Loyalists in the North are moving towards decommissioning their weapons, the head of the Presbyterian church said today.

A petition calling for British government help for nearly 10,000 investors who have lost millions in the collapse of the Presbyterian Mutual Society will be formally presented in the House of Commons today.

Presbyterians across Ireland are being advised to write directly to the British prime minister and ask him to step in and rescue their savings.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams blamed Secretary of State Shaun Woodward today for the controversy surrounding a military parade planned for Belfast.