well, firstly, the ireland that i envisage is not my ireland, it is our ireland, and arlene foster has a claim and a stake in that ireland as i do. secondly, whatever george hamilton's view is on that matter, i want to tell you that i am the leader of sinn fein, that i am part of the collective leadership, that the sinn fein leadership calls the shots in our party. so what is your relationship with the ira, then? these people that george hamilton says are still out there, still wielding influence. what is your relationship with them? i have no relationship with the ira. i have never been a member of the ira. i was democratically elected to this position. we are an open, democratic party, and nobody dictates the pace to me. you have also indicated that you're an ambitious politician. and of course, in ireland, given the nature of the political make—up of the country, usually prime ministers are the result of coalition building. and you have said you're ready, as sinn fein, to work with the other main parties, whether it be fine gael or fianna fail. the trouble is you are still associate

and the north of ireland., of course, being committed to a united ireland, has a significant presence in both, but the point i am getting too is that you, as a dubliner, as a middle—class dublin, ofan age dubliner, as a middle—class dublin, of an age where the trouble is, as they are called in northern ireland, we re they are called in northern ireland, were not woven into your childhood and early adult hood, you are somebody that many of your party members in the north are suspicious of. they are not, actually. well, i can quote you a few who are, if you wa nt can quote you a few who are, if you want me to. well, let me tell you that i am the leader of the party, andi that i am the leader of the party, and i am the leader on the basis of and i am the leader on the basis of a huge degree of confidence and support, from people right across the country. so don't buy into this fairly jaded mythology the country. so don't buy into this fairlyjaded mythology that the country. so don't buy into this fairly jaded myt

laws in northern ireland.d not be putting in to force abortion on northern ireland. as long as westminster realise that and don't impose abortion on northern ireland, which they have no right to do since abortion has always been a devolved issue in northern ireland, there is no risk. but mps from across all parties in westminster are pushing for a change in the law in northern ireland, except the dup. we caught up with one of their mps, jeffrey donaldson. this is a devolved issue. the 1998 agreement was a finely balanced constitutional settlement. if you upset that settlement, if you set aside the principle of devolution, you will undermine their entire constitutional arrangements for northern ireland. for now, there are many women we have spoken to that are being forced to use illegal abortion pills because of the laws in northern ireland. what do you think about that? we don't want women using illegal abortion pills, clearly. but people in northern ireland are clear. none of the main political parties, sinn

or northern ireland want.f continuing the discussions. no, not at all. nothing will discourage me. we have to find a solution for an orderly withdrawal of the united kingdom, and at the same time, limiting the potential harmful consequences of brexit for ireland, for the island of ireland, that is what we are working towards. i'm sorry, i forget your second question. but it was an important question, i know. yes, the june summit. question, i know. yes, thejune summit. i didn't question, i know. yes, the june summit. i didn't use the word sufficient progress, as we did in december, because we are not involved in the same exercise. we wa nt involved in the same exercise. we want to make progress, because of course june is an important stage in creating the confidence and consolidating the confidence we need foran consolidating the confidence we need for an orderly withdrawal, and in order to ensure that the discussions can continue on what is really the keyissue can continue on what is really the key issue beyon

and ireland. and let me just say, we are not in the least bit envious of that extraordinary diplomatic coup of st. patrick's day every year. [laughter] >> not at all, we are thrilled at your success. [laughter] >> i should also say at the outset, i have to acknowledge the history of the u.k. and the white house is not exactly perfect. [laughter] >> there were certain unfortunate events in 1814 which i think were largely down to overenthusiasm. [laughter] >> i think it is extraordinarily generous of you to be holding an event which effectively celebrates u.k. links with that iconic building. extraordinarily generous. we have all of the appropriate gratitude for the generosity of spirit. moving swiftly on from 1814, i a couple ofght say words about british as others to the white house. there have been hundreds of them from the queen to the beatles and every british prime minister look forward to his or her first white house visit. the first time i got to the white house was when i was working as an

so, the temporary backstop is not in line with what we want or what ireland or northern ireland wantay said again today, these are complex negotiations. it's not going to be easy. our political correspondent, vicky young, reporting. a 90—year—old woman is seriously ill in hospital after being attacked while she was in bed at home in north—west london. iris warner has told police a man hit her several times in the face. herfamily have released pictures of her injuries as they appeal for people to come forward with information. i should warn you thatjune kelly's report contains distressing images of those injuries from the start. this is what someone did to iris warner in the bedroom of her semi—detached house which has been her home for decades. her family have released these pictures in the hope that it leads to information about who was responsible. police say the bedroom of the house in north—west london had been ransacked, but it hasn't yet been established whether anything was stolen. all she's really been able to say is that she believes it was a male that has leaned over her wh

following the republic of ireland's historic vote. here to discuss what's next for northern ireland kelly o'dowd she's the co-chair for alliance for choice and activists ashley topically and welcome to you both ashley i want to start with some action on the street if you have this headline here from the independent on my laptop northern irish women protesting anti abortion laws take illegal terminations pills in front of police and there's a bit you can see pictures of that all over twitter today now all mine this is their reaction or about the tweets into the stream you shouldn't have last reproductive choices because you were born in derry and not durham or belfast not birmingham it's time to decriminalize abortion and give women and northern ireland autonomy over their own bodies equality with sisters in england scotland and wales when you see pictures of these protests when you read solidarity tweets like this do they resonate with you. oh totally just to give you an idea of what my experience was. years ago i find out that i was

kennedy's and ito ireland in 1963, really did give ireland a lift because we saw m was exclusively irish in his heritage, his eight great-grandparents were all irish. he was someone who demonstrated to us that the irish could achieve anything, that if someone could rise to the top of the political tree in united states and become the most powerful man in the world, there was no limit to what modern ireland could achieve. the modern irish links we have with the united states are extremely important. they come to the for every year at st. patrick's day, but throughout the year, we have strong economic, political and cultural links with the united states. it is soth i think is going to grow and develop in the future, because these days the relationship between ireland and the united states is a two-way relationship. a used to be that we were relying on the united states for various things, investment, political support, and i have to say that over the years, successive residents starting with jimmy carter, ronald reagan, bill clinton, so forth, all played a role in encouraging the process o

a woman in northern ireland we re happens.nd were sent to jail to three years for pickering tells. there might be a public outcry but i don't want to be opposed to a cause, ijust want city to be all right. ceo said the character said she doesn't want to be opposed to go for the cause, but ina be opposed to go for the cause, but in a sense you ended up being one. i was wondering whether there were tensions there, the thought about or worried about, alienating some of your readers in ireland by taking a stand on something is so controversial. it is funny, i didn't set out to be an activist or a poster girl because i was really scared. if you have been brought up ina scared. if you have been brought up in a theocracy, fear it goes very deepin in a theocracy, fear it goes very deep in the. —— in me. i love this about ireland, so many of the young women, like 94% of the 18— 2a euros voted and they have given me so much. and i made the decision to write about the issue knowing that it probably would alienate people. and i mean, it h

one or two showers for west of scotland and northern ireland but most scotland and northern ireland butres on the mild side tomorrow morning with the spots of rain across wales and the midlands. these showers could be heavy at first tomorrow but similar to today's most places dry. more cloud than today but it should break up cloud than today but it should break up on into the afternoon. sunny spells developing, temperatures up to around 21 degrees, a bit cooler in the east. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. house of fraser is planning to close 31 of its 59 stores as part of a survival plan, with the loss of about 6000 jobs. theresa may is expected to reveal her brexit backstop proposals later today after a crunch meeting with david davis to address his concerns — the brexit secretary is said to have considered resigning over the plans. human rights campaigners have lost their attempt to overturn northern ireland's strict abortion laws on a technicality. but the supreme court made clear that it agreed the current rules are incompatible with european human rights legislation. stars

abortion in northern ireland. minister, i beg of you, don't make a victim go to court. name the date the domestic abuse bill will come to parliament, and we can get on and end this scandal. the shadow leader of the house gives her verdict on the arrangements for brexit legislation in the commons next week. i just can't believe what i've heard, mr speaker. what a mess. what a shambles! and a plea from the lords to help cancer patients get the drugs they need. and bring the bean counters in nhs england to heel. but first, following the recent decision to relax the law on abortion in the irish republic, earlier this week mps backed calls to decriminalise abortion in northern ireland. their vote wasn't binding and won't bring in a change, but that doesn't mean the issue has gone away. on thursday, a challenge to northern ireland's strict abortion laws was rejected on a technicality. the supreme court said human rights campaigners didn't have the legal standing to bring the case, even though it agreed the current law w

’ possibly northern ireland, maybe one or two possibly northern ireland, maybe one ortwo in possiblythern ireland, maybe one or two in the south—west, but the vast majority of the country it's a fine, sunny saturday. all partly cloudy skies at worst. high—pressure is across the uk and scandinavia, so this is where the quiet weather is at the moment. low pressure is to the south, that's where the clouds is and the raynal thunderstorms are robbing three. sunday across most of the country is looking good. showers are expected across western parts of scotland, maybe one or two in northern ireland, but if you have any plans for both saturday and sunday the good news is that the weekend is looking absolutely fine with temperatures into the low 20s. very quickly into next week, the jet strea m very quickly into next week, the jet stream is going to change position and that's an indication that perhaps next week the weather will turn just that little bit more unsubtle. —— unsettled. a reminder of our main story this lunchtime. another blow to the high street as house of fraser says it plans

cloud across north—west wales, england and ireland. temperature wise, most of us ireland.ee them return to single figures because once again, a lot of cloud around, mistand because once again, a lot of cloud around, mist and merck. particularly on the hills where we are looking at some fog as well. and then for tomorrow we start off on the cloudy note, but that will again pushed back towards the north sea coastline, more showers around tomorrow. the north—west of scotland, northern ireland and also south—west england and the midlands, we won't all see them, to purchase up we won't all see them, to purchase up to 23. saturday, drier with the cloud is pushing away and once again we are looking at a few showers in western scotland and northern ireland. i will have the pollen levels in half an hour. hi very high for many of us, i can already feel it in my throat. thanks, can't wait to see more animals. so cute!|j think if carol had matched their coats. she had that one on the. -- pink one. it's 6:17 and you're watching breakfast from bbc news. the main stories this morning: ta

now on bbc news, one of ireland's most successful writers, marian keyes, speaks to martha kearney at hay festival about writing the stories of modern women in a modern world, in talking books. hello and welcome to talking books, here at the hay festival in wales. now in its 31st year, it attracts writers, thinkers and politicians from right across the globe. and of course, plenty of children as well. today i am going to be talking to one of ireland's most successful writers, marian keyes, who has sold more than 35 million books. she is a woman who is not afraid to tackle the very darkest of subjects with a large dose of humour. marian keyes, welcome to the programme. applause. you have got so many different books that we could talk about, what i wanted to begin with your latest one, which is called the break. the story of a long—term marriage and the husband, as it says, decides to take a break. explain to us about this phenomenon. 0k, it is real. it is to do with the fact that we are living so much longer. if you are monogamous and say you are in your mid— 40s and you are getting on

— ireland border. unresolvable problem of the northern ireland- ireland border.tuation is one when i think the whole brexit negotiations started, many people didn't realise it would be a big stumbling block in the sort of longer term negotiations to watch david davis has proposed in this sort of exclusive story in the sun if there is a twin regime, eu and uk legislation takes place in northern ireland and becomes effectively a special economic zone which seems to be a very good solution, actually, except the dup in northern ireland who are likely to be sort of very anti this and uk politics at the moment the dup do hold displays the current administration. but it is interesting because you can look at it standing back and think hang on, that's a pretty good effort. absolutely. but it is utterly irrelevant, as you say, the unionists who know that northern ireland is part of the uk,. so there is no give there, it'll be interesting to see this has any legs at all. this story wouldn't have come out without it already having legs and perhaps behind the scenes the dup

that is to say between ireland and northern ireland. 0k, uk.een ireland and northern ireland. ok, so no hard border between those two. it means that border there but ireland will be in the customs union and will be treated differently —— northern ireland and that is not acceptable. to have the sort of crisis just before the summit, that sort of pantomime, it has been happening for two years since the referendum took place. so theresa may will probably survive the next eu summit and everyone will try to save face. and then there is this summer and then what next, september. she might not survive the party conference. because we are talking about brexit but perhaps we should stop talking about brexit and stopped talking about brexit and stopped talking about the tory party. and labour as well. the tory party has a lot of ossified between tribes, the brexiteers claiming to be the real patriots, and the soft brexiteers, the philip hammond kind of tribe saying we are the real patriots. and the deafening silence from labour because lost if that was r

and the republic of ireland.rder down the irish sea. if you talk of trouble along the border you would find the same, unionists would be saying we will not accept that we are part of united kingdom, yet we are restricted to travelling and doing trade with other parts of united kingdom and i think that the, this is one of the things that has not opinion focussed on so far. we hear about the opposition and protests that republican would launch against such boardser treatment. unionist wouldn't behave differently. except they wouldn't be threatening to blow up parts of their own country. but there would be opposition, i believe there would be physical opposition to it. i've spoke on the a senior unionist who said the eu would do well to remember the history of this corner of northern ireland. an early attempt at power sharing in 1974 was brought down when loyalists walked out of northern ireland's largest power station, just over the harbour from larne. the phasing out of station was the most serious development. th

other feedback we received this week, the subject matter this time the debate in the republic of ireland around last friday's referendum overturning the ban on abortion, and in particular phrase used here by emma vardy, reporting on northern ireland's possible response. the dup leader arlene foster has said her party will keep its pro—life position, and that friday's referendum in the south will have no impact on the law up here. one twitter user was prompt to pose this question. are the viewers were more concerned about the way it which by sunday bbc news was moving the story on from the vote in the republic of ireland. in belfast today, a sense the debate now m oves in belfast today, a sense the debate now moves here. northern ireland remains the only part of the uk were abortion is illegal unless there is abortion is illegal unless there is a risk to a woman's life. abortion is illegal unless there is a risk to a woman's lifelj abortion is illegal unless there is a risk to a woman's life. i would love to see a referendum appear. again, with the parties it will probably never happen, b

a few thunderstorms possible across northern ireland.ower in south—west england and wales. for the bulk of england and wales it will be a nice warm day. typical temperatures into the low 20s. into the evening the downpours continue to rumble away. as we head into the second half of the weekend, probably drive the northern ireland but some storms possible across scotland. elsewhere, it should be dry. more sunshine for england and wales, except for the channel islands where we could get some showers. temperatures will be a bit higher. 24 temperatures will be a bit higher. 2a or 25 at best. we are on the edge of really warm weather. it has been pretty hot across southern scandinavia, eastern europe and the eastern mediterranean this weekend. that heat comes with some heavy rain and thunderstorms. those should be steering clear of our shores. some dry weather on monday. this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm: theresa may has said she is determined to deliver brexit for the whole of the uk after borisjohnson was secretly recorded suggesting t

so, the temporary backstop is not in line with what we want or what ireland or northern ireland want theresa may said again today, these are complex negotiations. it is not going to be easy. mrs may obviously wants to talk about britain's future relationship with the other european leaders? is she going to be able to put the brexit controversy behind her? this does chime to some extent with the anxieties of brexiteers like boris johnson, who are concerned that with the way things might be going, the uk will end up so closely allied with the eu that it is unable to ta ke with the eu that it is unable to take advantage of, as they see it, the opportunities that are out there. so it was interesting today that theresa may did choose to talk about the big prize, the bright future for britain, controlling not just our own money and our own borders but crucially, trade deals. so here, as she meets and sits along people like the prime minister of japan and donald trump, those huge global economies which britain will have to do these trade deals with after brexit, of course she wants to be ta

could be changed for northern ireland and implemented. but theresa may has a particular good reason to dismiss this. aresays that health issues up to the northern assembly. it is up to northerelandnd its legislators here to change the legislation if they want to do so. the lem is that there is no one sitting in this is only behind me, and there has not been sincean 2017. is ae ther reason why theresa may is not keen to tackle this issue, because of her conseative government, and they nto the 10 northern ireland members, and they do not want to change the legislation here. genie: thank you for explaining the situation for northern ireland. other european news, the new in veain has made history with the most women ever to serve in a cabinet. new prime minister pedro sanchez has named 11 female ministers, almost twice as many as the men. >>s negovernment is committed to equality in an unequivocal way. you have heard me say on many occasions spain changed on march there e was a befan after in our country with the feminist protests, and the ne

desperation and anger as mps debate abortion laws in northern ireland. if we had had the legislation that exists here in the rest of the united kingdom, we would be discarded and put a bin between the river boyne. with train timetables derailing chris grayling, i asked a old cabinet and how to survive a ministerial crisis. whatever goes wrong in your cabinet, however much it is at arms length, and you're not responsible, you have to take responsibility. but first, after 50 yea rs of responsibility. but first, after 50 years of umming and ar, a breakthrough. many don't like the idea of the heathrow expansion, not least boris johnson, on idea of the heathrow expansion, not least borisjohnson, on the grounds of noise and pollution. mps will be asked to vote on the decision in the next three weeks. the transport secretary was at the dispatch box to deliver the news. the time for action is now. the time for action is now. heathrow is already full, and the evidence shows the remaining london airports won't be far behind. despite being the busiest two—runway ai

today, we came to ireland and tomorrow, you cannotjudge with we came to ireland and tomorrow, you cannotrow, you cannotjudge with a name for the teams. obviously, i cannotjudge with a name for the teams. obviously, lam really excited because they are the first uk side. i not thinking about the world cup because there are still six months left. my focus is always like i will go city by city. reigning world and olympic sprint cycling champion kristina vogel is understood to be in a serious condition, after a training crash left her needing to be airlifted to a hospital in berlin. the 27—year—old took gold at the last two olympic games and is a record 11 time world champion. it's reported that she collided with another rider during a training camp and was being flown to the german capital to be operated on. to tennis. petra kvitova, a two—time former wimbledon champion, looks in good form ahead of next week's championships at the all england club. she beat kateryna bondarenko in the second round of the eastbourne international. the world number eight won in birmingham last week and had few

the irish taoiseach, leo varadkar, welcomed the yes vote in ireland a week ago, saying that, "irelandnger say to women take the boat or take the plane when they need an abortion." instead, he said, "ireland will say take our hand." it is now time for us to offer our hands to the women of northern ireland in the same way. women who face a situation where if they are raped and seek a termination they will face a longer prison sentence than their attacker. she proposed repealing the parts of the act that made abortion a criminal offence. but there was angry opposition. i made the mistake that many mps make of actually reading my e—mails today. "your views are a disgrace to humanity and a betrayal of the truly innocent." "women can always say no or keep their clothes on." "you, madam, were once an embryo." "you, madam, were once a foetus in your mother's womb." "you were once a preborn baby." "i wonder what decision you have wanted your mother to make about your life or death had she been given the opportunity in the months before you were born." now, i respect those who disagree with abo

some and northern ireland under the normal formula.ey wa nted will think it is not enough, they wanted 4% to deliver real improvements, but simon stephens has said it gives him the sustainability and long—term platform to deliver a better nhs in england. for now, thanks forjoining us. sinn fein delegates at their annual conference have voted to liberalise the party's policy on abortion. it follows last month's referendum result in the republic of ireland — which overturned a de facto ban on most terminations. the motion, backed by sinn fein‘s leadership, has however, divided party members. from belfast, our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports anti—abortion demonstrators turned out at the sinn fein conference this morning, they used to be in the mainstream, but not any more. today delegates spoke in favour of abortion reform. we must face the reality, the lives of some women are placed in danger and real risk due to their pregnancy. in the recent referendum campaign i was struck by the scores of women that came forward and told the

huge and serious divergence remain, in particular, for ireland and northern ireland.their step today, eu leaders are warning unless the uk present new ideas, it faces crashing out of the union, no transition deal and an uncertain future. that huge and serious diverging is not just about the issue of that huge and serious diverging is notjust about the issue of ireland, it is also about the future relationship. theresa may is hoping to secure agreement from her cabinet next week on that, on the white paper, but the eu is already signalling that may not be enough. that it wants the uk to commit to fully following eu rules or a trade deal. and so fears rising about the possibility of a no deal, is the time is ticking by and the differences remain very, very dark. thank you, from brussels. around 100 people are reported to have drowned from a migrant boat off the coast of libya. the country is one of the most dangerous crossing points for migrants trying to reach europe, and there are now few charity run ships operating to rescue people from the mediterranean. aquarius is

december, the uk and eu agree no hard border in northern ireland.py. in february, the eu came up with a d raft in february, the eu came up with a draft legal text which put it all down in the cold light of day in black and white. that made very clear that the customs union, in effect, and parts of the single market will continue to apply northern ireland but not the rest of the uk. so the infamous idea of some sort of customs border down the irish sea between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. cue uproar in parts of northern ireland, in parts of the conservative party and theresa may herself saying in february that no uk prime minister could accept that. essentially, when she had said that, the eu then slightly sat back and folded its arms and said, if you don't like our proposal, where's yours? it has taken until proposal, where's yours? it has ta ken until today, proposal, where's yours? it has taken until today, june, for the uk to come up with its alternative. what is in it? the technical note that goes with it is six pages long. what it b

forward is to hold a referendum in northern ireland?o go through the situation ofa women who go through the situation of a fatal foetal abnormality to have this, we have been waiting five yea rs have this, we have been waiting five years and it is five years too long. sarah ewart and grainne teggart, thank you for speaking to me this morning. donald trump has freed a 63—year—old woman, who was given a life sentence for a drug offence, after a campaign by a news website that was taken up by kim kardashian west. alicejohnson was jailed in 1996 as a first—time offender and her case found its way to the white house last month with a personal visit from the reality star. now, donald trump has commuted her sentence. kim kardashian west said on twitter it was "the best news ever." this is what she had to say as she campaigned for alice's freedom. we can now take a look at the moment alice mariejohnson was released. this is the first time she's seen her family out of prison in 22 years. i got you. watch it, guys. ok, let's... 0k. good luck to y

so, the temporary backstop is not in line with what we want or what ireland or northern ireland wantd again today, these are complex negotiations. it's not going to be easy. theresa may insists that progress on brexit is not being hampered by internal conservative party squabbles, but we have learned to like that an important government document which promises details, ambitious and precise explanations of the government's brexit position will not now be published before that european council at the end of june. that will be seen and interpreted by many as the delay. instead, theresa may is going to some of her ministers to her country residence in chequers to hammer out their differences. after that she will hope she can concentrate on negotiations with brussels rather than her own cabinet. vicki young, thank you. a 90—year—old woman is seriously ill in hospital after being attacked while she was in bed at home in north west london. iris warner has told police a man hit her several times in the face. her family have released pictures of her injuries as they appeal for people to come

desperation and anger as mps debate the abortion laws in northern ireland.ise, if we had had the legislation which exists here and the rest of the united kingdom, would been discarded and put in a bin before they were ever born! and with train timetables derailing chris grayling, i ask an old cabinet hand how to survive a ministerial crisis. whatever goes wrong in your department, however much it's at arm's length from you, you're not, in practice, responsible for it. you have to take responsibility. but first: after 50 years of umming and ahhing, at last, a breakthrough. on tuesday, the cabinet agreed that the controversial third runway at heathrow airport should go ahead. many don't like the idea — not least the foreign secretary, borisjohnson — on the grounds of noise and pollution. mps will be asked to vote on the decision within the next three weeks. so the transport secretary was at the despatch box to deliver the news. the time for action is now. heathrow is already full, and the evidence shows the remaining london airports won't be far behind. despit

so the temporary backstop is not in line with what we want or what ireland or northern ireland need.said again today, these are complex negotiations. it's not going to be easy. vicki young, bbc news, quebec. and vicki has been explaining why the prime minister is trying to shift attention away from the comments of her foreign secretary. what's interesting is this chimes to accident —— to some extent with some of the anxiety to brexiteers like borisjohnson, who are concerned with the agreement that the way it might be going, the uk will end up so might be going, the uk will end up so closely aligned with the eu that it is unable to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. so it was interesting today that theresa may chose to talk about the big prize, the bright future for britain, controlling notjust our own money and borders, but crucially trade deals. so here as she sits and meets alongside people like the prime minister of japan, donald trump, those huge global economies which britain will have to do these trade deals with after brexit. of course she wants to be talk

illegal drug day for northern ireland. —— probably a warm day for northern ireland. late 2425 degrees. very warm and not far away. it has been very warm for some time now in scandinavia, it is in europe, and the eastern mediterranean looks good. but more downpours to come across europe, especially in france. measures are from the uk, dominated, as we are, by an area of high pressure. but is it. good night. this is bbc news, i'm alpa patel. our top stories: sitting down together, but there are strong disagreements as g7 leaders meet in canada. they don't mention the fact that they are charging almost 300% tariffs, when it all straightens out, we will all be in love again. anger in turkey as austria shuts several mosques, saying they are funded from abroad. turkey says the move is racist. several palestinians are killed protesting at the gaza border. hundreds more are reportedly injured. president trump's former campaign manager paul manafort faces further charges, along with an associate who's said to have ties to russian intelligence. also in the programme — celebrit

yesterday devolution in northern ireland and scotla nd devolution in northern ireland and scotland got is important that all four corners of the uk are respected and held together through brexit but the behaviour that we saw both last night when labour called a whole load of unnecessary votes to eat away debating time and then by the snp for marching out of the chamber when the were actually being offered a vote, if they had just waited ten minutes, was very, very childish, it was childish behaviour, there are serious issues and we must respect devolution as well as making sure that we hold the country together. that is what the pm is focused on. isa that is what the pm is focused on. is a big issue here, isn't there? the unity of the kingdom. and maybe in the guha over the single market and a customs union we have lost sight of the bigger picture of trying to keep the union together? the youth led by spike the uk is very important and i do not blame the scottish nationalists for doing this. i have seen this happen many times. it is to draw attention to something they feel strongly abo

live now to belfast and our ireland correspondent emma vardy.sed? sinn fein brought this party conference forward to allow the party to have this debate on abortion much sooner. in the past sinn fein has only accepted access to abortion in limited circumstances. following the overwhelming referendum result in the republic to overturn the ban on abortion there, the proposal being put forward here, if it passes, would mean sinn fein politicians would mean sinn fein politicians would have to support the party line on new laws in the irish parliament in dublin to legalise abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. to some degree the party is still divided on this. its leader, mary lou mcdonald, campaigned to overturn the ban on abortion in ireland. some members oppose it. 2a branches have put forward a motion saying they believed sinn fein members should be able to vote according to their own personal beliefs. that is what will be debated here this afternoon. thank you very much. with all the sport — here's mike bushell at the bbc sport centre. good afte

across scotland and northern ireland.articularly across scotland and northern ireland. one or two for england and wales but there will be some sunshine in between. another breezy day, not as windy yesterday. temperatures up to 22 degrees. still some heavy showers around on saturday, things should be drier and brighter by sunday. let's return now to my colleague reeta chakrabarti in west london, where commemorations have been continuing — marking this, the first anniversary of the grenfell tower fire. thank you, one of the key focus is this morning was a memorial service at st helens church just down the road from here and it was led by the bishop of kensington, dr graham tomlin, who is with me now. doctor tomlin, who is with me now. doctor tomlin, it's hard to summarise, i'm sure, but how are people feeling one year on after this disaster? today isa year on after this disaster? today is a strange day in many ways for lots of people. people are trying to grapple with memories they have of this time last year, all kinds of

ireland's 12 match winning strea k rugby. 12 match winning streak came to an end as they were defeated by australia today. ireland dominated the six nations to win but australia were aggressive and defensive to take the victory to date 18 points— nine. the traditional aboriginal welcome to australia before the more customary on—field greeting. the pairing of these two nations is usually a highly charged affair, the two consecutive wins over their hosts ireland were now searching for a first victory down under in nearly 40 first victory down under in nearly a0 yea rs. first victory down under in nearly a0 years. bernard foley and the wallabies had other ideas. the irish had a winning run to protect. 12 in a row and cj set about getting them back into the match. his burst through the midfield almost producing the goods. the on the defence holding firm, instead it was the boots of joey defence holding firm, instead it was the boots ofjoey carberry that moved ireland in front. starting ahead ofjohnny sexton, his penalties gave ir

cloudy but mainly dry for northern ireland. cloudier still for scotla nd northern ireland.still for scotland and it will see some patchy rain. otherwise dried, some sunshine and highs of 2a celsius. now it is time for dateline. hello and welcome to dateline, where each week some of the uk's best known columnists debate the week's big stories with journalists whose dateline is london, as they report those events to the world beyond. this week, theresa may averts the resignation of her brexit negotiator — but is itjust crisis delayed? as donald trump delights the russians and alienates long—standing allies, is it g7 minus one? and the me too movement, has it moved too far or not far enough? with me agnes poirier, who writes for marianne in france. the portuguese academic and journalist eunice goes. yasmin alibhai—brown, political commentator in british newspapers. and maria margaronis, who writes for the nation but also makes time to translate modern greek poetry. i am amazed you find the time, good morning to you all. thank you for being with us. for brexiteers, membership o

here is how the rest of scotland. —— hi for northern ireland. it is scotland and northern ireland.thern ireland that we are likely to see the heaviest showers, potentially thundery. don't take the blue and green too literally, this just gives an idea of where could be affected. some will stay dry and keep the sunshine. the met office warning also extends to northern ireland, showers into cumbria and north yorkshire, wales, and maybe one 01’ north yorkshire, wales, and maybe one or two later in the day across parts of the midlands and east anglia. most places largely dry and in the sunshine, getting up to 22 or 23. still heavy showers for the channel islands, they should fade overnight as well most of the showers elsewhere. many places dry, clear spells, cloud creeping in as the night goes on. temperatures on a par with last night, coolest across scotla nd par with last night, coolest across scotland and the far north of england. high pressure in charge of the weather through the weekend, little features generating showers, particularly this one was france. the channel islands in th

because we don't have a functioning devolved government in northern ireland in stormont haven't had it for eighteen months to recently is reliance on the democratic unionist party which is against any change in the law for the or much a majority of means that she's unwilling to go against them to order your next statement back steps it doesn't seem as good it's going to move politically are you going to try to achieve some legal difference well it's very clear actually best way to put look at the height of commons that there is front bench support and treat them as cabinet for this change including ministers like danny mordant the women inequalities minister that is very welcome to treat them a dozen they find herself in a difficult position between her party members who want to see this change on the d.d.p. who are propping up our government but we will not accept women's rights being sacrificed for political expediency so we will know i'm a forward by initiating proceedings today and belfast to have a formal declaration of an compatibility me it but also there is a clear way forward

i'm getting to know ireland and northern ireland rather well.nd i believe more and more the practical solutions proposed in out the practical solutions proposed in our backstop, customs checks and regulatory alignment, would not call into question british constitutional order. it is a form of decentralisation to resolve a very specific problem where the uk has a responsibility as the co—guarantor of the good friday agreement and we also have a responsibility and we tried to assume those responsibilities. i look at the proposals very carefully and looking very carefully at the british proposals to see if there are any possible answers and i hope that on the basis of the feedback we will be able to make progress. thank you. have a good afternoon. that was michel barnier, the chief brexit negotiator for the eu, talking in brussels, with very interesting remarks about the british government's brexit strategy. saying the economic arrangement to avoid the hard border between ireland and northern ireland cannot be extended to the whole of britain as lo

and the island of ireland.ded which is why the eu and britain signed up to this in december. if you cannot find a way to resolve this, we're going to default to a where northern ireland is in the customs union. therefore by extension, written and the rest of the uk will also be in the customs union. it is not the eu's fault britain has not been able to come up with a workable, viable, plausible, credible system to do that. and that is why we have this backstop in play. is brexit back on track? the expenses ever hopeful but it seems to me that perhaps the conversation that the government is having amongst itself, the cabinet is having with itself, perhaps that is having with itself, perhaps that is back on track. but it doesn't seem is back on track. but it doesn't seem to me like they've got any grip oi'i seem to me like they've got any grip on brexit and the thing that i keep saying about this. i don't really ca re saying about this. i don't really care if the conservatives fall apart. i don't appreciate them

and the republic of ireland.ker if he thought theresa may was a trustworthy negotiating partner expected more than just yes, but that is what he got. relatives of the more than a50 people whose lives were shortened by the inappropriate use of powerful pain killers at gosport war memorial hospital are calling for a doctor who presided over the regime to face criminal charges. a report found there was an "institutionalised regime" of giving "dangerous doses' of painkillers that weren't needed and concluded there was a disregard for human life. 0ur correspondent richard lister is in gosport. have we heard anything from the police on this case? will be relatives get the criminal investigation that they want? hampshire police are very much the focus of the family ‘s anger now, and there is pressure on them from many sides to reopen the investigation and pursue a line that eventually leads to criminal prosecutions. the police say they are studying the document and if implications very carefully and will not be answerin

a lot of the showers fell across northern ireland.ere, as you can see, at lurgan, and that was because we have a lot more sunshine, or we had a lot more sunshine, across northern ireland and scotland. and those high temperatures, the sunshine, triggered some heavier, thundery showers. we also had the remnants of a weak weather front sitting across parts of england and wales. there was more cloud across northern england and parts of wales during friday. a similar story for saturday. some dry, brighter spells to the south. so as we dawn saturday morning, still chilly in the north—east of scotland. a lot of low cloud having returned back in off the north sea. that will clear away. one thing worth pointing out again is the very high levels of grass pollen, particularly for england and wales, but for northern ireland, as well. so unfortunately no sign of respite as well. so for the day ahead, plenty of sunshine to start across northern ireland. mist and low cloud clears away. if anything, the showers will be more prevalent for scotland. an

the eu the uk and southern ireland specifically.t go down the route that he suggested but i think he does actually have a point on this basis, it is in the interest of the uk and ireland take on carrying the uk and ireland take on carrying the same level of trade. wouldn't that mean means staying in the eu? let's move on swiftly. the south china morning post, an immunity to donald trump. you have a lot to do with the markets. when you see different stories about donald trump, hear different things you says, does that affect the way that you kind of you the global economy and how you trade as well? that markets are far less sensitive to the us president's policy gaffes and erratic behaviour? it's written by that an investment manager, richard harriss, and he is right. in the run—up to the election, there were some fear that what would come out, much of which was happening, but fundamentally, stock markets are how the companies perform and if you look at the us stock market, most major companies are doing well in business terms, there