Sinn Féin Councillor Charlie McHugh says he has received a litany of complaints from residents of Newtownstewart about the abusive and disruptive activities of Loyalist bandsmen during a major gathering of loyalist bands in the town on Friday night 9 May. Free article

In the early hours of Thursday morning 9 May, three helicopters fully laden with British Army soldiers backed up by at least 15 members of PSNI dressed in full riot uniform landed outside a house in Dromintee in South Armagh. After gaining entry to the house they verbally abused the householders and their four young children. Some damage was caused during the search of the house and the mother and children left traumatised as their father was dragged outside to be taken away to Lisburn police barracks. Free article

Sinn Féin Assembly member Conor Murphy has tabled a motion calling for the Assembly Commission to report by October on how symbols and emblems in Stormont will be used in a manner which promotes mutual respect rather than division within the institutions. Free article

President McAleese finally signed into law last month "The Residential Institutions Redress Bill" which, along with the Laffoy Commission to inquire into Child Abuse, is to allow compensation for some of those people who were abused in religious institutions. Will it compensate those who have suffered? Will it assign blame where it is due? Will it bring the offenders to book? Will it prevent the same thing occurring in the future? ROISIN DE ROSA investigates. Free article

Speaking at the launch of the Sinn Féin proposals on Social Inclusion, party President Gerry Adams demanded the development on a proper working basis of the Human Rights Commission as provided for in the Good Friday Agreement. Free article

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams met with trade union representatives and workers at the Ardagh glass bottle plant in Ringsend on Monday. He was accompanied on the visit by Sinn Féin candidate for the area, Daithí Doolan. Following the meeting, Adams called on the Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey and Tánaiste Mary Harney to intervene directly to secure the future of the company and the jobs. Free article

The lack of Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) in small towns and villages is having a detrimental affect in rural Ireland, according to Cork South West Sinn Féin general election candidate, Cllr Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin. He says Credit Unions and small Post Offices should have the right to install them if the banks will not. Free article

Sinn Féin's candidate for Dublin West, Mary Lou McDonald, responding to the publication of a report by the Disability Federation on Tuesday, said that the rights and needs of people with disabilities must be a government priority. Free article

"So what did the Progressive Democrats ever do for us?" was the theme of the latest PD party political broadcast. Well, now in their last days of office they have targeted the unemployed, as Mary Harney withdrew vital funding from the most weak and powerless section of society. Free article

The High Court in London on Monday awarded damages of £324,000 to the family of Kerry-born market trader Richard O'Brien, who was "unlawfully killed" by British police, but the victim's relatives received no apology. Free article