The official inquiry into the brutal and vicious beating of republican POW Davy Adams by the RUC has run into serious difficulties after the NIO refused to pay his solicitors. Free article

The announcement of the decision to close Fort Jericho, the British Army base on the Springfield Road in West Belfast, has been greeted as ``long overdue'' by Sinn Fein President and West Belfast MP Gerry Adams. Adams called for ``the British government toimmediately publish an `overall strategy' dealing with demilitarisation, as it is committed to doing as a result of the Good Friday Agreement''. Free article

Ahead of the Saoirse conference in the Felons club, Belfast on 1 November four Saoirse activists were in Belfast Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 27 October on charges relating to a high profile protest on the rooftop of the Waterfront Hall situated across from Belfast's Crown court during the appeal hearing of British soldier Lee Clegg. Free article

Fern Lane had no joy when she confronted the UUP's security spokeman last week Free article

Sinn Fein's Gerard O'Neill has called on West Belfast soccer team, Donegal Celtic not to play against the RUC in the semi-final of the Steel and Son's Cup, set for 14 November. Free article

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, answering a question from Sinn Féin TD Caoimghin O'Caolain, gave his assurance that repressive legislation introduced in September, would not be used against organisations on ceasefire. Free article

New research in Scotland showing that children as young as nine are being offered drugs and media reports this week of an 11-year-old boy in possesion of £500 worth of heroin in his schoolbag, will no doubt make one man even more determined to his efforts to educate youngsters in the dangers of drug abuse. Free article

The Policing Commission, established under the Good Friday Agreement, is to hold a public meeting in Crossmaglen, South Armagh within the next few weeks. This follows a recent visit by commission member Clifford Shearring, who stayed overnight in South Armagh at the invitation of the South Armagh Farmers and Residents Committee. Free article

The continued insistance of unionists, of all shades, to denigrate the Irish language during Assembly debates is an indicator of how far nationalists have still to travel before their rights are recognised and treated with respect. Free article

A motion that ``immediate decommissioning is necessary for Northern Ireland'' was defeated at a packed public debate in Trinity College Dublin last week which saw dissident Unionist MP Willie Thompson share a platform with Sinn Fein TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin. While the surroundings were historic with echoes of Trinity students of the past like Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmett, Douglas Hyde and Edward Carson, the debate was bang up to date as the clock ticked away to the 31 October deadline in the Good Friday Agreement. Free article