One senior Alliance source told the BBC they believe what is being suggested by unionists "does nothing to build stability".

BBC: David Ford questions assembly flag meeting

One source indicated that there are proposals, including an Alliance request to the Department of Culture, that the union flag fly on 1 July to mark the Battle of the Somme.

BBC: Northern Ireland

The members of the alliance get a head start on competitors by getting to work with one another's source code for about a year before it's opened to the world.

FORBES: Google's Call