Troops to get trauma help

DAVID Cameron has ordered plans to be drawn up to ensure better care for ex-troops traumatised by war. A proposed service would track down veterans plagued by mental health issues. And a lifelong screening process would catch those with problems as they leave the Forces. The decision is a long-fought victory to get more help for troubled troops. Charities have warned of a ticking timebomb as tens of thousands of servicemen and women struggle with tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. ...

Groups representing police officers in England said they are concerned that their officers could be deployed in Northern Ireland if trouble flares up during the summer.
Police officers from Yorkshire, Northumbria and Strathclyde will take part in training programmes in NI over the next few months.
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The official wing of the IRA in Northern Ireland has announced a ceasefire, reserving the right of self-defence against attacks by the British Army and sectarian groups.
However the Provisional IRA dismissed the truce as having "little effect" on the situation.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, William Whitelaw, welcomed the move and a spokesperson said it was "a step in the right direction".
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A CRACK shot saved his Brit commander from two Taliban gunmen by shooting them dead from a world record MILE and a HALF away.

Hero sniper Craig Harrison, 35, nailed the killers with a rifle bullet each as the pair manned a machine gun - then for good measure let rip a third shot that took out their weapon.

His marksmanship was all the more amazing because the enemy were firing on his trapped troop leader from 3,000ft BEYOND his rifle's effective range.
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Alcohol misuse is a problem among UK troops who have been in Afghanistan and Iraq, but serious mental disorders are not as common as feared, a study says.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) rates are low despite many deployments in foreign combat zones, a study in The Lancet based on 10,000 personnel found. They are significantly lower than those reported among US troops, it adds. The King's College research, funded by the MoD, said more emphasis should be placed on drinking problems than PTSD. ...

A dissident republican group says a device found at a leisure centre in Londonderry on Monday had been left by the organisation five days ago. Police said they searched Templemore sports complex last Thursday - when the centre was used for an election count - after a coded warning about a bomb. But they said the original information was misleading. They said the device, hidden in the ceiling of toilets, did not contain a detonator and could not have exploded. ...

Two people have been injured in a car bomb explosion outside a police station in Newtownhamilton, County Armagh. The explosion happened at about 2325 BST. Police were told in a call to a Belfast hospital about an hour earlier that a vehicle had been abandoned. Officers were en route to the station, which is staffed on a part-time basis, when the explosion happened. The two people's injuries are not life-threatening. Shots are reported to have been fired before the explosion. The two people who were treated in hospital - a man and an elderly woman - are said to have been left "extremely shaken". ...

Police in Londonderry are investigating reports of an explosion outside a house at Dunmore Gardens in the Creggan area. A PSNI spokesperson said the blast was reported shortly before midnight on Tuesday. The area has been cordoned off while a forensic examination of the scene is carried out. There are no reports of anyone being injured. Police would like anyone who was in the area around midnight to contact them. One local resident said she was "disgusted" at the attack. "I'm rearing a wee child, and my granny is an elderly lady a...

A car bomb has exploded near an Army base in Holywood, County Down, forcing the evacuation of several homes. The blast seems to have been timed to coincide with the precise moment that policing and justice powers devolved from Westminster to Stormont. It happened at about 0020 BST outside Palace Barracks, where MI5 has its NI headquarters. A warning was given. The Real IRA has admitted the attack. An elderly man was treated in hospital for minor injuries. The bomb was placed in a taxi, which was hijacked in the Ligoniel area of north Belfast, about seven miles from Holywood, at about 2150 BST. ...

An injured British soldier who was invited to parade the Carling Cup at Wembley has been told it could cost him his £25,000 insurance payout.

Private Dave Tatlock who was told he would never walk again after being seriously hurt in Afghanistan bravely hobbled onto the pitch in February. The soldier, from 2 Para, was seen carrying the trophy in front of thousands of fans and TV viewers before the final between Manchester United and Aston Villa. The following day the insurance firm handling hi...