The scandal of the abuse of elderly people at Lea's Cross Nursing Home in Dublin has been exposed after eight years during which hundreds of millions of euros in public money in tax breaks has been given to private nursing homes throughout the 26 Counties. As well as receiving generous tax breaks these facilities receive public funding from the Health Service Executive when they place elderly people in their care. Free article

Sinn Féin Health spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has called for immediate government action to recruit additional inspectors of nursing homes in order to protect vulnerable elderly people. He said that people throughout the country have been absolutely outraged by the revelations of ill-treatment of the elderly in Monday night's Prime Time programme. Free article

As we face into another unionist marching season, a report released on Wednesday by two international observer organisations on the 2004 marching season finds that contested Orange parades in the North continue to promote unionist paramilitary groups. The report's publication comes just days after a unionist paramilitary display of force on a contested parade through Lurgan town centre. Free article

Speaking after returning from a two-day visit to Washington and New York, where he had an intensive round of political meetings, Sinn Féin Chief Negotiator, Martin McGuinness said that all shades of political opinion in the US remain rock solid behind the Good Friday Agreement. Free article

"They've done it AGAIN, hostages taken as IRA snatch £200,000 from Boots," ran the front-page headlines of the Sunday Life. "The IRA is the key suspect", and continuing inside, "Raid points towards the IRA." "IRA-style raid nets £200,000," declared Sunday Times. "Unionists have warned of "very serious political consequences" if the IRA was behind a robbery at Boots department store in Belfast city centre," announced Liam Clarke. Free article

Sinn Féin Lisburn Councillor Paul Butler is accusing the Dublin Government of turning its back on northern nationalists by ignoring the ongoing campaign of sectarian attacks and intimidation in the Lisburn area, especially in the village of Stoneyford. Free article

After months of discussion and debate, opinion polls and media analysis, the verdict of the citizens of France on the proposed Constitution for Europe is now clear. In an unprecedented referendum, which saw over 70% of the French electorate participate, 55% of voters said 'Non' to the Treaty. Free article

European United Left/Nordic Green Left brought together 15 speakers from across the EU for a two-day conference last weekend on the content and implications of the EU Constitution. The event, held in Dublin's Irish Film Institute, involved speakers from Ireland, England, Sweden, Finland, France, Catalonia and Italy. Politicians, academics and social organisations explored a wide range of aspects of the Constitution and outlined their experience of the ongoing campaigns against the treaty in their own countries. Free article