The retrial of a Louth building contractor on conspiracy charges connected with the 1998 Real IRA Omagh bombing has opened at the new Criminal Court Complex.

THE families of the victims of the Omagh bombing have criticised Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for not attending the commemoration to mark the fifth anniversary of the atrocity, despite the fact that he is on holiday in nearby Donegal.

Renegade loyalists tonight vowed to step up their sectarian murder campaign after gunning down a Protestant teenager on the outskirts of north Belfast.