THIRTY years after the trial of the unionist murder gang 'The Shankill Butchers', the man thought to be the mastermind behind the savage sectarian murders, has been found dead. Serial killer Billy Moore died somewhat conveniently before he could be questioned by police from the Historical Enquiries Team about the sectarian murder of John Crawford, a 52-year-old man from Andersonstown. Some years prior to the Butchers' co-ordinated killing spree, John Crawford was abducted and beaten before being shot dead. Free article

THERE are nine days left. Seats will be won or lost on the basis of what each of us do and say in the remaining days of the campaign. Every vote is crucial. Including transfers. For Sinn Féin, securing transfers is vital if we are to make breakthroughs across the country. Enormous thought and energy will be spent on identifying and securing those preferences. Free article

The Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is a hugely damning and damaging indictment of the powerful and the privileged in Irish society over decades. Religious orders, the Catholic Church Hierarchy, successive governments and the Department of Education stand indicted for the torture and murder of children and for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Free article

THE 'Hope for Gaza' convoy - organised by a range of small, Europe-based humanitarian organisations and other groups - travelled from Milan over the past month to bring aid to the citizens of Gaza who have been imprisoned by the Israeli military for several years. Although the convoy has mostly medical supplies on board, the Israeli Government has put an embargo on all but what it considers to be 40 essential items. This has led to a hold up in delivering the aid to the Palestinian people. Sinn Féin Derry City Councillor Gerry Mac Lochlainn flew to meet the convoy in Egypt last week and, having joined up with the convoy, had been waiting to enter the besieged area of Gaza. Gerry got permission to enter Gaza early on Monday morning and this is his own stark assessment of the treatment of the convoy and the plight of the Palestinian people. Free article

Bréan den Toghchán? Bréan den easpa díospóireachta agus lucht canbhásála ag cnagadh go héadrom ar do dhoras agus ag rith trí dhoras síos an sráid sula mbíonn seans agat an doras a oscailt? Bréan de bheith bréan. Cláraigh leis an chumann, a chomrádaithe, tá alt eile againn sa cholún seo faoina toghcháin a tseachtain seo agus geallaim go gcloífidh mé leis an moratorium an tseachtain seo chugainn. Lig dom rabhadh sláinte a thabhairt sula dtosaím an t-alt seo: tá mé chun masla a chur ar dhuine éigin, níl mé cinnte fós cé hé ach gach seans go mbeidh duine éigin ar buile liom le hábhar an ailt seo. Free article

READING the Sunday Times last weekend you can't help but laugh. Eoin 'I wrote 11 reports for the European Parliament' Ryan is struggling for the last seat in Dublin. And, most horrifying of all, he could lose to 'that woman', Mary Lou McDonald. Has the Ryan dynasty been reduced to this? To going gently into that good night at the hands of a Shinner? This is a man who wrote 11 reports for the European Parliament, for Christ's sake! Eleven! I mean... wow! That's a lot of copy and paste. He made a big deal of it on RTÉ's Questions & Answers a couple of weeks ago, repeating it at least twice, which caused me to think. If a Fianna Fáil politician says something that often, it's probably not true. Free article

SOME people had thought that Pat Spillane, in his righteous indignation last Sunday after the Monaghan-Derry match, might have reverted to his use of the dread 'P' word: the name that dare not mention its name, as it were. Puke Football. In fairness, though, you would have to say that the match in Derry even gave Puke Football a bad name. Free article