The controversy surrounding ’head shops’ and legal highs will be put under the spotlight by government officials from across Ireland and the UK, it emerged today.

The Irish and British Governments should sign a “hot-pursuit” treaty that enables gardaí and police to cross borders to hunt down suspects, it was proposed today.

The Irish and British governments have welcomed the latest report from the body set up to monitor paramilitary ceasefires in the North.

The Catholic priest who stirred up a row this week by comparing unionists to Nazis has said he does not believe the IRA carried out last December's Belfast bank heist.

It would appear that Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness may not have done the IRA’s final act of decommissioning justice in heralding it as merely “historic”.

The leadership of the Provisional IRA has officially denied any involvement in last month's Northern Bank heist in Belfast.

The ultimate Christmas gift that the people of the North could ever have imagined, a final end to IRA paramilitarism and the reality of peace, was yesterday snatched from them by the bitter intransigence of Ian Paisley and his Democratic Unionist Party.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern admitted last night that a demand for a photograph of IRA decommissioning by DUP leader Ian Paisley was a hurdle he could not imagine overcoming in the search for a North peace deal.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley has described his talks with the chairman of the decommissioning body today as useful.

BRITISH ministers were urged yesterday to get to the truth about the controversial murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.

Border county and North/South cross community projects are to receive funding of €1.16m from the International Fund for Ireland following its September Board Meeting held in Sligo today.

THE US faced a fresh wave of devastating prisoner abuse allegations yesterday, with claims an Iraqi boy was raped in custody.

LEADING members of Sinn Féin are operating at the highest echelons of the IRA, according to an international group monitoring peace in the North.

The Irish and British Governments have vowed to increase the pace of talks aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Irish peace process.

THE Athletics Association of Ireland will have the opportunity to take a major step towards obtaining an athletics licence for the whole island of Ireland at their annual congress in Donegal next month.

ACHIEVING progress in the Northern Ireland peace process requires public confidence in the IRA’s decommissioning, Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble said yesterday.

The head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning has confirmed that the Irish and British Governments were not given any more information than the public about the destruction of IRA arms on Tuesday.

THE head of Northern Ireland’s decommissioning body will resign rather than reveal further details of the IRA arms given up this week, it was claimed yesterday.

THE British Government faced more demands yesterday to hold a “Bloody Sunday-style inquiry” into alleged collusion between members of the security forces in the North and loyalist terror gangs during the Troubles.

The retired Canadian judge investigating suspicions of collusion in six controversial murders during the Troubles has said the Gardaí are fully co-operating with his inquiry.

Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble is facing a renewed challenge from members of his own party.

The Progressive Democrats have called on the Irish and British Governments to begin implementing aspects of their recent joint declaration on the North.

The Irish and British Governments have asked the IRA to provide further clarification of a statement it issued to Dublin and London last night outlining its stance on the peace process.

Sinn Fein's policing spokesman, Gerry Kelly, has confirmed the party will not be joining the Policing Board in the North unless there are further changes to implement the Patten Commission.

The Irish and British Governments are reportedly planning to establish an international commission to adjudicate on whether any of the North's paramilitary groups have breached their ceasefires.

Nationalist claims that Catholics in Northern Ireland are more likely to be disadvantaged than Protestants in the jobs market were today due to be challenged by Ulster unionists.

There is fresh hope in the North this morning that the current deadlock may be broken by a new deal agreed by the Irish and British Governments.

The North's pro-agreement political parties and officials from the Irish and British Governments are due to resume round-table discussions in Stormont this afternoon as part of continuing efforts to restore the Assembly and Executive.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble moved today to scotch claims that he knew in advance about Irish and British Government moves to protect cross border bodies.

The Northern Secretary, Paul Murphy, has said that former paramilitary prisoners will be allowed to serve on local policing boards in the North if they complete the transition from violence.

The Irish and British Governments were today poised to set a date for talks aimed at restoring devolution in the north.

The Irish and British Governments are expected to announce their plans soon to establish multi-party talks aimed at restoring the North's devolved political institutions.

The Irish and British Governments have issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to the Good Friday Agreement.

Relatives of those killed in some of the North’s most controversial murders have met the judge who is to probe the cases.

The Irish and British Governments have announced that a Canadian judge has been appointed to investigate whether independent inquiries should be established into six controversial killings in the North.

The IRA has decommissioned more of its extensive cache of weapons, according to a statement released by the republican group today.

The Irish and British Governments have announced plans to hold talks with the pro-agreement parties in the North next week.

The US-based Lawyers Committee for Human Rights has called for a full public inquiry into the murder of Catholic solicitor Pat Finucane in Belfast 13 years ago.

The widow of murdered Catholic solicitor Pat Finucane has accused the Irish and British Governments of delaying the appointment of an international judge to investigate the killing.

A British Labour Party backbencher in the Welsh Assembly has condemned the ongoing attacks on Afghanistan, saying they are only being carried out to perpetuate Western imperialism in Third World countries.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met on the fringes of the EU summit in Ghent today to discuss the current crisis facing the Irish peace process.

The Irish and British Governments today have just 24 hours to rescue the troubled Northern Ireland peace process.

The SDLP has said it will back the proposals by the Irish and British Governments for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.