ireland from the rest of the uk. 0ften ireland into northern ireland from the rest of the uk.ely potential consequences of the backstop coming into forceful norman smith alluded toa into forceful norman smith alluded to a slightly ambiguous tone from arlene foster about, if not the backstop, then what? what do you think the dup would find acceptable ina think the dup would find acceptable in a deal? an arrangement ensuring there is no major difference between there is no major difference between the rest of the united kingdom and northern ireland. that would essentially be staying in the customs union and the single market. that causes enormous problems with theresa may with many of her backbenchers, but if you want to avoid customs or regulatory controls between northern ireland and the rest of the uk, you need the uk in a customs union and single market with the eu. professor david phinnemore from queen's university, belfast, thank you very much. let's get more on that fire at a house in stafford overnight in which four children died. our reporterjenny aitken is at the scene

ireland. actor liam neeson sparks a race i’ow after saying he wanted to kill a black man because someone close to him was raped. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport — with olly foster. hi macro. hi it has been a bit of a mixed bag today. liverpool managerjuergen klopp could be in trouble. coming up, a spectacular crash on the slopes for you from the great lindsey vonn. she is ok, though. thanks, olly, and darren bett has all the weather, and darren, apparently it's national weather person day. 0h, oh, no! i was going to surprise you with that later in the programme! but before then, we have got cloud coming in there from the atlantic with some outbreaks of rain. towards the end of the week, it could turn particularly wet and windy. thank you! looking forward to talking to you more. also coming up, it's the year of the pig, and more than a billion people around the world have begun celebrating lunar new year. hello, everyone. this is afternoon live. four children have died in a fire at a

because both northern ireland and the republic of ireland are members of the european union. breck's it however if you put all of that in jeopardy you see the u.k. wants to leave the trade in customs unions which make that open border possible and at the same time keep the status quo the irish border or brits it makes that impossible yet to rescind me and some of her conservative party appear dead set on using bricks it to make the impossible possible the reality is that any agreement we reach with the e.u. would have to provide for the friction this movement of goods across the northern ireland border equally clear is that as the united kingdom government we could never accept that the way to prevent a hard border with ireland is to create a new border within the united kingdom to those who think we should reject this deal in favor of no deal because we cannot get every assurance we want i ask what would you know to do to strengthen the hand of those campaigning for scottish independence or indies those demanding a board a poll in northern ireland surely this is the real thr

we only use about 20% of that in northern ireland. 60% of that goes to the republic of ireland to getrs or vat or customs barriers, it will add complexity and cost and that goes on to the end—user, the shoppers the uk. i mentioned the possibility that an alternative arrangement could involve some kind of time limit on the backstop. what about the suggestion of maximum facilitation? the idea that you can somehow, using computers and cameras and whatever. .. you somehow, using computers and cameras and whatever... you can have the border somewhere else? a depot? the goods are checked somewhere else and then they get across the border, is that something would accept? let me be very clear about this. the technology does not exist at the moment. if it exists in a decade, fine, but we are 50 days out. that technology is a unicorn. it does not exist. to spend lots of time about maximum facilitation and a technology that could even decide whether yoghurt was up to the standard itch is supposed to be, thatis standard itch is supposed to be, that is a waste of time. we need a deal of what is po

and ireland. solution that can command broader support from across the community in northern ireland. here's the bbc‘s ireland correspondent emma va rdy. to what extent did the prime minister... go ahead. theresa may is having to negotiate her way through a difficult set of circumstances in northern ireland. on the one hand, many in the business community were supporting the withdrawal agreement in its originalform, supporting the backstop as it was, saying that as a guarantee that would help them continue trading, much as they do today. and on the other hand you have the very firm opposition to the backstop and the withdrawal agreement from northern ireland's democratic unionist party and the brexiteer is, who hold the balance of power at westminster, so theresa may was here in belfast today explaining to business leaders exactly why she had had to make that u—turn on the backstop, why she couldn't have got the deal in its current form through parliament. we'rejoined now in belfast by stephen kel

the view of people in the island of ireland, most people, i think everybody in the island of ireland,do not want to see any kind of a physical infrastructure imposed, and this is the difficulty. nobody wants it, you don't want it, the british government don't want it, the irish government don't want it, i think that none of the political parties want it, but the very essence of having a trade agreement, where you have to have checks and balances, where you have to look at the rules of irish entry, where you have to look at customs procedures, where you have to have tariffs, then you're almost forced to put the border somewhere and, you know, i... indeed, so then you're left with the question — how can the uk ever leave the eu? well, you know, i honestly believe and i hope that in the days to come that there can be an agreement found around some of these issues. i don't honestly believe that it's not possible to find an understanding in negotiations. i spent 20 years of my life involved in all kinds of negotiations, from budget arrangements to eu treaty changes, to the enlargement proc

now ireland we re through the tournament. now ireland were favourites.pressure dynamics had changed, it did not show. no force could hold stockdale back against the scots. another two tries, another win, over to england. there are threats afraid against the french. penalty after a penalty after penalty try, after penalty. down and out in paris. france have beaten england, ireland are crowned the champions of the six nations. the english had done ireland's party planning for them. saint patrick's day and england hosting. by now there was no stopping ireland, no stopping stockdale. stockdale chasing it down and he cannot gather. now he can. what was planted that spring was harvested in the autumn, ireland beat the mighty new zealand, stockdale scored of course. this year they start as they finish, against england. and now the green giants want to conquer the world. a phenomenal year, 2018, for irish by. phenomenal year, 2018, for irish rugby. iam phenomenal year, 2018, for irish rugby. i am delighted to say we are joined by a couple of guests, chris jones,

in the south of ireland.make sure that we have a loving of all of us, so rhetoric from anybody of any type is sometimes, when i hear people, including some distinguished members of parliament, which i totally respect their views, and others, talking loudly over the past few years of no basis existing for any divergence of any kind between northern ireland and the rest of the uk, i look to wondering, have i turned into rip van winkle, the legend who fell asleep for 20 years and woke up finding everything changed. some of them have gained a degree of traction within this parliament, some of it has been said that what would solve the problem, one is if the republic of ireland just, you know, goes against the requirements of eu treaties by not carrying out this responsibility is to maintain the border of the eu after brexit. one is that the republic should just leave the european union and that would solve all the problems and one that is would you believe the subject of a petition to this parliament is that the

border with ireland. good morning for ballynahinch in ballynahinch, where i am at an electronics manufacturer. i'm going to be talking to them about what they are hoping to hear the prime minister when she visits the area and what they want from brexit. more than 600 people a day said to be leaving theirjob because of the demands of being a carerfor a sick or elderly relative. ministers warn that harmful online images are so widespread they've become "normalised", and threaten action against social media firms failing to protect users. the hammers throw a spanner in liverpool's title charge. west ham hold the league leaders to a draw. liverpool are now just three points clear at the top. good morning, it is a cold and frosty start for most of us. there is also some dense but patchy fog across north—eastern southern england that it will be sunshine to start with, for rain coming in from the west spreads across most of the uk. i will have more in 15 minutes. hello and good morning to you. it's tuesday the 5

peace process in ireland.when mrs may comes here tomorrow he is prepared to listen, but she needs to come up with ideas. the eu at this moment in time is not putting anything else on the table. it has to have a backstop, that peace process has to be guaranteed, and as the irish prime minister said, he said the reason in particular for thatis said the reason in particular for that is that the political situation in london, the other ad kerr said, demonstrates the instability in british politics, it demonstrates exactly why he wants the legal guarantee and a solution that he knows will last —— lee over at —— leo varadkar said. damian, thank you. president trump has called on republicans and democrats to set aside their differences in his delayed state of the union address after the partial shutdown of the government. he said congress had to choose between "greatness or gridlock," but warned that a wall was still needed along the mexican border to prevent illegal immigration. he also announced he'd hold a second

, even if there is a deal, ireland, even if there is a deal, ireland are still going to face massivespondent, in dublin, there. —— chris page. time for the weather, now. dublin, there. —— chris page. time forthe weather, now. good morning, for many of us, and other mild and springlike day but we have some lingering i sulk in many places, drawing up a plume of warm airon places, drawing up a plume of warm air on southerly winds, helping to give the temperatures a boost. some of that fog will lift into low cloud and linger through the day, particularly for southern and eastern parts of england and hear the temperatures will be pegged back and it will feel quite disappointing. hazy spells of sunshine elsewhere, more clout for northern ireland and western scotla nd northern ireland and western scotland where it will be quite blustery, temperatures widely13—16 celsius and some spots could see 17 or 18. overnight, when strengthening for northern ireland and particularly the western isles where we could have gusts of 55 mph. like a wind elsewhere and clear skies. we will see the return of s

the question of how to keep an open border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland has becomeor sticking point in the brexit process. there is no agreement yet on what alternative arrangements could replace the backstop which would see the uk remain in a customs union with the eu if a trade deal couldn't be done. mrs may will meet leaders of the main political parties in northern ireland who remain at odds on the issue. sinn fein are supportive of the backstop, but the dup leader arlene foster said it was toxic and must be dealt with. the former first minister of northern ireland david trimble has said he intends to take legal action against the government over the backstop, claiming it breaches the terms of the good friday agreement. jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. let's go to westminster now and join our assistant political editor, norman smith. theresa may is going to have a tough sell when she talks to business leaders in northern ireland because they were already backing her backstop plan and all the while her party colleagues are trying to work out what the altern

avoid a hard border with ireland.nd the outrageous heist through the sewers of antwerp‘s diamond district. five decades of sesame street. the muppets have now been helping children learn for 50 years. how do they do it? hello. a group of latin american countries, along with canada, have urged the venezuelan military to support opposition leaderjuan guaido as interim president. the lima group is calling for a peaceful change of government, and immediate deliveries of humanitarian aid. i do also want address the issue of outside military intervention and an important point in our communique is point 17, where we have agreed and i quote, finally, they, this is the countries of the lima group, re—iterate their support for a process of peaceful transition through political and diplomatic means without the use of force. translation: now is the time to act. no more fruitless dialogue. we support a constitutional roadmap which will promote a peaceful immediate democratic transition through free, fair and transparent elections

and the republic of ireland.ns, but she's going to be hearing some very different views from some of the other political parties there today. some of whom we re parties there today. some of whom were perfectly happy to accept the backstop as it stands within the withdrawal agreement, and some who are adamantly opposed to the very idea of brexit. we will bring you details of what's happening in those talks as we get it throughout the morning, there she is heading into stormont for those discussions. let's head to the bbc sports centre with sally. it had all the hallmarks of a classic cup upset. a raucous crowd, a muddy pitch and filthy weather so perhaps there was little surprise fourth tier newport county knocked out middlesbrough. boro sit two leagues above county but were well beaten thanks to a goal from robbie willmott and this one from padraig amond. newport will now play mighty manchester city next. brentford, qpr and wolves are also all through to the fifth round. it was a tense evening for newport keeperj

and northern ireland.as designed to achieve, which will fuel speculation that when mrs may, brussels on thursday, she will seek some reworking of the backstop, rather than getting rid of it all together and there are signs that the government could be edging towards seeking fresh legal assurances to sit along side the withdrawal agreement over an end date for the backstop. now that won't satisfy ha rd backstop. now that won't satisfy hard line tory brexiteers but i think there is a view in government it is deliverable, the eu would be prepared to negotiate it and within the time frame left it could be achieved, and interestingly we heard from the chairman of the northern ireland select committee this morning, suggesting well, maybe a five year time limit would be bearable, the difficulty is that the dup, who are absolutely key in this, some of their leading figures have already set their face against them, suggesting where mrs may to go down that road she would be foolish indeed. they want the the actor li

and ireland.y you are supporting their point of view, but your heart might say sinn fein wants a united ireland and you have said if there is no deal, that increases the chance of a poll on the reunification of ireland ? the chance of a poll on the reunification of ireland? how do you square that circle? just to say, brexit was not our idea, brexit is not an irish idea. people in the north of ireland voted to remain, as did the people of scotland. we don't wa nt to did the people of scotland. we don't want to see chaos and catastrophe, i don't want to see economic hardship anywhere, i don't want to see it in this country for people who live in britain. 0n the issue of irish unity we are on the path to constitutional change in any event. the good friday agreement affords us the democratic mechanism to remove the borderfrom the island of ireland, a contested border since 1921 which has given rise to much conflict. there has been demographic and political change. but what is your evidence that irelan

the backstop would mean closer regulations between northern ireland and ireland, between the uk and irelandd the eu 27 are not going to be making any new offers. the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation and he said what he wants to hear from theresa may tomorrow is a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse. the really eye—catching comment from him was home wondering about a special place in hell for those who promoted brexit with no clear plan on how to do it. we will get reaction on that later. let's go back to what we were talking about prior to that news conference. only one in three adults in the uk believes it is possible to reduce the risk of developing dementia. it isa the risk of developing dementia. it is a study by alzheimer's research and it has found a lack of awareness surrounding lifestyle choices that can increase the risk of developing the disease. we can speak to laura phipps who is from alzheimer's research uk. we were speaking to you before but we had to interrupt for that news conference. picking up where we left off, you were saying that a third of

ireland's unification with ireland.ichard: if you ask me, most likely in a hard brexit. i am skeptical the e.u. is going to give the prime minister enough of a change she is going to be able to return to parliament and say i have got a support it. please, i do not see enthusiasm for a second referendum because jeremy corbyn do not want to be forced to take a position on brexit. if you ask me, the most likely results is we are going to move toward a hard brexit. i hope i am wrong. that is my concern. nejra: could we have another election? you said the prospect of a second referendum is not likely. richard: you could have a second general election. it is not obvious it resolves anything. you've got the prime minister and the head of the labour party who are pre-brexit. where does that leave us? we are back to where we were. after end up with a delay march 29. it is not obvious that you have any outcome that will solve the problem. tom: the great economic historian said there is no other topic than ireland. for is the best

between northern ireland and ireland is just a border between northern ireland and ireland isjust aeace process in the good friday agreement although that is the overriding protection and has to be, it is also making sure that we protect the single market and customs union and that ireland doesn't become a back door to the single market and customs union so if at some point in the future the united kingdom were to allow coordinated chicken or beef with hormones in it into their markets, we wouldn't want that coming into our market so the european market. we are making no plans for physical obstruction on the border, we haven't gone into the details of that today but we will do whatever is necessary to avoid the emergence ofa is necessary to avoid the emergence of a hard border on our island, deal or no deal. can i ask how you interpret angela merkel's statements that you should be open to creative suggestions on the backstop? do you think that refers to alternative arrangements to be discussed in the transition period or in the coming weeks from the uk side? president, you were hand

ireland and for the united kingdom.. i think that whilst those words were inappropriate, it does speak to an issue where to try and make brexit seem simpler whereas it is extremely complicated and extremely delicate, that the brexiteers, ostriches and their unicorns haven't helped our debate and haven't helped inform the public about how we move forward. i think to make this final point, the idea that theresa may should be in northern ireland for two days 50 days before we leave the european union on current plans is an indication of how serious this is and what a serious matter it could be if anything goes wrong in ireland. how does it play, though? apart from the diplomatic niceties, is there not the risk that these sort of remark simply get the backs up sort of remark simply get the backs up of hardline brexiteers who set theirface against up of hardline brexiteers who set their face against any deal mrs may might come back with. this was a remarkable intervention by the council president but he nailed it, the reason

of ireland and the uk, it is a european issue. cannot accept the idea that is circulated around that the withdrawal agreement could be reopened. the backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, and so we cannot reopen the discussion on the backstop. the eu is not prepared to reopen the withdrawal agreement, the 584 page divorce treaty which includes the backstop, although they are prepared to look at the political declaration which sketches out the shape of the future relationship. it is aspirational if not legally binding and that might satisfy the back benches for theresa may, but donald tusk rode out the idea of a unilateral exit mechanism for the uk from the backstop if it came into force —— ruled out. he did not comment on the other idea of a time limit or some kind of end date being put on the backstop. very interesting. and now to vicki young. one hesitates to ask what the reaction has been to talk of special places in hell from donald tusk. you can imagine those responses, especially from the brexiteers. we interviewed th

the border in question the republic of ireland on one side and northern ireland which belongs to the united kingdom on the other neither the e.u. nor the u.k. wants a hard border here. one proposed solution was the so-called backstop it would have allowed northern ireland to stay in the customs union if no breaks the deal was reached allowing for continuing trade with the e.u. a thorn in the eye of some lawmakers including allies of three semi who fear britain would be half in half out of the e.u. and not entirely separated. what we want the prime minister to do after today is to go back to the european union and say that the facts. have to go some in the e.u. have a similar view and there are some things that cannot be done. at the specially on the backstop the twenty seven agree that we will not abandon. it doesn't sound like anyone is backing down. in an effort to overcome the impasse labor leader jeremy corbyn suggested a permanent customs union between the u.k. and the e.u. similar to a so-called european customs association suggested by trade groups it would represent both the

this, for ireland, is a banana skin avoided., but at the same time, no one has actually got a margin on italy that has been particularly comfortable. they have had ten point losses for the first three games of the championship, and probably reflective of a pretty competitive unit that they have got. so here's how the six nations table currently stacks up... wales top after that win over england but they travel to scotland in two weeks before hosting ireland at the principality on march 16th. still a long way to go in the championship but a welsh grand slam could be on the cards. no such joy for the welsh women. england remain on course for a grand slam in their six nations championship after a massive 51—12 win in cardiff, making up for some of yesterday's disappointment for england fans by scoring 9 tries. prop sarah bern and wing jess breach scored two each as england claimed a bonus point afterjust 26 minutes. they go back to the top of the table but play the only other unbeaten side, italy, next on the 9th of march. let's ro

the question of how to keep an open border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland has becomeajor sticking point in the brexit process. there is no agreement yet on what alternative arrangements could replace the backstop which would see the uk remain in a customs union with the eu if a trade deal couldn't be done. mrs may will meet leaders of the main political parties in northern ireland who remain at odds on the issue. sinn fein are supportive of the backstop but the dup leader arlene foster said it was toxic and must be dealt with. the former first minister of northern ireland david trimble has said he intends to take legal action against the government over the backstop, claiming it breaches the terms of the good friday agreement. jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. and you can keep up to date with theresa may's talks in northern ireland, as well as the latest backstop negotiatrions, on the bbc website. you'll also find a guide to all you need to know about the uk leaving the eu and explanations of the key brexit terms, in an easy to follow "jargon buster" that's all a

oh, that is brilliant from ireland!ding champions ireland bounce back in rugby‘s six nations — with victory over scotland at murrayfield. good evening. the government's under fire tonight with calls for the transport secretary to resign after it cancelled a multi million pound contract awarded to a company in the event of a no deal brexit. seaborne ferries won the deal to ensure ferries would keep crossing the channel in the event of the uk leaving the eu without a deal — but there was widespread criticism after the bbc found the company did not actually have any ships and had never run a ferry service before. our business correspondent rob young reports. preparations have been under way for weeks. dredging started at ramsgate port at the beginning ofjanuary. seaborne freight was due to run regular services to ostend in belgium in the event of a no—deal brexit. once it got hold of some ships. but the company has now been stripped of its contract. the £14 million deal was controversial from the start. the contract‘s canc

northern ireland and southwest can scotla nd northern ireland and southwest can scotland through ther days and chilly nights. also some patchy mist of fog. this is bbc news. the headlines at 7pm. the duke of edinburgh is to voluntarily give up his driving licence, buckingham palace has said this evening. no ships and now, no contract, the government cancels a controversial agreement for extra ferries, in case of a "no—deal brexit". the democratic senator, elizabeth warren, launches her bid to become the party's candidate for 2020 — promising to champion ordinary, working people. millions and millions and millions of american families are also struggling to survive in a system that has been rigged, rigged by the wealthy and the well—connected. counting the cost of knife crime, the number of young victims admitted to hospitals in england, has risen by more than 50 % in five years.

another pulse spreading across northern ireland that will head to western scotland.fully. for the time being, through this evening and overnight, our rain band will clear away from most areas but could loiter across the far south—east of england, with rain here by the end of the night. that is where the mildest weather will be. clearing skies elsewhere, temperatures will ta ke skies elsewhere, temperatures will take a bit of a dip. we will see further showers for western scotland and perhaps the north of northern ireland as well. that takes this into wednesday, for many, a bright start but rain never too far away from the south—east and east anglia. some rain returning here at times. showers for western scotland and may bea showers for western scotland and may be a spell of rain developing through the afternoon in northern ireland. temperatures reaching double north further south. uncertainty in the forecast for thursday, caused by how much these two weather fronts interact with each other. the most likely scenario on thursday is that we will see areas of rain moving

cardiff city's players and fa ns ireland.rday. the game against bournemouth was the first since the argentine signing went missing in a plane crash over at the channel islands. fans created a mosaic in honour of the argentine striker who they'd signed from french side nantes. a teacher was held up an adorned with the image of emiliano sala. he was a super guy, i met him. it got hold of me after the final whistle walking to the fans at the far side, there were amazing. you start thinking about things and you cannot stop, it is an emotional time. it was great for the club to win today, i am pleased for the chairman, they worked so hard. i was proud of the club today. the 20 19th super bowl will be played between the new england patriots and the la rams in atlanta, georgia. tom brady and the patriots are led by one of the greatest coaches in history, bell —— bill belichick while his opposite number sean mcpeake is the underscored. we've been speaking to jerry riles who told us what the rams must do to win. super bowl 23, most va

a very important win for ireland.wins with an unconvincing victory over italy in rome. tries from josh adams and this one from 0wen watkin sealed the win and put them top of the table for the time being. football, and liverpool responded to back—to—back draws and falling behind manchester city at the summit of the premier league by beating bournemouth 3—0 at anfield. jurgen klopp said he wanted his side to be convincing, and they could have won by more, sadio mane, georginio wijnaldum and mo salah with the goals. city can overtake liverpool tomorrow if they beat chelsea. johanna konta battled through fatigue to send great britain into april's fed cup promotion play—offs, with her win over aleksandra krunic sealing victory over serbia. the british number one needed to be helped to her feet at the end of her 7—6, 3—6, 6—2 win. earlier, her team—mate katie boulter had dismissed ivana jorovic in straight sets. it means gb are one win away from reaching world group ii for the first time since 1993. that's all the sport for

of hard border in the island of ireland.o not advocate what others advocate which is creating borders within the united kingdom or ripping up the united kingdom. when the woman holding the title of prime minister is driven solely by the ideal of holding the tory party together and the man known as the leader of the opposition will neither lead nor oppose, how do you advise to get the house back to working for the communities we are supposed to represent? liz saville roberts with a question for the speakerm who said simply he was sure there'd be plenty more opportunities to debate brexit. and mps didn't have to wait long. theresa may and jeremy corbyn had agreed to sit down for their first round of face—to—face talks on wednesday afternoon. but before that, there was the weekly session of pmqs to get through. theresa may was asked if she would now rule out no deal. last night, the house did vote to reject no deal. but that cannot be the end of the story. the only way... the right honourable gentleman says of course not. i thi

i'm not sure northern ireland and ireland wa nt sure northern ireland and ireland want the whole of brexithow fragile politics is at the moment, particularly in northern ireland, can the country withstand, can northern ireland withstand another two years of negotiation if we have the withdrawal agreement and then still another —— and then still the trade ago she asians? this will prolong the political uncertainty. one of the issues is that we don't wa nt to one of the issues is that we don't want to speak about what might happen in border situations. you end up happen in border situations. you end up with some slightly strange m essa 9 es up with some slightly strange messages and no one being clear about what will happen. therefore the answer i'm coming to is, no, you need a process to help manage this. all of that pressure is going to be difficult to withstand. let's find another way to deal with it. you and david have described northern ireland as the child of a difficult divorce in this process, the fragile child that might get damaged. how concerned are you? everyone is rightly concer

it was ireland's first six nations defeat in dublin for six years.and also started their campaign with a victory. 33—20 over italy at murrayfield. our sports editor dan roan rounds up the action. with these two teams dominating recent six nations, this promised to be an epic. grand slam winners and second in the world rankings, ireland were favourites, but it was england who started fastest. the game had barely begun whenjonny may scored his country's first try here for eight years to stun the home crowd. ireland responded, cian healy burrowing over after sustained pressure. but england were forcing their opponents into uncharacteristic mistakes. jacob stockdale's blunder pounced on by elliot daly. the lead, seven points at half—time. ireland aren't used to being bullied — this is a team who beat the mighty all blacks here in the autumn. but despite losing maro itoje to a serious injury, england's ruthlessness earned a famous win. first, may's clever kick through was gathered by henry slade, before the centre scored his second and the decisive try, s

the backstop avoids a hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland by keeping the the eu's customs union until a trade deal between the uk and the eu has been reached. that's a long—term concern. the short—term concern is what happens if there's a no—deal brexit, which means no arrangements for what happens. here's theresa may again. there will be arrangements in place to ensure that we deliver no hard border. our commitment to that remains. what parliament has said, what the house of commons has said is that they want to see changes to the backstop as it currently exists within the protocol as part of the withdrawal agreement. the issue that has always been one that parliament has raised, it's been raised across all sides of the house of commons, is the potential indefinite nature of the backstop. that's the issue we look to address. there are a number of ways to do it, looking at alternative arrangements, discussing with mps who put forward the proposals on that, looking at the legal changes that will be necessary to give the legal certainty. but the commitment t

they cannot even agree on northern ireland on having agree on northern ireland on having a parliamentto that. the real issue is this fantasy... the european union has borders. it has borders because it isa has borders. it has borders because it is a single market and therefore has to have tariffs against people who are not in it. this was always an important border and we somehow dismissed it. the brexiteers who sold this idea kind of said, ireland isa minor sold this idea kind of said, ireland is a minor issue, and it is the issue. it is a major issue right now. you spent quite a lot of time talking to politicians in brussels and in berlin. do you get a sense at the moment, coming back to that point about the patience of eu politicians, there was quite remarkably immense i thought in brussels last week. we had the special place in hell line but also quite a lot of the immense from other politicians about, we are not reopening talks. there are nuances of talks —— of course and the president of the european council does not talk for example for the german government and i heard a lot o

it is the european union that does that, not ireland.with theresa may are not negotiations, they are discussions. chris page in belfast. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come... we look back at the life of albert finney, the acclaimed actor who's just died at the age of 82. terrace mr melson mandella, a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader has said he has passed a death sentence of the british author ofa death sentence of the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the asking of their former president. because of his considerable value as a stallion, he was kept in a special secure box in the central block. he was driven away in a horse box the fees had brought with them. step down from a plane, a figure in morning. elizabeth ii, queen of this around and all her other rounds and territories, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is bbc world news today. i'm lucy grey. the latest headlin

northern ireland saw years of conflict between those who wanted a united ireland, and those who wanted of the uk. today mrs may also met with sinn fein, northern ireland's largest nationalist party, who very much want the backstop to remain. this was their reaction. if british politics is incapable of acknowledging and upholding the good friday agreement and preventing a hardening of the border, then the only last option, the backstop of la st only last option, the backstop of last resort is a referendum on irish unity. a little earlier i spoke to dara doyle, dublin bureau chief for bloomberg news. i asked him what the picture is in ireland this evening. i think today it was really a day about showing the ireland, donald tusk and youngblood younger, and i think what was significant today was also something thatjean claude juncker said, i will not be left alone and no—deal brexit, saying that if there is brexit economy that separates badly, they will help ireland and that is significant because a key thing would be if the concern of the irish economy and ain't no deal scenario and what

rain initially to northern ireland.t until it reaches the high ground of scotla nd not until it reaches the high ground of scotland where we will see significant snow, mainly over the hills. central and eastern parts of england will stay dry and bright throughout the day. it's going to be another cold one. as we head on into monday, a more significant area of low pressure. this will bring a speu low pressure. this will bring a spell of weather. a band of pretty heavy rain which will move through. mainly rain further south. sunshine and blustery showers. temperatures up and blustery showers. temperatures upa degree and blustery showers. temperatures up a degree or so. we could see ten oi’ up a degree or so. we could see ten or ii celsius in the far south—west. it can —— that area of low pressure moves away. this next area will show its hand during tuesday. dry and bite across northern and eastern parts of the country. it turns weather, cloudier and windier. showery bursts of rain. note that temperatures in belfast. a lit

but he wants sean maitland and his experience in the side to take on ireland.tland has been given the recall after recovering from an injury. townsend admitted kinghorn was disappointed, but says maitland is better equipped for the ireland test. ireland themselves need to bounce back from that defeat to england on saturday... joe schmidt has made five changes to that side — most of them due to injuries picked up in that match. the biggest news is that rob kearney comes in at full—back in place of robbie henshaw who has picked up a knock in training. wales have made a whopping 10 changes to the side that won that epic battle in paris last friday. centre jonathan davis will captain his country for the first time when they travel to rome to face italy, while regular skipper alun wynjones is on the bench. a number of their big names are being rested — george north among them and wing jonah holmes, flankers thomas young and aaron wainwright and scrum—half aled davies will all make their first six nations starts. now, the bbc has been given exclusive access to wether

we saw the build—up to ireland match was a menace.that it is about building on that momentum. eddiejones trying to set the tone. there is no room for complacency. they brought in bristol to do a full on trading special yesterday. it was not a full match. —— a full training session. replicating how france will play and areas of the breakdown where jones play and areas of the breakdown wherejones thinks that england can still improve. the message in the camp this week is this team can get better, it was not the peak in dublin. changes in the france side highlights the uncertainty of how they will play. yes, they do not know what is coming. first—half outstanding, second—half disaster. they have changed again this week. if england are successful on sunday, it will be because they are thinking they know how to eat france. —— beat france. this is the home of english by france. this is the home of english rugby and we will set the tempo, thatis rugby and we will set the tempo, that is the message coming out of the camp. it will be fascinati

and leaving with no—deal could be much worse, especially in northern ireland.ot of traffic goes up and down across that border every day, we have engineers that travel up and down every day, if customs are reintroduced into that, it will slow down our business and make our competitors in the eu more attractive. so today, mrs may came with words of reassurance — there'd be no return to stops and checks on the border, deal or no deal. northern ireland does not have to rely on the irish government or the european union to prevent a return to borders of the past. the uk government will not let that happen. i will not let that happen. and then this, the prime minister's aim was to change the backstop her dup critics see as a threat to the union, not drop it. i'm not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesn't contain that insurance policy for the future. what parliament has said is they believe there should be changes made to the backstop, and it is in that vein, in that light that we are working with politicians across westminster, of course, across

avoid a hard border with ireland. countdown to nigeria's presidential elections. we investigate the so—called godfathers behind the candidates, who can make or break the outcome. and the outrageous heist through the sewers of antwerp‘s diamond district. a group of latin american countries, along with canada, have urged the venezuelan military to support opposition leader juan guaido as interim president. the lima group is calling for a peaceful change of government, and immediate deliveries of humanitarian aid. it's reaffirmed its support for venezuela's national assembly, which is led by the opposition — and says the rest of the world should follow the us in preventing president maduro‘s government conducting financial transactions abroad. i want it address the issue of outside military intervention and oui’ outside military intervention and our other point where we have agreed andi our other point where we have agreed and i quote, finally, vague, this is the countries of the lima group, redirect the support through

while favourites ireland were humbled in dublin by england.u need to win against quality opposition. ireland are certainly that. they have proved that of the past couple of years in the championship. there are one of the best teams in the world. got a lot of respect for them. if we are going to win tomorrow we have to play one of our best games. we have a few players coming in that didn't play last week. they will be wanting to make a point that they should have been involved last week. we have to make sure we get things right, for sure. if we produce something similar then the scots are a great team and they have shown us, most recently he two years ago. wales should have it much easier than last week. they looked down and out in paris but came from 16 points to beat the french. they are in rome to face the italians and they've rung the changes, ten in all. george north is rested. centrejonathan davies will also captain wales for the first time in his career. and there are four players starting a six nations match for the first time. in the w

well ireland will be feeling very relieved after this one.reland in the world cup injapan in the autumn. the second game of the day in the six nations saw warren gatland‘s wales travel to italy. well struggle to create much but they muscled their way to victory in rome. liverpool have moved back to the top of the premier league table thanks to a 3 nil win over bournemouth at anfield. manchester united have moved into the top 4, beating fulham 3 nil at craven cottage. paul pogba kept us his good form, scoring twice to make it 10 wins in 11 games under caretaker manager 0le gunnar solskjaer. cardiff city scored a 93rd minute winner to beat southampton and move out of the relegation zone. and everton manager marco silva‘s return to former club watford ended in a 1 nil defeat. dundee united are into the quarter finals of the scottish cup