Sinn Fein leader released, but inquiry goes on

Sinn Fein leader released, but inquiry goes on

Police in Northern Ireland on Sunday freed Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams without charge four days after he was detained for questioning in a four-decade-old murder case that has reawakened old divisions and challenged a still-fragile peace. Adams was questioned about the 1972 killing of Jean McConville, a mother of 10 who was suspected by the Irish Republican Army of working as an informant for the British. The killing has never been solved. But police, working with new evidence gleaned from an oral history project conducted by Boston College and featuring interviews with IRA veterans, suspect that Adams ordered the killing in his role as the IRA's Belfast commander. Adams was freed but he was not exonerated. Police handed a file of potential evidence to British prosecutors. The decision means it's possible he could be charged, though most analysts deem that unlikely.

New York

Gay Episcopal bishop to divorce

Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who made history as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, has announced that he and his husband are planning to divorce. Robinson, 66, who last year retired as the head of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, disclosed the breakup of his marriage to Mark Andrew in a note to other Episcopal bishops and an essay in the Daily Beast, where he is a columnist.

Elsewhere

South Korea: The doomed ferry Sewol exceeded its cargo limit on 246 trips — nearly every voyage it made in which it reported cargo — in the 13 months before it sank, according to documents. It may have been more overloaded than ever on its final trip, the documents show.

Syria: Syrian authorities on Sunday named two politicians as official contenders in June against an imposing incumbent: President Bashar Assad, the overwhelming favorite.

Boston: Former President George H.W. Bush was honored Sunday with a Kennedy "courage" award for agreeing to raise taxes to confront a spiraling deficit, despite his campaign pledge not to raises taxes.

Times wires