engage in any other activities of any kind. 2 August – The British Army began to dismantle the observation post on top of Divis Tower in Belfast. 7 September – At Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland beat England 1–0. It was the first time since 1927 that the team beat England at home. 10 September – 2005 Belfast riots 14 September – The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, announced that the government no longer recognised loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force's ceasefire, due to the UVF's continuing feud with the Loyalist Volunteer Force, and recent violence against the police. September – Historical Enquiries Team, unit of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, was established to investigate the 3,269 unsolved murders committed during the Troubles (specifically between 1968 and 1998). 20–22 November – The Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso paid a three-day visit, his second to Northern Ireland, with meetings on the theme of The Spiritual Dimension of Peace. He visited the Corrymeela Community in Ballycastle, County Antrim, a peace and reconciliation centre, on the day of his arrival. He officially opened the headquarters of Mediation Northern Ireland in Belfast on the 21st, and attended the 2005 Way of Peace celebration in Saint Anne's Cathedral the next day. He last visited Northern Ireland in October 2000. 24 November – Abbas Boutrab became the first non-republican or loyalist to be convicted in the diplock courts of Northern Ireland. He was convicted of having information that could be used to bomb an airliner. 3 December – Parliament Buildings hosted the funeral service for George Best. Approximately 25,000 people gathered in the grounds, with thousands more lining the cortege route. 8 December – President Mary McAleese met Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle. It was the first time that the two heads of state met in Ireland. 19 December – The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force, granting same-sex couples similar legal rights to those of married heterosexuals. The first civil partnership in the United Kingdom under the normal application of the new rules was registered at Belfast City Hall between Shannon Sickles and Grainne Close. Arts and literature Nick Laird's poems To a Fault (January) and novel Utterly Monkey (May) were published. Sport Football Football World Cup 2006 Qualification England 4–0 Northern Ireland (26 March) Poland 1–0 Northern Ireland (30 March) Northern Ireland 2–0 Azerbaijan (3 September) Northern Ireland 1–0