he will step down before the next general election in the republic of ireland.and's youngest taoiseach in 2017 when he became leader of fine gael. let's listen to him announcing his resignation from the steps of government buildings a short while ago.

the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career.o early general election, one is looming within a year, and with a new taoiseach set to be named within weeks, there will be much more change to come. sara girvin, bbc news in dublin. speaking of change... the vietnamese president vo van thuong has resigned, after only one year in office. after a meeting of the ruling communist party the government issued a statement saying he had broken party rules and had negatively affected public opinion, and the reputation of the party. he is believed to have resigned over his links to a corruption scandal in his home province. mr thuong was appointed last year to replace another president forced to step down over corruption, which the party leadership has prioritised as a problem it needs to address. new zealand's economy has entered recession, according to government data. new zealand's economy shrank slightly in the fourth quarter as a number of industries including wholesale trade, retail and accommodation and manufacturing all weakened. baseb

the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career., one is looming within a year, and with a new taoiseach set to be named within weeks, there will be much more change to come. sara girvin, bbc news in dublin. breaking news for you from japan. nhk reported that an earthquake with the permitted rate of magnitude of 5.3 is struck in the eastern part of japan. they are has a density of five from the 1—7 scale. we will have an update as the news becomes available to us. your are next—door in the meantime. the uk and australia have signed a new defence agreement which will make it easier for their defence forces to operate together in each other�*s countries. —— move on to our next story in the meantime. the warning, there's a flash photography. work together in areas such as undersea warfare and develop a joint climate action plan. in a news conference shortly after signing the agreement, australia's deputy prime minister richard marles highlighted its significance. the agreement we have signed todayis the agreement we have signed today i

the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career.ng within a year, and with a new taoiseach set to be named within weeks, there will be much more change to come. sara girvin, bbc news in dublin. baseball sensation shohei ohtani has made his regular season debut with the la dodgers in seoul. the japanese sports hero sent his fans into a frenzy on wednesday — with game tickets and ohtani merchandise selling out since he landed in south korea last week. for more on this i spoke to sports pundit mike carlson. he has been a star in the past few years, twice the most valuable player of his league but what makes him special is that he is an exceptionally good hitter who also is a very good hitter who also is a very good picture. good hitter who also is a very good picture-— good hitter who also is a very good picture. even a babe ruth back in the _ good picture. even a babe ruth back in the 1920s, _ good picture. even a babe ruth back in the 1920s, when - good picture. even a babe ruth back in the 1920s, when they . back in the 19205, when

the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career. within a year, and with a new taoiseach set to be named within weeks, there will be much more change to come. sara girvin, bbc news in dublin. as sara mentioned there, varadkar�*s tenure as prime minister led to ground—breaking social change in ireland. but not everything he did was met with praise. paul cunningham is a political correspondent for rte, ireland's public broadcaster, and he discussed how varadkar will be remembered as prime minister. i think one of his biggest legacies will be the manner he fought for ireland during the brexit negotiators from the uk leaving the european union, trying to ensure there was not a hard border and many irish politicians were over in the us trying to seek assistance as well as fanning out to try to bolster the irish position. i think that will be one of his key legacies he will be remembered for. another one will be covid—19, which struck at a time when he was travelling in the us and had to walk down the steps of a hotel and say that the cou

the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career. within a year, and with a new taoiseach set to be named within weeks, there will be much more change to come. sara girvin, bbc news in dublin. as sara mentioned there, varadkar�*s tenure as prime minister led to groundbreaking social change in ireland. but not everything he did was met with praise. paul cunningham is a political correspondent for rte, ireland's public broadcaster, and he discussed how varadkar will be remembered as prime minister. i think one of his biggest legacies of the matter with for ireland during the brexit negotiators from the uk needing the european union are trying to ensure there was not a hardboard in and many irish politicians were over in the us trying to seek assistance as well as fanning out to try to bolster the irish position. i think that will be one of his key legacies he will be remembered for. another one will be covid—i9, which struck at a time when he was travelling in the us and had to walk down the steps of a hotel and say that the country wa

, but certainly in britain and in the republic of ireland's because sir jeffrey donaldson is somebodyell to many decades. he will be well to many politicians and community leaders on both sides of the border. of course we are limited in what we of course we are limited in what we can say in terms of allegations and charges he is facing, but as a consequence of his arrest and charge with historic sexual offences, he informed his party of his intention to step down as leader of the dup. the democratic unionist party, the dup or northern ireland's biggest unionist party, making him the de facto leader of unionism. athletes avoid not only in this party. it is at a time when the storm and institutions are only recently back running and while we have a first minister who is a nationalist, michelle o'neill. this comes as a seismic political shock within northern ireland. the dup only released their statementjust before lunchtime statement just before lunchtime confirming statementjust before lunchtime confirming that sirjeffrey donaldson is stepping down. this donaldson is stepping down. as

the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career.ew taoiseach set to be named within weeks, there will be much more change to come. sara girvin, bbc news in dublin. as sara mentioned there, varadkar�*s tenure as prime minister led to ground—breaking social change in ireland. but not everything he did was met with praise. paul cunningham is a political correspondent for rte, ireland's public broadcaster, and he discussed how varadkar will be remembered as prime minister. i think one of his biggest legacies will be the manner he fought for ireland during the brexit negotiators from the uk leaving the european union, trying to ensure there was not a hard border and many irish politicians were over in the us trying to seek assistance as well as fanning out to try to bolster the irish position. i think that will be one of his key legacies he will be remembered for. another one will be covid—i9, which struck at a time when he was travelling in the us and had to walk down the steps of a hotel and say that the country was going to be closing

we�*ve been hearing from the republic of ireland interim boss.riendlies after being named as the interim head coach. o shea, who had a spell as assistant to the former manager stephen kenny, will be supported by wa nted wanted to know if he would like the role permanently. i�*m wanted to know if he would like the role permanently.— role permanently. i'm focused on these two games _ role permanently. i'm focused on these two games and _ role permanently. i'm focused on these two games and then - role permanently. i'm focused on these two games and then we - role permanently. i'm focused on | these two games and then we will role permanently. i'm focused on - these two games and then we will see what happens then. at the minutes, i�*ve been given a chance to lead the team for the two games against belgium and switzerland and going forward, who knows it�*s obviously spoken to mark about this before in terms of management changes are things happen. everyone has their own ideas, head coaches have their own ideas, head coaches have their own ideas, hea

the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career.re will be much more change to come. sara girvin, bbc news in dublin. a display of splendour and opulence, as vladimir putin gathered celebrity supporters for a lavish event in moscow after winning a fifth term as president at the weekend. it was an election that western leaders have called neither free or fair. the bbc�*s russia editor steve rosenberg got a rare invite to the kremlin. vladimir vladimirovich putin! they say that location is everything, if you want to impress an audience. applause so, vladimir putin invited his celebrity supporters to one of the swankiest parts of the kremlin. he wasn't easy to see, but the messaging was clear. in the hall where russian tsars had been crowned... ..russia's president thanked the vips for backing his re—election. we were there too. a rare invitation inside the kremlin. a sign, perhaps, of president putin's growing confidence. even though the west has dismissed the election as a sham. this is, in effect, vladimir putin's victory lap. havin

they've got a fairly tough group, france , sweden and the republic of ireland.hey are in a3, one of the four top seeded groups, the top two will qualify from each of those groups for the tournament along with hosts switzerland. finishing 3rd and 4th would secure a spot in the play—offs the other seven sides for the tournament will be determined through two rounds of those play—offs, finishing top would secure an easier path in the second tier. scotland drawn in group b2 alongside serbia, slovakia and israel. wales in group b4 with croatia, ukraine and kosovo. northern ireland drawn with portugal, bosnia and herzegovina and malta in group b3. qualifying takes place between april and july. the chelsea and australia striker sam kerr is set to face trial after being charged with �*a racially aggravated offence' involving a police officer. it follows an alleged incident in january last year after police officers responded to a complaint involving a taxi fare in twickenham. the 30—year—old matildas captain, her country's all—time top scorer, pleaded not guilty to the

staying with football and the republic of ireland interim bossjohn o'shea was speaking for the firste on monday. the former manchester united defender played 118 times for the republic and was an assistant coach under previous manager stephen kenny. he's taking charge for the friendlies against switzerland and belgium later this month but what about the permanent role? look, let's hope that takes care of itself but ultimately for me i'm focused on these two games and then we'll see what happens then. at the minute, obviously, i've been given the chance to lead the team for the two games against belgium and switzerland. going forward, who knows? it's obviously spoken to marc about this before in terms of when management changes or things happen, everyone has their own ideas, head coaches have their own ideas, etc, and as always, i would always be up for a conversation. but that's stuff for further down the line. the president of motorsport�*s world governing body, the fia, mohammed bin saleem, is under investigation for allegedly interfering in a formula 1 race result. a whistleblower

of ireland, the player lifted the trophy.mson recalled. after an acl tear before pulling out to another injury. frank kirby is included by sarina wiegman who has been speaking to the press had including our reporter, joe curry. aside from who was in and out of the england squad, the subjects of fixture congestion and clearest was again raised today. that's after arsenal announced they will take the women's team to australia to play one game at the end of the wsl season. but with england having euro qualifiers injune and july and other nations also having the olympics this summer, it poses the question — when are players expected to rest? for all the players with the already complicated calendar, it's not good for them to go to the other side of the world very short term, not having time to adapt and play a game and come back and go for us to have two games in france, home and away. but i would say that's not only for english players, but every european player that goes into the qualifiers, that's the thing that will be hard f

staying with football — and the republic of ireland interim bossjohn o'shea was speaking for the firstonday. the former manchester united defender played 118 times for the republic and was an assistant coach under previous manager stephen kenny. he's taking charge for the friendlies against belgium and switzerland later this month. but what about the permanent role? look, let's hope that takes care of itself. but ultimately, for me, i'm focused on these two games and then we'll see what happens then. at the minute, obviously, i've been given the chance to lead the team for the two games against belgium and switzerland and going forward, who knows? it's obviously spoken to marc about this before in terms of when management changes or things happen. everyone has their own ideas, head coaches have their own ideas, etc. and as always, i would always be up for a conversation, but that's so far further down the line. the president of motorsport�*s world governing body, the fia, mohammed bin saleem, is under investigation for allegedly interfering in a formula 1 race result. a whistle—blower

of ireland.ed the trophy two years ago back in the squad. leah williamson returns after initially being recalled for the matches last month after her acl tear before pulling out through another injury. fran kirby is also included by sarina wiegman, who's been speaking to the press ahead, including our reporter, jo currie. well, aside from who was in and who was out of the england squad, the subjects of fixture congestion and player rest was once again raised today. that's after arsenal announced that they're going to take their women's team to australia to play one game at the end of the wsl season. but with england having euro qualifiers injune and july and other nations also having the olympics this summer, it does pose the question — when are players expected to rest? here are the thoughts of wiegman on that tour. i think for all the players with already the complicated calendar, it's not good for them to go to the other side of the world very short term, not having the time to adapt and play

of ireland.in will face denmark, belgium and the czech republic. the top two teams in league a groups automatically qualify, while the third and fourth—placed nations will go into the play—offs. along with the 12 best—ranked teams in league b, scotland will be expected to take one of those spots — they're ranked higher than all the other sides in theirgroup. northern ireland will take on malta for the first time and wales are the highest—ranked side in theirgroup. qualifying begins in april. former world number one simona halep has had her four—year ban for doping reduced to nine months by the court of arbitration for sport. the two—time grand slam winner tested positive for an anti—anaemia drug two years ago. having feared her career was over, the 32—year—old can now return to the sport immediately. our tennis correspondent russel fuller has more. this is a significant victory for simona halep in that the original independent tribunal ruled that she was guilty of intentional doping, whereas the

will you please join me in honor from the republic of ireland. [applause] pm varadkarvote: thank you. president members of congress, first minister, deputy first minister, esteemed friends and colleagues, it is an honor and a privilege to be back among friends here in washington, d.c. today. i am thankful to the speaker for continuing the tradition of holding this lunch today. we are very appreciative. i believe ireland is the only country in the world that can get away with turning our national holiday into an international week of events, or in some places a whole month. we are unique in having a national holiday where the head of government and all the senior ministers leave the country to celebrate it around the world with our diaspora and our friends, and our allies. st. patrick's day is more than our national holiday, it is an international moment. it is when we get to share our story with the world, a story of faith in the future matter what the obstacles hope and our ability to work together for the greater good, and that charity towards

of ireland.mpions spain will face denmark, belgium and the czech republic. the top two teams in league a groups automatically qualify, while the third and fourth—placed nations will go into the play—offs. along with the 12 best—ranked teams in league b, scotland will be expected to take one of those spots — they're ranked higher than all the other sides in theirgroup. northern ireland will take on malta for the first time and wales are the highest—ranked side in theirgroup. qualifying begins in april. former world number one simona halep has had her four—year ban for doping reduced to nine months by the court of arbitration for sport. the two time grand slam winner tested positive for an anti—anaemia drug two years ago. having feared her career was over, the 32—year—old can now return to to the sport immediately. 0ur tennis correspondent russel fuller has more. this is a significant victory for simona halep. in the original independent tribunal ruled that she was guilty of intentional doping wher

will you please join me in welcoming our guest of honor from the republic of ireland.e] pm varadkarvote: thank you. mr. speaker, mr. president, members of congress, first minister, deputy first minister, esteemed friends and colleagues, it is an honor and a privilege to be back among friends here in washington, d.c. today. goi am thankful to the speaker r continuing the tradition of holding this lunch today. we are very appreciative. i believe ireland is the only country in the world that can get away with turning our national holiday into an international week of events, or in some places a whole month. we are unique in having a national holiday where the head of government and all the senior ministers leave the count to celebrate it around the world with our diaspora and our friends, and our allies. st. patrick's day is more than our national holiday, it is an international moment. it is when we get to share our story with the world, a story of faith in the future matter what the obstacles, hope and our ability to work together for the greater good, and that charity

will you please join me in welcoming our guest of honor from the republic of ireland.plause] pm varadkarvote: thank you. mr. speaker, mr. president, members of congress, first minister, deputy first minister, esteemed friends and colleagues, it is an honor and a privilege to be back among friends here in i am thankful to the speaker for continuing the tradition of holding this lunch today. we are very appreciative. i believe ireland is the only country in the world that can get away with turning our national holiday into an international we or in some places a whole month. we are unique in having a national holiday where the head of government and all the senior nisters leave the country to celebrate it around the world with our diaspora and our friends, and our allies. st. patrick's day is more than our national holiday, it is an international moment. it is when we get to share our■ story with the world, a story of faith in the future matter what the obstacles, hope and our ability to work together for the and that charity towards those experiencing suffering. as the

of ireland, the player lifted refugees ago back in the sky.eturns after initially being record for the matches last month after acl tear before pulling out to another injury. frank kirby is included by sarina wiegman who has been speaking to the press had including our reporter, joe curry. fix, had including our reporter, joe cur . �* , , ., curry. a sudden you is in and out of the — curry. a sudden you is in and out of the england _ curry. a sudden you is in and out of the england squad, i curry. a sudden you is in and | out of the england squad, the subjects of fixture congestion and clearest was again raised. that's after arsenal announced they will take the women's team to australia to play one game at the end of the wsl season but with england having your qualifiers injune and july and the olympics this summer, it poses the question, wonder players rest? here are thoughts talk. ., ., , , talk. for all the players with the already _ talk. for all the players with the already complicated - the already complicated calendar, it's not good for

honor from the republic of ireland.adkarvote: thank you. 2smr. speaker, mr. president, members of congress, first minister, deputy first minister, esteemed friends and colleagues, it is an honor and a privilege to be back among friends here in washington, d.c. today. to the speaker for continuing the tradition of holding this lunch today. we are very appreciative. i believe ireland is the only get away with turning our national holiday into an international week of events, or in some places a whole month. we are unique in having a national holiday where the head of government and all the senior ministers leave the country to celebrate it around the world with our diaspora and our friends, and our allies. st. patrick's day is more than our nationals an international moment. it is when we get to share our story with the world, a story of faith in the future matter what the obstacles, hope and our ability to work together for the greater good, and that charity towards the experiencing suffering. as the president acknowledg

of ireland will face switzerland, france will face chile, egypt will face croatia and spain will face brazil. . be fit and athletic. the first ripe bunches of wheat in the country were harvested from the wheat fields of qeleganj city in the south of kerman. the head of southern kerman agricultural jihad said: the private sector, in cooperation with the management of rural cooperatives , has increased shopping centers to facilitate the work of farmers. the country's first wheat harvest from 4350 hectares shrewd level of tin tomb. considering that this year the rainfall was very low in the region, we hope that due to the mechanized cultivation that we had , using the experiences of other farmers and the services of the agricultural jihad, we hope that we will have a good harvest in the region. ratio. last year, it had really increased, approximately 12.13 million hectares, we fertilized, except for government fertilizers , we gave free fertilizers and various poisons, such as aphid poison and other poisons that we gave to wheat . that is the year of the production leap with the particip

the defending champions and the opening group games against wheeling and republic of ireland, they'll who lifted the trophy two years ago back in the squad. leah williamson returns after being recalled for the matches last month after her acl tear before pulling out for another injury for the frank kirby is also recruited by serena weigman who's been speaking to the press including our reporterjoe curry. == our reporterjoe curry. -- frank kirby. _ our reporterjoe curry. » frank kirby. deciding who is in and out of the new england scott the picture of player rest was gates doing my wrist again for that announced that they're going to take the women seem to us ready to play one game at the end of the ws all season. with england having euro qualifiers injune and july in other nations also having olympics the summer it does pose the question, when our players expected to rest? we will hear the thoughts of serena weigman on a tour. i think for all the players with already— think for all the players with already the complicated calendar it's not good for them to go— calendar it's not good f

he's set to become the republic of ireland's youngest prime minister — at the age of 37 — after leo varadkarrprise resignation. now on bbc news — sportsday. here's gavin. hello, and welcome to sportsday — i'm gavin ramjaun. coming up on the show... a dominant start for england in the women's six nations, despite a red card in their opener with italy. a monumentous collapse sees england lose the third t20 against new zealand. and max verstappen feels the melbourne heat, as carlos sainz leads a ferrari one—two in the australian grand prix. and chelsea are back on top of the women's super league after they beat west ham. hello there, and welcome to sportsday. it will take something special to stop england in the women's six nations this year, as the defending champions cruised past italy in their opening match today. the red roses turned on the style in the second half, as they begin their campaign for sixth tournament victory in a row, with 48—0 bonus point win in parma — as jane dougall reports. for the 100th time, marley packer strode out to represent her country. the red roses have blossome

he will step down before the next general election in the republic of ireland. ireland's youngest in 20 when he became leader. let's him listen to announcing his resignation a short while ago. >> i knew that one part of leadership is knowing when the time has come to pass on the baton to somebody else and then having the courage to do it. that time is now. i'm resigning as president and leader today. i will resign as soon as my successor is able to take up the office. i have asked our party general secretary and executive council to provide for the new leader to be elected saturday, april 16, thus allowing a new one to be elected after the easter break. i know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some and i hope you will understand my decision. i know that others will cope with the news just fine, that is the great thing about living in a democracy. there is never a right time to resign my office. however, this is as good a time as any. budget 2024 is done, negotiations have not yet commenced on the next one, the institutions of th

he's set to become the republic of ireland's youngest prime minister — at the age of 37 —— after leor�*s surprise resignation. now on bbc news, click. this week, nick's at south by southwest, where assistive tech is helping one artist with muscular dystrophy crack the music scene. what do you think about this from a fashion perspective? oh, yeah, definitely, it can't cramp my style. chris suits up... they've gone to get me a bigger size. . ..eventually, to see how our old four—legged friend spot is helping with the decommissioning of a nuclear power station. and we travel to miami to see what sd printing might mean for marine wildlife. every march, thousands of musicians, movie stars and media moguls from all over the world descend on austin, texas. it's time for south by southwest. and this year, one musician made quite a splash on this global stage thanks to a life—changing innovation. and nick kwek travelled with him as he made his us debut. this is eli's story. # ..tears on the sand...# my name's eli crosley. i'm 16 years old. i am currently in year 12. i'm a musician. i'm the si

sarina wiegman's side will play france, sweden and the republic of ireland in one of the four top—seededthe hosts switzerland and there'll be play—offs for the third and fourth—placed teams in those top groups. the other home nations will all have to attempt to qualify via the play—offs. scotland are in a group with serbia, slovakia and israel. wales will face croatia, ukraine and kosovo. and northern ireland are drawn with portugal, bosnia and herzegovina and malta. qualifying begins in april. erling haaland insists he's happy at manchester city but says erling haaland insists he's happy at manchester city, but he says "you never know what the future holds".

into some form of a halfway house with the republic of ireland by signing away aspects in relation toof course at a more fundamental level it was because we were at that time fighting a war against the ira, it was a very clear narrative of the town and i think it was felt that actually the uk government should stand up and defend people like the neighbours and the family members and others in that town that were doing their best really, and in very, very difficult circumstances where we were under relentless violent attack. now some people served in the udr, the ulster defence regiment, the army, in other words, some people served in the royal ulster constabulary, the ruc, the police. others thought they had to go further. and your father was known to be a supporter of a group that wanted, well, it said it in the name, didn't it? ulster resistance. he said at that time that he would oppose compromise to the bitter death. to the bitter end. to the death. what was in the mind of people like your father at that stage? they really thought their whole way of life was under assault, did the

into some form of a halfway house with the republic of ireland by signing away aspects in relation to. but of course at a more fundamental level it was because we were at that time fighting a war against the ira, it was a very clear narrative of the town and i think it was felt that actually the uk government should stand up and defend people like the neighbours and the family members and others in that town that were doing their best really, and in very, very difficult circumstances where we were under relentless violent attack. now some people served in the udr, the ulster defence regiment, the army, in other words, some people served in the royal ulster constabulary, the ruc, the police. others thought they had to go further. and your father was known to be a supporter of a group that wanted, well, it said it in the name, didn't it? ulster resistance. he said at that time that he would oppose compromise to the bitter death. to the bitter end. to the death. what was in the mind of people like your father at that stage? they really thought their whole way of life was under assault, d

defending champions england have been drawn with france, sweden and the republic of ireland.lls in the contest to choose the candidates for november's presidential election, in what's known as super tuesday. 15 states and one us territory are taking part. the ones in purple are holding republican and democrat primaries. red is republican only and blue is democrat only. and it does look like president biden, for the democrats and donald trump, for the republicans, are heading towards a re—run of the 2020 presidential election come november. our north america editor sarah smith joins us from washington. iam in iamina i am in a polling station where they are voting on democratic and republican primaries. donald trump already today has said he expects to win all 15 states where republicans are voting and on this occasion, that's probably not an idle boast and is correct. there are even signs his sole remaining rival, nikki haley, might be preparing to pull out of the race, and if she does that, it leaves donald trump is the official republican nominee and that could happen at som

an exception to this is the republic of ireland, where you may travel with a valid passport up to and're travelling from the uk to other parts of the world, check the foreign office website. earlier i asked jo rhodes — a travel expert with the consumer site which? about the holidaymakers who are finding they can't travel. unfortunately, i mean, you can imagine, can't you, the absolute horror if you are turned away at the gate or you check your passport on the way to the airport. i think we're all quite used to checking out expiry dates, but it's a different thing entirely to look at the date that it was issued. count ten years ahead and also allow for that additional three months as well. so it does need a little bit of pre—thought and, really, people should be looking as soon as they book their holidays, and if they've got something booked now, check your passport, check the passports of everyone you're travelling with and just make sure you're within those new rules. yeah, and i think it's worth you taking us through the rules again as well. we've just been setting out what they are

he's set to become the republic of ireland's youngest prime minister — at the age of 37, after leo varadkarrprise resignation. more on all of the stories of the bbc news website. now on bbc news, it's newscast. newscast. newscast from the bbc. hello. it's paddy in the studio. and laura in the studio. and henry at home. laura's had a scoop, so she got the chancellor to commit to the triple lock in the conservative manifesto. because you hinted this week that the triple lock, which guarantees pensioners�* income, keeps pace with inflation. you hinted that might be reviewed, but will the triple lock be in the tory manifesto this time round? well, i can confirm it will be, yes. and there's two very important things i would say about that. when we came to office in 2010, pensioners were more likely to be in poverty than other income groups. now, because of the triple lock that we introduced, they are less likely to be in poverty. and i think that's a very important social change because, unlike adults of working age, pensioners can't work, they've retired. and so we need to respect that. they ha

he's set to become the republic of ireland's youngest prime minister — at the age of 37, after leo varadkar

he will step down before the next general election in the republic of ireland. mr varadkar became ireland's youngest taoiseach in 2017 when he became leader of fine gael. i know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some, and i hope at least you will understand my decision. i know that others will, how shall i put it, cope with the news just fine. that is the great thing about living in a democracy. there is never a right time to resign high office, however, this is as good a time as any. budget 2024 is done, negotiations have not yet commenced on the next one, the institutions of the good friday agreement are working again, and our trading relationship with the uk in the post—brexit era is settled and stable. the new taoiseach will have a full two months to prepare for the local and european elections and up to a year before the next general election. my reasons for stepping down are both personal and political. i believe this government can be re—elected and i believe my party, fine gael, can gain seats in the next dail. most of a

of ireland.ster. he replaces leo varadkar, who announced on wednesday he was stepping down as party leader and taoiseach. while speaking to reporters, mr harris was asked whether a general election might be on the horizon. it's my view and my intention that this government should run full term. i am very conscious that governments take on a rhythm of their own. and i'm very conscious that all people need to act in good faith. and events can happen in irish politics, of course they can, but we've a lot of work to do and i don't think there needs to be any mystique around my intention, where you guys ask me every second day where my head is at. i am planning for this government, should i be lucky enough to form one and to become taoiseach. i would like to see this government run full term, and that's my intention, as of now. now, jasmin paris from scotland is the first woman to complete one of the world's most gruelling races — the barkley marathons in tennessee. 100 miles, up and down hills, throu

of ireland and england because of a groin strain.t of city's fa cup quarterfinal with newcastle on saturday. de bruyne was substituted midway through the second half of city's premier league draw with liverpool on sunday. thursday sees the final round of last 16 matches in the europa league and conference league. nobody scored more first—leg goals than liverpool, who take a 5—1 lead into their match against sparta prague at anfield. mohammed salah hasn't started a game for them since the first of january but, according to managerjurgen klopp, is ready to start now. in this game, changing at half—time was not necessary or possible. but we have to deal with changes really carefully. so, yeah, he's ready. ready for 90 minutes, everything's good now and we don't have to deal with this kind of thing any more. liverpool against sparta prague is one of eight europa league second legs to be played later. rangers and benfica are level at 2—2 going into their game at ibrox. eight week to the cheltenham festival, head to the bbc sport website b

of ireland.e minister. he replaces leo varadkar, who announced on wednesday he was stepping down as party leader and taoiseach. while speaking to reporters, mr harris was asked whether a general election might be on the horizon. it's my view and my intention that this government should run full term. i am very conscious that governments take on a rhythm of their own. and i'm very conscious that all people need to act in good faith. and events can happen in irish politics, of course they can, but we've a lot of work to do and i don't think there needs to be any mystique around my intention, where you guys ask me every second day where my head is at. i am planning for this government, should i be lucky enough to form one and to become taoiseach. i would like to see this government run full term, and that's my intention, as of now. now, jasmin paris from scotland is the first woman to complete one of the world's most gruelling races — the barkley marathons in tennessee. 100 miles, up and down hills,

he's set to become the republic of ireland's youngest prime minister — at the age of 37 — after leo varadkar

next — to the republic of ireland, where amending the constitution is also on the table.on offers legal protections for families — but it ties the concept of family to the institution of marriage. and the second focuses on replacing a clause that focuses on women�*s roles and duties in the home with one that acknowledges family carers more generally. earlier we heard from the director of the national women�*s council of ireland — which works to promote gender equality. taking a piece out of the constitution, that�*s about limiting women�*s lives. it�*s a sexist piece and it needs to come out. and also, putting a value and recognition of care gives a moral and political obligation from the state to support care, and that is what we want to see. and injapan, six women are suing the government for the right to keep their own last names after marriage. japan is the only country in the world that requires spouses to use the same name. many campaigners say this creates problems for women with businesses and established careers. and here in the uk, there�*s a call for more femal

he's set to become the republic of ireland's youngest prime minister — at the age of 37 — after leo varadkarr disabled children. a survey by the charity, scope, found that more than 1,000 play areas had little or no accessibility. now they're launching a new tool to help parents find spaces that are suitable for their children. our reporter louisa pilbeam has more. whoa! nine—year—old benjamin loves playing with his brothers in the playground. but because he has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and is registered blind, it's not always this easy because not all playgrounds are like this one, where equipment can be used by disabled children. according to new figures, half of the uk's public play areas are unfit for children with disabilities. one day, we went to the local park, we lifted him into the standard toddler swing and he actually got stuck, where his legs had gone really stiff from his cerebral palsy. we really struggled to remove him from the swing safely. and that was the defining moment for me, thinking as a family, i have three very active boys, as a family, are we actually going to be a

republic of ireland.who announced on wednesday he was stepping down as party leader. while speaking to reporters, mr harris was asked whether a general election might be on the horizon. iam i am conscious that people need to work in good faith. there does not need to be any mystique where you asked me every day where my head is at. i am forming for this government, if i am lucky enough to form one, i would like to see this government run full term and that is my intention for now. now to the story ofjasmin paris from scotland. she's the first woman to complete one of the world's most gruelling races — the barkley marathons in tennessee. 100 miles. up and down hills. through rugged terrain. she finished with just 99 seconds to spare before the 60 hour cut—off. jasmin has finally recovered her breath and spoke to the bbc. it wasn't until the last kilometre that i really sort of doubted that it was going to be possible. and at that point i was just so desperate to stop, to stop running and to walk. and i kne

republic of ireland welcome belgium. earlier, world champions argentina beat el salvador 3—0.o guterres has visited the rafah crossing, which links gaza and egypt, to again call for an immidiate ceasefire. hundreds of trucks are waiting at the border crossing to bring much needed aid into gaza. here's a little of what the un chief had to say. nothing justifies the horrific attacks by hamas on october 7th. and nothing justifies the collective punishment of the palestinian people. now, more than ever, it is time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. it is time to silence the guns. palestinians in gaza — children, women, men — remain stuck in a nonstop nightmare. communities obliterated, homes demolished, entire families and generations wiped out, with hunger and starvation stalking the population. let's bring on some live pictures from moscow where it is just coming up from moscow where it is just coming up to 7:30pm. antonio guterres when he was speaking in egypt commented on friday evenings attack in moscow. it has been claimed by the islamic state group. antonio guterres s

of ireland.ng her return to the arsenal first team after nine months out with an acl injury. williamson was initially called up for friendlies against austria and italy last month but had to withdraw through injury. we all didn't expect that one, and she leads, so that was a hard one to take, a big disciplined for her and for us too, but of course if you take it and get back and get back playing games. so i think she recovered really well and it didn't take too long, so that was good, and now she's getting into a rhythm. she didn't play that many games yet, but she's getting there and getting... yeah, she needs the minutes now. that's all the sport for now. cheers, gavin, thank you very much indeed. the wikileaks founderjulian assange faces a wait to discover whether or not he will be extradited to the united states after the high court in london gave us authorities three weeks to provide assurances that he would not face the death penalty there. mr assange faces extradition over an alleged consp

a general election in the republic of ireland must be called by next spring.t, but we do know that when it happens, it will be without leo varadkar n ireland's top politicaljob. now a new to macon and new leader of fine gael will be appointed in the next few weeks —— a new taoiseach. and you can follow continuing coverage of the resignation of the irish taoiseach, live with bbc news on iplayer. an investigation has reportedly begun at the clinic in london which treated the princess of wales over claims staff tried to access her private medical records. the daily mirror alleges at least one staff member at the london clinic in marylebone was involved. the chief executive of the london clinic says: "all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken" when looking at alleged data breaches. here's our royal correspondent, jonny dymond. privacy and the princess — the mirror makes a splash with a story about an attempt to access private medical information regarding kate, the princess of wales. she was here two months ago for an abdominal

he will step down before the next general election in the republic of ireland.

he will step down before the next general election in the republic of ireland. mr varadkar became ireland's youngest taoiseach in 2017 when he became leader of fine gael. shortly i'll speak to one of our chief presenters in washington caitriona perry who used to work for the irish broadcaster rte and who has followed leo varadkar since his early days, but first, let's listen to mr varadkar announcing his resignation from the steps of government buildings earlier today. i know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some, and i hope at least you will understand my decision. i know that others will, how shall i put it, cope with the news just fine. that is the great thing about living in a democracy. there is never a right time to resign high office, however, this is as good a time as any. budget 2024 is done, negotiations have not yet commenced on the next one, the institutions of the good friday agreement are working again, and our trading relationship with the uk in the post—brexit era is settled and stable. the new taoiseach will ha

he will step down before the next general election in the republic of ireland.varadkar became ireland's youngest taoiseach in 2017 when he became leader of fine gael. let's listen to him announcing his resignation from the steps of government buildings a short while ago. i know this will come as a surprise to any people and a disappointment to some, and i hope at least you will understand my decision. i know that others will, how shall i put it, cope with the news just fine. that is the great thing about living in a democracy. there is never a right time to resign high office, however, this is as good a time as any. are 2024 is done, negotiations have not yet commenced on the next one, the institutions of the good friday agreement are working again, and our trading relationship with the uk in the post—brexit era is settled and stable. the new taoiseach will have a full two months to prepare for the local and european elections, and up to a year before the next general election. my reasons for stepping down are both personal and political. i believe this governme