Martin McGuinness nominated for top peace prize

Sinn Fein veteran Martin McGuinness has been nominated for a peace prize.

The former deputy first minister, who stepped down from politics last month due to ill-health, is on the short list for the 2016 Tipperary International Peace Award.

The former IRA commander, spent almost 10 years at the helm of devolved government in Belfast, first with the late Ian Paisley and then DUP leaders Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster.

He stood down amid the "cash for ash" scandal of the Renewable Heat Incentive which paid over-the-top subsidies for those who put in special boilers.

McGuinness joins five other contenders for the award including human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who has represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy.

Based at Doughty Street Chambers in London, Ms Clooney has been part of several United Nations commissions and tribunals.

She is married to actor George Clooney but famously accepted to represent the 'Hooded men'.

The group claim to have been victims of torture at the hands of security forces during the troubles in Northern Ireland.

The Tipperary Peace Convention will announce the winner in the coming weeks.

Two organisations were short-listed - Amnesty International (Ireland) and the Syrian White Helmets, a volunteer group which rescues people in the Syrian civil war and is said to have saved more than 78,000 lives.

Previous recipients include Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot by the Taliban on her way to school, former UN general secretary Ban Ki-moon, former president of Ireland Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, and Bob Geldof.