and ireland. while i agree overall it's a very good thing to minimize that difference, the reality is that most manufacturing doesn't take place in ireland. it takes place in other much lower wage countries. the difference between the labor costs for low skilled workers between the other countries with lots of low skilled labor available is much greater than the difference in changing the corporate tax rate. i don't understand how your example on ireland fits into that global market. mr. hassett: that's a great question. again people might locate a plant and some other countries for lots of reasons. there's an aluminum smelting boom going on right now in iceland because there figured out that the geothermal allows them to have cheap energy to make aluminum with it. the point is that there are lots of reasons why stuff can be located in this place or that. the difference between the average u.s. wage and the wage of the foreign worker has certainly been an important contributor as well over time al

also the big issue of ireland, because ireland and brexit. if the irish don't get what they need to get from these things in northern ireland... we will come back to that in the moment, but i want to pick up on polly‘s point. you said maybe neither side wants to be ruling right now. but where does that leave the british government? the northern ireland secretary said she is considering our options. what are oui’ considering our options. what are our options? she will have to take control. there are is no other option. they will more or less have to do what the dup says because the dup is propping up the theresa may government. we have to remember about the dup that two thirds of its members are extreme free presbyterians, the ian paisley founded cult. ‘cult‘ — a bit of strong language! i mean, that's all right — i tend to refer to religions in general as cults. as long as you are across the board because otherwise, we're going to get the blame on this. i'm a humanist. it is the largest party in northern ireland. it's the largest p

northern ireland to go back to ireland and become an independent country as part of ireland? i have never understood why not because thatis never understood why not because that is a question... history. history is what rules... crosstalk. the rule is democracy and if they voted tojoin the the rule is democracy and if they voted to join the rest of ireland would be out in a flash. it is a majority in northern ireland i can sense, dave. crosstalk.. defined by history because other people are out there. to make a majority. i'm not quite sure the south of ireland would be. crosstalk. we have been there and i'm glad we went there but 110w there and i'm glad we went there but now we need, but that isn't a viewpoint which is going to stop the current situation, i guess, and it isn't a viewpoint that is one of those of the current players. no, it is very much a viewpoint that is held by sinn fein. they always keep saying we stopped the fight but we haven't stopped our struggle to independence. the most important part, the most important part of the good friday agreement was the sout

one of the key issues it covers is northern ireland's land border with the republic of ireland. in 2015, $3.4bn worth of goods were traded across it in both directions. on tuesday the uk's international trade secretary liam fox reiterated that "the avoidance of a hard border in northern ireland is of crucial importance". that's something the republic of ireland agrees with. but businesses on both sides want to know what the future rules will be. and in the document the eu is expected to confirm it's fall back position is that eu rules continue to apply on both sides of the border. martin shanahan runs ida ireland, the irish government agency responsible for attracting foreign investment into ireland and has been telling our correspondentjoe lynam about the challenges brexit will bring. i think from the companies that we deal with, brexit is not something that they asked for. for them, it typically means cost and disruption. they are working, at this point, to minimise both. try and minimise the cost of this and try and minimise the disruption. but it has also given many of them

what explains northern ireland's social conservatism? we know the society that we want to be part of. we know there is overwhelming public support for some of these issues, so it's really disappointing that some of our leaders cannot and fewer people are using public transport in the capital. a blip, or an early sign we've finally reached peak london? hello. it's been one of those days that demonstrates the limits of diplomacy. the security council was meant to vote on a motion for a ceasefire at four o'clock this afternoon, our time. then it was postponed to 7.30. and in the last few minutes the vote has been rescheduled again — this time delayed until tomorrow. you probably don't need me to tell you that it is the russian veto — or the threat of it — that has blocked the motion. however, the russians have said they'll sign up to a ceasefire as long as it is guaranteed to be observed by rebels as well as the syrian government. talks will no doubt continue overnight before the vote — which we're now told will happen at 5pm our ti

ireland. meanwhile the foreign secretary borisjohnson said there were ‘very good solutions‘ to avoid a hard border. let's speak to her assistant political editor at westminster. borisjohn political editor at westminster. boris john and borisjohn and said there are good solutions but the brussels is putting forward what it believes is the best one, how much pressure does that put the governed under? i think we are potentially heading for the real brexit bust up over the northern ireland border, if the eu proposals do contain as most people expect suggestions that maybe northern ireland should stay in the customs union or have some kind of separate customs arrangement with the eu because mother ten have already made clear that is unacceptable, briefing overnight that mrs may will not sign any sort of deal which lends the territorial integrity of the uk or threatens the single market of the uk, in other words anything that treats northern ireland separately to the rest of the uk. and for good

he understands that if it is seen that northern ireland starts to drift back towards ireland, that undermines the good friday agreement. he sees that as controversial, you made the point that thejohn controversial, you made the point that the john major controversial, you made the point that thejohn major intervention was not welcomed by many entries theresa may's circle but we should put this in context becausejohn major chooses his words carefully and has moments —— his moments to intervene. he would say, i felt i had to say something that this crisis point? he is not the only former prime minister, tony blair has his own initiative which he is trying to push for the government, to put brexit to one side, ultimately. but a soft brexit if it has to be. people like iain duncan smith would say, he did not allow a free vote on my street and he warned us about these things back in the 1990s and many decisions that he took, on the exchange rate etc, proved to be folly so he does not have a very good record on the sort of things. john major is no stranger to have —— having ourformer prime

and ireland. that's the position of the uk government. it's the position of the parties in northern ireland. it's the position of irish government and it was what we agreed in the december agreement at that joint report. so there are still tough negotiations to come. the signs in brussels are warning that it the signs in brussels are warning thatitis the signs in brussels are warning that it is dangerous to tread on perenise, but that is where the brexit are headed. —— to tread on thin ice. ina in a moment we will talk to our ireland correspond and chris page on the border, thirst, to norman smith who has been listening to that. swift comeback by theresa may. we did not quite get mrs may's no, no, no moment like margaret thatcher but she did pretty much today slammed the door shut in the face of the european commission, saying that no british prime ministers could accept these proposals on northern ireland and she would make that crystal clear to the european commission. be that as it may, mrs

also a big issue of ireland because ireland and brexit... if the irish do not get what they need to get, from these things in northern ireland, they can just... ijust want ireland, they can just... i just want to pick up with the point from polly, because you said... maybe neither side wants to be ruling right now in this devolved assembly. but where does that leave the british government? karen bradley, the northern ireland secretary, says she considered options this weekend and what are her options? options are she will have to take control and there is other option. they must do what the dup says because the dup is propping up the main government. we must remember about the dup that two thirds of its members are these extreme free presbyterians, the paisley founded cult, and... cult is a bit strong language. i tend to refer to religions in general as cults. it is the largest party in northern ireland. it is the largest party that only 0.6% of people in northern ireland are actually free presbyterians, so they do represent something very e

there is also the big issue of ireland because ireland and brexit... if the irish don't get what they need to get from these things in northern ireland. come back to that in a moment's instance but i want to pick with polly‘s point for a second, because you were saying maybe neither side actually want to be ruling right now in this devolved assembly, but where does that leave the british government because karen bradley the northern ireland secretary says she's considering her options this weekend. what are her options? her options are that she will have to take control. there is no other option. and they have to do more less what the dup says because the dup is propping up the may government. we have to remember about the dup that two thirds of its members are these extreme free presbyterians, the paisley—founded cults... ‘cult‘ — a bit of strong language! i mean, that's all right — i tend to refer to religions in general as cults. as long as you are across the board because otherwise, we're going to get the blame on this. i'm a humanist.

ireland. northern ireland and the republic of ireland at the minute. ireland at the minute. often it would be in a different jurisdiction. jurisdiction. we are bound by our geographic context. geographic context. culture and our way of life here in the north—west. the north—west. our staff and other businesses in this region. this region. detrimental impact in our way of life. life. has he responded to that invitation yet? invitation yet? night on the airwaves, but i have had no response from david davis. had no response from david davis. sinead mclaughlin, thank you for joining us. in a moment the business news. should take action now to keep themselves safe. a free vote on whether to accept the final deal. final deal. as both toys "r" us and maplins i put into administration. putting 3,000 uk jobs at risk. to find a buyer. failed to secure a seal, is going to collapse. collapse. estate agentjim foxtons has reported a slump in profits. reported a slump in profits. a significant impact on its overall performance. toys "r" us is the big story. story

companies in ireland. if they are going to look to access the eu single market and but i think it is a little disingenuous to characterize investments based solely or principally on -- >> so it was, is it just taxes that bring people to ireland. and there is also an educated work force and so on. there was a study a while guy i would be happy to point someone to, but first i have to refined the reference, that looked at -- and i'm not saying we want to call ireland the tax haven. but looked what happens to the economic growth and tax haven over the intermediate growth. and it is a low property in a low tax environment but in order to do that you have to locate the experts. people who develop the software and so on. and so the world bank report shows activity increase in started out as attractive tax locales. because of those people go to ireland for apple and dwogoogle. and they have a lot of smart people there. but they are sent there. and they have high growth rates. as a final thought i'm serious if you

of ireland? alignment can take a number of forms. a conscious decision by the parliament here could decide to mirror the rules of elsewhere, or we could simply say we are going our different ways. it is pretty much impossible for any british prime minister to do anything to threaten the territorial integrity of the uk. i'm fearful that is the ritchie is going down. i don't think she understands the logic of her own she came back trumpeting in december the fa ct came back trumpeting in december the fact they had come to an agreement in december. this text is only meant to bea in december. this text is only meant to be a version of what the agreed in december. so it's quite clear nothing has been agreed. my anxiety is we will get all the way down the line is there is still a wish for no border within the island of ireland and no border in the irish sea. the end result is to stay in the customs union. this sort of opens up. the eu are playing a game here. it is about what we need to do to find some

biggest bricks and blockade if you will the border between the republic of ireland and northern ireland here show you if you could bring your attention over here to the big wall we're going to talk about this thanks to ireland and the u.k. joining the european union plus the good friday agreement there is now a border only in name but the irony is that by northern ireland leaving the european union the border with the republic of ireland will automatically change what both sides say they want to avoid is a return to a hard border between northern ireland in the republic of ireland and there have been the checks or controls on that front tier for two decades well today barney a proposed a back up plan keep it in northern ireland in the e.u. customs union well that would leave things unchanged from what they are today guaranteeing the free passage of people and goods so where's the border well the e.u.'s plan could potentially put it out to sea the irish sea with northern ireland behind a hard border between the e.u. and the u.k. kind of like being in political limbo british prime ministe

between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. as far as the spokesman for boris johnson is concerned, all he was doing was setting out technologically, for example, feasibly how the border might work after brexit. they say he was not suggesting they should be any kind of ha rd suggesting they should be any kind of hard border. the problem was, there was a phrase in the letter which said even if there is a hard border, 85% loss of goods still would not be checked. that is haps raising the possibility that he was contemplating a hard border against the state government policy. so downing street are making it clear the position of the government is unchanged, they will not contemplate a hard border on the island of ireland, nothing has changed because of boris johnson's ireland, nothing has changed because of borisjohnson's mate, nothing has changed in their position. his own spokesman has suggested that he was pointing at ways in which after brexit the border did not have to get in his words significantly harder. some of them were

will be on the island of ireland. and that is a significant part of the consideration and how exactly britain structures and indeed the e.u. structures britain's exit from the e.u. it's critically important for us as an island a small island nation where we are for example is a huge part of our economy we have farmers producing milk in northern ireland in the morning that is processed in the afternoon in the republican guard and we have that free movement of people and goods back and over across our border which is led to. significant economic growth in both those jurisdictions which is lead to peace in both of those jurisdictions and that is what we're trying to protect here so i think people need to be aware internationally of how important it is to argue that that border remains open free and seamless and also wants to ensure that there are a few barriers to trade between itself and the u.k. as yes as possible so if there is no deal worked out if there is a what some in the u.k. calling a hard bragg's it no deal wh

there were to be a hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, it comes back into the news and then disappears again, doesn't it? everyone can agree that nobody wants to go back to the time before the good friday agreement, and nobody wants to see a hard border between the two countries. what is really interesting that you mention, this seems to be settled, and then it's not. and that speaks to the difficulty of securing this negotiation between the uk and the eu, it'sa negotiation between the uk and the eu, it's a dynamic process that can change over time. i have to say, i find it shocking that this wasn't talked about more in the run—up to the referendum. i know somebody who went to a meeting before the referendum with their brexit supporting tory mp, and they asked him, you know, what would happen if we had a hard border between northern ireland and the republic? and he said, i haven't thought of that! i mean, this is extraordinary to me. my family come from ireland originally, so it was very much at the forefront of my mind, but i really cannot believe it was

don't worry about the border in ireland ireland will be fine on the one hand and then insisting that britain will leave the customs union leave the single market and so on and of course the reality is that those two positions are completely at odds with each other i think the tories have played a very dangerous game no way can ari and or show darren and or will argument be the collateral damage in the midst of all of the us. the idea of reimposing a border on the island is not just economically disruptive it's potentially jeopardizes the entire political infrastructure of the good friday agreement the executive itself in the north and the assembly the northern institutions are built on our premised on the notion of european standards and regulations and law so this is a big problem for us bragg's this is a disaster in my view generally if i can offer that for you i respect absolutely the rights of other countries to make their own decisions i think greg's this is a mistake from an irish perspective. it's dangerous i think it is great she was the way in which the british government ha

unstoppable ireland run away with victory against italy, good evening. welcome to sportsday — plenty on the way but we'll start in south korea where day 2 of the winter olympics has provided who put on a stellar show to reach the quarter final 324,7zzg;mar:rzfifi 1.1575}. . 7 . ”7” but actually it was fine. but then i was so excited and i'mjust glad i got to race in front of everyone again. although british hopes in the snowboarding came crashing down. jamie nicholls and team mate billy morgan both tumbling out of the slopestyle event. the women's cross country skiing meanwhile produced the first gold medallist of the games, victory for charlotte kalla from sweden. a first gold medal for the hosts brought the loudest cheer, there's skater sparking euphoria as south korea celebrated its own olympic champion. but for team gb this was an opening day of mixed fortunes, disappointment on the snow but elise christie's hopes of gold off to the perfect start. andy swiss, bbc news, pyeongchang. he looks cold! full coverage of the games across the bbc, the

and ireland. that's the position of the uk government. it's the position of the parties in northern ireland. it's the position of irish government and it was what we agreed in the december agreement at that joint report. so there are still tough negotiations to come. the signs in brussels are warning that it is dangerous to tread on thin ice, but that is where the brexit talks are headed. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page is in muff in county donegal near the border with northern ireland. but let's go first to brussels. again, fascinating, not by any stretch with the first time, people in brussels talking about time running out and asking britain to pick up the pace. that is why the eu is tabled this legal document now. michel barnier said today this was so michel barnier said today this was so that negotiations could press ahead on the basis of a text that they can hammer out because they have to have that by the end of the year if the x it is going to happen smoothly. as he said again today i

, scotla nd higher parts of northern ireland, scotland and northern england. as we look at tomorrow morning's rush hour, we could see a raid 5—10 centimetres, and even lower down in the central belt a few centimetres, worried than enough to cause transport disruption. although the worst of the snow will be easing away from northern ireland, the hill? , away from northern ireland, the it%% will , 27,2; wing over 27,2; will 2 over the ..;;§;>‘3: ... .: , ..: ..;;§;>‘3: ..l .l l l.l and ..;;§;>‘3: ll .l l l.l and the pennines. this band peaks and the pennines. this band works used words, slowly lingering a crust east england, slow to use off here and will feel cool. there is some sunshine, but temperatures only around 4 degrees. that is your weather. this is bbc news. the headlines: 0xfam's deputy chief executive penny lawrence resigns amid a scandal surrounding aid workers seven years ago, as labour demanded more openness. 0xfam should have been more open and clear about it at the very beginning. both, too, the charity commission and to the department

it means that northern ireland is fully aligned with ireland. perfect. understand. where does the eu border committee customs union and the supermarket border go? when a ship arrives at the north of ireland with goods on, is there no border at there? is there no eu border? goods on, is there no border at there? is there no eu border7m would be a matterfor the united kingdom to implement that within the british... we can send everything we've got. sorry to be so aggressive about this but if you are proposing no border anywhere, what's to stop the uk for sending everything? i'm not proposing anything. this is the d raft not proposing anything. this is the draft agreement. where is the draft the mac border... i never once said there was no borderfor the eu. what isaid there was no borderfor the eu. what i said there is no border on the island of ireland. where is the border then? the border then is in between the remainder of the united kingdom. so you would eu customs post in northern ireland to stop things, or belfast airport and to stop people f

m5 ‘ur rolling back or ireland, is he rolling back or stating the obvious? —— boris johnson. stating the obvious? —— boris johnson. he is squaring the impossible circle the british government is attempting to square. borisjohnson government is attempting to square. boris johnson plays government is attempting to square. borisjohnson plays into this, they do not want to go for membership of the all a customs union, depending on whether you want the definite or an indefinite article ahead of that. they are scrabbling for things that will make this work. yesterday we had this letter that was picked up in the daily telegraph and other newspapers, this boris johnson letter suggesting there is some sort of electronic solution, where you have a hard border between the republic of ireland, and part of the uk. the bottom line is, as we are going to hearfrom uk. the bottom line is, as we are going to hear from the uk. the bottom line is, as we are going to hearfrom the european commission today when they bring out their latest document on these negotiations, t

and the issue, this issue of the border between northern ireland and ireland is one of these issues that has been very difficult to come up with answers on, that are approved by all the parties involved. the dup were in support of brexit but what they don't want to see is anything that creates a regulatory alignment, this was the deal that was done in december, between the north and the south. they want to have more of an alignment between the rest of the uk, and northern ireland. and this isa uk, and northern ireland. and this is a tripwire for this entire conversation. if this is to happen tomorrow, as is widely reported, this could have a huge impact on what theresa may has to try and think about next to get her head around, and in the meantime labour leaderjeremy corbyn has set out his stall, and this adds to the pressure on her because he is saying that they would pitch for being part of a customs union, if they were in power, as a government and that is music to the ears of many, some within the conservative party. let's be clear. jeremy corbyn is his own form of eurosceptic. some

ireland are on top on points difference above the english, both have one bonus point, ireland had a thumping victory against the italians. looking ahead to the match in dublin tomorrow against the welsh, ireland have some big players out, no tie furlong, iain henderson, henderson, we knew he was already out, and the players coming in to replace those three lions have 11 caps between them only. yes and it's fantastic for them to get their opportunities. it's another blow and wales have dan biggar, leigh halfpenny. and liam williams coming in as well. three out for ireland three and four wales. it was sort of in the balance anyway and you get a sense the irish are slightly nervous about this one, and wales, not that they have nothing to lose but there has been no pressure on them because of the liturgy of injuries they have had. because of where they are at with wales team defeated by the english last time out, dan biggar says this is their cup final and strangely now was the same phrase andy farrell, who is now the ireland defence coach, who said this is our cup final as well. it is clear, wa

and clarity about a budget for northern ireland for next year as soon as possible. i intend to take steps to provide clarity on the budget, and i will update the house as soon as i'm in a position to this is clearly not what i want to be, but in the absence of an executive in northern ireland, i have no other choice. talks between the dup and sinn fein last week over legislation for the irish language, with both sides isolating each other. i must commend the secretary of state for the herculean optimism that she continues to still hope for a deal to be done and for the clear statement that she's rejecting the calls to exceed to direct with immediate effect. optimism the vital ingredient in northern ireland, even when it's at its most difficult to summon. i will not criticise the government for remaining hopeful. but clarity and contingency planning has also been important features of the process, mr speaker, so people know where they are in the process and what it will follow if there is no progress. and on this question, mr speaker, i fear that many in northern ire

more sunshine on sunday for northern ireland, perhaps just a more sunshine on sunday for northern ireland, perhapsjust a bit ireland, perhaps just a bit of cloud onto the shores of the northeast through the afternoon and highs of around four to six celsius. factor in the wind and it will feel much colder, particularly on sunday, temperatures perhaps feeling freezing below many —— feeling freezing for many of us. wrap up warm because the cold weather is set to stay with us, they are coming all the way from the arctic, it will get colder still into next week and there is a risk of starting to see some snow showers around so you have been warned, very cold, bit of winds, some snow at times, frost and iis winds, some snow at times, frost and i is continuing as well. —— frost and ice. fine, dry but chilly with highs of 4-7. this is bbc world news today. our top stories. the un security council prepares to vote on a new ceasefire in syria — as government forces continue to target eastern ghouta, these are live pictures from the united nations in new york. the vote has been postponed s

northern ireland, another political crisis. their headline is the dup calling for direct rule, leaving theresa may facing crisis in northern ireland. yes. reminiscent of the story we we re yes. reminiscent of the story we were discussing. a sense of, what a long time ago it seems that there was successful, unexpectedly successful power—sharing between... in the days of mcguinness and a reverend ian paisley. the chuckle brothers they were called. nobody laughing now, that's the case. in a slightly wicked way i couldn't help finding peculiarly amusing the idea that theresa may's dup partners have been quite so catty, i think about her involvement with trying to get this show back on the road, saying quite publicly her trip there yesterday was less than helpful. they said it was a distraction. less than helpful. you feel you don't need friends like that, what enemies do you need? it centres on the irish language, use of the irish language on signs and so on. i agree with joanne, it indicates what an arm lock the dup has the cons

northern ireland's protected status. northern ireland's protected status. northern ireland's protected status. northern ireland voted 56% to remain within the eu, but objectively it seems to me that if the eu starts to get involved in the border and constitutional issues it is in danger of threatening its own long—standing issue of being neutral on that issue and being benign in the way it supports projects that shore up the peace process. the headlines on bbc news. the families of some of the victims of two british extremists belonging to the so—called islamic state group ca ptu red to the so—called islamic state group captured in syria, call for them to face justice captured in syria, call for them to facejustice in captured in syria, call for them to face justice in court. a warning from the eu's chief brexit negotiatior — a transition period isn't a given, because of continuing disagreements. the handshake of her study, the sister of kim jong—un meets the south korean president. an 11—year—old, named by police as jasmine forrester, has die

or the map of ireland. you know, jane austen on one side and the map of ireland. there is a vision of hell! it was just an alternative. doyle is a common name in ireland, the sixth most common name and there were four doyles on the staff. one of the others was called dozy. so i think i got away quite well there. i would rather be called punk doyle. while you were teaching you were writing. had you always wanted to be a writer? the itch was there and i did a little bit of writing when i was a student but teaching was the great opportunity. i did not have a family at the time, so as a secondary teacher in ireland i had june, july and august off, so that is a quarter of the year. and you are never more than seven weeks away from the mid—term break. so there was plenty of time, leaving aside evening time. so a greatjob to start off with. the first four novels were written while i was a teacher. the commitments was self—published in 1987, about this group of young dubliners who form a soul band. it became something of a cult classic, in no part due to the musician

resisted and it will be resisted by democratic ireland. thank you. the northern ireland secretary has been doing her best to strike a positive note, saying that she does still feel there is some sort of basis for an agreement. she will update parliament next week. time for a look at the weather. it has been yet another day of rain for some and snow for others. our weather watchers have been like capturing the scenes. this picture from aberdeenshire. further south it was merely rain, heavy rain at that. we ta ke was merely rain, heavy rain at that. we take a look at the satellite picture and you can see this area of cloud working its way through, bringing snow into northern areas, rain in the south. this area of low pressure is sitting around spinning to the north—west. through this evening, we will slowly pushed the wet weather away from eastern parts of england. it will take awhile to kyrgyzsta n of england. it will take awhile to kyrgyzstan to the hand that clearer skies. wintry showers rattling into northern ireland and scotland. temp

parts of northern ireland, scotland and northern ireland. how much now? around five to ten centimetres is likely, the snow coming down thick and heavy for the tuesday morning rush—hour. likely to cause some problems out of about on the roads in scotland. higher parts of northern ireland and northern ireland could see similar amounts of snow. the risk of some disruption has further south it is going to be rain that falls, and that band of rain that falls, and that band of rain will clear. feeling cold wherever you are. this is bbc news — our latest headlines: the deputy chief executive of oxfam, penny lawrence, has resigned — claiming ‘full responsibility‘ after the charity's workers were accused of hiring prostitutes in haiti. becky dobson is named as one of three britons who died in a helicopter crash over the grand canyon — the others were jason hill and stuart hill. theresa may is to meet the irish prime minister leo varadkar in belfast, as talks continue to restore the power—sharing government at stormont. south africa‘s

into northern ireland. that will move further north and east into western england, and the midlands on friday. more disruption is expected through friday. temperatures are not getting above freezing. a lot going on over the next few days. stay tuned to the forecast. goodbye. hello, it's wednesday 28th february, it's 9 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire, welcome to the programme. amber warnings for snow are in place for large part of the country. drivers have been one to take care, hundreds of schools are closed and public transport is widely affected. with more snow overnight and temperatures falling as low as minus 12, some councils have brought in emergency measures to offer immediate accommodation to people sleeping on the streets. we'll be talking to one rough sleeper and two people who have a roof over their heads but can't afford heating. a key document detailing the proposed terms of the uk's departure from the eu has just been published. it says northern ireland will have to follow the rules of the eu

where has it gone wrong for ireland? they hosted the world cup but it seems they have really fallen away. they appear a team in transition. they are. they are ina team in transition. they are. they are in a rebuilding phase. they have some new cultures. many of their players have either left or are playing rugby sevens. they are in that rebuilding phase and it is important for them to have these games and figure out which direction they need to head in and make that happen. it does not happen overnight. it is good to take a bit of time. it is a long process but they are a good side and they will get there. england getting off to a winning start, as did wales. as in the men‘s tournament, could this be crucial to determining who will win the women‘s title this year? crucial to determining who will win the women's title this year? wales area the women's title this year? wales are a good side but england will have far too much for them tomorrow. wales will probably get into the game early on but i think it will prove sim

we are a united kingdom and northern ireland is an essential pa rt northern ireland is an essential part of the united kingdom. we should not bejeopardising it. part of the united kingdom. we should not be jeopardising it. let's just take a quick look at the financial times. narrated by michel barnier. —— berated. what do you make of this? yes, i mean, it's a really big point, david davies is the head of the uk negotiating team and the head of the eu negotiating team has not seen him in a really crucial time. he is team has not seen him in a really crucialtime. he is busy team has not seen him in a really crucial time. he is busy touring the nordic countries. he would argue he is going out and reaching out to leaders in europe. which he is. which he is, i'm sure that would be his response. also in the story are some comments this mine from martin donnelly, who used to work as the permanent secretary in liam fox's department, which livened up the debate. it brought it back to less complicated language. he said going into brexit was like giving up a three course meal for a packet of cr

the document‘s paragraphs on northern ireland are particularly controversial. the eu‘s chief brexit negotiator came out today to defend them. we have applied imagination and creativity to find a specific solution to the unique challenge that brexit poses for the protection of the good friday agreement. mr barnier said three options had been agreed with the uk to avoid the reintroduction of a hard border between the northern ireland and the irish republic, but he said the uk hadn‘t yet come forward with details so his back stop solution involves northern ireland remaining in a customs agreement with the eu and in parts of the single market. you must also be aware of the potentially explosive effect in the uk of this northern ireland protocol. is this perhaps intentional on your part? translation: i'm not trying to provoke or create shockwaves. i want these negotiations to be a success. let me remind you that it was the uk‘s decision to leave. as i said from the beginning, nobody should underestimate the consequences of this action. but the prime minister w

republic of ireland two between the island of ireland two between the island of ireland and the uk. some of the consequences that could lead to are unthinkable. it is certainly playing with fire. there is so much brexit to talk about as ever. lots of other stories to get through. let's take a book at the metro here, talking about five minutes that cost my girl her life, that is a dramatic headline they come up with. an extraordinary story, a doctor has been condemned for turning away this girl who was five minutes late for an appointment at her surgery, and who then collapsed and died in hospital. the doctor missed the opportunity to provide life—saving treatment. as with all these things, you don't actually know what happens. one of the things that happens. one of the things that happens is when you have these systems are trying to make targets, trying to see times, it can have unintended consequences. this doctor will be living for the rest of her life with the knowledge that this girl could have been saved, had she been seen, and recognise the fact that she was wheezing and str

two challenges make this a fraught time in northern ireland. one — it can't agree on self government. and two — brexit. and so it has been interesting to watch, in the last few days, a small number of keen brexit supporters suggest that the 20—year—old good friday agreement is past its sell—by date. kate hoey said it's time for a "cold, rational look at it." mep daniel hannan wrote a telegraph piece arguing that british ministers should "start working with their irish counterparts on improving the system." it's gently phrased, and it's not a brexit point they are making per se, but this sentiment has only come from that side. there's an interesting linguistic point here, too — critics of the agreement tend to call it the belfast agreement, perhaps because good friday makes it sound too holy or reverential. but whatever you call it, for many, the agreement is, of course, synonymous with peace. today, the irish government called those who questioned it "reckless". the british said they stand by it "steadfastly". so what is going on? o

every party in northern ireland says they want a deal but that significant gaps remain. could she outline to the house what those gaps actually are and what she is doing to try to resolve them and bring people together? mr speaker, can i gently say to the honourable gentleman, who i know is greatly distinguished in this area and knows northern ireland politics very well, that we are we are at a very sensitive stage of the discussions, that i have been committed to no running commentary on the talks while they are ongoing, and there have been very intense, very detailed discussions? i believe we can reach an outcome but i am not going to do anything that mightjeopardise that. can she at least confirm that one of the big sticking points in the talks right now is rights? not just language rights, but marriage equality rights, and can she tell us whether she would consider taking that issue off the table by legislating for equal marriage rights in northern ireland as they enjoy in staffordshire? the minister said equal marriage was a devolved issue. the question moved the bu

the whole ireland does not leave. the whole ireland does not leave. the whole ireland does not leave. sadly theresa may has lost a majority and has to deal with the dup and they will never accept it. the only sensible solution is either, we don't leave order hard border. —— either we don't leave or we have a ha rd either we don't leave or we have a hard border. theresa may has been asked to consider posthumously pardoning those suffragettes who committed crimes in pursuit of the vote. i wonder if this is right. perhaps the suffragettes wanted to get arrested to draw attention to their cause. they may not want to be pardoned. i will plug my magazine and said there was a great these by caroline creator and said there was a great these by caroline creat or peres about this. -- is caroline creat or peres about this. --isa caroline creat or peres about this. —— is a great piece in our magazine. she says the government was wrong to imprison them. the government did do something wrong. maybe a formal apology but this idea that you pardon somebody. i

, less ofa ireland and northern ireland, less of a breeze so you may get every bit of a breeze so you may get every bit of those five and 6 degrees, but in the south, feeling much colder. this is bbc world news today, i'm samantha simmonds, top stories: us congress releases a republican memo alleging that the fbi abuse surveillance powers during the election campaign, the release is approved by president trump. election campaign, the release is approved by president trumplj election campaign, the release is approved by president trump. i think it isa approved by president trump. i think it is a disgrace what is happening in our country, and when you look at that and you see that and some of the other things that are going on, a lot of people should be ashamed of themselves. the disgraced us a gymnastics virgin sticks dr larry nassar is lunged at by a father of one of those that he abused, at his final hearing. abandoned in a mountain blizzard, how one syrian refugees survived after being left for dead by smugglers. unique view of poll and bears struggling to find enough food

our ireland correspondent, chris page, has the latest from stormont. a breakthrough seemed likely when theresa may visited northern ireland on monday. she and the irish prime minister said they were hopeful of a deal between the parties at stormont. now, the prospect of renewed power—sharing is disappearing. unionists have accused republicans of asking for too much. we have, as i've said before, run out of road in respect of this process. we're not going to be able to get the executive up and running because there is not a fair and balanced package available. but sinn fein say the dup are to blame for the collapse of the talks. there was a lot of expectation over the course of the last number of days where people were either briefed or were discussing the fact that there potentially was a deal on the table. i'm saying confidently that we had an accommodation with the dup and the dup leadership have failed to close on that accommodation. action! the most difficult disagreement to resolve has been over the irish language. nationalists want a new law to

the general election swept ireland in a landslide victory only in the six counties which were to form northern ireland and unionism still hold sway after the establishment by treaty of their ideas for the state and the civil war which followed should feel effect to the split into the two parties which were to dominate the politics of ireland for the rest of the century one party which became feeling guilt came from the pro treaty wing of nationalism led by michael collins and the public can feel a foil party of him and the really low. meanwhile shin fein was reduced to a political rump increasingly associate struggle of the ira in northern ireland critically as the troubles swept hill a province from latin of sixty nine is unable to move in over some twenty years ago shin fein and the democratic unionists led the party militaries and both sides into a peace process which holds to this day graduation fane of eclipse the constitutional nationalist of the s.-t. o.-p. in the elections of the north while the twenty six thousand election for the doyle in dublin achieved its best results sin

with it has reopened discussion about sion feigns main aim a united ireland. in a sign of warming relations between the divided koreas north korean leader kim jong un has invited south korea's president to me n.p.r. kim jong un's sister to deliver the invitation in seoul against the backdrop of the winter olympics the diplomatic comes despite an acceleration in the north's weapons programs last year and pressure from sols allies in washington. excited fans wait to greet the combined korean women's hockey team the first didn't think history and the coming together on the ice symbolizing hopes of woman relations between the south and its belligerent move neighbor i didn't win or lose the result doesn't matter i hope they play their best and try their hardest in a show of unity in the sense. this is a god given chance that we seventy million korean people can be of one mind to support the team. those hosts feasted by another historic moment off the ice meeting in seoul kim jong un's younger sister kim yo jong delivered an invitation from the north korean leader f

our ireland correspondent chris page, has been at the conference. are the issues that mary lou mcdonald touched on in her speech, international issues, the middle east, catalonia, climate change will stop she said it would be important in the years to come. also, more specific to politics here on the complex northern ireland. she paid tribute to her former leaders. complex northern ireland. she paid tribute to herformer leaders. she put the emphasis on achieving at some point in the future united ireland. she is prepared engage with unionist is, she said, to try to persuade them but many unionists still feel extremely suspicious of sinn fein given the legacy of the past and in terms of building relationships with them, that will be an uphill struggle fault mary lou mcdonald. —— for mary lou mcdonald. however, maybe sinn fein will be able to go to new places and literally and be able to build new relationships in a way that was more difficult for past generations of leaders with direct experience with the conflict in northern ireland. now to some