Catholics in the North are almost two times more likely to be unemployed than Protestants, according to a breakdown of figures contained in the Labour Force Survey's religion report.

AFTER wowing 400,000 adoring young people with extraordinary stamina for a man his age, Pope John Paul rested on Friday ahead of the main events this weekend at the Roman Catholic Church's global youth jamboree.

Almost 13,000 people contacted the office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland during its first year-and-a-half in operation, it emerged today.

A unionist member of the North's Policing Board has said that Catholics from the six counties are still reluctant to join the new police force.

Nearly 2,000 Catholics have applied to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland in its second round of recruitment.