Gerry Adams freed without charge after questioning over McConville case

Gerry Adams at a press conference at Balmoral Hotel with Martin McGuinness. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Gerry Adams has been released without charge from a Northern Irelandpolice station but a file on him will be sent to the public prosecution service, it has emerged.

The Sinn Féin president was released at 5.45pm on Sunday from the serious crimes suite at Antrim police station.

He was being questioned about the murder in 1972 of widow Jean McConville. He has denied both any involvement in the killing, and membership of the IRA.

Armoured vehicles and a large phalanx of police officers in riot gear carrying shields moved out of the police station shortly after 7pm. They were deployed to clear dozens of loyalists from the front of the police base who had sat on the road.

But it transpired that the security operation was a decoy to divert the loyalists from the back of the station where Adams and his entourage left by car.

Earlier, the fallout from the row over his arrest produced an angry exchange within the power-sharing executive at Stormont with the first minister, Peter Robinson, accusing Sinn Féin of trying to blackmail the police.

Peter Robinson said he hoped the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) would not bend to "republican bullyboy tactics".

Robinson said: "The protest action taken by Sinn Féin is unacceptable in any democratic country operating under the rule of law. The publicly conveyed threat to the PSNI delivered by the highest levels of Sinn Féin that they will reassess their attitude to policing if Gerry Adams is charged is a despicable, thuggish attempt to blackmail the PSNI.

"The threat now means that ordinary, decent citizens will conclude that the PSNI and the PPS [Public Prosecution Service] have succumbed to a crude and overt political threat if Adams is not charged. The PSNI must not be the subject of republican bullyboy tactics."

The first minister's remarks are a measure of the acrimony between the two main parties in the regional devolved government, the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin, over Adams's detention.

Sinn Féin junior minister and former IRA Old Bailey bomber Gerry Kelly was allowed into Antrim police station to visit Adams on Sunday afternoon.

Kelly said Adams believed his detention was politically motivated and that it had been "mishandled."

Kelly said his party leader was "worried about the damage that it may be doing to the image of policing as well. This is quite a serious situation."

Kelly said that Adams told him that the police also quizzed Adams about books he wrote over the last 40 years and showed him photographs from the Troubles.

The Sinn Féin minister's visit was highly unusual because normally only a doctor or lawyer can visit a suspect in a police station in Northern Ireland.

Separately, a group of Ulster loyalists arrived near Antrim police station where Adams has spent a fifth day being questioned by detectives.

They erected a union flag on a lamp post and carried a placard claiming their right to fly the flag.

The deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, earlier claimed sinister forces within the police were behind the arrest and were trying to "settle old scores", and said his party would review their support for policing if Adams was charged.

A rally of up to 600 people turned up in west Belfast on Saturday to observe the unveiling of a mural along Falls Road in honour of Adams. The demonstration took place a short distance away from the site of the Divis Flats complex, from where Jean McConville was dragged away 42 years ago and never seen again by her children.

Jean McConville's eldest daughter has vowed to take civil action against the Sinn Féin leader. Helen McKendry said she had been approached by a high-powered legal firm offering their services to pursue Adams through the civil courts. She said the action will be modelled on the case taken by families of the Omagh bomb victims against four named in Belfast high court as leaders of the Real IRA at the time of the 1998 massacre.

Ann Maguire stabbing: man charged over malicious communications

Tributes for Ann Maguire outside Corpus Christi Catholic college in Leeds. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/PA

Police have arrested one man and charged another in connection with "malicious communications" following the fatal stabbing of Ann Maguire, a 61-year-old teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic college in Leeds.

Jake Newsome, 21, from the Harehills area in Leeds, was charged and released on bail. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday. A man aged 42, who was arrested in Port Talbot, south Wales, remains in custody.

It is unclear what was the nature of the communications and in what medium they appeared. The Crown Prosecution Service defines malicious communications as "the sending to another of any article which is indecent or grossly offensive, or which conveys a threat, or which is false, provided there is an intent to cause distress or anxiety to the recipient."

Maguire, who taught Spanish and was described as an "inspirational" teacher, was attacked in front of her pupils and died of multiple stab wounds last week. A teenager who cannot be named appeared via videolink before Leeds crown court on Friday charged with her murder.

During the court proceedings the prosecuting barrister, Paul Greaney QC, asked the judge to warn members of the public as well as the mediathat the boy had a right to a fair trial.

The judge, Geoffrey Marson QC, reiterated Greaney's point, saying that bloggers and users of social media sites were "just as much bound by these rules as the press".

"The consequences for individuals, I want to emphasise, can be serious if there's a breach," he said.

Under English law, any child involved in court proceedings is entitled to anonymity. Normally, that means media cannot name their school or college.

The case was adjourned until 11 July for a plea and case management hearing. A date for the start of the murder trial was set for 3 November. Prayers were said at dozens of churches for Maguire's family and the pupils she taught in her 40 years at the school. The Catholic diocese of Leeds wrote to about 90 churches asking them to hold the special prayers during mass.

Monsignor John Wilson, administrator of the diocese, wrote to all Catholic churches in West Yorkshire, which have a combined congregation of about 32,000. His letter praised the "great spiritual and pastoral" support offered to students at Maguire's school.

"It goes without saying, but please would you pray especially for Ann, her family and the college and local community. It is in the strength of prayer that we stand united in faith," he said.

On Saturday, delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers conference in Birmingham held a minute's silence in memory of Maguire and offered their condolences to her family

Economics students call for shakeup of the way their subject is taught

Students want courses to include analysis of the financial crash that so many economists failed to see coming. Photograph: Eddie Mulholland/REX

Economics students from 19 countries have joined forces to call for an overhaul of the way their subject is taught, saying the dominance of narrow free-market theories at top universities harms the world's ability to confront challenges such as financial stability and climate change.

In the first global protest against mainstream economic teaching, the International Student Initiative for Pluralist Economics (ISIPE) argues in a letter to the Guardian that economics courses are failing wider society when they ignore evidence from other disciplines.

The students, who have formed 41 protest groups in universities from Britain and the US to Brazil and Russia, say research and teaching in economics departments is too narrowly focused and more effort should be made to broaden the curriculum. They want courses to include analysis of the financial crash that so many economists failed to see coming, and say the discipline has become divorced from the real world.

"The lack of intellectual diversity does not only restrain education and research. It limits our ability to contend with the multidimensional challenges of the 21st century – from financial stability to food security and climate change," they say in their manifesto.

"The real world should be brought back into the classroom, as well as debate and a pluralism of theories and methods. This will help renew the discipline and ultimately create a space in which solutions to society's problems can be generated."

The move follows a series of protests in the UK led by students in Manchester, Cambridge and London against academics who have been accused of acting as cheerleaders for the market-financial models that helped push the global financial system into the crisis.

Economics undergraduates at the University of Manchester, who formed the Post-Crash Economics Society, recently issued their own manifesto for reform with the endorsement of the Bank of England's incoming chief economist, Andy Haldane. Haldane, who is currently director of financial stability, said economists had forgotten the links between their subject and other social science disciplines, which can give a broader and more accurate picture of how an economy works.

He said: "The crisis has laid bare the latent inadequacies of economic models. These models have failed to make sense of the sorts of extreme macro-economic events, such as crises, recessions and depressions, which matter most to society."

In the decade before the 2008 crash, many economists dismissed warnings that property and stock markets were overvalued. US central bank boss Alan Greenspan was a leading figure who argued that markets were correctly pricing shares, property and exotic derivatives in line with economic models of behaviour. It was only when the US sub-prime mortgage market unravelled that regulators, policymakers and banks realised a collective failure to spot the bubble had wrecked their economies.

In his bestselling book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, the economist Thomas Piketty attacks mainstream economic teaching, accusing academics of believing mathematical models without looking at growing evidence that undermines the conclusions. Piketty's look back over the last 200 years of economic development in search of lessons for the next 100 years is currently the best selling book on Amazon in the US.

He says academics have ignored evidence of growing inequality and its influence on GDP growth since the 1970s.

"For too long economists have neglected the distribution of wealth, partly because of the profession's undue enthusiasm for simplistic mathematical models based on so-called representative agents," he says.

The student manifesto calls on university economics departments to hire lecturers with a broader outlook and introduce a wider selection of texts. It also asks that lecturers endorse collaborations between social sciences and humanities departments or "establish special departments that could oversee interdisciplinary programmes blending economics and other fields".

The manifesto says: "Change will be difficult – it always is. But it is already happening. Students across the world have already started creating change step by step. We have founded university groups and built networks both nationally and internationally. Change must come from many places. So now we invite you – students, economists, and non-economists – to join us and create the critical mass needed for change."

Mothercare renegotiates bank loan terms after profit warnings

Mothercare has 220 stores under the Mothercare and Early Learning Centre brands. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

Mothercare is renegotiating the terms of its bank loans just seven months after it secured a £90m refinancing facility. A weekend report said that the embattled baby care retailer had asked lenders HSBC andBarclays for breathing space.

It comes after a number of profit warnings and the departure of chief executive Simon Calver in February.

A source close to Mothercare said the talks were "part of a prudent approach" about giving it the flexibility to fund investment as it opens new stores and carries out refits. Elsewhere in the business, loss-making stores are continuing to close as planned.

It emerged at the weekend that the company was squeezing suppliers by adding a 2.5% charge on all invoices and telling them it would extend its payment time for bills to 90 days.

Last month, the group revealed a more resilient UK sales performance so far this year.

The retailer, which has 220 stores under the Mothercare and Early Learning Centre brands, said like-for-like sales were just 0.3% lower in the 12 weeks to 29 March, against a 1.9% fall for the whole financial year.

Chairman Alan Parker described the performance as encouraging after the profit warning issued in the wake of poor Christmas trading. There was also improved underlying trading at its international business.

The UK business, which made a loss of £21.7m during the 2013 financial year, has been hampered by price wars in home and travel goods.

A Mothercare spokeswoman declined to comment.

This will be my best work thus far: Rahat Fateh Ali

Khan’s performance at IIFA awards 2014. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: 

Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is always upbeat about the work he does. The unveiling of his latest album Back2love by Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha at the IIFA awards, in Tampa Bay, Florida was done with considerable flair and style.

It is said to be the first time an album from the sub-continent has been launched in this manner, endorsed and greeted by a crowd of Bollywood A-listers. It ultimately reflects that the world is an oyster for Khan’s music. The album is being released by Universal Music India and will be released globally; it includes compositions of the Tradition Plus team, Sahir Ali Bagga and Mian Yousuf Salahuddin.

“The album is a mixture of love songs  — about being in love, falling in love or unfortunately falling out of love. I am very excited about this album, because I feel it’s my best work thus far. There has been a dedicated team working on this for the last several months, which I believe is something you will be able to hear in the melody and lyrics,” says Khan.

Khan’s album is going to be released on June 8, alongside the IIFA telecast which will premiere on television to an estimated 600 million viewers. The intent is to go big while also keeping close to his roots. Bagga and Yousuf Salli who contributed lyrics for the song Rhim Jhim have a major role in the albums production process, along with the producer Salman Ahmed, who has helped with his experience abroad. The album will experiment with traditional melodies and maintain the cultural ethos.

“I have always said that Bagga is more of a magician than musician; he has hand crafted the music for this album,” says Khan, who tries to maintain his soft-spoken image.

“Mian Yousuf Salli has an almost impeccable role in the album and his lyrics in the song Rhim Jhim are amazing. The song has been sung by Shreya Goshal and me,” he adds.

“I have always believed that music has no boundaries, and since this album is about love, the title also has matched that sort of idea of getting Back2Love,” says Khan.

The album’s producer Salman Ahmed explained that the collaboration with Priyanka Chopra could not happen due to issues with her record label and because the time wasn’t  right. Salman added that in a span of ten years, Rahat has grown into one of the most sought after live performers and playback singers with an international following.

“The main reason why he had not been able to release an album before is that he has been one of the busiest artistes in the subcontinent; he could not focus on his own personal album,” says Ahmed.

He says that the album does not compromise his dedication towards traditional and local melodies and that there will be more of an international feel to the album. He said that there were no barriers on the type of music that Rahat can explore.

“This album shows that he can do anything as an artiste, he can experiment with different genres. You will see that he doesn’t compromise on the lyrics and melody in his songs,” adds Ahmad.

Interestingly, Rahat has collaborated with several artists from across the border including Sajid-Wajid, Salim-Suleman Merchant, Goshal and others. There have been reports that Khan has been busy recording two music videos; one of them is said to be loosely inspired by Jennifer Lopez and features Elle Abram. Further, it was disclosed that the marketing and promotion budget is said to be larger than the budget of most local films.

Ranbir and Katrina to make relationship official with a bash

It was Ranbir who reportedly had commitment issues, but all seems to be sorted now between the two. PHOTO: FILE.

Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif appear to be fed up with the endless speculations surrounding their romance and have finally decided to announce their relationship status. According to the Deccan Chronicle, Ranbir is ready to move into his new apartment, though it isn’t sure whether Katrina will be joining him, the couple is now ready to take their relationship to the next level and make it official.

A source close to the actors said, “Too much has been said about Ranbir and Katrina. Though they haven’t spoken a word about it, the two have always maintained that they are special to each other. They also don’t shy away from being spotted in public anymore as their families are aware of the relationship. They did go through a rough phase in between, but then again which couple doesn’t fight?”

“They sorted out their differences and now things are fine. It was said that Ranbir reportedly had commitment issues, but all that seems to be a thing of the past considering Katrina has been dropping in at his bungalow very often,” added the source.

“With Ranbir moving out to live alone, Katrina has been helping him with setting up the new place. The two were also at Worli last week to meet an interior decorator to do up Ranbir’s new apartment in Bandra. All this is a clear indication that the duo is ready to go public about their relationship,” continued the insider.

The media-shy duo has been spotted together quite a number of times and they also dropped in for the special screening of Revolver Rani. The couple has been under the media radar for far too long now and they now wish to make their relationship official. The source added that the couple is quite frustrated with all the speculations around their personal life and is now planning to host a party to announce their relationship status. The party is said to happen very soon and will be held for close friends from the industry and the press.

I have a lot to learn in the universe of music: Priyanka

The release of her upcoming film will be clashing with her alleged former beau Shahid Kapoor’s film Haider, but Priyanka remains unaffected. PHOTO: FILE

Actor Priyanka Chopra is a force to be reckoned with. The Bollywood diva is snowed under with work and still manages to pull through. She is split between acting in theMary Kom biopic, building a career in music and performing at awards shows.

Interestingly, the release of Mary Kom will be clashing with her alleged former beau Shahid Kapoor’s film Haider, but Priyanka remains unaffected, according to bollywood.com. “I’m not aware of the clash since I’ve been travelling a lot recently. Besides, I don’t believe in clashes,” she said. “I’m sure both are great films and from completely different genres. It has been a great opportunity for me to work on the biopic. And I’m sure Vishal Sir has also made a superb film.”

Priyanka shared how playing the role of a real-life boxer has been no easy feat. During the shooting, she has injured her ankles, head, stomach and knees. “It has been difficult. And the biggest challenge has been to develop a body that looks like that of a boxer’s,” she stated. “In our industry, male stars generally go through physical changes for their roles while heroines remain the same. But this has been a very different experience.”

Despite receiving acclaim for the three singles she has released so far, Priyanka feels she still has a lot to accomplish. “I have a lot to learn in the universe of music,” she said. About her most recent song I Can’t Make You Love Me, she shared how it is special for her. “It’s a cover (of Bonnie Raitt’s ballad) that has been done by several great artistes in the past. I was excited and nervous before its release.”

Priyanka can be expected to sing in Bollywood in the near future. “We are trying to work something out. I can’t share details, but something should happen soon,” she commented.

Let’s wait and see what the multitasker has in store for us next.