How building bridges will tear down the peace walls 

The two men are from very different backgrounds; one loyalist, the other republican. Men who, at one time, would have been enemies in Ulster's and Ireland's bloody 'wars'.

London Notebook: Recess has little impact on the endless work of an MP 

People tend to assume that, if you work at Westminster, you harbour ambitions to be an MP. In my case, nothing could be further from the truth.

Why someone like Adele is an example of real success 

Dynamic, award-winning and record-breaking' is how American Vogue described its cover girl's 'five-octave contralto' range. And this was before Adele Adkins won an Oscar for the James Bond Skyfall theme.

Proposal for police museum at Maze prison is open and shut case 

Let's face it, Nicole is ageing smoothly 

So I was interested to read reports that Nicole Kidman has given up Botox and fillers.

Come again Bill, what does your theory on reincarnation really mean? 

I hate the way Coronation actor William Roache has been misinterpreted by broad sections of the media over his beliefs, which are really quite benign if properly understood.

How the Celtic Tiger is biting back at all of us 

When house buyers in the Republic were getting hammered by exorbitant stamp duty in the giddy days of the last property boom, they looked north and envied the modest 1% the British exchequer took from new home owners.

900 million hungry people a taxing problem for PM 

Prime Minister David Cameron told the World Economic Forum in Davos at the beginning of the year that the priority for his chairmanship of the G8 would be tax transparency.

Another tragedy for gun-crazed USA? The answer is to get more guns 

The National Rifle Association in America will be preparing its statement. Each time a nutcase goes berserk with a gun, the NRA insists that this proves everyone should have a gun.

Hot off the press: Royal Charter leaves media cold 

When Lord Justice Leveson published his report on the 'culture, practices and ethics of the Press', he called for "voluntary independent self-regulation".

Reese could be better at playing the role of bad girl 

She's the last person you'd expect it of, all the same.

Is Robinson looking for an exit strategy? 

On May 6, 2011 – the day after the Assembly election – Peter Robinson seemed to be master of all he surveyed. The DUP had gained a couple of MLAs, rather than, as most pundits had predicted, lost some.

Commemorations should unite, not create division 

The events of 100 years ago in Ireland – the Home Rule Crisis, the Dublin Lockout, the Easter Rising and the War of Independence – defined relations between the peoples of these islands for a century.

It's a mash hit at home and boasts worldwide a-peel 

What did potatoes ever do for us? The potato defines us in so many ways; sometimes it's hard to imagine what we would be like without it.

Project will build the peace and give jobs to thousands 

The Maze and Balmoral Park site offers unprecedented opportunities for everyone.

Our right to vote on English affairs a quirk of Home Rule 

Reform bid: the House of Commons where there will be heated debate on England-only proposals

We were attacked, and in some cases with deadly intent 

The second half of my ministerial service in Northern Ireland focused on trying to re-establish 'normal' political dialogue, which had collapsed following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Boris to check Ballymena buses 

Ballymena is about to be hit by a blond bombshell. London's mayor, Boris Johnson, is coming to the town next month to check up on his new buses.

There are no arguments to oppose integrated education 

There cannot be a more obvious purpose of the devolved government at Stormont – and it is not at all obvious that it currently has one – than the promotion of integrated education.

Abuse probes have TV veterans shaking in their boots 

Soon after the Jimmy Savile scandal broke, the publicist Max Clifford said that a number of veterans of the entertainment world would be shaking in their shoes, expecting the dawn knock on the door from the constabulary investigating "historic" sex abuse crimes.