Other News

Assembly Election 2003 Constituency overview - Part I of III

With over a million voters across 18 constituencies, electing 108 Assembly members and at least eight political parties seeking support, the 26 November Assembly election is going to be the most hotly-contested ballot ever in Six-County electoral history.

Families of murdered Mexican women demand justice

Mothers, sisters and friends of the more than 300 women murdered and over 500 women who have disappeared in Chihuahua, North Mexico, since 1993, took to the streets this week. The demonstration, called Operation Digna, was called to demand a proper investigation and justice for these women and their families.

Local election candidates selected

West Cork At its Local Election Convention held at the Parkway Hotel, Dunmanway, on Saturday 1 November, Sinn Féin selected its candidates to contest next June's Town and County Council Elections throughout Cork Southwest. For the first time since the 1920s, voters in every part of West Cork will have the opportunity to vote for Sinn Féin in local elections.

Basques launch broad front initiative

The Basque pro-independence political movement has launched a new initiative aimed at establishing dialogue with trade unions and social and political organisations interested in finding a solution to the Basque political conflict. The spokesperson for the pro-independence Basque left, Arnaldo Otegi, (above) called for those bodies to enter this process that might bring "peace to our people after 200 years of confrontation".

Brennan under fire at Dublin City Council

Transport Minister Séamus Brennan made an appearance at a Dublin City Council meeting last Monday, amid mounting criticism of his handling of the traffic crisis in the capital. The Minister's visit came 14 months after an invitation was issued by Sinn Féin Councillor Christy Burke, chair of the council's transport strategic policy committee.

Israel's Berlin Wall must fall

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on Tuesday 21 October calling on Israel to stop building its apartheid wall along the West Bank. Israel and the United States voted against the resolution. The Dublin government was among the co-sponsors of the UN Resolution.

Government deliberately misinterprets law on UN primacy

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Defence Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD on Tuesday accused the Dublin Government of deliberately misinterpreting the law in an effort to clear the way for Irish forces to join non-UN established international forces for overseas duties.

Public showing of award winning documentary

At the recent national media awards in Dublin, three journalists from a Galway-based film company won the overall Journalist of the Year Award for their outstanding documentary, Chavez: Inside the Coup. On Thursday 13 November at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc, the people of Galway will have the unique opportunity both to view this film and to listen to one of the award winning filmmakers, Donnacha Ó Briain, speak about the making of the documentary.

Bin protestors carry on, despite court sentences

On Tuesday morning Justice Finnegan in the High Court in Dublin fined six anti-bin tax protesters €1,500 each and jailed them for three weeks. The previous day, he had fined eight bin charge protestors €200, despite the fact that they had undertaken not to further disrupt bin collections.

Doherty selected EU candidate for Connacht/Ulster

Sinn Féin representative for Donegal Southwest, Pearse Doherty, was last weekend selected as the party's candidate for the Northwest region in next year's European Parliamentary elections on the proposal of Cavan/Monaghan TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin. With the addition of County Clare, the Connacht/Ulster constituency is to be renemed Northwest for the 2004 poll.

Ahern and Harney challenged on insurance rip-off

The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have been challenged in the Dáil by Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin over their failure to tackle the huge cost of insurance. The Cavan/Monaghan Sinn Féin TD pointed out that Tánaiste Mary Harney had said she was willing to be "benchmarked" on this issue and that it was her number one political priority but the government has failed to control escalating insurance premiums.

Court told of horrific attack on Catholic

A sectarian attack on a Catholic man in the Harryville area of Ballymena, County Antrim on 11 October was described by a judge as "one of the most horrific acts that had come before the court".

Anger as murder charges are quietly dropped

An Ardoyne man fears for his life after charges of killing a 26-year-old RUC member Edward Spence in Lower Crescent in South Belfast in 1991 were quietly withdrawn by the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at a sitting of Belfast Petty Sessions on Friday 31 October.

Greater Ballymurphy remembers its dead

Hundreds of people gathered at Milltown Cemetery on Sunday 2 November for the annual commemoration of the republican dead of the Greater Ballymurphy area. Led by a Republican Colour Party, the relatives, friends and comrades of the dead marched in formation to the Republican Plot, where Seany Adams, a former POW and friend to so many of those being honoured, gave the main oration.

James Byrne Commemoration

Ross Connolly, grandson of 1916 leader James Connolly, is pictured speaking at the grave in Deansgrange Cemetery of James Byrne, Dún Laoghaire trade union activist with the ITGWU, who died as a result of the effects of a thirst and hunger strike undertaken following his arrest and imprisonment during the 1913 lockout.

Retain film making tax incentive

The five Sinn Féin TDs have called on the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, to reverse his decision to eliminate the film making tax incentive contained in Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. The TDs made their call in a motion published on Tuesday.

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