leo varadkar has been very clear though that he does not negotiate about brexit on his own. does that, not ireland. so he says these discussions 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 b

they will talk about, from theresa may's point of view, she will be putting out her case, telling leo varadkartting out her case, telling leo va radkar what she wants putting out her case, telling leo varadkar what she wants as regards changes to the eu withdrawal agreement, particularly changes to the backstop, the guarantee that there will not be any new controls on the irish border under any circumstances, even if there is not a big free trade deal. she wants legally binding changes will stop ireland and the eu have been adamant that will not happen, negotiations on the backstop and the whole withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. the only option is for changes to the political declaration, the non—legally binding document that accompanies the withdrawal agreement. so ireland is very clear in their position. they have been very careful this week to say they are not bilateral talks between ireland and great britain on brexit, before he goes back to dublin to meet mrs may, leo varadkar will hold talks with the biggest storm and parties here. he has arrived in the last half an hour. among

theresa may is in dublin tonight, holding talks with the irish prime minister leo varadkar. to resolve issues over the so—called irish "backstop", the mechanism to prevent a hard border between northern ireland and the republic after brexit. mr varadkar was himself in belfast earlier today, urging political leaders at stormont to restore the power—sharing executive, which collapsed more than two years ago. our ireland correspondent emma vardy has this report. the neighbours, coming over for dinner. two countries, in the most difficult of times, trying to stay friends. at ireland's official state guest house, theresa may and the irish taoiseach, leo varadkar, discussed brexit over a private meal. earlier today, mr varadkar called in on his neighbours, too. northern ireland has been without a government since the parties fell out two years ago. but the tussle over the most controversial part of the brexit deal took centre stage. the decision that we have made as a european union is that the withdrawal agreement and the backstop are not up for negotiation. but we can talk about

shane, leo varadkar wants to restore confidence and trust but how is he going to do that?ected here very shortly. the irish government, and she said, is saying that these are not going to be brexit negotiations. they are going to be discussions. the official line here is that the talks are primarily about restoring devolution to northern ireland and protecting the good friday agreement. the two governments of the programme in terms of that agreement but there is an elephant in the room called brexit. the irish government has been insistent that there will be no renegotiation of there will be no renegotiation of the withdrawal agreement. but they are urging to look at the future political declaration. i have been floated about, changing the backstop such as technology, such as an exit clause for britain and such as a timeframe by which the uk to meet the european union's backstop as proposed. at the irish government has been consistently saying that those ideas have been tried, they have been tested and found wanting in the negotiations that led up to the withdrawal agreeme

at ireland's official state guest house, theresa may and the irish taoiseach, leo varadkar, discussedrivate meal. earlier today, mr varadkar called in on his neighbours, too. northern ireland has been without a government since the parties fell out two years ago, but the tussle over the most controversial part of the brexit deal took centre stage. the decision that we have made as a european union is that the withdrawal agreement and the backstop are not up for negotiation. but we can talk about the joint political declaration and what changes might be made to that. theresa may's partners in government are demanding more than ireland is willing to give. the important thing is that the backstop is the problem in the withdrawal agreement for most people in the house of commons, who voted against it by an overwhelming majority, and it is that that has got to be addressed. so no sign of any quick resolution here. ticket to dublin, please. next stop for leo varadkar was on down to dublin. the shuttle diplomacy continues. announcement: this train calls at dublin connolly. you'd hardly know

the irish prime minister leo varadkar has spoken of his determination to get a brexit agreement over the line. he's stressed a meeting with his british counterpart theresa may taking place in dublin was not for negotiations, as those must only be conducted with the european union. the king of thailand has denounced his sister's candidacy for prime minister, saying that such a move is inappropriate and unconstitutional. he said his elder sister would not be allowed to run for office because it was against tradition, even if she'd given up her official royal title. lung cancer screening trucks will be appearing in supermarket car parks under a new scheme across england. hundreds of thousands of people are to be tested in the next four years as part of an nhs drive to catch the disease early and improve survival rates. the £70 million initiative will target areas with the highest lung cancer death rates. here's our health editor, hugh pym. maria's arriving for what they're

i would congratulate leo varadkar on his stance.th north and south. who do you think should give way? i think london should, really. why? because we want peace to continue and if there is any danger is that not continuing, that would be the worry. as theresa may heads to dublin, over dinner at the two prime ministers will again try to find common ground. knowing it could affect so many livelihoods if they do not. we rely heavily on the uk as a trading partner, an awful lot of products from around the world, especially in this business, come through the uk into ireland. we are quite a small market and we rely on our larger neighbour. how do you think people in ireland will view theresa may's visit here? diplomacy. a shell of diplomacy. the show of doing the utmost, is that the most that can come probably not. both sides have agreed to keep on talking, but hope for the concessions theresa may needs is in danger of being snuffed out. well, this is where that private working dinner will take place tonight here in the official irish stat

i think we can now play the clip of leo varadkar speaking to donald tusk just the clip of leo varadkarhat comment from emily thornberry when she said we have a government treading water in the niagara river while the current texas over the falls, alluding to the possibility ofan falls, alluding to the possibility of an accidental no—deal brexit —— ta kes of an accidental no—deal brexit —— takes us over. what is your sense of where we are heading? it feels with those comments today that positions are hardening rather than looking more like compromise. paradoxically, i don't think mrs may will be that perturbed by the comments of donald tusk, either about the likes of borisjohnson tusk, either about the likes of boris johnson and nigel tusk, either about the likes of borisjohnson and nigel farage, or indeed about the prospects of a no deal. why? because part of mrs may's game plan, if you like, is to remorselessly crank up the pressure on her mps so that they really are facing the stark alternative of her deal, warts and all, or no deal and all that might entail. and so everything which

we note the dup are keen to have detailed discussions with leo varadkar. will that happen today?ing to meet him face—to—face, it would be the first time the leadership of the dup will have met with leo varadkar personally to the eu withdrawal agreement was published at the end of november and over the last week oi’ of november and over the last week or $0 of november and over the last week or so they have said they want to hold direct talks with the irish government to try to resolve the big issue in the brexit process, the backstop designed to stop any checks on the irish border under any circumstances. the irish government have been careful and consistent to say that they do not negotiate brexit on their own, only as part of the eu. officially, they have the talks with both northern ireland parties and with theresa may and they are said to be about the political crisis at stormont and trying to share the power—sharing devolved government in northern ireland after it collapsed and safeguarding the good friday agreement but no doubt that the impact on both of those issues is brex

the irish prime minister leo varadkar was in brussels, as well, he was with donald tusk and then he wentommission president, jean—claude juncker, and this the commission president, jean—claudejuncker, and this is what the irish prime minister had to say about the idea of there being alternative arrangements to the backstop as the mps in westminster voted for them last week. we have been quite creative already. the customs territory involving the uk, and at their request we had a review clause, and we provided a letter of guarantee, so i think we have been a very creative all along and maybe it is for those who have created this problem to be the creators now. then we heard from jean—claude juncker. creators now. then we heard from jean-claude juncker. the brexit issue is not the question between the republic of ireland and the uk, it isa the republic of ireland and the uk, it is a european issue. and that is why we 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

theresa may continued her efforts to secure a brexit deal, meeting the irish prime minister, leo varadkarher hopes of securing changes to the agreement. the irish government insisted the talks were not part of the official eu negotiations and the meeting was described by sources as "very warm". we're joined now by our political correspondent matthew cole. good morning, matthew. she had, what was it, it was a dinner, officially, and there were various clues as to what they would or would not be talking about. are we any the wiser this morning? not hurt too much about the conversation itself. good morning. we know more about the dinner. apparently a rather nice stea k dinner. apparently a rather nice steak and potatoes and green beans. we understand the conversation was warm and friendly. there they are going in to have that dinner. as for what went on inside, no hard negotiations. leo varadkar comedy irish prime minister comedy taoiseach made it clear that the eu is doing the negotiating on this, not ireland. this was a chance to share perspectives on where they are by that. both taoiseach

in terms of the discussions that leo varadkar talks. not negotiations is what leo varadkar is saying. what you think that we hope to get out of those? ahead of british and eu negotiators meeting on monday i suppose they will be trying to find if there is any kind of way forward, anything that could break the brexit deadlock. you have very to —— you had to very different possessions. theresa may wants a time limit to the backstop, but ireland and the eu had been adamant and very consistent this week that the negotiations on the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. there are changes possible to the political declaration, the document that companies withdrawal agreement that companies withdrawal agreement thatis that companies withdrawal agreement that is not legally binding, but the eu have been very clear that there will be not any more negotiation of the brexit agreement. goodbye to viewers on bbc two. detectors have been given further time to question a 24—year—old arrested in connection with the disappearance of libby square. the

a sketch of a plan how to cover its safe to provoke it of statement that irish prime minister leo varadkar predicted would not sit well with those it was aimed at. but. not only in the press the response coming out of westminster was fast and furious. and i don't recall even the president insulting members of this house members of the government and the british people in such a way. others took a step back to look at the bigger picture. earlier it. was just a third sometimes the truth hurts. for nigel farrar as the former leader of a euro skeptic ukip tests comment as proof of why britain wanted to leave the e.u. in the first place after bragg's it we will be free of unelected arrogant bullies like you and run our own country sounds more like heaven to me. heaven hell or somewhere in between it's up to theresa may. after meetings in belfast the prime minister is back in brussels seeking fresh concessions on the withdrawal agreement however neither donald tusk nor european commission president song called younker seem willing to renegotiate the deal. so as michelle just a short while ago to

i would congratulate leo varadkar on his stance.or irish interest, both north and south. who do you think should give way? i think london should, really. why? because we want peace to continue and if there is any danger of that not continuing, that would be the worry. as theresa may heads to dublin, over dinner at the two prime ministers will again try to find common ground. knowing it could affect so many livelihoods if they do not. we rely heavily on the uk as a trading partner, an awful lot of products from around the world, especially in this business, come through the uk into ireland. we are quite a small market and we rely on our larger neighbour. how do you think people in ireland will view theresa may's visit here? diplomacy. a shell of diplomacy. the show of doing the utmost, is that the most that can come probably not. both sides have agreed to keep on talking, but hope for the concessions theresa may needs is in danger of being snuffed out. the family of the cardiff city footballer, emiliano sala, say they can now begin t

because the special place in hell is all very well but its flowery language, but what we heard leo varadkarhel barnier‘s deputies and a german official were quoted all over the newspapers and airwaves when she was doing in its event at a think tank and she said, we spent two yea rs tank and she said, we spent two years looking for alternative arrangements in the brexit negotiations, we couldn't find them. she then said it was in the british negotiators' fault, she said it was because they don't exist yet. it's also worth remembering that with alternative arrangements, the eu has already committed in the withdrawal agreement to look for alternatives to the backstop. it'sjust agreement to look for alternatives to the backstop. it's just that they are not prepared to look for them now because they thought they wouldn't be able to find them. they are prepared to look for them in a transition period after brexit has happened and one of the things you hear from those involved happened and one of the things you hearfrom those involved in happened and one of the things you hear from those involved

there was another very interesting moment in a press conference where the irish prime minister, leo varadkarean—claude juncker, minister, leo varadkar, gave a thank you card tojean—claudejuncker, the president of the european commission and the text of a thank you card a p pa re ntly and the text of a thank you card apparently said, thanking jean—claude juncker for the first time ever. —— for the first time ever, ireland is stronger than britain. would you also thank jean—claude juncker and thanking brussels for strengthening ireland's hand? i think they have been extremely helpful to us and extremely helpful to us and extremely oil —— loyal to backing the good friday agreement so i welcome the solidarity that we've had but i equally don't want to see, the interests of the uk and ireland in all of these are enormous. i have no interest in us going to the back —— going back to the days of the past where we have a critical and a sliding match, as we say in dublin, with each other. that would get us nowhere. both our economies are too important, the jobs, the nowhere. both our economies are too

the greeting was warm, but how were their talks, as mrs may and ireland's leo varadkar discuss her brexit of four children in a house fire in stafford,

the council stands behind him, the commission stands behind him —— leo varadkar.e able to negotiate a time limitation. but how that will help her with her brexiteer friends in parliament that will help her with her brexiteerfriends in parliament i don't know. she spent yesterday in belfast meeting with the five parties in stormont, highlighted on this front page, may gets nowhere in northern ireland, very, very big, significant differences between the different parties. sinn fein, the dup, they are all on different... huge, but what was interesting was the dup, who used to be very "no backstop" said, "maybe we need to extend article 50 so we can get through that", so i can see a little nudging. it is going to be tough. right on valentine's day, these people won't go home at 3:26pm. this picture at the bottom of westminster with an empty house of commons, to be fairto them, with an empty house of commons, to be fair to them, the house has been for hours hours and hours and they have had very long days for several days, haven't they, in recent weeks. yes, absolutely

set to travel to dublin to discuss the northern ireland backstop with the irish prime minister, leo varadkarare making the headlines in the media across the world. we begin with the mail online. it accuses eu council prsident donald tusk of twisting the knife again into britain's bid to leave europe after he allegedly told uk prime minister theresa may that uk labour leaderjeremy corbyn‘s new plan for brexit ‘could be a way out of the current impasse'. the times leads with a warning (ani) from the bank of england that the economy would grow this year at its slowest rate since the financial crash a decade ago. the bank slashed its growth forecast and cautioned that there was a one—in—four chance of recession by the summer. meanwhile the ft says a secret group at the heart of the uk government is drawing up plans to kickstart the british economy in the event of a no—deal brexit, with options ranging from cutting taxes and slashing tariffs. 0n the front of the guardian, social media giant instagram has announced that it will ban all graphic self—harm images as part of a series of changes made i

. —— leo varadkar.friday for meetings with the parties and then theresa may on thursday will meet eu leaders. all these key meetings this week all about that crunch issue of the irish border. they will all be watched very carefully to see whether any of the parties are in this whole negotiation process, might show any sign of compromise or sign of moving towards something that theresa may can get through parliament, but with all sides in this negotiation very much dug into their positions at the moment, at the moment it looks like a very big ask. perversely, theresa may has got the complete opposite message to deliver to certain people at westminster. while she is in belfast, to businesses at least she has to say, yes, there has been a bit of a u—turn but not too much of a u—turn, but to the brexiteer blue, she has to see that u—turn has been pretty substantial? there has to be a change to the arrangement as it stands because it was heavily defeated in the house of commons. downing street have confirmed

leo varadkar going to have a working dinner tonight with theresa may in dublin.sential to this process and will continue to work with the conservatives. jamie robertson is here — in a moment he will be telling us the latest business news. first a look at the headlines on afternoon live. the billionaire businessman, sir philip green — who's facing claims of sexual and racial harassment — has dropped his legal action against the telegraph but has strongly condemned the paper's reporting. politicians from belfast and dublin meet to try to break the brexit deadlock over the irish backstop ahead of the irish prime minister's working dinner with theresa may. the british actor albert finney has died at the age of 82, following a short illness. here's your business headlines on afternoon live. the world's richest man, amazon founderjeff bezos, has accused the owner of a us gossip magazine of trying to blackmail him over lewd pictures. mr bezos, who owns the washington post, said the national enquirer‘s parent company wanted him to stop investigating how they had obtained

reporter: a provocative statement that irish prime minister leo varadkar predicted would not sit wellith those it was aimed at. not only in the press. the response coming out of westminster was fast and furious. >> i don't recacall, sir, any president insulting members of this hououse, members of the government, and the e british people in such a way. reporter: others took a step back to look at the bigger picture. >> welell, mr. speaker, sometims the truth hurts, doesn't it? reporter: for nigel farage, the former leader of the eurosceptic group, tusk's comment approved why they wanted to leave the eu in the first place. after brexit we will be free of unelected, arrogant bullies like you and run our own country. sounds more like heaven to me. heaven, hell, or somewhere in between. it is up to theresa may. after meetings in belfast totod, the british prime ministster wil be b bk in brussssels tomorrrrow seekeking fresesh concessions oe withdrawal agreement. however, neither donald tusk nor european commission president jean-claude juncker are open to renegotiate the deal. brent: very

but irish taoiseach, leo varadkar, made it clear beforehand this was not going to bea clear beforehandt negotiation on the brexit deal because the eu do that asa brexit deal because the eu do that as a block. i went on its own does not have the right to carry on negotiations. this was about perspectives, letting each other know where they were at. theresa may and layover i could have been around brussels and belfast this week. still looking for a deal, not least on the northern ireland border issue, some developments could happen in parliament later this week which could shape the direction of where things go from here. more than one—thousand stabbing victims, aged between ten and 19, spent at a least one night in hospital in the 12 months to last march. there's been a 54% rise in the number of young people treated for knife wounds in england over the past five years, according to nhs figures. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw reports. the youngest victim to die in a knife attack this year, jaden moodie, was stabbed to death after being knocked off a moped. an 18—year—old man h

well he was stood alongside the irish prime minister leo varadkar while he was saying that at the end of the press conference the mikes did pick up the irish leaning in and saying the british press are going to give you plenty of stick for this they've done exactly that we'll get a bit of the reaction from politicians first though andreea led some who's the leader of the house of commons said that dalton must apologize while the british home secretary has said that he was out of order this is also being accompanied by well every arch breaks a tear in the british press that it's a round clip showing their pearls rending garments and saying see see this this is why we told you we wanted to leave because they're mean to us and they say mean things. times has really been the good cop when it comes to relations dealings with the british side over break this time around though after his statements about a special place in hell it fell to the european commission president john claude younker to try and lighten the spirits a little bit although only he could manage ship it dark humor really.

irish prime minister leo varadkar was in brussels on wednesday for talks with the usually doesn't how to salvage the brexit deal. and some top the complexity of the crisis. is not just a question. of maintaining that the peace process at the good friday agreement it is also a question of making sure that we protect the single market in the customs union. on that island doesn't become a back door to the single market in the customs union. he usually does one once again that means divorce still which she failed to get approved in parliament will not be re opened. and president of the european council donald test revealed his own frustration with the crisis by mococking those in favor of a hard for accents. that i've been wondering. what the special place? in her looks like for those. who promoted by feet? without even a s sketch of a plan how to carry [inaudible] a few. the commons ruffled feathers across the channel particularly amongst your skeptic mps. became as a british prime minister was meeting with northern ireland's five main political leaders of stormont to racial them if the

travel to dublin today to discuss the northern ireland backstop with the irish prime minister, leo varadkarts legally binding assurances that there won't be checks along the border, but the issue remains the main sticking point in the brexit negotiations. new details have emerged about a possible third man linked to the poisoning of sergei and yulia skripal in salisbury last march. the investigative website bellingcat says a man calling himself sergey fedotov may also have been in bulgaria at the time of a possible poisoning there. russia has consistently denied any involvement in the poisonings. australian intelligence agencies are investigating a possible hacking attack on the national parliament, reports say they are trying to determine whether any foreign countries, including china, might have been behind this attack. staff have been behind this attack. staff have been behind this attack. staff have been told to be set all passwords as a result. —— reset. thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in new zealand's south island, where a spreading forest fire has already bur

the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, has spoken of his determination to get a brexit agreement over the line. he's stressed a meeting with his british counterpart theresa may, taking place in dublin, was not for negotiations, as those must only be conducted with the european union. the king of thailand has denounced his sister's candidacy for prime minister, saying that such a move is inappropriate and unconstitutional. he said his elder sister would not be allowed to run for office because it was against tradition, even if she'd given up her official royal title. now on bbc news, click. this week, extreme weather predictions. on the mend with vr. and... uh... the last four years have been the hottest on record. the climate is changing. average global cabbages are rising. as we continue to release more co2 into the atmosphere, scientists are repeating their warning that humanity faces six in -- their warning that humanity faces six in —— increasingly difficult decisions about our future. nonna it will require reducing our carbon dioxide emissions over the coming decades. the implica

british prime minister theresa may will hold talks with her irish counterpart leo varadkar in dublin later may is seeking changes to the so-called backstop a plan to avoid a return to a hard border and ireland the backstop is the main sticking point in the brics and negotiations. amazon boss jeff bezos the richest man in the world has accused the publisher of an american tabloid newspaper of blackmail he alleges that the national enquirer threatened to publish intimate photos of him and his lover if he did not do as it wished in a long running public or political dispute i should say a sixteen year old boy has been pulled alive from the rubble of wednesday's building collapse in istanbul he is the fourteenth person to be rescued from the wreckage eleven bodies have been recovered the cause of the collapse is still being investigated. british actor albert finney has died at the age of eighty two his career spanned five decades but he was best known for his one nine hundred sixty three starring role in the film tom jones he was nominated for the oscar five times in his later in his lat

british prime minister theresa may will hold talks with her irish counterpart leo varadkar in dublin later may is seeking changes to the so-called backstop a plan to avoid a return to a hard border in ireland while the backstop is the main sticking point in the present negotiations. with italy has begun removing a large section of a motorway bridge that collapsed last year the operation in the northern city of genoa is expected to take some eight hours the crossing partially collapsed back in august during high winds forty three people were killed and dozens injured. kevin chiles uncle america has confirmed reports that berlin has reached a compromise with paris over the north stream two pipeline friends have raised objections about the pipeline which will supply russian gas directly to germany it had threatened to use european union regulations to halt construction but chancellor merkel says that stumbling block has now been removed is this enough to doesn't see if we have indeed reached an agreement regarding the gas pipeline regulations and we reached it because germany and france

there was another very interesting moment at a press conference when the irish prime minister, leo varadkarof the european commission and it subsequently came out the text of what the thank you card from someone in dublin was, it apparently said, thanking jean—claude juncker for the first time ever, ireland is stronger than britain. would you also thank jean—claude juncker and thanking —— thank brussels for strengthening ireland's hand ? i think they have been extremely helpful to us and extremely loyal in backing the good friday agreement, so i welcome the solidarity that we've had, but i equally don't want to see — like, the interests of the uk and ireland in all of this are enormous. i have no interest in us going back to the days of the past when we have a critical match and a slagging match, as we'd say in dublin, with each other. that would get none of us anywhere. both our economies are too important, the jobs of our people, the trade we do with each other, the relationship of agricultural community and to the british consumers for food, all these things are hugely important to the i

exactly why he wants the legal guarantee and a solution that he knows will last —— lee over at —— leo varadkaresident 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 nuclear summit with north korea's leader at the end of the month, and he condemned what he called the "ridiculous" investigations against him into alleged russian collusion. our washington correspondent chris buckler reports. the president of the united states! it's a sign of the political state of this union that this address had to be delayed. democrats initially withdrew donald trump's invitation to speak amid a partial government shutdown. we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution, and embrace the fabulous potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good. —— the boundless potential of

theresa may wherever she is and that is exactly why she is here, and she will see the irish leader leo varadkaras well as the critical voice of angela merkel, the german chancellor. the announcement of a new date today may have been designed to cool some of those tempers at home but there will still bea tempers at home but there will still be a concerted effort in parliament this week to try to force her to say, ok, if i can't get a deal through this month, if i can't get i wa nt through this month, if i can't get i want from the eu leaders that she is trying to press, then i will push a delay button on brexit. and remember, all along that's been something the prime minister has been extremely reluctant to do, not just because she feels the referendum and what she has done since then is repeatedly make a promise to the public that we will leave on time, but also because if she does flirt with the idea of delay then the fury of the brexiteer wing of her party could be brought to bear in a pretty heavy way because, as ever, there are tonight real suspicions on the eurosceptic fringe of the party

he was speaking after talks in brussels with the irish prime minister leo varadkar.of what donald tusk had to say. the top priority for us remains the issue of the border on the island of ireland and the guarantee to maintain the peace process in accordance with the good friday agreement. there is no room for speculation here. the eu itself is first and foremost a peace project. we will not gamble with peace, or put a sell by date on reconciliation. and this is why we insist on the backstop. give a believeable guarantee of peace in northern ireland and the uk will leave the eu a trusted friend. i hope the uk government will present the idea that both will respect this point of view, and at the same time, command a stable and clear majority in the house of commons. i strongly believe that a common solution is possible and i will do everything in my power to find it. a sense of responsibility also tells us to prepare for a possible fiasco. the taoiseach and i have spoken about the necessary actions in case of no deal. i know that you will also be discussing this shortl

is meeting with angela merkel of germany and then she will meet mark rutte, the irish taoiseach leo varadkar. i spoke to some of them on the black carpet as they made their way into the conference will stop jean—claude juncker said to me he has brexit fatigue. he came 500 miles to get to egypt from brussels that he can't escape brexit. but with 30 days to 90, escape brexit. but with 30 days to go, just over until potentially no deal, he is going to have to take it head on. the dutch prime minister, mark rutte, also telling me he now believes that he is not optimistic of any kind of deal. he believes that it's more likely to see a no deal. thanks, gavin. let's speak now to our assistant political editor norman smith. another man who can't escape the brexit issue. laughter norman, is it a fever pitch in westminster, today? a brief lull, i would say. we are waiting for mrs may to come back tomorrow, when she will deliver a statement to mps. amid signs that momentum really now is building up for some form of delay. the decision taken yesterday by mrs may to put back a vote on her deal potentiall

mr tusk was meeting the irish leader leo varadkar today.h of a plan how to carry it out. you were not supposed to do that! a rare moment of unity in a divided america — congress celebrates a record number of women in national politics — during president trump's state of the union address. the parents of molly russell — who took her own life in 2017 — have been unsuccessful in their attempts to access her social media data, which they believe could help them to understand her suicide. there's a warning on global warming, as the met office predicts we are in the middle of what is likely to be the hottest decade since records began. the french club nantes has demanded payment from cardiff city over the £15 million transfer of emiliano sala. mr sala's body has still not been recovered after his plane crashed into the sea near guernsey last month. in a moment, it will be time for sportsday but first a look

rest of the house knows what is needed to pass the withdrawal agreement, that the stance taken by leo varadkar the stance being taken by him and others could lead to the very outcome they say they wish to avoid. the right honourable gentleman is absolutely right in relation to concerns that have been expressed about the relationship between northern ireland and great britain in trading, and the issue of potential regulatory barriers there, it is an issue we have both discussed on a number of occasions. he is also right, we talk about what it takes in this house to ensure that we agree a deal, but that deal needs to be agreed with the eu, of course, and that means that all members of the eu 27 have to agree that deal. i was able to have cordial and constructive talks with the tea shop on friday, is the right honourable gentleman has referenced his own talks, and i hope and trust andi his own talks, and i hope and trust and i do believe that all sitting around the table wants to ensure that we deliver a deal that delivers on the commitments of the people of northern ireland, can be passed on thi

theresa may will hold talks in dublin this evening with the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, to tryaradkar is in belfast this afternoon, talking to northern ireland's political parties. it's the first time he's done so since the draft withdrawal agreement was published in november. our ireland correspondent chris page is in belfast. in the run—up to these talks, the irish government have been careful to stress these are not negotiations. the european union carries out brexit negotiations so these are discussions. they are officially being built more about the political crisis in northern ireland, the lack of government at stormont. there is no doubt that because brexit is the main issue which impacts on everything else which impacts on everything else which is going on politically in ireland, brexit has been high on the agenda in these discussions. one thing the overt care was asked about was the latest labour party proposals, the proposals from jeremy corbyn, britain remaining in a permanent customs union. he said the proposal were interesting. the dup with a first party to meet wi

premier leo varadkar is coming from belfast -- where he has been consulting with northern irish leaders. he and prime minister may will talk about one of the biggest hold-ups in the brexit talks - a "backstop" agreement on the irish border."the irish government and the european union are all one when it comes to brexit. and i'm sure people if they haven't realized that for the past two years they're coming to realize the decision that we've made as a european union is that the withdrawal agreement and the backstop are not up for negotiation." (pam)(pam)prevent a hard border with ireland .... and allow people and goods to travel between hern ireland and the republic of ireland ... with fewer restrictions. this is happening, as the brexit talks are ongoing .. and the british government is receiving a lot of pushback from the e-u...(ken) the people of ireland have a lot of concerns and questions about what happens next. cnn's nic robertson has more from dublin. nic robertson, dublin: "'don't be afraid.' the last words of legendary irish poet seamus heaney. they have a prophetic feel in dub

can dinner with leo varadkar held a brexit breakthrough? and jaguar meets the bears. slumps, the most in 26 years after a nearly $4 billion write-down on its luxury jlr unit. we are live in mumbai. welcome to bloomberg markets, this is the european open. i'm matt miller in berlin, alongside anna edwards in london. anna: 30 minutes into the trading day, autos and auto parts story, we talked a little bit, it is on the downside. a scandinavian flavor going to the upside. they beat estimates. businesses bounce back continues after wirecard. by 1.5%. they had numbers out today confirming that the luxury company in paris. let's move to the downside and look at the movers lower. movingsome of those lower, down by 2.5%. this is for the companies that supply the auto sector, the warning keeping that story on the front pages from a business perspective. rockwell is a danish building materials business. they missed estimates, that stock is weaker. down by 7.7% on the back of their dividends policy. that seems to have captured the market's imagination. the big concern is around t

mr tusk was meeting with the irish taoiseach, leo varadkar ahead of theresa may's visit to brussels tomorrowiscuss the irish backstop. in his opening remarks it seemed mr tusk was still working to work towards a solution. but then came this, a comment he had clearly prepared and scripted. by the way, i've been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it. mr tusk also tweeted his thoughts, for the avoidance of any doubt. and to add insult to injury he was then caught on an open mic laughing about the likely angry response from the uk. thank you. you'll be in terrible trouble with the british press. yeah! leo va radkar was right. there was going to be a response in the british press. mr tusk‘s latest outburst has landed badly with some in the uk 7 with the cabinet minister andrea leadsom the first to weigh in. it is the sign of a charming fellow. the man has no manners. it is unhelpful, regrettable, but it is a matter for him. what do we make of all that? katya adler, is in brussels for us. quite the curtain