Ulster: NI assembly still suspended

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Democratic Unionist assembly member Diane Dodds have both come under fire for failing to attend a debate on paramilitaries.

The breakfast event, held at Belfast's Europa hotel, was arranged for parliamentary candidates to debate the IRA and other republican and loyalist groups' criminality and punishment attacks and beatings.

But Adams and Dodds failed to attend, as did a representative from the loyalist Progressive Unionists.

Nationalist SDLP assembly member Alex Attwood and Ulster Unionist councillor Chris McGimpsey slammed their fellow West Belfast constituency candidates for the no-show.

Attwood said Adams' non-attendance at the event "would seem to be in line with his comment in Derry that criminality is not an issue in this election".

He added: "The reality is that it is very much an issue for voters and people in this election."

Dodds told the organisers that she could not attend because she was on a school run.

But McGimpsey said: "You would think that on this serious issue, the DUP candidate would be present."