American diplomats Richard Haass and Meghan O’Sullivan , were invited to Belfast by Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson to seek an agreement over the issues of parades, flags and the legacy of the past. The position of the Unionist parties and those of Sinn Féin and the SDLP reveal much about the underlying contradictions and divisions in the North.

Luxury goods brands have posted falls both in growth and profits in the recent period, down from record highs. That the sales of luxuries have been booming in a period of global recession for the past few years appears remarkable in itself. This contradictory phenomenon, and its more recent decline, gives an insight into one aspect of the capitalist crisis.

On 11th January 2014, Ariel Sharon – the former Israeli army general and Prime Minister – died after spending eight years in a coma. For analysis on the life and role of this reactionary figure, we draw our readers’ attention towards two articles, both published in January 2006 at the time when Sharon entered his long comatose period.