chris buckler, bbc news.e'll talk to our political correspondent alex forsyth in westminster, but first to chris buckler on the irish border. chris, we have heard plenty from politicians today, what is your assessment of what people really wa nt assessment of what people really want here? i think people who live close to this border will share many of the sentiments and thoughts in this report. the idea that they don't want barriers, they don't want anything that would get in the way of open roads. but you get the impression that a lot of that will depend on the wider brexit deal. at the moment you get the idea that beyond the principles ministers are struggling to explain exactly how all of this would work in practice. however, looking at the detail there isa however, looking at the detail there is a recognition of how important it is a recognition of how important it is to this part of the uk, partly because of northern ireland's land border with the republic, and the eu state, also because of the past. in

chris buckler reports.he rain, rescue teams battled to get cadets off the mourne mountains and into ambulances. the teenagers from the cleveland army cadet force had come here to camp and to learn skills in the great outdoors. but this became a lesson in survival. at lunchtime today, in what were described as treacherous conditions, the northern ireland ambulance service declared a major incident. and called in extra help to get the cadets to safety. have you nothing... the reports from the scene were much worse, the weather visibility was down to about 20 yards at that stage. the factors working against us here have been the weather, which is much better now than it was when this operation first started. also the terrain and this happened in an area that's difficult to access at the best of times. the weather can change quickly at the mournes and camping high up the mountain, the cadets weren't prepared for the arrival of high winds and heavy rain. the ministry of defence has described this as a remarkable

chris buckler, bbc news.as begun in sierra leone in the wake of the flooding and mudslides that claimed many hundreds of lives near the capital, freetown. officials say more than 100 children are among the 400 people who are known to have died when part of a mountain collapsed onto a settlement. and at least 600 people are still missing. from freetown, martin patience reports. in freetown, the ambulances are rushing not to the hospital but to the main mortuary. they are ferrying the dead — victims buried alive by a landslide. the relatives wait outside to collect their bodies. the stench of death is overpowering. emotions are raw. bishi lost her sister. daniel wasn't home when disaster struck. but he tells me six members of his family are dead, including his wife. they died, they died. the grief and anger is tangible here. this is a nation mourning the loss of hundreds. and rescue workers say that authorities are hampering their rescue efforts. this gaping scar was once a neighbourhood. now a landscape change

chris buckler reports. mountains and into ambulances. the teenagers from the cleveland army cadet force had come here to camp and to learn skills in the great outdoors. but this became a lesson in survival. at lunchtime today, in what were described as treacherous conditions, the northern ireland ambulance service declared a major incident and called in extra help to get the cadets to safety. have you nothing... the reports from the scene were much worse, the weather visibility was down to about 20 yards at that stage. the factors working against us here have been the weather, which is much better now than it was when this operation first started. also the terrain and this happened in an area that's difficult to access at the best of times. the weather can change quickly at the mournes and camping high up the mountain, the cadets weren't prepared for the arrival of high winds and heavy rain. the ministry of defence has described this as a remarkable rescue operation and they thanked all the teams involved f

chris buckler, bbc news, belfast.s on bbc world news, still to come: the world's most expensive footballer signs for paris saint—germain, but a hitch with the paperwork means neymar can't make his debut on saturday. the question was whether we wanted to save our people, and the japanese as well, and win the war, or whether we wanted to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. invasion began at 2am this morning. mr bush, like most other people, was clearly caught by surprise. and we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all the iraqi forces. 100 years old, and still full of vigor, vitality and enjoyment of life. no other king or queen in british history has lived so long, and the queen mother is said to be quietly very pleased indeed that she has achieved this landmark anniversary. this is a pivotal moment for the church as an international movement. the question now is whether the american vote will lead to a split in the anglican community. this is bbc news. the latest

chris buckler, bbc news, belfast.sh computer expert has appeared before a judge in las vegas, charged with creating software to steal bank details. prosecutors said 23—year—old marcus hutchins had admitted writing and selling the malware code, but his lawyer said his client denied all the charges against him. let's get more details now from our correspondent james cook, who's outside the courthouse in las vegas. james, you were in court, what was said? well, this was supposed to be a relatively brief procedural hearing but actually they went on for a reasonable amount of time as both sides, the government side and the defence lawyer, debated and discussed with the judge weather or not marcus hutchins should be released on bail, albeit under some pretty stringent conditions. the government lawyer did not want him to be released, arguing he could pose a risk to the public and also a flight pose a risk to the public and also a flight risk. that was dismissed by thejudge, she flight risk. that was dismissed by the judge, s

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland.eak to our political correspondent alex forsyth who's at westminster for us. alex, what have the british government been saying? is there any response from them? there is recognition that brexit could have a significant impact on ireland because of the unique circumstances. it will have the own the land border between the uk and the land border between the uk and the eu and there was a sense of frustration from the irish prime minister at what he sees as a lack of progress on this issue, but the british government says they have been working on this poor year and i have had discussions with the european union —— working on this for a year european union —— working on this fora yearand european union —— working on this for a year and they have had discussions. they say they want frictionless trade and no hard border but what is not clear is how exactly to get there. we had suggestions from the irish prime minister, a bespoke custom stale, but that would cause concern about brexiteers wo

chris buckler, bbc news, belfast. an acid attack in salford. it's thought the victim was attacked in woodland in pendlebury yesterday afternoon. the man — who is in his 20s — has eye and face injuries, but it's not yet known how badly injured he is. a man has died after being shot in the chest outside a petrol station in chelmsford. essex police were called to the scene at two o'clock this morning. detectives say the victim and another man, both in their twenties were outside the petrol station when a blue ford fiesta pulled up. one of the men was shot before the car was driven off. a murder investigation is now underway. an oxford university employee, who's been on the run on suspicion of murder, has been arrested with his alleged accomplice. andrew warren and professor wyndham lathem of northwestern university, are accused of stabbing a 26—year—old man to death in chicago last week. both men were detained in oakland in california. theresa may's former chief of staff, nick timothy, has been speaking to the daily tele

chris buckler, bbc news, belfast.grenfell tower disaster have had theirfinal chance to submit ideas for the scope and remit of the public inquiry into the tragedy. 330 submissions are thought to have been made, but some campaigners still fear the inquiry won't be wide—ranging enough. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, reports. day after day, the names of the grenfell victims are confirmed. today, fatima choukair, just 11, hashim kedir, a favourite uncle, firdaws hashim, his daughter. how, why did they die? this man, the chairman of the grenfell tower inquiry, sir martin moore—bick, has to answer those questions but, when he asked the community what other topics he should consider, he got a rough ride. this is why it's so important to get the terms of reference right and for you to tell me what you think it should cover. we did, and then you dismissed them on tv. i think you've misremembered what i said. thomasina hessell‘s been in a hotel since the fire, caught between her old life before grenfell and an unk

chris buckler, bbc news, warrenpoint.than three years, after kezia dugdale announced her resignation. the lothians msp says the party is in a much better state than when she came to office — and insists she wasn't pushed out of the job because of past comments aboutjeremy corbyn‘s leadership. i refute that completely. what i'm trying to do is something politicians rarely do, to leave my head held high, without any sort of crisis. i've made it clear to you that i've been in this leadership role at a very difficult time in my party's history, a very challenging time in scottish politics. a lot has happened in two and a half years but there's four years ahead until the next election. i want to give the next person space and time to do the right thing by the party. bbc scotland's political editor, brian taylor, is in edinburgh. brian, how quickly will they be able to find a new leader? well, they will hold a leadership contest. they have got rather good at them. they have had plenty of practice in recent years, as you mention

chris buckler, bbc news.aking one more shot as 007 with daniel craig confirming he will be back as james bond. the latest figures out today show unemployment in the uk fell again in the three months to the end ofjune by 57,000 to 1.118 million. it's the lowest since 1975. average weekly earnings by up by more than 296, weekly earnings by up by more than 2%, but they are still behind inflation, causing a squeeze on living standards. here's steve bell, chief economist at bmo field asset management. more jobs, lower unemployment. it's not so good news for pay, which is inching up slower than inflation. the big reason for thatis than inflation. the big reason for that is the pound has fallen a lot in the last year. you are spending pounds that are worth less. whether you are on holiday abroad or buying an imported good you are being squeezed. it's not surprising employers are not putting up wages to compensate for that because they don't have that as profit. what it means, i think, don't have that as profit. what

chris buckler reports.and into ambulances. the teenagers from the cleveland army cadet force had come here to camp and to learn skills in the great outdoors. but this became a lesson in survival. at lunchtime today, in what were described as treacherous conditions, the northern ireland ambulance service declared a major incident. and called in extra help to get the cadets to safety. have you nothing... the reports from the scene were much worse, the weather visibility was down to about 20 yards at that stage. the factors working against us here have been the weather, which is much better now than it was when this operation first started. also the terrain and this happened in an area that's difficult to access at the best of times. the weather can change quickly at the mournes and camping high up the mountain the cadets weren't prepared for the arrival of high winds and heavy rain. the ministry of defence has described this as a remarkable rescue operation and they thanked all the teams involved for getting

our ireland correspondent chris buckler reports.sh borderfor the first time as ireland's prime minister to set out his concerns about what could happen to it after brexit. he arrived in belfast having upset unionists with recent comments about brexiteers. but, inside queen's university today, the new taoiseach was keen to talk about solutions, not divisions. at a time when brexit threatens to drive a wedge between north and south, between britain and ireland, we need to build more bridges and fewer borders. he is a taoiseach of a new generation. the referendum over the good friday peace agreement marked the first time he was eligible to vote. he said the challenge of this generation is brexit, and again he challenged those he called the brexiteers to come up with proposals to ease the problems posed by new borders. they have already had 1a months to do so, which should have been ample time to come up with detailed proposals. but, if they cannot, and i believe they cannot, then we can start to talk meaningfully about solutions which

chris buckler is there. where you are illustrate a difficult path ahead is?rish border, and you will find reminders of what used to be. old border huts and derelict customs houses. the government back and we'll publish a second document, a decision paper on the future of the border, and it will make clear it does not want to see a return of buildings like this and barriers. this is the old dublin to belfast road. it has been largely replaced by a motorway that runs parallel to the very busy motorway. there is not that much need for this road and money changing facilities. technology has dealt with some of the difficulties posed by different currencies. we have heard time and time again from the government today, and we expect to hear it tomorrow, that they believe technology can really help with dealing with problems posed by problems. —— customs. you will find a lot of what was said today repeated tomorrow. it is partly because westminster knows that brussels wants to talk about the irish border. it is one of their three priorities. on the other hand, the uk

chris buckler, bbc news, belfast.f nick timothy has been speaking to the daily telegraph to explain where he thinks the general election campaign went wrong for the conservatives. he says that when she became prime minister, theresa may understood that the country wanted fundamental change, but he says, "it was a reassurance and continuity campaign rather than a change campaign, i think that was wrong." after the election, chancellor philip hammond criticised the way campaign, saying the conservatives should have focused more on their economic record. mr timothy seems to accept this, saying, "it probably is true that there should have been more on the economy during the campaign." however, although he accepts some criticism of the campaign he helped run, he warns the tories not to go to their comfort zone, saying, "if the party retreats to a much more orthodox conservative proposition, we do risk the election of a dangerous left—wing alternative." i'm joined by our political correspondent leila nathoo. you have been r

chris buckler, bbc news. morris from our reality check team has been looking in more detail at why the irish border matters so much. big changes when the brexit happens. the uk will suddenly have a major land border with the eu. here it is — between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, running for 310 miles. during the troubles, there were just 20 official border crossings between northern ireland and the republic. the british army shut down, spiked or cratered the rest. but following the good friday agreement there's been consierable change. now there are more than 260 public roads that cross the border. the centre for cross border studies has estimated that between 23,000 and 30,000 people cross the border daily for work, while, each month, around 170,000 lorries and 1.85 million cars are recorded crossing the border. which means that, every year, 31% of northern ireland's exports go to the republic, and 27% of its imports come from the republic. so there's a lot at stake. delays could lead to huge

the irish foreign minister talking to chris the irish foreign minister talking to chris buckler. ality check team has been looking in more detail at why the irish border matters so much. the government's proposals promise to uphold the good friday agreement in full and to maintain the common travel area, which allows irish and uk citizens in ireland to travel freely, but the determination to avoid a hard border after brexit is at the heart of the matter. that's because when brexit happens, the uk will suddenly have a major land border with the eu. here it is, between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, running for 310 miles. during the troubles, with tensions on the border there were just 20 official crossings between northern ireland and the republic. the british army shut down, spiked or cratered the rest. but following the good friday agreement, there has been considerable change and now there are more than 260 public roads that cross the border. the centre for cross border studies has estimated that between 23 and 30,000 people cross the border daily for work. while,

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland.hich is still predominantly owned by the taxpayer, has reported a substantial profit after a £2 billion loss for the same period last year. the bank made almost £940 million in the six months to the end ofjune. they also announced they were in talks to move their european headquarters to amsterdam after brexit. our business correspondent, joe lynam, reports. it's been posting annual losses almost a decade but today at least, it can say that things were looking up in the first of the year. rbs made what's called an attributable profit of £939 million over the past six months. that reversed losses of more than £2 billion over the same period a year ago. and unlike barclays or lloyds, rbs won't be setting aside any more money for ppi. its boss admitted that taxpayers would not be getting their money back in full if the government sold its shares in rbs immediately. if we sold it, they wouldn't get their money back, but it is... what we're trying to do is create a good bank so they get as

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland.i spoke to our ireland correspondent chris buckler and asked him what the key message leo varadker was trying to get across. in the speech that leo varadkar gave, he set out a number of what he regards as solutions to try and look at this issue to try and deliver some of the issues and solutions to the problems potentially caused by the problems potentially caused by the border but the fact he has come here to deliver his speech at queen's university in belfast is a sign he has become is lightly frustrated, there were flashes of frustration, and the way westminster is handling this. he doesn't feel solutions are being put forward quickly enough. he said time and time again the clock is ticking. he's also concerned about fat there is no power—sharing government at stormont. as a result he asked a of times who speaks the northern ireland? times who speaks the northern ireland 7 that of times who speaks the northern ireland? that of course isn't him. but there are shared interests across

for ‘unique solutions' to preserve links between the two countries. 0ur ireland correspondent chris buckler crossed the irish borderfor the first time as ireland's prime minister to set out his concerns about what could happen to it after brexit. he arrived in belfast having upset unionists with recent comments about brexiteers. but, inside queen's university today, the new taoiseach was keen to talk about solutions, not divisions. at a time when brexit threatens to drive a wedge between north and south, between britain and ireland, we need to build more bridges and fewer borders. he is a taoiseach of a new generation. the referendum over the good friday peace agreement marked the first time he was eligible to vote. he said the challenge of this generation is brexit, and again he challenged those he called the brexiteers to come up with proposals to ease the problems posed by new borders. they have already had 1a months to do so, which should have been ample time to come up with detailed proposals. but, if they cannot, and i believe they cannot, then we can start to talk meaningfully about

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland.ben wright enjoys the westminster. all sites keep saying this issue of the border is a priority for them. has anyone come up with a solution? rhetoric from the eu and the uk has been at the same since the referendum, that this is an issue of paramount importance, there can be no return to a hard border. that was the position restated by the westminster government today who said they wanted to see as frictionless trade as possible after britain has left the eu and that the common travel area should be kept. what you heard today was real frustration from one member of the eu, ireland, traditionally a very close ally of the uk but clearly, now, frustrated about the lack of detailfrom now, frustrated about the lack of detail from westminster about how they envisage that border working after britain has left the eu, so you had proposal suggested by the irish prime minister. the idea of a new customs union between the uk and the eu, like the one that turkey has with the eu. but that has real

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland.tle earlier chris told us what he thought was the key message leo varadker was trying to get across. in the speech that leo varadkar gave, he set out a number of what he regards as solutions to try and look at this issue to try and deliver some of the issues and solutions to the problems potentially caused by potentially caused by the border but the fact he has come here to deliver his speech at queen's university in belfast is a sign he has become is slightly frustrated, there were flashes of frustration at the way westminster is handling this. he doesn't feel solutions are being put forward quickly enough. he said time and time again the clock is ticking. he's also concerned about the fact there is no power—sharing government at stormont. as a result he asked a of times who speaks for northern ireland? that of course isn't him. but there are shared interests across the border and he is concerned about the impact on ireland's economy as well. when you listen to him you get a sense tha

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland.eady some northern ireland politicians basically saying it's none of your business. ireland politicians basically saying it's none of your businesslj ireland politicians basically saying it's none of your business. i can tell you in the speech that leo varadkar gave he set out a number of what he regards as solutions to try and look at this issue, to try and deliver some of the issues and deal with the solutions to the problems potentially caused by the border. the fact he has committed to deliver this speech in belfast is a sign he has slightly, frustrated at the way westminster is handling this. he doesn't feel solutions are being put forward quickly enough. he's said time and time again the clock is ticking and he's also concerned about the fact there is no power—sharing government in stormont. as a result he asked a couple of times crispies and northern ireland ? couple of times crispies and northern ireland? that of course and him but there are shared interests across the border a

chris buckler, bbc news, warrenpoint. 0ne academic believes that ireland should consider leaving theling is that ireland should join the exit mission? 0h... sorry. we arejust the exit mission? 0h... sorry. we are just having the exit mission? 0h... sorry. we arejust having some the exit mission? 0h... sorry. we are just having some trouble with the line there. we will try and see if we can get professor kinsella back, because it will be very interesting to hear what he has to say. in the meantime, the weather. temperatures have been around 10 degrees lower than yesterday. the rain that has been around as clearing away eastwards, but showers continue on northern and western coasts, with heavier ones arriving later on. a chilly night underneath those clearer skies, particularly across eastern parts of england. at least we will start the day bright and sunny tomorrow. the cloud will bubble up. heavier showers developing more widely in the west throughout the afternoon. a bit hit and miss, but some heavier downpours. a bit warmer towards east anglia and the south—east. elsewhere, tempera

chris buckler, bbc news, belfast.ratures across europe this week, scientists are warning that the number of people killed by extreme weather conditions could increase 50—fold by the end of this century. a study in the lancet planetary health journal suggests that heatwaves alone could account for 100,000 deaths a year. researchers in italy say urgent action is needed to curb the effects of climate change. rail passengers face three weeks of disruption from today as refurbishment work begins at the uk's busiest train station. ten platforms will be closed at london waterloo until the end of august as part of an £800 million revamp. simonjones is at the station for us now. simon, it is a station i know very well, waterloo, very busy — this is going to cause quite a bit of disruption for people travelling up from the south—west of england, isn't it? yeah, the warning is it will cause huge disruption, and that is because 99 millionjourneys will cause huge disruption, and that is because 99 million journeys are made each ye

chris buckler, bbc news.ster now and talk to our political correspondent alex forsyth. just give us both sides of the argument. we have the government's vision. they say they are going quite far to meet the eu concerns. critics say the plan lacked details. the government has faced some criticism for our lack of clarity in general around its approach to brexit. part of this and part of what we saw yesterday, which was detail about its thoughts on the customs union is about the gunmen tried to get on the front foot in the negotiations. saying we have got a plan and we have been thinking it through. we were told this was never meant to be a technical blue trim dash blueprint. there have been some suggestions floated so when there are customs checks, the government suggest small businesses could be exempt from the customs regime and there could be trusted trade status. when it comes to food and agriculture, the uk government suggested it could line with eu regulations so there was no need for checks between food

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland. told us mr varadker‘s intervention underscores the sense of frustration in dublin about the border question. in the speech that leo varadkar gave, he set out a number of what he regards as solutions to try and look at this issue, to try and deliver some of the issues and deal with solutions to the problems that are caused by the border. the fact that he has come here to deliver this speech in belfast is a sign he has become frustrated, with flashes of frustration at the way westminster is handling this. he doesn't feel solutions are being put forward quickly enough. he has said time and time again the clock is ticking and he's also concerned about the fact there is their power—sharing government at stormont currently. he asked a couple of times who speaks in northern ireland? that isn't him of course but there are shared interests across the border and he is concerned about the impact on ireland's economy as well. you get a sense he feels brussels are talking about the irish border, t

chris buckler, bbc news, warrenpoint. she has got the hat, handbag and even are doing.promenade in the isle of man. she first heard in for the queen in the 1980s when working for the bbc. the queen sent a message to say the sun was in her eyes when she stood for the two—minute silence. as all this stage managers were 6—foot men, isaid to this stage managers were 6—foot men, i said to progress, would he like me to go and stand at the cenotaph for the rehearsal? she always dresses the rehearsal? she always dresses the part. when i practised the millennium, i went to woolworths and got a fake diamond necklace. then i did not have a handbag, so i went to this shop in ramsay and got my handbag for £2. there are some rules, though. she's not allowed to sit on the throne. ijust lack rules, though. she's not allowed to sit on the throne. i just lack above it, really. when i got tired, i used to sit on the steps below. she recently celebrated her 75th birthday. people send me all these birthday. people send me all these birthday cards. 0ne birthday. people send me all these birt

0ur ireland correspondent chris buckler is in narrow water on the irish border. miles, crossing fields and bridges, roads and rivers, there is a political dividing line on the island of ireland. but it is a border that cannot be seen, and many want it to stay that way. soft toys and cushions are the latest protest against a hard brexit. where some kind of barriers could divide towns like belcoo in northern ireland and blacklion in the republic, they are either side of this bridge and people in areas like this havejobs, businesses and friends that require them to cross this border regularly. i cross this border quite easily 15, 20 times a day, moving goods sometimes, sometimes just to manage staff, meet people, whatever is involved in daily work. if there is any sort of checks that slow that down or anything else, it is going to create a lot of logistical difficulties. the government wants to return to the days when border huts the government wants no return to the days when border huts and customs posts marked where northern island meets the republic. this paper

chris buckler, bbc news.inster now and talk to our political correspondent alex forsyth. how does the government say it will maintain this frictionless border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland post brexit? lots of people in response to this paper are saying they want more detail. this paper in some ways was a response to those calls for more detail was at the government trying to provide some clarity on its thinking. there have been critics who claim they have been confused in not offering enough detail to this point. this is meant to be a finalised, technical blueprint. it would not be sensible to go into this with every aspect worked out. it is more about broad principles and showing its commitment to the key ideas of no hard order and protecting the peace process, maintaining the common travel area. there are some ideas in this paper about how they might do that. when it comes to customs, they are talking about exempting small and medium businesses from the customs regime, which means th

chris buckler, thank you very much. the west midlands have been found guilty of plotting an attack similar to that carried out on the soldier lee rigby. a gang calling themselves the three musketeers, along with one other man, were planning to attack police and military targets on british soil. some of the trial had to be held in secret at the old bailey. 0ur midlands correspondent phil mackie reports. the raid at hero couriers in birmingham last august. an area near the city centre was evacuated and the bomb disposal unit called in. it was the culmination of an elaborate undercover operation in which the four men were observed meeting each other in birmingham and in stoke. they were already well—known to the authorities. naweed ali and khobaib hussain had been jailed after travelling to a terror training camp in pakistan in 2011. in prison, they met mohibur rahman, who had been jailed for possessing terrorist material. they called themselves the three musketeers. rahman's friend, tahir aziz, a former member of the bann

our ireland correspondent, chris buckler, is in narrow water, on the irish border. chris.who live at this border rarely recognise it. but could all that to change once the other side of this water is still inside the eu and this part is outside of the european union? today, alongside the phrases we have heard so often like there needs to bea heard so often like there needs to be a seamless border, we heard another from the british government, that there needs to be an unprecedented solution to this modern irish problem. and perhaps that gives a sense of the scale of the challenge facing both the uk and the challenge facing both the uk and the eu. the challenge facing both the uk and the eu. for more than 300 miles, crossing fields and bridges, roads and rivers, there is a political dividing line on the island of ireland. but it is a border that cannot be seen, and many want it to stay that way. soft toys and cushions are the latest protest against a hard brexit. where some kind of barriers could divide towns like belcoo and blacklion in the republic, they are either side o

deal with the issue of northern ireland's border with the republic. 0ur ireland correspondent chris bucklerrder has become a divisive issue in the debate about brexit. there are scores of completely open roads that connect northern ireland and the republic carry huge amounts of traffic and trade, and on his first official visit north of the border as ireland's prime minister, leo varadkar insisted that the free movement of people, goods and services should continue here after the uk leaves the eu. perhaps the biggest challenge for our generation is brexit. every single aspect of life in northern ireland could be affected by the outcome. we will do all that we can in brussels, london and dublin to achieve the best outcome for everybody on this island, to protect our peace, our freedoms, our rights and our prosperity. mr varadkar has also been meeting northern ireland's main political parties, including the dup, who supported brexit. they've taken exception to some of his recent comments that were critical of those he called the "hard brexiteers". some of the party members have also questione

our correspondent chris buckler has spent the morning at ashfield girls‘ school in belfast.here, reforms are coming down the line but not for a couple of years. those differences and reforms that we have mentioned in wales and england, it makes it quite difficult to compare what's happening there with here. however they are saying today that there is a strong overall performance in northern ireland and their plate of the results. they say they stuck up quite well against england and wales. they are saying girls outperform boys here and that has widened. alison is the principle here, at this girls high school in belfast. i'm sure you please disregard from well but that will be a concern to some teachers. we would like to see these results, we have got 70% a*— see, which is increasing, but there are still children struggling. we want to see them leave and go onto local colleges and we think we have prepared them well and that's important. we are still seeing pa rents important. we are still seeing parents pupils going in behind and getting their envelopes. some people have don

our ireland correspondent chris buckler is at the scene and sent this update.ep and narrow path, 4x4 rescue vehicles have been driving up and coming back down with teenagers in the back, many of them on stretchers, some suffering from hypothermia. others suffering from ankle and leg injuries. taking a look at the mourne mountains, there is still a little bit of mist, it looks quite calm at the moment but the weather can change in a moment and that is exactly what happened to these cadets from the cleveland army cadet force. there were caught out in very strong wind, in heavy rain. at some stages the rescue teams tell me that visibility was down to perhaps 20 or 30 yards and that is why there was such difficulty here. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is... the company that provided the technology for venezuela's voting system says the turnout in sunday's controversial election was inflated by at least one million votes. the dowjones industrial average has hit a record high today. it's an index of 13 major us companies. that kind

chris buckler is at ashfield girls school in belfast.d e nts i understand a small number of students are receiving the results in the numerical greats but the vast majority are working to the old system. the old grading system still stands here. reforms are coming down the line but not for a couple of yea rs the line but not for a couple of years yet. those differences in wales and england, it makes it quite difficult to compare exactly what is happening there with here. however, they are saying today there is a strong overall performance in northern ireland and they are pleased with the results. they say they stack up quite well against the results they are seeing in england and wales. beyond that, they are looking at girls outperforming boys here and actually if anything that has widened a little. let's speak to alison mcgowan, the principle here. first of all, i'm sure you're pleased to see girls performing well but that will be a concern to some teachers. yes, we would like to see the results, we got 75% a start and see which is incr

let's speak to chris buckler in belfast. thew. since january there has been no devolved government in northern ireland. that gives us a sense of just the northern ireland. that gives us a sense ofjust the time and the difficulties that there are between sinn fein and the dup. throughout this time, we've had the two parties really at each other‘s throats calling each other names sometimes, saying this they don't want to do a deal. each saying that about the other. tonight, arlene foster, the dup leader, is going to be speaking to members of her own party. but make no mistake, the speech that she gives is intended for the ears of sinn fein. they wants to see her party and sinn fein go back into a power—sharing executive shechl made no secret of that. sinn fein have said they are not prepared to d do a deal unless a number of issues are dealt with. they include same—sex marriage and one of the big issues is this call for legislation that would give official status to the irish language. tonight, arlene foster will give a speech

ministry of defence has confirmed that all cadets are now safe and accounted for. 0ur correspondent chris buckleres not look so bad now but presumably it was pretty dreadful earlier when they got into trouble. absolutely and through this afternoon up this pretty steep and narrow path, four by four rescue vehicles have been driving up and coming back down with teenagers in the back, many of them on stretchers, some suffering from hypothermia. also suffering from ankle and leg injuries. taking a look at the mourne mountains, there is still a little bit of mist, it looks quite calm at the moment but the weather can change in a moment and that is exactly what happened to these cadets from the cleveland army cadet force. there were caught out in very strong wind, in heavy rain. at some stages the rescue teams tell me that visibility was down to perhaps 20 or 30 yards and that is why there was such difficulty here. they had hoped to use helicopters and they were here to rescue them but in practice many of them had to be brought down by the rescue vehicles. and here at what is normally a very quiet cros

chris buckler, bbc news, northern ireland.et's speak now to the former northern ireland secretary, peter hain, who joins us live via webcam from neath. lord hain, thank you forjoining us this evening. every site says that this evening. every site says that this is a priority but what are the practical measures that can be taken to make sure free—trade continues with northern ireland and ireland? the only practical measure has come from the taoiseach today and is very welcome from my point of view because people especially those who gave us the hard right brexit and others have been living in a different planet. the reality is if northern ireland is in a different customs union from the irish republic, they will have to have checks on the border, there will have to be some kind of control because otherwise how do you know what is crossing the border? in the point of view of migration how do you know there is no minded migrants in the back of the van coming into the uk via the irish republic? the only way to do this is an open b

our ireland correspondent chris buckler reports., crossing fields and bridges, roads and rivers, there is a political dividing line on the island of ireland. but it is a border that cannot be seen, and many want it to stay that way. soft toys and cushions are the latest protest against a hard brexit. they have been placed here between belcoo in northern ireland and blacklion in the republic, by people who do not want their towns divided by barriers once one is inside the eu and the other is outside. i cross this border quite easily 15, 20 times a day, moving goods sometimes, sometimes just to manage staff, meet people, whatever is involved in daily work. if there is any sort of checks that slow that down or anything else, it is going to create a lot of logistical difficulties. customs posts were once a feature of the irish border, but these huts lie derelict now and the british government has made it clear it wants them to stay that way. its position paper calls for no new buildings or barriers at the border, and repeats calls for a

are understood to from england — are now said to be safe and accounted for. 0ur correspondent chris bucklere mountain safely but it was a difficultjob for rescue services with dreadful weather closing in? yes and the last of the mountain rescue and ambulance teams are just leaving but little more than an hour ago this quiet country crossroads was covered in emergency vehicles. and people helping to bring down children from up helping to bring down children from up in the mountainsjust helping to bring down children from up in the mountains just above. helping to bring down children from up in the mountainsjust above. you can probably see the list of the top of the mountains. earlier this morning and overnight the wind and rain made conditions pretty treacherous here and a number of those young people got into trouble, some suffered minor injuries. i saw some suffered minor injuries. i saw some of the children coming down, stretchered off the mountain, some with leg injuries and others suffering hypothermia. it has been a huge effort to try to get them. some of the mountain rescue teams that

our ireland correspondent chris buckler reports. 300 miles, crossing fields and bridges, roads and rivers, there is a political dividing line on the island of ireland. but it is a border that cannot be seen, and many wanted to that way. soft toys and cushions are the latest protest against a hard brexit. they have been placed here between northern ireland and the republic, by people who do not want there talons divided by barriers once one is inside the eu and the other is outside. i crossed the border quite easily 15, 20 times a day, moving good sometimes, sometimesjust to day, moving good sometimes, sometimes just to manage staff, meet people, whatever is involved in work. if there is any sort of checks that flaw that down or anything else, it is going to provide a lot of logistical difficulties. customs posts were once of logistical difficulties. customs posts were once a of logistical difficulties. customs posts were once a future of the irish border, but these hearts lie derelict now and the british government has made it clear

ireland, the only part of the uk which will have a land border with the eu. 0ur correspondent, chris bucklertep. can we take that at face value? leo varadkar, the irish prime minister has made it clear that he wanted suggestions, putting forward potential solutions to the problem of the irish border, and one of thoseis of the irish border, and one of those is what could happen to trade and customs. they have been quite cynical in the past about the idea that smart borders technology could solve all of those problems with customs, and i think there is lingering concerns. there is a statement from the irish government that other issues need to be addressed before you get into the issue of customs, the eu position, so issue of customs, the eu position, so citizens rights, the financial settlement, and the issue of what happens to the irish border. but these two things are linked, that is what the uk will say on this — you cannot talk about customs and trade and then work out about what is good to happen to the irish border. they are very closely linked, and therefore, you have to address them i

next week will mark 19 years since the bombing which left 29 people dead. 0ur correspondent chris bucklerat was left after that bomb exploded in the centre of the town. telephone warnings were given, but they were mistaken in the information they gave and people we re information they gave and people were moved around the town and they we re were moved around the town and they were not moved out of the range of the blast. it became what was known as the worst atrocity during the troubles in northern ireland. 29 people were killed including a woman pregnant with twins. since then, the families have been pushing to hold those built they believe were responsible for the attack to account. it was a real ira bombing and they have taken civil actions against men that they believe were responsible. action has also been taken in the courts. there was a failed trial against a man was found not guilty of the bombings. last year, a prosecution was abandoned before it reached trial because of m ista kes before it reached trial because of mistakes in the evidential gathering of some of the information