Hundreds of fish have been killed in County Armagh.

The Environment Agency is investigating the incident at Moneypenny Lock, off the Newry Canal in Portadown. It was discovered on Tuesday afternoon.

The fish which were killed were mostly stone loach, but there were also roach and pike.

The cause is unknown, but one possibility being investigated is that heavy rain may have stirred up noxious mud in the bottom of the canal.

Environment officers are to leave equipment pumping oxygen into the water all night and will return first thing in the morning.

Kerry Anderson, from the Environment Agency, said: "Normally we'd be looking for silage effluent or slurry, but there's absolutely no smell or anything off this.

"One of the things we're looking at is possibly all the rain we've had recently has stirred up the noxious muds in the base of the canal and essentially that could be stripping out the oxygen in the water."

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said Sinn Fein could pull out of Stormont

Sinn Féin must make it clear it wants to remain in devolved government in Northern Ireland, DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

He was speaking after Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin warned his party would collapse the assembly if policing and justice were not devolved.

The two parties are involved in ongoing talks over the issue.

Mr Donaldson said: "Do they want to stay in the executive? If they do, let's meet and address these issues."

Transferring policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont has been one of the most contentious issues since devolution was restored to Northern Ireland.

Bearing in mind the statement went through their official press office, one is left with the impression it's a bit of kite-flying by Sinn Féin Jeffrey Donaldson DUP Scale of justice job 'daunting'

Earlier this month, it had appeared the two parties were on the brink of resolving their stand-off over the issue when they agreed there should be a single minister who should be elected by a cross-community vote.

Speaking on Sunday at a republican meeting in County Cavan, Mr Ó Caoláin said republicans were growing increasingly concerned at the lack of progress being made.

"If we are forced to conclude that change will not be forthcoming from the executive then we will have no option but to pull out our ministers and seek to put pressure where responsibility ultimately lies, which is on the British government in London," he said.

'Totally unacceptable'

"When Sinn Fein changed our policy on policing in the north, accepting that a new beginning was being made, it was with the prospect that policing and justice powers would be transferred by May of this year.

The soundings coming from Sinn Féin at the minute are more ludicrous than ominous Mark Durkan SDLP leader

"It is now the end of August and we do not even have a date for transfer. This is totally unacceptable."

Mr Donaldson said on Monday that the DUP needed to know where Sinn Féin stands on his comments.

"Bearing in mind the statement went through their official press office, one is left with the impression it's a bit of kite-flying by Sinn Féin.

"These comments were not off the cuff or out of the blue."

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said: "The soundings coming from Sinn Féin at the minute are more ludicrous than ominous.

"Are Sinn Féin saying they are going to see the assembly and North-South Ministerial Council being put back on ice?

"Are they now resorting to the kind of tactics they criticised David Trimble for, threatening to collapse the institutions as a way of trying to force movement from somebody else?"

Ulster Unionist Party leader Sir Reg Empey called on Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to say whether Mr Ó Caoláin was speaking for Sinn Féin ministers.

"If Martin McGuinness does not distance himself from this statement then a full-blown crisis is facing the executive next month," he said.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is currently on summer recess and is scheduled to return next month.

The Broadway underpass was under 20ft of water at one stage

A special inquiry is to examine how a Belfast city centre underpass became submerged during heavy rain.

An emergency meeting of the Regional Development Committee was told independent consultants would examine what had happened.

They will look at the intensity of the rainfall, the cause of the flooding the Broadway underpass design and construction standards.

Heavy rain on Saturday caused chaos across Northern Ireland.

Roads Service chief executive Geoff Allister said: "I will be appointing, hopefully later this week, a firm of independent consultants to carry out an investigation on our behalf.

"These will be consultants who have not been involved in any way with the work to date on the (underpass) contract.

"And the sorts of things I want them to look at will be the whole background, intensity of the rainfall, to establish clearly the cause of the flooding, to look at the design and to look at the construction standards."

Many roads had to be closed and some homes evacuated due to the flooding.

The Stormont committee is questioning officials from the Rivers Agency, Roads Service and Northern Ireland Water.

The flooded underpass's citybound and countrybound carriageways were re-opened on Tuesday.

It had completely filled with water after a nearby river burst its banks.

The Regional Development Committee's chair, Fred Cobain, said plans must be made to reduce disruption in the future.

"We have to realise that it appears that torrential rain is going to occur on a more regular basis - the weekend was no freak occurrence.

"This means we have to introduce measures to adapt to this situation. New strategies are needed to ensure that flash flooding is minimised and that a co-ordinated emergency strategy is in place to cope with the consequences of flooding," he said.

"I urge the Executive to get to grips with the twin issues of improving our response to flooding and adapting our environmental and planning strategies to deal with increased rain in the future."

The executive is making £1,000 available to every flooded home.

People whose homes have been damaged can contact an emergency helpline on 0800 707 6965.

Crowds watch the porpoise from the footbridge in Coleraine town centre.

The people of Coleraine are well used to welcoming visitors to the area in the summer - but nobody was prepared for the aquatic visitor who swam into town on Wednesday.

Afternoon shoppers rushing across the Millennium footbridge in the town centre stopped in their tracks when they noticed a harbour porpoise in the River Bann below them.

According to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the mammal is healthy, and swam upstream to take advantage of particularly high stocks of fish in the river.

"We observed the animal for over two hours, and it appeared to be feeding and stayed in the vicinity of the old Coleraine bridge during this period," a spokesperson from the NIEA said.

"Its behaviour suggests that the animal was not in distress."

The body are continuing to monitor the health and wellbeing of the porpoise.

Porpoises are a relatively common species around the coasts of Northern Ireland.

The men got into difficulties while walking in the Mournes

Two hill walkers have been rescued from the Mourne mountains in County Down after getting into difficulties.

One suffered chest pains and was airlifted to Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, where his condition is serious. The other man broke his leg.

Coastguard Watch officer Gary Young said they were contacted by the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team at about 1700 BST.

"The first casualty who had chest pains was taken by helicopter to Daisy Hill Hospital," he said.

The rescue operation was carried out close to the Hare's Gap on the Trassey Track in the Mournes.

The Irish Coastguard helicopter based in Dublin took part in the rescue.

Army technical experts are at the scene

Three police officers have been treated for severe shock and minor injuries after a rocket attack in Fermanagh.

A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a foot patrol in Lisnaskea at about 2300 BST on Saturday. It failed to explode.

Shortly after the attack, a car was found burning at Chapel Brae. Police are investigating a possible link.

Army technical officers attended the scene. The main street in Lisnaskea remains closed.

Nearby homes have been evacuated.

Security Minister Paul Goggins condemned the attack.

"The criminals who carried out this attack are trying to take Northern Ireland back to its violent past. They will not succeed, society has moved on," he said.

PSNI Chief Superintendent Michael Skuce said: "This was clearly a case of attempted murder. We could have been dealing with multiple casualties this morning.

"There are a number of families out there who will be counting their blessings that they are not grieving for a loved one."

"The disregard that this shows for the lives of the local community and my officers is unbelievable."

Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board Professor Sir Desmond Rea condemned the attack.

"Those who carried out this deplorable attack have nothing to offer our society - they have no support from the community or any political party and will deliver nothing to our community," he said.

"Such attacks will not derail the huge progress which has taken place and continues to be made in policing in Northern Ireland."

Police and the fire service are involved in the investigation into the crash

Five people have been killed in a mid-air collision between two light aircraft in Warwickshire.

The first plane came down close to Coombe Abbey, near Brinklow, three miles from Coventry Airport at 1140 BST, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

The second aircraft crashed in nearby Brandon Woods.

Eyewitness Malcolm Collins told the BBC how "the smaller plane disintegrated immediately, and the right engine of the twin aircraft blew up".

One person in the first plane and four people in the second aircraft were all confirmed dead at the scene. Their identities have not yet been revealed.

A Cessna was one of the planes involved, said Warwickshire Police, who have appealed for any witnesses to the crash to come forward.

The debris from the aircraft "stretches across several miles", a spokesman said.

'Scene of devastation'

It is understood both planes were approaching the airport when they collided.

Air accident investigators and the emergency services are at the scene.

Murray MacGregor, spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said crews had found "quite a scene of devastation".

"Thankfully nobody was nearby when the debris came down," he said.

He added that the planes had crashed about a mile apart and an air ambulance was needed to help locate the wreckage in the wooded area.

Mr Collins, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, was at Coombe Abbey children's playground with his family and said the crash happened about 400m in front of him.

He and his wife had taken their children to the playground and he said about 40 to 60 people were also there.

"The twin engined aircraft was on quite a low approach to Coventry, on the normal land path, when a smaller aircraft came from the right and the twin-engined aircraft struck it side on, the smaller plane disintegrated immediately, and the right engine of the twin aircraft blew up," he said.

"Whilst we watched the twin-engined aircraft bank steeply to the left, with smoke coming from its right engine, it seemed to level off and climb slightly, before dropping steeply down to the left," he added.

Mr MacGregor from the ambulance service, said: "On arrival at the scene they found both aircraft had crashed. One had gone down in Brandon Woods.

'Grim task'

"Unfortunately there were four people confirmed dead in the wreckage of that aircraft," he said.

"The second aircraft landed in a field near Coventry Road, between Brinklow and Coventry, and sadly one person was confirmed dead at that aircraft crash site.

"Sadly there was nothing that could be done other than the grim task of confirming the deaths of the five people."

Mr MacGregor said the weather conditions at the time of the crash would be one factor looked at by air accident investigators.

Warwickshire Police said it was working jointly with the county's fire service and Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to investigate the collision.

By Clive Lindsay

Celtic got their defence of the Scottish Premier League title off to a winning start thanks to a controversial Barry Robson penalty against St Mirren.

The Buddies had matched their more illustrious opponents, with a Billy Mehmet drive striking a post.

But referee Eddie Smith ruled that Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink had been held back by defender Will Haining when the striker was through on goal.

Haining was sent off and Robson's spot kick spun over the line off the keeper.

The widow of the late Celtic coach Tommy Burns, who died from cancer in May, had raised the championship flag ahead of kick-off as Celtic made an emotional start to their title defence.

Rosemary Burns was aided by team captain Stephen McManus, who had recovered from a groin problem to take his place in a now-familiar starting line-up from which injured midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura was the only absentee.

St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson selected just Mehmet up front, a defensive formation perhaps dictated as much by the absence through injury of the influential Andy Dorman, Gary Mason and Craig Dargo as a desire to frustrate their hosts.

But, although Celtic started with a bit of flag-waving gusto, it was the visitors who were first to find the target, with Garry Brady and Stephen McGinn firing long-range efforts at Artur Boruc that the goalkeeper nevertheless dealt with fairly comfortably.

Celtic were also being restricted to long range apart from a head flick by Scott McDonald that ended up going over the crossbar from an Andreas Hinkel cross.

The first half closed with the Glasgow side having given the 57,000 crowd little to cheer following the pre-match euphoria.

Haining and Vennegoor of Hesselink joined hands at Celtic Park

There was some concern in the St Mirren dressing-room over the fitness of Tom Brighton, making his competitive debut for the club along with Jack Ross, but the former Clyde and Millwall striker emerged again after the break.

It was the Celtic defence who were doing the worrying as the second half started, Stephen O'Donnell setting up Mehmet on the edge of the box and the striker's side-footed drive would have found the net had Boruc's outstretched hand not turned the ball on to a post.

Celtic responded immediately and Gary Caldwell ought to have done better than head straight at Howard from 12 yards after being found unmarked at a free-kick.

Vennegoor of Hesselink had half-hearted claims for a penalty waved away after a chase with Howard to a slack Ross pass-back.

But Celtic's Dutch striker won the spot kick that led to the deadlock being broken after 62 minutes.

Vennegoor of Hesselink pounced when the Buddies defence failed to deal with a long ball through the heart of the defence and poked the ball wide of the post under pressure from Haining.

Referee Smith decided that the striker had been tugged from behind by the defender, who was shown a red card, although television pictures suggested that Vennegoor of Hesselink had been doing his own share of holding.

MY SPORT: DEBATE Give your reaction to the result at Celtic Park

Howard saved Robson's spot kick with his legs but could not prevent the ball spinning a matter of inches over the line before the goalkeeper swiped it clear.

The 10-man Buddies almost equalised immediately, but an O'Donnell snap-shot flew wide of the far post.

Celtic should have gone two ahead, but Vennegoor of Hesselink headed wide from 10 yards.

St Mirren remained a threat and substitute Marc McAusland sent a header just over, but it was Celtic who took all three points after a victory that was more workmanlike than inspired.

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor (Wilson 74), Robson (Caddis 81), Scott Brown, Hartley, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, McDonald (Samaras 75).
Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, Donati, O'Dea, McGowan.

Booked: Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Goals: Robson 62 pen.

St Mirren: Howard, Ross, Haining, Potter, Miranda, Murray, Brady (Gilerao 63), O'Donnell (Wyness 82), McGinn, Mehmet, Brighton (McAusland 63).
Subs Not Used: Smith, Hamilton, Barron, McCay.

Sent Off: Haining (61).

Att: 57,441

Ref: E Smith