The North's escalating drinking water crisis is in danger of developing into a major health emergency, it was claimed today.

A tax on mobile phone masts and a restructuring of the Housing Executive's finances are among proposals outlined by Sinn Féin today to offset the £2bn (€2.27bn) of looming spending cuts.

A team including fraud investigators has started a major review of the organisation responsible for social housing in the North.

Police who searched a house for a missing man but failed to find his decomposing body have been disciplined, it was confirmed today.

The home of another Romanian family came under attack last night in Belfast, the Police Service of Northern Ireland have said.

Two men were arrested today in the North after a seven-hour stand-off with armed police ended peacefully.

House prices in the North have plummeted with a drop of nearly 30% over the last year, a leading report said today.

A £1m (€1.2m) initiative to build better relations in 30 mixed neighbourhoods across the North was launched today.

Nearly 700 paedophiles and sex offenders are now being monitored across the North, it was revealed today.

Average house prices in the North have rocketed past £180,000 (€267,200), with values rising by a third in the last year, it was revealed today.

Homelessness in the North rose by more than 15% last year, it emerged today.

The British government was warned today that its long-term aim of transferring responsibility for public housing in Northern Ireland to seven local ‘super councils’ was fraught with political danger.

The DUP has rejected claims of discrimination against Catholics in the North and claimed Protestants are actually being treated unfairly in recruitment to the civil and public service jobs.

The appointment of a former director general of RTÉ to head Northern Ireland’s Equality Commission angered a senior unionist today.

The second phase of a multi-million pound facelift for Belfast was launched today.

Young thugs rampaging through Northern Ireland’s towns and villages could be banned from neighbourhoods under new laws which came into force today.

The British government is facing a record €40m bill this year for buying homes from people fleeing paramilitary intimidation.

Politicians in the North have expressed concern at reports that British taxpayers' money may be used to buy the former home of exiled loyalist John White.

Stormont Regional Development Minister Gregory Campbell was today urged to lead a drive to remove paramilitary flags and murals which have communities gripped by fear.

Northern Ireland risks sliding into a society marked by ‘‘gangsterism’’ unless the control that paramilitaries exert over neighbourhoods is tackled, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble claimed today.