Clinton tells Northern Ireland Assembly that Catholic-Protestant cooperation inspires world

October 12th, 2009 Clinton in Belfast seeks power-sharing progressBELFAST, Northern Ireland — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged the rival Protestant and Catholic leaders of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government Monday to keep making their awkward coalition work for the sake of lasting peace.

October 11th, 2009 Clinton downplays threat to Pakistan nuke arsenalBELFAST, Northern Ireland — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday the Taliban siege of Pakistan's army headquarters showed extremists are a growing threat in the nuclear-armed American ally, but she contended they don't pose a risk to the country's atomic arsenal.

October 11th, 2009 IRA splinter group to renounce violence in IrelandDUBLIN — The Irish National Liberation Army, an IRA splinter group responsible for some of the most notorious killings of the Northern Ireland conflict, said Sunday it is formally renouncing violence and plans to hand over weapons to disarmament officials. Two officials — one a member of the outlawed paramilitary group, the other a member of its Marxist political party — told The Associated Press that the INLA is making both commitments 11 years after declaring a shaky cease-fire.

October 2nd, 2009 Clinton to visit Britain, Ireland, RussiaWASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton travels next week to Britain, Ireland and Russia for wide-ranging talks on economic and counterterrorism cooperation and arms control. The State Department said Friday that Clinton would visit London, Dublin, Belfast and Moscow from Oct.

September 22nd, 2009 NIreland security high on police chief's first dayDUBLIN — Police in the British territory of Northern Ireland mounted increased checkpoints and patrols Tuesday as their new commander began his first day's work under the shadow of Irish Republican Army dissidents. "The threat is real," said Chief Constable Matt Baggott, who previously commanded a smaller police force in the English county of Leicestershire.

September 8th, 2009 N. Ireland paramilitaries to decommission weaponsLONDON — The British government said Tuesday the last remaining armed paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland had pledged to decommission all their weapons within six months. Northern Ireland police said separately that the army had defused a massive bomb, containing around 600 pounds (272 kilograms) of homemade explosives in the village of Forkhill, close to the South Armagh border with Ireland.

July 13th, 2009 Bomb explodes during NIreland march; no injuriesBELFAST, Northern Ireland — Police in Northern Ireland say a small bomb has detonated in the city of Armagh as Protestant hard-liners paraded across the British territory. There were no injuries.

July 13th, 2009 Catholics hurl firebombs at Belfast policeBELFAST, Northern Ireland — Militant Catholics hurled gasoline bombs, fireworks and other makeshift weapons at Northern Ireland police Monday in a failed effort to prevent a Protestant parade from passing through the bitterly divided north side of Belfast. An Associated Press reporter witnessed the crowd in the hard-line Catholic district of Ardoyne throw about a half-dozen Molotov cocktails at riot police.

July 13th, 2009 Catholics hurl petrol bombs at Belfast policeBELFAST, Northern Ireland — Militant Catholics are hurling firebombs, fireworks and other makeshift weapons at Northern Ireland police in opposition to a Protestant parade passing through the bitterly divided north side of Belfast. An Associated Press reporter has witnessed the crowd in the hard-line Catholic district of Ardoyne throw about a half-dozen Molotov cocktails at riot police.

July 13th, 2009 Protestants march in 18 cities of Northern IrelandBELFAST, Northern Ireland — Tens of thousands of Protestants marched Monday in cities across Northern Ireland in an annual demonstration of communal strength that threatens peace in this long-divided British territory. For centuries, Protestants from the Orange Order brotherhood have paraded on "The Twelfth" — an official holiday in Northern Ireland commemorating the July 12, 1690, battle victory by Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic rival James II for the British throne.

June 29th, 2009 NIreland disarmament chief confirms UVF arms movesLONDON — Northern Ireland's disarmament chief announced Monday he has witnessed a major weapons handover by the Ulster Volunteer Force, an outlawed group that terrorized Irish Catholics for decades — but he cannot confirm if the shadowy gang has surrendered all of its arsenal. Retired Canadian Gen.

June 23rd, 2009 Most Romanians intimidated in Belfast leaving cityDUBLIN — More than 100 Romanian Gypsies who suffered racist attacks and intimidation in Belfast are being flown back home at taxpayer expense, the Northern Ireland government said Tuesday. Northern Ireland housing minister Margaret Ritchie said 25 of the 117 Romanians targeted by stone-throwing extremists have already been flown back to Romania, while most of the rest were expected to leave soon.

June 21st, 2009 NIreland police charge 2 over attacks on RomaniansBELFAST, Northern Ireland — Police in Northern Ireland have charged two teenagers over a series of attacks on Romanian families that drove 100 people from their homes. The Police Service of Northern Ireland says the boys — aged 15 and 16 — were charged with provocative conduct late Saturday.

June 19th, 2009 Northern Ireland police search houses in BelfastBELFAST, Northern Ireland — Police investigating a series of attacks on Romanian families in Northern Ireland searched houses in Belfast and arrested two teenagers Friday. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said officers searched houses in Donegall Avenue, in a working-class district known as The Village near where the attacks took place.

May 6th, 2009 Catholic cardinal: IRA dissidents shame IrelandDUBLIN — IRA splinter groups still plotting gun and bomb attacks in Northern Ireland are shaming the people of Ireland and betraying the memory of its patriot dead, the leader of the island's 4 million Catholics declared Wednesday. Cardinal Sean Brady denounced Irish Republican Army dissidents during a state memorial service in honor of the approximately 450 people killed during Dublin's 1916 Easter rebellion, a watershed event in Ireland's fight for independence from Britain.