Limavady rate payers face a bill of between £8,000 and £10,000 after Unionist Councillor Boyd Douglas forced a by-election to fill the seat left vacant by Sinn Féin's Francie Brolly, who resigned from the council last month. Free article

West Belfast Economic Forum and the Anti-Poverty Network hosted a major conference on poverty in West Belfast last week. Bringing together leading academics, voluntary sector activists and political lobbyists, the conference aimed to identify the causes of poverty and debate proposals for the creation of an anti-poverty strategy. Free article

Former SDLP Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Martin Morgan, announced last week that he was resigning from the party. Although citing personal reasons for his retirement and a desire to concentrate on his career as a social worker, it is thought the North Belfast councillor has become disillusioned with the party. Free article

Ballyfermot Sinn Féin Councillor Tony Smithers has achieved a significant victory in the battle to reform the City Council's plans for a major new development in Cherry Orchard. At a meeting of the City Council on Tuesday night, he successfully sought the inclusion of 10% social housing in the plan. Free article

A round-up of the rest of the week's news stories. Free article

Sinn Féin and An Phoblacht shared the Solidarité Irlande marquee earlier this month at the annual Fête de l'Humanité outside Paris, which this year attracted some 600,000 people. Visitors to the marquee were given political information about the situation in Ireland, could sample Irish food and drink or purchase republican publications and other wares, including, of course, An Phoblacht Free article

• Some of the Sinn Féin Councillors who attended last week's 91st Annual Conference of the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland in Listowel. Included are: Seán Conlon, (Monaghan); Jackie Crowe, (Castleblaney); Séamus Morris, (Nenagh); John Dwyer, (Wexford); Paul Hogan, (Athlone); Robbie Sargent, (Dublin); Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin, (Clonakilty); Brian Stanley, (Portlaoise); Tony Smithers, (Dublin); Joe Reilly, (Navan); Maurice Roche, (Wexford); Nicky Kehoe, (Dublin); Christy Burke, (Dublin); and Jimmy McDonnell, (Longford). Free article

On the evening of the 28 September 1964, 40 years ago, a detachment of the RUC, acting on the direct instruction of Brian McConnell, then Minister of Home Affairs, attacked the Divis Street headquarters of the Republican Party (Sinn Féin had been outlawed that year) in West Belfast. Their perilous mission was to remove an Irish Tricolour. Free article

• Philip Emmet, a direct descendant of Robert Emmet, lays a wreath at the site of Emmet's 1803 execution at Saint Catherine's Church on Thomas Street, Dublin on Monday evening, 20 September. The commemoration, organised by the Emmet Memorial Committee, marked the 201st anniversary of the patriot's execution by British forces following his failed rising. Free article

Belfast's Brian Keenan addressed a commemoration in Crumlin last Saturday to honour the late Dublin republican Charlie McGlade, speaking of "a long time friend, without whose lifetime work with the movement, we would not be where we are today". Free article