Europe Intelligence Wire articles from July 2004

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from July 2004

Riots after arrests in loyalist stronghold.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: DAVID YOUNG THE chair of Belfast District Policing Partnership last night accused police officers of heavy-handed tactics after disturbances flared in a loyalist area of south Belfast. The trouble began...

O'Loan backs the 'spy' raid.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: ALAN ERWIN POLICE were justified in the raid on Stormont which led to the collapse of the power-sharing Executive, an inquiry has found. But, even though Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan believes the operation...

What's on across the Province.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) SUNDAY * Downpatrick Railway Museum, Market Street, Downpatrick: Steam Train Rides, 2-5pm. * Palace Stables Heritage Centre, Armagh: 17th Centur y The Treaty of Mellifont, Living History presentation, 1-4pm. *...

Team booted out of soccer league.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: NEVIN FARRELL A SOCCER side caught up in sectarian disturbances has been stripped of its name and booted out of the league. Leading dairy Dale Farm, which has a base in Ballymena, has demanded the town...

Streets alive with sound of bagpipes.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: SIMON HUNTER THE streets of Lisburn will be marching to a different beat today as more than 130 pipe bands descend on the city. The 2004 European Pipe Band Championships will be staged at the Lagan...

Airwaves Gerry takes to waves.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: ELINOR GLYNN RATHLIN'S unique appeal constantly draws mega crowds to the island but some people, it seems, are destined to "miss the boat". A Ballycastle-based boat company has gone to the rescue of...

Briefly - Woman questioned.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A WOMAN was being quizzed last night following the murder of a 47-year-old man in Newtownabbey. The man's body was discovered in a flat in the Rathcoole estate on Thursday night. The victim had been stabbed. ...

TV Airport star here on a mission.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: KATE COONEY THE star of the hit TV show Airport was in Co Antrim yesterday on a very unusual mission. Jeremy Spake jetted in from Siberia to take to the controls of a flight simulator in the garage of...

Briefly - Sick murder suspect is freed on bail.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A MURDER suspect was freed on bail yesterday when a judge was told he is confined to a wheelchair after contracting a so-called "superbug" in hospital. Edward Beattie, 35, from Carrs Glen Park, Belfast, is one of...

Briefly - Man remanded.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A MAN accused of the murder of Geraldine Kane from west Belfast appeared before Ballyinmore court in Co Leitrim yesterday morning. Thomas Graham, 42, was remanded in custody and will appear again in Cloverhill High...

Jail clamps down on football shirts.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: ALAN ERWIN PRISONERS are to be banned from wearing football shirts in parts of a top-security Northern Ireland jail. Visitors at the Maghaberry complex near Lisburn, Co Antrim, will face similar...

Search still continues for missing woman.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) POLICE are still hopeful of finding a missing Limavady woman alive and well. Freda Mullan has not been seen since leaving her Castle Park home on July 22 but a police spokesman said she could still turn up unharmed....

Protestors bare all to make their point.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: RICHARD SHERRIFF SHOPPERS in Belfast were subjected to a bit of cheek yesterday as animal welfare group PETA bared all. But behind the publicity stunt lay a serious message, as spokesman Poorva...

Young people die in border collision.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: PHILIP BRADFIELD TWO people died and five others were injured in a car accident on the Dublin road from Newry yesterday. The city is mourning Sean Paul McNamee, 22, and Aisling Treanor, 17, who were...

Assault victim's organs to be donated.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: ANNE PALMER THE tragic death of Don McMenamin will give life to others after his family granted his last wish to be an organ donor. The 20-year-old man died on Thursday following an assault in the...

NIO not budging in civil service strike.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: KATE COONEY SOCIAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT UNION bosses said yesterday that talks with the Secretary of State were "useless and disgraceful", scuppering hopes of a quick resolution. The outburst came...

Memories of shipyard unveiled.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: SIMON HUNTER AN enterprising youth project in east Belfast has unveiled an enormous mural of a classic scene from the area's past. The 14- metre high mural is a re-creation of a picture of workers...

Police hope to identify victim.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) POLICE say they are closer to identifying a Chinese woman who was murdered in Belfast in June. Two detectives travelled to China to try to find the family of the woman. Her body was discovered in the boot of a...

Three quizzed after 'Celtic poster' attack.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THREE men were being questioned yesterday about a savage assault on a Catholic man in a row linked to a Celtic poster. Loyalist paramilitaries were blamed for battering Christopher McGill, 24, in Carrickfergus, Co...

Think twice before making a donation.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: DAVID BARRETT ANIMAL lovers should think twice before giving donations to groups which may use the cash to fund extremist activities, the Government said yesterday. Kind-hearted members of the public...

Warning over prize frauds.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) TRADING Standards officers have warned people not to be fooled by "too good to be true" prize promotions. They are warning the public that scratchcards encourage people to dial a hotline number which can cost up to...

Voting time for properties in BBC Restoration show.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) AT last, it's the Big Vote for the Northern Ireland heat of BBC Restoration. The programme gives the candidates their broadcast time tomorrow at 9pm on BBC2. The three properties are Armagh Gaol, the...

Student escapes jail over replica gun at airport.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A MEDICAL student who tried to take a replica semi-automatic pistol on to a plane travelling to Northern Ireland yesterday escaped prison by a "hair's breadth". Security staff found the blank-firing Beretta and 11...

Police drivers to go in judiciary shake-up.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: ALAN ERWIN JUDGES in Northern Ireland are to get civilian drivers as part of new moves to scale down personal protection measures, it was revealed yesterday. Police who carried out the duties will be...

Allister in attack on a Gaelic ego-trip.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) DUP MEP Jim Allister is opposing "the Gaelic ego-trip" to have the Irish language recognised in Europe. Mr Allister chided Irish premier Bertie Ahern during a speech in Strasbourg over what he has termed "the...

Council tightens up after tree removal dispute.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) CRAIGAVON council is to tighten up procedures after the Gardiner-gate affair. A pounds 10,000 council probe was launched after Alderman Samuel Gardiner employed four council workmen for seven hours to remove trees...

LEADING ARTICLE: Morning View - Drivers must curb excesses to end carnage.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THE omnipresent dangers on our roads were once again highlighted with more deaths over the past few days and, so far this year, the toll of fatalities is approaching the 100 mark. The Newry area has been hit badly...

Government accused of double standards.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THE Government was accused yesterday of double standards in the fight against terrorism after not urging the US to deploy anti-terror measures against the IRA. Ulster Unionist MP David Burnside called for pressure...

LEADING ARTICLE: Morning View - Vietnam may shoot Kerry in the foot.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A NUMBER of contradictions are emerging about the war service of Democratic US Presidential hopeful John Kerry. In the ongoing debate about the rights and wrongs of the Iraq war, these could strongly mitigate...

Red flag to a bull's-eye row.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: CLARE WEIR A CALL to end Army activity on a blue flag beach in Co Londonderry has come under fire. The Ministry of Defence and East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell have reacted angrily to a statement...

'Economy must be on agenda'.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) ULSTER's economic future must be a central issue of debate and negotiation at September's peace talks, it was suggested yesterday. Ulster Unionist Sir Reg Empey said: "Further agreement with regards to establishing...

We won't do a Trimble - DUP.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: STEPHEN DEMPSTER POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE DUP promised unionists yesterday: "We won't do a Trimble." After the Ulster Unionist Party suggested that Ian Paisley's party was softening its approach...

pounds 13 a minute to pay for a chairman.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) CASTLEREAGH council is under pressure to shelve one of its committees amid claims that it is costing pounds 13 per minute to pay for its chairman. The Alliance Party is calling for the civic committee - one of six...

Overspend may cost school budgets dearly.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THERE are fears that a Government vow to tackle overspending on education could lead to huge cost cuts for Ulster schools. Education Minister Barry Gardiner has said "swift and decisive" action will be taken to deal...

City leisure centre throws in the towel.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: JOANNE LOWRY THE controversial closure of "Belfast's only neutral leisure centre" is going ahead today. More than 220,000 users of Maysfield Leisure Centre will be forced to make alternative...

Surgeons in tribute to Lord Rathcavan.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) ULSTERMAN HONOURED: Lord Rathcavan being received as a patron of the Royal College of Surgeons by Sir Peter Morris, president of the college. Hugh Rathcavan, a native of Broughshane, Co Antrim, was recognised...

More choices for expectant mums.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) HEALTH Minister Angela Smith has decided to allow the development of Community Midwifery Units in Northern Ireland. A consultation exercise to gauge public opinion on the units, which cater for uncomplicated births,...

Public meeting may leave pool proposal in hot water.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A PUBLIC meeting will be held on Monday to discuss the proposed closure of a Co Antrim swimming pool. The University of Ulster has decided to close its swimming, diving and hydrotherapy pools at the end of August...

Call to Star Trek fans.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) IT'S beam me up, Mummy, as The Market Place Theatre in Armagh invites in junior Trekkies. The venue is presenting the workshops for children on Thursday 19 and Friday, August 20. In Star Trekking participants...

Festival aims to counter city racism.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: JOANNE LOWRY A POWERFUL anti-racism message has marked the launch of a new festival in south Belfast. The community initiative has been organised by the Greater Village Regeneration Trust (GVRT) in...

Missing girl, 16, is found safe and well.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THE 16-year-old English girl who was missing in Co Antrim has been found safe and well. Shantel Summerfield, from Essex, contacted police and her family on Thursday night after she heard an appeal on the radio. ...

Helicopter incident.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A STORMONT Assemblyman has claimed farmers in an area of south Down may seek compensation following an incident in which livestock were allegedly frightened by low-flying Army helicopters. PJ Bradley referred to...

Negotiations on History Park bids.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) OMAGH District Council is one step closer to making a decision on the sale of the Ulster History Park. Councillors have agreed to further negotiations on four of the bids received. Rory McConnell of McConnell,...

Probe into 1974 blasts 'must be cross-border'.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: DAN MCGINN A NEW mechanism for crossborder inquiries should be set up to help people to get to the truth behind the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings, it was claimed last night. SDLP Assembly member Alex...

Airplane aborts take-off.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) MORE than 100 passengers had a terrifying experience at Belfast International Airport yesterday when a plane was forced to make an emergency stop on the runway. The 15.20 bmibaby flight to Teeside was almost in the...

No legal action over demolition.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) HOTELIER and property developer Lord Rana will not face legal action over the demolition of the Tillie and Henderson shirt factory in Londonderry. The Belfast-based entrepreneur was widely condemned after the...

Party celebrates end of activities.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) CHILDREN at one of Omagh's most deprived housing estates enjoyed a barbecue party to mark the end of their summer activities project yesterday. Ken Shiels, project manager of Lisanelly Youth Project, said the...

Work on water mains to begin.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THE multi-million pound scheme to upgrade water mains throughout Northern Ireland begins on Monday in Craigavon. It is hoped the scheme, which is to cost around pounds 80 million, will improve the quality of...

Plea for help on barking dogs.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) RESIDENTS in a Banbridge housing estate have claimed barking dogs are driving them round the bend and have asked the council to help. Edenderry Park, off the Scarva Road, is said to re-echo with the barks and yelps...

Environmental group celebrates making city better.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: RICHARD SHERRIFF ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT FIVE years of working to make a Better Belfast were celebrated as a scheme to make landfill taxes work for the environment was highlighted this week. Founded...

A Celtic Fusion of all kinds of everything.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: LIZ KENNEDY ARTS CORRESPONDENT FUSION is the state of being combined, so I was missing the sound of the bagpipes at the launch of Celtic Fusion. The occasion was the Belfast launch of the festival, far...

CHRISTOPHER STALFORD: Joe Cahill: symbol of the failure of the IRA.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: CHRISTOPHER STALFORD THIS week, the true nature of "confident, magnanimous" Irish republicanism was exposed for the world to see. Supposedly democratic politicians, alleged advocates of the...

Planners welcome call to tighten law.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: PHILIP BRADFIELD PLANNING Service has welcomed proposals to tighten a law which allows property developers to bypass democratic checks. South Down DUP MLA Jim Wells told the News Letter earlier this week...

Reaping rewards of nipping crime in bud.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: KATE COONEY SOCIAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT SUCCESSFUL schemes to stop youngsters before they commit crimes are saving the taxpayer thousands, it emerged yesterday. The results of a Government study into...

Gay pride parade 'filthy and lewd'.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: JOANNE LOWRY A GROUP claiming to "love the souls of homosexuals'' is stepping up a campaign to stop a gay pride parade in Belfast. Christian Coalition Against Perverted Pride Marches claims the parade...

Rugby hero Willie John is back on home turf.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: ELINOR GLYNN A SPORTING hero will return to his native north Antrim today to reveal his life story. Renowned rugby star Willie John McBride will be in Ballymena to sign copies of his recently published...

Running in Death Valley is hot feat.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: SIMON HUNTER NORTHERN Ireland's fittest woman has just got back from her greatest achievement - running the equivalent of five marathons in one go. Lynne Stark ran the Badwater Ultramarathon through...

ALEX KANE: Time to stand side by side against the bigots.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: ALEX KANE "WHEN Hitler attacked the Jews, I was not a Jew, therefore, I was not concerned. "And. when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic and, therefore, I was not concerned. "And when...

Villagers get to grips with history.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) COMMUNITY groups in Armoy and Bushmills are to get their "Hands on History". A pilot project, being funded by the Community Relations Unit, aims to encourage residents in both Moyle villages to take an interest in...

At least 14 die in a massive gas explosion.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A MASSIVE gas blast that could be felt six miles away killed at least 14 people and injured 200, including firefighters and police responding to reports of a leak, near Brussels yesterday. The explosion, in an...

Dingo baby man refusing to talk.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) AN elderly man is refusing to talk to police about his sensational confession that he knew a wild dog had stolen a baby from an Outback camp 24 years ago. Don Cole, 78, sparked a furore three weeks ago when he told...

Fighting in Fallujah.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) FIERCE fighting between US marines, backed by fighter aircraft, and insurgents using small arms and mortars in the volatile city of Fallujah killed 13 Iraqis and wounded 14 others, hospital officials said yesterday. ...

Kerry leaves a hole in his CV.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) JOHN Kerry skipped past his role in the Vietnam protest movement that brought him to prominence when he talked of his younger days fighting for his country. He ignored Vietnam when praising the American tradition of...

Suicide attacks kill two.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) SUICIDE bombers attacked the US and Israeli embassies in the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent yesterday, killing at least two locals, police said. A third blast hit the general prosecutor's office in the former Soviet...

Dying man's victory over his right to live.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A TERMINALLY ill man was "ecstatic" yesterday after winning a groundbreaking legal ruling clarifying the rights of chronically ill patients over life-sustaining treatment. Leslie Burke, 44, from Lancaster, who has a...

Dancer is jailed over tube killing.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A DANCER was jailed for three years yesterday for killing a man with a single blow after he stood on his son's foot. The "moment of madness" cost Vipula Prassana, 40, his life and the dancer, Michael John-Charles,...

Missing baby: jailed father is a paedophile.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) POLICE were yesterday searching for a newborn baby after a paedophile and his Thai-born wife were jailed for refusing to tell a court where their child is. Avon and Somerset Police fear the six-week-old baby, whose...

Man remanded over conspiracy.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) A MAN accused of conspiring with shoe bomber Richard Reid to cause an explosion was further remanded in custody yesterday. Saajid Badat, 24, from Gloucester, appeared via video link from Belmarsh prison. He is due...

Soham officer gave false alibi in computer probe.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THE detective who acted as a liaison officer to the family of Soham murder victim Jessica Chapman gave a false alibi to police after being accused of downloading "questionable images" on his laptop, the Old Bailey...

Platform to improve transport.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) SELLING a railway to people who are convinced it's a slow, expensive and irregular experience can be hard work. But hard work and a lot of co-operation have paid off for the Chester to Shrewsbury line. With a...

Zara knocked out in horse fall.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) ZARA Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter, was knocked unconscious when she fell from her horse at Lulworth, Dorset yesterday, sources said. Buckingham Palace said: "Following a fall from her horse during a...

Flyer may run out of steam due to closure.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) WHAT was once a way of life could vanish despite a resurgence as one of the Province's top tourist attractions, steam enthusiasts have warned. Revived to provide novelty for the young and nostalgia for the not so...

Take the bus service that's right on track.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) IS it a bus or is it a train? A bit of both really, one of Downpatrick Railway Museum's more unusual vehicles, the Railbus, which will be offering rides to the public this weekend. Michael Collins, chairman of...

LETTER: 'Shame on all those who walked'.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) CONGRATULATIONS to Suzanne Breen (News Letter July 28). Yes, I and many more saw Frances Black on television at the Joe Cahill funeral. Shame on her and all who walked. Yes, and I saw Joe Cahill's wife actually...

LETTER: 'Those bold IRA men'.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) HOW sickening to see Frances Black singing 'The Bold Fenian Men' at Joe Cahill's funeral. I don't think that old dirge really suits her. How about some new material telling of the Provos' bold struggle against the...

LETTER: A need for some accuracy.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) I RECENTLY received a brochure for the Maiden City Festival. The organisers of this festival are to be commended for their diligence in producing a wide and varied programme of such intellectual and artistic interest....

LETTER: Disarm upfront before anything.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) THE reply from Jeffrey Donaldson MP to my letter beggars believe. Jeffrey said, I quote: ''the key to success in the future is peace, but the price for entry to any administration must be a total commitment to...

LETTER: DUP will not repeat Trimble's mistakes.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) I WISH to respond to the recent letter from an anonymous detractor, known only as 'Ultonian', who attacked the speech I made recently in Donegal and totally misrepresented what I said. For the record, in relation...

LETTER: What the DUP needs is a dose of reality serum.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) RATHER than spend his time telling United States Presidential hopeful John Kerry to get real (News Letter July 28), the clearly delusional MLA Peter Weir would be better advised seeking that most precious of political...

Memories of lost souls locked in Armagh Gaol.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: GEOFF HILL TO LET: Gaol, built 1780, three acres, walled garden and graveyard, many original features, only three owners from new, circa 100 rooms, some en-suite, no sitting tenants. Would suit keen DIYer,...

A glimpse inside the home of the king.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) TENNESSEE is an American state I have had the pleasure of visiting about 25 times over the past decade, and the region has become for me a real home from home. But it was only recently that I managed to get to...

In The Garden - Going back to the root of problem.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: JOHN CUSHNIE THERE are two types of weed -easy and tough! Those that are easily removed from the soil leaving the bed clean and tidy include most of the soft, annual weeds. Chickweed, fumitary, fat...

Rod & Gun - Agencies must act to preserve wild salmon.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: DAN KINNEY FOR years it has been a case of one step forward and two back in the campaign to save the Atlantic salmon. But so endangered is the species now that there are signs that the nettle may be...

Tartan Talk - Lisburn hosts Euro championships.
July 31, 2004... (From Newsletter) Byline: WALTER PORTER PIPE bands and their enthusiasts will need little reminding that today will see the third of this year's major championships - the European - taking place at the Lagan Valley Leisureplex,...