April 28, 2004

Slow progress in talks

International law ‘doesn’t apply to us’ - Dublin

Loyalist hate campaign to drive out Catholics

RELEASE OF COLOMBIA 3 IN THE BALANCE

Anger as Blair dismisses pressure on Finucane killing

African National Congress

Inquests reopen into Dublin and Monaghan bombings

The inquests into the deaths of 34 people in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings 30 years ago were reopened yesterday by the Dublin City Coroner, Dr Brian Farrell.

The Colombia Three Acquitted

Three Irish men arrested on leaving FARC territory in Colombia during august 2001 were acquitted of the most serious charge of providing training to FARC rebels yesterday in Bogota.

April 26, 2004

Loyalist bandsmen run riot

Loyalist bandsmen returning from Saturday’s Love Ulster rally ran riot in Portadown, County Armagh.

Parades Commission deception

A member of the Orange Order has been accused of using fraudulent claims of cross-community support to win an appointment to the North’s Parades Commission.

Omagh scandal deepens

British MI5 military intelligence withheld vital information on the 1998 Omagh attack by the Real IRA, it has been revealed.

IMC member resigns from Alliance party

Former Alliance Party leader John Alderdice has resigned from the party after admitting he was still an Alliance member, two years after his appointment to the so-called Independent Monitoring Commission.

The Blanketmen prepare for the ultimate step

Another in our continuing series of retrospectives on the 25th anniversary of the 1981 hnger strike. An account of the 1980 hunger strike from the Irish People.

Adams meets Raymond McCord

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams yesterday held talks with the father of a unionist paramilitary murder victim and vowed to back his campaign for justice.

Reality check

By Bill Delaney

It is now clear that, in all and any circumstances, the hardline loyalist ‘Love Ulster’ parade could not have passed through city centre Dublin on Saturday without causing violence.

Weaker social bonds fuel suicide

Suicide rates in the North of Ireland have risen as community spirit in the face of the conflict has declined, according to new research published.

UDA mount attacks

The unionist paramilitary UDA has carried out another series of sectarian attacks, putting pressure on the British government to admit that the organisation is not abiding by its professed ceasefire.

Feud may lead to PUP sanction

A unionist politician has challenged the British government to arrest him if it believed his party had a say over the actions of the paramilitary ‘Ulster Volunteer Force’ and ‘Red Hand Commando’.

Demands for release of Sean Kelly

Pressure is growing on the British government to free prominent republican Sean Kelly, who was jailed last month without explanation.

INEQUALITY NORTHERN IRELAND

New statistics show that nationalist areas of the North are being starved of inward investment while job-creation is being directed to mainly Protestant areas.

We need peace soon before lives are lost

By Fr Aidan Troy (for Daily Ireland)

Ardoyne Bungee Jumpers” read the sign on a bonfire just a few minutes from Holy Cross parish in North Belfast. The reference is to the tragic loss of young lives through suicide over recent years.

CIA to police Irish ‘war on terror’

Human rights activists have expressed concern at news that the 26-County Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has signed an agreement that allows for the detention and interrogation of people in Ireland by US secret service agents.

Deaths close chapter on Bloody Sunday

Former British prime minister Ted Heath has died at the age of 89, a day after the death of the last surviving mother of a Bloody Sunday victim.

Heath Marred Lives of a Generation

We awoke to screams and the banging of bin lids. I ran down the stairs and out into the street which was packed with neighbours. Someone was shouting hysterically, “They’ve introduced internment! They’ve introduced internment!”

Real IRA accused defiant at tense court hearing

Republican supporters of five accused of membership of the breakaway ‘Real IRA’ were cleared from a packed courtroom yesterday.

Raids fuelling republican protests

Republicans tonight expressed anger at heavy-handed police raids in County Tyrone.

Action, not words, sought from Ahern

Sinn Féin has urged the Dublin government to block attempts to introduce discrimination against republicans following police allegations of “IRA criminality”.

Greens move closer to forming all-Ireland party

The Green Party in the 26 Counties has decided to allow the Green Party in the Six Counties become a region of an all-island Green Party.

PEACE ON HOLD

Bitter political exchanges look to set to continue at least until the British general election in May following Bertie Ahern’s statement that he does not expect developments in the peace process until after the summer.

Sinn Féin will weather storm

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP gave the following address at the launch this morning of the exhibition of Sinn Féin’s centenary celebrations.

Blair issues apology to Conlon and Maguire families

British Prime Minister Tony Blair today apologised for the “ordeal and injustice” suffered by the Conlon and Maguire families, who were wrongly jailed at the height of the conflict in 1974.

The IRA did it

Let us examine the mindset of the PSNI and the Garda Siochana by which they reached the conclusion that the IRA did the Northern Bank raid

Omagh families fobbed off

Families of the Omagh bomb victims have seen their demands for a full cross-border public inquiry rebuffed following a marathon two-and-a-half hour meeting with British Direct Ruler Paul Murphy.

McGuinness outs securocrat

Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness has identified one of the British officials in its “Northern Ireland Office” he says in involved in covert attempts to undermine republicans.

POLITICAL STORM WANES

Efforts are being made to save the northern talks process following controversial allegations on Friday by the northern police chief Hugh Orde.

The Long War

By Danny Morrison (for the Andersonstown News)

Last week the official, or rather some of the official, British and Irish government documents were released under the ‘30-year rule’.

Colombian injustice revealed

The basis for the decision of a Colombia court to reverse a lower court’s decision and find three Irish men guilty of training rebels has proved shocking.

Former IRA men jailed over Bloody Sunday inquiry

The sentencing of a 54-year-old-man to three months in jail for contempt of the Bloddy Sunday Inquiry by refusing to attend and give evidence has been called a “scandal” by the brother of a victim of the British massacre.

Here we go again

By Bill Delaney

Like a lost soul caught in the limbo between Heaven and Earth, the North appears destined to keep repeating the same bitter cycle of talks, breakthrough, collapse and chaotic recrimination.

Adair deported to Bolton

Unionist paramilitary Johnny “Mad Dog” Adair has been released from prison and flown to England by the British army.

Teenager survives UDA murder bid

A Catholic teenager has described how he was slashed and beaten with a hammer in a vicious sectarian attack in north Belfast last weekend.

Policing issues unresolved

Sinn Féin has said it will vet any new legislation on policing before a decision is made to change its policy at a special conference.

PDs grab headlines with talks demand

The small Progressive Democrats party has made a bizarre intervention in the northern peace process.

Northern parties clash over government proposals

Sinn Féin has been accused of damaging the Good Friday Agreement by its nationalist rivals in the Six Counties, the SDLP.

English MP joins DUP

English MP Andrew Hunter has joined the ranks of Ian Paisley’s DUP, bringing the size of their parliamentary party to seven.

Key elements of the proposals

A summary of the proposals considered during the talks. ----- KEYWORDS:

Delaying the inevitable

There is no-one seriously arguing that republicans are to blame for this deal not being struck this week.

Parties consider revised proposals

Sinn Féin and the DUP have received a modified version of the proposals by the Irish and British governments and will give their responses to the plan early next week.

FINUCANE FAMILY REJECT INQUIRY LEGISLATION

The family of Pat Finucane has announced that they cannot take part in the proposed public inquiry, if it is held under the terms of the draft legislation published by the British government today.

Warning over commitments on inquiries

Human rights groups have demanded in a letter to Tony Blair that he ensures his government sticks to its commitments on inquiries into the collusion of British forces in three controversial murders.

Nixon backed prayer, positive thinking

Former US president Mr Richard Nixon considered sending evangelist preacher Billy Graham and the then Catholic Cardinal of New York, Terence Cooke to Ireland to “heal” Ireland following the Bloody Sunday massacre.

General links demilitarisation to IRA-DUP deal

A suggestion by a British military chief that some troops could be withdrawn from the North of Ireland by Christmas in the event of a political deal has been greeted with cynicism by republicans.

IRA READY FOR HISTORIC MOVE - ADAMS

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has confirmed that the IRA is prepared to make what he described as “an unprecedented and historical move”.

Journalist recalls British censorship

John Pilger has said that important investigations into the conflict in Ireland were never aired to a wider audience at a time when they could have had an impact on the situation.

‘Extraordinary rendition’ of US captives via Shannon

A jet chartered by the United States military, which is known to have abducted and transported al-Qaeda suspects, has landed at Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland several times, it has emerged.

Ultimate deadline by endless postponement

The Leeds negotiations were a debacle only from the governmental point of view.

‘Real UDA’ in attempted murder

Armed unionist paramilitaries who were intent on murder raked the home of a Catholic family with gunfire on Tuesday morning.

PSNI use CS gas in Bogside assault

Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan is to be asked to investigate the use of CS gas during disturbances in Derry’s nationalist Bogside.

Outrage as march forced through Lurgan centre

For the second time this week, the PSNI police have ignored a Parades Commission determination and forced an anti-Catholic parade through a nationalist community.

Fulton’s role revealed

Details of some of the activity of a former British double agent inside the IRA have been published on the internet.

Joe Black

Joe Black and his family, living and working in Belfast, were enroute to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for participation in a family wedding, when Joe Black was detained and arrested by the FBI.

Sinn Féin join European Parliament grouping

Sinn Féin’s two new members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are to work within the United European Left and Nordic Green Alliance group in the parliament, they confirmed today.

The sound of hands being washed clean

So far blame for the return to the tactics of imprisoning a whole nationalist community to ease the passage of their tormentors has been more or less divided between police and the Parades Commission. There are other culprits.

Pipe bomb attacks

There has been a pipebomb attack at the home of the chairman of the Rathenraw Resident’s Association in Antrim.

Cautious welcome for Garvaghy decision

The Orange Order's controversial Drumcree parade planned for next Sunday has been rerouted away from the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown -- so far.

Trams make a comeback

Trams return to the streets of Dublin on Wednesday after an absence of 45 years.

OUTRAGE AT PARADE U-TURN

A decision by the Parades Commission to allow a sectarian march to pass through a republican area of west Belfast has reignited the issue of contentious parades in the North of Ireland.

IRSP Bodenstown Address

The following is an edited address delivered at the grave of Wolfe Tone by Irish Republican Socialist Party Ard-Chomhairle member, Gerard Foster

Thousands rally for peace

Protests against President Bush's visit to Ireland passed off peacefully at the weekend amid the largest ever security operation in Ireland.

An Appraisal

The presidential re-election visit to Ireland of the world's most hated man was a spectacular failure for Bush.

Progress seen in talks

The formal review of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement resumed on Tuesday in Belfast with feelings mixed on its prospect for success.

Number of Orange parades challenged

The Protestant Orange Order in Scotland may reduce the number of parades held by the organisation after coming under pressure from the authorities there.

Anger as Holy Cross case dismissed

Nationalists have criticised the dismissal of a court case taken against the PSNI over their role in the Holy Cross School blockade.

THREE MUST STAY IN COLOMBIA

A court tribunal in Bogota has refused the Colombia 3 permission to return to Ireland while an appeal against their recent exoneration is being heard.

A Very British Jihad

Based on research undertaken by award-winning investigative journalist and film producer Paul Larkin, A Very British Jihad is an important contribution to highlighting the depths to which the British state has been prepared to sink in its war against Irish republicans.

Low-flying helicopter scare

A British Army helicopter hit a tree in the garden of a family home in Crossmaglen yesterday morning.

Final Bloody Sunday witness recounts gun battle plan

A witness has told the Bloody Sunday Inquiry that Derry’s police chief told him the morning after the Bogside killings that the British army’s plan for the day was to “take out two or three soft targets” in a bid to provoke a gun battle with the IRA.

The elephant will not be going away

By Brian Feeney (for the Irish News)

Listening to some of the pundits marking time as the dreadfully slow count at the King’s Hall dragged on interminably was at times a bit surreal.

Dublin appeals over Colombia 3

The Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has sent a personal message to the Colombian president calling for three Irishmen to be allowed home from Colombia.

Dublin appeals over Colombia 3

The Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has sent a personal message to the Colombian president calling for three Irishmen to be allowed home from Colombia.

Unionists escalate intimidation

Hundreds of unionists held a mass anti-Catholic rally outside the Whitehall Square apartments in Belfast city centre on Wednesday evening in the latest effort to intimidate Catholics out of the area.

SDLP bemoan lack of Agreement

The nationalist SDLP has made proposals to the Dublin government for ending the 18-month suspension of the North’s political institutions and salvaging other elements of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

IRA blamed for attack on dissident’s son

The mother of murdered Real IRA chief Joe O’Connor has blamed the mainstream Provisional IRA for shooting another son.

MAY NOT DAY

Dublin is being flooded with police and water cannons have been requested from the PSNI in the Six Counties in what is believed to be one of the largest security operations in the history of the 26 Counties.

An alternative Europe - questions and answers

The following information on plans for Dublin’s May Day weekend is from Dublin Grassroots Network.

Colombia 3 fear ‘freedom’

Despite the Dublin government’s agreement to loan E17,000 for the payment of a release bond to ensure the quick release of the Colombia Three, the men are still refusing to pay the bond until their safety is assured.

How many mountains are left?

Anyone with a quark of awareness knows that the Colombia acquittal will make no difference to our quagmired state here at home.

West Belfast man wins U.S. deportation case

A U.S. court has significantly ruled that a west Belfast man’s conviction in connection with the IRA killing of two British soldiers was political.

Sinn Féin attacks FG/Labour/Green alliance

Sinn Féin Representative for Dublin South East Daithi Doolan has described Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny’s call for voters to give their transfers to Labour and the Greens as another sad example of the ‘coalition of the confused’.

IMC asked to account for murder claim

A claim by the Independent Monitoring Commission that the murder of Michael O’Hare in March 2003 was paramilitary may lead to the collapse of the case against the man accused of the murder.

FEARS CONTINUE FOR COLOMBIA 3

The three Irishmen known as the Colombia 3 remain in jeopardy in Bogota this evening despite being cleared of the principal charges against them today.

Fine Gael annual conference

The following is an edited version of the keynote address by the Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, at the annual conference in Dublin of the largest opposition party in the 26 Counties, Fine Gael.

Embattled Ahern holds talks

The Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams held what was described as a “frank, positive meeting” in Dublin this afternoon.

Spies, Spinners and Spoofers

The International Monitoring Commission has to be congratulated for its economy in fining Sinn Féin and allowing the #120,000 to offset IMC costs.

April 23, 2004

Sectarian attacks prompt marching season concern

The UDA has been blamed for a suspected sectarian gun attack on a house in County Down which a Catholic family had just moved into.

Miscarriage of justice victim fights again

A West Belfast man handed two life sentences by a non-jury Diplock court is to testify in his own defence against extradition from the US as his original trial is being replayed in a Los Angeles courtroom.

Family dismay at PSNI secrecy over Bangor murder

The family of a Catholic man murdered in Bangor last year have demanded to know why they the PSNI police never went public on the sectarian nature of the killing.

PROCESS IN ‘DEEP CRISIS’ - ADAMS

Talks to go on despite SF fury over IMC report

The review of the Good Friday Agreement will reconvene in Belfast on Tuesday as fresh efforts are being made to continue peace efforts following the devastating report of the Independent Monitoring Commission on Tuesday.

Court hears prosecutions designed to delay Finucane inquiry

A judicial review aimed at forcing the British government to proceed with an independent inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane began yesterday.

Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers,

Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers
by James Gannon.
Savas Publishing Company

Retired journalist James Gannon spent more than three years researching and writing the story of men whose valour and sacrifice in battle have never received the attention he feels they deserve.

Colombia 3 verdict expected on Monday

A verdict in the case of the three Irishmen charged with training Colombia’s FARC rebels and using false passports is expected on Monday.

IMC should apologise

The International Monitoring Commission report published on Tuesday listed 12 people it said had been murdered by paramilitaries since January 1, 2003.

April 21, 2004

Ombudsman proposal follows prison complaints

Relatives of republican prisoners have complained of being treated in a degrading and humiliating manner at Maghaberry jail involving a so-called ‘sniffer dog’.

O’Donnell opposes demonisation of SF

A member of the Dublin parliament for the junior coalition government partners, the Progressive Democrats, has said she thought “bashing Sinn Féin” was not a good thing.

Irish urged to vote in Blair’s EU referendum

The decision by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to hold a referendum on the European Union constitution has been welcomed in the North, where voters will decide on Britain’s role in Europe.

IMC A ‘PUPPET SHOW’

The Independent Monitoring Commission’s threat to expose Sinn Féin members as IRA leaders has “polluted” the peace process, Sinn Féin said today.

IMC report on paramilitary groups

The following is an extract of the statement by the International Monitoring commision on the organisation and assessment of current activities of paramilitary groups.

Churches appeal to government on inequality, fiscal policy

Irish churches have urged the Dublin government to increase taxes on the wealthy and raise the lowest social welfare rates in a bid to close the increasing gap between rich and poor.

Ahern dissembles through referendum debate

The Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today faced a barrage of criticism of his party’s decision to hold a potentially racist referendum on Irish citizenship on June 11 - the same day as local and European elections.

Adams: Peace process above party politics

The following is an edited version of the remarks made to party activists at Buswells Hotel in Dublin last night by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP.

April 19, 2004

NELSON FAMILY HOPES FOR JUSTICE

Amnesty backs calls for boycott of Finucane inquiry

The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry opened yesterday, the largest public probe yet initiated into any individual death of the conflict in the North of Ireland.

The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry

The following is an edited version of the initial procedural statements of the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry.

Nominations close in election contest

One hundred and five candidates have officially registered in the North of Ireland to contest next month’s election to Westminster.

Dublin plots defeat for Sinn Féin

The Dublin government has abandoned the appearance of objectivity and is now openly campaigning against Sinn Féin in the North’s elections on May 5.

Deportees hospitalised in hunger-strike protest

Two Nigerians on hunger and thirst strike collapsed at the weekend and were taken to hospital by ambulance.

Alcohol linked to British Army chopper crash

The pilot of a British Army helicopter which crashed on the Derry shore three years ago had probably been drinking, it has been revealed.

Despite political ban, Basque voters back independence

Elections in the Basque Country, which took place without the participation of outlawed pro-independence party Batasuna, saw a surge in support for a smaller party which was endorsed by Batasuna leaders and which has refused to condemn the ETA armed group.

Adams speech offers peaceful alternative

By Jim Gibney (for the irish News)

Gerry Adams has walked many times the 200 yards from Sinn Féin’s offices to Conway Mill on Belfast’s Falls Road.

SDLP blasts referendum on citizenship

The nationalist SDLP has attacked the Dublin government for its plans for a June referendum which threatens the Irish citizenship rights of northerners and the Good Friday Agreement.

Robinson targeted by mail bomb

An explosive device has been sent to the Belfast offices of Democratic Unionist Party deputy leader Mr Peter Robinson, he revealed tonight.

SF gains again in latest poll

Support for the Dublin government has slipped in the past month in the 26 Counties, while Sinn Fein has gained further ground.

Missing man accused of being informer

It has emerged that the PSNI police have at least seven contact numbers for South Armagh man Gareth O’Connor, an alleged police informer who has been missing since last May.

SF ANGER AS FUNDS ARE HIT

Publication of a report on paramilitary activity by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) is to go ahead after a High Court challenge failed on Monday.

Address to Labour Party conference

The Irish Labour party held its annual conference at the weekend. The following is an edited version of the address by Labour leader, Pat Rabbitte

Republicans battle in County Down

Sinn Fein has suffered fresh defections from the party in County Down following “reorganisation” within the party structure in the area.

Legislation needed, not lighthouses

By Brian Feeney (for the Irish News)

Does Easter kick off the ‘marching season’ or is it the Somme on the first Sunday of July? It used to be the Somme, but the kick-off seems to be getting earlier each year. It’s no longer marching feet that signal the beginning of the season, but other, more symbolic evidence of ownership of the north: flags, graffiti, bonfire preparations.

April 16, 2004

Paisley hails `death' of Agreement

The DUP leader, Ian Paisley, has said the Dublin government's desire to hold a referendum in the 26 Counties on citizenship is a breach of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and further evidence that it is dead

Loyalists in naked protest

Unionist paramilitary prisoners have gone naked at a County Antrim jail in what they said was an attempt to draw attention to their ``inhumane'' living conditions.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

The British government has said it is to publish the report on the February beating of dissident Bobby Tohill at a Belfast city centre bar on Tuesday.

Electronic voting

The following is the introduction to the submission to the Commission on Electronic Voting by Irish Citizens for Trustworthy Evoting.

The full text may be downloaded at https://evoting.cs.may.ie/

Family `forced out' over welcome sign

Sinn Féin has denied `hounding' a family out of Antrim town because it had painted over a mural on their gable wall.

Dispute over efforts to rebrand Doire Cholmcille

A legal dispute appears certainover efforts by Derry City Council to drop the use of `London' as a prefix for the city's name.

Belfast City Council against Sunday Halloween

Unionists on Belfast City Council hves voted not to celebrate Hallowe'en night this year because it falls on a Sunday, angering pagans and nationalists alike.

Is There A Republican Alternative?

On its sixth anniversary, we present a series of article in debate of the Good Friday Agreement. The following argument for an alternative is by Gerry Ruddy, Ard Chomhairle member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party.

April 15, 2004

McGuinness discusses Adams initiative with US envoy

Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness, taking two days off from his Westminster re-election campaign to visit the US, had a 45-minute meeting with the Bush administration’s envoy to Mitchell Reiss, in Washington on Wednesday. Mr Reiss described it as a “good meeting” and a “business-like session”, held at Mr McGuinness’s request.

POLICE RAID UUP OFFICES

Offices of David Trimble’s Ulster Unionist Party were raided today as part of a police investigation into money laundering by the unionist paramilitary UDA.

17 reasons for banning plastic bullets

Seventeen reasons why the Policing Board should not have voted two weeks ago for the PSNI to acquire these deadly weapons.

SDLP embattled in election shenannigans

A massive row has erupted in west Tyrone following confirmation of the SDLP’s decision to stand a candidate in the constituency against independent Assembly member and hospitals campaigner Dr Kieran Deeny.

Donegal family press collusion concerns

The 26-County Minister for Justice has failed to defuse a new controversy over the murder of County Donegal Sinn Fein councillor Eddie Fullerton in 1991.

McCartneys’ intimidation claims rejected

East Belfast residents involved in an exchange of words with the McCartney family on Wednesday afternoon have dismissed media reports that a dozen people were involved.

Bomb planted outside theatre

Dissident republicans have been blamed for leaving a bomb in a car parked outside a theatre in Lisburn, County Antrim last night.

Ulster is ours and thus it shall stay

By Danny Morrison (for Daily Ireland)

Ulster is ours! Ulster will remain ours!” was Ian Paisley’s characteristically inclusive, Christian message to the leader of northern nationalists, Gerry Adams, as he accepted the DUP nomination for North Antrim in the 1912, sorry 2005, Westminster general election.

April 13, 2004

Quiet start to marching season

There has been no violence at the beginning of the Protestant ``marching season'' in Ireland, with a number of previously contentious parades passing off peacefully.

Closing a `back door' into the EU

One of the boasts of those who impelled us towards what they called ``European integration'' has been that this would make Ireland a more tolerant, inclusive and pluralist place.

April 10, 2004

Unionist paramilitaries `stoking up' violence

The unionist paramilitary LVF, UVF and UDA have been accused of escalating tensions as the marching season approcahes.

Republicans mark Easter Rising

Republicans are marking the 88th anniversary of the Easter Rising with more than 100 events this weekend.

Irish children `deported' from Ireland

Parents of Irish-born children, who are facing deportation, are being told to surrender their children's Irish passports before being put out of the 26 Counties, it has emerged.

March decisions not a surprise

A planned march by the unionist Apprentice Boys organisation along the predominately nationalist Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast on Monday has been banned.

PSNI ASSAULT U.S. ACTIVIST

A New York man, originally from Belfast, was violently dragged from his car and arrested by the PSNI police on Friday before being released without charge the following day.

Proclamation Of The Irish Republic

The text of the original declaration of the Irish Republic, Easter 1916

North, South, East, West

The DUP's latest offering on the relationships within the island of Ireland and between Britain and Ireland.

Talks to follow DUP's North-South shift

Intense ``proximity talks'' are reportedly being planned for three weeks time as the Irish and British Prime Ministers seek to follow on from the latest proposals by Ian Paisley's DUP.

April 7, 2004

UDR soldiers questioned over murder

Former British soldiers were among four men questioned by police in the North about the murder of a nationalist councillor more than 30 years ago.

Republican dispute in Armagh

Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) has accused the Provisional IRA of mounting a campaign of intimidation against its members in County Armagh.

Death of Sean Oliver

One of Belfast’s oldest republicans, Sean Oliver, died on Tuesday after a long illness.

IRA MULLS ADAMS APPEAL

The Provisional IRA has said it is currently considering an appeal by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams for it to make a “historic decision” to take forward its struggle through “purely political and democratic activity”.

Blair lied as inquiries bill passes

The Inquiries Bill to limit the scope of public inquiries has been rushed through the London parliament after the British general election was called last Tuesday.

Westminster constituencies

A look at nine of the 18 seats up for grabs in the Westminster elections next month.

Election announcement welcomed

British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday finally confirmed the date for the British general election, scheduled to take place on May 5, the anniversary of the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands.

Proconsul’s future impossible to predict

By Brian Feeney (for the Irish News)

Well the tapes are up and they’re off. It’s a bit of a kangaroo start though, with a jump, then a jerk until the Pope’s funeral is out of the way. A full gallop is considered unseemly until next week. That’s in Britain of course. It will be another couple of weeks before our lot get their acts together. No hurry. After all, it’s the same old show, well rehearsed.

West Belfast base to close?

Reports have suggested that the Andersonstown military base in west Belfast is to close in August, and will be demolished by the end of September.

Any truth process must be neutral - SF

Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams has described the outcome of a meeting with British Direct Ruler Paul Murphy on the British government's response to the Cory reports as `totally unsatisfactory'.

`Racist' referendum to be held on election day

The Dublin government has been strongly criticised for its decision to hold a referendum on citizenship on June 11th, the same day as the local and European elections in the 26 Counties.

Fulton vindicated, Flanagan exposed

Evidence has emerged that the RUC police allowed the IRA to carry out an attack on a police patrol in order to protect one or more informers.

IRA WARNING ON COMMITMENTS

The Irish and British governments must fulfil commitments they have made to the peace process or there can be ``little prospect of any progress'', the mainstream Provisional IRA has warned.

Easter 1916, part II

The second part of a two-part series examining the Easter Rising, its historical context and significance.

Finucane inquiry? Not now, not ever

Why does the Finucane case stand out from all the others Judge Peter Cory examined? Why is the British government refusing to hold a public inquiry into that case yet offering no objection to inquiries into the killings of Rosemary Nelson, Robert Hamill and Billy Wright?

Ahern admits `possible' meeting with developer

The Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, has told the Mahon Tribunal on political corruption that he `could well' have met developer Tom Gilmartin at an informal `gathering' of ministers in Government buildings.

April 5, 2004

Naming of new Rodaí Mac Corlaí bridge

Republicans are to rename a newly opened bridge on the main Belfast to Derry road in honour of an Irish patriot, hanged from the original bridge in 1798.

No unionist pact for Westminster election

A decision by Ian Paisley's DUP to contest the Westminster seat for the Fermanagh/South Tyrone constituency could mark the end of unionist electoral co-operation for marginal seats.

Nelson diary reveals FRU/UDA training misssions

The prison diary of Brian Nelson, the chief intelligence officer of the unionist paramilitary UDA, show that the British Army and the RUC police trained, armed and directed the UDA's death squads during its campaign of sectarian murder in the North.

Garda collusion questions remain on Dublin/Monaghan

The Barron report on the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings suppressed allegations that the 26 County Garda police colluded in the attacks, according to retired Irish military intelligence officer Lt Col John Morgan.

PRESSURE GROWS FOR INQUIRY

The British government is being strongly pressured by human rights groups, Irish nationalists, the Irish and US governments, a former senior United Nations representative and its own appointed investigator to give the go-ahead to a public inquiry into the 1989 killing of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane.

Former Minister confirms Gilmartin cabinet meeting

Irish Senator Mary O'Rourke has backed up a claim by property developer Tom Gilmartin that he met a number of Dublin government ministers at a meeting in parliamentary buildings in 1989.

Easter 1916, part I

The first part of a two-part series examining the Easter Rising, its historical context and significance.

British close ranks on 30 years in the North

Last week, the Oireachtas Committee on Justice reported on its deliberations on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings case in the aftermath of the Barron Report. I'm afraid it might have laboured manfully, but in the end it brought forth a mouse.

April 2, 2004

Trimble fuels nationalist outrage

Comments by Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble about Rosemary Nelson and Pat Finucane have been greeted with anger and disbelief by the families of the two victims.

Kennedy replaced

The British minister for security and education in the North, Jane Kennedy, is leaving Belfast in a cabinet reshuffle caused by the resignation of immigrations minister Beverley Hughes.

FRU men seek Finucane inquiry?

Members of the British Army's secretive Force Research Unit are prepared to face any public inquiry, it was claimed today.

CORY REPORTS, BRITAIN DISGRACED

The Cory reports have exposed those sections of the British Crown forces in the North who engaged in their own murderous `Dirty War' in Ireland.

Finucane campaign will continue

Mrs Geraldine Finucane accused the British government of ongoing delaying tactics and vowed that the campaign for an inquiry would continue.

Findings of Judge Cory

The following was prepared by the Committee for the Administration of Justice.

April fools

The British government's announcement of public inquiries into three recent cases of alleged collusion yesterday has masked its continuing attempt to cover up a sprawling conspiracy of official terror and assassination.

Adams backs campaign to save 16 Moore Street

The Dublin government has been condemned for its lack of commitment to save the house where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule made their last stand.

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