A taxi driver has been shot in both legs in Strabane. The man had arrived pick up a fare in Glebe Gardens at 11 o’clock last night when he was dragged from his car by a number of men.

He was beaten and shot once in the left thigh. When he attemped to escape, he was shot again this time in the right leg.

He is currently in a stable condition in hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

The gang who carried out the attack drove off in the man’s dark coloured seven seater cab, which was later found abandoned on Orchard Road. It remains closed to traffic this morning.

Police are appealing for information.

First Division
Finn Harps 1 v 1 Waterford Utd
Shelbourne 1 v 2 Derry City

Waterford United may have more in their locker but they were forced to share the points with Finn Harps in Ballybofey on Friday night. Davitt Walsh put Harps  in front with an excellently created goal on 36 minutes. James Doherty’s diagonal ball sets Tommy Bonner away and his tantalising ball across the area was  met first time by Walsh at the back post to steer home.
On 73 minutes, the sides were level when substitute Willie John Kiely stabbed home from close range

Harps Manager James Gallgher.
 

Derry City  hit twice in the second half to take all three points on a night when many of their title challengers dropped points.  However having fallen behind after only two minutes it looked a long way back for the Candystripes.  Striker Mark Farren leveled the game early in second half before Thomas Mc Bride grabbed the game winning goal to give Derry the points.

Police investigating dissident republican activity have made four new arrests in Derry.

They men, aged 36, 38, 42 and 44, were arrested just before midnight last night and brought to Antrim police station for questioning.

A week ago, five men were arrested on the Louth Armagh border on suspicion of trying to move explosives across the border.

It happened when three cars were stopped by Gardai as part of a planned operation against dissident republicans.

Provisional figures suggest MRSA incidents are falling, with 14 cases at Letterkenny General Hospital during 2009, compared to 20 the previous year.

The highest number of cases was recorded at Galway University Hospital, with 35 infections.

In total, there were 335 cases around the country last year compared to 439 in 2008.

Co-operating for Cancer Care NorthWest has welcomed the news that two Access Officers have been appointed to the the National Cancer Screening Service.

The officers’ role will be to co-ordinate assistance for women with disabilities to access BreastCheck and CervicalCheck services.

CCC-NW say that since the roll-out of BreastCheck and CervicalCheck in Donegal, they have received several calls from women who feel that their disability hinders them from accessing screening services.

The groups spokesperson is Noelle Duddy……….

The eight victims of the Co Donegal road crash have all been laid to rest.

The funeral of 23 year old James McEleney – the last of the men who died to be buried – took place in Clonmany this morning.

Hundreds of people from across the Inishowen Peninsula again turned out for the mass – along with the families of all the other victims of Sunday night’s crash.

The Chief Celebrant – Fr Fintan Diggin – says he hopes people in the area don’t have to face such a tragedy again:

James McEleney’s Uncle says they will always be there to support Shaun Kelly – the driver of the car in which 7 people died.

Philly Ivors says their door is always open for Shaun and his family:

Northwest MEP Marion Harking claimed new planning guidelines being introduced by government will effectively lead to the depopulation of rural Ireland.

Minister Ciaran Cuffe announced the new legislation saying it aims to ensure that the right types of development are built in the right places at the right time.

But Ms Harkin says that its aim is to deter people from living in rural areas and encouraging the development of towns and villages instead.

She took particular exception to some comments the minister made:

The Voice of Older People Donegal say they believe the government will not reduce the pension in December’s budget.

There has been wide scale speculation that the government will either cut or means test the pension with a view to helping address the country’s current financial hardship.

But V.O.P Donegal says that is very unlikely.

Spokesperson Mark McCollum says such a move would be the end of the government:

Forty-five jobs are set to go at a financial services company in Derry.

HML has said it is to reduce its workforce by 80 across the UK, with 45 redundancies earmarked for Derry.

The company said it had started a 30-day consultation period with its employees and no redundancies would come before 15 August.

HML, a mortgage outsourcing company, opened its Derry office in 2004 and employs about 470 people there.

It has blamed changed market conditions for the redundancies.

Foyle MP Mark Durkan said the news would come as a huge blow.

Derry has been chosen as the UK’s first City of Culture.

The announcement was broadcast live from Liverpool on the BBC’s The One Show last night.

Derry, which was short-listed alongside Birmingham, Sheffield and Norwich, will take the mantle in 2013.

Creative Advisor for the city of Culture Team, Noelle McAlinden, says its great news, and she says we could see events like the Brits Awards come to Derry in 2013.