Church leaders criticise bands; Parade violence: Sort out this mess, demand officers caught in the middle; Call to reroute parade; Limerick diocese help for mining victims; Bishop of Connor – ‘Thought for the Day’; Event remembers the Disappeared; 2,000 apply for just 160 teacher training places; Alarming gap in literacy at Northern Ireland schools widens further
Church leaders criticise bands
The leaders of two Protestant churches in Northern Ireland – the Moderator and the Archbishop of Armagh – criticised as “sectarian” the actions of loyalist bands outside a Catholic church in Belfast.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19413665
Parade violence: Sort out this mess, demand officers caught in the middle
Rank-and-file police spokesman issues blunt challenge to our politicians as senior DUP figures clam up over controversial letter. Political rows over parades are creating huge problems for PSNI officers which threaten to spiral out of control, the head of the Police Federation has warned.
In a blunt message, Terry Spence said it was time for politicians to “get their fingers out” and help end the deadlock over contentious marches.
Failure to do so, he added, risked further inflaming a volatile situation with officers caught in the crossfire.
Mr Spence said he intended to speak to unionist leaders “very soon” to make his views clear.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/parade-violence-sort-out-this-mess-demand-officers-caught-in-the-middle-16203375.html
Call to reroute parade
Sinn Fein has called on the loyal orders to reroute parades past a Catholic church for the remainder of the marching season.
Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA has said the growing tension over parading in Northern Ireland is a “symptom of the failure to agree a pathway to a shared future”.
“We cannot continue to lurch from one crisis to the next; the problems that continue to arise over parading are clear evidence that we need a real effort to deal with it, not more sound bites,” he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19413665
Limerick diocese help for mining victims
€2,000 emergency support has been sent through the Diocesan Board of Mission to the Diocese of Saldanha Bay to support the families of the victims of a tragic mining accident in the north of the diocese. As well as the emergency funding the Board has been able to send a cheque to USPG in support of the Luyengo Farm Project.
http://limerick.anglican.org/news_detail.php?id=71
Bishop of Connor – ‘Thought for the Day’
T
he Rt Rev Alan Abernethy will be giving ‘Thought for the Day’ live on BBC Radio Ulster for five consecutive Friday mornings – September 7, 14, 21 and 28 and October 5.
Event remembers the Disappeared
People who were murdered and secretly buried by the IRA –
during the Troubles – have been commemorated at an event in Belfast yesterday. Actor
Jimmy Nesbitt,apatron of Wave, joined victims’ families at the event
The victims’ group Wave organised the event at the Lyric Theatre to mark International Disappeared Day.
Nine bodies have been recovered in searches to date, but seven of the Disappeared remain missing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19427436
2,000 apply for just 160 teacher training places
More than 2,000 students applied for just 160 places at one of Northern Ireland’s leading teacher training colleges.
Stranmillis University College, the main non-denominational training facility, received 2,092 applications through the University and Colleges Admission Service for September — a rise of 152 on last year.
In a stark indication of how many young people are trying to become teachers in a shrinking profession, the south Belfast college received 13 applications for every space available.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/2000-apply-for-just-160-teacher-training-places-16203398.html#ixzz253ZTKnSS
Alarming gap in literacy at Northern Ireland schools widens further
The literacy gulf between grammar and non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland has widened despite government efforts to raise standards.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/alarming-gap-in-literacy-at-northern-ireland-schools-widens-further-16202093.html