the ft has picked up on a interview with leo varadkar. interesting because it is talking about one of the first big battles of the eu trade talks that will start taking place after brexit, starting in march probably and what leo varadkar is saying is that britain will have to be flexible about these trade talks. if we want certain concessions on financial services, we will have to let the eu fishing boats have access to our waters. the vote leave out campaign was saying pa rt of vote leave out campaign was saying part of the attraction of brexit was that fishermen would get control of british waters again and we wouldn't have all these foreign boats coming in and fishing for our fish. and it seems very much it is going to have to be one of the areas of negotiation and that fishing rights could be a bargaining chip when we wa nt could be a bargaining chip when we want to try and get something out of the eu. and financial markets is actually crucial to our entire economy to be able to raise taxes and distributed across the country and distr

the irish prime minister leo varadkar is also arriving here at stormont this afternoon.ur correspondent chris page in stormont there. a volcano in the philippines which has been spewing lava and ash could erupt "within hours or days," according to the authorities there. thousands of people in the area, which is south of the capital manila, have been forced to leave their homes. from the philippines, our correspondent howard johnson reports. volcanic lightning, a spectacular event that confirmed taal volcano had entered a more dangerous phase. the philippine authorities say the volcano is at alert level four out of a maximum of five, a waning that means a hazardous eruption could occur within hours or days. today, thick black ash billowed out of the volcano scientists confirmed it had begun spew lava. close to taal volcano, a steady flow of local residents left the iii—kilometre exclusion zone. translation: when it started to drop ash in our area that is when we decided to evacuate. when we were at the boundary there were numerous shakes. we experienced around 100 tremors

leo varadkar has held many of the cards.now a small country. he might claim that, but as one phase of brexit closes, another opens. so, does the eu or uk hold the power in round two? we have a population and a market of a50 million people. the uk, it's about 60. so, if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team ? so long as we're united. the next step, of course, is getting a trade deal. the uk wants it done in a year. is that realistic? i don't think it can be done quickly. we are going to try, and i am committed to trying, and the european union is as well, but it is going to be difficult to do this. this idea of doing things piecemeal, which has been suggested privately by some in the uk government as well. when i hear people talking about piecemeal, it sounds a bit like cake and eat it, you know, "let's have the trade "deal in the areas where we have an advantage but not "in the areas where we don't," and that's not fair, and that isn't something that will fly in e

leo varadkar has held many of the cards.hey are now a small country. he might claim that, but as one phase of brexit closes, another opens. so, does the eu or uk hold the power in round two? we have a population and a market of a50 million people. the uk, it's about 60. so, if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team ? so long as we're united. the next step, of course, is getting a trade deal. the uk wants it done in a year. is that realistic? i don't think it can be done quickly. we are going to try, and i am committed to trying, and the european union is as well, but it is going to be difficult to do this. this idea of doing things piecemeal, which has been suggested privately by some in the uk government as well. when i hear people talking about piecemeal, it sounds a bit like cake and eat it, you know, "let's have the trade "deal in the areas where we have an advantage but not "in the areas where we don't," and that's not fair, and that isn't something that will

the taoiseach, leo varadkar, has relied ona taoiseach, leo varadkar, has relied on a confidence and supplydependent members of the irish parliament. we knew an election was coming, there had been plenty of speculation about an early election. we thought may be in the summer, but we think that is now moving to early february. why now? the government has had lots going on externally, not just has had lots going on externally, notjust in terms of domestic issues. first of all, we had brexit. ireland's deputy prime minister simon cove and he has been at the forefront of those negotiates with the european union in a bid to protect ireland's case within europe and its interests in a post brexit world. given this deal on the table has been passed through the uk's parliament, that has all but been moved to one side. the other issue ireland has been focusing on is stormont and getting the institutions back up and running in northern ireland. ireland has an interest in that. it is obliged to oversee that power—sharing is back up oversee that power—sharing is back up and running. yesterday the assemb

the prime minister borisjohnson and the taisoeach leo varadkar have been in belfast, meeting membersent. mrjohnson says it's a "historic time" for the people of northern ireland, after power—sharing was restored on saturday, after a three—year stalemate. our ireland correspondent chris page is at stormont with the latest. let's just underline the importance of what's been achieved here. that's right, for so long, stormont has been empty and so often felt even forewarned but now it is a place of power again and the first official visitors since was restored was borisjohnson visitors since was restored was boris johnson and leo visitors since was restored was borisjohnson and leo varadkar. mr johnson has said he put his stamp of approval on the first official... —— asi approval on the first official... —— as i was of arrector... the first official visit to the headquarters of the government which hasn't existed for more than 1,000 days. many wondered if the deal would ever be sealed. but after months of negotiations, the power—sharing coalition is back, headed by the democratic unionis

the irish prime minster, leo varadkar, says he's made a decision on the timing of a general electionmet his cabinet on tuesday. speculation has been growing that the country will go to the polls in february. for more details on why mr varadkar made the announcement now, i've been speaking to our correspondent richard morgan in belfast. ireland's government has been a minority government since 2016. the taoiseach, leo varadkar, has relied on a confidence and supply agreement with the main opposition party fianna fail and on the votes of independent members of the irish parliament. we knew an election was coming, there had been plenty of speculation about an early election. we thought maybe in the summer, but we think that is now moving we think to early february. why now? the government has had lots going on externally, notjust in terms of domestic issues. first of all, we have brexit. ireland's deputy prime minister simon coveney has been at the forefront of those negotiates with the european union in a bid to protect ireland's place within europe and its interests in a post—brexit w

the prime minister, borisjohnson, and his irish counterpart, taioseach leo varadkar, visited belfasttion of devolved government to northern ireland. speaking at stormont, the home of the northern ireland assembly, the prime minister praised all sides for putting aside their differences and striking a deal after three years of political deadlock. part of the deal was the promise of significant extra funding for northern ireland, as our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. and a warning, her report contains some flashing images. high windscreen the prime minister ina high windscreen the prime minister in a place that's had to weather many storms. northern ireland's new parish sharing government between sinn fein and the democratic marks the end of three years of fighting, division and pain. with an irreverent nod to tony blair before the good friday agreement, boris johnson gave this new political venture his enthusiastic support. never mind the hand of history on my shoulder, i see the hand of history... i see the hand of the future! i see the hand of the future beckoning us forw

borisjohnson is going to arrive here, along with leo varadkar. governments are seeing this as a success, getting the assembly back up success, getting the assembly back up and running the top of course, the irish government is facing an election in the near future the irish government is facing an election in the nearfuture but before his visit, borisjohnson released a statement saying this is an historic time of —— for the people of northern ireland. stormont is open for business again and the executive can now move forward with improving people ‘s lives. this deal that those parties are signed up to this full of very expensive promises so this full of very expensive promises so today is notjust going to be a photocall. the assembly members here and the executive are going to want to know whether money is going to come from to pay for the schools, hospitals and the big infrastructure projects so they will be hoping that boris and leo varadkar bring their check looks here to northern ireland today. thank you very much. more protests have been tak

borisjohnson and the person who held the keys to a deal here, which was the irish prime minister, leo varadkars so much of this cannot happen and this cannot happen, and i always say this — it is about the politics, right? we get two politicians who can actually look each other in the eye and get on and say, "we both need to fix this" and the problem is theresa may never had that relationship. she found it very difficult to build up relationships with her counterparts and there was never any small talk — she and leo varadkar didn't really get on. borisjohnson by that point, he was desperate for a deal. he never wanted to take people out without a deal. if you talk to the inner inner core in number 10, there was work going on between david frost and counterparts, they knew what was possible. it might not be possible to know what the boundaries were but there was a huge concession to get the eu to open a withdrawal agreement which were told they cannot do at that point. the decision was did they throw the dup under the bus or not — the northern irish allies that borisjohnson relied on in parliam

ireleand's taiseoch, leo varadkar, has told the bbc the eu will be the ‘stronger team' when the talksrs of the country. and the founding father of my party. the past and the present have been part of brexit‘s haggling, with one of the leaders in the fight for irish independence supervising him from the office wall, leo varadkar has held many of the cards. i don't think the uk has yet come to terms with the fact it is is now a small country. he might claim that, but as one phase of brexit closes, another opens. so does the eu or the uk hold the power in round two? we have a population and a market of a50 million people, the uk is about 60. if these were two teams against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team ? so long as we are united. do you think at any point it was fairto do you think at any point it was fair to say that ireland was being stubborn? what would you say to them? a lot of people in westminster don't understand ireland, yes, britain has a very powerful, colonial history and i think there we re colonial history and i think there were people w

. promises, now we need the money. -- datsyuk leo varadkar.ll hold talks with the duke and duchess of sussex to find a way forward for the couple after their decision to step back from royal duties. labour leadership contenders are making their last pitches ahead of the deadline for nominations this afternoon. they need to get the backing of 22 mps and meps to make it on to the ballot authorities in the philippines are warning a hazardous eruption is possible within hours or days after a volcano began spewing lava. in the sport, sergio aguero becomes the premiership‘s record ever scrub with a hat—trick in the 6—1win at aston villa. wales and british lions playerjames hook aston villa. wales and british lions player james hook has aston villa. wales and british lions playerjames hook has announced he will retire from rugby at the end of the season, he wants to focus on writing rugby themed children's books and a career in coaching. and the kansas city chiefs came from 24-0 the kansas city chiefs came from 211—0 down to beat the houston texans t

the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, also came to endorse the new deal, which includes promises ofitish government coming northern ireland's way. the money will end strikes by health workers over pay and help plug a major shortfall in school budgets, as well as contribute towards new infrastructure. there's also commitments to reduce waiting lists at hospitals, which are the longest in the uk. liz only has sight in one eye, and is one of thousands of people told they face years waiting for cataract operations. hopefully, they will get the national health service back up and running. but northern ireland already has the highest public spending per person in the uk, at around £11,500 per head, compared with the uk average ofjust 9,500, and yet northern ireland's public services are under severe strain. last year, more than 100,000 people in northern ireland had been waiting more than a year to see a consultant. in england, it was far less, atjust over 1,000. the prime minister's visit marks a new era, but there's a whole raft of problems for stormont to address after such a long time

what exactly has leo varadkar been saying? another big week in brexit.r relationship with europe looks like in the future. trying to get a trade deal by the end of the year. this is one of leo varadkar‘s first interview with a uk broadcaster and he talked about how he thinks the process will go and has gone so far. a couple of key things. he's basically wanting the uk that the eu is going have the upper hand into this because it has a bigger population and it has a far bigger economy. he also that the uk came to brexit dogs and misunderstood how europe was going to approach things. have a listen. we really understand a lot about britain but i think a lot of british people don't understand a lot about ireland, including your politicians. and that's what was very badly exposed, i think, during the whole brexit process. a lot of people in britain underestimated the fact that european partners will stay by us. britain has a very powerful history, a very colonial history and i think there are people in britain who thought that france, germany and britain woul

leo varadkar faces an election, and his influence may fade away. unseat the left in a key election in the country's north. this election had been seen as a test of italy's national coalition government. a high turnout ensured the democratic pa rty‘s incumbent candidate maintained control. mr salvini campaigned extensively in emilia—romagna, hoping a victory there would force snap elections. mr salvini quit the coalition last summer — but was using this vote as a platform for his return to power. james, you were our rome correspondent got you left in september and i'm right in thinking around that time matteo savini... he left about the same time, we didn't coordinate! didn't he say he would back in government quickly. he said he wanted to come back as soon as he said he wanted to come back as soon as possible so he needed to find an election where he could triumph and destroy the centre—left populace coalition. this was the election, did not work. that is a setback to him because his attempt to get back into power has been curtailed and essentially

leo varadkar faces an election and his influence may fade away, but ireland will have a voice, and whenr kobe bryant, who died yesterday in a helicopter crash. the five—time nba champion was with his 13—year—old daughter, gianna, and seven others, when the accident happened. all those on board died. investigators are still trying to establish the cause, but conditions at the time over southern california were foggy. reuters news agency is just reporting that three bodies have been recovered from the helicopter crash site where kobe bryant died, and the search continues for more remains, that is according to the la cou nty remains, that is according to the la county coroner, reported by reuters. let's get more from los angeles with sophie long. gets to the rim, reverse! he was one of the greatest players of all time. for two decades, the fierce soul of the la lakers. his remarkable talent and absolute devotion to winning earned him the eternal admiration of angelenos, and inspired a generation of young players round the world. he burned so competitively hot and desire to win. he brought

boris johnson today, and the taoiseach, leo varadkar, are going to meet michelle 0'neill leo varadkarle o'neill and arlene foster. borisjohnson michelle o'neill and arlene foster. boris johnson says michelle o'neill and arlene foster. borisjohnson says he wants to hear what they have planned for the assembly and executive. before arriving he issued a statement saying this is a historic time for the people of northern ireland. stormont is open for business again. the executive can now move forward with, to improve people's lives in northern ireland. that is the crucial thing, no government has been here so serious lack of investment and decision making and serious problems facing this executive that they have to tackle immediately. a promise of more money, what is the discussion around that? they deal they signed up to on friday to get the assembly back up and running was wide—ranging, covering a huge number of issues including health, a big health crisis at the moment here. education. hundreds more police officers they want on the street. big infrastructure projects. this was in the d

and the top story in the uk: prime minister boris johnson and his irish counterpart leo varadkar visitedfast earlier to mark the restoration of devolved government to northern ireland. speaking at stormont, the home of the northern ireland assembly, the prime minister praised all sides for putting aside their differences more on our website. now it's time for the business use with asia business report and rico. —— business news. currency manipulator known more. the us offers china an olive branch before their trade talks begin. we explain why it's important. heartbreak in australia's bushland. farmers facing devastating losses of livestock as fires rage on. good morning and welcome to this tuesday edition of asia business report, live from singapore with me, mariko oi. let's begin in the united states, where officials have announced it will reverse its decision to brand china a currency manipulator ahead of a meeting this week. washington and beijing are expected to sign says one of a deal aimed at reducing tensions between the world ‘s two biggest economies. the news has been cheered by

the irish taoiseach, leo varadkar has questioned the timetable set by borisjohnson to secure a tradel leave the eu at 11:00pm on friday night and in an interview with the bbc, mrvaradkarsaid the eu will have the upper hand in the upcoming brexit trade negotiations. our assistant political editor, norman smithjoins us now. not n ot exa ctly not exactly what downing street want to hear? no, leo varadkar flexing his muscles saying, in effect the timescale set up by borisjohnson to be done and dusted by the end of this year, difficult to meet. also questioning the boris johnson this year, difficult to meet. also questioning the borisjohnson cake and eat it strategy from diverging from some parts of eu regulations but at the same time avoiding ta riffs but at the same time avoiding tariffs and quotas. perhaps its most stark message is the sense that he believed politicians in britain have underestimated the eu and ireland in particular, and suggesting that when it comes to the negotiations, actually the eu has a lot more clout than the uk. i think the european union is a union of 27 membe

example, we've already got a clear linkage for european leaders, including emmanuel macron and leo varadkarntinued full european access to british fishing waters and, for example, opening up or keeping access for british financial services inside the european union. their calling it the fish forfinance deal. many in britain regard that as a form of eu blackmail. the blackmail works in two senses and two directions. i think it's up to the negotiators to work out what can be done in favour of britain and what can be kept alive as far as european rules and certain things are concerned. we will have negotiations, these will be very tough negotiations, but we knew this before. so don't be surprised that these negotiations will be tough. but when emmanuel macron says, "if there is not continued european access to british fishing, there's no chance of a comprehensive trade deal," are we to take him seriously? yes, because there is a huge concern in the french ports and other regions in europe, so this is the point... but the vast majority of eu nations are not even fishing states. yeah, but this d

we begin in dublin where irish prime minister leo varadkar will meet his cabinet for what could be thel election following the meeting. later the world economic forum will hold a news conference ahead of the davos 2020, the annual meeting of world politcal and business leaders in switzerland and at 15:00 gmt venezuelan president maduro will make his state of the nation address with street marches expected from both opposition and government supporters. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i'm marc edwards with your tuesday sport briefing. after weeks of speculation, ernesto valverde was finally sacked as barcelona's manager on monday — despite winning two league titles in his two full seasons with the club. valverde might be feeling a little hard done by with barca top of the table in spain, and through to the last 16 of the champions league. he's also the first manager to be sacked by the club, mid—season, since louis van gaal in 2003. his replacement is the former real betis coach quique setien, who's signed a 2.5 year contract. not a great day to be

it is on the front page of the ft, an interview with leo varadkar, it is picking up a bit on that. fish is on the menu, if you pardon the pun, once negotiations kick off, the eu will be demanding that britain gives european boats access to british fishing waters and in return, britain will get access to eu financial services, so there is a bit of a quid pro quo which logically makes sense but politically it would be very difficult for the conservatives, because brexit in particular was all about taking back control and a lot of fisher men voted tory, in the la st two of fisher men voted tory, in the last two general elections because they thought that it would ensure they thought that it would ensure they maintain control of their own fishing grounds, but it could be within weeks, the government is signalling that it is willing to give up access, and allow european boats access to our fishing grounds in return to access for financial services. financial services is a major driver of the economy and major driver of the economy and major tax raiserfor major driver of the economy and

investigation of mine yes but if people don't know your name as well as they might it's really no leo varadkar is a champion of neoliberalism of identity politics and yet he doesn't go of very well in your own your book taught me about one point your religion of peace with the god of commissioner martin clunes one of the individuals involved in the events that occurred is the current prime minister in ireland the override occur an individual with whom i was a colleague in cabinet who for reasons best known to him saw fit to. raise these issues knowing i was out of the country and to run a narrative that ultimately proved in the context of my engagements with these issues to be entirely false narrative. i'm still awaiting the day for him to apologize for the manner in which he conducted himself because if he had genuine concerns around the issues that he publicly raised we were cabinet colleagues were simply in offices down the corridor from each other and i found myself in the rather odd position where he i was under attack by him as was the former guard the commissioner at a time when i was o

the irish prime minister leo varadkar also came to endorse the new deal, which includes promises of perhapse cash coming in northern ireland's way. the financial package will end strikes by health workers over pay and help schools which have been in decline. there's also commitments to reduce waiting lists at hospitals, which are the longest in the uk. so with the cataract, i'm struggling. day by day. liz only has sight in one eye, and is one of thousands of people told they face years waiting for cataract operations. hopefully, they will, they will get the national health service back up and running. but spending per head in northern ireland is already above other parts of the country. higher levels of poverty here and the legacy of the troubles place a heavy burden. the prime minister's visit marks a new era, but there is a whole raft of problems for stormont to address after such a long time away. no exact answer for its new leaders about how much the british government is willing to pay. we have stepped up to the plate, he put forward an agreement he asked us to sign up to it, we have a

then came a visit from borisjohnson and the taoiseach leo varadkar.oking back at an historic few days at stormont for us, here's the bbc‘s northern ireland political reporter, jayne mccormack. this is stormont‘s great hall. it's been a hive of activity in recent days with devolution restored after a three—year hiatus. the dup and sinn fein agreed a deal that includes new legislation for the irish language and ulster scots and now the five main parties have rejoined the executive. it feels like business as usual but it's not. that's because after the december general election, the dup and sinn fein saw their vote fall while the alliance party saw a surge in its vote. it will be keen to make its muscle felt in the new assembly. there are new ministers in the executive, too, tasked with taking tough decisions on health and education, with those budgets are under severe strain. there is £1 billion in extra funding coming from the government to help with that but money isn't everything. the parties have to prove now that they can get past the honeymoon per

the british prime minister boris johnson and his irish counterpart leo varadkar are to visit the northernbly at stormont for talks with the first and deputy first ministers. northern ireland's devolved government was formally re—established on saturday after three years of deadlock. the restored power—sharing executive is headed by the leader of the democratic unionist party arlene foster and the vice—president of the irish republican party sinn fein michelle o'neill. former pope benedict has made an unusual intervention on a possible change to roman catholic church practice. in a book written with a vatican cardinal he's warned his successor pope francis not to relax the rules on clerical celibacy. vatican experts expressed astonishment that the retired pope would speak out on such a sensitive topic. police in gibraltar have arrested dozens of people, accused of smuggling migrants into europe, by fraudulently obtaining uk tourist visas. officers say the gang trafficked more than 130 people from morocco into spain and other eu countries and charged them around $8,000 each. the boeing cris

the irish taoiseach at leo varadkar is still here, he‘s been having talks with all the ministers. speaking to is here a couple of hours ago, he said that in his talks with the new stormont ministries, there was a conversation about funding as you would expect but he was not keen really to put the cash on the table just yet, by the sounds of things. he said it was notjust about money, it was also about leadership. so you can certainly expect the incoming stormont executive to keep up the pressure on london and dublin for more details of that package in the coming hours a days if necessary. 0k, coming hours a days if necessary. ok, we will be back to you later when it happens, chris. thanks for now. we now know that the next labour leader will be one of the following five mps. the favourites sir keir starmer and rebecca long—bailey were already through — and have beenjoined by lisa nandy, jess philips and emily thornberry. candidates had until 2.30pm this afternoon to secure the support of 22 mps or meps in order to take part in the contest. clive lewis — the mp for norwich south —

the british prime minister borisjohnson and his irish counterpart leo varadkar are to visit the northernembly at stormont for talks with the first and deputy first ministers. northern ireland's devolved government was formally re—established on saturday after three years of deadlock. the restored power—sharing executive is headed by the leader of the democratic unionist party, arlene foster, and the vice—president of the irish republican party sinn fein, michelle o'neill. the british government says the talks will focus on reforms to public services. officials say a emergency alert about an incident at a nuclear power plant near toronto was sent by mistake. around three million residents were sent text messages suggesting staff were dealing with a serious incident at the pickering nuclear power plant. but an hour later a second message was received to say there was no active nuclear situation. local mayors have called for a full investigation. a dramatic release of ash and steam from a volcano in the philippines has led the authorities there to order eight—thousand people to leave the ar

today leo varadkar spoke of his sadness that the uk was leaving the eu but said this isn't the end, it'sine how those special arrangements are going to work on the ground. many thanks. brexit has divided the country over the last three and a half years, and the uk's departure from the eu tonight has prompted a whole range of emotions. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has been to the west midlands to speak to leave and remain voters. with their flag is unfurled, brexit backing students were preparing to mark the moment at warwick university today. it's finally here, after three and half years. the festive feel isn't universal. you can see over there they've got the flag. i don't know what they are cheering about. but members of the university's conservative association will be out for a curry later, celebrating what many see as the biggest political event of their lifetime. in terms of our political generation, it's the main issue, brexit was that change that we wanted. the british ballot box will decide the future of this country, not some european commission or the council of mi

the tay —— leo varadkar might not be there because of his own election. but helpful? not if it's not helpful to them. another question in a second. tonight in brussels, there is loads of stuff going on to say goodbye to the brits. the shops have all been lit up, colours of the unionjack. sounds like a bit like a rubbish theme park! that's a terrible way to talk about brussels. gabrielle fitzsimmons? i will jump talk about brussels. gabrielle fitzsimmons? i willjump to. go for it. what is the must confuse you beenin it. what is the must confuse you been in yourtimes it. what is the must confuse you been in your times covering brexit? this has the potential to take the remainderof this has the potential to take the remainder of the podcast, i think. i'm going to start this one, which is, and this is going back a while, to that moment i think in december 2017 when theresa may was prime ministerand it 2017 when theresa may was prime minister and it looked like there might be a deal on that first segment of the brexit negotiations, and then arlene foster of th

future relationship with ireland in particular that british border on the island of ireland well leo varadkar the irish to shock did have something to say about this about brags about the u.k. leaving the e.u. on friday he said that he wished the united kingdom well on its journey alone but did say that there was always a seat back at the table if it didn't work out for them so tonight when the clock strikes 11 pm united kingdom will leave the european union we'll say goodbye to an old friend embarking on adventure their own tryst with destiny. we do hope it works out for them but if it does not there will always be a seat for the united kingdom at the european table well it's taken us 3 and a half years to get to the situation of brigs it happening at times well both sides of pretty much lumber stood one another it has got a bit spicy. i've been wondering what that special place. in the head looks like for those who promoted but shift without even a sketch of a plan how to cover 8 safely. she thought that i did criticize show by saying yes something nice. to british position the most number.

think back to the interview laura cosme did with irish prime minister leo varadkar.block with hundreds of millions of people and bust economies and together they gives us the right to also have a list of demands ourselves. so it is quite hard at the moment to see what will give because what borisjohnson is suggesting simply doesn't fit with what i think most here in brussels would like out of this future relationship stop but, as we know, christian, we have been covering this a while now, they are both stating the starting positions for these negotiations, it doesn't necessarily mean this is where they will end up at the end of this year or even beyond.” guess having it on the front pages of the paper right at the beginning of the process, like you say, is away putting it out there in public, it is a way of upping the ante, if you like. it is. but i think the point here is that every time i've come to brussels armstrong by a certain kind of eye rolling that goes on when the brexit story plays out in the british press. the people based here are politicians too. they u

you want brexit, it has been a source of debate for several years now, but the debate between leo varadkarof the eu and what this means in future, that is yet to be determined. let's speak to the former conservative mep stanley johnson, father of the prime minister. i hope you don't mind, for our younger viewers, i will remind them younger viewers, i will remind them you were an mep from 1979 until 1984. what does today mean for you? i was 1984. what does today mean for you? iwasa 1984. what does today mean for you? i was a european civil servant way backin i was a european civil servant way back in 1973, one of the very first brits to arrive in brussels just after we joined. brits to arrive in brussels just after wejoined. i went brits to arrive in brussels just after we joined. i went back to the european commission. what does it mean? it is a bittersweet moment. i have spent 25 years of my life working on european issues and environmental issues, but when we voted in june 2016 environmental issues, but when we voted injune 2016 to come out i accepted that result and have been following

here's the irish prime minister leo varadkar.g to resume, we're going to be deep in cooperation between britain and ireland in the interests of everyone that lives on these islands. arlene foster tweeted this picture of her executive back at work. the general consensus is the various parties put aside their differences in order to secure badly—needed extra funding for public services in northern ireland, particularly health. it was only afterwards they found out the exact figures being offered by the british government. the response of the new finance minister conor murphy was "they fall way short". he said of the british and irish governments "they can't congratulate us for living up to our commitments and then not live up to their own". it's something the first minister, from the unionist side, probably agrees on. we have stepped up to the place and —— he asked us to sign up to it, we have all signed up to it and calmed into a multiparty executive therefore it is now incumbent upon today a prime minister to step up. northern ir

the irish prime minister, leo varadkar has questioned the timetable set by borisjohnson to secure a tradeest of the eu by the end of the year. the uk is due to leave the eu at 11:00pm on friday night. in an interview with the bbc, mrvaradkarsaid the eu will have the upper hand in the upcoming brexit trade negotiations. i think the reality of the situation is that the european union is a union of 27 member states. the uk is only one country. and we have a population and a market of a50 million people and the uk, it's about 60. so if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team, so long as we are united? court papers from a case brought against mirror group newspapers allege that one of its titles may have targeted the mobile phone of murdered schoolgirl milly dowler. the sunday people is alleged to have hired private detectives to target the dowler family at the time of her disappearance in 2002. the documents have been seen by the bbc and the website, byline investigates. they're part of a case brought by more than 70 claimants includ

the irish prime minister leo varadkar also came to endorse the new deal, which includes promises of perhapsy. the financial package will end strikes by health workers over pay and help schools and infrastructure, which have been in decline. there's also commitments to reduce waiting lists at hospitals, which are the longest in the uk. so with the cataract, i'm struggling. day by day. liz only has sight in one eye, and is one of thousands of people told they face years waiting for cataract operations. hopefully, they will, they will get the national health service back up and running. but spending per head in northern ireland is already above other parts of the country. higher levels of poverty here and the legacy of the troubles place a heavy burden. the prime minister's visit marks a new era, but there is a whole raft of problems for stormont to address after such a long time away. no exact answer for its new leaders about how much the british government is willing to pay. we have stepped up to the plate, he put forward an agreement he asked us to sign up to it, we have all signed up to it

the taoiseach, leo varadkar, said it was the "right time" for a vote, now that the brexit withdrawaltage of negotiations with the uk. brexit is not done yet. in fact, it is only half—time. the next step is to negotiate a free—trade agreement between the eu, including ireland and the united kingdom, that protects our jobs, our businesses, our rural communities and our economy. the capacity to do everything else that need to be done, and health care and housing, climate action and tax reform, all depends on achieving a positive outcome to these negotiations and it has to be done by the end of the year. so, there now exists a window of opportunity to hold a general election and have a new government in place for the next crucial european council meeting in march with a strong mandate to focus on these negotiations through the summer and autumn. england 5 smallest county, rutland, boasts two historic towns, a large lake, and a population of 38,000 people. but there's one thing it doesn t have and that's a branch of mcdonalds. it's the only county in england not to have a branch of the fa

the irish taoiseach, leo varadkar, has questioned the timetable set by borisjohnson to secure a tradernier, in dublin. the uk will leave the eu at 11 o'clock on friday night and in an interview with the bbc, mrvaradkarsaid the eu will have the upper hand in the upcoming brexit trade negotiations. our assistant political editor, norman smithjoins us now. how has that gone down in westminster? i suspect they are still mulling it over but you have to brace yourself, because it is clear that the eu are determined to ta ke clear that the eu are determined to take a robust and tough—minded approach, listening to the taoiseach andindeed approach, listening to the taoiseach and indeed michel barnier this morning. the taoiseach saying that the eu is any very strong position and slightly suggesting that maybe the british government had underestimated ireland in the previous settlement negotiations. now we have heard from the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, equally tough language, seeing the eu is not in the market to offer up any compromises and the next stage of the negotiations to get