the dup leader arlene foster. government association say england's town halls face a £3.2 billion shortfall. ministers say councils have more power to raise money themselves. a six percent cut is expected. andrew carter is from the centre for cities explains the areas he thinks are most likely to be affected: when we look at the date of which we put out last week, its places like ba rnsley put out last week, its places like barnsley and liverpool, doncaster, wakefield, back burner, those towns and cities that are mainly in the country that have had the biggest reductions in expenditure over the period since the recession. so 2009— essentially the latest year before we get the settlement. what kind of services have been most effective? interestingly when you look at it, because of the way the cuts have fallen, social care is relatively protected so councils have been able to hold onto the bits of budget and reallocate but when you look at them is like street cleaning or arts and culture or planning, libraries, all

but i certainly, let me be very clear about arlene foster's point, i get on very well with arlene fosterre is nobody i know in the republic of ireland, or northern ireland for that matter, that wants a no deal brexit. it is not in our interest, it is not in anybody‘s interest, it's not in the uk's interests, but it would cause enormous economic difficulties and problems in the island of ireland, so we do not want to no deal, we want to try and find a fair compromise. the withdrawal agreement, remember, was negotiated over a 21 month period, and it's full of compromises. can i ask you, should the irish government avoid a no deal all cost is? yes, i think they should. i think they — and i'm sure that the meeting that's coming up between the taoiseach and the british prime minister will be looking at that. it is — to try and find a compromise is far better than a no deal brexit, but unfortunately, that compromise can't be unravelling the withdrawal agreement because that is already full of compromises, so you know, normally in negotiations you're coming to the end line and you're well, let'

the leader of the democratic unionist party, arlene foster, said that she had told theresa may, thatthe withdrawal agreement were needed. so, we have had another useful engagement with the prime minister. as you know, we engage with government quite regularly in and around the brexit process. we reiterated again the fact that the backstop was the problem in relation to the withdrawal agreement and the brady amendment put down in the house of commons last week gives her the mandate now to go to brussels, as she intends to do on thursday, and we look forward to hearing the outcome of that. arlene foster, leader of the dup, making it clear that theresa may does have to try and get some kind of change towards that mechanism that's in the withdrawal agreement that's in the withdrawal agreement that she has hammered out with brussels, making it clear that there must be a change to that northern irish backstop. in a moment, we'll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news. strong words from the president of the european council donald tusk, as he criticises those who he

arlene foster, leader of the dup there.reland retail consortium. hejoins director of the northern ireland retail consortium. he joins us director of the northern ireland retail consortium. hejoins us now from a wet belfast. thank you for being with us. when you reassured by the prime minister's was today?” think we were. the fact that she reasserted her commitment that there would be no hardboard and that she was working towards frictionless trade on the island of ireland really did go a long way to alleviate the concerns of the business community here in northern ireland. but you know that she said two parliamentarians, particular on the right of her own party that she is seeking alternative arrangements. when it comes to the backstop... that must give you pause for concern? the thing is, it took 18 months to negotiate a backstop. the way that we are looking at it is that if there are eternal server arrangements that we need to see them and we need to see them now. if there are alternative arrangements, which we haven't se

sinn fein are supportive of the backstop but the dup leader arlene foster said it was toxic and mustalt with. the former first minister of northern ireland david trimble has said he intends to take legal action against the government over the backstop, claiming it breaches the terms of the good friday agreement. jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. and you can keep up to date with theresa may's talks in northern ireland, as well as the latest backstop negotiatrions, on the bbc website. you'll also find a guide to all you need to know about the uk leaving the eu and explanations of the key brexit terms, in an easy to follow "jargon buster" that's all at bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. a group comprising latin american countries and canada has urged the venezuelan military to support the opposition leader, juan guaido, as interim president. the iii—nation lima group has called for a change of government without the use of force, and for president nicolas maduro‘s administration to lose access to venezuela's international assets. i do also want address the issue of outside

arlene foster the leader of the party saying that that backstop has to be completely removed i think it's pretty young unlikely that that is going to happen so to reason they have to go there tomorrow almost with a begging bowl and looks pretty clear at the moment that the e.u. is not going to give very much more ground particularly not to get on side those bricks it is those you're a skeptic m.p.'s on in her party and from northern ireland party to support to say what the moment as i say it does still look like that there is going to be no deal on the twenty ninth of march more like mission impossible. and thank you very much for your assessment. turning ninety nine due to a young boy has taken the country's arch world by storm trivia older voters scream has been drawing since he was three he shot to fame after he sketched a portrait of a french president in london mccraw his life changed after that did w.'s flourish. with him and found he has big plans for the future. every detail matters where reese cairenes aim is to make this joint look like a high definition photograph at just

sinn fein are supportive of the backstop but the dup leader arlene foster said it was toxic and mustreland david trimble has said he intends to take legal action against the government over the backstop claiming it breaches the terms of the good friday agreement. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: for 50 years — children and their parents have been loving sesame street. we celebrate the anniversary with a little help from its residents. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. and the anc leader, nelson mandela, is to be set free unconditionally. four, three, two, one... a countdown to a critical moment. the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have

that could mean trouble with brexiteers and the democratic unionist parties, their leader arlene fostera brexit deal and her message get round the backstop or no dup support. most people voted to remain in northern ireland. businesses, they would support the deal. are you playing a dangerous deal. are you playing a dangerous deal of who blinks first? it is not a game. it's a game of trying to find a long—term relationship with the european union, that works for the european union, that works for the whole of the united kingdom, and of course from a northern ireland point of view, one that doesn't separate us from our main market, which is gb. could britain leave without a deal? well, many believe it could happen. the eu could offer late concessions, some close to mrs may calculate if the brinkmanship goes on long enough rebels could fall into line. if this is a game of who blings first, no—one is blinking yet, the longer it goes on the more how to keep the border working as it does today. that is the problem, blocking a brexit deal. mrs may meets northern ireland's political leaders tom

the dup leader arlene foster was the last to leave, and as she came out she made it very clear she willg any sort of backsliding on theresa may's guarantees that she would reopen the withdrawal agreement and change the backstop. it is unlikely the dup will accept any sort of document sitting alongside, but at the same time this has been a really difficult visit for theresa may because she has also had to face a lot of anger from the nationalist community, a lot of disappointment from sinn fein over her change in stance over the backstop, because of course many voters here did not vote for northern ireland to leave the eu in the first place. theresa may leaves here today, she is off to brussels, but we have to remember it is those dup but we have to remember it is those d u p votes but we have to remember it is those dup votes that will count when it comes to getting her deal through westminster because they belief there as if she had the dup on side, then the brexiteer votes will also follow. emma, thank you for that. our europe correspondent, damian grammaticas, is in brussels. donald

the democratic unionist party leader arlene foster says the backstop arrangement, designed to preventoxic" and has to be replaced. our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. hundreds of lorries carrying goods cross this border everyday. after brexit it will become the eu's new frontier. normally all external voyages of the eu involve some kind of checks. the challenge for theresa may continues to be trying to avoid that on this island. we would not like to see a hard border, i do not think it is good for the stability of northern ireland but i think it is also going to make trade more complex. as a european citizen i do not know what the arrangements will be, in terms of immigration and a visa for me in the future. northern ireland and the sector here is pushing above its weight, both locally and internationally. our companies are doing business all over the world and it is really important therefore, we are a magnet for talent. not just locally but for talent around the world. while the prime minister isn't northern ireland today while the prime minister is in northern ireland tod

their leader arlene foster, looks laughable, but talks tough. looks affable, but talks tough.rop up or vote down a brexit deal and her message today — get round the backstop or no dup support. most people in northern ireland voted to remain. businesses, they would support mrs may's deal. are you playing a dangerous game of who blinks first? it's not a dangerous game at all, it's a game of trying to find a long—term, sustainable relationship with the european union that works for the whole of the united kingdom and of course, from a northern ireland point of view, one that doesn't separate us from our main market, which is gb. could britain leave without a deal? well many believe it could happen. the eu could offer late concessions, some, close to mrs may, calculate that if the brinkmanship goes on long enough, brexiteer rebels could fall into line for fear of losing brexit altogether. but if this is a game of who blinks first, no one's blinking yet and the longer it goes on, the more dangerous it gets. how to keep the border working as it does today? that's the problem blockin

conservative party are going to respond to that issue, there are grave concerns that the dup and arlene fostereeping the backstop is totally u na cce pta ble a nd clear that keeping the backstop is totally unacceptable and that replacing it with something else is vitally important. how much, after you have said this, you can really move, we don't know. and european leaders are saying what do you want, uk? we still don't know. and theresa may is having to do the maths because on 14 february we have a need to make meaningful vote and she has to get those numbers in order. and she will have to rely on more mps from the labor party. that is the choice facing her. let's park brexit for now and move on to the independent. they have a big picture ofa independent. they have a big picture of a controversial story today and clearly ongoing tomorrow, the actor liam neeson has made some rather controversial comments, shall we say, about something that happened 40 yea rs say, about something that happened 40 years ago. tell us a little bit more. yes, so this is really one of the most remarkable interviews

we heard arlene foster referring to that. thank you.o publish intimate photographs of him and a woman he'd been having an affair with. american media, which owns the enquirer has said it acted lawfully and would thoroughly investigate the blackmail claims. let's speak to our washington correspondent gary o'donaghue. this is an incredibly complicated, help us unpack it. it is an extraordinary study with many layers to it but essentially what you said there is thatjeff bezos, studies are published about him by the national inquired of having this affair. you lost an investigation into the owners of the national inquired, made allegations about their particle motivations and no she has published what he says and blackmail threats from them saying if you don't back off on your accusations about our work being politically motivated then we are going to publish a whole bunch of these explicit pictures he allegedly sent to his girlfriend and she sent back to him. the background of this is that american media, the owners are involved and the wh

sinn fein are supportive of the backstop, but the dup leader arlene foster said it was toxic and mustt with. the former first minister of northern ireland david trimble has said he intends to take legal action against the government over the backstop, claiming it breaches the terms of the good friday agreement. jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. let's go to westminster now and join our assistant political editor, norman smith. theresa may is going to have a tough sell when she talks to business leaders in northern ireland because they were already backing her backstop plan and all the while her party colleagues are trying to work out what the alternative might be. party colleagues are trying to work out what the alternative might belj think out what the alternative might be.” think that is right, there is a realisation in downing street that in northern ireland there is real apprehension that the backstop seems again to be possibly scrapped or significantly reworked, whether that raises it? about the government's commitment to avoiding a hard border and that is what the prime mini

their leader, arlene foster, looks affable but talks tough. mps can prop up or vote down a brexit deal. her message today — get round the backstop or no dup support. most people in northern ireland voted to remain. businesses, they would support mrs may's deal. are you playing a dangerous game of who blinks first? it's not a dangerous game at all. it's a game of trying to find a long—term, sustainable relationship with the european union that works for the whole of the united kingdom, and of course, from a northern ireland point of view, one that doesn't separate us from our main market, which is gb. could britain leave without a deal? well, many believe it could happen. the eu could offer late concessions. some close to mrs may calculate that if the brinkmanship goes on long enough, brexiteer rebels could fall into line for fear of losing brexit altogether. but, if this is a game of who blinks first, no—one is blinking yet, and the longer it goes on, the more dangerous it gets. how to keep the border working as it does today — that is the pro

we have heard arlene foster for the interests lie. the dup interests lie. we have heard arlene foster for the dup today talking about a hard border with the republic of ireland or with the rest of the uk. we don't accept that. the reality for our businesses is, they are reality for our businesses is, they a re interested reality for our businesses is, they are interested in the practicalities are interested in the practicalities are not the politics. so while westminster makes its mind up about what type of brexit at once, our firms need to know how they will continue to trade after march the 29th. the prime minister are still talking confidently as if she can get something which gets round the eu, which wins broad support and gets itself a majority in parliament. at this point, with less than two months to go till brexit, oui’ than two months to go till brexit, our us confidence she is? we remain confident. we said to the prime minister when we met her at downing street that you will find that northern ireland business, farming and c

tom: are you watching arlene foster and the dup to see if they can find a negotiation with northern irelandn. termre going to see the urgency of protestants in northern island who would rather be part of europe. tom: this is critical. we talk about a reunification of ireland. is there a fear that this is a precursor to reunification. richard: for some there is a joy, for some there is a fear. among the catholics, they have wanted it. you will see younger protestants and others who are going to be saying i would preferred the uncertainty of being in catholic ireland then to being in the u k that is no longer part of europe. what i am hearing through this conversation is it comes intractable and you said the most likely scenario is a hard brexit. is there a chance we just go on and extended negotiations for decades and there never is a brexit? richard: you cannot extended forever. all sides would want to want that. we should not kid ourselves. extension and the uncertainty inherent in it is not a solution. at some point, people will say we do not care if you leave or not. there is going to ha

arlene foster has said, we will not blink. but she this morning was saying, on the one hand and she said yes, the backstop has to go, but when she was pushed about does it have to be a complete scrapping of the backstop, or can there be some kind of document to make them feel better, she said she would not get into semantics. so, over the last fate is there have been public comments where you can read them either way, depending on w are seeking, but must get theresa may - them back on board. the backstop is toxic for the dup, but also for other mp's. david: maybe a little wiggle room. we will find out. thank you. now a check on the markets. emma: we are looking at green across the screen for u.s. equities, ahead of the state of the union tonight. but i should mention that we are off the highs. the s&p 500 had advanced to almost touches 200 day moving average earlier in the session, and it has not touched that since december. then we saw the market retreat. financials were leading the way, and the 10 year yield then fell below

the leader of the democratic unionist party, arlene foster, said that she had told theresa may duringhose talks at stormont that legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement were needed. so, we have had another useful engagement with the prime minister. as you know, we engage with government quite regularly in and around the brexit process. we reiterated again the fact that the backstop was a problem in relation to the withdrawal agreement, and the brady amendment that was put down in the house of commons last week gives her the mandate now to go to brussels, as she intends to do on thursday, and we look forward to hearing the outcome of that. our europe correspondent, adam fleming, is in brussels. my my gosh, this was a strong language. yeah, i was in the room when he said it, i've listened to it being played on aira couple it, i've listened to it being played on air a couple of times, but every timei on air a couple of times, but every time i hear it, i think, did on air a couple of times, but every time i hear it, ithink, did he really say that? such dramatic, undiplomatic l

customs union while avoiding a hard border however, the leader of the northern irish dup, arlene fosters to insist may's toxic backstop plans cannot be -- must be scrapped. meanwhile, euro zone business growth almost stalled during january as the latest market composite pmi data hit its lowest point since july 2013 composite pmi for italy and final figures for france contracted in the month. germany's composite figure was boosted by its services sector which came in at 53. elsewhere, the u.s. trade representatives office says negotiating new world trade organization roles in an attempt to reign in china's approach to trade is unrealistic in its annual report to congress, the u.s. tr said it was unlikely china would agree to new rules targeting its "merchantless target trade practices. meanwhile, the white house's economic advisor kevin hasset said trade negotiations with china still have some way to go. >> the president has made it clear he is hoping to have a deal before the trade deadline kicks in and the tariffs have to double, but exactly how much progress we made last week and how

and crucial to that will be how the dup and arlene foster respond.s. we know they do not like the backstop but they are not like the backstop but they are not insisting it has to go entirely and they seem to be leaving the door and they seem to be leaving the door a little bit ajar to possibly mrs may coming back with some reworked version of the existing backstop with some sort of legal guarantees are rented. thank you very much, norman. a bbc investigation has found a 41—year—old mother who lived in the uk since the age of four, and who has found herself in debt and facing eviction and deportation, was also refused help by the home office. willow sims — who was born in the united states — was turned away by a newly established taskforce despite evidence that she was eligible to see help from it. the windrush taskforce was set up last april to help thousands of people who were wrongly targeted by the home office's "hostile environment" strategy for illegal immigration. now the barrister leading the windrush compensation scheme is demanding urgent cl

live and remain campaigner groups will meet today it to discuss the backstop, which dup leader arlene fosterple give up work every day across the uk to take on the role of caring for a sick or elderly relative, according to new research. the study by carers uk says a further 5 million are juggling a carer's role whilst continuing to do theirjob. the charity is calling for employers to offer more flexibility to those affected. seven people have died, almost 30 others have been injured in a fire in an eight storey apartment block in paris. more than 200 firefighters are still working to bring the blaze in an apartment block in the south west of the city under control. the cause of the fire is not yet known. the amount of money which councils in england get from central government will be voted on in parliament today. the lump sum is going down by £1 billion, but ministers are saying that councils's "core spending power" will increase as they get to keep more of the cash they raise in taxes. the government has also released an extra £650 million for social care. the suicide prevention minister