Belfast Telegraph back issues from March 2004:
Death charge police go free Concern over role of forensic expert
Mar 01, 2004; ... SEVEN police officers today walked free from a Belfast court aftercharges of perverting the course of justice and causing death bydangerous driving were dramatically dropped against them. The office of the Police Ombudsman today said it would be writingto the Forensic Science ...
Universities in exams boycott Lecturers in threat to de-rail graduations
Mar 01, 2004; ... UNIVERSITY lecturers were today mounting a boycott of exams andessays that could mean some students are unable to graduate thisyear. The hard-hitting action at both of Northern Ireland's universitycampuses is part of continuing industrial action by academics overpay. The ...
Cory report out within three weeks, court is told
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE Government will be in a position to publish the Cory Reportsinto collusion within three weeks, a barrister for the NorthernIreland Office told the High Court in Belfast today. Pushing for a delay to a hearing brought by the families ofalleged collusion victims, Declan Morgan QC ...
Jail separation plan to start
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE permanent separation of loyalist and republican prisoners inMaghaberry jail was finally ready to be implemented today. The Prison Service is making a series of accommodation moves byinmates which will result in the total separation of loyalists andrepublicans within a ...
Adams takes the gloves off Gerry Adams led Sinn Fein into open battle with the Republic's Government at their weekend Ard Fheis. Political Correspondent Chris Thornton is startled to find they're now more critical of Dublin than the DUP
Mar 01, 2004; ... HE MAY find it hard to say the war is over, but Gerry Adams sureknows how to signal a fight is on. During an Ard Fheis that was transparently about propelling SinnFein into the European and southern local government elections nextJune, Mr Adams took the gloves off against their ...
Trimble points finger at No 10
Mar 01, 2004; ... DAVID Trimble today accused the Government of "rank moralcowardice" ahead of special talks on the threat of paramilitarism tothe political process. The two governments postponed today's scheduled talks on thereview of the Good Friday Agreement and convened the ...
Talks plan on threat from terror groups
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE British and Irish governments have summoned special talks -under the format of the review of the Good Friday Agreement - todebate the continued threat of paramilitarism to the politicalprocess. But the single-issue session - aimed at increasing pressure onSinn Fein - meant ...
St Pat's Day committee pickets City Hall
Mar 01, 2004; ... MEMBERS of the St Patrick Day carnival committee were thisafternoon picketing Belfast City Hall to lobby for funding and use offacilities. The council is expected to discuss tonight whether the girl bandGirls Aloud should be allowed to use two room in City Hall forchanging during ...
Roadshows putting pupils in the picture
Mar 01, 2004; ... Action Cancer's director of fundraising and marketing, Sarah Young(left), shouts about the success of the charity's School Actionpartnership with retail group Centra. Nicky Kelly, brand manager atMusgrave SuperValue-Centra, gets the message loud and clear ACTION Cancer and Centra ...
Token collectors focus in on digital camera prize
Mar 01, 2004; ... Pupils from St Nicholas's Primary School in Carrickfergus who aretaking part in Building for the Future PUPILS from St Nicholas's Primary in Carrickfergus areenthusiastic participants in the Building for the Future initiative. The young token collectors have taken part in the ...
Bus driver's road worry
Mar 01, 2004 ... THE Roads Service is to be asked to take on board warnings soundedby a school bus driver about the dangerous nature of a route whichruns along the shore of a Co Down lake. The driver, who does not wish to be named, pointed to the lack ofcrash barriers at the edge of Lough ...
Victims tell police their real needs
Mar 01, 2004; ... VICTIMS of crime were today getting the chance to express theirconcerns and fears directly to police as a major human rightsconference began in Belfast. Entitled Supporting Victims, Delivering Justice, it will hearfrom local and international speakers from the legal professions, ...
Maskey asked to forge new links
Mar 01, 2004; ... SINN Fein's new ban on attending Remembrance Sunday services won'tstop the party pushing ahead with plans to reach out to unionists,Assembly member Alex Maskey has said. Mr Maskey - who broke new ground by laying a Remembrance Sundaywreath when he was Lord Mayor of Belfast - has ...
Call to wipe clean criminal records
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE Sinn Fein annual conference has demanded the British and Irishgovernments wipe clean the criminal records of convicted republicans. And delegates also insisted London "adheres" to the commitmentsmade in the Weston Park talks two and a half years ago, allowing on-the-run ...
Sinn Fein focus on Loyalist collusion
Mar 01, 2004; ... SINN Fein has rebuffed attempts to make republicans the focus of atalks session within the review of the Good Friday Agreement onparamilitaries. The party said it would have questions to ask at the special talksreview session tomorrow examining the "detrimental impact" ...
House prices increase 'modest'
Mar 01, 2004; ... AVERAGE house prices in Northern Ireland in the final quarter of2003 hardly rose at all, keeping the annual rate of house priceinflation at a relatively modest 6.8%. That's according to the latest University of Ulster QuarterlyHouse Price Index, produced in partnership with the ...
Navan tourist centre to be re-opened
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE former head of a mothballed Co Armagh tourist attraction todaywelcomed the local council's move to re-open the site. Former Navan Centre Board of Trustees chairman George Priestleywas speaking as lawyers concluded a 200,000 deal to transfer therunning of the facility to Armagh ...
[Pound]560,000 is frozen in assets crackdown
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) has frozen more than[Pound]500,000 as part of major crackdowns against paramilitary drugtrafficking and cross-border fuel smuggling, it emerged today. The ARA, headed by Alan McQuillan and set up to target organisedcrime, has won the High Court ...
A sporting giant and gentleman Tributes pour in for Irish Gaelic football star Cormac McAnallen
Mar 02, 2004; ... TODAY'S tragic death of Tyrone footballing star Cormac McAnallenhas sent shock waves through family and friends and the GAA circleshe was so highly respected in. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern led messages of sympathy for the 24-year-old's family as they came to terms with his sudden and ...
Ex-chorister Katie comes home to a rapturous reception
Mar 01, 2004; ... Katie Melua was born in Georgia but raised in Belfast and proudlylooks on the city as home SEVEN years ago Katie Melua stood on a stage at the WaterfrontHall in Belfast and performed as part of a school choir. Fast forward to 2004 and Katie was back on the same stage again ...
Civil servants prepare for new wave of strikes
Mar 01, 2004; ... FRESH disruption of public services was looming today as a newwave of strikes was announced in the Northern Ireland Civil Servicepay dispute. Trade union Nipsa said vehicle licensing services will again betargeted, along with the Government's flagship Pension Credit ...
Finucane family press for report on collusion
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE Government was being taken to the Northern Ireland High Courttoday in a bid to force it to publish a report into the murder ofBelfast solicitor Patrick Finucane 15 years ago. Mr Finucane's widow Geraldine has been granted a judicial reviewin which she will seek to force ...
Ulster charities 'used to launder paramilitary cash'
Mar 01, 2004; ... INDEPENDENT inspectors should be appointed to examine theactivities of charities in Northern Ireland, the Government'sorganised crime tsar said today. New York professor Ron Goldstock made his call amid continuingfears of paramilitaries using charitable fronts to launder funds ...
North West race festival launch
Mar 01, 2004; ... NORTHERN Ireland is gearing up for one of the biggest events inthe sporting calendar with the launch today of the North West 200Race Week Festival. The North West 200 attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors tothe north coast for a week long programme of events. The 2004 ...
Hunt for missing teens
Mar 01, 2004 ... POLICE today appealed for information about two missing Belfastteenagers. Hugh Carson (16) has been missing from the Springfield Road sinceSaturday morning. And Lisa Marie Quinn (16) has not been seen by her family sinceshe left her Cliftonville Drive home in north Belfast on ...
Man shot in the leg
Mar 01, 2004 ... A 39-year-old man is recovering in hospital today after being shotin the leg. Police are treating the incident, which occurred about ...
Thefts from vehicles probed
Mar 01, 2004; ... POLICE in Newry were today investigating a spate of thefts fromseveral vehicles parked in Annalong. The cars were targeted in the early hours of yesterday morning anda range of items were stolen. A Vauxhall Corsa was broken into in Shannagh Drive and a PanasonicCD player and ...
Woman hurt in crash
Mar 01, 2004; ... A WOMAN motorist has been taken to hospital today after her carwas in collision with a recovery vehicle attempting to get a militaryvehicle out of a field. Police said a JCB being towed on a low-loader by an Army vehicleoverturned and left the B30 Silverbridge Road near Crossmaglen ...
Pupils are put on alert for air pollution
Mar 01, 2004; ... CHILDREN in North Down have been put on air pollution alert aspart of a schools' environmental challenge. North Down council today launched its Environmental Challenge 2004for P6 and P7 pupils in the area. This year's challenge is designed to develop children'sunderstanding ...
Tv ads to help smokers quit
Mar 01, 2004; ... SMOKERS wanting to kick the habit were today encouraged to do sowith the launch of a new television advertising campaign. The new campaign from the Health Promotion Agency features acountdown of the number of days until No Smoking Day on March 10. Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief ...
Two in court after long chase
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE prompt intervention of local people who suspected a burglarywas taking place could have its sequel in court today. A small group of Straid residents chased three men across fieldsyesterday afternoon after seeing them allegedly acting suspiciouslyoutside a house in the ...
Help us freeze out SF, say DUP
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE DUP today stepped up its efforts to persuade other parties tosideline Sinn Fein ahead of Government-led talks on paramilitarismparalysing the political process. In a meeting the party called "highly significant" the DUP wasseeing SDLP and Alliance delegations this afternoon to ...
Staging a fightback on the food hygiene front
Mar 01, 2004; ... CHILDREN across Northern Ireland are taking to the stage to learnabout the importance of food safety and good hygiene. Safefood, the cross-border Food Safety Promotion Board, andInspired Events have developed an innovative training resource forschools. 'The Hands of Doom' ...
Festival results
Mar 01, 2004 ... Portadown STUART Erskine won two cups at the Portadown Speech Festival inthe Town Hall, collecting the Jonathan and Gareth Cups. Results: Boys Eight and Nine Years: 1 and Jonathan Cup, Stuart Erskine, 85;2, Eoin McAndrew, 84. Favourite Poem Minor Six Years and ...
Review: Busted mania makes tracks for Ulster fans
Mar 01, 2004; ... Busted, The Odyssey IT was the perfect remedy for sleepy-headed way-past-their-bedtime Ulster kids - an 80-minute long lasting dose of Britain'sbounciest band, Busted. And, fresh from their double Brit award success, the young triowith the Midas Touch, were in sparkling ...
Briefs: Attacks on elderly fall
Mar 01, 2004 ... ATTACKS on the elderly have dropped in Down district, according tonew figures released by the area's Policing Partnership. The Partnership has said that burglaries at the homes of theelderly in Down have fallen by 56% while violent crime againstpensioners is also down by more than ...
Warning about pigeon releases
Mar 01, 2004 ... PIGEON fanciers in Crumlin are being warned not to release birdsnear Belfast International Airport. The Northern Ireland Provincial Amalgamation received complaintsbirds were being released near the airport, at Crumlin Cemetery, justa few miles away. The fear is the birds ...
Haiti crisis looming: charity
Mar 01, 2004; ... AN aid worker from Bangor who has spent the last two years asConcern's director in Haiti today warned of a potential humanitariancrisis due to the current political instability on the Caribbeanisland. Kieron Crawley (42), who is originally from Grange Road in the CoDown town, ...
Fair trade charity boost
Mar 01, 2004; ... A NEW link-up between Christian Aid and an Irish chocolate companywill help the poor in the developing world. The Irish Fairtrade Chocolate Company will give a donation toChristian Aid for each item nominated on its website ...
Review: Violinist captures mix of rebel and discipline
Mar 01, 2004; ... James Ehnes, Elmwood Hall THE series of Beethoven recitals at the Elmwood Hall continues todeliver its mix of essential repertoire and excellent musicianship. On Sunday afternoon violinist James Ehnes and accompanist EduardLaurel presented two violin sonatas - from early and ...
Weekend crashes claim three lives
Mar 01, 2004; ... POLICE are today investigating the deaths of three people,including two teenagers, in separate road accidents in Ulster overthe weekend. A 15-year-old boy died after the car he was in hit a tree nearRosslea on the main Lisnaskea to Monaghan Road in Fermanagh about 4amon ...
IRA memorial rumour denied
Mar 01, 2004 ... RUMOURS that the IRA hunger strikers are to be honoured by amemorial in a Larne housing estate have been strongly denied. Local alderman and chairman of the Larne District PolicingPartnership, Jack McKee, voiced his concern after hearing claims thata permanent memorial was to be ...
Room opens for Friends of the Zoo
Mar 01, 2004 ... BELFAST Giants star Paxton Schulte has officially opened theFriends of Belfast Zoo's new room at the zoo which has beenrefurbished. Mar Challis, acting manager at the zoo, said: "We are very happyto provide a permanent base for the Friends of Belfast Zoo. "Their vital work ...
Another good year for the economy
Mar 01, 2004; ... THE booming North ern Ireland economy is expected to strengthenagain this year but an end to the good times is in sight, accordingto the latest Economic Outlook and Business Review from First TrustBank. Sustained public spending continues to support record levels ofemployment and ...
Farming anger at pig price rises
Mar 01, 2004; ... RISING pig prices across the UK and in the Republic of Irelandhave angered Northern Ireland farmers. For returns to producers in the province have remained staticwhile their counterparts are enjoying better markets. Today the Ulster Farmers Union revealed prices in ...
Appeal after man dies in blaze at house
Mar 01, 2004; ... FORENSIC experts were sifting through the debris of a fatal housefire in east Belfast today to determine the likely cause. Paul Bennison (32) died in the early morning fire in GarnervilleGardens yesterday. The blaze was well developed by the time aneighbour raised the alarm at ...
Storm over tax break for Ulster's quarry industry rumbles on
Mar 01, 2004; ... A BID by the Government to give the quarry industry in NorthernIreland a tax break is in danger of being scuppered, it emergedtoday. The British Aggregates Association (BAA) said it had lodged acomplaint with Brussels over the Treasury's plan. The Chancellor's proposal is ...
Police station unveils changes
Mar 01, 2004 ... POLICE have introduced new opening hours at Crumlin station. The inquiry office at the part-time station will open on Mondayfrom 3pm to 5pm and on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to7pm. Inspector Chris Yates, based at Crumlin, said the changes wereintroduced to allow ...
Missing man's body is found
Mar 01, 2004 ... POLICE have found the body of Benjamin Holland, reported missingsince February 20, in a field near Crumlin. Mr Holland (53) was last seen leaving his home at Gortnamonagh inwest Belfast. A ...
Tyrone star dies Sports world stunned by sudden death of Cormac McAnallen
Mar 02, 2004; ... THE world of sport was stunned today by the sudden death of one ofGAA's most talented and accomplished young stars. Tributes poured in this morning for Tyrone star Cormac McAnallenwho had just succeeded Peter Canavan as captain of the All-Irelandwinning side. It is ...
Trimble withdraws threat to walk away from Review
Mar 02, 2004; ... THE British and Republic Governments were today set to argue for around-table session in the talks next week to tackle on-goingparamilitary activity. But with a second day-long session of bilaterals now expected onMonday, the DUP continued to insist it will not meet directly ...
Forensic lab hits back over case collapse row
Mar 02, 2004; ... THE Forensic Science Agency, the Police Ombudsman and the DPP weretoday at loggerheads over the collapse of a case against seven policeofficers charged with perverting the course of justice arising out ofthe death of a west Belfast 'joyrider'. The Forensic Science Agency (FSNI) has ...
Their own little bit of theatrical 'History'
Mar 02, 2004; ... IT has been one of Ulster theatre's most popular plays in recentyears - according to the public. For they have been flocking in their thousands to enjoy TheHistory Of The Troubles (Accordin' To My Da). The show, a comedy with hard edges, has just finished a record-breaking ...
Ulster's blooming finalists
Mar 01, 2004; ... LONDONDERRY and four Northern Ireland towns are among 59 UKfinalists in the 2004 Britain in Bloom campaign. The event is organised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) inpartnership with B&Q, who said that sustainability would again bea key focus of the ...
Coastal plan to double tourists
Mar 02, 2004; ... PLANS to put the Causeway Coast and Glens of Antrim onto theworldwide map have taken a huge leap forward. Members of Moyle Council have been given in-depth details of theCauseway Coast and Glens Tourism Masterplan, which aims to double thenumber of tourists to around 740,000 ...
Walkers 'trashing' Stormont
Mar 02, 2004; ... AN increased number of people going for walks in Stormont has ledto a problem with discarded crisp packets, plastic drinks bottles and other rubbish, a local politician said today. East Belfast MLA Robin Newton has said he intends to write to themanagers of the Stormont estate ...
Westlife duo in soccer boast Pop stars keen to show their football skill in Belfast charity match
Mar 02, 2004; ... WESTLIFE'S Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden today threw down thegauntlet to teams taking part in a charity football match in Belfastthis weekend - "beat us if you dare". The chart-topping pair will be taking to the pitch when they joina celebrity line-up for SoccerMagic at the ...
Row deepens over double murder probe Gagging order move by police possible
Mar 02, 2004; ... THE legal row over police evidence to a double murder inquestappeared to deepen today after Northern Ireland's most senior judgeindicated he did give verbal instructions at the last hearing intothe case. The family of murdered teenager David McIlwaine says the HighCourt ordered ...
Blow for Paisley 'freedom ' move
Mar 02, 2004; ... A DUP plan to confer the Freedom of the Borough of Ballymena on party leader Ian Paisley looks doomed after Ulster Unionists and SDLPcouncillors failed to support the first stage of the process. The council split down the middle at last night's meeting with 11DUP councillors and an ...
Murder at Dunluce, but Amanda is live on set Ulster's 'magical' North Coast takes starring role
Mar 02, 2004; ... Ulster actress Amanda Burton in Coleraine during the filming of anepisode of Silent Witness which was based around the north coast ULSTER actress Amanda Burton has described filming an episode ofher hit series Silent Witness around the north coast as a ...
Phone book fury as Lisburn is 'left out'
Mar 02, 2004; ... POLITICIANS in Lisburn have reacted angrily to their exclusionfrom the Belfast area phone book, which is published today. The new directory is the first of four regional phone books toreplace the single one for Northern Ireland. The Belfast book will be distributed free to ...
Successful but all too brief career
Mar 02, 2004; ... THE sudden death of Cormac McAnallen has robbed Ulster in generaland Tyrone in particular of one of its outstanding young sportsmen. Aged just 24, Cormac was part of the Tyrone side that made historyby winning the All Ireland senior football championship title for thefirst time ...
Court demands Cory report date
Mar 02, 2004 ... A HIGH Court judge in Belfast has said a date for publication ofthe Cory reports into allegations of collusion between loyalistparamilitaries and the security forces must be given by March 22. And the Government was accused of trying to 'sex down' the reportsby its delay in not ...
A village in mourning
Mar 02, 2004; ... VILLAGERS in Eglish Co Tyrone - the home of Cormac McAnallen -were left reeling today with news of the young GAA star's death. The popular 24-year-old footballer was described as an ambassadorfor the area by locals who were dumbfounded by the tragedy. Children in Roan Primary ...
Eircom return brings windfall for top brass
Mar 02, 2004; ... THE return to the stock market of Irish telecoms company Eircom isexpected to net up to [Pound]30m for its four top directors,including chief executive Philip Nolan. It will be the second time an Ulsterman has been made amillionaire by the sale of the former state-owned telephone ...