Irish Aires News

Table of Contents - 06/05

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Monthly Table of Contents (by Subject Line):
06/29/05 - McAllister - Any Room For This Man
06/02/05 - Amnesty Appeals To Judges To Boycott Sham Inquiries
06/02/05 - Bloody Sunday Rifle Found In Africa
06/01/05 - Blair's 'Final Chance' On Inquiry
06/01/05 - Govt May Take UK To Court Over Dublin/Monaghan Bombs

Monthly Table of Contents (with Story Titles):
06/02/05 - Amnesty Appeals To Judges To Boycott Sham Inquiries
AI 06/02/05 Amnesty Appeals To Judges To Boycott Sham Inquiries
TE 06/02/05 Bloody Sunday Gun 'Found In Africa'
MC 06/02/05 Catholic Politicians Defend Northern Ireland`S Police
IO 06/02/05 SF Made Most Money In Political Donations Last Year
BT 06/02/05 PUP And IRSP In Talks To Defuse Tensions
IO 06/02/05 Cork Bank Notes Were From Belfast Bank Raid – PSNI
IO 06/02/05 McCartney Murder: Police Have 150 Witness Statements
BT 06/02/05 Chinook Families Grieve 11 Years Later
IO 06/02/05 Morris Report Officers' Futures Under Scrutiny
BT 06/02/05 Troubles' Play Will Premiere At The Playhouse
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06/02/05 - Bloody Sunday Rifle Found In Africa
BT 06/02/05 Bloody Sunday Rifle Found In Africa
IV 06/02/05 Reiss Says Brits Will Aid Finucane Case
BT 06/02/05 Dublin And Monaghan Bombs Group To Meet Inquiry Chiefs
IV 06/02/05 Euro Court To Investigate Bombings
IV 06/02/05 Ervine Helps Search For Catholic Killer
IV 06/02/05 Hevesi Invests Millions In North
BT 06/02/05 McCartney: Two Still Being Quizzed
4N 06/02/05 Houses Targeted In Bomb Attacks
BT 06/02/05 Store Wars: Split Over John Lewis Go-Ahead
BT 06/02/05 Ulster 'Failing To Protect Wildlife'
BB 06/02/05 One Dead After Explosion At Plant
LT 06/02/05 Roar Of Celtic Tiger: Lessons To Be Learned By Our Leaders
IO 06/02/05 Temperatures To Rise By Up To Two Degrees In Next 50 Years
DN 06/02/05 Obit: Steede Remembered As Quiet, In Charge Fire Chief
ZW 06/02/05 Obit: Kathleen (Barrett) Horvath
----

06/01/05 - Blair's 'Final Chance' On Inquiry
BB 06/01/05 Blair's 'Final Chance' On Inquiry
SF 06/01/05 SF Urges Govt To Bring Brits To Court Over Bombings
IE 06/01/05 McDowell, McGuinness In D.C. For Talks
BT 06/01/05 Derry March May Put SF In The Dock
BT 06/01/05 Team Of Marshalls Trained For The Marching Season
BB 06/01/05 Review Sought Over Asbestos Plans
IT 06/02/05 Resounding No From Dutch To EU Treaty
SF 06/01/05 Dutch 'No' Puts Another Nail In The Coffin
IT 06/02/05 McCartneys 'Cautiously Optimistic' After Two Arrested
SM 06/01/05 Charles Pays Tribute To The RUC
SF 06/01/05 Bugging Device To Go On Display In SF Bookshop
BB 06/01/05 Teenager Receives Bravery Award
----

06/01/05 - Govt May Take UK To Court Over Dublin/Monaghan Bombs
IO 06/01/05 Govt May Take UK To Court Over Dublin/Monaghan Bombs
IO 06/01/05 US Observers Criticise PSNI Handling Of Loyalist Marches
BT 06/01/05 Parades: Why We Are On The Right Road
BB 06/01/05 US Lessons For Interface Workers
UT 06/01/05 McCord Fires Broadside At Ervine
RE 06/01/05 Police Arrest Two Over McCartney Murder
SF 06/01/05 Progress Must Be Based Upon Agreement Principles
BT 06/01/05 Court Told Of Concerns Regarding Witnesses
BT 06/01/05 SDLP Man Defends Police Intelligence
IO 06/01/05 Paisley 'Set For Talks With Catholic Leader'
BT 06/01/05 Clergymen's Peace Role Examined
BT 06/01/05 The Private War Of Tim Collins
IO 06/01/05 Ireland 'Has Highest Rate Of Waste Generation In EU'
UT 06/01/05 Lassie Finds Historic Home
BT 06/01/05 Live8:Who, What & Where Of Concerts Staged To Change World
NS 06/01/05 Jeanie Johnston Will Be In Whitehaven For Festival
----

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http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=16728

Any room for this man?

Malachy McAllister resumes his family's battle for an American life

By Ray O'Hanlon
rohanlon@irishecho.com

A few months ago, quietly and without fanfare, Malachy McAllister reached another milestone in his battle to make a new life for himself and his family in the United States.

He likely paid the moment no heed. Might not have even noticed it.

In March of this year, McAllister marked nine years of a quasi-American life.

In so doing he put clear daylight between himself and the almost nine years that fellow Belfast man Joe Doherty notched up between 1983 and 1992.

McAllister didn't really need the extra marker. His battle for an American life is littered with them.

And if at the end of his legal sage he is forced to board a plane and leave America, even that ultimate moment will pale against the biggest marker of them all, the death of his beloved wife Bernadette in May, 2004.

Much used be made of the passing of time in the Doherty case.

This was not surprising. The IRA man was behind bars for the entirety of his legal epic, first in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and later, for his final few months, at a federal facility in Pennsylvania.

McAllister, by contrast, has been a free man, though not as free as he would like to be.

The most striking contrast between Doherty's and McAllister's daily lot is for the simplest of reasons.

Doherty was on the run after escaping from a prison in Belfast, hence his imprisonment.

McAllister has been on the run from the streets of Belfast, hence his desire to start over on the streets of New Jersey.

The final lap in the onetime Irish National Liberation Army man's legal marathon unfolds today when oral arguments in his appeal against deportation are scheduled for a federal court in Newark.

Malachy McAllister has been called many things in his life.

The familiar terrorist/freedom fighter combination is well set by now.

At one point he was labeled British by a federal immigration judge, an appellation that caused loud guffaws but carried serious weight in that the designation, if left unchallenged, effectively denied McAllister a chance of pleading for political asylum.

"We had to leave in a hurry. It was an emergency situation and the British passports were more readily available," was McAllister's explanation for the nature of his travel document.

Later, in America, he would apply and secure and Irish passport. Someday, he hopes, there will be an American one to go with it.

The McAllister family's Belfast story took a sharp downward turn in October, 1988 when loyalists fired 26 shots into the family home on the Lower Ormeau Road. Malachy and Bernadette were away. Bernadette's mother was looking after the children. Nobody was injured, but shortly afterward, and having been informed by police that Malachy was on a loyalist death list, the family fled Belfast for Canada.

Their subsequent application for asylum and refugee status in Canada was eventually turned down.

In March, 1996 The McAllisters entered the U.S. through the border checkpoint at Niagara Falls. They were admitted as "nonimmigrant visitors for pleasure." They overstayed their visas.

There was little time for pleasure. After settling in Wallington, N.J., the family applied for political asylum in March, 1997 and began a process of interviews at a nearby INS office.

In October, 1998, Malachy's name was, incredibly, drawn in the annual Schumer diversity visa lottery. But his teenage years INLA past, and its related convictions -- including one for conspiracy to murder reached by a Diplock court -- precluded him from securing a green card.

McAllister had served four years after being convicted in the non-jury court, where he was charged with taking part in what turned out to be a non-fatal INLA attack on an RUC patrol. McAllister was charged with acting as a lookout.

The evidence against McAllister was provided by a so-called "supergrass" witness who later retracted his testimony.

The following year, 1999, the McAllisters learned that their asylum plea had been rejected. They immediately appealed to a federal immigration court.

In October, 2000 Federal immigration judge Henry Dogin ordered that Malachy McAllister be deported, but in a separate ruling decreed that his wife, Bernadette, and the couple's four children be allowed asylum in the U.S.

Malachy McAllister appealed the decision against asylum to the Board of Immigration Appeals, while the U.S. Justice Department, in turn, appealed the decision to grant asylum to his wife and family.

In granting asylum to Bernadette and the children, Dogin ruled that Bernadette McAllister and her children had suffered "severe persecution" at the hands of loyalist paramilitaries, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British army.

Judge Dogin further stated that the McAllisters had suffered "extreme past persecution" and discrimination as a result of being Catholics. He pointed to a "constant campaign of harassment" by loyalists who the British government were unable or unwilling to control.

Dogin also cited incidents of public humiliation, physical abuse and the loyalist gun attack on the family home.

By the end of 2000, meanwhile, the McAllisters were hopeful that the Clinton administration would move to suspend deportation proceedings against the family before President Clinton left office. This did not happen.

The case dragged on into the new century and right through the shock of September 11.

In November, 2003, the Board of Immigration Appeals rejected Malachy McAllister's appeal and turned aside the decision granting asylum to the rest of the family.

As a result, all five McAllisters faced deportation. Attorneys for the family filed a plea for stay of deportation with the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

The following month, Malachy McAllister surrendered at the office of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark. Amid a mounting political furor, he was released pending the decision by the appeals court in Philadelphia.

That court granted motions for stays of removal filed on behalf of Malachy McAllister, his wife, Bernadette, and three of the couple's four children within a matter of weeks. It gave the family a little space and time.

The one question mark was Malachy and Bernadette's son Mark, better known as "Jamie," who had a conviction for passing a controlled substance.

Though he has been on probation and was not required to serve prison time, Jamie McAllister's conviction led to the appeals court denying the motion for a stay of removal filed on his behalf.

The court stated that it did not have jurisdiction as a result of the conviction. Still, the news had been mostly good.

"We now have the needed breathing space," the family's attorney, Eamonn Dornan, said at the time.

"We're dumbfounded. There have been so many high and lows. We're so relieved. It's unbelievable," said Malachy McAllister.

What was clear after the decision was that the McAllisters had been helped enormously by broad based community support and bipartisan political appeals on their behalf.

Another factor that might have played its part was a renewed threat to Malachy McAllister's life from the Red Hand Commandos, the loyalist group that had attacked the family home back in 1988.

The family's joy at their legal reprieve had barely settled when Bernadette was diagnosed with cancer. She died in May of last year leaving her husband and children to carry on the battle for the family's American life.

That battle resumes today with oral hearings, 10:30 a.m. Courtroom 32, 3rd Floor, Frank Lautenberg Courthouse, Newark, New Jersey.

This story appeared in the issue of June 29 - July 5, 2005

News about Ireland & the Irish

AI 06/02/05 Amnesty Appeals To Judges To Boycott Sham Inquiries
TE 06/02/05 Bloody Sunday Gun 'Found In Africa'
MC 06/02/05 Catholic Politicians Defend Northern Ireland`S Police
IO 06/02/05 SF Made Most Money In Political Donations Last Year
BT 06/02/05 PUP And IRSP In Talks To Defuse Tensions
IO 06/02/05 Cork Bank Notes Were From Belfast Bank Raid – PSNI
IO 06/02/05 McCartney Murder: Police Have 150 Witness Statements
BT 06/02/05 Chinook Families Grieve 11 Years Later
IO 06/02/05 Morris Report Officers' Futures Under Scrutiny
BT 06/02/05 Troubles' Play Will Premiere At The Playhouse

******************************************

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news/press/16142.shtml

UK: Amnesty Launches Appeal Calling On Judges To Boycott Sham
Inquiries

Amnesty International has launched an online appeal asking people
worldwide to write to senior UK judges, urging that neither they nor
other judges sit on any public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005
into the murder of Belfast lawyer Patrick Finucane.

An inquiry under the 2005 Act, railroaded through Parliament on the
last possible day before it was dissolved for the election, would lack
independence and be largely controlled by the executive, says Amnesty
International.

The final report of any inquiry under the Act would be published at
the executive's discretion and crucial evidence could be omitted at
the executive's discretion, "in the public interest.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

"Any judge presiding over an inquiry into the Finucane murder under
the Inquiries Act 2005 would be presiding over a sham. We urge judges
not to sit on any such inquiry.

"By rushing through this Act, the government has placed itself beyond
public scrutiny and dealt a massive blow to any hopes of transparency
in government.

"Under the Inquiries Act 2005, there will be no more independent,
public inquiries like those into the Ladbroke Grove train crash, the
murder of Stephen Lawrence or the tragedy at Hillsborough.

"The government will be able to control what the public finds out, and
what it doesn't."

Patrick Finucane, an outspoken human rights lawyer, was shot dead in
his home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 12 February 1989 by Loyalist
paramilitaries.

In the aftermath of his killing, prima facie evidence of criminal
conduct by police and military intelligence agents acting in collusion
with Loyalist paramilitaries in his murder emerged.

In addition, allegations have emerged of a subsequent cover-up by
different government agencies and authorities.

In April 2004, an independent report, commissioned by the UK and Irish
governments concluded that "only a public inquiry will suffice" in
Patrick Finucane's case.

Geraldine Finucane, Patrick Finucane's widow, has called on all senior
judges in England, Wales and Scotland not to serve on an inquiry into
her husband's case held under the new legislation.

Amnesty International calls on the UK authorities to establish a truly
independent judicial inquiry into collusion by state agents with
Loyalist paramilitaries in Patrick Finucane's murder; into reports
that his killing was the result of state policy; and into allegations
that different government authorities played a part in the subsequent
cover-up of collusion in his murder.

The appeal asks supporters to write to Lord Bingham, Senior Law Lord;
Lord Woolf, Lord Chief Justice; and Lord Cullen, Lord President of the
Supreme Court in Scotland, urging that neither they nor other judges
in their jurisdiction sit on an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005.

Appeals will also be sent to the heads of the judiciary in countries
with a common law system who might also be approached to sit on such
an inquiry, such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the USA,
South Africa, Sri Lanka and India.

Under the Inquiries Act 2005:

the inquiry and its terms of reference would be decided by the
executive; no independent parliamentary scrutiny of these decisions
would be allowed

the chair of the inquiry would be appointed by the executive and the
executive would have the discretion to dismiss any member of the
inquiry

the decision on whether the inquiry, or any individual hearings, would
be held in public or private would be taken by the executive

the decision to issue restrictive notices to block disclosure of
evidence would be taken by the executive

Lord Saville of Newdigate, the chair of the Bloody Sunday Tribunal of
Inquiry, pointed out that the Inquiries Act 2005 "makes a very serious
inroad into the independence of any inquiry; and is likely to damage
or destroy public confidence in the inquiry and its findings".

Lord Saville also said:

"As a Judge, I must tell you that I would not be prepared to be
appointed as a member of an inquiry that was subject to a provision of
this kind."
----

Take action - write an appeal to senior UK judges...

You can copy and paste this sample letter into an e-mail or a document
to print out. If you are planning to write your own appeal please read
our letter writing guide.

Please send appeals to:

Lord Bingham of Cornhill
The Senior Law Lord
Law Lords Corridor
House of Lords
London SW1A 0PW
United Kingdom
Salutation: Dear Lord Bingham of Cornhill

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Woolf
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand, London WC2A 2LL
United Kingdom
Salutation: Dear Lord Woolf

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Cullen of Whitekirk
Lord President
The Supreme Court
11 Parliament Square
Edinburgh EH1 1RQ
Scotland
United Kingdom
Salutation: Dear Lord Cullen of Whitekirk

Dear Lord [add surname],

I am writing to express my concern over the UK government's stated
intention to hold an inquiry into Patrick Finucane's case under the
Inquiries Act 2005.

As you may know, more than 16 years after the killing of Patrick
Finucane -- an outspoken human rights lawyer -- by Loyalist
paramilitaries with the alleged collusion of police and military
agents, the UK government continues to refuse to hold a truly
independent public inquiry into these allegations. The Inquiries Act
2005 empowers the UK authorities to block public scrutiny of state
actions and undermines the independence of the judiciary. Any inquiry
held under such legislation would fall far short of international
human rights standards. Amnesty International considers that any
judge sitting on such an inquiry would be presiding over a sham.

Geraldine Finucane, Patrick Finucane's widow, has recently called on
all senior judges in England, Wales and Scotland not to serve on an
inquiry into her husband's case held under this new legislation.

In light of the above, I urge you to ensure that all members of the
judiciary in your jurisdiction are made aware of these extremely
serious concerns.

Amnesty International is urging those members of the judiciary who may
be approached by the UK authorities to sit on an inquiry into the
Finucane case held under the Inquiries Act 2005 to decline to do so.

I thank you in advance for your urgent attention to the concerns
expressed in this letter.

Yours sincerely

******************************************

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/03/nsun03.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/06/03/ixhome.html

Bloody Sunday Gun 'Found In Africa'

By Tom Peterkin, Ireland Correspondent
(Filed: 03/06/2005)

Relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims yesterday called on Col Tim
Collins to give evidence to the Saville inquiry after he claimed that
a rifle used in the shootings had been recovered in Sierra Leone.

According to Col Collins, the rifle was found in 2000 when he was an
SAS operations officer on a mission to rescue a group of British
soldiers held hostage by the notorious West Side Boys.

In his new autobiography, Rules of Engagment, Col Collins claimed that
the Saville inquiry, set up in 1999 into the killing of 13 civilians
in Londonderry by the British Army, had been told the weapon had been
destroyed.

The rifles used in the 1972 shootings were seen as important pieces of
evidence by the investigation.

Col Collins said colleagues in the 1st Bn Parachute Regiment took two
rifles from Sierra Leone as souvenirs. It was only when the serial
numbers were examined that it was discovered one of them was used on
Bloody Sunday and the Saville inquiry had been told it had been
destroyed.

Yesterday Col Collins said: "It is the sort of anecdote that I had
second hand. It is probably true but I don't have any firm evidence."

John Kelly, who lost his 17-year-old brother Michael on Bloody Sunday,
said Col Collins should give evidence to the inquiry following his
claims. "It is an important piece of evidence. It could be a murder
weapon as far as we are concerned," he said.

A spokesman for the Saville inquiry said the rifle issue had been
looked into and they were "not presently minded" to call Col Collins.

******************************************

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/uk/article_1004005.php/Catholic_politicians_defend_Northern_Ireland%60s_police

Catholic Politicians Defend Northern Ireland`S Police

Jun 3, 2005, 2:05 GMT

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (UPI) -- Catholic nationalist politicians
Thursday defended the record of Northern Ireland`s restructured police
service.

The political counter-offensive was launched earlier this week when
Alex Attwood of the moderate nationalist Social and Democratic Labor
Party answered attacks by the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern
Ireland`s Protestant majority.

The Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, claimed that crime was soaring
since the police structure was reformed, the Belfast News-Letter
reported

"The Special Branch of the old Royal Ulster Constabulary is no more
and a new system of intelligence gathering is in place which complies
with human rights standards, conforms with best international practice
and has seen a significant number of agents deactivated," Attwood
said.

"This was essential to have proper standards of intelligence gathering
and to building confidence in the new police service," he said.

Attwood said the DUP critics of the reformed police "have little to
say when crime figures are reducing. They say little about the
successes of intelligence-led policing which no doubt includes the
closing down of fuel smuggling plants, and extortion racket in north
Belfast in the last two weeks and other policing operations."

Copyright 2005 by United Press International

******************************************

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=144988396&p=y44989yxz

SF Made Most Money In Political Donations Last Year

02/06/2005 - 13:47:07

Sinn Féin declared more money in political donations last year than
any other party in the State, according to figures published today by
the Standards in Public Office Commission.

The party declared more than €88,500 in donations for 2004, more than
double the amount declared by Fianna Fáil (€43,500).

However, while the bulk of Sinn Féin's money came from its own public
representatives, most of Fianna Fáil's came from private business.

Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the Progressive Democrats declared no
donations to the Standards in Public Office Commission, while the
Greens declared €36,000.

Under the law, political parties can only accept a maximum of around
€6,350 from individual donors in a single year and must declare all
donations exceeding €5,079.

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northwest_edition/story.jsp?story=643577

PUP And IRSP In Talks To Defuse Tensions

By Brendan McDaid
02 June 2005

Political groups representing the UVF and the INLA in Londonderry have
made a historic pact during face to face talks to help dilute tensions
ahead of this summer's marching season.

The PUP's Londonderry spokesman Leslie Mitchell today said that the
first meeting with the Irish Republican Socialist Party had been
constructive, with more discussions set to follow.

And he also called on a shadowy loyalist group calling itself the
Loyalist Action Force to disband.

The IRSP also confirmed they would now use their influence to help
quell violence at flashpoint interface areas of the city.

The meeting between the two groups was called after loyalists in
Derry's Waterside claimed they were under surveillance from the INLA
in the city.

Mr Mitchell said: "This was the first time the groups have ever got
together down here.

"Members of the loyalist community felt they were being targeted and
being watched and felt it was coming from within the INLA.

"The IRSP have confirmed after speaking with the INLA representatives
that this was not the case and we are taking that on board and
accepting that.

"Whether it was a case of individuals trying to wind people up, we
don't know."

Mr Mitchell said the groups discussed meeting in the future and agreed
to keep the new channels of communication between them open.

"Both parties felt this was very important coming up to the marching
season" he said, adding: "We both expressed a willingness to work to
try to defuse tensions.

"The PUP are already heavily involved in this type of work and we have
done a bit of work with Sinn Fein.

"The IRSP have said that any influence they have they will use it as
well."

Confirming this, a spokesman for the IRSP said: "We were approached
for a meeting and met at a neutral venue last week.

"The meeting was cordial and constructive enough.

"We discussed certain issues with them, and told them there was no
members of the INLA involved in watching them.

"We also talked about the IRSP using its influence with young people
in certain areas to tackle any upsurge in stonings."

The IRSP said that while "nothing concrete" had been sorted out it was
quite possible the two groups would meet again.

******************************************

http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=167405075&p=y674x589x&n=167405961

Cork Bank Notes Were From Belfast Bank Raid - PSNI

02/06/2005 - 17:54:50

Two senior police officers in the North have said they are clear that
bank notes recovered in Cork were stolen in the Northern Bank raid.

Speaking in Derry at a Police Board meeting, the chief constable and
an assistant chief constable said they were liasing closely with
gardaí.

The chief-constable of the PSNI Hugh Orde said he was very clear where
the money in Cork had come from.

He said it had moved across the border by an IRA money laundering
operation.

******************************************

http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=9448538&p=9448584&n=9448626

McCartney Murder: Police Have 150 Witness Statements

02/06/2005 - 17:51:49

Police investigating the murder of Robert McCartney have statements
from more than 150 witnesses, it was revealed tonight.

As detectives continued to question two men about the horrific Belfast
killing of the Catholic father-of-two, senior officers revealed the
extent of their inquiries.

Northern Ireland Chief Constable Hugh Orde said the police's
painstaking efforts showed their "absolute commitment" to bring the
case to a judicial conclusion.

"It is what we want, it is what the families want. It will be in
accordance with the law and hopefully we will see some developments in
the near future."

Mr Orde was speaking afte a public meeting of the Policing Board in
Derry at which Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid revealed that 151
statements had been received, 25 houses searched and 80 hours of CCTV
footage seized for examination.

Mr Kincaid disclosed that 10 people had provided signed statements
through the offices of the police ombudsman, and the ombudsman had
contacted the PSNI again in recent days to say that men arrested and
questioned about the murder all had remained silent during
interrogation.

He said the police service was still of the opinion that members of
the Provisional IRA were involved in the brutal murder but officers
did not believe it was sanctioned by the IRA. He said there was clear
evidence of a forensic clean-up after the killing.

Mr McCartney, 33, from the Short Strand area of Belfast, was stabbed
to death after being dragged from a Belfast city-centre bar at the end
of January.

Yesterday police arrested two men, both from the nearby Markets area.

One, a 49 year old, was detained in Belfast while the other, aged 36,
was seized by armed officers at a bedsit in Birmingham and dragged
away wearing just his boxer shorts.

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=643526

Chinook Families Grieve 11 Years Later

By Jonathan McCambridge
02 June 2005

Relatives of those killed in the Chinook helicopter tragedy on the
Mull of Kintyre - which claimed the lives of many of Northern
Ireland's top terrorism experts - will mark the 11th anniversary
today.

Twenty-nine people, including senior MI5 and RUC officers, were killed
when the aircraft crashed on June 2, 1994 - the RAF's worst peacetime
disaster.

The helicopter was carrying senior members of the intelligence
community from RAF Aldergrove to a security conference at Fort George,
near Inverness.

It crashed into a cloud- covered hill on the west side of the Mull of
Kintyre, killing all 25 passengers and four crew.

A 1995 RAF Board of Inquiry report blamed the crash on "gross
negligence" by the pilots, Flight Lieutenants Richard Cook and
Jonathan Tapper.

But a 1996 fatal accident inquiry held at Paisley Sheriff Court
concluded it was not possible to be certain of the cause of the crash.

The father of pilot Richard Cook, John Cook, died last month after a
long battle with emphysema.

He had fought the campaign to clear his son's name, along with his
other son, Chris, right up to his death, at the age of 70.

The father of pilot Jonathan Tapper said he would not rest until it is
proved both pilots were innocent.

He said: "Recent overtures to the Prime Minister have borne no fruit
whatsoever. I remain astonished that he cannot see that the burden of
proof against our sons was not met, and could never be met."

An all-party House of Lords select committee unanimously concluded in
February 2002 that the MoD's finding of gross negligence was not
justified.

The RAF found the pilots had put the helicopter into a long, fast and
shallow climb over Kintyre, misjudging the speed and position of their
machine.

The board said that technical malfunction was unlikely, but could not
be disproved.

The Mark 2 Chinook involved in the tragedy was the first of its type
in Northern Ireland and had more sophisticated computerised systems
than the Mark 1 model.

Relatives, MPs, peers, and journalists have accused the RAF of being
unfair to the dead pilots.

Families of the 29 people who died gathered to mark the 10th
anniversary of the disaster last year.

No official ceremony is planned today.

******************************************

http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=3241538

Morris Report Officers' Futures Under Scrutiny

online.ie
2005-06-02 15:40:05+01

The Government and Garda Commissioner will urgently examine the future
of officers implicated in the latest damning Morris Tribunal report,
Finance Minister Brian Cowen said today.

Judge Frederick Morris's inquiry into the 1996 death of Donegal cattle
dealer Richie Barron found the garda investigation was "prejudiced,
tendentious and utterly negligent in the highest degree".

As senior officers said they fully accepted the findings of
yesterday's report, Mr Cowen, who was deputising for Taoiseach Bertie
Ahern in the Dáil, described the publication as "very disturbing,
deeply troubling and shocking".

He said the Government and the Justice Minister took the most serious
view of the second report.

"The Minister for Justice and the Government accept the findings of
the report and will act on it," he said.

"The Government and the Commissioner will now urgently examine the
implications of the findings of this report for individual officers."

The Morris report strongly criticised at least 10 gardaí and detailed
a trail of mistakes and lies committed by officers which prevented the
investigation reaching a successful conclusion.

The judge found that gardaí were "consumed" with the idea that
publican Frank McBrearty Jnr and his cousin Mark McConnell were guilty
of the murder of Mr Barron and tried to frame them.

A debate on the first and second interim reports will be held in the
Dail and Seanad later this month.

After last summer's first report, Superintendent Kevin Lennon was
sacked while another superintendent and a chief superintendent
retired.

The Garda Commissioner also dismissed a number of gardaí.

Mr Cowen added that substantial reforms were contained in the Garda
Siochana Bill, including an independent Ombudsman Commission to
investigate complaints and an Inspectorate to report on the
effectiveness of the force.

A special committee, headed by Senator Maurice Hayes will oversee the
implementation of the Bill when enacted.

The Commissioner will also soon unveil a comprehensive package of
management reform within the force, Mr Cowen said.

The minister added: "We've all been let down badly by the behaviour of
a number of gardai in Donegal. The vast majority of men and women in
the Garda Siochana who give loyal and dedicated service will be
shocked and disappointed.

"It is difficult to overstate the disservice done to the ordinary
decent gardai by the shocking misconduct outlined in this report."

Mr McDowell will give his full response to the report when the debate
takes place later this month.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the report raised fundamental issues
about individual garda officers, garda management and political
responses to the allegations.

He called on Mr McDowell and his predecessor John O'Donoghue to say
why they refused public inquiries and ongoing legal aid to the
McBrearty family.

Mr Kenny paid tribute to politicians Jim Higgins and Brendan Howlin
who stood up against a "ferocious onslaught" to pursue the truth
through Dail questions on the matter.

"The integrity of the force should be beyond question and it should
have the trust of the country. It's a shame that the Morris report
points clearly at a rottenness at its core," he said.

"Sadly, this report diminishes all those who have given outstanding
service and public duty to the country."

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte claimed that Mr McDowell had "opposed tooth
and nail" the set-up of the Morris Tribunal in the Dáil.

He recalled that Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy had recently described
the Barron investigation as "thorough and efficient".

"That kind of thing should profoundly disturb this House," he added.

He called for a Patten-style Commission to examine policing in the
Republic.

"Unaccountable power is a very dangerous thing and there is nothing in
the Garda Siochana Bill that will address that," he concluded.

Green Party chairman John Gormley said that Mr McBrearty, who spoke at
the party's recent conference, was "ruthlessy and viciously framed by
the gardai".

"Their [McBrearty family] lives were made a hell. If it were not for
the tenacity of the McBrearty family or Jim Higgins or Brendan Howlin,
these issues would never have come to light," he said.

"Mr McDowell has successfully spun his way through his ministry and
some people believe he is doing a good job. I don't believe he is
doing a good job."

Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris said the Morris findings were shocking but
not surprising and reiterated his party's calls for a probe into the
death of former Donegal councillor Eddie Fullerton.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said many of its
members were dismayed by the web of deceit, negligence and human
tragedy uncovered by the Tribunal.

AGSI general secretary Pat Flynn said the findings had been fully
accepted and that senior officers were digesting the shocking details.

"We welcome the Morris Tribunal report and feel that it is a report
that could do An Garda Siochana a lot of good in the long term if
proper measures are taken to ensure that these sort of mistakes don't
happen again," Mr Flynn said.

He said the AGSI had put itself forward to garda management and the
Justice Minister to work together to ensure scandals which swamped the
Donegal division in the 1990s could not be repeated.

"It is down to the Association in conjunction with garda management
and the minister to try to ensure that this type of incident does not
happen again," he said.

The report is due to be discussed at the AGSI executive meeting next
week.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northwest_edition/story.jsp?story=643580

Troubles' Play Will Premiere At The Playhouse

By Brendan McDaid
02 June 2005

Next week will see the premiere of a new play centring on the Troubles
opening in The Playhouse theatre.

Rat in the Skull by Ron Hutchinson has been billed as a powerful
examination of the human face and human cost of 30 years of violence.

The play opens in the holding cell of a London police station, where
an IRA suspect is interrogated by a visiting RUC officer.

As they clash, the two face off against each other in a verbal game of
cat and mouse where the threat of violence is never far away.

A spokesman for the Playhouse said: "Originally produced in the 1980s,
Rat in the Skull remains a strikingly relevant comment on political
and state violence and on the fragility of the peace process.

"Both police thriller and psychological dissection, it is a terrifying
glimpse into the soul of Northern Ireland and the cultural antagonism
behind the violence.

"Produced by The Playhouse, Rat in the Skull features Derry actors in
a tense production which mixes blacker than black humour with rare
insight and rising tension.

"The play is a blazing, wrathful, compassionate dissection of history,
politics and, above all, what happens when the ideals of patriotism
and the politics of faith collide."

The play will run from Monday to Saturday next week at 8pm nightly.

Tickets at £9 and £6 from the box office on 028 7126 8027.

News about Ireland & the Irish

BT 06/02/05 Bloody Sunday Rifle Found In Africa
IV 06/02/05 Reiss Says Brits Will Aid Finucane Case
BT 06/02/05 Dublin And Monaghan Bombs Group To Meet Inquiry Chiefs
IV 06/02/05 Euro Court To Investigate Bombings
IV 06/02/05 Ervine Helps Search For Catholic Killer
IV 06/02/05 Hevesi Invests Millions In North
BT 06/02/05 McCartney: Two Still Being Quizzed
4N 06/02/05 Houses Targeted In Bomb Attacks
BT 06/02/05 Store Wars: Split Over John Lewis Go-Ahead
BT 06/02/05 Ulster 'Failing To Protect Wildlife'
BB 06/02/05 One Dead After Explosion At Plant
LT 06/02/05 Roar Of Celtic Tiger: Lessons To Be Learned By Our Leaders
IO 06/02/05 Temperatures To Rise By Up To Two Degrees In Next 50 Years
DN 06/02/05 Obit: Steede Remembered As Quiet, In Charge Fire Chief
ZW 06/02/05 Obit: Kathleen (Barrett) Horvath
----

(Poster's Note: Just a note to bring you up to date on my wife's
condition & our travel plans.

Sunday will mark two months since she was involved in an
auto/pedestrian accident. She has been out of the hospital about 5
weeks. She has successfully completed her physical training regiment;
she has returned to work (part time) to prepare for next the start of
the next school year. Her stamina is slowly increasing.

We are leaving for Ireland on Sunday, June 5th and will return on
Friday, July 1st. Of course that means I won't be able to make regular
news postings. However, the trip will be over too soon and we will
return.

Again, thank you all for your kind thoughts, prayers & emails. I have
returned the thoughts & prayers, but I am afraid I am hopelessly
behind in the email department. Jay)

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=643523

Bloody Sunday Rifle Found In Africa

Collins' claims spark call for inquiry

By Brian Hutton
02 June 2005

Shocking claims by former Army leader Tim Collins that his troops
recovered a rifle in Africa that had been used on Bloody Sunday but
was declared destroyed by the Ministry of Defence a year earlier, drew
calls today for a full investigation of the matter.

John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother Michael was one of the 13
civilians shot dead by the Parachute Regiment on the day, was
extremely startled to learn of the revelations when contacted by the
Belfast Telegraph.

Massive questions have been raised about the Ministry of Defence's
participation in the Saville Inquiry in light of the claims, according
to Mr Kelly.

In his just published book, Rules of Engagement, Belfast-born Colonel
Collins tells how his troops recovered the rifle from a terrorist
group in Sierra Leone in September 2000.

The SLR was one of two weapons the Army "deactivated as souvenirs" of
their ambush operation.

In a footnote to the incident he says: "The rifles were old British
Army self-loading rifles.

"It was only when they were back to the UK that it was discovered from
the serial numbers that one of the rifles was actually an old 1 Para
rifle.

"It was used on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972 when 13
protesters had been shot - and it had been declared destroyed when the
Saville Inquiry into the shootings had asked for it."

The Saville Inquiry in 1999 was told that 14 rifles of the 29
originally presented to the original Widgery Inquiry into Bloody
Sunday, had been destroyed, while 10 had been sold.

Colonel Collins, who was cleared of war crimes allegations two years
ago, made headlines for his rousing speech to the Royal Irish Regiment
before they entered into battle in Iraq in 2003.

The 44-year-old drew praise from Prince Charles and President George W
Bush, who was believed to have requested a copy of the speech for the
wall of the Oval Office.

John Kelly has called for the Saville Inquiry, which is currently
preparing its final report, to confront the MoD about the claims.

"If this is one of the rifles used in Bloody Sunday then it is vital
evidence. It could be one of the murder weapons," he said.

"Are the MoD lying? Somebody is lying.

"If Tim Collins has proof of this then he should make himself
available to the inquiry," he said.

******************************************

http://www.irishabroad.com/news/irishinamerica/news/finucanecasejune0105.asp

Reiss Says Brits Will Aid Finucane Case

By Sean O' Driscoll

U.S. envoy to Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss has said that the
British government's spying organization, MI5, have told him that they
are prepared to hand over all their documents on the controversial
killing of human rights attorney Pat Finucane.

The announcement could be a huge boost for the Finucane family, who
have battled since 1989 for British government cooperation.

Speaking at a congressional hearing on Northern Ireland last week,
Reiss said that he had been speaking with the head of MI5 and he had
been assured that the organization would hand over all relevant
documents to an upcoming tribunal investigation the killing.

The Finucane family and campaigners have long argued that the British
government targeted Finucane for assassination because he had
successfully defended suspected IRA members on trial.

In a secretly taped conversation between a BBC journalist and a
Finucane's killer, the killer revealed that there had been police
collusion in the killing.

Reiss said that the Director General of MI5, Eliza Manningham-Butler,
personally assured him that all relevant MI5 information would be
passed on for the upcoming tribunal.

He asked her is he could tell the committee about her decision and she
said that he could. However, she expressed some concern that the
identity of agents or sources should not be compromised.

Reiss also strongly backed Sinn Fein U.S. representative Rita O'Hare
in her travel visa dispute with the government.

Reiss said he has already told government agencies that the visa
denial should be a "once off" and was "bad policy" is it was done for
political reasons.

He praised O'Hare's work in the U.S. and said he hoped that she would
be able to continue doing her job.

Reiss made his comments before the International Relations Committee,
which sat last week to hear an update on the Northern Ireland peace
process.

His statements followed a question by New York Congressman Eliot
Engel, who said that denying O'Hare a visa made no sense and that he
wanted to register his "extreme displeasure" at the decision.

Two weeks ago, it emerged that O'Hare was temporarily denied a visa
after she applied to travel to Florida to visit businessman Bill
Flynn, who has been heavily involved in the peace process.

Reiss said that there were restraints on his ability to answer a
question about an individual visa decision, but he said it was "bad
policy" to deny Ms O'Hare a visa for policy reasons.

He said he was already expressed his concern to government agencies
and he hoped it would not become a precedent.

He also warned that some Unionists could get involved in "provocative
behaviour" if the IRA makes a statement announcing that it will
disband later this year.

He said that he was concerned that any such behaviour could worsen the
political situation and drive the Republican community back towards
the IRA.

Asked by Florida Congressman Robert Wexler, about hardline statements
being made by Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley, Reiss said
that he had heard very encouraging words from Paisley when he was not
before the "cameras and microphones" of the media.

Wexler said he was concerned about quotes in the Washington Times
newspaper from a hardline Protestant politician who said it would be
generations before a settlement could be reached.

Reiss said these were Paisley's words and that they were said in front
of TV cameras outside the British prime minister's residence. He said
that Paisley seemed much more accommodating and ready to negotiate
when speaking in private.

Reiss also said that the sisters of murdered Belfast man Robert
McCartney had told him that they were threatened and told they would
be burned out of their homes.

Reiss made his comments after New York Congressman Peter King, said
that the IRA did not sanction the murder but its members may have been
involved in a cover-up afterwards.

McCartney's killing last January led to huge protests against the IRA
after it emerged that some of its members had murdered McCartney, a
Republican supporter, and that some of its members had been involved
in covering up the evidence.

Congressman King, a close ally of Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams,
added that the killing was a pub dispute that could have happened in
any city in America. He also welcomed signs that the IRA is about to
disband but expressed concern about possible Unionist provocation if
such a statement was released.

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=643443

Dublin And Monaghan Bombs Group To Meet Inquiry Chiefs

By Michael McHugh
02 June 2005

Relatives of those killed in the 1970s bombings of Dublin and Monaghan
by loyalists allegedly working for British agents are meeting the head
of a probe into the Garda investigation of the case.

Members of the Dublin-based Justice for the Forgotten pressure group
are to meet the chairman of a new commission of inquiry, Patrick
McEntee QC, later today, as questions continue to be raised about the
Garda's investigation of a string of loyalist-connected bombings
between 1972 and 1974 which left 37 people dead and hundreds injured.

Mr McEntee is to investigate why a number of sightings of British
soldiers and figures linked to the mid-Ulster UVF in Dublin did not
produce results for detectives, as well as issues surrounding the
disappearance of a number of key documents. Nobody was ever charged
with the atrocities and Margaret Urwin from the relatives' group said
she would be pushing for a full and transparent inquiry. "We have a
lot of difficulties with this because it seems that it is a private
inquiry and is limited in its terms of reference and we are talking
with Mr McEntee to see how he intends to conduct his inquiry," she
said.

"We are hoping that he is going to hold the maximum number of hearings
possible in public.

"We are also asking that he allows the families legal representation,
as the Taoiseach said in the Dail that he would look favourably on
what Mr McEntee might request.

"We will be asking if the material submitted to the inquiry will be
made public or just his conclusions.

"What we would like is for the Irish and British governments to set up
a joint inquiry to look at all the aspects."

Mr McEntee's terms of reference involve investigating the scope of the
Garda inquiry and whether more could have been done. He has been
charged with looking at three separate lines of police inquiry, into
sightings of loyalist sympathisers and British soldiers in Dublin
prior to the 1974 bombings.

******************************************

http://www.irishabroad.com/news/irishinamerica/news/eurocourtjune0105.asp

Euro Court To Investigate Bombings

By Mairead Carey

The European Court of Human Rights is to carry out an investigation
into the Dublin Monaghan bombings in 1974 which 33 people were killed.

The court will examine claims that British agents collaborated with
Loyalist terrorists in carrying out the atrocities, the worst in the
history of the Troubles.

The inquiry into the role of British intelligence is to begin next
month, over 30 years after the bombings. The British are long
suspected of aiding those who carried out the atrocity.

Thirty-three people were killed and over 250 people were injured when
three car bombs exploded without warning in Dublin and a fourth in
Monaghan on May 17, 1974.

The bombings were blamed on a unit of the Ulster Volunteer Force known
to have links with the security forces' intelligence agents. No one
has ever been charged with the killings.

There has been ongoing concern at the failure of the British
government to come clean about the atrocity.

Earlier this year the head of the Dail (Parliament) committee
investigating the Dublin and Monaghan bombings hit out at the British
government for their refusal to cooperate with the inquiry.

The committee chairman, Fianna Fail TD Sean Ardagh, criticized the
British authorities for failing to hold a formal inquiry of their own
into allegations of British collusion in the bombings when requested
to do so by the Irish government.

He also said he was "not impressed at all" with the failure of the
British authorities to cooperate with the subcommittee or with Justice
Henry Barron, who compiled a report into the bombings which was
published last year.

The families of those who died have long campaigned for a proper
investigation into the role of British agents in the affair.

Monica Duffy-Campbell, whose husband Tommy Duffy died in the bombing,
told the Dail committee earlier this year, "I will believe until the
day I die that the British government or British agents were involved
in the death of my husband

"The British government is supposedly a friendly nation. We are not at
war with it. Why have they decided to stand totally back from this and
not give any answers? What have they got to hide?"

Monica had a young daughter and was four months pregnant when her
husband was killed.

******************************************

http://www.irishabroad.com/news/irishinamerica/news/ervinehelpsjune0105.asp

Ervine Helps Search For Catholic Killer

By Brendan Anderson

The distraught family of a murdered Catholic girl have met the
political spokesman for a political group linked to the proscribed
Loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, agreed to meet
Lisa Dorrian's family in a bid to help them find the body of their
missing daughter.

Despite having all the ingredients of a red-hot newspaper story — the
murder of a beautiful young woman, drug dealers, paramilitaries,
searches carried out by helicopter, airplane and police sea divers —
the killing of Lisa Dorrian has never been given the same prominence
as other killings.

Lisa, 25, disappeared three months ago after attending a party in a
mobile home at a caravan site at Ballyhalbert on the north Co. Down
coast. Police acknowledge that she was murdered, although her body has
never been found.

Shortly after the killing, graffiti appeared on several walls in the
area claiming she had been murdered by the volatile paramilitary
faction, the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF).

The LVF, which broke away from the UVF over support for the Good
Friday Agreement, is claimed by police to be heavily involved in drug
dealing and racketeering.

The Dorrian family's hopes of finding Lisa's body rose following a
television current affairs program in which Ervine revealed that the
UVF was carrying out its own investigation into the killing. During
the program, Ervine said he feared Loyalists would take the law into
their own hands "unless the police caught the killers."

Ervine later said he had recently attended two meetings which had
"shed more light" on Lisa's disappearance, and offered to share any
information he received with her family and the police. The PUP leader
described the circumstances surrounding the murder as "a cesspit."

Following the meeting with Ervine, Lisa's uncle, Terry Dorrian, said
the family would meet with anyone who could help them find her body.
He asked that people should hope and pray that "this is the last time
a young girl's life is taken for no reason."

Ervine, he said, had insisted that he had no political agenda and his
involvement was a humanitarian bid to help the family.

Three men have been arrested and questioned about the killing but were
released. The Dorrian family has put up £10,000 of their savings as a
reward for information leading to the recovery of Lisa's body.

******************************************

http://www.irishabroad.com/news/irishinamerica/news/hevesiinvestsjune0105.asp

Hevesi Invests Millions In North

By Brendan Anderson

New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who has fought for years for
fair employment practices in the North, says he is now ready to invest
capital there.

Hevesi, comptroller of New York State's $140 billion retirement fund,
has always been a strong campaigner for the abolition of
discrimination in employment practices in the North where Catholics
were often excluded from skilled jobs.

But now, Hevesi says, the gap between Protestant and Catholic
employment figures was closing and enough progress had been made
through the Irish peace process to permit him to carry out a promise
to invest in the North.

Hevesi, however, indicated on Tuesday that the $7 million for business
development was not simply based on compassionate grounds, and he
would be expecting a return on the retirement fund's investment.

While the $7 million (£3.75 million) figure is impressive by local
standards, it could result in even more investment by other U.S.
companies following the lead given by Hevesi, who was heavily involved
in Northern Irish affairs during his time as New York City
comptroller.

The cash injection will aid small technology companies and forms part
of a £22.5 million venture capital fund administered by Crescent
Capital II, a Belfast-based equity fund sponsored by Invest Northern
Ireland.

Explaining why he now felt free to launch the investment in the North
after years of seeking equality of employment there, Hevesi said, "The
investment climate in Northern Ireland is much more favorable today,
thanks to the ongoing peace process. As a result, the region now
presents an attractive opportunity for the New York pension fund to
obtain a meaningful return on investment for the fund's 971,000
members while creating jobs and prosperity in Northern Ireland."

"Northern Ireland represents tremendous opportunities for growth and
prosperity, regardless of religious, political or any other
affiliation. We are investing in Crescent Capital II because the fund
represents an excellent opportunity, with the potential to create new
jobs and economic prosperity for all communities by providing local
technology companies with much-needed capital so they can grow and
thrive here in Northern Ireland."

"I anticipate a competitive return for the New York Retirement Fund,"
he added.

Nationalist politicians from the SDLP and Sinn Fein were present for
Hevesi's announcement in Belfast on Tuesday, but no Unionists
attended. The Irish Voice, however, understands that Hevesi spoke to
Unionist representatives afterwards.

Welcoming the retirement fund investment, Sinn Fein President Gerry
Adams said, "Mr. Hevesi's goodwill investment gesture is evidence of
his continuing and long-standing interest in economic development,
equality and the peace process."

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=643520

McCartney: Two Still Being Quizzed

By Chris Thornton
02 June 2005

Police were continuing to question two men today about the murder of
Robert McCartney.

The men - arrested yesterday in Belfast and Birmingham - were facing a
second day of interviews by detectives at the PSNI holding centre in
Antrim.

The men, aged 36 and 49, can be held until early Saturday morning. By
that stage police will have to charge, release or - depending on the
legislation they are held under - apply to a court for more time to
question them.

Both men are understood to come from the Markets area of Belfast, the
district adjacent to the bar where Mr McCartney and another man,
Brendan Devine, were attacked by IRA members four months ago.

The 33-year-old father of two was stabbed outside Magennis's Whisky
Cafe on January 30. He died the next day.

The older of the two men being questioned was arrested by the PSNI in
Belfast.

The younger man was arrested by West Midlands Police in Birmingham.
Witnesses said he was wearing just his boxer shorts when armed police
burst in to his second floor bedsit in the Stechford area of the city.

He was then led barefoot to a waiting police car in Victoria Road and
flown back to Northern Ireland for questioning by a team of
detectives.

******************************************

http://www.4ni.co.uk/industrynews.asp?id=41103

Houses Targeted In Bomb Attacks

Police are appealing for information following two bomb attacks at
homes in Co Armagh on Wednesday.

Detectives believe the attacks at two houses at Brooke Manor and
Milltown in Ahorey may have been racially motivated.

The devices were put through the letter boxes of the houses shortly
after midnight, however only minor damage was caused and no-one was
injured

The area was cordoned off while Army technical officers examined the
scene and a number of items were taken away.

Sinn Féin MP for Newry & Armagh Conor Murphy has slammed those
responsible for the attacks.

"It was only through good luck that nobody within the two houses was
seriously injured and I would extend my best wishes to the victims of
these bomb attacks," he said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 028 9065 0222.
(MB/SP)

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=643413

Store Wars: Business Leaders And Politicians Split Over John Lewis Go-
Ahead

Special report by Debra Douglas
02 June 2005

The Government's decision to give a controversial £200m development at
Sprucefield the green light last night caused a major rift within
Ulster's business community and political parties.

While Environment Minister Jeff Rooker hailed it as the right decision
which was "in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland",
the opinion of political and business representatives was divided.

DUP Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson described it as a "good news
story for Northern Ireland", but his party colleague, Belfast Lord
Mayor Wallace Browne, said: "It undermines our efforts to revitalise
the city centres of Belfast and Lisburn."

Opinion was also divided within the SDLP. Lagan Valley MLA Patricia
Lewsley welcomed the news, while Dr Alasdair McDonnell described it as
a "body blow to retail confidence in Belfast".

Within the business community, Lisburn's economic development
committee described the move as "positive" while the Belfast Chamber
of Trade and Commerce described it as a "wholly inappropriate
development".

What's in store at £200m centre

The controversial £200m development at Sprucefield which will include
the first John Lewis store in Northern Ireland was given the go-ahead
yesterday, with the promise of 2,000 jobs as well as more choice for
shoppers.

Announcing the decision to grant planning permission, Environment
Minister Jeff Rooker said it was "in the best interests of the people
of Northern Ireland".

And last night, John Lewis' director of retail operations, Gareth
Thomas, welcomed the news.

He said: "We believe that the decision represents good news for the
whole of Northern Ireland and will secure substantial economic
investment and jobs for the province.

"We are also confident that our first department store on the island
of Ireland will complement the additional major retail development
currently under way in Belfast city centre and will greatly enhance
the overall retail offering of Northern Ireland.

"We can assure all concerned that John Lewis is intending to invest
heavily in the long-term economic future of Northern Ireland as a
whole and believe our department store at Sprucefield can play an
important part in helping reverse the well-documented leakage of
retail spend out of the province.

"It also has the potential to attract significant trade from across NI
and the Republic of Ireland to the whole area.

"There is a strong tradition of customers from Northern Ireland
visiting our other department stores, so we are excited with the
prospect of providing them with a John Lewis in the province."

Proposals for the massive extension include:

a 220,000 sq ft John Lewis anchor store

29 smaller retail units on two floors for other shops.

restaurants

A five-level, multi-storey car park for 1,250 cars, plus surface-
level car parking

ancillary infrastructure and landscaping.

IS IT GOOD FOR ULSTER?

YES

'This is a good news story for Lisburn'

With the promise of social and economic benefits for Northern Ireland,
the decision to grant planning permission for the controversial
Sprucefield extension has been hailed by many as "good news for
Northern Ireland".

DUP Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he was "absolutely
delighted" by the move.

He said: "This is a good news story for Lisburn and a good news story
for Northern Ireland.

"Some seem to think that this was a matter of competition between
Belfast and Lisburn. Really it wasn't - there was only one location in
Northern Ireland that John Lewis were interested in and that was at
Sprucefield.

"The real competition here was with the Republic. It opens up the
prospect now of attracting significant numbers of shoppers across the
border into Northern Ireland."

The chairman of Lisburn's economic development dommittee, Councillor
Edwin Poots, described it as a "positive decision".

The DUP MLA said: "This development will turn the situation around in
Northern Ireland where consumers from the Republic and across the
United Kingdom will travel to do their shopping in Northern Ireland.

"It is a tremendous victory. Having secured this decision, I would be
hopeful that self centred parochialism would not cloud the views of
individuals on what is a good news story for Northern Ireland."

Ulster Unionist MLA for Lagan Valley Billy Bell said the decision
confirmed Lisburn's position at the heart of the Northern Ireland
economy.

He said: "It was an entirely logical decision and confirms Lisburn's
role as the enterprise capital of Northern Ireland."

Lisburn Ulster Unionist councillor Basil McCrea said: "It's fantastic
news economically for the Lisburn area and will ensure that, as a
retail centre, Sprucefield can only go from strength to strength."

The SDLP's Lagan Valley MLA Patricia Lewsley welcomed the decision but
warned of the major challenges it presents.

She said: "John Lewis will be the anchor tenant in the new retail park
and has the capacity to pull trade from all over the north and indeed
the south.

"But in order to create footfall, the development at Sprucefield is to
have 29 other retail tenants and their impact will be quite different.
These smaller retailers are likely to pull trade directly out of
Lisburn City Centre.

"There is a great challenge here for Lisburn City Council to work
closely with the traders to ensure balanced regeneration of the whole
of the city and prevent any danger of gradual decline."

Welcoming the news, Sinn Féin Lagan Valley representative Councillor
Paul Butler said there were issues which needed addressed.

He said: "Sinn Féin are aware of the clear benefits of such
developments but have also been consistent in voicing our concerns
about the impact of out-of-town shopping.

"I's vital that there is a clear framework in which decisions such as
this are made and that they're based on the need to ensure wider
economic benefits."

NO

'Decision comes when the retail sector in Belfast needs investment'

The Government's decision to give the green light to the Sprucefield
development was last night met with fierce criticism with Belfast City
Centre Management and Belfast Chamber of Trade vowing to consult with
legal teams to investigate challenging the move.

Reacting angrily to the announcement, Joanne Jennings, Belfast City
Centre manager, described Lord Rooker's decision as having "no basis
in current planning policy at a Northern Ireland or UK level".

She said: "The statement issued by the Minister is frankly
unbelievable.

"Lord Rooker, who has barely arrived in Northern Ireland, is telling
us that this development is in the best interests of the people of
Northern Ireland."

Ms Jennings said Lord Rooker has ignored Government policy and the
recently-published BMAP proposals.

Dave Pennick, senior vice president of Belfast Chamber of Trade &
Commerce, said: "This is a wholly inappropriate development which is
not in anybody's best interests, except those of John Lewis.

"It would not happen anywhere else in the UK or Ireland."

The Federation of Small Businesses also expressed disappointment at
the decision.

John Friel, FSB regional chairman, said: "Once again the Government
have ignored the views and concerns of small business owners by giving
the green light for John Lewis at Sprucefield. While we acknowledge
that it will bring jobs for some, it will also cost many more jobs and
force many small retailers to close in Belfast and other surrounding
towns.

"If the Government is serious about wanting small businesses to be the
backbone of our economy, it must call a moratorium on the building of
any more out of town shopping centres."

Belfast Lord Mayor Wallace Browne said he was deeply concerned at the
decision as it was not in keeping with regional development strategy
and BMAP.

He added: "It undermines our efforts to revitalise the city centres of
Belfast and Lisburn which are now only starting to recover after 30
years of difficult times. This decision will set us back enormously."

He said Belfast and Lisburn retailers would meet to consider what
action to take.

SDLP MP Alasdair McDonnell said the decision was a "body blow" to
retail confidence in Belfast.

He said: "The Minister's decision comes at a time when the retail
sector in Belfast city centre really does need further investment from
private sector developers and support from the Government.

"High street retailers are experiencing a dip in consumer spending
meanwhile Government ministers are forcing through controversial plans
that will only serve to damage business confidence in the city."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=643524

Ulster 'Failing To Protect Wildlife'

By David Gordon
02 June 2005

A well known environmental charity has branded Northern Ireland
"bottom of the league" for safeguarding important nature sites.

The RSPB made the claim while launching a major campaign for an
increase in the number of designated Areas of Special Scientific
Interest (ASSIs) here.

The drive is being backed by Nick Baker, television's Really Wild Show
presenter, who begins a four-day visit to the province today.

ASSIs are identified because of their wildlife and geological value.

The thrust of the RSPB's campaign is to persuade the government to
declare an additional 200 sites by 2010, helping Northern Ireland to
meet a European target to halt loss of wildlife by that date.

The organisation is also pressing for better monitoring and management
of designated sites and says 58 have already been damaged or partly
destroyed.

"Northern Ireland currently comes at the bottom of the league table
for site protection in the UK," said Dr James Robinson, RSPB's
Conservation Manager.

"We are sitting at 6% of land area protected for wildlife and geology,
when we should be at 10%.

"It is unacceptable that so little progress has been made on the
declaration and protection of ASSIs over the last 20 years."

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4602775.stm

One Dead After Explosion At Plant

One person has been killed in an explosion at a water treatment plant
in County Londonderry.

Two other people were injured in the blast at Carmoney treatment works
in Eglinton.

It is not known if the explosion could be linked to chemicals used at
the plant. A major incident was declared over fears fumes may have
escaped.

Residents in the Eglinton and Campsie area were advised to stay
indoors before the area was declared safe.

Altnagelvin hospital in Londonderry put its major emergency plan into
effect.

I looked up in the sky and saw this huge tank - it was about 150-200
ft above the factory on the hill

Geoff Ennis

Eyewitness

A spokesman for the ambulance service said two people had been taken
to the hospital, but their injuries were not life threatening.

An ambulance crew dealing with any potential infection was also sent
to the scene as a precaution, but their services were not required, a
spokesman said.

Geoff Ennis, who works at a motor dealership just a few hundred yards
from the plant, heard the explosion.

"We heard the bang and I was walking out the workshop door out to get
mileage off one of the vehicles.

"I looked up in the sky and saw this huge tank. It was about 150-200
ft above the factory on the hill.

"At first, I thought it was a hot air balloon or something that had
blown up, it was up at such a great height. I had a closer look and it
was like a storage tank, falling to the ground then."

BBC Radio Foyle reporter Enda McClafferty, who is at the scene, said a
hole had been blown in the roof of a building about 1015 BST on
Thursday.

It is believed there was a construction team on the site as well as
several Water Service employees.

Later on Thursday, police said that there was no longer a risk to
public safety following the incident at the waterworks site.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/06/02 11:29:49 GMT
© BBC MMV

******************************************

http://www.localtechwire.com/article.cfm?u=11461

Roar Of Celtic Tiger: Lessons To Be Learned By Our Leaders

By Joan P.H. Myers, Special To LTW

Editor's note: Joan P.H. Myers is president and chief executive
officer of the North Carolina Technology Association. Myers is a 2004-
2005 Eisenhower Fellow, and studied Cyber Security and Cyber Terrorism
in Ireland.
----

RALEIGH - I recently had an opportunity to spend quite a bit of time
in Ireland. I had been awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship and went to
study cyber security and cyber terrorism.

To pursue my topic I met with a host of technology companies. In
addition, meetings with many other companies and leaders were included
to fill out the context of my topic.

But to understand cyber backbones and the various layers of cyber
security, one must delve into the growth and expansion of the
technologies industry in the country and understand the factors that
led to the accelerated change.

Joan P.H. Myers

What was the secret of the Celtic Tiger?

What had transformed this nation from a country of out migration to
now the third wealthiest nation on the globe?

As I began my studies I was enthusiastic to lay this context and delve
into the secrets of the knowledge industry explosion in Ireland.

Quality of Life? Not

Not being an economic developer, I approached this from how we herald
our strengths in North Carolina. So first I would start with quality
of life. I've really never understood how you package your greatest
selling point as "quality of life" to a corporate community. You
can't really pay your mortgage with "quality of life," but then again,
that is taking it to an extreme. I guess if I was a CEO of a major
corporation I would need to evaluate if I would be able to move a top
tier of leadership and managers to a site to begin operations. I
guess this is where quality of life fits in.

Now I was always taught that you make a move in business based on your
best opportunity for professional growth and what is in the best
interest of your family. So I looked around at quality of life and
came to the immediate conclusion that this was not the main selling
point in Ireland. Unlike many of the vacation brochures I had seen
depicting a sunny, sparkling "emerald isle" I did not see the sun in
two weeks.

Dublin and the region around it where many of the tech companies are
based, is extremely expensive. Housing costs are through the roof,
traffic is an increasing issue, and food, fuel and entertainment are
costly too. They do have some lovely golf courses, but 9 out of 10
times you would be teeing up under a nice Irish Mist or "cloud" as it
is often called. I took "quality of life" off the list.

So what was it that boomed this economy?

Next I looked at incentive packages. Where were the super -duper
mega deals carefully crafted to fit a single companies needs? I did
not come across any. Maybe I need a special clearance to learn these
secrets?

So what made the Celtic Tiger roar? What secrets fueled this economic
expansion and spread the seeds of innovation and opportunity?

Finally, I came out and asked. Over, and over the answer was given
to me in plain, straight forward English… with a lilt.

Tax rate and workforce, tax rate and workforce, tax rate and
workforce.

In the early 90"s Irish business and public sector leaders looked at
ways to stabilize and diversify their economy. They were plagued
with many of the same issues North Carolina faces. A concentrated
urban population and a significant rural population, fierce
competition from its European neighbors, jobs moving out of old line
industry. Their solution was historic. They did not consider an
incremental approach. They laid out a bold leap and courageously
implemented new policy that catapulted them into the 21st century.

What was the secret? What was the magic?

Secret Sauce, Ingredient I: Tax Policy

They dramatically cut their tax rate on foreign investment. At the
time, the corporate tax rate in Ireland was around 40 percent. They
cut their tax rate to around 12 percent for foreign investment,
essentially un-leveling the playing field significantly across all of
Europe and the British Isles.

It worked. Boy did it work.

IBM went from around 400 employees to 4,000, Symantec, Intel,
Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard all created significant operations and the
Tiger caught its stride.

Around these giants came small entrepreneurial local ventures too.
Many of the small companies that boomed at the end of the 90's
suffered or became extinct in the economic downtown of the last few
years. However, the talent was absorbed and the entrepreneurs are
gaining ground again.

The point that was drummed into me was that these initial policies
were not a "ratchet down" of tax rate, a "point or two" in percentage.
This was a bold and dramatic shift. It registered on the global radar
and the results were huge.

Becoming part of the European Union brought new challenges and
opportunities, but once again the leadership in Ireland executed a
bold approach. When faced with pressures to not allow further
reductions in outside investment tax rates, Ireland moved down their
in country corporate tax rate and the fuel of that change is now
beginning to have its affect.

More Than Tax Policy

So tax policy created the Tiger but what made it roar? What other
elements led to this transformative change?

Smart young people were and are the voice of the Tiger. A strong
emphasis on STEM education, science, technology, engineering and math
has helped create a cadre of young, digital workers that are the key
ingredient for any knowledge-based company to site, grow and expand.

Clearly, Ireland faces many of the challenges North Carolina does in
the education realm. They struggle with a high drop out rate in their
secondary education (analogous to high school) especially in their
rural areas. But there is a strong push here to pursue education and
their program offerings are significant in all areas that feed into
the economic chain. Classes for "part time learners," e-learning
initiatives, continuing education, and out reach to "school leavers"
(drop outs) are just some of the programs that complement a strong
University climate.

When asking the 20 somethings what they did now and what they studied
in school, many noted that they studied "computers or engineering even
if they did not contemplate fully at the time that area as a career
choice. Why I asked? Because that is the future, that's what you
need to know right?"

I had the special opportunity to visit a "secondary school" in
Northern Ireland and hear a lecture from the Nobel Poet Laureate,
Seamus Heaney. Interestingly, this school, a high school in our
terms, has had two Noble Prize winners. Knowing this, I was very
interested in finding out what made these young people "tick." So I
talked to the young men before the program. What made them different?

The first told me he was 16 ½ - almost 17. School was "good" he
really liked sports, had an ipod and when I asked him about computers
and technology he said it was just part of life. He did not know what
he would do career-wise yet, but would probably be in business.

Seamus Heaney spoke to the importance of the classics and the patterns
they reveal. He wove modern experiences, his poetry, The Troubles,
verse from Frost and other poets, 9/11 and opportunities for the
future into an inspiring and fascinating hour. He spoke not to the
audience of dignitaries and alumnus. He spoke to the kids.

It struck me how important it was for leaders from all walks of life
and endeavor to get into schools and share experiences. In parallel,
in almost every technology company I visited, they noted their
commitment and contributions to education. The companies were
involved in community efforts, the University and various projects and
initiatives that would help shape the next workforce generation.

The answer to the roar of the Celtic Tiger was tax policy and
education. But perhaps the biggest lesson was bold leadership and
engagement. In almost every meeting I had, leaders were focused on
the pressing issues of the day, but clearly looking at the issues on
the horizon.

How will they embrace and benefit from increasing globalization? How
do they encourage more science, technology and math education? How
do they grapple with infrastructure issues?

There seemed to be a consensus that bold ideas will need to be in play
again to stay competitive. But at the same time, boldness and desire
for change seem to be imbued qualities of the Tiger… Perhaps we can
learn a little from its roar.
----

Joan P.H. Myers is President & CEO of NCTA, the leading North Carolina
technology advocacy organization. For more information, please visit:
http://www.nc-tech.org

******************************************

http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=3080295&p=3x8x3yx&n=3080387

Temperatures To Rise By Up To Two Degrees In Next 50 Years

02/06/2005 - 12:28:22

Global warming is set to have a direct impact on Irish temperatures in
the coming 50 years, according to a study conducted by researchers
from Met Éireann and University College Dublin.

The study, published today, predicted that average temperatures would
increase by between 1.5 and two degrees by mid-century as a result of
carbon dioxide emissions.

The increase is expected to produce drier summers in the south and
east of the country and wetter winters, mainly in the north-west.

Met Éireann and UCD said the worst damage could be caused to the
agriculture sector, which thrives on Ireland's current climate and
would be particularly prone to increased flooding.

******************************************

http://www.dailynewstribune.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=56736

Obit: Steede Remembered As Quiet, In Charge Fire Chief

By Jennifer Roy / Daily News Staff
Thursday, June 2, 2005

WALTHAM -- Known for his no-nonsense ways of firefighting and his love
for Irish song, former Fire Chief Joseph Steede is remembered by
longtime friends and colleagues as a smart man who was always in
control.

Born and raised in Waltham, Steede died at home Monday. He was 78.

"He was a brilliant guy who decided to follow in his family's
profession," said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy. "He was a gentle type of
leader and will be sorely missed in the community."

Steede served as Waltham's fire chief from 1984 to 1990, following in
his late father John's footsteps. John Steede served as fire chief
from 1956 to 1964.

Steede also has two nephews on the department.

"I think people would agree with me, he was an intelligent man," said
Fire Chief Thomas Keough. "He was a silent man, but a good, hard
worker."

Steede graduated from Waltham High School in 1943 and joined the Coast
Guard soon after, serving until the end of World War II.

He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1950,
where he played on the golf team. He joined the Waltham Fire
Department in 1953.

His longtime friend Charlie McCarthy will tell you Steede spent his
freshman year at Harvard when he was just 16.

"He was very quiet, but he had a good head on his shoulders," said
McCarthy. "He was a very attentive man."

Steede was McCarthy's best man in his wedding and is godson to his
first-born son. Steede never married.

McCarthy recalled the days growing up with Steede in the Highland
section of the city. "He was a great guy," he said. "Golf was his
forte."

But it was his command at a fire scene that colleagues will remember
most.

"He was very controlled. He knew how to direct and control his men,"
said Keough. "You didn't even know he was there until he put a hand on
your shoulder and gave you an order."

Lt. Bob Sweeney said the firefighters looked up to and respected
Steede.

"He was quiet, but he got the most out of his men at a fire," Sweeney
said. "He was a good man. He was a fun man.

"He played golf, he sang Irish songs. He was one of the guys."

Steede was promoted to lieutenant in 1957, captain in 1963 and deputy
chief in 1965.

He had been a former member of the Massachusetts Fire Chiefs
Association and the International Association of Firefighters Local
866.

He had also been a member of the John M. Sullivan Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post 10334 in Waltham, the Ancient Order of Hibernians in
Watertown, Woodland Golf Club in Newton and the Loyal Order of Moose
Lodge 1018 in Waltham.

Steede will be laid to rest Saturday at 9 a.m. from the Joyce Funeral
Home, 245 Main St., followed by a funeral Mass in Saint Mary's Church,
133 School St., Waltham.

Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.

Visiting hours are tomorrow from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.

Memorial donations may be made to Moose Heart c/o Moose Charities, 155
South International Drive, Mooseheart, IL 50539-1100.

(Jennifer Roy is a Daily News staff writer. She can be reached at 781-
398-8005 or jroy@cnc.com.)

******************************************

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1698&dept_id=21847&newsid=14625862&PAG=461&rfi=9

Obit: Kathleen (Barrett) Horvath

06/02/2005

A Mass of Christian Burial for Kathleen (Barrett) Horvath, 95, of
Painesville, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church,
242 North State St., in Painesville.

Kathleen

(Barrett) Horvath

A Mass of Christian Burial for Kathleen (Barrett) Horvath, 95, of
Painesville, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church,
242 North State St., in Painesville.

Mrs. Horvath died June 1, 2005, at her daughter's home in Painesville.

Born March 4, 1910, in County Mayo, Ireland, she settled in Lake
County at the age of 19. She had lived in Painesville since 1934.

She was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Painesville, and the
Legion of Mary, Altar and Rosary Society, and Marion Club, all of St.
Mary Church. She was also a member of the Eastside Irish-American Club
in Euclid. Her hobbies included needlepoint and knitting. She was an
avid history reader and a loving mother, grandmother, and great-
grandmother, who made her family the center of her life.

Mrs. Horvath was a private gourmet chef.

Survivors are her daughters, Maureen (Laurence) Logan of Perry and
Bonnie (Craig) Artman of Painesville; grandchildren, Mark, Todd,
Sandra, Matthew, Sean, and Jennifer; great-grandchildren, Alex, Eric,
Elena, Giana, Tala, Skyler, Heather, Rachael, Lauren, Domenick,
Ashlyn, and Andrew; half-brothers, Tom, James, and Tony Barrett of
Ireland; and half-sisters, Mary and Breda Barrett of Ireland.

Her husband, Frank J. Horvath Jr., died in 1991. Her parents, Anthony
and Mary (Creane) Barrett; three brothers; and two sisters, are also
deceased.

Friends may call 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Spear-Mulqueeny
Funeral Home, 667 Mentor Ave., in Painesville. Burial will be in
Riverside Cemetery in Painesville.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to
Hospice of the Western Reserve, 300 E. 185th St., Cleveland 44119, or
St. Mary Church.

©The News-Herald 2005