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McShane immediately branded the decision “disgusting for the children of Gaza.”  Afterwards, he accused Sinn Fein of putting “their own egos ahead of what is right by Gaza.” “The motion by Councilor Thompson should not have been placed on the agenda given I had personally warned Sinn Fein of the repercussions of their stunt ten days ago.”

McShane added that the Antrim to Gaza Group will continue to implement the terms of the twinning agreement given it was a permanent twinning mechanism. “This vote changes nothing," he said.

Ballycastle Chronicle

Dog Attack

AN elderly blind man and his guide dog in Whitehead were left to fend for themselves as another dog running off its lead attacked them, only for the female owner to walk away without offering any assistance.

The man was walking his guide dog in the area of Garden Village on a recent evening when the incident occurred.  He was knocked to the ground between two parked cars while the owner of the attacking dog walked away. He spent several minutes unable to get up and eventually gained the attention of two passing women who helped him to his feet.

The man declined an interview. Relatives said he was left shaken by the attack but has now regained the confidence to take his daily walks around the area again with his guide dog who remained unharmed. 

The woman involved sustained a head and wrist injury in an attempt to restrain her dog but has since came forward to offer an apology to the man and his family.

Guide Dogs Northern Ireland stressed the importance of dog control to owners and suggested a change in the law to for stiffer punishments in future attacks. 

"This was a very upsetting experience for the guide dog owner. On average across the U.K., eight guide dogs are attacked every month by other dogs,” spokesperson Pete Swan said.

“Blind and partially sighted people rely on their guide dogs to get out and about, and these attacks can leave them a virtual prisoner in their own home. We want the law changed across the UK to enable the authorities to treat an attack on a guide dog and other assistance dogs as an attack on a person, in recognition of the full impact of these attacks."

Carrick Advertiser

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Nster.com