The lack of an Assembly in the North has been “corrosive and damaging”, the Taoiseach has said.

A fresh round of talks to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland must find a solution in "weeks rather than months", leaders have been warned.

The Irish and British governments are set to present Northern Ireland's parties with their version of a proposed deal to break the powersharing impasse at Stormont, Sinn Féin has predicted.

The Taoiseach has expressed frustration at the length of time the powersharing crisis has lasted in Northern Ireland, pointing out that many pregnancies are shorter.

Theresa May has held talks with former US president Bill Clinton on the continuing political deadlock in Northern Ireland.

Powersharing negotiations will require more than "nice words" to restore the Stormont Executive, Michelle O'Neill has warned.

Arlene Foster has said she is disappointed that Sinn Féin's Stormont leader is attending a commemoration for eight IRA members killed by the SAS in the North.

A “positive and generous” UK government financial offer to Stormont is conditional on its leaders striking a comprehensive deal on the range of disputes facing the administration.

It is more than unfortunate that Taoiseach Enda Kenny and British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday morning felt they had no option but to leave the struggling Northern talks after the parties failed to agree a range of issues such as the past, flags and parades.

The North’s political leaders have published a draft agreement on outstanding peace process issues only hours after Executive parties failed to reach consensus on the proposals..

The Obama administration has urged politicians in Northern Ireland to compromise on a deal on parading, flags, and dealing with the region’s troubled past.

When former US diplomat Richard Haass urged Northern politicians to “fish or cut bait” at today’s negotiations between the main parties on contentious issues in the peace process, he was no doubt tempted to use a more direct, albeit a more crude analogy.

Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams held talks in Belfast today – and it caused hardly a ripple.

The Taoiseach has warned unionists they'll be 'left behind' if they don't sign up to power-sharing.

Sinn Féin’s move to support the police in the North leaves unionists with no excuse to balk at power-sharing, NI Secretary Peter Hain insisted today.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will today meet Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain for talks on the forthcoming elections to the Stormont Assembly in Belfast.

Northern politicians were tonight given the green light for a fresh assembly election on March 7.

Northern Secretary Peter Hain has warned Sinn Féin and the DUP that he will only call Assembly elections if they live up to their commitments.

DUP MP Nigel Dodds has questioned whether enough time exists for Sinn Féin to prove its support for policing before the March 26th deadline for restoring devolution.

The DUP is set to come under renewed pressure in the coming weeks to share power with republicans following yesterday's decision by Sinn Féin to endorse the PSNI.

Republicans opposed to the Police Force in Northern Ireland may run ex-prisoners as candidates in this March’s elections to restore government.

Sinn Féin is preparing for its ard fheis tomorrow in Dublin when the party will decide whether to endorse policing in the North.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams made a direct appeal to nationalists and republicans today to sign up to policing structures in the North in a bid to secure power sharing.

Sinn Féin will welcome any electoral challenge to it from republicans opposed to moves to get involved in policing structures in the North, Martin McGuinness claimed.

The North's Chief Constable is welcoming the decision by Sinn Féin's national executive to call a meeting of its Ard Fheis on policing.

The North's Secretary of State Peter Hain today shifted the onus for restoring devolution in Northern Ireland onto Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists as he praised Sinn Féin’s advance towards an historic endorsement of policing.

Sinn Féin tonight remained on course for a historic move this month to endorse support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin’s national executive met today for crucial talks on whether to hold a party conference at the end of the month, where a historic debate on support for policing will take place.

Unionists are not going to throw Sinn Féin a lifeline in the current stand-off over support for policing, a senior MP in the Rev Ian Paisley’s party claimed today.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and his party’s national executive will meet in Dublin today to decide whether to press ahead with plans to support the police in Northern Ireland.

The Northern peace process has been plunged into crisis because the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party reneged on an agreement with Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams said today.

A bitter row erupted between nationalist parties in the North tonight as Tony Blair tried to nudge Sinn Féin towards supporting the North's police service.

Tony Blair’s declaration that MI5 will operate completely separate from police in the North is a major step towards forcing the security service out north and south of the border, Sinn Féin claimed today.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has pledged today that the MI5 spy agency will have no role in ordinary policing matters in the North.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has promised to do all he can in the coming days to secure clarification from the DUP on its willingness to share power with Sinn Féin.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair will today define MI5’s future role in the North in a bid to secure Sinn Féin support for the North’s police.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said Sinn Féin has every right to expect policing powers to be transferred to Stormont by May 2008.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness has called on the DUP to meet the challenge of power sharing.

DUP deputy leader, Peter Robinson, says Sinn Féin has to "face up to delivering on policing" and that the British government was satisfied with his party's response to the proposed timetable for devolution.

Politicians in the North would be making a huge mistake if they let efforts to revive power-sharing slip because of a dispute over the transfer of policing and justice powers, Peter Hain insisted today.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams is urging republicans not to lose their nerve over his call for them to endorse the PSNI.

The growing crisis in the North over policing appears to have been averted after the British prime minister Tony Blair said there was enough agreement between the DUP and Sinn Féin for elections and devolution in March this year.

The DUP leader, Ian Paisley, says the time for Sinn Féin to act on policing is now and, provided his party was convinced, there would be a level playing field.

Gerry Adam’s has responded to British prime minister Tony Blair’s suggestions that he could scrap plans to restore devolution in the North by demanding some ‘clarity’ from the DUP.

British prime minister Tony Blair is threatening to pull the plug on plans to restore devolution in the North unless Sinn Féin and the DUP resolve their differences over policing and power-sharing.

The DUP is maintaining its hardline attitude towards Sinn Féin as British prime minister Tony Blair flies back from holiday to try and rescue his latest power-sharing plan.

British prime minister Tony Blair has been asked to break the new deadlock over policing and power-sharing in the North, it emerged today.

Outgoing Church of Ireland Primate Robin Eames today issued a final appeal for both sides in the North to heal the sectarian divide and avoid plunging a new generation into bitter hatred.

Archbishop of Armagh and Church of Ireland Primate of All Ireland, Robin Eames, is to retire today at the age of 69.

Sinn Féin tonight edged closer to an historic acceptance of policing in the North by calling for a special party conference on the issue in January.