the democratic unionist party — which is the largest unionist party

allegations of the historical nature and indicating he is stepping down as leader of the democratic unionist partyrs have suspended sirjeffrey donaldson from the membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process. we understand thatjeffrey donaldson and a 57—year—old woman, who has been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with these alleged offences, will appear in court next month. and the party officers today have unanimously appointed gavin robinson mp as interim party leader of the dup. well, we can hear now from sam mcbride, who is northern ireland editor of the belfast telegraph newspaper. damn, thank you very much for your time today to talk to us about this breaking story. i professorjon tonge what the implications of all of this might be for the northern ireland assembly, which is still pretty new in terms of being back to work after that two years of political deepfreeze? yes. years of political deepfreeze? yes, the very complicated _ years of political deepfreeze? ya: the very complicated politics of this are thatjeffrey donaldson had just taken his party back in, lots of

with regret, i have resigned from the ulster unionist party. a rival party eventually led him to the leadership of the dup, but he now stands apart from the party he steered back into power—sharing. in a statement, first minister michelle o'neill said her priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve. northern ireland has form when it comes to political earthquakes, but today's development leaves a fissure in unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those who want a united ireland. # happy and glorious...# for now, sirjeffrey donaldson's party political days look firmly in the past. jennifer o'leary, belfast. we just heard a bit of gavin robinson mp�*s interview there. he's been named as interim leaderfor the dup. in the past hour, he's been speaking to the media about the shock being felt both in the party and across the community in northern ireland. let's hear it in full. i think it's been a devastating revelation and has caused tremendous shock, notjust for myself personally or my co

even in the ulster unionist party, he moved about 20 years ago to the dup, he shall boast those campslitical party, and so this was a blow notjust political party, and so this was a blow not just the political party, and so this was a blow notjust the dup, notjust to jeffrey donaldson personally, but a blow to unionism. unionism has come under immense pressure, it's made some very bad mistakes in recent years, most obviously run brexit. this is another area in which unionism finds itself on the back foot, trying to make up the ground rather than losing. just a pointer, there it is on the website, so much detail on that, our main story, with regular updates and are not of analysis. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. your life with bbc news. to ukraine now, and president zelensky is warning that — a new russian military offensive could happen in the next few months. and he says, his country is not ready to face it. the ukrainian leader made the comments during an interview with cbs news — confirming he believes it could happen between may and june. he stresses the nee

think some of them will lose courage, and i think some of those who are working on the ulster unionist partyto the join the ground, they will left and went to thejoin the dup. so i wouldn�*t be entirely surprised, i wouldn�*t say was definite, but i would not be surprised if some dup mlas who backed him just a few weeks ago would now reconsider their position. and of coursejeffrey donaldson did exactly what you just described way back, when he left himself, the ulster unionist. in terms of his politicaljourney it is quite something spanning effectively a0 years. we were shown pictures from a few decades ago where he was there in a news conference alongside david trimble ripping up the framework document saying, that sort i think of that. ~ ., �* , document saying, that sort i think of that. ~ ., �*, ., , document saying, that sort i think ofthat. ~ ., �*, ., , ., of that. well, that's unionism for ou, of that. well, that's unionism for you. what _ of that. well, that's unionism for you. what you — of that. well, that's unionism for you, what you doing _ of that. well, that's unionism for you

jeffrey donaldson resigns as the leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party after being chargedbbc news understands to be rape and multiple other sexual offences. prime minister benjamin netanyahu approves a new round of ceasefire talks a day after the un top court ordered israel to allow aid into gaza. and actorjohn boyega speaks for the first time about how the killing of his childhood friend, damilola taylor, shaped his life. more breaking news now on northern ireland. news thatjeffrey donaldson, the leader of the democratic unionist party, has been charged with historical sexual offences and has quit as leader. bbc news now understands that sirjeffrey donaldson has been charged with rape and multiple other sexual offences. the police investigation is understood to have started within the last number of months, after two women came forward. sirjeffrey�*s resignation letter to the dup states he will be strenuously contesting the charges. the dup says mr donaldson, who has been in politics for almost a0 years, has had his membership suspended pending the outcome of a judicial p

jeffrey donaldson resigns as the leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party, after being charged with what bbc news understands to be rape and multiple other sexual offences. we'll talk live on the programme to the bbc�*s political editor. and — reports of long queues at dover as the easter getaway begins. and actorjohn boyega speaks for the first time about how the killing of his childhood friend, damilola taylor, shaped his life. all of that is coming in the next few minutes, let's head to the bbc sport centre, hugh ferris is there. leicester city's dismal run the championship has continued this afternoon with a 1—0 defeat at bristol city, they were runaway at bristol city, they were runaway league leader earlier in the season butjust one win in six means, although they're still second, they face a real fight to make one of the two automatic promotion places. joe lynskey reports. springtime in the second tier where two games over easter it can make or break a season. at one stage, lester's lead this league by ten points. they looked set since august for a top—flight ret

the chairman of the democratic unionist party in northern ireland, that is the largest unionist partye has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as leader of the dup and that is with immediate effect. in accordance with the party rules, the dup's officers have suspended jeffrey donaldson from members of the party pending the outcome of a judicial process. the party officers have today unanimously appointed gavin robinson mp as the interim party leader. jeffrey donaldson has been the leader of the dup since 2021 and the mp for lagan valley since 1997. in his earlier career was a member of the northern ireland assembly and at the end of january he agreed to lead the dup back into a power—sharing assembly at stormont after a two—year suspension of that assembly to first minister now michelle o'neill of sinn fein, emma little pengelly, unionist member of the assembly. he said that that there was conditional on the uk reassuring unionists on northern ireland's links to britain. of course, that suspension had been related to the post—b

he was an opponent of the good friday agreement, and eventually left the ulster unionist party to joingely seen as something of a political pragmatist, and it was a surprise to many when he took the dup out of the political institutions after he became leader in 2021, a year later he took the dup out of the political institutions, because he said post—brexit trading arrangements damaged unionism. but he was fairly soon after that determined to take the dup back in, and he succeeded six weeks ago in taking the dup back into political institutions, and if opinion polls are to be believed, most dup supporters supported the decision. so he was a figure of substance, he did have the ear of the british and irish governments. he was by far the dup's biggest player on the westminster stage, and in that sense politically he may be a hard act to fill, but the fact that he has been obliged to stand down as dup leader doesn't mean that the political institutions are now more vulnerable to collapse. now it's time for a look at the weather with elizabeth rizzini. hello there. good afternoon. well, a

and sir jeffrey donaldson, the leader of the democratic unionist party, has been suspended . e dup said the party chairman has received a letter from sirjeffrey letter from sir jeffrey donaldson mp confirming that he has been charged with allegations of a historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as leader of the democratic unionist party with immediate effect. now in accordance with the party rules, the party officers have suspended mr donaldson from membership pending the outcome of judicial process. membership pending the outcome of judicial process . the party of a judicial process. the party officers have this morning unanimously appointed mr gavin robinson mp, as the interim party leader. >> yeah, so sir jeffrey has led the party since 2021 but has been an mp since 1997. prior to joining the dup , he was part of joining the dup, he was part of the ulster unionist party delegation to negotiate the good friday peace agreement. he's a big figure not just in northern ireland but in british politics. absolutely as well . so just to absolutely as well. so just

now, the dup is the democratic unionist party. they are northern ireland's largest unionist party.e name. they are concentrating their focus on maintaining northern ireland's place in the union of the united kingdom. now, they are northern ireland's biggest unionist party. in the last assembly election they received approximately under one quarter of the total electoral votes so a significant force in northern irish politics. and sirjeffrey donaldson, who resigned yesterday, was seen, if you like, as the de facto leader of unionism here in northern ireland. so, emma little—pengelly today as deputy first minister issued a statement on social media. what was very interesting was she had focused in part of her statement saying she is determined to ensure political stability in the days ahead. now, political stability is an important expression, and certainly the tone of that statement today certainly chimes with what the first minister michelle 0'neill was saying yesterday, in terms of the theme of the need for political stability here because as many would see it, nobody is keen to s

he now stands apart from the unionist party he steered back into power—sharing.lle 0'neill, said her priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve. sirjeffrey donaldson�*s resignation comes at a criticaljuncture. the fault lines from this political earthquake go well beyond one man and one party. it creates a fissure at the heart of unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those who want a united ireland. on a bank holiday easter weekend, when politics was supposed to be on pause, sirjeffrey donaldson�*s party political days look firmly in the past. jennifer 0'leary, bbc news. our correspondent dan johnson has more. politicians here in northern ireland are saying business as usual. this is a shock, but they will try to carry on. they are determined that things won't be destabilised here because they've been so determined, they've been working so hard. they've put things in place to get northern ireland's government operating again in the last two months, after two years of political instability, disruption

obviously threw into the ulster unionist party and then— threw into the ulster unionist party and thenishing from every area of life — minutes, he is vanishing from every area of life online, all social media — area of life online, all social media content is gone and all the organisations he was associated with have removed him from their website. there _ have removed him from their website. there was— have removed him from their website. there was some recent commentary from the — there was some recent commentary from the orange order he has missed in and _ from the orange order he has missed in and from _ from the orange order he has missed in and from there and no further comment— in and from there and no further comment will be made into the legal process— comment will be made into the legal process follows through. and so on. so certainty — process follows through. and so on. so certainly the homework dup minister— so certainly the homework dup ministerjim wales as being on air throughout the day describing sir jeffrey— throughout the day describing sir jeffrey donaldson as a pol

he now stands apart from the unionist party he steered back into power—sharing.lle 0'neill, said her priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve. sirjeffrey donaldson�*s resignation comes at a criticaljuncture. the fault lines from this political earthquake go well beyond one man and one party. it creates a fissure at the heart of unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those who want a united ireland. on a bank holiday easter weekend, when politics was supposed to be on pause, sirjeffrey donaldson�*s party political days look firmly in the past. jennifer 0'leary, bbc news. here, the former immigration minister robertjenrick has proposed that details of nationality, immigration and visa status should be recorded whenever a criminal is convicted. there is growing pressure on prime minister rishi sunak to cut net migration figures. mrjenrick, who resigned last year in protest at the prime minister's rwanda deportation plan, told bbc radio 4's today programme that the data would help to inform deportation

northern ireland following the resignation of sirjeffrey donaldson, leader of the democratic unionist party. he has been charged with rape and other historical sexual offences and says he will strenuously contest the charges. counter—terrorism police in london are investigating the stabbing of pouria zeraati, a presenterfor a persian—language news channel. the broadcaster has been critical of the iranian authorities — and says mr zeraati was attacked by a group. and a treasure trove of never—before heard music from the late american singer marvin gaye has resurfaced in belgium. the discovery includes a huge collection of documents, notebooks, stage costumes and audio cassettes. you are watching bbc news. politics has been thrown into turmoil with the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey donaldson, has resigned after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he was arrested on thursday along with a 57—year—old woman who's been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences. they'll both appear in court next month. sir

even the ulster unionist party, then moved about 20 years ago to the dup. der responsibilities within unionism than simply to his own political party, and so this is a blow notjust political party, and so this is a blow not just at the dup, political party, and so this is a blow notjust at the dup, notjust atjeffrey donaldson personally, at jeffrey donaldson personally, this atjeffrey donaldson personally, this is a blow to unionism, and unionism has been under immense pressure, it is made is a very bad mistakes of recent years, obviously a very bad mistakes of recent years, of the sarah brexit, this is another area in which unionism finds itself in the back foot, and hopefully from the perspective trying to make up ground now they are losing. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's go now to the middle east — where israel is reported to have carried out air strikes in syria. observers say the strikes happened in aleppo — and may have targeted a depot storing rockets, run by the militant group hezbollah. the reports suggest that at least

he now stands apart from the unionist party he steered back into power—sharing.e public expect and deserve. sirjeffrey donaldson's resignation comes at a criticaljuncture. the fault lines from this political earthquake go well beyond one man and one party. it creates a fissure at the heart of unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those who want a united ireland. on a bank holiday easter weekend when politics was supposed to be on pause, sirjeffrey donaldson's party political days look firmly in the past. jennifer 0'leary, bbc news. we can cross live to belfast and our correspondent there dan johnson. it's hard to overstate the shock felt in northern ireland over this news? , :, , felt in northern ireland over this news? , ., ., , news? this was a bolt from the blue that took everyone _ news? this was a bolt from the blue that took everyone by _ news? this was a bolt from the blue that took everyone by total - that took everyone by total surprise. no one was expecting sir jeffrey donaldson such as sudden and shocking political downfall.

now we start with the news that sir jeffrey donaldson has quit as leader of the democratic unionist partyged with historical sex offences. gavin robertson has been appointed the interim party leader. and i'm joined now by our northern ireland reporter, dougie beattie dougie, what's the latest story ? the latest on this story? >> well, it has been politically ground shattering here in northern ireland. sirjeffrey donaldson is the longest serving parliamentarian in northern ireland, and he brings a wealth of experience with him. now yesterday morning at about 10:00, i got word that these arrests had taken place. and to show you just how quiet it was kept, i was phoning members, senior members of the dup, asking and trying to stand this story up. and it wasn't until one of them said to me that he was due at a breakfast, function in lisburn, that he didn't turn up to, and he never, does up to, and he never, ever does that, started to that, that the penny started to drop. and then it started to gather momentum . now for senior gather momentum. now for senior party members know that party membe

with regret, i have resigned from the ulster unionist party... from the ulster unionist party- - -_ fromnist pa , . ., ., ., party... his defection to a rival party _ party... his defection to a rival party eventually - party... his defection to a rival party eventually led l party... his defection to a i rival party eventually led him to the leadership of the dup, but he now stands apart from the parties did back into power—sharing. in a statement, first minister michelle o'neill said her priority is to continue to provide the leadership expect and deserve. northern ireland has former when it comes to political earthquakes, but today's development leaves a fissure in unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those who want a united ireland. and gloria. for now, sirjeffrey donaldson�*s party political deysel family in the past. jennifer o'leary, bbc news, belfast. seven regions of ukraine are experiencing emergency blackouts after a wave of russian missile strikes. russia launched nearly a hundred drones and missiles across the border on thursday night — the second

i am proud to lead the conservative and unionist party, and i'm so proud of how the scottish conservativesership are the one party standing upfor leadership are the one party standing up for the people of scotland and trying to move scotland forward. applause just look at the record. it was the scottish conservatives who stood up to the absurdities of the scottish nationalist proposed and labour backed gender recognition reforms, and it was our secretary of state, the brave and far—sighted and clear—sighted alisterjack who issued the section 35 order that stopped this nonsense in it's track. thank you for doing everything you do to keep our union strong, alister jack. it is the scottish conservatives who were opposing the snp, making scotland the most taxed part of the united kingdom, while the conservative government is cutting tax for every work in britain, the nationalists are raising tax on everyone who earns more than £28,000 per year. and, it is only the scottish conservatives who are defending our energy security. and the thousands ofjobs here in the north—east depending on the oil

in northern ireland following the resignation of the leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party. sirjeffrey donaldson has been charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he says that he will strenuously contest the charges. counter—terrorism police in london are investigating the stabbing of pouria zeraati — a presenterfor a persian—language news channel. the broadcaster has been critical of the iranian authorities — and says mr zeraati was attacked by a group. and previously unheard recordings of the soul singer marvin gaye — who died a0 years ago — have reportedly been found in belgium. the discovery includes a huge collection of documents, notebooks, stage costumes and audio cassettes. more now on the war between israel and gaza, which is overshadowing both ramadan and easter. on good friday, fewer christian pilgrims walked the path throutherusalem's walled old city that they believe christ took to his crucifixion. from there, our international editor jeremy bowen reports. injerusalem, where tension — and worse — are normal, there is always the consolation of rel

with regret, i have resigned from the ulster unionist party. to a rival party eventually led him to the leadership of the dup, but he now stands apart from the party he steered back into power—sharing. in a statement, first minister michelle o'neill said her priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve. northern ireland has form when it comes to political earthquakes, but today's development leaves a fissure in unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those who want a united ireland. # happy and glorious...# for now, sirjeffrey donaldson�*s party political days look firmly in the past. jennifer o'leary, belfast. ina moment in a moment we will speak to damian grammaticus, who is in westminster for us _ our ireland correspondent sara girvin is at stormont tonight. and this is a shock for everyone there? the new dup leader expressing everybody�*s shock at this news? everybody's shock at this news? yes, it has been a — everybody's shock at this news? yes, it has been a massive _ everybody's

several years of difficulty for the democratic unionist party, change in leadership, very public displaysity and discontent from within the party. quite unusual for a party that keeps things behind closed doors. it has already been a difficult few years. looking towardthe general election as well sets the scene to become more difficult. looking as purely as one can at the situation from a political angle, it does not make things easier for the party going forward. >> i want to put something to you that we heard earlier from julian smith, the former secretary of state for northern ireland. he said he's not concerned this will change the momentum to power-sharing bause the appointment of gavin robinson brings continuity. do you agree? >> i believe there is something in that. that message from governor robinson and others across northern ireland's political spectrum. it has been continuing the efforts behind power-sharing and ensuring the devolution continues to operate as effectively as possible and is not only impacted by what is happening, what is effectively an internal matter within one

document. >> today is not his first political exit. >> with regret i have resigned from the ulster unionist party defection to a rival party eventually led him to the leadership of the dup. but he now stands apart from the party he steered back into power sharing. in a statement, first minister o'neill set her priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expects and deserves. northern ireland has forum when it comes to political earthquakes, but today's developing leaves of fisher in unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those that want a united ireland. for now, sir jeffrey donaldson's party's political days look firmly in the past. >> to the race for the white house in the u.s.. political donations can make or break a presidential campaign. fundraising for the 2024 race is in two swing with donald trump and joe biden making a major push for donations. in new york fundraiser for president joe biden raised 26 million dollars towards his reelection thursday according to his campaign. mr. biden got a boost from former presidents bill clinton and barack oba

sirjeffrey donaldson, leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party resigns.on investigate the stabbing of pouria zeraati, a presenterfor a london—based persian—language television news channel critical of the iranian authorities. and pop star 0lly alexander, who will represent the uk at this year's eurovision song contest, has rejected calls to boycott the competition in protest against israel's inclusion. hello. i'm rich preston. welcome to the programme. it's good to have your company. politics in northern ireland have been thrown into turmoil following the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey donaldson, has resigned after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences.

party. how are they handling it so far? it is difficult to find out. i do editor unionistg yesterday to phone everybody we could think of, most of the phone calls were ringing out. there wasn't enthusiasm to talk to the press, even to the press that they speak a lot with. but we did get to talk to some people in dup. the easiest way to describe it is, they are reeling. i talked to somebody who was talking to sirjeffrey donaldson earlier in the week. when there are conspiracy theories this was all known about, even we have talked to people who have a very good sense of what has happened, there was no sense of this coming, and the fact that police arrived at sirjeffrey donaldson�*s house at six o'clock in the morning does suggest that they wanted an element of surprise.— element of surprise. everyone in shock and _ element of surprise. everyone in shock and try — element of surprise. everyone in shock and try to _ element of surprise. everyone in shock and try to come _ element of surprise. everyone in shock and try to come to - element of surprise. everyone in shock and try

we have heard from the dup as well, northern ireland's largest unionist party, and the second biggest we heard some the deputy first minister emma little—pengelly who said she is determined to ensure political stability. her words mirroring what we know was in an internal message sent to dup members by the interim leader gavin robinson. political leaders in northern ireland, across the spectrum, really at pains today to show, to emphasise they are singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to devolved government in northern ireland, for now at least. but the dup is in crisis. there is no doubt about that. the management will get its first big test in just over a week, when stormont returns from easter recess. unheard recordings of the american soul singer marvin gaye — who died a0 years ago — have been found in belgium. the musician worked in 0stend in the 1980s. now a lawyer representing the people he lived with says they have a huge collection of his belongings, including costumes and audio cassettes, which could be released if agreement can be reached with his children. kevin c

we have heard from the dup as well, northern ireland's largest unionist party, and the second biggestnn fein. we heard from the deputy first minister emma little—pengelly who said she's determined to ensure political stability. her words mirroring what we know was in an internal message sent to dup members by the interim leader gavin robinson. political leaders in northern ireland, across the spectrum, really at pains today to show, to emphasise they are singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to devolved government in northern ireland — for now at least. but the dup is in crisis. there is no doubt about that. the management will get its first big test in just over a week, when stormont returns from easter recess. donald trump has been criticised byjoe biden�*s campaign team for sharing a video on social media featuring a truck bearing the image of the us president with his hands and feet tied together. a trump spokesman said it was just a picture on the vehicle's tailgate, filmed as it travelled down the highway. but a biden election campaign spokesman accused mr trump of inci

political instability in northern ireland following the resignation of the leader of the democratic unionist party. sirjeffrey donaldson has been charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he says he will strenuously contest the charges. counter—terrorism police in london are investigating the stabbing of pouria zeraati, a presenterfor a persian—language news channel. the broadcaster has been critical of the iranian authorities — and says mr zeraati was attacked by a group. and a treasure trove of never—before heard music from the late american singer marvin gaye has resurfaced in belgium. the discovery includes a huge collection of documents, notebooks, stage costumes and audio cassettes. now on bbc news, click from the consumer electronic show in las vegas. big hotels and big entertainment. and everyjanuary, it's also home to big tech because this is where ces happens, the consumer electronics show. now, it takes place across the city in hotels like this and also in the massive las vegas convention center. this is where we get a taste of the tech trends to come for the new year. and

with regret, i have resigned from the ulster unionist party. al party eventually led him to the leadership of the dup, but he now stands apart from the party he steered back into power—sharing. in a statement, first minister michelle o'neill said her priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve. northern ireland has form when it comes to political earthquakes, but today's development leaves a fissure in unionism at a time when some see it under increasing threat from those who want a united ireland. # happy and glorious...# for now, sirjeffrey donaldson�*s party political days look firmly in the past. jennifer o'leary, belfast. our ireland correspondent sara girvin has more on the sense of shock felt at stormont today. nobody at all saw this coming until we had a statement from the police service of northern ireland this morning saying that a 61—year—old man had been arrested and charged over those offences. then confirmation later this afternoon that sirjeffrey donaldson would be stepping down as the leader of

we have heard from the dup as well, northern ireland's largest unionist party, and the second biggestrom the deputy first minister who said she is determined to ensure political stability. her words really mirroring what was in an internal message sent to dup members by the interim leader gavin robinson. so political leaders here in northern ireland across the spectrum are really at pains today to emphasise that they are singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to devolved government here in northern ireland for now at least. but the dup is a party in crisis management mode, there is no doubt about that. that management will get its first big test in just over a week's time when stormont returns from easter recess. the us supreme court is set to hear arguments on major legal cases — including whether former president donald trump can be tried on federal criminal charges pertaining to election interference, or if he's shielded by presidential immunity. the stakes are high for both mr trump and the court, which will adjudicate on a complex case in a heated election year. it comes

, where politics has been thrown into turmoil with the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party

there's been widespread shock after the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey

sirjeffrey donaldson, the leader of the democratic unionist party, resigns after being charged with rapesky warns that a new russian military offensive may come in the next few months. an uneasy calm injerusalem over easter and ramadan while conditions remain desperate in gaza. in the past hour, president biden announces he will travel to baltimore at the bridge collapsed recovery effort continues. also coming up on the world today — the world of mammals — the latest david attenborough series looks at how many species are adapting to climate change. the 0scar—winning 0ppenheimer is finally screened in japan, the only country to suffer an atomic bombing in war.

jeffrey donaldson resigns as the leader of northern ireland's — democratic unionist party — after beingnsky warns a new russian military offensive — may come in the next few months. and — it's one year — since the wall streetjournal reporter, evan gershkovich —was detained in russia on spying charges. his sister has spoken the the bbc�*s russia editor. the uncertainty is very hard to deal with, but we just see evan and how strong he is. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala, welcome to verified live, let's start with that stunning development in northern ireland — news thatjeffrey donaldson — the leader of the democratic

the leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey donaldson, was charged with rapes on friday and has resigned as party leader. sirjeffrey was arrested on friday along with a 57—year—old woman who was also charged with aiding and abetting the alleged offences. both will appear in court next month. sirjeffrey said he will be strenuously contesting the charges. sirjeffrey is northern ireland's longest—serving mp at westminster and has been leader of the dup since 2021. 0ur political editor chris mason has this report. sirjeffrey donaldson, one of the biggest figures in northern ireland politics of his generation. the linchpin of a vital breakthrough just two months ago which led to the return of devolved government at stormont. this agreement is something we have worked hard to deliver for the people of northern ireland. in late january, the pride of a breakthrough — sirjeffrey commanding the stage, his power and influence obvious. but at 6:00am yesterday morning, he was arrested. by lunchtime today, a statement from his party... the man on the left here, gavin robins

have vowed to ensure stability at stormont, following the shock resignation of the democratic unionist party charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he says he will be strenuously contesting the charges. the police investigation is understood to have started after two women came forward with allegations. police have raided the home of peru's president, dina boluarte. video of officers smashing their way into her house was shared on social media. the raid is part of a corruption inquiry dubbed "rolexgate". the police were searching for more than a dozen rolex watches that the president allegedly failed to declare. the investigation began after a news report drew attention to luxury watches she wore at public events, dating from when she took office in december 2022. us pop star lizzo says she's �*quitting', because she's fed up with being targeted online about her looks and character. in a post on instagram, the singer wrote "i'm starting to feel like the world doesn't want me in it". the 35—year—old was last year accused of sexual harrassment and creating a hostile work envir

neill became the first nationalist first minister with emma little—pengelly of the democratic unionist partyed to continue their positive partnership despite their contrasting political backgrounds. they were also here at the capitol at a lunch hosted by speakerjohnson and attended by the president to mark st patrick's day. us special envoy to northern ireland joe kennedy iii was also in attendence at that gathering and i spoke to him earlier about the us—ireland relations and the recent return to stormont. us special envoyjoe kennedy to northern ireland, thank you forjoining us. we might begin by looking at the special relationship between the united states and northern ireland. so many engagements over this weekend between the president, the taoiseach and ministers. what is special about the relationship? thank you for the opportunity. the united states has no better friend in the world than the people of the island of ireland and the united kingdom. this is our origin story. this is were so many people from the united states, where our families emigrated from. where have ties to. and they

fresh political instability in northern ireland, following the resignation of the democratic unionist party leader, sirjeffrey donaldson. he says he will strenuously contest charges of rape and other historical sexual offences. counter—terrorism police in london are investigating the stabbing of pouria zeraati, a presenterfor a persian—language news channel. the broadcaster has been critical of the iranian authorities — and says mr zeraati was attacked by a group. and a treasure trove of never—before heard music from the late american singer marvin gaye has resurfaced in belgium. the discovery includes a huge collection of documents, notebooks, stage costumes and audio cassettes. now on bbc news, the travel show. coming up on this week's show... it looks like a flotation device. it does! you could probably get into that. here we go. bon appetit. skibbereen! thank you so much. so, i can taste the kind of familiarity, and then i'm waiting for the alcohol, but it hasn't arrived. it's like wine light. now, one thing that gets most of us excited when planning a trip is the chance to tuck into ta

there's been widespread shock after the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey has resigned after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he was arrested yesterday along with a 57—year—old woman who has been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences. they will appear in court next month. sirjeffrey — who is northern ireland's longest serving mp at westminster —says he will strenuously contest the charges. the party's interim leader gavin robinson said it has been a "devastating revelation". here's our political editor chris mason. surjeffrey donaldson, one of the biggest figures in northern ireland politics of his generation, the linchpin of a vital breakthrough just two months ago which led to the return of devolved government at stormont. —— siirjeffrey donaldson. this agreement is something we have worked hard to deliver for the people of northern ireland. the pride of a breakthrough, said jeffrey donaldson commanding the stage, his power and influence obvious, but at six o'clock yesterday morning he was ar

the leader of northern islands, maine, pro british unionist party, has stepped down after being charged with historical sects, offences jeffrey donaldson was the do you piece most senior i'm paying westman said the body says he's been suspended, pending the outcome of these traditional process donaldson is due to appear in court next month, along with a woman accused of aiding and abetting, the alleged cries almost 9 months after its global release. the hollywood blockbuster about the mastermind behind the atomic bomb is finally available in japan. for residents of hiroshima open hymer open, sway, mix reception and conflicting emotions. the surge of congress that the peace memorial in hiroshima begin backing down is preserved as a reminder of what happens here. and and mega sacking. in 1945, the 2 atomic bombs dropped by the us air force killed and estimated 200000 japanese . now the blockbuster film about the american nuclear scientists to help develop the weapons has finally been released in japan almost 9 months after everywhere else. audiences in hiroshima have mixed emotions. this