Unionists To Take Conservative Approach?

It could soon be a return of the long-standing 'Conservative and Unionist Party' partnership - ditched amid angry exchanges over former PM Margaret Thatcher's joint signature on the Anglo Irish Agreement. Now, Conservative Leader David Cameron has said "politics in Northern Ireland needs to become more like politics in the rest of the United Kingdom". He said today that the Conservatives and Ulster Unionists have agreed to set up a working group to examine the possibility of greater co-operation between the parties.

Back To The Future On Hospital Visits

In an innovative bid to help reduce the risk of infections, the Western Trust has moved to introduce a strict new visiting policy at Altnagelvin Hospital which will limit the number of people allowed in to see patients. The policy, which limits bedside visits to two people, will start in September. However, this is nothing new, as most people will recall that until recent times, strict Matron-run regimes policed visiting times and routinely limited bedside numbers and the length of visits.

Pump Wars?

NI motorists hit by high oil prices have finally been given some good news as a petrol price war breaks out between three of the "big four" supermarkets. Cuts to petrol pump prices this week saw one supermarket chain slash the cost of its unleaded and diesel by as much as 5p a litre. Asda, the UK's second largest supermarket group, which has 170 petrol stations, started the wave of price cuts when it announced a 3p per litre reduction in the price of unleaded and diesel on its forecourts. Prices at its pumps fell to 113.9p a litre for unleaded, with diesel down to 128.9p a litre. Tesco, said it had no plans to introduce an immediate cut to the price of its petrol. It already runs a scheme that allows customers spending £50 on provisions in its stores to save five pence a litre at its pumps.

Executive Crisis?

With First Minister Peter Robinson about to take his annual holidays, the last minute postponement of a meeting of the NI Executive, set for Thursday, has raised concerns over the whole process of power sharing. It is the second meeting to be called off in the past fortnight and although the DUP has claimed the First Minister "has signed off on 30 papers" and the party is blaming republicans, Sinn Féin said it is ready to resolve issues but is believed to be demanding progress on the Irish language act and the policing/justice powers transfer.

Londonderry Air Dispute

Derry City Council has warned that further strike action by council employees could put jobs at City of Derry Airport at risk. John Meehan, the Council's acting Chief Executive, is seeking another meeting with the Unite union to again ask for airport staff to be exempt from any further industrial action. Unions have warned more strike action is likely but John Meehan says airlines won't tolerate further closures: "The priority is that the jobs at the airport are not vulnerable," he said. "If we have a position where the airport is turned on and off as a facility for airlines, then it would not become something they would be keen to do in the long term. We have got to actually ensure its future - that is our key priority."

(BMcC)