leo varadkar is giving his successor time _ varadkar is giving his successor time to— varadkar is giving personal background, we saw pictures of him with rishi sunak also of indian heritage, the uk has got an increasing number of ethnic minority leaders at the moment and he was obviously openly gay as well when he was elected, that personally very different background as you mentioned, did that have a wider ripple effect? how was that received when he first came in and how does it stands now? he when he first came in and how does it stands now?— it stands now? he was seen as a breath of fresh _ it stands now? he was seen as a breath of fresh air, _ it stands now? he was seen as a breath of fresh air, not - it stands now? he was seen as a breath of fresh air, notjust i breath of fresh air, not just because _ breath of fresh air, not just because of his personal story, which put him _ because of his personal story, which put him aside or set him aside from other— put him aside or set him aside from other irish — put him aside or set him aside from other irish leaders. there was a well—know

leo varadkar who has announced he is standing down as irish prime minister.director genral of the bbc, has appeared before the culture, media and sport committee to answer questions about the corporations impartiatlity. during the hearing, he was asked about social media posts by staff that appeared to suggest support for hamas. some of those tweets that we've seen are unacceptable and we have taken action and we will continue to take action. now, whether i can commit to you it will never happen again, of course not. but we are robust and i think we're doing the fair thing. we're acting fairly and judiciously. and it's not easy. i mean, you're seeing it around the world. every news organisation, every cultural institution, as you know, is under enormous pressure. political institutions. this is enormously fraught. but the bbc, i think, is steering the course. and the answer to your question is, we don't want to see that. and when we see it, we will take action and look at the appropriate sanction, that will not always be leaving the bbc. it might be the vario

ireland, and will replace leo varadkar-— ireland, and will replace leo varadkar. , ., ,, varadkar.enges _ varadkar. he said in his address that challenges never— varadkar. he said in his address that challenges never go - varadkar. he said in his address that challenges never go away, | varadkar. he said in his address - that challenges never go away, they just change. what challenges does he face as he goes to become prime minister? he face as he goes to become prime minister? ., , face as he goes to become prime minister? . , ., , ., minister? he has quite a number of domestic challenges, _ minister? he has quite a number of domestic challenges, not _ minister? he has quite a number of domestic challenges, not least - minister? he has quite a number of domestic challenges, not least a i domestic challenges, not least a growing housing crisis in the country, and there is also a fairly recent migration crisis emerging, so there are two big centrepieces that they will have to address during his premiership when he becomes taoiseach next month. and also he has been speaking today to

. >> the irish premier, leo varadkar , has in the past hour varadkar, has in the past hour resigned. >> this follows two enormous referendum defeats in ireland , referendum defeats in ireland, where the public rejected the government's attempts to change constitutional language around the family and the role of women. >> an investigation is launched at the hospital which recently treated princess kate and king charles. at least one member of staff is suspected of trying to access kate's medical records. we'll bring you the very latest. >> are we about to see a drop in interest rates.7 >> fingers crossed , all eyes >> fingers crossed, all eyes will be on the bank of england's announcement tomorrow after today's sensational, unexpected, bigger than expected drop of inflation. the rate is now at its lowest level for more than two years. >> i've never seen you more excited. tom, are britain's diversity and inclusion programs backfiring.7 >> the business secretary, kemi badenoch knock, certainly thinks so. she says inclusion policies come at the expense of white men. >> god forbid. >> god

pa rt part of the statement in the last couple of hours from leo varadkar.ed now by a correspondent from the irish times. this is described as a political earthquake, it was a very emotional statement at times. what is the reaction there? yes, the reaction basically is shock, i think leo varadkar has taken his coalition colleagues very much by surprise with this announcement, not to mention memos of the press who did not expect this, this morning, this was supposed to be a very quiet political week. and leo varadkar, he appeared outside government buildings, he spoke about how he has both personal and political reasons for stepping down as the leader of fine gael, and when he talked about some of the personal reasons, he did not get too deep into it but he did basically indicate there is talk of, we are all human as politicians, we all have our limits, and i think maybe he was referring to the pressure that is on modern politicians now, whether that be online, through social media, and then of course he referenced political reasons which i believe probably i

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 have a full two months to prepare for the local and european elections and up to a year before

the irish prime minister leo varadkar announces he's going to step down. politicians are human beings and we have our limitations. we give it everything until we can't any more, and then we have to move on. and baseball sensation shohei ohtani has made his regular season debut with the la dodgers in seoul, sending his fans into a frenzy. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. let's start this hour in sudan, where the conflict is described as the war the world forgot. civilians caught up in the country's civil war share graphic accounts to the bbc of rape, ethnic violence and street executions at the hands of the paramilitary group rsf. we will shortly show you first hand testimonies— you first hand testimonies — but before that, top united nations officials met today, saying the war has plunged the country into "one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history". edem wosornu, director of operations and advocacy at the un office for the coordi

previously leo varadkar had said that he would retire from politics before the age of 50.ing the middle east to bolster international efforts to secure a truce in gaza as the threat of famine looms. antony blinken has been meeting the saudi leadership injeddah on his first stop. saudi arabia has announced it will donate 40 million dollars to the un agency for palestinian refugees. mr blinken will also travel to egypt where he will meet arab foreign ministers and he will also go to israel. mr blinken's visit comes after he warned that gaza's population is starving — saying that its two million people are experiencing "severe levels of acute food insecurity". today, the uk's largest delivery of aid to gaza has crossed the border and is being distributed by the world food programme. a full uk field hospital has also been set up in the territory. meanwhile israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu says that preparations are under way for the invasion of rafah in the southern gaza stripjames elder , a spokesperson for the children's charity unicef , gave details from gaza in t

well, rather suddenly, three days ago, leo varadkar and he was | days ago, leo varadkar and he was steppingeach for personal reasons, and taoiseach for personal reasons, a sequence of events moving towards his replacement, and when he was replaced next month he will have much to do. in ireland at the moment, right at the top of the political agenda is a housing crisis. he will have to address that, and there are other issues abroad, and notably with our olympus my closest neighbour, britain, he will be working with the british government and british prime minister, not least regarding the institutions in northern ireland just recently restored. when simon harris is elected as the next and youngest feminist of ireland on the 9th of april he will have much to do. ~ . . ., 9th of april he will have much to do. ~ . ., ., ., ~ do. much ado indeed, kevin, thank ou ve do. much ado indeed, kevin, thank you very much- _ much more that on their website and the app. now it's time for a look at today's sport with gavin ramjaun. a shock in formula one, as max verstappen failed in his attempt to equal hi

she's followed leo varadkar since his early days, and gave us her reaction. it is the timing which is the shock part to it. he left here on sunday night after several glorious days, as they would be perceived, spent with the great and good of washington dc, including meetings over three separate days with the us presidentjoe biden, and so the timing of that, kind of having that last glory moment, would come as a surprise to people. obviously there were two referendums held in ireland in the last couple of weeks which the government lost both of those, there are local and european elections coming up in ireland at the beginning ofjune and fine gael, leo varadkar�*s party, is not doing well in the polls. so there is a sense i suppose of all the lines lining up at this point, that this is a good moment to go on a high without further electoral defeats. as to what comes next for him, well, we don't know. he said in his speech that there was no secret reason for this and he thought people might speculate about that, but that he just felt that it was better for the

paul: there was no expectation that varadkar was going to resign as the irish prime minister.today came as something of a shock. moves are being made now to find a successor for him. he said himself he had both personal and pitical reasons for taking that decision. at a private meeting of his party members today, he said he never wanted to be stabbed in the back and fall on the sword. he feels he has done as much as he possibly can in the seven years as leader and felt the time was right. caitriona: what will this mean for his party? there are local and european elections in june and a general election to come at some point in the next year. paul: i think it is important for the party to get a leader in very quickly. the european and local elections are important, and they come down the tracks in a couple of weeks. we could have a general election by autumn. this is a big move. one of the factors we believe varadkar took into account when he decided to resign was a new leader was going to need time to try to have an impact on those local and european elections, and get in befo

leo varadkar�*s appointment as taoiseach for the first time in 2017 was history—making.r, the first from an ethnic background and the first gay leader. his appointment personified a changing and more modern ireland. he championed referendums legalising same—sex marriage and abortion. but it was the brexit negotiations that saw him make his mark on the world stage, with other leaders describing him as a sharp shooter and straight talker. today, the prime minister, rishi sunak, thanked leo varadkarfor his dedicated service. but political opponents who want their party to take the top job next called for an early election — today's resignation doesn't immediately trigger one. it's not a time for a rearranging of the deckchairs, and ultimately, it's for the people to decide who will be the taoiseach. so i think it's now over to the people. there should be an election. the republic of ireland is grappling with a cost of living crisis, issues around immigration and massive problems around housing. that's led to a lot of frustration with the current government, particularly amo

today, the prime minister, rishi sunak, thanked leo varadkar for his dedicated service. opponents who want their party to take the top job next called for an early election — today's resignation doesn't immediately trigger one. it's not a time for a rearranging of the deckchairs, and ultimately, it's for the people to decide who will be the taoiseach. so i think it's now over to the people. there should be an election. the republic of ireland is grappling with a cost of living crisis, issues around immigration and massive problems around housing. that's led to a lot of frustration with the current government, particularly among young people. ifeel like everyone in ireland is struggling at the moment, like, with the housing crisis, cost of living. there's not one person we'd speak to who actually like the government that's in now. you think, like, you're going to be living with your parents until 40 years of age, like, you know what i mean? like, you don't want to be living there. you want to go out and be independent. the republic of ireland has witnessed much change dur

paul: there was no expectation that varadkar was going to resign as the irish prime minister.today came as something of a shock. moves are being made now to find a successor for him. he said himself he had both personal and political reasons for taking that decision. at a private meeting of his party members today, he said he never wanted to be stabbed in the back and fall on the sword. he feels he has done as much as he possibly can in the seven years as leader and felt the time was right. caitriona: what will this mean for his party? there are local and european elections in june and a general election to come at some point in the next year. paul: i think it is important for the party to get a leader in very quickly. the european and local elections are important, and they come down the tracks in a couple of weeks. we could have a general election by autumn. this is a big move. one of the factors we believe varadkar took into account when he decided to resign was a new leader was going to need time to try to have an impact on those local and european elections, and get in be

the irish prime minister leo varadkar announces he's going to step down.e give it everything until we can't anymore. and then we have to move on. i'm caitriona perry in washington and i've been covering irish politics for decades following leo varadkar from his earliest days through to last week when he met with presidentjoe biden here in washington. millions of people in sudan are at risk of disease and starvation in what's described as a war the world's forgotten. we have a special bbc report. the uk's largest delivery of aid arrives in gaza as america's top diplomat visits saudi arabia amid a renewed diplomatic push. the london hospital which treated the princess of wales says it will investigate after reports that staff tried to access her private medical records. and who will be picked in the draft for the hundred? we have the latest. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala, welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. and checking out we start in ireland where the prime minister leo vardkar has resigned. in

leo varadkar has previously said that he would retire from politics by the age of 50.own at the age of a5. a general election in the republic of ireland must be called by next spring. today's announcement doesn't change that, 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

we saw the taoiseach, leo varadkar bring up taoiseach, leo varadkar bring up the us position on israel have any influence? ~ ., , ., influence? without question there is more _ influence? without question there is more to _ influence? without question there is more to this - influence? without question there is more to this than i influence? without question i there is more to this than just there is more to this than just the toasts and the celebratory meals and whatnot. there is real engagement taking place and there has been deep engagement with members of business and members of the political system here in the united states at the highest levels between the taoiseach and the president but also over lunch today we introduce the president to ministers and deputy ministers and he will see them again later this week. building these relationships are talking about areas of cooperation and collaboration is important and that is what this week is for.— is important and that is what this week is for. you mentioned the speakers — this week is for. you mentioned the speakers lunch _ this we

the irish prime minister leo varadkar speaking _ work.peaking there. - now it is of course hollywood's big night on sunday with the oscars. but before that we've had the razzies. they name and shame the year's worst films. the organisers describe the awards as the "ugly cousin to the oscars". so what won worst film? this is the moment it was announced. winner of the razzie award for picture is... winnie—the—pooh: blood and honey. well if winnie the pooh: blood and honey wasn't on your watching list, our culture correspondent charlotte gallagher is here to explain more. what is the film about? it is about winnie the pooh _ what is the film about? it is about winnie the pooh and _ what is the film about? it is about winnie the pooh and essentially i what is the film about? it is about winnie the pooh and essentially it| winnie the pooh and essentially it is winnie the pooh and his friends taking their revenge on christopher robin, their old friend, if they feel has abandoned them and it is a slasher kind of flick, essentially the copyright

leo varadkar�*s appointment as taoiseach for the first time in 2017 was history—making.c background and the first gay leader. his appointment personified a changing and more modern ireland. he championed referendums legalising same—sex marriage and abortion. but it was the brexit negotiations that saw him make his mark on the world stage, with other leaders describing him as a sharp—shooter and straight talker. today, the prime minister, rishi sunak, thanked leo varadkarfor his dedicated service. but political opponents who want their party to take the top job next called for an early election — today's resignation doesn't immediately trigger one. it's not a time for a rearranging of the deckchairs, and ultimately, it's for the people to decide who will be the taoiseach. so i think it's now over to the people. there should be an election. the republic of ireland is grappling with a cost of living crisis, issues around immigration and massive problems around housing. that's led to a lot of frustration with the current government, particularly among young people. ifeel lik

mr varadkar invoked the saint in discussing the ongoing conflict. in the middle east, the savage attacks of october 7 on israel and the terrible violence and loss of human life in gaza which has followed and continues and we very much want that to end. these are global challenges that demand our courage, our empathy and our action. we pray for the wisdom of saint patrick in facing them. this year's annual visit of the irish taoiseach follows the recent restoration of power—sharing in northern ireland, after two years of political stalemate. last month sinn fein deputy leader michelle 0'neill became the first nationalist first minister with emma little—pengelly of the democratic unionist party taking the role of deputy first minister. both have vowed to continue their positive partnership despite their contrasting political backgrounds. they were also here at the capitol at a lunch hosted by speakerjohnson and attended by the president to mark st patrick's day. us special envoy to northern ireland joe kennedy iii was also in attendence at that gather

leo varadkar�*s appointment as taoiseach for the first time in 2017 was history—making.ter, the first from an ethnic background and the first gay leader. his appointment personified a changing and more modern ireland. he championed referendums legalising same—sex marriage and abortion. but it was the brexit negotiations that saw him make his mark on the world stage, with other leaders describing him as a sharp shooter and straight talker. today, the prime minister, rishi sunak, thanked leo varadkar for his dedicated service. but political opponents who want their party to take the top job next called for an early election — today's resignation doesn't immediately trigger one. it's not a time for a rearranging of the deckchairs, and ultimately, it's for the people to decide who will be the taoiseach. so i think it's now over to the people. there should be an election. the republic of ireland is grappling with a cost of living crisis, issues around immigration and massive problems around housing. that's led to a lot of frustration with the current government, particularly

the irish prime minister leo varadkar announces he's going to step down. millions of people in sudan are at risk of disease and starvation in what's described as a "war the world's forgotten". we have a special bbc report. the uk's largest delivery of aid arrives in gaza as america's top diplomat visits saudi arabia amid a renewed diplomatic push. the london hospital which treated the princess of wales says it will investigate after reports that staff tried to access her private medical records. hello, i m matthew amroliwala, welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories and checking out the truth behind them. we start in ireland where the prime minister leo vardkar has resigned. in an unexpected announcement, mr varadkar described the period leading his country as "the most fulfilling time of his life". 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.

she talked me through the reaction to varadkar�*s resignation.s only a5, he did say many years ago he wouldn't still be in politics at 50. so he's been very successful. he's been elected twice. so he's done better than the vast majority of leaders of senegal, even at such a young age. but i suppose he has now he is now in the office for the second time. we don't know when our general election is going to be. it should be sometime before march of next year. there is local and european elections coming up injune and in his resignation speech this afternoon, he said that he didn't feel like he had it in him to be the leader going into so many elections coming up. so it comes in the wake of the two failed referendums. so obviously that would be a blow for any leader of a party. and the who has put these to the people and has been unsuccessful, it's really more to do with the fact that the people weren't happy with the wording that was there as opposed to any particular sentiment that would be against them. so people would have been taken aback that i

varadkar is a nancy cindy dennis to leo varadkar has announced he is standing down as ireland's primen the ruling coalition, in a surprise move described by pundits as a "political ea rthquake" for the country. citing "personal and political" reasons, varadkar, a5, announced his decision at a press conference in dublin on wednesday, saying in an at—times emotional speech that he no longer felt he was the "best person" to lead ireland. i know this will come as a surprise to many people, and a disappointment to some, and i hope at least you'll understand my decision. i know that others will — how shall i put it — cope with the news just fine. that as the great thing about living in a democracy. there's 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. peter, a fascinating time in irish politics. sinn fein of course, are on a roll and

plus leo varadkar stands down. will that will that spell a brexit party style political referendum over the irish sea turns to get through? please get in touch all the usual ways. vaiews@gbnews.com. but before all of that, it's time for your latest news headlines with sophia jonathan vautrey . sophia wenzler jonathan vautrey. >> thanks, martin. good afternoon. it's 3:01. i'm sophia wenzler in the gb newsroom . some wenzler in the gb newsroom. some breaking news gb news can reveal a migrant has been stabbed on a small boat attempting to cross the english channel today. uk authorities, including a border force vessel and two lifeboats, attended the incident just before lunchtime. the dinghy was one of eight small boats that reached the uk waters on the busiest day of channel crossings so far this year. a record 450 migrants have arrived in the uk on small boats today. this takes the number of migrants arriving on small boats this year to nearly 4000. housing asylum seekers on barges, military bases and student digs w

varadkar openly gay man. good luck. country. varadkar openly gay man. good luck .e they thinking why is he telling us how to define our families? >> that's right . and also on >> that's right. and also on mental health, been mental health, we've been talking this, all morning, talking about this, all morning, richard saying lots of people near him who were just using it as an excuse to claim benefits. thatis as an excuse to claim benefits. that is it. britain's newsroom from us for this week. we'll see you next week. that's right. see you next week. that's right. see you monday. >> on good afternoon britain today. not just that fated interest rate decision, but much more. did the house of lords put lives at risk last night by yet again delaying and frustrating the rwanda bill. this, as we learn, people have been stabbed in the channel on their way across to britain, is it time to get tougher? >> and why aren't brits having more babies? the birth rate has plummeted substantially and a new report is warning that immigration, more immigration, is going to be needed to

we'll here from one of the senators in mr varadkars finae gael party. and: excavating the site of a 3,000—year—old disaster, suspended in time. we will speak to one of the archaeologists working on the british pompei. good evening. the british prime minister says he thinks the uk has "turned a corner" following the financial shocks of the past few years. new figures out today showed that inflation in february slowed to its lowest level since september 2021. which was some relief given that tonight the prime minister was due to meet his restless backbenchers. but what has not turned are his fortunes on the rwanda bill. the proposed law aims to ensure the uk can deport asylum seekers to rwanda by declaring it a safe third country, contrary to the judgment of the supreme court. on monday conservative mp's voted to overturn all 10 of the amendments made to the bill, by the house of lords. today, the peers got another look at it, and reinserted several of their proposed changes. which means the rwanda bill will not be back in the commons until after easter.

leo varadkar�*s appointment as taoiseach for the first time in 2017 was history—making.ter, the first from an ethnic background and the first gay leader. his appointment personified a changing and more modern ireland. he championed referendums legalising same—sex marriage and abortion. but it was the brexit negotiations that saw him make his mark on the world stage, with other leaders describing him as a sharp—shooter and straight talker. today, the prime minister, rishi sunak, thanked leo varadkarfor his dedicated service. but political opponents who want their party to take the top job next called for an early election — today's resignation doesn't immediately trigger one. it's not a time for a rearranging of the deckchairs, and ultimately, it's for the people to decide who will be the taoiseach. so i think it's now over to the people. there should be an election. the republic of ireland is grappling with a cost of living crisis, issues around immigration and massive problems around housing. that's led to a lot of frustration with the current government, particularly a

mr varadkar became ireland's youngest pm in 2017 when he became leader of fine gael.s 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. let's speak to fionnan sheahan, ireland editor at the irish independent. welcome to bbc news. we sort of knew it was coming, but perhaps not now. where you surprised to hear that announcement a little earlier in the day? announcement a little earlier in the da ? �* , , ., ., announcement a little earlier in the da ? �*, , ., ., day? it's been flagged

the irish prime minister leo varadkar speaking there.an asif ali zardari has been elected as the president of the country for a second time. the pakistan people's party leader defeated his rival mahmood khan achakzai, an ally of the jailed former prime minister imran khan. members of newly elected national and provincial assemblies voted in the presidential poll. mr zardari was nominated for the post under a coalition deal between his party and their historic rivals, the pakistan muslim league — nawaz. our correspondent saher baloch who is in islamabad, sent us the latest following the result. asif ali zardari has been elected as the president of pakistan and what is interesting to note, during his time in 2010, when he amended the constitution in order to limit and curtail the powers of the president, this was also done to limit the military interventions in pakistan, so he willjoin parliament as the president who has limited powers. i spoke with some of his political friends and some of the politicians and most of them think it is goin

it comes after leo varadkar stepped down citing va radkar stepped down citing political and varadkarpeaks. well, simon harris is a senior member of the current irish government, and what is happening now is sequencing, if you will, towards him being eventually elected as the prime minister of ireland next month. later this afternoon he will be confirmed as the new leader of his own fine gael party, and that in itself is significant, because fine gael is currently part of a three—party coalition government in ireland, and fine gael currently holds the position of prime minister in that coalition government, so it basically has the pick for the next prime minister, and it will now go on to nominate simon harris at a meeting of the irish parliament, that won't happen until the 9th of april, a few weeks away yet, and when he is nominated he will be supported by the other members and parties in the coalition government, fianna fail and the green party, so he will be elected as the next prime minister of ireland next month, and as you say, when he is elected he will be the youngest ever pr

he was the only nominee, but it was quite apparent from last week — as soon as leo varadkar, the currente was only one person in the race to beat. so he will go on to become prime minister, but some are asking, why no general election? how does the coalition work in ireland? yeah, so a bit like in the uk. a parliament is elected with a five—year mandate, and within that time period, you form a government off the basis of having a majority within the parliament. and the current coalition government, it's a three—party government, it retains a comfortable enough majority within the parliament, so they will be changing the prime minister. so this is a bit similar to the manner in which in the uk, in westminster, you've had a number of changes of prime minister — too many, one would argue — in recent years, and it hasn't precipitated a general election. so, we are due to have a general election under our constitution by march, at the latest, of next year. and simon harris, as taoiseach, will now see out that term in office. here in the uk, the chancellor has confirmed that the conservatives

today, the prime minister, rishi sunak, thanked leo varadkar for his dedicated service.t immediately trigger one. it's not a time for a rearranging of the deckchairs, and ultimately it's for the people to decide who will be the taoiseach. so i think it's now over to the people. there should be an election. the republic of ireland is grappling with a cost of living crisis, issues around immigration and massive problems around housing. that's led to a lot of frustration with the current government, particularly among young people. i feel like everyone in ireland is struggling at the moment, like, with the housing crisis, cost of living, like there's not one person we'd speak to who actually like the government that's in now. you think, like, you're going to be living with your parents _ until 40 years of age, like, you know what i mean? . like, you don't want to be living there. . you want to go out i and be independent. the republic of ireland has witnessed much change during leo varadkar�*s political career. even if there's no early general election, one is looming withi

they love him brussels. premier, leo varadkar. they love him brussels .se, him in brussels. and of course, he just lost a referendum very heavily in ireland. his own party, fine gael, in big trouble in the polls heading up to the european elections in june. but he was also, was he not, one of the key anti brexiteers and architects of what we now have with a border in the irish sea? >> i think, nigel, you will see from my expression that i'm not in the slightest bit upset that the taoiseach has decided to resign as party leader and as taoiseach . you know, it's been taoiseach. you know, it's been a number of people on twitter, including lord dodds , have said, including lord dodds, have said, you know, he is responsible more than anyone else. probably on the island of ireland, for actually bringing about the protocol and for really starting a wedge between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom. i'm sure he's got a nice job lined up somewhere at the european commission but his party is going to be, you know, they're already in, in a big mess b

but after careful consideration, the irish taoiseach leo varadkar, announcing his resignation there iight back to the house of commons. this is pmqs live for legal migration about how best to accommodate a smaller number of asylum seekers safely at raf scampton, whilst recognising the council's ambitious plans for regeneration. >> and let me tell him i fully support those discussions and the government is committed to the government is committed to the site being used for accommodation for the shortest possible time and then released to the benefit of the local community. >> layla moran. >> layla moran. >> mr speaker, our nhs is at breaking point. my constituent was told he needed a gallbladder operation after a visit to a&e. he waited in hospital nil by mouth all day. no operation. he's then told to stay overnight or risk his place on the list. so he sits in a hot, smelly, windowless waiting room for eight hours on a plastic chair. then a gurney comes with no pillow and that's where he sleeps. and the next day the nurses say no operation. there just aren't any beds. his wife told me

as you heard earlier, ireland's leader leo varadkar has been meeting withjoe biden today.llo there. we're into some much milderfeeling air now with temperatures in the mid teens quite widely on sunday as a wet start to the day for some of us. but we saw some sunny spells emerging such as here in nottinghamshire and there's more sunshine on offer as we head through monday — it's a similar looking day. for the vast majority of us, it should stay dry, some low cloud, mist and murk to begin with, but then it will brighten up quite nicely. but overnight there are some weather fronts just gradually clearing eastwards. a lot of the showery rain is starting to fizzle out on the easterly track. and this is how we'll start off the day on monday. temperatures between five and eight degrees. it's a cooler start than yesterday morning across much of england and wales. but still temperatures in mid to high single figures so mild for the time of year. lots of dry weather around these areas of cloud just pushing further eastwards, the rain fizzling out. a lot of dry weather, some sunshine

main governing parties, fine gael, has declared simon harris, who's 37, its new leader, replacing leo varadkarinted as prime minister, or taoiseach, when ireland's parliament reconvenes next month. mr harris has just been speaking to the media, and he was asked whether a general election might be on the horizon. it is 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 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 when i headed out. i'm 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 is intention as of now. let's speak to pat leahy, political editor of the irish times, who is in athlone where the announcement was made. how did simon harris�*s speech go down? it went down with raucous enthusiasm was how— it went down with raucous enthusiasm was how t

leo varadkar casting his vote, he argues there are chances to delete old—fashioned sexist language fromding from the roman catholic church. there you can see leo varadkar, the irish prime minister, with two thumbs up, voting in those referendums, suggesting constitutional changes. new rules on paternity leave come into effect today in england, scotland and wales. fathers will be allowed to take their statutory two weeks' leave in two separate chunks — instead of in one go — there will also be a small increase in statutory pay. parental rights campaigners say the changes don't go far enough and the uk is lagging behind other developed nations. our reporter christian johnson behind other developed nations. our reporter christianjohnson has been looking into it. well done. heidi is nine months old. and so is isiay- _ well done. heidi is nine months old. and so is islay. but _ well done. heidi is nine months old. and so is islay. but their— well done. heidi is nine months old. and so is islay. but their dad - well done. heidi is nine months old. and so is islay. but their dad has - and so i

a clear front—runner has emerged in the race to succeed leo varadkar as ireland's prime minister.nnounced he intends to run for the leadership of the fine gael party. in a statement, he said he's humbled and honoured to receive the support of so many party members. many seniorfigures in the party have ruled themselves out of the race to replace mr varadkar, who announced his shock resignation on wednesday. 0pposition figures in india have strongly condemned the arrest of delhi's chief minister. police surrounded the home of arvind kejiriwal, a prominent opposition leader, in connection with corruption allegations relating to the city's policies over alcohol sales. a probe into the matter has already seen two of his top allies jailed. he was detained after several hours of questioning by india's main financial crimes agency. mr kejriwal's arrest comes weeks before voting starts in a general election. here's our south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan. it isa it is a hugely significant moment as you say, that elections are only a few weeks away from now. starting on the 19th in seven

leo varadkar said it's due to both personal and political reasons.n afghanistan on wednesday. notably absent were the more than1 million girls who have been barred from an education by the taliban. hello, i'm sumi somaskanda. the state of law enforcement at the us—mexico border remains in doubt, after a federal appeals court issued an order effectively blocking texas from implementing one of the toughest immigration laws in the us. that happens just hours after the us supreme court allowed texas to carry through with the measure. crossing the us border illegally is already a federal crime, but violations are usually handled as civil cases by the immigration court system. president biden�*s administration is challenging the law, known as sba, saying it is unconstitutional. the president will visit the lone star state on thursday. with 2.5 million people illegally entering the us via the southern border last year, immigration is one of the most polarising issues in american politics. and mexican president lopez 0brador is pushing back against the law.

the main opposition party, sinn fein, but the three coalition parties have been steadfast since leo varadkarwould take the current government in a couple of weeks' time eventually under simon harris's leadership into next year, so at the minute the expectation is that this government will at least try to complete its five year term. but in politics, things can change quickly. great to get that update from you, thank you very much. sticking on the island of ireland, four people have been killed in a crash on a road on the outskirts of armagh early this morning. the police service of northern ireland said the driver and three passengers, who were declared dead at the scene, have yet to be formally identified. we just want to bring you some breaking news coming to it in the last few moments. this is coming to us from kent police. they say a 12—year—old boy has been charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon by officers investigating an assault of a teenage girl in sittingbourne in the south—east of england. this happened on friday at apm. police were called following re

irish prime minister leo varadkar announces he's going to step down.an beings and we have our limitations. we give it everything until we can't any more, and then we have to move on. and baseball sensation shohei 0htani has made his regular season debut with the la dodgers in seoul, sending his fans into a frenzy. voice-over: live from our studio in singapore, - this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. let's start in sudan where the conflict is described as the war the world forgot. civilians caught up in the country's civil war share graphic accounts to the bbc of rape, ethnic violence and street executions at the hands of the paramilitary group rsf. we will shortly show you first—hand testimonies,

at 45, varadkar is ireland's youngest ever prime minister, or taoiseach.e's also ireland's first openly gay leader and first indian and mixed race leader. on sunday, he called for a gaza cease fire as he joined president biden at the white house for a st. patrick's day celebration. in hong kong, lawmakers unanimously passed a national security law that further cracks down on dissent and free speech. article 23 expands the definition of certain offenses and targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, theft of state secrets, and espionage. it also allows for closed-door trials and imposes harsher penalties, including life imprisonment in some cases. the bill's passage marks a major defeat for pro-democracy activists and critics of beijing's tightening grip on hong kong. in related news, a hong kong court on saturday sentenced 12 people to prison terms of six-to-seven years after they were convicted of rioting when they stormed the city's legislature during the 2019 pro-democracy uprising. hundreds of protesters breached and vandalized the

. >> interesting that leo >> but it's interesting that leo varadkar the he's the varadkar so he's thehe he said that saint who's patron saint patrick who's the patron saint patrick saint of ireland saint patrick was undocumented male migrant was an undocumented male migrant and saint patrick was an and saint patrick was not an undocumented migrant . saint undocumented male migrant. saint padraic was a slave who was taken britain. by, you taken from britain. by, you know, irish, irish slavers to and assume his gender so brazenly like that. >> yeah . is something i take >> yeah. is something i take great issue with. >> he's not having a great week. leo varadkar. so hopefully he's on the way out of the next election. and we've got the times now with good news for anti—semitic, communist morons in you're still going in islington. you're still going to to for you to be able to vote for who you want. jeremy corbyn's running, adam. this is a story adam. yeah. so this is a story that jeremy corbyn will run against labour, leaked email suggests so, yes. the one time party leader has inquired a

he she hosted leo varadkar varadkar for breakfast this morning.rish leaders for the holiday and while today's visit between the leaders is customary, diplomatic discussions included a push for ireland or from ireland for a ceasefire in gaza. ireland's prime minister also met with president biden today. the leaders, both in green to mark saint patrick's day, agreed on needing a ceasefire in gaza. today's meeting marks 100 years of diplomatic relations between the us and ireland. both leaders also agreed on funding additional assistance for ukraine. >> happening today, you get a free donut at krispy kreme. if you're wearing green krispy kreme is celebrating saint patrick's day bit early by giving away green donuts today and all weekend long. now you have to wear green to get the donut there are ten bay area krispy kremes, including those in san jose, concord and rohnert park. >> the research shows a recent change in the way people celebrate saint patrick's day. the study found parties and other events that used to go all night into the early morning

. >> interesting that leo >> but it's interesting that leo varadkar the he's the varadkar so he's the he said that saint who's patron saint patrick who's the patron saint patrick saint of ireland saint patrick was undocumented male migrant was an undocumented male migrant and saint patrick was an and saint patrick was not an undocumented migrant . saint undocumented male migrant. saint padraic was a slave who was taken britain. by, you taken from britain. by, you know, irish, irish slavers to and assume his gender so brazenly like that. >> yeah . is something i take >> yeah. is something i take great issue with. >> he's not having a great week. leo varadkar. so hopefully he's on the way out of the next election. and we've got the times now with good news for anti—semitic, communist morons in you're still going in islington. you're still going to to for you to be able to vote for who you want. jeremy corbyn's running, adam. this is a story adam. yeah. so this is a story that jeremy corbyn will run against labour, leaked email suggests so, yes. the one time party leader has inquired abo

. >> interesting that leo >> but it's interesting that leo varadkar the he's the varadkar so he's thehe he said that saint who's patron saint patrick who's the patron saint patrick saint of ireland saint patrick was undocumented male migrant was an undocumented male migrant and saint patrick was an and saint patrick was not an undocumented migrant . saint undocumented male migrant. saint padraic was a slave who was taken britain. by, you taken from britain. by, you know, irish, irish slavers to and assume his gender so brazenly like that. >> yeah . is something i take >> yeah. is something i take great issue with. >> he's not having a great week. leo varadkar. so hopefully he's on the way out of the next election. and we've got the times now with good news for anti—semitic, communist morons in you're still going anti—semitic, communist morons in be you're still going anti—semitic, communist morons in be able you're still going anti—semitic, communist morons in be able to (ou're still going anti—semitic, communist morons in be able to vote; still going anti—semitic, communist morons in