29 April 2004 Edition
Victim's mother "outraged" over MoD comments
29 April 2004
The mother of North Belfast teenager Peter McBride, shot dead by the British Army in 1992, has slammed the British Ministry of Defence over comments that her son's killers did not intend to kill him. Jean McBride was responding to an MoD spokesperson who, when asked about the whereabouts of the two Scots Guardsmen who killed Peter, replied: "These guys presumably didn't think they were going to go out and kill on that day. Free article
Stádas march a success
29 April 2004
A march organised by Stádas, calling for the Irish language to be recognised as an official language of the EU, went off very successfully last Saturday. Some 5,000 people attended the event in Dublin city centre and organisers were particularly struck by the amount of young people present. A carnival atmosphere prevailed, and the strong Sinn Féin contingent was also noted. Free article
US judge slams British justice
29 April 2004
An American Immigration Judge has rejected US Government efforts to deport Belfast man Sean Ó Ceallaigh after she ruled that British courts guilty of "failing to satisfy international fair trial standards" and of convicting republican suspects on "purely political grounds". Free article
"Taoiseach contradicts himself on medical cards" - Ó Caoláin
29 April 2004
Sinn Féin Health Dáil spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has said the Taoiseach contradicted himself in the House on Wednesday when on one hand he welcomed the fact that less people now qualify for medical cards and on the other said he wants to extend qualification. Free article
Questions over state's bungling of Curtin case
29 April 2004
Sinn Féin North Kerry TD Martin Ferris says the Minister for Justice has serious questions to answer over the state's mishandling of the case of Judge Brian Curtin. Deputy Ferris was commenting after the trial of the former PD candidate collapsed over a technicality in Tralee Court last week. Free article
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Large supermarkets driving down farm incomes
29 April 2004
The Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Agriculture, Martin Ferris, has accused the major supermarkets of helping to drive down farm incomes by refusing to pay farmers an adequate price for their produce. Deputy Ferris made specific reference to statistics that reveal the massive difference between the price paid to farmers for apples, and the price charged to consumers. Free article
Government urged to reverse position on GM
29 April 2004
The Sinn Féin Dáil spokesperson on Agriculture, Martin Ferris, has called on the government to vote against a proposal to lift an EU embargo on genetically modified maize. Free article
Further Paddy's Day funding insult
29 April 2004
The NI Events Committees (NIEC) has rejected the Belfast St Patrick's Carnival Committee's appeal of its decision not to fund this year's St Patrick's Day Carnival. The Carnival Committee had applied for £27,000 funding from the NIEC to organise this year's event at Belfast City Hall. However the NIEC, taking its lead from unionists on Belfast City Council who refused grant aid, also refused to fund the event, which has traditionally drawn thousands of people from across Belfast to the city centre. Free article
Alternative Summit in South East
29 April 2004
The South East Social Forum is to hold an Alternative Environmental Summit and Demonstration on the weekend of 14, 15 and 16 May. The Alternative Summit and demonstration are being organised to coincide with the meeting of EU environmental ministers which will be held in Waterford over that weekend. Free article
North Belfast Open Night
29 April 2004
Sinn Féin Six-County candidate for this June's European elections, Bairbre de Brún, addressed party activists, members of community groups and the public at an open night in the Lansdowne Court Hotel on the Antrim Road in North Belfast on Monday evening. Free article