chris is at hillsborough castle for us now.e over christmas, how do you see things playing out? the chances of a big breakthrough today have lessened. but there is no sign either of there being a major breakdown on the cards. politicians have been arriving at hillsborough castle to begin talks initially with westminster government officials about the financial package. tomorrow ministers in london had hoped they would be in a position to bring forward legislation in parliament the last day before christmas alongside a deal to bring back the stormont assembly. westminster is now seeing negotiations at hillsborough will be all about the finances and they won't be giving a running commentary on the bigger picture. the dup are making the point they are setting their own agenda and won't accept an outcomejust their own agenda and won't accept an outcome just because the timing is what the government or anyone else would want. the three other parties eligible to take up ministerial positions in a devolved government are likely to be

celebrating the season at hillsborough castle.ear winding down with thoughts about new openings. so let's take a look at some of the front pages... the guardian, for held in hamas terror plot. finally the daily mail, where has alex been for the six years, kidnapped boy crosses for to freedom. that is of most night. sleep well. good night. breaking news from around the world 2a hours a day, this is bbc news. she believed israelis would never have real security until palestinians had their own state. on the 7th, she was at home, in the place where she'd brought up her two sons. the bodies of israelis killed by hamas were still being recovered when we went there to try to find vivian's house. her family hoped she was a hostage inside gaza. as hamas shot their way into be'eri, she texted her son, yonatan, that she feared a massacre. her house was burnt. a month later, vivian silver's remains were identified in the ash left by the fire. so, you were there, i i was there afterwards, and her bones were in the safe room all the while — yo

local politicians are currently in negotiations with westminster government officials here at hillsborough castlessure to spell out his next steps as this process looks like it is going to role into 2024. chris page with the latest there. chris page with the latest there. so what impact is it all having on public services in northern ireland? 0ur ireland correspondent sara girvin has been finding out. four stories, four lives in northern ireland. the chokehold that is over this country, everything has just ground to a halt. i live with chronic pain, _ and i have been told that i have got a waiting list of three years. i have been teaching l forjust over 35 years. the system is crumbling. i would just love as to be i in a place where there is no child that goes without. hospital waiting lists in northern ireland are the worst in the united kingdom. hazel lives with chronic pain, but has been told she will be waiting up to three years for help. on a good day, my pain levels are an eight out of ten. on a bad day, they are an 11 out of ten. it is as if somebody is injecting acid into you. she wants p

there were talks here today at hillsborough castle they've now finished. the uk parliament breaks up for christmas tomorrow. chris heaton—harris is meeting the parties tomorrow morning, but it's very unlikely that there will be a deal struck over those few hours. the process goes on. for people in northern ireland, it's incredibly frustrating because public services like education and healthcare decisions that need to be made by politicians are not being made because they're not doing theirjob. civil servants can't make those big decisions. the uk government offered a financial carrot in a way to get politicians back to stormont. the dup's politicians back to stormont. the dup�*s real stiff sticking point is the traitor arrangements. —— trade arrangements. this means they're treated to the rest of the uk, the place in the union is being put at stake and they're very unhappy about it. forthem stake and they're very unhappy about it. for them to go back into power—sharing, they would probably have to be some changes to that, but we don't know how much of a c

chris heaton—harris, the northern ireland secretary, based here at hillsborough castle, has proposedion. but the cheque will only be cashed if there is a return to devolution. the democratic unionist party have been vetoing the formation of a power—sharing coalition at stormont for almost two years over post—brexit trading arrangements. essentially, the dup says trade barriers between northern ireland and england, scotland, and wales have been damaging northern ireland to's place in the uk. now, the british government will be hoping that the financial package will be something of an incentive for the dup to drop its veto and allow the stormont executive to be restored. there is something that all the parties agree on, the money on the table isn't enough to meet the funding needs of northern ireland. they have been pushing for more. separately, the dup says it is still negotiating with the westminster government over its remaining concerns on brexit. many people are interpreting the fact that the parties are back around a negotiating table of sorts as a sign of progress, as a sign tha

however, the fact that the parties are around the table at hillsborough castle just outside belfast, e is some movement towards that goal. that there is some movement towards that coal. ~ . that there is some movement towards that toal . ., ., , that there is some movement towards that coal. ~ . ., that goal. what impact has it had? the fact that _ that goal. what impact has it had? the fact that there _ that goal. what impact has it had? the fact that there hasn't - that goal. what impact has it had? the fact that there hasn't been - that goal. what impact has it had? i the fact that there hasn't been any devolved functioning government for the past two years? tt devolved functioning government for the past two years?— the past two years? if you speak to eo - le the past two years? if you speak to people who — the past two years? if you speak to people who work — the past two years? if you speak to people who work in _ the past two years? if you speak to people who work in public - the past two years? if you speak to | people who work in public services, they are the ones who will sa

and outside hillsborough castle.king ahead, of looking of course, we're still looking ahead, that vote ahead, of course, to that vote tomorrow on emergency tomorrow on this emergency rwanda legislation. things are heating up. >> yes. and a press conference to be held very, very shortly by the representatives of those five groups, mainly the erg. but also, as we've been hearing , the also, as we've been hearing, the new conservatives, the conservative growth group , many conservative growth group, many other groups as well, representing 100 tory mps. they haven't yet decided how to vote yes. >> they want the bill to be toughened up, hardened up, in their words . i believe that's their words. i believe that's what christopher hope was saying i >> -- >> yes. but in terms of how they do that, do they do that by trying to vote down the bill and then bring it back later or do they sort of abstain , hope it they sort of abstain, hope it goes through and amended it, committee stage. but if they do that and doesn't pass with

the stormont parties will push for more during the talks at hillsborough castle today.d been hoping devolution would return in time for christmas, but only the dup can deliver that, and it says it won't be led by calendar dates. chris page, bbc news, belfast. a man who died after a van struck a group of people in a town centre in the early hours of saturday morning, has been named by police as 26—year—old samuel wilson. a 27—year—old man arrested on suspicion of murder, remains in police custody. two other men, who were also hit, have since been discharged from hospital. more training for door staff and funding for testing kits are among a package of measures announced by the government, to tackle spiking. the plans have been broadly welcomed by campaigners, but have stopped short of calls to make spiking a specific offence. two people have been taken to hospital and 50 residents were evacuated overnight, following a gas explosion at a property in blackburn. the detonation caused the walls and roof of a terraced house to crumble. their injuries are not believed to be li

chris heaton—harris, the northern ireland secretary, based here at hillsborough castle, has proposedn vetoing the formation of a power—sharing coalition at stormont for almost two years over post—brexit trading arrangements. essentially, the dup says trade barriers between northern ireland and england, scotland, and wales have been damaging northern ireland's place in the uk. now, the british government will be hoping that the financial package will be something of an incentive for the dup to drop its veto and allow the stormont executive to be restored. there is something that all the parties agree on, the money on the table isn't enough to meet the funding needs of northern ireland. they have all been pushing for more. separately, the dup says it is still negotiating with the westminster government over its remaining concerns on brexit. many people are interpreting the fact that the parties are back around a negotiating table of sorts as a sign of progress, as a sign that a deal to ultimately restore devolution may be edging closer. but the key party, really, is the democratic unio

. >> well, welcome to hillsborough castle . it was here this morning castle.and gave a statement that lasted probably about 30s and basically saying that it was all around a financial package that was going to be put into northern ireland. now, unionists have stayed out of the assembly here, obviously because of the protocol and then the framework document, and they wanted certain guarantees and that's their seven tests in order that they would get the executive back up and running because in the last 21 months, of course, northern ireland has been run by directly from westminster, by the northern ireland office. so back from 2010, parties here have been saying that the way northern ireland is funded, especially around the barnett consequentials, is more based on numbers than it is on need. in fact , the welsh assembly fact, the welsh assembly achieved that in 2010, where they now have a fiscal floor where a limit can be hit, where they can actually fund , properly they can actually fund, properly fund their public services and the public sector. now in northe

earlier this week the man who is based here in hillsborough castle, chris heaton—harris, the northerny on the party is not enough. so the question is will the negotiations continue this side to the other side of christmas? the american actor, andre braugher, has died at the age of 61, after a brief illness. the two—time emmy—winning actor starred as captain raymond holt in the us comedy show brooklyn nine—nine. before that he received an emmy in 1998 for outstanding lead actor in the series homicide: life on the street. very charismatic guy can wasn't he? you just leapt out of the screen. carol has got the weather. it looks tro - ical carol has got the weather. it looks tropical there! _ carol has got the weather. it looks tropical there! is _ carol has got the weather. it looks tropical there! is that _ carol has got the weather. it looks tropical there! is that torquay? i carol has got the weather. it looks| tropical there! is that torquay? no, there is a palm _ tropical there! is that torquay? no, there is a palm tree! _ it will improve through the west during the day and that if t