Police and civilians were injured as loyalist gunmen opened fire during ferocious rioting on the streets of Belfast today.

Violence has escalated at the Orange Order march in West Belfast after loyalists opened fire on police with automated weapons.

Security minister Shaun Woodward today pledged a major crackdown on the sectarian thugs attacking pensioners and childrens’ homes in north Belfast.

A LONG-TERM strategy needs to be developed to end tit-for-tat violence in sectarian flashpoint areas of North Belfast, community leaders heard yesterday.

Belfast was calm today after another night of sectarian clashes in the north of the city.

Police have restored calm to a district of north Belfast after clashes between rival youths.

Police were studying CCTV footage of violent sectarian clashes at a north Belfast flashpoint today, in a bid to identify troublemakers.

THE girls of Holy Cross primary in north Belfast enjoyed a peaceful walk on their first day back to school yesterday.

Loyalist protesters stayed away as children at the flashpoint Holy Cross Primary School returned to class today.

A PRIEST at the centre of the Holy Cross dispute spoke of his fears yesterday for the new term as children prepare to return to school at a north Belfast flashpoint.

Extra police and soldiers are expected to be drafted into north Belfast tomorrow in preparation for a controversial loyalist parade through a nationalist area.

Police and Army were out in force in North Belfast after fresh violence erupted in the flashpoint area.

A Protestant man has been shot and injured in the Glenbryn Park area of Ardoyne in north Belfast.

The North’s Parades Commission has rejected a Sinn Fein request to review its decision to allow two contentious Orange Order marches to enter nationalist areas of Belfast tomorrow.

Police were expected to make more arrests today following the trouble at Drumcree which left 31 police officers injured.

Two contentious Orange parades in Belfast were tonight given the go-ahead.

The Northern Ireland Security Minister will decide within days whether to go ahead with a police plan to erect a mass of security cameras in strike-torn north Belfast, it was confirmed today.

Police in the North have established a special unit in an effort to identify those responsible for rioting in the Ardoyne, Limestone Road and Whitewell areas of north Belfast.

A special police team is being set up to try and identify those at the heart of the riots which have engulfed North Belfast for much of the past year, it was disclosed today.

Police in Northern Ireland say north Belfast is "calm but tense" after a night of rioting.

Police and British troops have come under attack in the North this evening as rival gangs clashed in north Belfast.

Police and the British army were today investigating the possibility that a blast bomb exploded setting an oil tank on fire during riots between rival factions in Northern Belfast last night.

Serious rioting erupted in North Belfast tonight as rival factions clashed again.

Reports of fresh gunfire in strife-torn north Belfast were today being investigated.

Police were continuing their hunt today for loyalist thugs posing as Glasgow Celtic supporters believed to have been involved in a series of attacks in north Belfast.

A bitterly contested Loyalist march in flash point north Belfast today passed peacefully.

Northern Ireland’s Education Minister Martin McGuinness is insisting that loyalist death threats against staff at Catholic schools in North Belfast must be lifted immediately.

A major security operation was mounted outside schools across north Belfast today to protect teachers and pupils.

The children attending Holy Cross School in the Ardoyne area of Belfast have walked home without incident this evening.

Pupils of the Holy Cross girls’ primary school in north Belfast walked to school in peace this morning, despite two nights of sectarian rioting centred around the Catholic school.

A pipe bomb has been found after loyalists called off their protest at the Holy Cross Primary School.

Catholic children were today preparing to go to Holy Cross Primary school in north Belfast without encountering loyalist protesters for the first time in three months.

Catholic parents today breathed a huge sigh of relief after loyalists called off protests outside the Holy Cross primary school in north Belfast.

Parents of pupils at Holy Cross girls’ school who have faced weeks of abuse by loyalist protesters in north Belfast today called on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to travel to Belfast and join them on the school run.

Loyalist protesters are inching towards ending the Holy Cross school blockade after talks with Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble.

Angry scenes marred the Holy Cross blockade today as tensions spilled over on the disputed North Belfast school run.

Catholic parents and children today took an alternative route to school after loyalists called off their protest at Holy Cross primary in north Belfast.

Police officers protecting Catholic schoolchildren going to a North Belfast primary school today removed riot gear after an agreement was struck with Loyalist protestors.

Protestant residents tonight offered to end the Holy Cross protests in north Belfast if Catholic children and parents went to school by bus.

The North’s Security Minister, Jane Kennedy has announced an extension of the Belfast ‘peace line’ in an attempt to calm tensions between Protestant and Catholic residents in north Belfast.

Children should be allowed to travel to school free from any harassment in Northern Ireland, Stormont Education Minister Martin McGuinness insisted today.

An 18-year-old youth was shot in a paramilitary-style punishment attack in Derry last night.

Northern Secretary John Reid will meet representatives from nationalist Ardoyne and the loyalist Glenbryn estate later today in an effort to end the protests against Catholic children walking to school through the loyalist area.

This morning’s loyalist protest on the Ardoyne Road in north Belfast passed off peacefully, with the Glenbryn residents remaining silent as Catholic parents brought their daughters to primary school.