Politicians and church leaders are holding talks in the North this afternoon in an attempt to stem loyalist street violence over the flying of the Union flag.

Four young children have been treated in hospital after they found hypodermic needles in a play area in east Belfast.

Police faced fresh attacks tonight after trouble ignited in the North.

Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has said the Ulster Volunteer Force launched a "coordinated attack" on the Short Strand after violence flared in south Belfast last night.

Peter Robinson's journey to political redemption reached another landmark as he topped the Assembly poll in the East Belfast constituency where he lost his Westminster seat.

Ryanair has attracted the ire of unionist politicians over an ad for its services in the North.

Democratic Unionist deputy leader Peter Robinson and Alliance deputy leader Naomi Long were today elected as the first members of the new Northern Assembly.

The North's rank-and-file police today lambasted Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Ian Blair over claims he referred to RUC members in the North as members of a paramilitary force.

Rival gangs in Belfast confronted each other in a row which led to a memorial garden to six IRA victims being damaged by vandals.

Sinn Féin MPs should be stripped of their parliamentary allowances if the British government cancels the salaries and allowances of Assembly members in the absence of the restoration of devolution in November, it was claimed today.

Plans to close George Best’s old school will wipe out part of the soccer legend’s past, it was claimed today.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s plans for Northern Ireland Assembly members to attend 1916 Easter Rising and Battle of the Somme commemorations were dealt a blow today after they were rejected by the Ulster Unionists.

An Ulster Unionist Party assembly member is planning to hand back his British military service medal in protest at the partial disbandment of the Royal Irish Regiment.

The police were tonight accused of not doing enough to stop sectarian rioting in Belfast which involved up to 400 people and raged for eight hours.

A former Stormont minister was today preparing to enter the race for the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party.

The Democratic Unionist Party has denied that it had any involvement in the PSNI's move to raid the office of an Ulster Unionist Party assemblyman last Friday.

Ulster Unionist Party offices were raided today as part of a continuing police investigation into money laundering.

Two unionist politicians have criticised former British cabinet minister Clare Short for saying that the IRA never deliberately targeted civilians.

A top loyalist was shot dead today as a new paramilitary feud erupted on the streets of Belfast.

Plans to reduce the number of District Command Units in Northern Ireland‘s police service may fail to deliver improved policing on the ground, it was claimed today.

Police in the North are investigating the vandalism of a memorial in east Belfast to two men shot dead by the IRA in 1970.

With all 108 seats filled in the Northern Ireland Assembly the party shares are:

Police were today investigating after a fresh outburst of street violence erupted along the peace line in East Belfast.

Fresh trouble broke out at a notorious sectarian divide in east Belfast tonight.

A veteran Ulster unionist member of the Northern Assembly is to retire at the next Stormont election.