Peter Robinson received unanimous backing from Democratic Unionist members of the Northern Ireland Assembly today following the loss of his East Belfast Westminster seat.

The future of Democratic Unionist Party leader Peter Robinson was in doubt today after the sensational General Election defeat of the First Minister of the powersharing executive at Stormont.

The North’s First Minister Peter Robinson sensationally lost his Westminster seat for east Belfast today.

The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) brushed off accusations of performing a U-turn today after announcing he would run in the UK's General Election.

A police officer was seriously injured when a bomb exploded under his car in the North today.

Northern Ireland MP William McCrea has been warned of a death threat from the Real IRA, it was revealed today.

Police hunting the killers of a 60-year-old financial adviser were today examining a partially burnt-out car abandoned a few miles from his home.

A funding scheme which left farmers queuing for hours could force the resignation of the North's Agriculture Minister, it was claimed today.

A senior Ulster Unionist was tonight replaced as chief whip amid claims from the DUP he was sacked after clashing with his party’s would-be partners – the UK's Conservative Party.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) will not be blackmailed into accepting the swift transfer of policing powers to Stormont, it warned today.

The North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said today he would have killed every single British soldier in Derry in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday if he had been able to.

A policeman shot in the arm as he sat in heavy traffic in the North is stable in hospital tonight.

Counting for the North's Westminster seats at the next General Election will take place overnight, it was announced today.

The Democratic Unionist Party has unveiled its ministerial team for the new power-sharing Executive in the North.

Dissident republicans brought an arms cache into Northern Ireland only last week, Britain's House of Commons was told tonight.

The DUP and Sinn Féin were making significant gains in the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections.

Unionists are not going to throw Sinn Féin a lifeline in the current stand-off over support for policing, a senior MP in the Rev Ian Paisley’s party claimed today.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to make an announcement on future security arrangements in the North, Downing Street said today.

A Sinn Féin Assembly member tonight became the second member of its Stormont team to step down after only serving one term.

Sinn Féin must agree to the dismantling of IRA structures and return the money stolen in the Northern Bank robbery two years ago if they are to convince unionists to share power, a Democratic Unionist (DUP) MP has warned.

Moves by Sinn Féin leaders to urge their members to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland were tonight hailed as potentially historic on both sides of the Irish Sea.

SINN FÉIN’s most senior members — including Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness — were locked in talks last night to decide whether to ask its national executive to meet this weekend and discuss its policy on policing.

The May 2008 target date set by the British government for the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont carries no weight, according to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

Sinn Féin's dithering over support for the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) has led to the timetable for devolution becoming almost impossible to meet, it was claimed today.

Police were under pressure today to catch gangs of armed men robbing pensioners in the North.

The Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists will hold a private strategy meeting today in a bid to allay concerns about the party’s involvement in efforts to revive power-sharing at Stormont.

The Democratic Unionists’ and Sinn Féin’s tough rhetoric of recent years is now coming back to haunt them, nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan said today.

Northern Ireland Assembly members were today given until Monday to make their position clear on a committee preparing for devolved government.

Almost two fifths of Democratic Unionists would share power with Sinn Féin if IRA criminality ended and there was total disarmament, an opinion poll claimed today.

Ian Paisley’s daughter has launched legal action accusing him of sexual discrimination, it emerged today.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be pressed today on his plans for moving the Northern peace process forward amid concerns from the SDLP that he may water down the Good Friday Agreement.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams today called on the British and Irish Governments to move quickly to restore power-sharing in the wake of IRA decommissioning.

A decision to withdraw special protection from the Reverend William McCrea is being reviewed after he won re-election as an MP.

Ulster Unionists were today contemplating life without David Trimble as leader.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams was today comfortably elected in the British parliamentary elections in the North.

The Ulster Unionist vote will hold its own in next week’s general and local elections in Northern Ireland, one of the party’s candidate’s said tonight.

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell last night insisted he was campaigning for an SDLP general election candidate in a personal capacity following criticism of his visit to Belfast by Sinn Féin.

There will be a major realignment in unionism in Northern Ireland in the post-David Trimble and Ian Paisley era, it was claimed today.

A family of five targeted in a petrol bomb attack in Northern Ireland have been subjected to weeks of intimidation, it was claimed today.

A bomb attack which damaged a van in Co Derry was not connected to the loyalist feud, police said today.

Ten members of the SDLP tonight put their names in the hat for the party’s nomination for this June’s European Parliament election.

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

ONE voter in South Antrim staked perhaps slightly too much on her vote, by leaving her wedding ring in the ballot box.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was today facing the prospect of a more hardline Assembly team as some of his harshest critics in the party were selected as candidates for the next Stormont election.