NI High Court in order over transcripts
Former loyalist prisoner Winston 'Winkie' Rea’ has secured a High Court order to stop PSNI officers flying to the United States to collect interviews he gave to researchers.
The son-in-law of late UVF leader Gusty Spence is one of dozens of loyalists and republicans who provided testimonies for an oral history of the Troubles on the understanding that the material would not be made public until after their deaths.
But those assurances were undermined four years ago when detectives, investigating the 1972 abduction and murder of Jean McConville, began a legal challenge to get hold of interviews given by former IRA member Dolours Price.
Price died in January 2013 and later that year the PSNI were given the transcripts by the US authorities.
The legal battle between Rea and the PSNI is set to continue in Belfast's High Court next week.
Fire at top of Belfast's Obel Tower
A fire has broken out at the top of the Obel Tower in Belfast.
Around 50 firefighters were called to deal with the incident on the roof of the tower.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said there had been no reports of any injuries.
A number of residents have been evacuated from the landmark city centre property, which stands at 85 metres and overlooks the River Lagan.
Police closed surrounding roads as nine fire appliances attended the scene.
Florida pelicans targeted in slashing attacks
Officials in Florida say someone has been attacking the state's pelicans, slashing the pouches of the oversized birds, which often die as a result.
Ten injured pelicans were found in the Florida Keys, sanctuary to a bounty of US wildlife, five of which died of their injuries, said officials.
Five pelicans that survived the attack were rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Pelicans, which congregate in coastal areas of the state, eat vast quantities of fish, which they store in pouches on the underside of their enormous beaks.
Slitting their pouches makes it impossible for the birds to feed themselves, and they eventually starve to death.
Dutch team to return to MH17 crash site
A Dutch team is to return to the MH17 crash site in Ukraine to collect more remains of the 298 people killed when the Malaysia Airlines Boeing crashed in July, officials said.
The team, which includes defence ministry employees, will return to Karkiv at the end of next week.
Most of those on board the Boeing 777 when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17 were Dutch, and just three of the dead have yet to be identified by forensics experts in the Netherlands.
"If the security situation permits the team will also return to the crash site to collect a small amount of human remains," the security and justice ministry said.
Nurses defer industrial action at Beaumont
Planned industrial action by nurses at Beaumont Hospital next Tuesday to protest about overcrowding has been deferred.
Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives' Organisation working in the Emergency Department have agreed to the move following agreement at the Labour Relations Commission.
Hospital management have agreed to increase staffing levels in the Emergency Department on both days and nights.
Protest over Ulster Bank branch closure in Ferbane
There have been calls for the Ulster Bank group to defer the closure of 14 branches around Ireland until agreement has been reached with local post Offices to introduce banking services.
Around 1,000 people from Ferbane, Co Offaly protested outside the bank's regional head quarters in Athlone this afternoon - claiming the closures will also increase security concerns over cash lodgements.
The group, which included business people, students and political representatives, marched through Athlone to the bank’s regional headquarters.
A number of speakers, including IFA President Eddie Downey, Seamus Boland of Rural Link and Eddie Hobbs of Reboot Ireland, addressed the crowd.
Rural Ireland victim of destruction of social capital - Eddie Hobbs tells Ulster bank closure in Athlone pic.twitter.com/zqJDzG3boR
— Ciaran Mullooly (@ciaranmullooly) January 23, 2015Major increase in traffic using Waterford bypass toll bridge
There has been a major increase in traffic on one of the main roads in the South East.
Figures obtained by Fine Gael TD John Deasy show a substantial increase in truck traffic using the Waterford bypass toll bridge.
In 2010, the first full year the toll road was in operation, 175,000 heavy goods vehicles passed through the plaza.
Volumes have steadily increased since, so much so that 262,000 trucks used it in 2014 — a full 50% increase in haulage traffic on the route over that period.
The National Roads Authority figures in respect of non-HGVs also confirm a near-year-on-year increase (albeit with a dip between 2011 and 2012) — from the 1.697 million other vehicle types recorded at the Waterford toll station in 2010 to a total of 1.92m last year.
Waterford Bypass Traffic Volumes
Year Heavy Goods Vehicles Other Vehicles
2009 23,000 284,000
2010 175,000 1.697m
2011 208,000 1.899m
2012 224,000 1.833m
2013 252,000 1.910m
2014 262,000 1.920m
Man arrested over stabbing in west Dublin
A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a stabbing in west Dublin early this morning.
At around 2.45am a man in his 30s was discovered at Littlepace Road, Dublin 15, with apparent stab wounds.
He was treated at the scene by emergency services personnel and taken by ambulance to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown.
He is in a stable condition.
During a follow-up search a short time later a man was arrested at a house in Latchford Park.
He is currently being held at Blanchardstown Garda Station.
The scene is preserved for a technical and forensic examination and inquiries are ongoing.
Witnesses sought to Waterford robbery
Witnesses are being sought to an attempted robbery from a man in Waterford city around 7.30pm yesterday.
The 27-year-old man was reversing his car into a parking space on Hennessy's Road when he was approached by three or four men.
They broke the side window of his car with a baseball bat, dragged him from the vehicle and demanded money.
The victim managed to escape from his attackers who then fled in a UK registered vehicle.
This vehicle, a blue Citroen Picasso, was later found burned out on the Green at Matties Hill in the city a short time later.
Gardaí have said the man was not injured in the incident.
32 civilians filled in Damascus strikes - watchdog
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said 32 civilians, including six children, have been killed in airstrikes on a village near Damascus.
According to local sources, one of the strikes hit a square in the village of Hammuriyeh where people had gathered for weekly prayers.
Hammuriyeh is in the rebel-held area of Eastern Ghouta, which has been under an army siege for more than a year.
