Deadline for UDA decommissioning expires today

The Ulster Defence Association looks set to lose out on more than £1m (€1.48m) worth of British Government funding by failing to meet a deadline for ending illegal activities.

The money has been promised by the British Government to fund community projects run by the UDA and its political wing, the UPRG.

However, Margaret Ritchie, the North's Social Development Minister, has vowed to block the funding if the loyalist paramilitary group doesn't end criminality and begin decommissioning by today.

The UDA has made it clear that it will not be meeting the deadline, while Ms Ritchie has insisted that she will not be backing down on her threat.