British soldier-turned-politician ‘told colleague not to attempt CPR on IRA hitman's father'
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Belfast Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Plan to turn IRA into old boys' club one of many in bid to entice Provos to disarm, state papers reveal
UUP leader David Trimble also suggested making group legal to break political deadlock A top British diplomat argued the British and Irish governments in conjunction with the US should be urging the 'IRA to (transform) themselves into a retired servicemen's league', newly released state papers have revealed. Sir Ivor Roberts believed the move could form part of the process to progress Provo decommissioning and get the republican terrorists to formally end their armed campaign as part of peacebuilding in Northern Ireland.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Féile an Phobail: Family of IRA victim call Féile tribute 'sick'
The family of Linda Boyle, who was killed in a bomb in west Belfast in 1975, have said they are "absolutely disgusted" by the "sick" tribute to former senior IRA member Brendan McFarlane at this year's Féile an Phobail event. McFarlane was jailed for the gun and bomb attack on the Bayardo Bar on Belfast's Shankill Road, which killed five people, including Ms Boyle, and injured 60 Boyle was 17-years-old when she died from the injuries she sustained in the attack. The tribute to McFarlane took place during a performance by the band Shebeen during the Féile an Phobail festival in Falls Park on Sunday. On Tuesday, speaking ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Bayardo pub bombing, the family of Linda Boyle issued a statement which said: "Wednesday will be a particularly difficult day although there have been few easy days since the Provisional IRA stole away our beautiful Linda and the others that fateful day." It went on to say how Linda would now be of retirement age and should be "relaxing and exploring a further chapter of life". "Linda's storybook was ended before she got beyond her first chapter," it added. 'Cruel and crass' It's understood that during the event on Sunday, the band Shebeen performed a song called 'Marcella', written by McFarlane in memory of hunger striker Bobby Sands. A picture of McFarlane was then projected onto the stage screen behind the band to a crowd of thousands. Linda Boyle's family described the tribute as "absolutely disgusting, especially as the 50th anniversary was only a few days away". "Why do some within this society continue to stoke the fires, why do they want to continue to hurt the innocent?" they added. Kenny Donaldson from the South East Fermanagh Foundation, a terrorism victims advocacy group, said that for this tribute to come just days before the anniversary of the bombing is "particularly cruel and crass". He said it was "shameful" and those involved "will have been very aware of what they were doing". Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane died in February. He was the leader of IRA prisoners in the Maze during the 1981 hunger strike, where he was serving five life sentences for also led a mass escape of 38 inmates from the prison near Lisburn in prison officer died of a heart attack after being stabbed and six other officers were stabbed or shot during the was later caught in Amsterdam and extradited to Northern Ireland along with fellow escapee, Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly. Féile an Phobail have been contacted for a response.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
China slaps temporary duties on Canadian canola
BEIJING/SINGAPORE, Aug 12 (Reuters) - China on Tuesday announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on Canadian canola imports, a fresh escalation in the year-long trade dispute that began with Ottawa's imposition of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports last August. The provisional rate will be set at 75.8%, effective from Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. ICE November canola futures fell 4% to a three-month low after the announcement. China, the world's largest importer of canola - also known as rapeseed - sources nearly all of its supplies of the product from Canada. The steep duties would likely all but end imports if they are maintained. "This is huge. Who will pay a 75% deposit to bring Canadian canola to China? It is like telling Canada that we don't need your canola, thank you very much," said one Singapore-based oilseed trader. China's Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday an anti-dumping probe launched in September 2024 had found Canada's agricultural sector and particularly the canola industry had benefited from "substantial" government subsidies and preferential policies. China has until September, when the investigation formally ends, to make a final decision on the duties, though it has the option of extending that deadline by six months. A final ruling could result in a different rate, or overturn Tuesday's decision. The decision marks a shift from the conciliatory tone struck in June when China's Premier Li Qiang said there were no deep-seated conflicts of interest between the countries during a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. "This move... will put additional pressure on Canada's government to sort through trade frictions with China," said Trivium China agriculture analyst Even Rogers Pay. The Canadian embassy in Beijing did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. Separately, China also launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian pea starch and imposed provisional duties on imports of halogenated butyl rubber, according to ministry statements. Replacing millions of tons of Canadian canola is likely to be difficult at short notice, say analysts. China primarily uses imported canola to make animal feed for its aquaculture sector. A separate duty on Canadian canola meal imports in March has already put these supplies at risk. The move provides an opportunity for Australia, which looks set to regain access to the Chinese market with a few test cargoes this year after a years-long freeze in the trade, Pay said. Australia, the second-largest canola exporter, has been shut out of the Chinese market since 2020 due mainly to Chinese rules to stop the spread of fungal plant disease. However, even if Australian imports increase, "fully replacing Canadian canola will be very difficult unless import demand drops sharply," said Donatas Jankauskas, an analyst with commodity data firm CM Navigator. ($1 = 1.3789 Canadian dollars)
