Gusty Spence, former UVF leader, dies in hospital

The former loyalist paramilitary leader Gusty Spence has died in hospital. The 78-year-old had been ill for some time.
In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. In 2007, he announced that the UVF and an associated group, the Red Hand Commando, would cease to exist in their previous form. ...

A former Sinn Fein councillor and a teenager have been arraigned before the Crown Court charged over the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll. Brendan McConville, 39, of Aldervale, Tullygally, and John Paul Wootton, 19, of Collindale, Lurgan, deny the murder. Constable Carroll, 48, was shot in the head on 9 March 2009 in Craigavon. Mr Wootton's 38-year-old mother, Sharon Wootton of the same address, denied perverting the course of public justice between March and October 2009. She is accused of giving police information which she knew to be false and by "removing a computer or computers from her home address believing her home address might be searched and the same computer or computers seized by the police". The other two deny possessing an AK47 assault rifle and ammunition allegedly used in the shooting at Linsmore Manor. ...

By Mark Devenport, BBC Political editor, Northern Ireland

For those who didn't know Kader Asmal when he was a law lecturer at Trinity College in Dublin and the head of the Irish anti-apartheid movement, this lengthy autobiographical online interview on a Michigan State University website is worth a watch.

Recorded in 2004, it covers Kader Asmal's long career, but from 32 minutes in he starts talking about his time in Dublin and London.

His scholarly, urbane and avuncular character is obvious, and he talks engagingly about what he calls Ireland's "remarkable" contribution to South Africa's "liberation struggle".
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By Fionola Meredith - Belfast Telegraph. We all know that, to many ordinary people in mainland Britain, Northern Ireland is a place apart. If they think of us at all, they see a small, incomprehensible zone of fiercely contested territory, stuck in a sectarian time-warp, populated largely by flag-waving weirdos, illiterate thugs and sinister reformed gunmen. We may be part of the UK, but to them we are more like a band of unruly, ignorant foreigners and they'd be more than happy to see the back of us, with our squabbles, rows and stand-offs — if they could. Every time that trouble kicks off here, the same message in radio phone-ins and internet forums comes across loud and clear from the mainland: if Northern Ireland crumbled and slid into the Irish Sea, there would be few tears shed for us. ...

A decision to charge Old Bailey bomber Marian Price in connection with the murder of two British soldiers is an abuse of legal process, her lawyer claimed. The 57-year-old has been charged with providing property for the purposes of terrorism in connection with the shootings of sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, outside Massereene Army base in Antrim in March 2009. Price, who was referred to in Belfast Magistrates' Court by her married name McGlinchey, was originally arrested and questioned over the matter in November 2009. Earlier this year the veteran republican, who was jailed along with her sister Dolores in 1973 for their part in the IRA Old Bailey bombing, had her early release licence revoked and was returned to prison. ...

Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt has lost his appeal against a landmark civil court ruling which held him liable for the 1998 Omagh bombing.
In Belfast on Thursday, the appeal court upheld the 2009 ruling against McKevitt and Liam Campbell. The judge directed a civil retrial of the claims against Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly's appeal has been upheld. In 2009, a judge found the four men liable, awarding 12 relatives a total of £1.6m damages. Twenty-nine people and unborn twins died in the bomb. Lawyers for the families had also appealed the compensation awarded. They said it should have been more because of the scale of the outrage. In court on Thursday, the 12 relatives who took the 2009 case, were told that the £1.6m figure awarded to them would not be increased. ...

Canadian general John de Chastelain headed the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning

A full inventory of arms decommissioned by paramilitaries during the peace process will not be made public, the body which oversaw the process has decided. The detailed files on all the guns, munitions and explosives put beyond use by groups such as the IRA, UDA and UVF will instead be held by the US State Department in Washington, said the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD). The move was revealed in the final report of the IICD which was published by the British and Irish governments. The commission said part of its rationale for keeping the information under wraps was to avoid discouraging future acts of decommissioning. The last document produced by the commissioners reflected on its work since it was first set up in 1997. In that period the IICD, led by retired Canadian general John de Chastelain, facilitated the destruction of arsenals belonging to all militant organisations on ceasefire. Although a marginalised band of extremists continue to target the peace process using terrorism, the IICD's job was to facilitate disarmament among those groups which had renounced violence, not persuade those still intent on conflict. ...

The event brings motorcyclists from near and far together to attend a memorial service at the National Memorial Arboretum on the first Saturday in October, in order to remember those who can no longer ride by our side.
The date for this year is Saturday 1st of October 2011, there are now 100 days to go!
Since the first ride in 2008, through your support and generosity we have raised almost £100,000 for the NMA. The money you have so kindly donated goes towards the upkeep of the stunningly beautiful & peaceful arboretum, which is home to the largest memorial outside of the capital, the Armed Forces Memorial wall.

Ride to The Wall started with 1800 riders in 2008 and saw rider numbers exceed 4000 in 2010 which when added to the non motorcycling participants took total numbers to 15,000 for 2010. The growth and the ever increasing scale of the event and the complexities associated with organizing Ride To The Wall has forced us to undertake a total review of all aspects associated with the Ride To The wall. In order to comply with legislation we were forced to review our legal status and I am pleased to announce that our application for charitable status has been approved by the Charity Commissioner. The new structure will allow more effective operations and will enhance our fund raising ...

The Smithwick Tribunal in Dublin has heard that a gang who killed two senior RUC officers in south Armagh 22 years ago cheered as they drove off in a van. Five eyewitnesses have described how the IRA carried out the ambush near Jonesboro on 20 March 1989. The inquiry is investigating alleged collusion between Gardai and the IRA into the killings of the officers. Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan were shot dead after meeting gardai in Dundalk. Finbarr King, a former soldier in the Irish army, described how he drove along Edenappa Road in south Armagh on the day of the attack and was stopped at a roadblock. Forced to lie face down, he said up to five people got out of a van and opened fire on the car carrying the two RUC officers. ...

40 years ago today. Sergeant Michael Willetts 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. killed on 25/05/1971 aged 27 Awarded the George Cross and honoured in Harvey Andrews song "The Soldier". A terrorist entered the reception hall of the Springfield Road Police Station in Belfast. He carried a suitcase from which a smoking fuse protruded, dumped it quickly on the floor and fled outside. Inside the room were a man and a woman, two children and several police officers. Sgt Willetts held the door open while all passed safely through and then stood in the doorway, shielding those taking cover. In the next moment, the bomb exploded with terrible force. Sergeant Willetts was mortally wounded. ...

The PSNI area commander in Londonderry has said two children under the age of 10 were nearby when a military grenade was thrown at officers in the city. It happened as police were dealing with a security alert in the Southway area of Creggan on Monday afternoon. Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin said the "viable" device landed at one police officer's feet but did not explode. He said it was "sheer good fortune" that no-one was hurt or killed. "There were four officers in fairly close proximity to the attack," he said. "I have absolutely no doubt that the person who threw this believed it would detonate and if it had detonated I would be talking this morning about seriously injured or killed police officers and young children." Several homes were evacuated in Monday's alert and Army bomb experts were called to the scene to examine a suspicious object. ...

First Minister to meet Paterson after MoD refuse city parade

The First Minister will hold an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss the MoD’s refusal to hold a Belfast homecoming parade for troops returning from Afghanistan.
Peter Robinson demanded the meeting in a telephone conversation with Owen Paterson in a bid to have the controversial decision overturned.
“This outrageous decision has been made by the MoD in London without any consultation either with the local administration or local representatives,” the DUP leader said.
“The decision is unacceptable and we will be seeking a review of the decision otherwise the impression will be given that dissident republicans can dictate where our soldiers are able to parade.”

The Royal Irish Regiment will be taking part in an annual service of Thanksgiving at St Anne’s Cathedral on May 22.
However, petitions calling for a full military parade to go ahead have been organised.
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Tucked away for almost 40 years in a steel-lined room at police HQ, an envelope held the key to eventually solving Alfredo Fusco’s 1973 murder. Inside that envelope, reference FP7/4, was a white card with fingerprints belonging to Mr Fusco’s killer obtained at the time from the crime scene. The prints of a palm, left forefinger and a left thumb, were taken from a door to a store where Mr Fusco had tried to escape. The prints were lifted on to sellotape and put onto a card. But in 1973 fingerprint technology was much less sophisticated than today. Then it was a manual process of comparing a crime scene print with a fingerprint. The only way investigations would have proceeded on fingerprint evidence was on the basis of comparing the prints with a suspect or suspects. Up until 2009, when the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) reviewed the case, Clarke was never a suspect. His fingerprints were not even on file until he murdered Margaret O’Neill (58) two years after killing Mr Fusco. ...

The children's commissioner in NI is investigating photographs of young children dressed as republican paramilitaries.
Patricia Lewsley described the photographs as "deeply worrying". In them, children are seen wearing balaclavas, combat clothes and berets while holding replica weapons, including AK47s and Armalites. The images were taken six months ago at an event at the Ti Chulainn cultural centre, south Armagh. The centre in Mullaghbawn has received significant EU funding in recent years. Ms Lewsley said: "I will be contacting the Ti Chulainn Centre, the Special EU Programmes Body and the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister for an explanation. "Parents and responsible adults must protect children and young people, parents and responsible adults must keep them safe. "My job is to hold Government and organisations to account over their actions," she said. "The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the Government has signed, states there is a clear duty to protect children from getting into vulnerable situations such as this." ...

Demands for a homecoming parade in Belfast to recognise soldiers returning from Afghanistan are intensifying.
The City Council is expected to hold a meeting next week to propose inviting the Ministry of Defence to stage an event for the Royal Irish Regiment and Irish Guards who return from Helmand province in the coming weeks.

The motion will be proposed by Ian Crozier, chairman of Belfast City Council’s policy and resources committee. “The people of Northern Ireland want to see a homecoming parade in their capital city, there is no doubt about that,” he said.
“Defence Secretary Liam Fox has made clear his support for a parade in Belfast, but in recent days some ambiguity has emerged about what needs to happen so that a parade is actually organised.
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