Hundreds of residents will be evacuated from their high-rise flats after an investigation revealed their homes may not be safe.

Politicians in the UK have been accused of sparking an “open season on ethnic minorities” after the Government issued new guidelines to tackle illegal Traveller sites.

House prices in the UK remained broadly unchanged during January but the annual rate at which they are falling continued to accelerate during the month, figures showed today.

Average UK property lost 0.3% of its value during the year to the end of July, the first time it has recorded negative annual growth since the index began in 2003.

The British government's Northern Ireland Office is to get two new junior ministers under Prime Minister Tony Blair's Cabinet reshuffle.