On Wednesday, the British Prime Minister and his Secretary of State, John Reid, bowed to unionist pressure and told the House of Commons that "more rigorous standards" would be applied in future when the integrity of the IRA cessation was considered. Free article

A Catholic teenager was shot dead, a Catholic man was seriously injured and a number of other Catholics narrowly escaped death in five separate shooting incidents. Two Catholic men were viciously beaten and stabbed. Free article

On Tuesday, more Travelling families sought sanctuary on the lawn of Bishop Walsh's Episcopalian Residence in Ennis to escape the Guards and the Department of Justice, who last week began to enforce the criminal trespass legislation brought in by the government just prior to the election. Free article

What do you think is the best way of describing the 26 Counties? Is it one of the most badly run states in Europe or just the most unequal. Both these definitions hold up this week as domestically and internationally the Dublin government has been shown as incompetent in how it manages resources and unequal in how it distributes them. Free article

In recent weeks, as the newest in the long line of Peace Process crises has developed, we have heard again and again from the London and Dublin governments of the necessity of implementing the Agreement. Bertie Ahern has even gone further, suggesting that the logical conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement includes the disbandment of the IRA. The hypocrisy of this, coming from a man who steadfastly refuses to implement what republicans consider one of the most vital parts of the Agreement, is breathtaking. Free article

The families of Gervaise McKerr and Pearse Jordan both shot dead by the RUC in separate incidents in 1982 and 1992 have called on the British government to tell the truth about taking steps to enforce damning human rights judgements. Free article