British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced on Wednesday that the MI5 spy agency will have no role in civic policing structures in the Six Counties. The pledge comes after major concern within the nationalist community at proposals contained in documents released after political negotiations at St Andrews in Scotland last year which sought to embed MI5 in policing structures in the North. Free article

Speaking last Tuesday following a meeting of the Sinn Féin Officer Board, the party's Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness expressed "deep concern" at Ian Paisley's comments of the previous day rejecting out of hand Tony Blair's assessment of the DUP's position. Free article

The ability of unionist paramilitary death squads to roam the streets of North Belfast and freely target Catholics for assassination has once again been exposed, thanks to the persistence of North Belfast man Jason O'Halloran. Free article

Ronnie Kasrils is to address the AGM of Sinn Féin's Cúige Uladh this coming Sunday, 16 January. The AGM will be held in Mullaghbawn, County Armagh. Free article

The row between Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Fianna Fáil leader Bertie Ahern over whether the latter would accept Sinn Féin votes in the next Dáil in order to form an FF-led government was the opening salvo of the pre-election battle for 2007 in the 26 Counties this week. On Sunday last Bertie Ahern said he did not think it would be reasonable for him to say that he would not take support from a party such as Sinn Féin in the next Dáil. He ruled out any coalition discussions or pacts with Sinn Féin. In response, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny attacked Ahern and said the Taoiseach was climbing down on his 2005 pledge to go into opposition rather than rely on the Dáil votes of Sinn Féin TDs. A Fianna Fáil/PD Government spokesperson then said Ahern had not changed his position and that Fianna Fáil would not form a government if that could only be done with Sinn Féin backing. Free article

On Saturday December 30 at 9.30am (CET) an 800 kilo bomb ripped through Terminal 4 of Madrid's Barajas airport, bringing the Basque Peace Process to its most serious crisis to date. The attack was claimed on Wednesday of this week by ETA, who blamed the Spanish government for the crisis. Three separate warnings to emergency services earlier that morning saw a massive police operation to clear the Terminal. However, two Ecuadorians, 19-year-old Carlos Palates and 25-year-old Diego Armando Estacio were both killed while sleeping in their cars in the airport car park. Free article