Britain, Ireland call talks to break N. Ireland deadlock

By -
Britain and Ireland are to revive talks between nationalist and unionist parties in Northern Ireland to resolve a standoff that has at times threatened to topple the power-sharing administration, reports AFP.
The two countries announced on Sunday a new round of discussions would be convened to break deadlock over the divisive issues of flags, parades and dealing with the region's troubled past.
"I fully appreciate how very difficult these issues are, the roots of some of them date back centuries, but there are huge benefits for Northern Ireland if a way can be found to make progress on them," said Britain's Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers.
"The time is now right for a new round of cross-party talks to be convened to seek a way forward on the outstanding issues.
"In the coming days I will be engaging with the five main parties and the Irish government to discuss in more detail the precise format and agenda," she told the Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham, central England.
A failure to agree on implementing Westminster reforms to social welfare has deepened the divide between Northern Ireland's mostly Protestant unionists, who back staying in the United Kingdom, and the mainly Catholic nationalists, who want to join the Republic of Ireland.
The blockages are "preventing the devolved executive from delivering the efficient and effective government that the people of Northern Ireland want"," Villiers said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UBTH @50: Obaseki hails institution’s role in strengthening Edo healthcare

By -
Image
(Nigeria) Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has commended the staff and management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, for their unwavering commitment, dedication, and hard work in providing high-quality healthcare services to the people of Edo State and Nigeria in the past fifty years. Obaseki, at a dinner organized in honour of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Nigeria, at the Government House, Benin City, reassured the government’s continuous partnership and collaboration with the federal government-owned health institution to strengthen the health system and ensure quality health delivery to Edo people. The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu, reeled out the gains of the government’s reforms in the health sector, commending the medical centre for bolstering the government’s efforts at transforming Edo State into a health hub. He said, "We came into a wilderness where you have to cut a part for yourself and fix it. We held
Read more

NBC has no powers to impose fine on broadcast stations --Court

By -
Image
(Nigeria) The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has been restrained by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, from imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country. Trial judge in the matter, Justice James Omotosho also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed on March 1, 2019, on each of 45 broadcast stations. The court made the orders in its judgment a suit by the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, which had sued the NBC. Justice Omotosho held that the NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations. The court further held that the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law. He said the court would not sit idle and watch a body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law. He said that the commission did not comply with the law when it sat as a complainant and at
Read more