The MacBride Principles of Fair Employment were included in the Overseas Interest Act following a conference between the US House of Representatives and Senate designed to reconcile differences in a wide range of areas covering foreign aid.
The number of people umemployed in the 26 Counties is 305,522 according to the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed.
SUN. MARCH 3, 1996: A nationalist rally was prevented from marching through the town centre in Lurgan, County Armagh as more than 60 RUC Landrovers, steel barricades and scores of paramilitary police blocked the march, organised by the Provisionals, as it reached Edward Street.
MON. MARCH 4, 1996: Harry Duggan, from County Clare, who is serving life plus 30 years for his part in the IRA campaign in Britain in 1974 was refused compassionate parole to attend the funeral of his mother.
A delegation from the Provisionals were turned away from the first meeting of so-called 'proximity talks' at Stormont while the UUP, DUP, PUP and Independent Unionist Robert McCartney boycotted them because of the presence of Dublin administration Tanaiste Dick Spring.
A Tyrone lorry-driver John Rush of Stewartstown, was awarded £1,500 damages against the RUC for an assault which took place in 1992.
John Torney (40), an RUC constable, was given a life sentence at Belfast Crown Court for the murder of his wife and two children at their home in Cookstown, County Tyrone with his RUC Ruger revolver on September 20, 1994 in order to collect £80,000 insurance.
A British army helicopter crossed the Border and landed in Carrickaneena, Faughart, three miles from Dundalk, County Louth.
TUES. MARCH 5, 1996: John Fennell, from west Belfast, was found dead in a caravan park in Bundoran, County Donegal. He is believed to have been killed as part of a fued within the INLA.
Batley McGurk of Teebane Road, Dunamore, Cookstown, County Tyrone, a farmer whose land was occupied by British soldiers for a week following an explosives find in the area was awarded £874 in damages against the British Ministry of Defence.
SAT. MARCH 9, 1996: A bomb, planted in a litter-bin, exploded without warning outside a cemetery in Old Brompton Road, Fulham, just yards away from a British Ministry of Defence building in London.
Leaders of the UVF and UFF/UDA British-backed death squads were reported to be behind the new loyalist group which announced that it intends to execute members of the Provisionals' military and political organisations.
WED. MARCH 13, 1996: Jaqueline Toland from Derry received a death-threat through the post allegedly from the Red Hand Commandos loyalist death squad.
THURS. MARCH 14, 1996: Britain renewed its repressive Prevention of Terrorism legislation for another year.
FRI. MARCH 15, 1996: SDLP MP Joe Hendron said that more than 88,000 gun-licences had been issued in the Six Counties last year, predominantly to unionists, but the number of 'legally-held' guns is 133,869.
The Orange Order announced that they plan to march along the Garvaghy Road, Portadown, County Armagh again this year.
One thousand job losses were announced at Shorts in Belfast following the collapse of the Dutch aircraft-maker's Fokker which accounts for 17% of Short's business principally in the manufacturing of wings for Fokker aircraft.
TUES. MARCH 19, 1996: Five vehicles were hijacked and burned in loyalist areas of Belfast -- in the lower Shankill, Woodvale, Ballysillan and Lower Crumlin Road areas.
There are now 103,000 people unemployed in the Six Occupied Counties, according to figures supplied by the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed.
THURS. MARCH 21, 1996: John Major announced in Westminster that an election in the Six Counties would be held on may 30 next, to be run under a hybrid list and constituency system, in order to set up the forum, long demanded by unionists.
FRI. MARCH 22, 1996: The INLA ended their unanounced ceasefire.
THURS. MARCH 28, 1996: David Burrows, the self-confessed sectarian killer of a Catholic, Sean Monaghan, taunted the victim's family as he was sentenced to life imprisonment. His co-accused, William Andrew Graham, was also sentenced to life imprisonment and a third man, William Harris,was sentenced to 16 years for kidnapping but cleared of murder.
New legislation was proposed by the British Six-County 'security' minister John Wheeler allowing the retrial of people for the same offence. This provision for double jeopardy is included in proposed changes to the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Bill.
FRI. MARCH 29, 1996: The US extradited Peter McMullen to Britain to face charges there relating to a British Army barracks bombing in North Yorkshire in 1974. He had been fighting extradition proceedings in the US since 1978.
Jim McDonnell (36), a prisoner who died of a heart attack in Maghaberry jail had suffered extensive injuries including 11 broken ribs, a fractured sternum and torn cartilage in his neck.
SAT. MARCH 30, 1996: Republican Sinn Fein held a picket outside Limerick jail to demand political status for the nine Republican prisoners in the jail. A Republican Prisoners Relatives Action Committee was set up after the picket.
The US Senate formally voted to endorse the MacBride Principles.
Continue