PRISON officers have isolated inmates carrying out a “dirty protest” in Cork Prison in a bid to thwart their attempt at throwing the jail’s punishment unit into chaos.

A Northern Ireland minister told the Home Office tonight to forget any hope it could solve the overcrowding crisis in Britain’s jails by reopening the Maze Prison.

SINN FÉIN'S current electoral strength was in no small measure helped by 10 republican hunger strikers who died in the Maze Prison 25 years ago, party leader Gerry Adams acknowledged yesterday.