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News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)
November 02, 2006
Adams Calls For No More Setbacks
News About Ireland & The Irish
UT 11/02/06 Adams Calls For No More Setbacks
UT 11/02/06 Hain: Deadlines Will Not Be Allowed To Slip
BB 11/02/06 Funding Package 'Needs More Work'
RT 11/02/06 Package Conditional On Power Restoration
RT 11/02/06 Ex-IRA Spy Arrested In London
BT 11/02/06 Hain Hits Back In IRA Fugitives Row
BT 11/02/06 Opin: Solid Gold At The End Of Political Rainbow
BT 11/02/06 Red Wine Molecule Is Shown To Extend Life
BT 11/02/06 New Colin Farrell To Star In Good Friday Agreement Movie
RT 11/02/06 Irish Population Is Out Of Kilter - Report
*********************
http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=77640&pt=n
Adams Calls For No More Setbacks
The Government was been urged by Gerry Adams not to let any
more deadlines on the road back to power sharing at
Stormont slip.
By:Press Association
As he prepared for a meeting with Irish taoiseach Bertie
Ahern in Dublin today, the Sinn Fein president said the
failure of Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain to allow
the new Stormont Programme for Government Committee to hold
its first meeting was a mistake.
And he insisted it would be a further setback for Northern
Ireland`s political process if the November 24 deadline for
the nomination of new First and Deputy First Ministers were
also to slip.
He told the Press Association: "The refusal by Ian Paisley
to attend the Programme for Government Committee that month
was undoubtedly a setback in the wake of the St Andrews
talks.
"We should not try to minimise that. The subsequent
decision by Peter Hain to cancel the Programme for
Government Committee at Ian Paisley`s behest was a mistake
and I have made that point to him.
"In our view there is no reason why November 24 should also
slip and I have told Peter Hain that.
"I`ve also told him he should convene the assembly that
day."
Mr Adams, who met Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday ahead
of a multi-party discussion with Chancellor of the
Exchequer Gordon Brown on a multi-billion pound peace
dividend for a new Stormont government, is currently
consulting his party on the St Andrews proposals put
forward last month by the two governments to secure power
sharing.
Mr Blair and Mr Ahern have given the Northern Ireland
parties until November 10 to say whether they will
implement the proposals.
If they refuse to do so the Assembly will be wound down and
the prospect of devolved government will have been lost
possibly for a generation.
The British and Irish governments will also have to put
into place their Plan B.
If they do commit themselves to the St Andrews agreement,
Sinn Fein will have to join with the other Assembly parties
in endorsing the Police Service of Northern Ireland if Mr
Paisley`s Democratic Unionists are to share power with
them.
Both parties are also expected to nominate Mr Paisley and
Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness as First
Deputy Ministers on November 24 in the first in a series of
confidence building measures aimed at securing evolution by
March 26 of next year.
However with both parties at logger heads over the issue of
what oath Mr Paisley and Mr McGuinness will take, there has
been suggestions from the DUP that there could be slippage
on the November 24 deadline.
The DUP also wants a clear signal from Sinn Fein that it is
prepared to urge its supporters to recognise the Police
Service of Northern Ireland as the legitimate force of law
and order and it wants senior members of Gerry Adams` party
to swear to uphold the rule of law.
For Sinn Fein to change its policy on policing, Mr Adams
will first have to call a meeting of his national executive
ahead of a special party conference to discuss the issue.
"Internal consultations are still ongoing and when we have
finished there will have been 60 meetings the length and
breadth of Ireland," he said.
Mr Adams said yesterday`s meeting with the Chancellor
involving senior DUP, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist,
nationalist, SDLP and cross-community alliance party
members represented political progress.
"I think it was important because we had people with
different manifestos and different analysis able to agree
on the broad principles and have a sense of the measures
required to give an incoming executive the capacity to
deliver for all of the people we represent," he said.
*********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=77641&pt=n
Hain: Deadlines Will Not Be Allowed To Slip
The Government will not allow Northern Ireland's devolution
deadlines to slip, Peter Hain has insisted.
By:Press Association
As Sinn Fein prepared to meet Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
in Dublin, the Northern Ireland Secretary today insisted
politicians must make their minds up next week on whether
they would implement the St Andrews Agreement for restoring
power sharing next March or not.
"The deadlines won`t slip," he told PA. "I need to know
from the parties on Friday next week whether they are up
for the St Andrews Agreement or not.
"We have, of course, since the St Andrews talks, been
clarifying points and negotiating with the parties. However
the decision must be made next week. They need to tell us
if they will remain on board the train, if they want to get
off it or derail it.
"But as far as we are concerned the destination is
devolution by March 26 next year and along the way there
will be the nomination of First and Deputy First Ministers
on November 24.
"Now they can either have that or the dissolution of the
Assembly. It is a simple choice. I don`t think people in
Northern Ireland would respond well to talk about extending
deadlines, given that the politicians have yet to do the
job they were elected to do for over four years."
Mr Hain was responding to claims by senior Democratic
Unionist Nigel Dodds that the timetable leading to power-
sharing next March may not be achievable.
The North Belfast MP said with Sinn Fein not yet taking the
first steps towards changing its policing policy, the
deadlines set out by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mr Ahern
were beginning to look unrealistic.
"In my view they (the deadlines) are increasingly
unrealistic because it`s clear Sinn Fein aren`t even
prepared to make the first minimum move that needs to be
done on policing," said Mr Dodds.
"Remember we still have an IMC (Independent Monitoring
Commission) report that has to deal with the whole issue of
terrorist structures - the Army Council and all of that
stuff.
"So what we will do is judge everything by the delivery and
actions of the IRA and Sinn Fein - that will be the crucial
issue, not dates set in a calendar by the Government."
The Rev Ian Paisley`s DUP wants Sinn Fein to call a meeting
of its national executive and then a special party
conference on policing before it can move on power sharing.
As he headed to Dublin, Mr Adams said his party was still
engaged in internal discussions and he could not yet move
on convening the special party conference.
The West Belfast MP insisted it would be a serious blow for
the political process if the November 24 deadline for the
nomination of Mr Paisley and Sinn Fein`s Martin McGuinness
as the new Stormont First and Deputy First Ministers were
to slip.
"The refusal by Ian Paisley to attend the Programme for
Government Committee that month was undoubtedly a setback
in the wake of the St Andrews talks," he said.
"We should not try to minimise that. The subsequent
decision by Peter Hain to cancel the Programme for
Government Committee at Ian Paisley`s behest was a mistake
and I have made that point to him.
"In our view there is no reason why November 24 should also
slip and I have told Peter Hain that. I`ve also told him he
should convene the Assembly that day."
Sinn Fein is holding 60 internal meetings the length and
breadth of Ireland on the St Andrews Agreement, including
the demand for it to finally endorse the Police Service of
Northern Ireland.
Party chair and Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald, Newry and
Armagh MP Conor Murphy and Kerry North TD Martin Ferris are
heading the exercise.
The DUP has also been holding internal consultations, with
meetings across Northern Ireland, and last week it
published a four-page document in newspapers pointing out
how the St Andrews Agreement had advanced the unionist
cause.
The Rev Ian Paisley`s party has urged its supporters to
fill in a form indicating their views on the proposals.
The party`s MEP Jim Allister, however, has already
expressed reservations about proposals for an Irish
Language Act at Westminster, the removal of employment
barriers for ex-paramilitary prisoners, its insistence on a
system of mandatory power-sharing and its failure to compel
the Provisional IRA to wind down its command structures
before power-sharing.
*********************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6108212.stm
Funding Package 'Needs More Work'
Northern Ireland's political parties have said more work
must to be done to finalise the so-called peace dividend.
Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced a œ50bn spending
package linked to the establishment of a Stormont
executive.
However, the parties are disappointed the chancellor has
not offered to cut corporation tax.
The DUP called the funding an "opening offer" which was no
more than œ3bn of new money, while Sinn Fein leader Gerry
Adams said it was still early days.
The parties want corporation tax reduced from 30% to match
the Irish Republic's rate of 12.5%.
'Extraordinary settlement'
However, according to Northern Ireland Secretary Peter
Hain, the package on offer represents an "extraordinary
settlement".
One economist said the new money could be as little as
œ2.5bn, but Mr Hain said even this sum would be generous.
"If it were only œ2.5bn, people ought to be grabbing it
before the chancellor has a chance to close his red box,"
Mr Hain told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster on Thursday.
"No other part of the United Kingdom, including Wales which
I also represent as its secretary of state, has got
anything like this package."
Mr Brown, who announced the package after Wednesday's talks
with Northern Ireland's political parties, said the funding
would be worth œ50,000 per household in Northern Ireland.
The general consensus afterwards among the politicians was
that more work needed to be done to finalise the so-called
peace dividend.
Mr Adams said the chancellor had indicated he was prepared
to talk further on the subject of corporation tax.
Mr Adams said: "We have to come at this positively.
"The British chancellor has come up with a whole series of
measures. We have to look at the detail of it."
DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson said: "The chancellor has
to start from some point - we might have hoped he could
start from a slightly higher point than he did.
"It is necessary to get this package to a state where it is
acceptable."
Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said that they were
"disappointed" by the response on corporation tax.
But he added: "I don't think this marks the end of it. We
have to use this as the commencement of a process."
The SDLP's Mark Durkan said the detail of the package still
needed to be studied.
Mr Hain said EU law banned the government from lowering
corporation tax levels solely in Northern Ireland.
"There is a problem in that our legal advice tells us that
under the Azores ruling, it is illegal under EU rules for a
member state to allow one region to adjust its level of
corporation tax while maintaining another level in the rest
of the country.
"In other words, you can reduce the level of corporation
tax for everybody in the UK or nobody at all. Sinn Fein and
the DUP have challenged that - we are getting our Treasury
experts on to it."
Mr Brown said he was still considering the parties' views
on the package, but there was much there to attract inward
investment and stimulate the economy.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/11/02 09:26:31 GMT
c BBC MMVI
*********************
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1102/northpolitics.html?rss
Package Conditional On Power Restoration
02 November 2006 12:41
The Government is to study proposals by British Chancellor
Gordon Brown for an economic package to underpin the
Northern Ireland peace process before announcing its own
plans.
T naiste Michael McDowell told the D il that Mr Brown's
plan represented a 'very significant programme of
expenditure over many years'.
Earlier, the Northern Secretary, Peter Hain, said the
economic package unveiled for Northern Ireland is entirely
conditional on the restoration of power sharing at
Stormont.
Advertisement
Mr Brown said that around œ50 billion would be pumped into
Northern Ireland over the next ten years.
However, Mr Hain rejected calls for a lowering of the
corporation tax rate to the same level as that in the
Republic.
Speaking on RT Radio, Mr Hain said the British government
was prevented from lowering the tax rate under EU rules.
*********************
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1102/northcrime.html?rss
Ex-IRA Spy Arrested In London
02 November 2006 13:05
A former British soldier who infiltrated the IRA and who is
wanted for questioning in connection with two paramilitary
murders has been flown to Northern Ireland from London.
The 46-year old-man, known as Kevin Fulton, was a former
British soldier who infiltrated the IRA during the Troubles
and became a double agent.
He was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in southeast
London yesterday and flown to Belfast.
He is being questioned in the serious crime suite at Antrim
Police Station about two murders in the Newry area of Co
Down in 1990.
In one of the incidents, 23-year-old Eoin Morley, a member
of the IPLO, was shot dead by the IRA.
In the other, Irish Ranger Cyril Smith was killed after an
IRA car bomb was driven into a border vehicle checkpoint at
Killeen and exploded.
It is thought the arrest of Kevin Fulton may have been
requested by the PSNI's Historical Inquiries Team.
It is examining 3,000 murders committed between 1969 and
the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, in an attempt to
establish if new evidence can be established and charges
brought.
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=712696
Hain Hits Back In IRA Fugitives Row
By Chris Thornton
02 November 2006
Peter Hain has proposed that the on-the-runs issue may
eventually "need to be considered as part of a much broader
range of issues dealing with the legacy of the past".
He makes the suggestion in today's Belfast Telegraph - even
as the DUP insisted the question of IRA fugitives has been
"put to rest once and for all" by Prime Minister Tony
Blair.
Mr Hain wrote today's article in response to reports in
this newspaper raising questions about the Government's
OTRs policy.
While Mr Hain and Mr Blair say there will be no amnesty,
the Secretary of State and another Cabinet Minister also
told the US government that they remain "committed to
addressing these cases" and are "keen to make progress on
this".
In today's article, Mr Hain repeats that there is "an
anomaly" in the legal position of OTRs.
He said the legislation for dealing with this is dead, but
"the anomaly remains". He said the Government is "currently
reflecting on the way forward".
"I think it will need to be considered as part of a much
broader range of issues dealing with the legacy of the past
in Northern Ireland," he writes, adding that "clearly we
are not yet at that point".
Last night DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he accepts the
assurances the Prime Minister gave yesterday.
"It needs to be understood this matter is put to rest once
and for all and indeed that is what I asked the Prime
Minister to do," he said.
"The Prime Minister has made it clear that there is going
to be no amnesty for IRA terrorists on the run. Neither
will it be done by reintroducing the deeply offensive
legislation or by some kind of back door deal.
"We will hold him to that commitment. We have made it clear
that any move of that kind will be a deal breaker."
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/story.jsp?story=712621
Opin: Solid Gold At The End Of Political Rainbow
02 November 2006
The fears and hopes of Northern Ireland were neatly
encapsulated in grossly contrasting events yesterday. The
province awoke in the morning to news that everyone hoped
had been consigned to the past ? the firebombing and multi-
million pound destruction of retail premises. Yet by
nightfall there was the promise that if the political
parties can agree to share power in a devolved government,
the province would be in line for a peace dividend running
into billions of pounds.
It was a vivid demonstration of just how crucial are the
current peace negotiations. Failure by the politicians to
reach agreement will only strengthen the hand of the
dissident republicans blamed for yesterday's arson attacks
and leave a vacuum ripe for exploitation by terrorists from
both sides of the community. On the other hand, the
restoration of an Executive at Stormont will bring in much
needed extra funding for services and infrastructure.
The Chancellor ? and probable next Prime Minister ? Gordon
Brown unveiled a œ50bn package for the province to be
delivered over the next 10 years. The bulk of the money,
œ35bn, will come in the next four years if an Executive is
agreed and running by next March. On top of that there will
be œ18bn for investment in infrastructure over 10 years.
Even allowing for the normal "smoke and mirrors" accounting
processes of the Treasury, Mr Brown's funding package is a
generous one, representing real additional spending power.
It would give any fledgling Stormont Government extra
funding for creative and innovative measures to kick-start
an economy which is still far too over-reliant on the
public sector. It would also enable Ministers to invest
substantially in infrastructure which was neglected during
the long years of the Troubles and, perhaps, also address
controversial issues such as water charges and the capping
of domestic and industrial rates.
The fact that the political parties went to London
yesterday to ask Mr Brown for extra investment in Northern
Ireland is, perhaps, the clearest indication of their
intent to follow the St Andrews roadmap towards devolution.
The Chancellor, in return, showed them that there is a
substantial pot of gold waiting at the end of that road. It
remains their choice if they want to travel the extra mile.
The establishment of a power-sharing government would be a
tremendous economic catalyst on its own. Foreign businesses
repeatedly cite the absence of political stability as a
negative factor when weighing up whether to invest in
Northern Ireland. However, it is a matter of concern that
Mr Brown has continued to prevaricate on the issue of
reducing the province's corporation tax rate to the same
level as in the Republic.
A combination of a new government and a new corporation tax
rate would be a powerful magnet for inward investment. And
with Mr Brown's funding package helping to modernise
services and infrastructure, next year could see the
dawning of a new era of prosperity for Northern Ireland.
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=712667
Red Wine Molecule Is Shown To Extend Life
02 November 2006
A natural substance found in red wine can extend life and
counter the negative effects of an unhealthy high-fat diet,
a study has found. The findings may go some way to explain
the "French paradox" of a national diet rich in animal fats
apparently not resulting in excessive deaths from heart
disease.
The study was carried out on mice fed on a diet so high in
saturated fats that it was equivalent to eating a cream
cake with every meal. Mice on the fatty diet became obese,
suffered health disorders such as liver and heart disease
and died significantly earlier than mice on normal diets.
But when a second group of mice on the high-fat diet were
given resveratrol, a plant extract found in grapes, their
health and longevity were almost indistinguishable from
normal mice, although they still became obese.
Resveratrol has already been shown to extend the lifespan
of yeast, worms, flies and fish but this is the first study
to demonstrate the same effects on warm-blooded mammals.
"After six months, resveratrol essentially prevented most
of the negative effects of the high-calorie diet in mice,"
said Rafael de Cabo of the US National Institute on Ageing.
The study, published in the journal Nature, demonstrated
that resveratrol changed the metabolism of the mice in such
a way that they were more protected against the side-
effects of an unhealthy diet, said Professor David Sinclair
of Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Resveratrol is produced by a range of plants in response to
environmental stress and it appears to work by activating a
key gene in mammals called SIRT1 which produces an enzyme
link-ed to extending lifespan.
Professor Sinclair said: "[It] may mean we can stave off in
humans age-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart
disease, and cancer, but only time and more research will
tell."
Fat, middle-aged mice in the study were far more likely to
die prematurely compared to normal mice. Yet when given
resveratrol the risk of death in the same group fell by 31
per cent - putting then on a par with mice on a healthy
diet.
"We won't have final lifespan numbers until all of the mice
pass away," said Professor Sinclair, "... but there is no
question we are seeing increased longevity."
Other tests showed that the mice given resveratrol
outperformed their fat cousins in terms of agility and co-
ordination. "The mice on resveratrol have not been just
living longer, they are also living more active, better
lives.," Professor Sinclair said.
Matt Kaeberlein and Peter Rabinovich of the University of
Washington in Seattle warned people not rush out and buy
resveratrol. "Many people will wonder whether they should
start supplementing their diets with resveratrol," they say
in a Nature editorial. "Our advice is to exercise caution.
The safety of resveratrol at the high doses in humans
comparable to those used [in the study] is unknown,
especially over the course of years or even decades."
"For now we counsel patience. Just sit back and relax with
a glass of red wine - which, alas, has only 0.3 per cent of
the relative resveratrol dose given to the gluttonous
mice."
The effects on mice
* Mouse fed on a standard diet grew to normal size and
lived an average lifespan. Tests showed no signs of damage
to organs or ill health
* Mouse fed on high-fat diet became overweight and suffered
observable damage to liver, heart and malfunctions in
metabolic pathways. Died prematurely
* Mouse fed on high-fat diet with resveratrol also became
obese but had a normal lifespan. It was more active and
vital organs were undamaged by its diet
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=712634
'New Colin Farrell' To Star In Good Friday Agreement Movie
By Claire McNeilly
02 November 2006
A new Irish hunk is about to take Hollywood by storm - by
starring in a major movie about the Good Friday Agreement.
Kevin J Ryan, pictured right, who has already been billed
in Tinseltown as the new Colin Farrell, has already had
small roles in The Honeymooners and The Fast and The
Furious 3.
But the 23-year old is over the moon after getting his big
break on a new thriller called Tyrone.
The movie sees Kevin taking on the leading role of a
Trinity College graduate who is recruited by the IRA just
before the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
"It's a great opportunity for me and I'm delighted to be
part of a movie based on Ireland's recent history. It is an
exciting role," said Dubliner Kevin.
Kevin is due to start filming in LA in November but some
scenes will also be shot in Ireland.
Tyrone starts shooting next month in California.
*********************
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1102/population.html?rss
Irish Population Is Out Of Kilter - Report
02 November 2006 13:24
Ireland's population profile is completely out of kilter
with the rest of Europe, according to a report published
today by NCB Stockbrokers.
The report says that while the population of the 25
countries of the EU is expected to stay broadly the same
until 2020, the population of the EU 15 (the EU without the
recent Accession states) will rise as people from the newer
member states move around for employment.
NCB's report says there will be marginal growth in the 15-
64 age group in the EU 25 until 2010, but in Ireland the
15-64 age group will rise much more sharply than in any
other European country.
Advertisement
Ireland will be trailed by Luxembourg, Cyprus, the UK and
France.
Dependancy, or those aged over-65 and under-15, is set to
be quite stable in the EU for the next four years, then it
will rise sharply.
However, dependency in the Accession countries will be low
because of low numbers in the over-65 age group.
The report from NCB also says that, proportionally, Ireland
will receive the biggest number of its immigrants from the
Accession countries.
It also says that Ireland, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Portugal
are expected to have the biggest immigrant flows per 1,000
population in the years ahead.
----
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To November Index
To Index of Monthly Archives
UT 11/02/06 Adams Calls For No More Setbacks
UT 11/02/06 Hain: Deadlines Will Not Be Allowed To Slip
BB 11/02/06 Funding Package 'Needs More Work'
RT 11/02/06 Package Conditional On Power Restoration
RT 11/02/06 Ex-IRA Spy Arrested In London
BT 11/02/06 Hain Hits Back In IRA Fugitives Row
BT 11/02/06 Opin: Solid Gold At The End Of Political Rainbow
BT 11/02/06 Red Wine Molecule Is Shown To Extend Life
BT 11/02/06 New Colin Farrell To Star In Good Friday Agreement Movie
RT 11/02/06 Irish Population Is Out Of Kilter - Report
*********************
http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=77640&pt=n
Adams Calls For No More Setbacks
The Government was been urged by Gerry Adams not to let any
more deadlines on the road back to power sharing at
Stormont slip.
By:Press Association
As he prepared for a meeting with Irish taoiseach Bertie
Ahern in Dublin today, the Sinn Fein president said the
failure of Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain to allow
the new Stormont Programme for Government Committee to hold
its first meeting was a mistake.
And he insisted it would be a further setback for Northern
Ireland`s political process if the November 24 deadline for
the nomination of new First and Deputy First Ministers were
also to slip.
He told the Press Association: "The refusal by Ian Paisley
to attend the Programme for Government Committee that month
was undoubtedly a setback in the wake of the St Andrews
talks.
"We should not try to minimise that. The subsequent
decision by Peter Hain to cancel the Programme for
Government Committee at Ian Paisley`s behest was a mistake
and I have made that point to him.
"In our view there is no reason why November 24 should also
slip and I have told Peter Hain that.
"I`ve also told him he should convene the assembly that
day."
Mr Adams, who met Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday ahead
of a multi-party discussion with Chancellor of the
Exchequer Gordon Brown on a multi-billion pound peace
dividend for a new Stormont government, is currently
consulting his party on the St Andrews proposals put
forward last month by the two governments to secure power
sharing.
Mr Blair and Mr Ahern have given the Northern Ireland
parties until November 10 to say whether they will
implement the proposals.
If they refuse to do so the Assembly will be wound down and
the prospect of devolved government will have been lost
possibly for a generation.
The British and Irish governments will also have to put
into place their Plan B.
If they do commit themselves to the St Andrews agreement,
Sinn Fein will have to join with the other Assembly parties
in endorsing the Police Service of Northern Ireland if Mr
Paisley`s Democratic Unionists are to share power with
them.
Both parties are also expected to nominate Mr Paisley and
Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness as First
Deputy Ministers on November 24 in the first in a series of
confidence building measures aimed at securing evolution by
March 26 of next year.
However with both parties at logger heads over the issue of
what oath Mr Paisley and Mr McGuinness will take, there has
been suggestions from the DUP that there could be slippage
on the November 24 deadline.
The DUP also wants a clear signal from Sinn Fein that it is
prepared to urge its supporters to recognise the Police
Service of Northern Ireland as the legitimate force of law
and order and it wants senior members of Gerry Adams` party
to swear to uphold the rule of law.
For Sinn Fein to change its policy on policing, Mr Adams
will first have to call a meeting of his national executive
ahead of a special party conference to discuss the issue.
"Internal consultations are still ongoing and when we have
finished there will have been 60 meetings the length and
breadth of Ireland," he said.
Mr Adams said yesterday`s meeting with the Chancellor
involving senior DUP, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist,
nationalist, SDLP and cross-community alliance party
members represented political progress.
"I think it was important because we had people with
different manifestos and different analysis able to agree
on the broad principles and have a sense of the measures
required to give an incoming executive the capacity to
deliver for all of the people we represent," he said.
*********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=77641&pt=n
Hain: Deadlines Will Not Be Allowed To Slip
The Government will not allow Northern Ireland's devolution
deadlines to slip, Peter Hain has insisted.
By:Press Association
As Sinn Fein prepared to meet Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
in Dublin, the Northern Ireland Secretary today insisted
politicians must make their minds up next week on whether
they would implement the St Andrews Agreement for restoring
power sharing next March or not.
"The deadlines won`t slip," he told PA. "I need to know
from the parties on Friday next week whether they are up
for the St Andrews Agreement or not.
"We have, of course, since the St Andrews talks, been
clarifying points and negotiating with the parties. However
the decision must be made next week. They need to tell us
if they will remain on board the train, if they want to get
off it or derail it.
"But as far as we are concerned the destination is
devolution by March 26 next year and along the way there
will be the nomination of First and Deputy First Ministers
on November 24.
"Now they can either have that or the dissolution of the
Assembly. It is a simple choice. I don`t think people in
Northern Ireland would respond well to talk about extending
deadlines, given that the politicians have yet to do the
job they were elected to do for over four years."
Mr Hain was responding to claims by senior Democratic
Unionist Nigel Dodds that the timetable leading to power-
sharing next March may not be achievable.
The North Belfast MP said with Sinn Fein not yet taking the
first steps towards changing its policing policy, the
deadlines set out by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mr Ahern
were beginning to look unrealistic.
"In my view they (the deadlines) are increasingly
unrealistic because it`s clear Sinn Fein aren`t even
prepared to make the first minimum move that needs to be
done on policing," said Mr Dodds.
"Remember we still have an IMC (Independent Monitoring
Commission) report that has to deal with the whole issue of
terrorist structures - the Army Council and all of that
stuff.
"So what we will do is judge everything by the delivery and
actions of the IRA and Sinn Fein - that will be the crucial
issue, not dates set in a calendar by the Government."
The Rev Ian Paisley`s DUP wants Sinn Fein to call a meeting
of its national executive and then a special party
conference on policing before it can move on power sharing.
As he headed to Dublin, Mr Adams said his party was still
engaged in internal discussions and he could not yet move
on convening the special party conference.
The West Belfast MP insisted it would be a serious blow for
the political process if the November 24 deadline for the
nomination of Mr Paisley and Sinn Fein`s Martin McGuinness
as the new Stormont First and Deputy First Ministers were
to slip.
"The refusal by Ian Paisley to attend the Programme for
Government Committee that month was undoubtedly a setback
in the wake of the St Andrews talks," he said.
"We should not try to minimise that. The subsequent
decision by Peter Hain to cancel the Programme for
Government Committee at Ian Paisley`s behest was a mistake
and I have made that point to him.
"In our view there is no reason why November 24 should also
slip and I have told Peter Hain that. I`ve also told him he
should convene the Assembly that day."
Sinn Fein is holding 60 internal meetings the length and
breadth of Ireland on the St Andrews Agreement, including
the demand for it to finally endorse the Police Service of
Northern Ireland.
Party chair and Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald, Newry and
Armagh MP Conor Murphy and Kerry North TD Martin Ferris are
heading the exercise.
The DUP has also been holding internal consultations, with
meetings across Northern Ireland, and last week it
published a four-page document in newspapers pointing out
how the St Andrews Agreement had advanced the unionist
cause.
The Rev Ian Paisley`s party has urged its supporters to
fill in a form indicating their views on the proposals.
The party`s MEP Jim Allister, however, has already
expressed reservations about proposals for an Irish
Language Act at Westminster, the removal of employment
barriers for ex-paramilitary prisoners, its insistence on a
system of mandatory power-sharing and its failure to compel
the Provisional IRA to wind down its command structures
before power-sharing.
*********************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6108212.stm
Funding Package 'Needs More Work'
Northern Ireland's political parties have said more work
must to be done to finalise the so-called peace dividend.
Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced a œ50bn spending
package linked to the establishment of a Stormont
executive.
However, the parties are disappointed the chancellor has
not offered to cut corporation tax.
The DUP called the funding an "opening offer" which was no
more than œ3bn of new money, while Sinn Fein leader Gerry
Adams said it was still early days.
The parties want corporation tax reduced from 30% to match
the Irish Republic's rate of 12.5%.
'Extraordinary settlement'
However, according to Northern Ireland Secretary Peter
Hain, the package on offer represents an "extraordinary
settlement".
One economist said the new money could be as little as
œ2.5bn, but Mr Hain said even this sum would be generous.
"If it were only œ2.5bn, people ought to be grabbing it
before the chancellor has a chance to close his red box,"
Mr Hain told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster on Thursday.
"No other part of the United Kingdom, including Wales which
I also represent as its secretary of state, has got
anything like this package."
Mr Brown, who announced the package after Wednesday's talks
with Northern Ireland's political parties, said the funding
would be worth œ50,000 per household in Northern Ireland.
The general consensus afterwards among the politicians was
that more work needed to be done to finalise the so-called
peace dividend.
Mr Adams said the chancellor had indicated he was prepared
to talk further on the subject of corporation tax.
Mr Adams said: "We have to come at this positively.
"The British chancellor has come up with a whole series of
measures. We have to look at the detail of it."
DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson said: "The chancellor has
to start from some point - we might have hoped he could
start from a slightly higher point than he did.
"It is necessary to get this package to a state where it is
acceptable."
Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said that they were
"disappointed" by the response on corporation tax.
But he added: "I don't think this marks the end of it. We
have to use this as the commencement of a process."
The SDLP's Mark Durkan said the detail of the package still
needed to be studied.
Mr Hain said EU law banned the government from lowering
corporation tax levels solely in Northern Ireland.
"There is a problem in that our legal advice tells us that
under the Azores ruling, it is illegal under EU rules for a
member state to allow one region to adjust its level of
corporation tax while maintaining another level in the rest
of the country.
"In other words, you can reduce the level of corporation
tax for everybody in the UK or nobody at all. Sinn Fein and
the DUP have challenged that - we are getting our Treasury
experts on to it."
Mr Brown said he was still considering the parties' views
on the package, but there was much there to attract inward
investment and stimulate the economy.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/11/02 09:26:31 GMT
c BBC MMVI
*********************
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1102/northpolitics.html?rss
Package Conditional On Power Restoration
02 November 2006 12:41
The Government is to study proposals by British Chancellor
Gordon Brown for an economic package to underpin the
Northern Ireland peace process before announcing its own
plans.
T naiste Michael McDowell told the D il that Mr Brown's
plan represented a 'very significant programme of
expenditure over many years'.
Earlier, the Northern Secretary, Peter Hain, said the
economic package unveiled for Northern Ireland is entirely
conditional on the restoration of power sharing at
Stormont.
Advertisement
Mr Brown said that around œ50 billion would be pumped into
Northern Ireland over the next ten years.
However, Mr Hain rejected calls for a lowering of the
corporation tax rate to the same level as that in the
Republic.
Speaking on RT Radio, Mr Hain said the British government
was prevented from lowering the tax rate under EU rules.
*********************
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1102/northcrime.html?rss
Ex-IRA Spy Arrested In London
02 November 2006 13:05
A former British soldier who infiltrated the IRA and who is
wanted for questioning in connection with two paramilitary
murders has been flown to Northern Ireland from London.
The 46-year old-man, known as Kevin Fulton, was a former
British soldier who infiltrated the IRA during the Troubles
and became a double agent.
He was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in southeast
London yesterday and flown to Belfast.
He is being questioned in the serious crime suite at Antrim
Police Station about two murders in the Newry area of Co
Down in 1990.
In one of the incidents, 23-year-old Eoin Morley, a member
of the IPLO, was shot dead by the IRA.
In the other, Irish Ranger Cyril Smith was killed after an
IRA car bomb was driven into a border vehicle checkpoint at
Killeen and exploded.
It is thought the arrest of Kevin Fulton may have been
requested by the PSNI's Historical Inquiries Team.
It is examining 3,000 murders committed between 1969 and
the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, in an attempt to
establish if new evidence can be established and charges
brought.
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=712696
Hain Hits Back In IRA Fugitives Row
By Chris Thornton
02 November 2006
Peter Hain has proposed that the on-the-runs issue may
eventually "need to be considered as part of a much broader
range of issues dealing with the legacy of the past".
He makes the suggestion in today's Belfast Telegraph - even
as the DUP insisted the question of IRA fugitives has been
"put to rest once and for all" by Prime Minister Tony
Blair.
Mr Hain wrote today's article in response to reports in
this newspaper raising questions about the Government's
OTRs policy.
While Mr Hain and Mr Blair say there will be no amnesty,
the Secretary of State and another Cabinet Minister also
told the US government that they remain "committed to
addressing these cases" and are "keen to make progress on
this".
In today's article, Mr Hain repeats that there is "an
anomaly" in the legal position of OTRs.
He said the legislation for dealing with this is dead, but
"the anomaly remains". He said the Government is "currently
reflecting on the way forward".
"I think it will need to be considered as part of a much
broader range of issues dealing with the legacy of the past
in Northern Ireland," he writes, adding that "clearly we
are not yet at that point".
Last night DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he accepts the
assurances the Prime Minister gave yesterday.
"It needs to be understood this matter is put to rest once
and for all and indeed that is what I asked the Prime
Minister to do," he said.
"The Prime Minister has made it clear that there is going
to be no amnesty for IRA terrorists on the run. Neither
will it be done by reintroducing the deeply offensive
legislation or by some kind of back door deal.
"We will hold him to that commitment. We have made it clear
that any move of that kind will be a deal breaker."
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/story.jsp?story=712621
Opin: Solid Gold At The End Of Political Rainbow
02 November 2006
The fears and hopes of Northern Ireland were neatly
encapsulated in grossly contrasting events yesterday. The
province awoke in the morning to news that everyone hoped
had been consigned to the past ? the firebombing and multi-
million pound destruction of retail premises. Yet by
nightfall there was the promise that if the political
parties can agree to share power in a devolved government,
the province would be in line for a peace dividend running
into billions of pounds.
It was a vivid demonstration of just how crucial are the
current peace negotiations. Failure by the politicians to
reach agreement will only strengthen the hand of the
dissident republicans blamed for yesterday's arson attacks
and leave a vacuum ripe for exploitation by terrorists from
both sides of the community. On the other hand, the
restoration of an Executive at Stormont will bring in much
needed extra funding for services and infrastructure.
The Chancellor ? and probable next Prime Minister ? Gordon
Brown unveiled a œ50bn package for the province to be
delivered over the next 10 years. The bulk of the money,
œ35bn, will come in the next four years if an Executive is
agreed and running by next March. On top of that there will
be œ18bn for investment in infrastructure over 10 years.
Even allowing for the normal "smoke and mirrors" accounting
processes of the Treasury, Mr Brown's funding package is a
generous one, representing real additional spending power.
It would give any fledgling Stormont Government extra
funding for creative and innovative measures to kick-start
an economy which is still far too over-reliant on the
public sector. It would also enable Ministers to invest
substantially in infrastructure which was neglected during
the long years of the Troubles and, perhaps, also address
controversial issues such as water charges and the capping
of domestic and industrial rates.
The fact that the political parties went to London
yesterday to ask Mr Brown for extra investment in Northern
Ireland is, perhaps, the clearest indication of their
intent to follow the St Andrews roadmap towards devolution.
The Chancellor, in return, showed them that there is a
substantial pot of gold waiting at the end of that road. It
remains their choice if they want to travel the extra mile.
The establishment of a power-sharing government would be a
tremendous economic catalyst on its own. Foreign businesses
repeatedly cite the absence of political stability as a
negative factor when weighing up whether to invest in
Northern Ireland. However, it is a matter of concern that
Mr Brown has continued to prevaricate on the issue of
reducing the province's corporation tax rate to the same
level as in the Republic.
A combination of a new government and a new corporation tax
rate would be a powerful magnet for inward investment. And
with Mr Brown's funding package helping to modernise
services and infrastructure, next year could see the
dawning of a new era of prosperity for Northern Ireland.
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=712667
Red Wine Molecule Is Shown To Extend Life
02 November 2006
A natural substance found in red wine can extend life and
counter the negative effects of an unhealthy high-fat diet,
a study has found. The findings may go some way to explain
the "French paradox" of a national diet rich in animal fats
apparently not resulting in excessive deaths from heart
disease.
The study was carried out on mice fed on a diet so high in
saturated fats that it was equivalent to eating a cream
cake with every meal. Mice on the fatty diet became obese,
suffered health disorders such as liver and heart disease
and died significantly earlier than mice on normal diets.
But when a second group of mice on the high-fat diet were
given resveratrol, a plant extract found in grapes, their
health and longevity were almost indistinguishable from
normal mice, although they still became obese.
Resveratrol has already been shown to extend the lifespan
of yeast, worms, flies and fish but this is the first study
to demonstrate the same effects on warm-blooded mammals.
"After six months, resveratrol essentially prevented most
of the negative effects of the high-calorie diet in mice,"
said Rafael de Cabo of the US National Institute on Ageing.
The study, published in the journal Nature, demonstrated
that resveratrol changed the metabolism of the mice in such
a way that they were more protected against the side-
effects of an unhealthy diet, said Professor David Sinclair
of Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Resveratrol is produced by a range of plants in response to
environmental stress and it appears to work by activating a
key gene in mammals called SIRT1 which produces an enzyme
link-ed to extending lifespan.
Professor Sinclair said: "[It] may mean we can stave off in
humans age-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart
disease, and cancer, but only time and more research will
tell."
Fat, middle-aged mice in the study were far more likely to
die prematurely compared to normal mice. Yet when given
resveratrol the risk of death in the same group fell by 31
per cent - putting then on a par with mice on a healthy
diet.
"We won't have final lifespan numbers until all of the mice
pass away," said Professor Sinclair, "... but there is no
question we are seeing increased longevity."
Other tests showed that the mice given resveratrol
outperformed their fat cousins in terms of agility and co-
ordination. "The mice on resveratrol have not been just
living longer, they are also living more active, better
lives.," Professor Sinclair said.
Matt Kaeberlein and Peter Rabinovich of the University of
Washington in Seattle warned people not rush out and buy
resveratrol. "Many people will wonder whether they should
start supplementing their diets with resveratrol," they say
in a Nature editorial. "Our advice is to exercise caution.
The safety of resveratrol at the high doses in humans
comparable to those used [in the study] is unknown,
especially over the course of years or even decades."
"For now we counsel patience. Just sit back and relax with
a glass of red wine - which, alas, has only 0.3 per cent of
the relative resveratrol dose given to the gluttonous
mice."
The effects on mice
* Mouse fed on a standard diet grew to normal size and
lived an average lifespan. Tests showed no signs of damage
to organs or ill health
* Mouse fed on high-fat diet became overweight and suffered
observable damage to liver, heart and malfunctions in
metabolic pathways. Died prematurely
* Mouse fed on high-fat diet with resveratrol also became
obese but had a normal lifespan. It was more active and
vital organs were undamaged by its diet
*********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=712634
'New Colin Farrell' To Star In Good Friday Agreement Movie
By Claire McNeilly
02 November 2006
A new Irish hunk is about to take Hollywood by storm - by
starring in a major movie about the Good Friday Agreement.
Kevin J Ryan, pictured right, who has already been billed
in Tinseltown as the new Colin Farrell, has already had
small roles in The Honeymooners and The Fast and The
Furious 3.
But the 23-year old is over the moon after getting his big
break on a new thriller called Tyrone.
The movie sees Kevin taking on the leading role of a
Trinity College graduate who is recruited by the IRA just
before the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
"It's a great opportunity for me and I'm delighted to be
part of a movie based on Ireland's recent history. It is an
exciting role," said Dubliner Kevin.
Kevin is due to start filming in LA in November but some
scenes will also be shot in Ireland.
Tyrone starts shooting next month in California.
*********************
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1102/population.html?rss
Irish Population Is Out Of Kilter - Report
02 November 2006 13:24
Ireland's population profile is completely out of kilter
with the rest of Europe, according to a report published
today by NCB Stockbrokers.
The report says that while the population of the 25
countries of the EU is expected to stay broadly the same
until 2020, the population of the EU 15 (the EU without the
recent Accession states) will rise as people from the newer
member states move around for employment.
NCB's report says there will be marginal growth in the 15-
64 age group in the EU 25 until 2010, but in Ireland the
15-64 age group will rise much more sharply than in any
other European country.
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Ireland will be trailed by Luxembourg, Cyprus, the UK and
France.
Dependancy, or those aged over-65 and under-15, is set to
be quite stable in the EU for the next four years, then it
will rise sharply.
However, dependency in the Accession countries will be low
because of low numbers in the over-65 age group.
The report from NCB also says that, proportionally, Ireland
will receive the biggest number of its immigrants from the
Accession countries.
It also says that Ireland, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Portugal
are expected to have the biggest immigrant flows per 1,000
population in the years ahead.
----
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