chris page, thank you _ assembly on friday. chris page, thank you and — assembly on friday.eard from the chairman of the 1922 committee of conservative backbenchers, said graham brady, with the announcement that rishi sunak is the new leader of the conservative party and britain's next prime minister. good afternoon. as returning officer in the leadership election, i can confirm that we have received one valid candidate. rishi sunak is therefore elected as leader of the conservative party. cheering. so graham brady of the 1922 committee. we gather rishi sunak will bejust addressing committee. we gather rishi sunak will be just addressing them at 2.30. let's go back to our deputy political editor vicki young in downing street. one valid nomination as sir graeme said, but yesterday three were in that race. boris johnson dropped out last night, and then penny mordaunt at the last minute? ll then penny mordaunt at the last minute? ., . ., , , minute? it did or change pretty ra-idl , minute? it did or change pretty rapidly. as _ minute? it did or change pretty rapidly. as you _ m

chris page, our correspondent at stormont. let's look at the other stories making the news today.a stabbing at a supermarket in milan. among those injured in the attack was the footballer pablo mori on loan from arsenal. a6—year—old suspect has been detained and terrorism has been ruled out. seven snp members of the scottish parliament have voted against the scottish government's gender recognition legislation — two abstained. it was the biggest rebellion since the party came to power at holyrood in 2007. the scottish government says the changes would make it simpler and less traumatic for someone to change gender, but opponents fear it would undermine women's rights. the bill cleared its first hurdle by 88 votes to 33. there are universal ways that should define _ there are universal ways that should define football. _ australia's football squad have released a video message attacking qatar's human rights record — just weeks before the start of the men's world cup. it criticises the treatment of migrant workers and the lgbtq+ community. campaigners here say they don't think anyon

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.— as demonstrations against the country's hardline islamic rulers enter their fourth week. reports say at least three people have been shot dead by security forces during the latest protests. the wave of unrest across iran began with the death in police custody of a young woman accused of wearing her headscarf in the wrong way. this report from our diplomatic correspondent, caroline hawley, contains images that some viewers may find distressing. chanting. there's a target to their anger and he's inside the building. these students in tehran are shouting at the country's president to "get lost" as he visits their university. inside, ebrahim raisi recited a poem, likening the protesters to flies. a receptive audience here. but elsewhere in the capital there were chants of "death to the dictator" — a reference to iran's supreme leader, with protests reported in many cities across the country today. video posted on social media shows riot police closed to tehran�*s main riot police close t

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.north korea. the missiles were fired towards the sea of japan but landed outside japan's exclusive economic zone. japanese cuts confirmed that he launches without specifying where they landed. it comes amidst rising tensions. 0n amidst rising tensions. on tuesday, pyongyang fired a missile overjapan, followed by another two launches on thursday. the us state department says it's reviewing a request from haiti for an international armed force to help tackle gang violence, which has recently spiralled out of control. in recent weeks the violence has blocked the country's main fuel port, meaning hospitals, schools and businesses have had to close. it's also created a shortage of bottled water, just as the country confirmed a new outbreak of cholera. jacqueline charles, is haiti/caribbean correspondent for the miami herald and has been reporting on the situation in haiti for a decade. thank you forjoining us. how has the situation in haiti got so bad? , ., ., ., so bad? the situation had b

chris page, bbc news, in donegal. stay with us on bbc news.ated for an annual festival but is it energy efficient? parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life, but in the marina area where most of the damage was done, they're more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he's gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, . rapping a hole — in the front of the building. this government will not weaken! democracy will prevail! it fills me with humility and gratitude to know i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath - for the men they call the 33. and then... bells toll. ..bells tolled nationwide - to announce the first rescue, and chile let outi an almighty roar. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: president putin has blamed ukraine for the attack on a key b

chris page, bbc news in county donegal.ing at a press conference a little earlier the superintendent of the local station explained they are keeping an open mind about that at this point in time it is pointing towards a tragic accident. at this point in time it is pointing towards a tragic accident. at this oint in towards a tragic accident. at this point in time _ towards a tragic accident. at this point in time we _ towards a tragic accident. at this point in time we have _ towards a tragic accident. at this point in time we have to - towards a tragic accident. at this point in time we have to keep i towards a tragic accident. at this point in time we have to keep an open mind as a police service and how we investigate this. but our information at this point in time is pointing towards a tragic accident. that said, i have to take a holistic viewpoint, but that is where we are going at the moment. we are working in consultation with the coroner. in that regard, we have put liaison officers with the families of the deceased

our correspondent chris page.ople have been shot dead by security forces during the latest protests triggered by the death of a 22—year—old woman in police custody more than three weeks ago. there have been demonstrations in cities around the world today, including this one in the netherlands, in support of the iranian protests. in iran, the bbc understands the army has been deployed to quell the unrest in some areas. ceremonies have been taking place in thailand, at the start of a four—day funeral for victims of thursday's mass killing at a nursery. 37 people were murdered by a former policeman in the northern town of uthai sawan. the headlines on bbc news: a massive explosion has severely damaged the strategically important road and rail bridge connecting occupied crimea to russia. the un nuclear watchdog calls for the urgent protection of the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in ukraine, after shelling cuts its external power. ten people have been killed and eight injured in an explosion at a petrol station in the rep

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.itish parliamentarian, burns is an international trade minister. an eyewitness said that he had touched a man's site at a hotel bar on tuesday during the conservative party conference in birmingham. the bbc has not been able to speak to the man. esther burns denies any wrongdoing and has criticised a rush tojudgement by wrongdoing and has criticised a rush to judgement by party officials. before mr here in the uk, rail union leaders have insisted their strikes will continue for as long as it takes to get what they see as a fair deal. only about a fifth of train services operated across britain on saturday as more than 40,000 members of the rmt union took action in a long—running dispute. mark ashdown reports. for the second consecutive saturday, rail services have ground to a halt. just one in five trains were running today — the impact felt across england, scotland and wales. picket lines at manchester piccadilly have become an all—too—familiar sight, as has disruption for passengers.

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.ernational armed force to help tackle gang violence which has recently spiralled out of control. in recent weeks the violence has blocked the country's main fuel port, meaning hospitals, schools and businesses have had to close. it's also created a shortage of bottled water, just as the country confirmed a new outbreak of cholera. earlier i spoke to jacqueline charles, haiti/caribbean correspondent for the miami herald, and asked her how haiti has got to this situation. the situation had basically been spiralling for a while, it wasn't just because of the president's assassination lastjuly. i mean, we watched this country, after the devastating 2010 earthquake, just take a downward spiral, and this latest crisis, this powerful gang has basically been blocking fuel distribution for the fifth week now we're going on, and we have this cholera outbreak. so imagine being in a country where you have no access to potable water, hospitals are closing their doors, schools cannot start, and you'

chris page has the report. caught up in a wave of devastation and desperation. the rescue effort gave way to a recovery operation as the day went on. the sight of ambulances leaving — a sign that there was no expectation anyone else would be found alive. from the moment it happened, blown—out walls, a crumpled roof and tonnes of rubble showed this was a lethal explosion. like a bomb going off and a sonic boom accompanying it that shook us to the core. and immediately, we just... the people who were there, we alljust waited to try and help and try and get people out of the building. the building was very precarious, it was very, very dangerous. there were flats above the garage shop, which largely collapsed. several times, the emergency services asked for complete silence, so they would be able to hear people who were trapped. eight patients were taken to hospital. one is in a critical condition. what's really striking in the village is the quietness, the stillness, even. the emergency services are continuing to

chris page.red two ballistic missiles into the sea of japan. the missiles were reportedly launched in the early hours of sunday morning, local time. the japanese coastguard confirmed the launches, without specifying where they landed. this, from the japanese prime minister's office on twitter, appears to confirm at least one of the launches. the incident comes amid simmering tensions over us—led military exercises in the region. there have now been a total of four ballistic missile launches by north korea in the past week. on tuesday, pyongyang fired a missile overjapan, followed by another two launches on thursday. iranians have defied a great security crackdown to take to the streets in a fourth week of anti—government demonstrations. there are protests in many cities. reports from iran say that at least three people had been shot dead by security forces. the protests were triggered by the death of a 22—year—old woman in police custody, more than three weeks ago. there have been demonstrations

chris page reports.survivors. but the more time passed, the less chance there was of finding anyone alive. all of the ten people who were killed from the local area. it's thought most of them were in the garage shop or the flats above it when the explosion happened. the leader of the irish governments came to the village last night. he met firefighters, police and paramedics and offered his condolences to bereaved families. words on their own may not console someone who has lost a loved one and i think we just have to be with them. our thoughts and our prayers are with you, and will be with you for quite some time. as dusk was beginning to fall, the emergency services finished their operation. they said they were sure that every person who'd been missing had been accounted for. creeslough is a small community of about 400 residents, meaning almost everyone would've known people who died in the explosion. there were special church vigils yesterday. more services of remembrance will be held this morning. c

our ireland correspondent chris page reporting there.hat was the scene of a mass killing on thursday. 36 people — most of them children — were killed when a former police officer broke into the school, armed with a gun and a knife. a reporter and cameraman from cnn have had their thai visas revoked , have had their thai visas revoked, and could face further charges. a spokesperson for the broadcaster said it regretted causing offence, and admitted that the film crew did not have the proper permission to enter the crime scene. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she's confident a second referendum on scottish independence could take place in october next year. speaking to the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg, the leader of the devolved scottish government said she will push on with her campaign to take scotland out of the united kingdom, even if she loses a supreme court case seeking authorization to call a new independence referendum. if democracy is blocked, if the route by which it would be right to consider and decide this issue, wh

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.ed conor burns as the country's trade minister yesterday, after eyewitnesses saw him touching a young man's thigh at a hotel bar during the party's conference in birmingham. mr burns has denied any wrongdoing. as someone who's dedicated and committed to public service, to the service of my constituents, the last 2a hours have been distressing and devastating, and i've still not had any information from the party of the nature of the complaint. i say, as i said in my statement, that i will cooperate fully with the party when they engage with me. and i look forward to clearing my name. 0ur uk political correspondent iain watson has been following the story — he told me more. this was an incident that happened during the conservative party's annual conference in the hotel bar in the early hours of tuesday morning. we heard there from conor burns himself saying that he didn't really know the details of what the party was accusing him of, but the bbc has been told by an eyewitness what they

chris page, bbc news, creeslough. joanna, the atmosphere here is one of shock, sadness and disbelief, really, about what has happened. someone described it as an unthinkable tragedy. as chris said, this is a village of just 400 people, so everybody here will know people that have been affected by this tragedy, and everyone will be feeling it today. in fact someone said to me earlier, it's notjust the village that is in shock. it is the whole island that is in shock about what has happened here. forsuch is in shock about what has happened here. for such a tragedy to happen on a friday afternoon when people were popping into the petrol station for a newspaper, packet of crisps, or in their apartment, it is really just unbelievable. there is a mass going on this morning, people from the village will be attending, other people from around the community will be going as well. there was one last night, and ten red candles for each of the ten victims was laid out at the front of the chapel. and a lot has been said about the

chris page, thank you. some breaking _ not been found. chris page, thank you.do youj you. some breaking news. do you remember the case of the women who work for state television in russia? she held a sign saying stop the war, no war, during an evening news bulletin watched by millions of people. you can see marina behind the news reader. we havejust had a newsflash out of moscow saying that russia has now put marina 0vsyannikova on the wanted list. the controversy at the time was that it wasn't a war and it was illegal to call it a war, it was a military intervention in ukraine. russia is taking steps against those who have opposed it. this is quite a dramatic acceleration of the moves against her. she had been to a certain extent you could argue dealt with with kid gloves because she was high—profile but she is now on the wanted list in russia and we will bring you more if we get it. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello. spells of wet and windy weather on the way as we go through this week. today it's northern ireland and western sco

our ireland correspondent chris page is at stormont.urs to go until time officially runs out of stormont. in the past, deadlines in northern ireland politics have been known to come and go with little consequence but it feels like it is not going to be like that this time. today, most of the 90 members of the devolved assembly were back in their debating chamberfor a couple of hours but what happened only seemed to signal that an election is all but inevitable. eight months have passed since northern ireland last had a functioning devolved government. at the start of another deadline day, the start of another deadline day, the democratic unionist party made clear that the stormont shutdown would not be ending. i clear that the stormont shutdown would not be ending.— would not be ending. i have the backin: would not be ending. i have the backing of _ would not be ending. i have the backing of the _ would not be ending. i have the backing of the people _ would not be ending. i have the backing of the people of- would not be ending. i have

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.phy is available, there is an ongoing interest in improved early detection. a new fast, free blood test has recently been introduced in singapore. we can speak to doctor sarah loo at one of the hospitals offering this test and doctor loo joins us from singapore. what does this new way of screening consist of? it this new way of screening consist of?— this new way of screening consist of? , ., ., consist of? it is a new method, it's a blood _ consist of? it is a new method, it's a blood test _ consist of? it is a new method, it's a blood test that _ consist of? it is a new method, it's a blood test that measures| it�*s a blood test that measures the levels of biomarkers in the bloodstream so based on these levels, routine breast imaging as well as an algorithm developed by professor know from his team from korea, the risk of breast cancer is updated so the science is good, this test is able to detect early breast cancers with a sensitivity of 92%. currently, women can _ sensitivity of 9

chris page, bbc news, belfast. re expecting a date for an election to be revealed very shortly. election to be revealed very shortl . ~ ., election to be revealed very shortl . ~ . ., ~ shortly. we are indeed, and we think that date is going _ shortly. we are indeed, and we think that date is going to _ shortly. we are indeed, and we think that date is going to be _ shortly. we are indeed, and we think that date is going to be the - shortly. we are indeed, and we think that date is going to be the 15th - shortly. we are indeed, and we think that date is going to be the 15th of i that date is going to be the 15th of december, so ten days before christmas. the time when many people will be wanting to do their christmas shopping, going to nativity plays, christmas parties, they will be asked to go and vote. and people in northern ireland do not want this election, the voters do not want the selection and neither do the political parties. but chris heaton harris, secretary of state for northern ireland, says he has no c

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.kraine, including the capital, have suffered the biggest bombardment by russian forces since the early weeks of the conflict. and still to come — the new reporters for the day, for a special edition of radioi newsbeat to mark world mental health day. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel: red bull say they are surprsied and disappointed after being found guilty of breaking formula i's spending cap last season. scotland's first minister has said £20 billion will be invested in the first decade if scotland were to become independent, giving a glimpse into economic proposals being set out next week by the scottish government. nicola sturgeon was addressing delegates at the snp conference in aberdeen earlier. as our scotland editor james cook reports, the building a new scotland fund will be set up with remaining oil revenues and borrowing to support renewable energy, cut fuel bills and reduce poverty. she also promised to increase welfare immense for struggling families. —— welfa

chris page, bbc news, in county donegal.aking at a press conference a little earlier, superintendent david kelly — of milford garda station — explained that at the moment, investigations indicate it was "a tragic accident". at this point in time, we have to keep an open mind as a police service and how we investigate this, but our information at this point in time is pointing towards a tragic accident. that said, being a garda, i have to take a holistic and overall viewpoint, but that's where we're going at the moment. we are working in consultation, as i say, with the coroner. in that regard, we've put family liaison officers in place for the families of the deceased. we're also working with the hse in terms of the local community as well, in terms of offering, if you like, psychological safety to the families and the wider community in that regard. the only road bridge linking russia with the crimean peninsula has collapsed, following an explosion. the russian authorities say they've partially re—opened the bridge to road

chris page, bbc news in county donegal.ian troops and artillery into ukraine. the explosion is a huge defeat for russia in what has been a humilating week for the kremlin as our russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports. the images are dramatic and they are worrying for moscow. this is the bridge the kremlin built, linking russia to annexed crimea. it was supposed to have been heavily protected. an explosion at dawn sparked a major fire and serious damage. at least three people were killed. russian officials claim a lorry was blown up and the flames spread to fuel tanks on a train. parts of road collapsed into the water. both car and rail traffic has been suspended across the bridge. russian investigators announced they were opening a criminal case. and the kremlin has set up a government commission to look into the incident. the 12—mile long bridge is not only strategically important to the kremlin, a crucial supply route. it is also a symbol of the russian annexation of crimea. vladimir putin opened it in 2018. by building

chris page, bbc news in county monaghan. the headlines on bbc news...ing the tory party conference the uk needs a new approach. the energy regulator is warning of a significant risk of cash shortages this winter. it could see supply is cut to power stations which use gas to generate electricity. a man has been remanded in custody in liverpool after appearing in court charged with the murder of nine—year—old olivia. thomas cashman is due to stand trial in march. the nobel prize in physiology or medicine has gone to sweden, and a person who worked on human evolution. the prize commission said he achieved the seemingly impossible task of cracking the genetic code of one of our extinct relatives, the neanderthals. he discovered a previously unknown relative, and extinct species or subspecies of a human. let's talk to the archaeologistjulian have, who is also known as the muddy archaeologist. it isa it is a remarkable achievement and it has taken decades to get a whole genome of an extinct species of human being from just bones, it has taken a huge amount of

our ireland correspondent, chris page has been at the scene. when this community has been contemplating the scale of the losses that occurred here in a split second on friday afternoon. as you could see behind me the petrol station where the explosion happened is less busy, they are nowjust two police vehicles there, the ambulances and fire engines have gone as the investigation moves into another phase. but the priority very much has been offering support to the grieving families, counsellors and other health workers have been here to do just that. and the names of those who died made publicjust a few hours ago. the youngest victim was shauna flanagan garwe, who was five. she was killed along with her dad, robert. a mum and her son also died together — catherine o'donnell and 13—year—old james monaghan. the other teenager who lost her life was leona harper. she was 14, a keen sports fan and a promising rugby player. there were five more victims, jessica gallagher, james o'flaherty, martin mcgill, martina martin and hugh kelly. this village has

our ireland correspondent chris page reports.lanagan garwe, who was five. she was killed along with her dad, robert. a mum and her son also died together, catherine o'donnell and james monaghan. the other teenager who lost her life was leona harper, she was 14, a sports fan and a keen rugby player. there were five more victims. jessica gallagher, james o'flaherty, martin magill, martina martin and hugh kelly. creeslough has much mourning ahead. the grieving has just begun. it will the grieving has 'ust begun. it will take man the grieving hasjust begun. it will take many months _ the grieving hasjust begun. it will take many months and _ the grieving hasjust begun. it will take many months and years - the grieving hasjust begun. it ll take many months and years for a community to come to terms with this, but right ahead of us are the sad and difficult days of funerals and saying goodbye to loved ones. the royal reality of what has happened is taking hold in this otherwise idyllic part of ireland. county donegal is usually thought

chris page, bbc news, creeslough.arlotte gallagher is in creeslough for us this morning. charlotte, what more can you tell us about the vigil? it was attended by people from the village, of course, people from the surrounding area and politicians from across the republic of ireland and northern ireland. the prime minister here, the teacher, micheal martin was here, the deputy prime minister leo varadkar surrounded by the family and friends of those who died in this tragedy on friday. creeslough. ten red candles representing each of the victims was laid at the start travelled by default were laid at the chapel and we are expecting huge crowds of people come here today. —— taosearch. this is notjust a village in shock, it's an ireland in shock and here in a place ofjust 400 people, everyone will know somebody who was killed or injured. there will be no—one untouched by this. and the scars of what happened will continue to be carried by people in this village. someone said as well it's the darkest day for so, so many yea

our ireland correspondent chris page has this report.since northern ireland last had a functioning devolved government. at the start of another deadline day, the democratic unionist party made clear the stormont shutdown wouldn't be ending. i have the backing of the people of northern ireland who voted for the dup, and gave us the mandate that we have to take the position that we hold. that's the backing that matters to me. and, if we need to, we will go back to the people, and we will seek to refresh and renew our mandate. the other four main parties in the assembly want power—sharing to be restored immediately. as things stand, michelle o'neill of sinn fein is in line to be first minister. in a special recall meeting, she accused the dup of holding most voters to ransom. jeffrey donaldson and the dup are in a perpetual stand—off with the public, the majority of whom they do not speakfor, or indeed represent. they stood for election, yet failed to show up. this is his mess, and a failure of leadership by him and his party. as expected,

let's have the latest from linlithgow, porthcawl, and belfast, where we start with chris page.ropes to be crowned tory champion. this mural in belfast has been repainted repeatedly as the political prizefighting in london has played out. in a student area nearby, people have various thoughts on the new prime minister and how he got thejob. there is nothing democratic about that. i feel like they need to call a general election asap. this is better than liz truss, anyway. what would you like him to prioritise for this part of the world? just mainly stabilise the economy, to be honest. there is a really bad drug epidemic at the minute and it probably- needs prioritised over| the majority of things. the most immediate issue for rishi sunak here is the current absence of the devolved government. the democratic unionist party says it will block the formation of a power—sharing coalition until the brexit trade border with the rest of the uk is removed. this friday is the legal deadline for a devolved government to be formed following the election to the northern ireland assembly back

from stormont, our ireland correspondent chris page had the latest. london who has responsibility for northern ireland had made it clear repeatedly over the last few weeks that he would be calling an election whenever the deadline for the restoration of the regional government at stormont ran out. that has happened at one minute past midnight. he reference that particular time on a number of occasions and at one stage told parliamentary committee in london, i cannot be clearer that calling and election will happen on october friday the 28. it turns out, that isn't quite what has happened friday october the 28th, in that a date for an election has not been set. the stormont parties had been fully expecting that that date would be announced today, they are already preparing to go out to the polls on the most likely date, the 15th of december. and they were quite surprised it seems whenever that date was not forthcoming. now chris heaton—harris says he is still calling an election, he really insists on that. he said he met the chief electoral organiser, i

before hearing from chris page in stormont and hywel griffith in cardiff. james?tends to oppose any future referendum on scottish independence and he has also suggested they should be a greater role for westminster and scrutinising what happens here at the scottish parliament, on what the scottish government gets up with. when i spoke to nicola sturgeon the first minister earlier she scoffed at that idea and said she wouldn't take any lessons on accountability from mr sunak, a man who in her view has no democratic legitimacy, and as you said she is calling for another general election as soon as possible. at the heart of ms sturgeon�*s campaign against mr sunak if it comes to it will be brexit and the economic damage it has caused and also she says the potential damage with another wave of austerity. conservatives in scotland would retort by saying the real threat to the scottish economy is dependence, but they know their authority to make that case has been weakened with what has happened with the party in recent weeks. the scottish tory leader douglas ross sayin

our ireland correspondent chris page is at stormont. exactly with the legislation says, people are trying to read into his motives for not yet giving a date. it a possible there will not be an election?- will not be an election? well, --eole will not be an election? well, peeple are — will not be an election? well, people are certainly - will not be an election? well, people are certainly asking i people are certainly asking questions as to why he did not set a date today. chris eaton harris, from northern ireland has made it clear repeatedly over the last few weeks that he would be calling and election whenever the deadline for the restoration of the regional governments at stormont ran out and i is one minute past midnight and a particular time on a number of occasions and told the parliamentary committee that it cannot be clearer that calling and election on what will happen october the 28th. it turns out that's not quite what has happened on friday october the 28th. and it did and it has not been set. the parties have been fully exp

chris page in stormont, what about the reaction in northern ireland?s been said in the last few days westminster had ceased to have a functioning government. northern ireland has been without a fully functioning devolved government since february. that is when the dup in effect withdrew from the power—sharing institutions at stormont and they say it will continue to block the formation of a stormont executive unless the brexit trade boulder with the rest of the uk is scrapped. there is no sign of that happening anytime soon. on the 20th of october, it is the latest potential end point for the conservative leadership contest, but that date was already in the diary. that is because it is the legal deadline for a devolved government to be formed. as things stand, the current northern ireland secretary is set on that day to call a new election to the devolved assembly. it is thought that would take place on the 15th of december, about seven months after voters last went to the polls. there is no doubt event in london have increased the instability but the

chris page, bbc news, belfast.nder the rules a new election must take place within 12 weeks but we are expecting to hear today when that may be. we are, indeed. we think in about three hours' time the northern ireland secretary will make an announcement about when the selection will be held, saying he would not be having a u—turn on this, the election would definitely be happening, because time has run out here. it passed at midnight, the deadline, and power—sharing is still not back here. the big question is, what will the selection achieve, really? we may get the same results we got in the may elections, so sinn fein, the nationalist party, merging of the largest party here, and the dup is the second party. the dup say no matter the results of the selection they will not be returning to stormont until the northern ireland protocol and the post—brexit trading arrangements are scrapped or significantly altered, so we could be in exactly the same position in a few months where the building by me, which should be ful

our ireland correspondent chris page is there. chris... what more can you tell us about the story? the sto 7. ., ,, ~' , story? what is striking about this lace is story? what is striking about this place is how _ story? what is striking about this place is how remote _ story? what is striking about this place is how remote and - story? what is striking about this place is how remote and bleak i story? what is striking about this place is how remote and bleak it| place is how remote and bleak it feels. investigators say they are convinced columba mcveigh is lying somewhere in this fast bog land just south of the irish border. he was one of the victims of the conflict in northern ireland who became known as the disappeared, those who were killed and then buried in secret locations. the commission which was set up to try to find the hidden remains carried out searches based on information it receives, most often from former members of paramilitary groups. so far, 13 bodies have been recovered but four are still missing. so the new excavation is focused on an area of two acres and has

in cardiff and alexandra mackenzie in glasgow, but first, let's go to our ireland correspondent chris pages hanging over politics in northern ireland. number one, who will be the prime minister by next friday, and number two, will northern ireland be heading into an election next friday? not a general election, at least not yet, but on election to the devolved assembly. to go back a little bit, northern ireland hasn't had a fully functioning devolved government since february and the democratic unionist party says it will continue to block the formation of a power—sharing coalition until the brexit trade border with the rest of the uk is removed. the legal deadline for the formation of a devolved government is next friday and the current northern ireland secretary chris heaton—harris has said if there is no breakthrough lapped by them and that seems unlikely, he will be calling another election, just seven months after northern ireland last went to the polls. 0f northern ireland last went to the polls. of course events in london have added a huge great deal of uncertainty, for example will

from there, our ireland correspondent chris page reports. rescue effort has now become a recovery operation. a sad sign that the emergency services don't expect to find anyone else alive. blown out walls, a crumpled roof and rubble showed this was a lethal explosion. it triggered a wave of devastation. people hurried to what was left of the petrol station, who see who may have been caught up in the incident. there were several flats above the garage shop, which largely collapsed. farmers brought tractors and diggers to start removing the debris. a coastguard helicopter helped airlift the injured to hospital. paramedics and firefighters searched through the remains of the building. at times they asked for silence, so they could hear if anyone was calling out. creeslough is a small village, never would the community have imagined facing such horror. today at church there was a sense of disbelief. i was in the house and my house is only 150 yards and i heard an explosion about half three. i knew it was something, the bang sounded like a bomb go

our ireland correspondent chris page has the latest.here are set to go back to the polls. another instalment season has come and gone a without the formation of a devolved government. the party which became the largest in the last election in may claims the democratic unionists. it is not a question — the democratic unionists. it is not a question of— the democratic unionists. it is not a question of disagreement - the democratic unionists. it is not| a question of disagreement among the democratic unionists. it is not - a question of disagreement among the parties, it is not a question the parties, it is not a question the parties can't agree, the dup have prevented all of the other parties who want to form an executive from doing so. there isn't a need for an election. i understand the frustration of the public and elected representatives. there was an election in may. the problem we haveis an election in may. the problem we have is a refusal to honour the outcome of that election. but the dup sa s outcome of that election. but the du

our ireland correspondent chris page has the details. is a possibility that anyone trapped there in the rubble might still be a survivor? well, i need to, the term that the police are now using to describe the operation which is happening just over there at the petrol station where the explosion happened yesterday is that it is a search and recovery operation now. earlier today and over night, they had been using the phrase search and rescue operation, but the fact that they are now talking about recovery rather than rescue issues that they do not expect to find any be else alive in the rubble sadly. they are continuing to search but unfortunately it is now a search for bodies. local people here, dozens of whom have gathered. this is a very small village, village of about 400 people in county donegal. the expectation is that that already tragic number of nine fatalities is set to rise. people have been, as you would expect, hugging each other, shaking hands, shaking their heads really in sheer disbelief that this could have happened. the

chris page, bbc news, belfast.dent charlotte gallagher is at stormont for us this morning. charlotte, morning to you. talk of this election in mid december? indeed. chris heaton harris, the northern ireland secretary, is expected to call an election today, we think around lunchtime. he says he has a legal duty to do this and it's something that he will absolutely not you turn on. the big question in northern ireland is, is what this election will achieve, if anything? we think the results may be pretty much the same, so sinn fein still emerging as the largest party, the dup, the second largest party. and the dup have said no matter what the results, if the northern ireland protocol remains, they will not return to stormont. so they will not return to stormont. so the building behind me will continue to lie empty. so, decisions around health care, education, the cost of living, they are still not being made. for example, the £400 fuel top up made. for example, the £400 fuel top up that people should have been receiv

our ireland correspondent chris page has the details.d tens of redolent with the signs this was a lethal explosion . the blast triggered a wave of devastation and desperation. local people hurried to what was left of the petrol station to see who amongst their friends and relatives may have been caught up in incident. some drove tractors to start removing the debris. a coastguard helicopter arrived to help airlift the injured to hospital. paramedics and firefighters from northern ireland came across the border to join their colleagues in the irish republic in the operation. they searched through the remains of flats which were above the garage shop and largely collapsed. there were reports that several people who were trapped managed to make contact with the emergency services but it isn't clear how many are missing. creeslough is a small village with about 400 residents. never would the community have imagined facing such horror. i was in the house at the time and my house is only about 150 yards from the town and i heard an explosion a

get the view now from our correspondents in wales, scotland and northern ireland, starting with chris pageon before christmas. he was supposedly knocked out but he has come off the ropes to be crowned tory champion. this mural in belfast has been repainted repeatedly as the political prize fighting in london has played out. in the student area nearby, people have various thoughts on the new prime minister and how he got the job. there is nothing democratic about that. i feel like they need to call a general election because it's crazy. it's better than liz truss, anyway, you know. - what would you like him to prioritise for this part of the world? mainly stabilise the economy. there's a really badl drug epidemic at the minute it probably needs to be prioritised over the _ majority of things. and the most immediate issue facing rishi sunak here is that northern ireland is currently without a devolved government. the democratic unionist party says it will continue to block the formation of a power—sharing coalition until the brexit trade border with the rest of the uk is removed. this friday