27 January 2005 Edition

Poll positioning

27 January 2005

Percentages are a powerful weapon in modern Irish politics. This week's series of polls conducted by TNSmrbi on behalf of the Irish Times have given an interesting snapshot of not just the state of mind of voters but also and more importantly the perceptions and interpretation powerful voices in the Irish media and political establishment have of the poll process. Free article

Human rights stoned to death in Iran

27 January 2005

"The Iranian nation is a prisoner of a regime which... extracts the blood of victims before execution for wounded Revolutionary Guards. The Iranian nation is a prisoner to a regime whose Revolutionary Guards rape virgin girls before execution". THESE were just two of a long list of barbaric human rights abuses carried out by the Iranian theocracy against its own people, described by Maryam Rajavi of, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect, at the opening of a three-day conference on human rights in Paris in December. Free article

Opposition rally in Paris

27 January 2005

Up to 30,000 Iranian exiles are due to flock to Paris on 10 February to protest against the human rights record of the fundamentalist regime in Tehran and the torture of political prisoners. The organisers, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), is calling for international support for the rally. Free article

Gerry Kelly to undertake a series of engagements in the United States

27 January 2005

Senior Sinn Féin Negotiator Gerry Kelly is in the United States for a week-long series of meetings. Kelly will meet with members of Congress, representatives of the State Department and engage with Irish America. Free article

MEP attends World Social Forum in Brazil

27 January 2005

Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún this week travelled to Brazil to participate in the World Social Forum at Porto Allegre, Brazil. Speaking before her departure, de Brún said the World Social Forum presents the opportunity to "map out an alternative world, one concerned with prioritising social justice and human rights protections". Free article

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Unionist paramilitary in-fighting erupts on Shankill

27 January 2005

In-fighting between unionist paramilitary groups erupted along the loyalist Shankill Road at the weekend, when the UVF torched up to ten taxis from the Call-A-Cab depot, while a mother of three was attacked in her home by masked men in a connected incident. Free article

Irish Celtic fans attacked

27 January 2005

Coaches carrying Celtic fans returning from Parkhead last Saturday were attacked by loyalists who had gathered to protest against a Bloody Sunday Commemoration march through Glasgow city centre. Free article

Dungannon barracks to close

27 January 2005

Sinn Féin Fermanagh/South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew has said that confirmation that the Killymeale Barracks situated between two schools in Dungannon will close and that the Kings' Own British Army regiment will be removed from the Six Counties, while welcome, is no substitute for a programme of demilitarisation. Free article

Speller pressed to end SF Housing Executive exclusion

27 January 2005

A Sinn Féin delegation led by Housing Spokesperson Councillor Fra McCann MLA and North Belfast MLA Kathy Stanton met with British direct rule minister John Speller this week to raise a number of concerns about housing, including the ongoing exclusion of Sinn Féin representatives from the Housing Executive. They also raised the impact of the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) in failing to address the housing crisis in North and West Belfast. Free article

Sinn Féin MEPs to bring Finucane case to Europe

27 January 2005

Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin Mary Lou McDonald on Wednesday afternoon delivered a speech in the European Parliament on the case of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane. The Dublin MEP said that she was following up on commitments made to the Finucane family last week, that Sinn Féin would raise the issue in the European Parliament. Free article


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