THE police and court action on behalf of travel giant Thomas Cook against ordinary working families taking a stand to save their jobs has appalled the public. It led Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh to angrily highlight how "the distorted priorities of the Irish judiciary and the Garda Siochána speak volumes for how this country has gotten into such deep recession". Free article

Speaking to An Phoblacht in an advance of a meeting next week involving Sinn Féin activists from across the country, known as the Ard Chomhairle-Plus, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams emphasised the importance and significance of the gathering for the party's ongoing process of planning to meet current political challenges and opportunities. Free article

ORANGE ORDER Grand Secretary Drew Nelson has rejected outright appeals from Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams to talk directly to Sinn Féin on resolving the issue of the few Orange parades that are controversial and potential areas of conflict and confrontation. In his Léargas blog last Friday (31 July) for the Belfast Media Group, Gerry Adams renewed his efforts to get Orange leaders who want to walk to first sit down and talk. Here is his response to Drew Nelson. Free article

NAMA, the biggest bank and business bailout in Irish history is less than seven weeks from becoming law, but we still don't know how much it will cost, or how long it will be operational for. We do know that Finance Minister Brian Lenihan will become head of the world's largest property company, with authority and resources that will make him the most powerful person in Irish public life, with only a tissue of Oireachtas oversight. We also know that he has little experience or qualifications to take on such a posting. Free article

REPUBLICAN prisoners Pearse McCauley and Kevin Walsh were released from Castlerea prison, County Roscommon on Wednesday morning 5 August. McCauley and Walsh are the last of the men convicted in relation to the death of Garda Jerry McCabe to be released. They have served their sentences in full despite them being qualifying IRA prisoners under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. Free article

MORE evidence of cover-up regarding the bombing of McGurk's Bar in Belfast in 1971 surfaced this month with the discovery of a British Army briefing document. The internal British Army memo was submitted on the day of the bombing, 4 December 1971, as part of the daily briefings to the then British Army General Officer Commanding, Harry Tuzo. The memo includes information provided by members of the British Army's technical officers who were at the scene. Significantly, the document states that the bomb was "outside the pub". Free article

Bernard Teggert was killed on November 13, 1973. In October 2004 the IRA accepted responsibility for his death. The IRA at that time stated that Bernard Teggert's death was wrong and offered it's sincere apologies for the pain and grief that it's actions have caused to the Teggert family. It has been suggested that Bernard Teggert was an informer. Republican sources have stated categorically that it is clear, following the initial investigation, that Bernard was not an informer. Free article