sinn fein won the most votes in ireland's general election. they promised to his smash the status quo. well, so much for that, in fact, ireland's two oldest parties formed a grand coalition and they are guiding the country through a global pandemic and brexit. my guest today is mary lou mcdonald, the leader of sinn fein. has her party missed their moment? mary lou mcdonald, in dublin, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. after the february election, when you and your party did remarkably well, you won the most first preference votes in ireland's general elections, you talked about a revolution at the ballot box. well, five months on, what has happened to the revolution? five months on, we are into uncharted and unprecedented times, no more than yourselves with a global pandemic with a public health emergency here, on our island and that has caused considerable disruption to people's daily lives but also to political life but i'm happy to report that, all of that disruption notwithstanding, the appetite for political change remains very strong acros

ireland's not unique in that — far from it.mmending and advancing that type of economic recovery long before others. but the proposition surely is that at a time of covid—i9 crisis, with the reality of brexit and the end of the transition looming at the end of this year, what the irish people appear to believe and want right now is the stability of this grand coalition they've got, rather than the radicalism and the uncertainty that might come with sinn fein. that is a political landscape you're going to have to adapt to. well, i mean, you're making an assertion there that certainly i would contest. i would suggest to you that the government that we got was certainly not the government that many, many people envisaged or voted for. but the truth is, also, that irish people expect that the basics are gotten right. they expect that they can have decent public services to rely on. they expect that they have stable, secure work and a decent level of income, not to live an extravagant lifestyle, but to live a decent and a good life.

a visionary through some of northern ireland's darkest days.during advocate of peace. ..shot them with rubber bullets and gas. the crowd is marching over there. the leaders were going to speak to you. before we even got there, you opened fire. driven by a belief that negotiation and democracy was the alternative to bullets and bombs, he took on the army, the police and the ira paramilitaries who tried to bring about a united ireland by force. there is not a single injustice in northern ireland today that justifies the taking of a single human life. if i were to lead a civil rights campaign in northern ireland today, a major target of that campaign would be the ira. and as a protest against... a career in politics had not been his earliest calling. he trained as a priest and then a teacher. but, galvanised by the injustice of discrimination against catholic communities in the 1960s, he became a leading campaigner for housing and employment rights. as a catholic who refused to support the ira, after the troubles broke out, john hume founded the s

a visionary through some of northern ireland's darkest days...shot them with rubber bullets and gas. the crowd is marching over there. the leaders were going to speak to you. before we even got there, you opened fire. driven by a belief that negotiation and democracy was the alternative to bullets and bombs, he took on the army, the police, and the ira paramilitaries, who tried to bring about a united ireland by force. there is not a single injustice in northern ireland today that justifies the taking of a single human life. if i were to lead a civil rights campaign in northern ireland today, the major target of that campaign would be the ira. and as a protest against... a career in politics had not been his earliest calling. he trained as a priest and then a teacher. but, galvanised by the injustice of discrimination against catholic communities in the 1960s, he became a leading campaigner for housing and employment rights. as a catholic who refused to support the ira, after the troubles broke out, john hume founded the social democratic and l

ireland between protestants and catholics, between belfast and dublin and the rest of ireland as itcapitals, london and dublin. and the good friday agreement was done on that basis, and it operates to this day. i remember within a week of him coming up with this definition of the problem, ian paisley accepted it and said that is the definition of the problem, we can all move forward on that basis and no other unionist leader could be seen to disagree with ian paisley, so he is not only the man who, in a very big way, help to frame the solution, he's the guy who helped define the problem that they were there to solve, and you cannot solve a political problem u nless cannot solve a political problem unless you have defined it. after that it was to london, how do you keep a lid on the security end of it, in dublin it was how do you keep it, in dublin it was how do you keep it out of the rest of ireland, to the catholics it was how to get a united ireland, to the protestants, it was how do you maintain the union? so nobody had ever come up with this definition and it has stood the test

that a way that northern ireland may go as well do you think?orthern ireland may go as well do you think? i think the whole face covering situation has been quite difficult. i am not a huge supporter of face covering all day. at the 13 children older and above. it feels to me that this compromise solution about communal areas and corridors will reduce the time that the young people have two wear them but also protect them in the spaces where social distance, it may not be able to social distance. it certainly is an initiative we are considering and one that i would encourage our schools in northern ireland to think about. in the message we've heard in the last few days from downing street, boris johnson, has been very much that it's more harmful to children to stay away from school dan to go back to school. is that something you would go along with? absolutely. there is a balance to be struck. young people have been saying this for quite a few months now. the balance have ticked away from keeping a physically saved to the harm it was doing to th

also coming up tonight northern ireland mourns the passing of john hughes the nobel peace laureate whose life's work made it possible to turn the troubles into peace john hume genuinely was a political titan i don't think we would have to have really got the peace process going and. implemented if he hadn't been down offering help and advice. to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and all around the world welcome we begin the day with the reality of the pandemic in germany and the people who refused to believe it on saturday the streets of central berlin were flooded with protesters who say the coronavirus pandemic is fake they demanded an end to face mass requirements social distancing rules and all measures to stop the viral spread when police moved in to disperse the crowds there were skirmishes dozens of officers were injured 3 were hospitalized now images of pandemic deniers marching through berlin have shocked the world germany has been praised for its early response to the outbreak the mortality level from the corona virus is one of the world's lowest here but that success

ireland have won the toss and will bowl. at two o'clock and there's coverage and commentary on five live sports extra and the bbc sport website. there's also in—play video highlights and a highlights programme at half past eleven on bbc two. former winner shaun murphy has become the biggest casualty at this year's world snooker championship. trailing 6—3 overnight to thailand's noppon saengkham, murphy couldn't recover, eventually losing 10—4. saengkham will play either mark selby orjordan brown next. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. there has been a slight increase in the pass rate for nationals, highers and advanced highers in scotland. pupils' grades were based on estimates from their teachers, because the exams were cancelled due to covid—19. first minister nicola sturgeon addressed pupils during her daily briefing. i just want to return to the issue of the sqa results. 138,000 learners from across the country should by now have received their results and i am

let us start in northern ireland.face meeting with the irish taoisearch micheal martin since mrmartin got the job in june. the prime minister is also holding talks with the northern ireland first minister arlene foster and the deputy first minister michelle o'neill. the discussions will focus on northern ireland's response to covid—i9 and the uk's ongoing negotiations with the eu to reach a trade deal. mrjohnson will also announce plans to mark northern ireland's centenary year in 2021. arlene foster described the talks with the prime minister as constructive. let's listen to some of what she had to say. we have had a good engagement with the prime minister this morning. we covered a wide—range of issues. obviously we talked about brexit and the need for those promises in the command paper and protocol to be followed through on relation to unfettered access for northern ireland business services into great britain and in terms of goods coming from great britain into northern ireland. so we have continued to work with

the peace deal was a defining moment for northern ireland and forjohn hume.hat as a hero by pop stars and by presidents. mr president and mr clinton at a macro —— mrs clinton, as you can see from the people of derry, you are very, very welcome here today. after he was awarded the nobel prize, mr hume maintained his international friendships and statesman—like reputation but he gradually stepped down from his selected roles at stormont, westminster, and brussels as his health declined. in his later yea rs as his health declined. in his later years he was always greeted with admiration when he appeared at offence in his home city of derry. perhaps more than anyone else, john hume was recognised as the father of the peace process. john hume who has died at the age of 83. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... joe biden is expected to announce his vice presidential pick soon, we'll look at the runners and riders. the question was whether we wanted to save our people and the japanese as well and win the war or whether we wanted to take a chance on being able t

emma vardy is in northern ireland. let's go first to tomos morgan in wales.wales is that a higher proportion in wales have received between an a* and and a grade, the top grade for a level, but that's significantly less than what the teacher is assessed and estimated they should have. they estimated they should have. they estimated around 40% of pupils should receive top grade. now the watchdog here, qualifications wales, said that was to generous, so they revise that number which meant around 43% of pupils would get a lower grade than they were predicted by their teachers. following the outcry in scotland and england, the welsh education minister here, ki rsty welsh education minister here, kirsty williams, late yesterday made a pledge to all pupils in wales and said, because as levels, which are the exams ta ken said, because as levels, which are the exams taken in year 12, the year before a—levels, were taken earlier in the yearand before a—levels, were taken earlier in the year and were a reliable source of predicting grades in wales, she said no pupil in

after days of controversy about grading, students across england, wales and northern ireland are getting their a—level and vocational results. it means my uni place is secure at northumbria. very happy, yeah. we will see what the royal navy says first, whether or not it is good enough, but hopefully yeah. if you've just got or are about to get your results we'd love to hear from you. are you happy or not with your grades? are you going to appeal based on your mocks results or do you think you might need to take the exams in the autumn? do get in touch at annita—mcveigh on twitter or use #bbcyourquestions. in other news — investigators are working to identify what caused a train derailment in aberdeenshire in which three people died. coronavirus cases surge gci’oss much of europe, with germany, france and spain all registering a record number of infections. a major study suggests that almost 3.5 million people in england may have already had covid—19 — far more than the 270,000 confirmed cases. warnings of severe thunderstorms are in place across much of the uk — after record—setting high

schools in northern ireland have been closed for longer than in the other uk nations.ing experience for children, parents and teachers — a new term unlike any before. chris page, bbc news, belfast. that gives you an idea of what things are going to be like for younger children. here, this is one of the biggest secondary schools in northern ireland, more than 1500 pupils and i am joined by the assistant principal, rosemary. good morning, it will be a significant and busy morning for you, what has it been like so far? year 12 and year 14 have been coming in and we are pleased to see them, they seem happy. hopefully, they are feeling safe, we have a lot of new measures in place and we will get them used to that over the next coming days. they will be briefed this morning on the one—way systems, and hygiene, we have hand sanitiser is all over the school, there is one way science, social distancing science and form tutors will get them used to these new routines. quite a lot for staff and pupils to get used to, as expected. must have been a lot of work going on over the las

catholic ireland, with her continental allies, was a threat to protestant elizabeth.nglish adventurers. this part of ireland saw some of the worst atrocities carried out by men regarded as heroes in britain. and they would take the tactics and methods of colonial conquest, and export them from here across the world. men like sir walter raleigh, who took vast land holdings after the destruction of the native lords. the great poet edmund spencer was among those who defended starving civilians to deny food to rebels. thousands died in the famine which swept munster in the 1580s. i'm going back into the landscape of the munster conquest, along the river blackwater, to meet a leading expert on the elizabethan era here. it's good to see you, man. how ruthless was the imposition of colonial rule by these men? whatever it took. i mean, they killed men, women, and children. that's very much part of how the british empire emerges. it's forceful seizure and occupation. but go to the town of youghal at the river mouth, and walter raleigh is a tourist attraction. raleigh left irel

going to be very wet for parts of northern ireland and west of scotla nd of northern ireland and westr east you are with more sunshine. this is the culprit for this area of low—pressure moving in off of the atlantic charting to bring the rain initially to in ireland and scotland. there's isobar is on the chart is going to be pretty windy as well. initially that rain heavy with the brighter colours in therefore northern ireland, pushing across the receipt into the far north of england and many to scotland. it's made the western islands by the day. 40 or may be 50 mph gusts across the northwest and a breezy day further south, but like i mentioned that her chance of staying dry, 23 or 24 degrees here and the mid to upper teens associates. tuesday and that rain begins to slip southwards with much of northern england and north wales as well. for the spots of rain for the north but drier across other areas, start to importand drier across other areas, start to import and mileage are more humid air mass from the southwest and temperatures will form 15 degrees on tuesday night. into wednesday

possibly fewer showers than sunday in northern ireland. and, again, just a scattering for england and wales, but by the afternoon, particularly in eastern areas, they are likely to turn heavy with some thunder around, slow—moving downpours. but away from the showers in the sunshine, feeling pleasantly warm, but the wind will be picking up in the north west of scotland. why? because we've got our next weather front on its way in. so, through the course of the night, it's likely to turn quite wet through northern ireland and also quite mild with lots of low cloud around, so a very different feel to our weather, i think, across north—western areas as we head into tuesday. in fact, through tuesday and wednesday, it does look wetterfor a time, some significant rain around and some stronger winds. but, again, it doesn't last. so, this is the low pressure which will be responsible for that rain, 50—60 mm over the highlands of scotland, tightly packed isobars denoting some stronger winds for many through tuesday and wednesday further south as well

turning drier across northern ireland, feeling cool for scotland and northern ireland with some brisktemperatures across the south eastern corner of the uk. overnight the main clearing into the north sea and we are left with a lot of cloud but that should break up to give a few clear spells. another mild night the temperature is no lower than around 15 degrees in places but feeling fresher across scotla nd places but feeling fresher across scotland compared to the nightjust gone. tomorrow the frontal system i’u ns gone. tomorrow the frontal system runs into this area of high pressure and most of the rain will tend to fizzle out as it does so. link still have crowd which could bring some patchy rain and drizzle for a time but mostly dry date with some sunny spells trying to break through. a humid and warm feeling day, warmer thanit humid and warm feeling day, warmer than it has been recently across scotland, northern ireland and northern england. warmer still across the south—eastern corner, up to 26, 20 seven celsius. and temperatures rising further into friday. this frontal system ke

it was a short-lived trial for the northern ireland shut kerry -- ireland secretary.ive weeks later he was fired. the initial meeting of the assembly appointed the do you p -- appointed the dup. the scottish parliament voted 64-54 for a new referendum on scottish independence. the minister wants to hold the poll this year. for that to happen the prime minister has to agree. something he has rejected. she set out her case. basic, butg a fundamental principle. the principle that scotland future should be decided not by politicians that westman's will have not won a general election in scotland since the 1950's, but instead by all of us who live here and call scotland home. welet's be upfront about why are here. it's not because the first minister think she will hold the referendum, she knows it won't happen. the reason we were called here today is because she needs to convince the yes movement i her and beyond that something is happening. or that if something isn't actually happening, then don't worry, it will happen soon. what must be understood in this parliament, in

last night, people across the island of ireland and beyond lit candles.cejohn hume was so instrumental in securing. it's an imperfect peace but one that holds until this day — and that will bejohn hume's legacy. sarah girvin, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with alina jenkins. hello. so far this week, there's been some big contrast across the uk. very wet for parts of the north and the west — yesterday in scotland, today, across northern ireland and northwest england. this was cumbria earlier on this afternoon. meanwhile in the south and the east, it's been dry, there's been a good deal of sunshine and for many, away from the south coast this afternoon, it's been very warm. through thursday, most will be dry and warm. before we get there, we still have this frontal system still hanging around but slowly pushing its way eastwards overnight, so any early rain through this evening and the first part of the night will tend to fade away, so most places become dry. there will be quite a lot of cloud around, but it will thin and break to allow

the vast majority of gcses in northern ireland, 97%, are set by the northern ireland exams board overlevels. 0f government has authority but it is different with a—levels. of all the a—level is taken in northern ireland every year about one in five is actually set by an english exam board. so if there is a change announced in england as regards a—level and as—level results, that could affect out of attitude the stormont executive takes as regards its next steps in this issue. chris, thank you very much. tomos morgan, what is the situation in wales this morning? there is mounting pressure on kirsty williams, the welsh education minister, here after what happened in northern ireland. what happened in northern ireland. what happened on thursday last week. the situation in wales last week was that pupils were going to get their predicted grades but then qualifications wales, wales' equivalent of 0fqual in wales, said the teachers had been overly generous, so the teachers had been overly generous, so they downgraded 42% of pupils' exam results. however, very late in the day on wednesday ev

hello, another warm if not hot day for england and wales, a bit cool across northern ireland, scotland on the north of england. sunshine around for most of the rest of the day, but there will be more cloud feeding in to eastern and north—eastern coasts of england, parts of cornwall as well hanging on to more cloud. highest temperatures across central and southern england, up to 35 or 3a celsius across south—east england, the high teens or low 20s further north. this area of low cloud in the north sea starts to push its way westwards, some misty and murky conditions, perhaps some showers late in the night, another very muggy night for many, away from scotland and northern ireland, temperatures across southern england may not drop much below 20 celsius. for many of us tomorrow, we may start with a lot of cloud, misty and murky conditions, a few showers cropping up through parts of the midlands and northern england. for most, a mainly dry day, the cloud will thin and break so we will see some sunshine again, the highest ten bridges across central and southern england. hello this is bbc ne

england, wales, scotland and northern ireland all entered lockdown together in march.in charge of the lockdown rules in the four different nations, the uk began to look like a federal state. some of the issues were familiar, wherever you live. in scotland, more people died from the virus in care homes than in hospitals. mistakes were made at the start, and they have led to the excess deaths we see today. first minister, in light of the tragedy in uddingston and others, do you agree that when it comes to testing in care homes that by any standards, this is a failure? first minister. no, i don't. let me say, i'm not even speaking as first minister here, i'm speaking as a human being. i deeply regret every single death from this virus, and i think all of us are in that position. but i also know, and i said, i think the very first time i stood in this chamber and talked about what we were dealing with, i said that mistakes would be made. i said i would make mistakes, the government would make mistakes. we are dealing with an unprecedented situation, and i am sure that is t

not a clear—cut story, notice these frontal systems to the west, grazing northern ireland in westernup some much warmerair are starting to draw up some much warmer air from are starting to draw up some much warmer airfrom france. are starting to draw up some much warmer air from france. for are starting to draw up some much warmer airfrom france. for many of us on friday it is going to be a very us on friday it is going to be a very warm us on friday it is going to be a very warm if not hot. this is what is happening out to the west for northern ireland, western scotland, cloudier, breezier, some operates of rain, some could be heavy and perhaps just extending into rain, some could be heavy and perhapsjust extending into north england, west wales and south—west seamen for suffer much of the uk on friday, it will be dry, if not hot and we could see those temperatures once again around the london area getting into the mid—30s celsius, 34-35 getting into the mid—30s celsius, 34—35 celsius where keeping and i on the detail. through the weekend we see high—pressure building across the uk.

last night, people across the island of ireland and beyond lit candles.fect peace but one that holds until this day — and that will bejohn hume's legacy. sarah girvin, bbc news. a group of mps has criticised the government's failure to bring in border restrictions earlier, saying that mistakes accelerated the scale of the pandemic in the country. ministers insist they were guided by the science. here's our health editor hugh pym. the final ba flight from mainland china to london in late january, as concerns about coronavirus began to grow. officials at the time assumed the main risk was people arriving from asia. that proved to be wrong, with a lot more cases coming in from europe. now, a committee of mps says in subsequent weeks, the government should have implemented much tighter controls. by the time you get to early march, other countries were starting to bring in much stronger border measures. the uk was very much out on a limb. that alone should have rung alarm bells for ministers. they should have been saying, "why is our approach so different? why

i know that schools go back today in northern ireland and in leicestershi re northern ireland and inwhitty as well about there being a bigger risk of not sending children back to school. what are your medical thoughts? children haven't been at school since march and the whole reason of keeping them off school is that we were concerned that parents coming into school, the higher volume of congregation, the spread of the virus would be a lot more. children don't get affected but we were worried that children would pass it on to other vulnerable people in the community so we had to close the schools to protect lives and protect the pressure on the nhs. as we have come out of that, we have realised that children are the least affected, not .8% of admissions tutor covid—19 —— 0.8% of admissions from covid—19 is children under 18. there have been a couple of cases where children have had kawasaki disease but that is incredibly rare. we need to start getting confidence back, as we are easing out, getting pa rents back, as we are easing out, getting parents more confident sending their child

it will be cooler, fresher across scotland and northern ireland.er the next few days. gradually, the temperatures will get back to near normal by the end of the week and continue that way into the weekend. this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. anger on the streets of beirut. protesters call for reform as donors pledge $300 million to rebuild the lebanese capital. for years, lebanon has been buffeted by political corruption and mismanagement. but it's this catastrophe that has brought the country to its knees. aides of the hong kong media tycoon jimmy lai say he's been arrested for suspected collusion with foreign forces. clashes in belarus after pro—government exit polls suggest another landslide win for president lukashenko. australia's victoria state reports 19 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours — the country's deadliest day of the pandemic so far. hundreds of volunteers in mauritius are frantically

monday, away from scotland, isa bank ireland. holiday, high pressured the dominant fixture, may be rain later in the day into northern ireland and western scotland. but let's cast our mind back to the late august bank holiday last year, the warmest on record, 33 celsius in london and cambridge, something much different this year. but it will be dry, quiet, once again cloud starting to build, increasing across northern ireland and western scotland, patchy rain here by the end of the day. temperatures at best 16-18 c, this end of the day. temperatures at best 16—18 c, this year it could be the coolest late august bank holiday on record. looking ahead through tuesday and wednesday, our eyes turn to the atlantic, particularly on wednesday, deep area of low pressure tracking to the north of the uk bringing wet and windy weather, but probably not to the south of england, so some rain in the forecast in the week ahead, still not feeling particularly warm. bye— bye. this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and ar

well, there are similar frustrations among some student in northern ireland. more than a third of results had been downgraded. some 28,000 students here in northern ireland were receiving their results today and similar to elsewhere, they were based on those predicted grades from teachers then moderated and standardised by northern ireland's exam body. here also there has been widespread dismay and disappointment for some schools as more than a third of results, 37%, were lowered from the grades that were predicted by teachers. northern ireland's exam body has explained this to some degree saying it believes teachers can be overconfident sometimes and that if they had taken those predicted grades from teachers, they would have been a significantjump in results this year which they don't think would have been a fair reflection, but this has led to some strong criticism from schools, school saying they don't think the system worked, that it was erratic, it wasn't consistent. 0ne head teacher told the bbc they believe some people ‘s dreams and ambitions have been

the peace deal was a defining moment for northern ireland and forjohn hume.heralded as a hero by pop stars and by presidents. mr president and mrs clinton, as you can see from the people of derry, you are very, very welcome here today. after he was awarded the nobel prize, mr hume maintained his international friendships and statesman—like reputation but he gradually stepped down from his elected roles at stormont, westminster, and brussels as his health declined. in his later years he was always greeted with admiration when he appeared at events in his home city of derry. perhaps more than anyone else, john hume was recognised as the father of the peace process. john hume who has died at the age of 83. stay with us on bbc news, still to come — joe biden is expected to announce his vice presidential pick soon. we'll look at the runners and riders. the question was whether we wanted to save our people and japanese as well and win the war or whether we wanted to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at 2am t

and wales, parts of north ireland and parts of southwestern scotland.rmal ones. julie davis's workouts have been such a hit at her local hospital they are now being rolled out across the country, reaching 250,000 nhs staff. by day, julie davis works for the nhs in wolverhampton. in her spare time, she happens to be a champion power lifter. staying active is very important to julie, and lifter. staying active is very important tojulie, and she became worried her busy colleagues on the front line didn't have time to do the same. it's a fitness platform with videos for... so she came up with videos for... so she came up with the idea of doing our bit. with videos for... so she came up with the idea of doing our bitm lockdown we had a lot of nhs staff who were trying to stay active, but they were doing long shifts. it's a platform of dedicated fitness classes from some of the best instructors around that's completely free to nhs staff. and there's an extra personal touch.” free to nhs staff. and there's an extra personal touch. i am free to nhs staff. and t

infections in northern ireland have risen three—fold since earlyjuly.t to be light—touch but warns fines of up to £60 are possible. the home secretary priti patel has been out with the coastguard in dover as pressure grows to reduce the number of migrants crossing the channel from france. a boat of 20 syrian migrants was intercepted by border force this morning and 4,000 migrants have successfully crossed the channel in small boats this year alone. our home editor mark easton reports. on land. at sea. and in the air. today the government sought to reassure its citizens that it can control britain's borders. the home secretary here in the blue dress boarded a police patrol boat with a personal photographer to underline her determination to stop the dinghy is breaching uk sovereignty. she was unavailable for interview. where are you from? syria. the political persuasion is evident. today the prime minister suggested he might sound government lawyers into the maze of international laws and conventions that structures britain's responsibilities to migrants.

but quite warm for western scotland, northern ireland, north west england.ot that area of high pressure in the north. it starts to move away and allows the downpours that we're seeing in the south to move their way northwards. not just yet, though. saturday is very similar to friday. again it's wales, the midlands, east anglia, southern england that are likely to find some heavy, thundery rain, the threat again of some localised flooding. further north, generally dry, but that cloud lingering around some of those north sea coastal areas, keeping it on the cooler side. temperatures aren't going to change a great deal over the weekend, but we're likely to find those showers, still potentially heavy and thundery, moving further north into northern england, up towards northern ireland, threatening southern parts of scotland. some sunshine in between the downpours in the south, and the top temperature of 25 celsius. hello, welcome to outside source. donald trump announces an historic peace deal, between israel, and the united arab emirates. workers at some state—

champions celtic and red star belgrade have progressed to next week's second round while northern irelandns linfield have gone out to polish champions legia warsaw... the opening game of the new french season has been postponed because of four positive coronavirus tests at marseille. .. they were supposed to face st etienne on friday — before several members of their squad returned positive tests for covid—19. it was the first of eight fixtures due to be played this weekend. no league football has been played since the last campaign ended early, back in april, because of the pandemic. tottenham on a free transfer. this is the announcement video from social media. he's signed a two year deal after leaving burnley at the end ofjune and will provide back up to first choice goalkeeper hugo lloris. ronald koeman has arrived in barcelona ahead of his expected appointment as their new head coach. the current boss of the netherlands has been linked to the post since the catalan side were thrashed 8—2 by bayern munich in the quarterfinals of the champions league on friday. barcelona sacked their c

it was good fortune that he was born on the island of ireland. that? oh, yes. there really was. i saw of seeing that? oh, yes. there really was. i sanohn major issued a very nice statement as well. during that period ofjohn major, if we didn't have john during that period ofjohn major, if we didn't havejohn hume meeting gerry adams secretly and then being found out we wouldn't have got to the downing street declaration in 1993 and then the ceasefire in the downing street declaration in 1993 and then the ceasefire “119911. it 1993 and then the ceasefire in 1994. it was already clear that he was a giant of the peace process. he took big personal risks, both politically and in terms of his life, they paid off in the end. he started life as a teacher but went into politics because of his beliefs and pursued them doggedly, and it paid off in them doggedly, and it paid off in the end and that doesn't often happen in politics. it must feel like a privilege to have been involved. what did you take from it, working alongside people, individuals, humans, b

northern ireland and scotla nd for sleeping. northern ireland and scotland starting mostly cloudy.is up behind it, so after a bright start, heavier showers with in two. the rest of england and wales may catch a shower. low 20s, and it is of course race day tomorrow for the grand prix. a slight chance of catching a shower here. otherwise, it is looking like a dry day. let's take a look at the big picture into next week. monday mainly dry. to say, low pressure moving in so spell of rain for some of us. tuesday, it will be windier. there will be some rain around. temperatures for many of us in the teens. after we start the week of that, with much chance of seeing rain, it looks much warmer by the end of the week. hello this is bbc news with carrie gracie. the headlines: thousands of beauty salons, bowling alleys and wedding venues in the uk are facing at least another fortnight of closure following the government's plan to "squeeze the brake pedal" on easing restrictions. the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mexico has overtaken the uk's. it's now the third highest in the w

may —— major area of low pressure but a small area pushing up the isobars across the republic of irelandusts in excess republic of ireland with gusts in excess of 80 miles an hour, damaging and destructive weather. but not far to the east up through the irish sea and those areas boarding onto it we could through the night see gusts of wind in excess of 50, 60 miles an hour. but the wind is coming from the south so not cold by any means. 0nce the south so not cold by any means. once we push this area of cloud and rain away across scotland it ends up being a lovely summer day for the greater part of the british isles on thursday until another pulse of rain works in towards northern ireland, the western fringes and the wind freshening up again. that could be disruptive and damaging as they reach 50, 60 miles an hour. but what a contrast further east, blustery but the wind is southerly so it could be the warmest day of the week for you at a high of 25. then thursday and friday, it is that major area of low pressure, not storm allen which creeps towards the british isles and again friday more

one or two showers dotted about through northern scotland and into northern ireland.. but at least that northerly wind's easing, though it is still quite noticeable the further east you are in england. but it continues to die down overnight and we are left overnight with some cloud around, some clear spells, and temperatures dipping down once again, well down into single figures for some of us. maybe not quite as chilly as it was for some last night, where the temperatures, for example, got close to freezing in northern ireland. let's take a look, then, into bank holiday monday, except in scotland, where it isn't, and that high pressure still in control. there will be quite a bit of cloud around. some bright sunny spells. it will be a dry day out there with temperatures again in the mid, and just a few spots into the upper teens. there is a weather system approaching from the atlantic and it looks as if any rain from that will be very late in the day in northern ireland, but more especially overnight and into tuesday morning. as it slowly slips in, it is not a strong

and scotland —— northern ireland and scotland —— northern ireland and scotland —— northern ireland andthat. yet. it was arranged, about half past nine, the decision was made. we initially suggested 4am on sunday morning, but again, we couldn't really... there has been this confusion throughout the relaxation of lockdown, scotland is bring something, we do it... the more done together, there is not as much confusion. i think there was not a huge none of resistance put on by grant shapps, he went on with it, but you can imagine last night, you see the news on twitter, you're going to spit it out... there is going to spit it out... there is going to spit it out... there is going to be lots of grumpy people at the airport at the moment. they do not know there was a genetic and risk — look what happens in spain a few axial. it happens to grant shapps. i think a lot of people were ready for it but i think a lot of people don't want to quarantine, so thatis people don't want to quarantine, so that is why there is this exodus from france to get back and there is going to be a lot of people mak

northern ireland is getting a special deal and the right to decide their own future.offers scotland nothing. the lib dems, the most avowedly anti—leave party accepted it was time to move on. my passionate belief that the uk is better off as a proud member of the eu rather than being an irrelevant outsider has not melted away overnight. i will not cease to voice this opinion here and outside parliament, but i understand now the battle to stop brexit is over. the bill passed its first commons vote fulfilling borisjohnson's christmas lunch pledge. but when it got to the lord, the peers inflicted defeats. but the biggest row was over unaccompanied child refugees. a labour peer who himself came to britain as a child fleeing the nazis was unhappy that it would no longer allow children to come to the uk to be reunited with their families. the minister said the child refugees would be protected by other legislation. lord dubs was not satisfied. by giving young people legal routes to safety we are thwarting the traffickers as well as being humane in terms of giving them an opp

northern ireland will see a solicitor showers.ews. the headlines: pressure mounts over england's exam results fiasco, as the welsh government announces that a level and gcse students will now be awarded the grades predicted by their teachers. here we are the monday after a level results worrying there isn't a proper appeals process in place and that there is an confidence in the system frankly is not acceptable. northern ireland has also scrapped plans to take into account schools' past performances and instead will award gcse grades based solely on teacher estimates. and instead will award gcse grades anger on the streets of belarus — and instead will award gcse grades with a new wave of strikes to try to force president alexander lukashenko to step down. millions of self—employed workers in the uk can apply for a second coronavirus support grant, but for many it's too late. a break with convention for the democrats — no razzmatazz asjoe biden and kamala harris launch their golden ticket in the midst of a pandemic. sport now...an

one or two showers dotted about through northern scotland and into northern ireland.eft overnight with some cloud around, some clear spells, and temperatures dipping down once again, well down into single figures for some of us. maybe not quite as chilly as it was for some last night, where the temperatures, for example, got close to freezing in northern ireland. let‘s take a look, then, into bank holiday monday, except in scotland where it isn‘t, and that high pressure still in control, there will be quite a bit of cloud around. some bright sunny spells. it will be a dry day out there with temperatures again in the mid, and just a few spots into the upper teens. there is a weather system approaching from the atlantic and it looks as if any rain from that will be very late in the day in northern ireland, but more especially overnight and into tuesday morning. as it slowly slips in, it is not a strong weather system at all. it willjust bring a few outbreaks of rain across northern ireland into western scotland, where it mayjust stall on tuesday, so we keep some cloud h

no such problems though for ireland's katie taylor.but she won her rematch with belgium's delfine persoon on points — meaning she retains her four world titles. rugby union and saracens — despite their impeding relegation due to breaking salary cap rules — beat harlequins 38—24, denting their hopes of a top four finish in the premiership. well northampton saints took full advantage — closing the gap on fourth to just a point — with a bonus point victory over london irish. ahsee tuala with their fourth try in a bonus point 27—3 victory. elsewhere bath beat leicester. what a game in store for us tonight. it's the german champions bayern munich versus the french champions paris st germain in the champions league final. for bayern, victory would seal a european/domestic treble — just their second ever. while for psg, it would be the first time they're crowned champions of europe. either way — despite there being no fans in lisbon — former bayern and england player 0wen hargreeves believes it'll be a special night. it's beautifully poised.

and in northern ireland, temperatures will reach 20 degrees.est country, southeast england and east anglia. 33—34, possibly even 35 degrees to the west of london. into next week, the heat will slowly subside, and it is only very slowly, but we have got this increasing risk of some torrential rain and thunderstorms. that could start to develop on sunday night into monday morning, and the focus looks like it's more of these western areas with those storms pushing their way northwards. now, large parts of the country will still be dry and quite sunny. more sunshine, perhaps, around some of those north seacoasts. but, again, the highest temperatures are towards the southeast of the uk. now, what's happening is that higher pressure is less in charge of our weather. pressure is falling from the south, we've got a weather front trying to push in from the west as well. so the air is essentially destabilising, which is why we have got this increased risk of some very heavy and thundery rain. the devil is in the detail, and there is still a lot of uncert