if we do find fine gael and fine gael and fianna fail and sinn fein in the same ballpark as far as seats, fianna fail and fine gael have ruled out dealing with sinn fein, mainly because of the party's links to the ira, but also because of very left—wing economic policies, fianna fail and fine gael say the taxation policy of sinn fein would bea taxation policy of sinn fein would be a disaster for the country. also, while leo varadkar the leader of fine gael said he would consider a deal with fianna fail, the leader of fianna fail micheal martin says he will not deal with fianna fail, the parties remain strong historical rivals. if you end up with those three parties tied in the number of first preference votes and they have around the same number of seats even though sinn fein are slightly further behind, it will be near impossible to form a coalition government in the main house of the irish parliament, the dail. if it does become impossible for parties to strike a deal from minority government, it isjust to strike a deal from minority government, it is just about possible, people are

fianna fail and fine gael are still in a state of denial. they're still not listening to what the people have said and i want us to have a government for the people. i want us to have, ideally, a government with no fianna fail or no fine gael in it. i have started the contact with other parties to explore, over the next days, whether or not that is a possibility. so mary lou mcdonald, the president of sinn fein, definitely a great day for her and her party. in the last hour or so, we've also heard from the man who currently occupies the prime minister's office, as i say, leo varadkar of fine gael. and he has once again, as he did numerous times during the election campaign, ruled out any prospect of going into coalition with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three—party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that is going to make forming a government quite difficult. indeed, it's not even clear yet whether any the two parties together will have enough to form a majorit

fianna fail and fine gael fianna failand fine gaelare fianna fail and fine gael are still ina fianna fail and fine gael are still in a state of denial and there are still not listening to what the people have said. i want us to have a government for the people. i want us a government for the people. i want us to have, ideally, with no fianna fail or no fine gael in it. i have started the contact with other parties to explore, over the next days, whether or not that is a possibility. so mary lou mcdonald, the president of sinn fein, definitely a great day for her and her party in the last hour or so, we've also heard from the man who currently occupies the prime minister's office, as i say, leo varadkar of fine gael. and he has once again, as he did numerous times during the election campaign, ruled out any prospect of going into coalition with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three party system, three parties, all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats. and that is going to make forming a government quite difficult. it's not even clear yet wh

fine gael led by prime minister leo varadkarand fianna fail led by fine gael led by prime minister leo varadkar and fianna fail led by the man who really throughout the campaign had been favourite to succeed leo varadkar, that is micheal martin. sinn fein leader mary lou mcdonald arrived at the centre in dublin in the last hour and she said they had convinced voters they were a vehicle for change. they presented themselves as offering a strongly left—wing alternative to fianna fail and fine gael alternative to fianna fail and fine gael, and that had paid off. they may even be on course to be receiving the largest number of first preference votes in the country. although that might not translate into them having the largest number of seats, given that this is a complex count system involving proportional representation. now the coalition calculators are out and can a stable government be formed in the irish parliament, the dail? mary lou mcdonald said she was talking —— open to talking to anyone. fianna failand fine open to talking to anyone. fianna fail and fine gael are still in

fine gael and fianna fail are a new state of denial. they are still not listening to what people have said. i want is to have a government for the people. i want us to have, ideally, a government with fio to have, ideally, a government with no fianna fail and now fine gael in it. i have started any contact with other parties over the next days —— and no fine gael. that is obviously the sinn fein of you. in the past, the sinn fein of you. in the past, the irish labour party would have beenin the irish labour party would have been in with a shout of being part of any government. is there weakness pa rt of any government. is there weakness part of the explanation for sinn fein‘s success? part of the explanation for sinn fein's success? i think they have taken on the mantle of the leading left—wing party. taking the position that the irish labour party may have had in the past, the irish labour party saying they have not had a good day at the polls. there are various other left—wing parties here, irish politics is certainly a much

i want us to have, ideally, a government with no fina gael in it. i started that contact with other parties to explore over the next days whether that is a possibility. so that is the president of sinn fein, definitely a great day for her and her party. the last hour or so we have heard from the man who currently occupies the prime minister's office, leo of fina gael and as he did numerous times during the election campaign he has ruled out any prospect of going into coalition with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three party system, three parties are getting roughly the same number of votes and same numberof roughly the same number of votes and same number of seats and that's going to make for forming a government quite difficult and it's not clear yet whether any of the two parties together will have enough to form a majority and i think we will have to count the votes and see what the lay of the land is tonight and tomorrow in terms of coalitions speculations, you know, and in my position very clear during the campaign and for us sinn fein

i think fine gael came to power in order to clean up gael came to power in order to clean up that mess, and what has transpired is that the subsequent policies they have implemented have not been to the electorate's liking, so not been to the electorate's liking, so you have this in where you have a so—called booming economy, yet it is quality—of—life she is speaking about where people are really hurting. we have a dysfunctional property market, there is a real lack of supply of housing, and despite assistance and the belief things were getting better, people weren't feeling it on the ground. that combined with the health service and a broad left surge, sinn fein has capitalised on that and filled this vacuum where people want to see change. let's take this and broaden it out a little bit. even though we don't know what the final result of the government will be, what does this mean for brexit and borisjohnson? what does this mean for brexit and boris johnson? who knows? leo varadkar tried to boris johnson? who knows? leo va radkar tried to centralise boris johnson? who knows? le

exit polls in ireland's general election point to a three—way tie between the prime minister's fine gael and two opposition parties. ahead of the oscars and its long running diversity debate, film director spike lee tells us why hollywood 00:00:46,691 --> 2147483051:37:08,061 still has such 2147483051:37:08,061 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 a long way to go. the security forces in thailand have stormed a shopping mall in the city of nakhon ratchasima, where a soldier is holed up after killing at least 21 people in a shooting spree. the violence started on saturday, when the soldier is reported to have killed his commanding officer before stealing weapons from a military camp. he then continued his attack at the terminal 21 mall in the city centre. this is the scene live in the north—east of thailand. earlier a series of explosions were heard from inside the mall, where the gunman is still believed to be hiding. our bangkok correspondent jonathan head reports. panicked shoppers scatter in a city centre shopping mall as they hear news that a gunman is inside, shooting people. outside, the sou

the three main parties now, sinn fein, fianna fail and fine gael looking to win more than 20% of the national vote. that willic ma the discussions around who will form a new government, who they will work with incredibly complex. mary mcdonald, the woman who successfully led this campaign for sinn fein spoke yesterday, talking about her preferred course of action when it comes t to choosing government partners. >> it will be dependent on the numbers. i've already made contact with the greens, the with the social democrats, with others, so that's that's the first option i want us to explore. >> it's been a strong result for sinn fein. i think it's a further reflection of political change in ireland and we're looking forward to the challenges and the opportunities ahead. >> reporter: the sinn fein leader saying in an ideal world she wouldn't work with fianna fail or fine gael but will work out to the two leaders the leader of the fine gael party saying he's not willing to talk to ms. mcdonald a when the results get clearer and we get a better sense of arithmetic for the lower house of

d fine gael have been the main two parties for a long time. they were essentially one party. many voters felt they were more or less proposing the same party. ony were -- are very similar a policy front. they are two legs of the same pair of trousers and how close they are in their policy terms. that opened the door for sinn open a new door. they are left populist -- raising taxes on businesses, cutting income taxes, huge emphasis on housing, which is the guest issue in this campaign. plan the party is promising to build 100 thousand new social houses. opened the door for them as being seen as an opposition to the existing two parties. they have developed young voters in particular. sin fain is very active in the is very to -- sinn fein active in the campaign to repeal the abortion ban. the exit poll, it is not just youth voters -- every age group fine was over 65's sin in there as the main party or a monk -- sinn fein was in there as the main party y or among the top parties. republic of ireland, it is not seen as something -- it is an ambition of several failes, fiona -- fi

those arejust between fianna fail, fine gael and sinn fein. those are just the first preference votes, but whichever way the numbers stack up, as you say, we are looking at a coalition government. it is something which is normal here in the republic of ireland, but here is where it gets complicated. fianna fail and fine gael have already said they will not form a government with sinn fein. they have been citing the party's past links to paramilitary violence during the conflict in northern ireland. sinn fein, for their part, point to their role in the peace process and say that excluding them from government would be undemocratic. so, counting the votes todayis undemocratic. so, counting the votes today is just the start of what will bea today is just the start of what will be a lengthy and complicated process to form a government. one of the notable to form a government. one of the nota ble features to form a government. one of the notable features of this election is that sinn fein should support has increased, what are putting that down to?

but defending champion gael monfils marches on. welcome along to the programme. three—time australian rugby union player of the year, israel folau, is set to return to action this weekend, for the first time in 10 months. the former wallaby was sacked last year by rugby australia and his state side, over homophobic comments he posted social media. folau's now back in the spotlight, after being the given the chance to return to rugby league, signing for the french based super league team, catalans dragons. and the man who's played for his country in both codes of rugby, set to make his debut on saturday against castleford tigers. our sports correspondent natalie pirks reports from perpignan. his athletic ability is not up for debate but his personal views sparked a huge run around free speech and discrimination. the deeply religious israe lfolau will attempt to resurrect a career left in tatters. the smile is back and his new manager believes everyone reserves a shot at redemption. from the outside you know the headlines but not the person. and in sport in depth

leo varadkar‘s party, fine gael, and their opponents, fianna fail, had previously said they will not form an alliance with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three—party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that's going to make forming a government quite difficult. ireland's economy is the fastest growing in europe, but the high cost of living means many voters are not feeling the benefits. i think they're sick of the last couple of years and that things just haven't changed quick enough, hence the vote for sinn fein. a bit disappointing, really. sinn fein, not the kind of politics that a large number of people in ireland would favour. tonight counting continues, and tomorrow negotiations between the parties will be in full swing. ireland has reached an historic turning point, but with results so close, working out who will lead the country may take some time. emma vardy, bbc news, dublin. that's it from me. this is bbc news. now on bbc news, sport today. hello, i'm chetan pathak and this is sport today, live

leo varadkar‘s party, fine gael, and their opponents, fianna fail, had previously said they will not form an alliance with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that's going to make forming a government quite difficult. ireland's economy is the fastest growing in europe, but the high cost of living means many voters are not feeling the benefits. i think they're sick of the last couple of years and that things just haven't changed quick enough, hence the vote for sinn fein. a bit disappointing, really. sinn fein, not the kind of politics that a large number of people in ireland would favour. tonight, counting continues, and tomorrow negotiations between the parties will be in full swing. ireland has reached an historic turning point, but with results so close, working out who will lead the country may take some time. emma vardy, bbc news, dublin. it's the new space mission that will show us the sun as we've never been able to see it before. the spacecraft, called sola

leo varadkar‘s party, fine gael, and their opponents, fianna fail, had previously said they will not form an alliance with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that's going to make forming a government quite difficult. ireland's economy is the fastest growing in europe, but the high cost of living means many voters are not feeling the benefits. i think they're sick of the last couple of years and that things just haven't changed quick enough, hence the vote for sinn fein. a bit disappointing, really. sinn fein, not the kind of politics that a large number of people in ireland would favour. tonight, counting continues, and tomorrow negotiations between the parties will be in full swing. ireland has reached an historic turning point, but with results so close, working out who will lead the country may take some time. emma vardy, bbc news, dublin. so the oscars are currently underway in los angeles. live now to hollywood and our correspondent, peter bowes. peter, by my

but fianna fail and fine gael have asked how on earth they are going to pay for this. the economy in the republic of ireland is now the fastest—growing in the eu but people say that is just not being felt further down the chain. so, they think that sinn fein can offer a change, and that is a word we keep hearing again and again during this election, people want change. it is worth noting that in 2016 after the election then it took more than two months for a government to be formed. so, later on, whichever way the numbers stack up on, whichever way the numbers stack up here and into tomorrow morning, there are likely to be very intense and complicated political negotiations, which may last days, weeks or even months. thank you very much, sara girvin in dublin. time for a look at the weather forecast now. storm ciara is causing significant damage and disruption for the rest of today. the met 0ffice have issued a pretty rare amber weather warning right across the bulk of england and wales for those severe gales for scotland and northern ireland, also having a wind warn

leo varadkar‘s party, fine gael, and their opponents, fianna fail, had previously said they will not form an alliance with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that's going to make forming a government quite difficult. ireland's economy is the fastest growing in europe, but the high cost of living means many voters are not feeling the benefits. i think they're sick of the last couple of years and that things just haven't changed quick enough, hence the vote for sinn fein. a bit disappointing, really. sinn fein, not the kind of politics that a large number of people in ireland would favour. tonight, counting continues, and tomorrow negotiations between the parties will be in full swing. ireland has reached an historic turning point, but with results so close, working out who will lead the country may take some time. emma vardy, bbc news, dublin. the headlines on bbc news: storm ciara batters the uk with heavy rain and strong winds, causing widespread flooding and lea

obviously they are a left—wing party and fine gael area left—wing party and fine gael are a liberal conservative party led by leo varadkar. what they have in common is very little. sinn fein, for you and me and everybody of our age, we know sinn fein as the political wing of the ira, so this is a very big change in irish politics. and it has big knock—on implications for us in the uk, and what i think is quite notable here as we have gone with the irish times because we have really had to go with the irish times, because the british papers for all the fact that this is our closest neighbour, and this is a pretty seismic change in politics, barely mention it. there is very, very little, there is a page for peace in there is a page for peace in the financial times as well as a small piece on the front page, " page a small piece on the front page, —— page fourapiece. but there is nothing on the front pages about the impact of this. that is interesting because there is a huge change going on in ireland in terms of the outcome of this election, but also they are within the european union and we

exit polls in ireland's general election point to a three—way tie between the prime minister's fine gael and two opposition parties. ahead of the oscars and its long running diversity debate, film director spike lee tells us why hollywood still has such a long way to go within the past hour, police in thailand have said that a soldier who went on a rampage in a shopping mall in the city of nakhon ratchasima, killing at least 20 people, has been shot dead by security forces. he wounded more than a0 other people, ten of them believed to be critically injured. he had taken cover in the terminal 21 shopping mall in the centre of the city, where he evaded police and security forces for hours. earlier i spoke to charlie crowson, an english teacher living in nakhon ratchasima. charlie had friends who were caught up in the shooting at the terminal 21 shopping centre and outside in the streets earlier on saturday. one friend, yes, unfortunately had one family member in there, a young boy, and we also had a colleague of mine who was in there on his first date and managed to get out about 10:30pm a

call — exit polls in ireland's general election point to a 3—way tie between the prime minister's fine gael and two opposition parties. ahead of the oscars and its long running diversity debate, film director spike lee tells us why hollywood still has such a long way to go. hello, and welcome to bbc news. a thai soldier who carried out a shooting spree has been killed by security forces. 20 people are known to have been killed in the incident and 42 others wounded. officials say that the gunman shot a colonel at his army barracks and stole weapons before opening fire in a buddhist temple and a shopping centre in the city of nakhon ratchasima. aaron safir has the latest. a15 a 15 hour stand—off finally over. tire security forces emerged from the terminal 21 shopping mall in the city of nakhon ratchasima, a lone gunman shot dead, but not before he took 20 lives. for a long time it was not clear how this stand—off would end. hundreds of people enjoying a weekend shop managed to escape the rampaging gunman, but an earlier attempt to flush him out failed, with one member of the security forc

leo varadkar‘s party, fine gael, and their opponents, fianna fail, had previously said they will not form an alliance with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that's going to make forming a government quite difficult. ireland's economy is the fastest growing in europe, but the high cost of living means many voters are not feeling the benefits. i think they're sick of the last couple of years and that things just haven't changed quick enough, hence the vote for sinn fein. a bit disappointing, really. sinn fein, not the kind of politics that a large number of people in ireland would favour. tonight, counting continues, and tomorrow negotiations between the parties will be in full swing. ireland has reached an historic turning point, but with results so close, working out who will lead the country may take some time. emma vardy, bbc news, dublin. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: does son as we've never been able to set before. nasa prepares to launch the new s

leo varadkar‘s party, fine gael, and their opponents, fianna fail, had previously said they will not form an alliance with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that's going to make forming a government quite difficult. ireland's economy is the fastest growing in europe, but the high cost of living means many voters are not feeling the benefits. i think they're sick of the last couple of years and that things just haven't changed quick enough, hence the vote for sinn fein. a bit disappointing, really. sinn fein, not the kind of politics that a large number of people in ireland would favour. tonight, counting continues, and tomorrow negotiations between the parties will be in full swing. ireland has reached an historic turning point, but with results so close, working out who will lead the country may take some time. emma vardy, bbc news, dublin. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories... officials in thailand say the number of people killed in a mass

i think fine gael came to power to clean up that mess. at is transpired is the subsequent policies have not been to the electorate's liking. there is a lack of supply and housing and despite the outbound assistance, they were doing thei best but people were not feeling it on the ground. that combined with health service not working to people's liking. sinn fein has capitalized on that and they have fille this where people wanted to see change. >> next week turned to australia because sydney is beings hit by itheaviest rain in 30 years. we will bring you up-to-date on that and what it means for the bushfires in australia. a new investigation into the deaths of theda british m is children who drowned in a hotel pool in spain on christmashaeave s taken place. >> we are seeing thdiving the end of his testing. there is team of engineers here. a judge looking at the final conclusion has allowed more tests. they are challging the initial reports saying there was possibly negligence involved. one focus is on the cleaning system which gives pssure

that is still likely to be either fianna fail or fine gael. but the strength of the sinn fein performance here is really extremely significant. chris page, dublin, thank you. hollywood stars will be on the red carpet tonight for the oscars. the world war one epic 1917, and south korea's parasite are the frontrunners to be named best picture, but much of the build—up has been dominated by criticism over the lack of diversity. sophie long looks at what we can expect. you have a brother in the 2nd battalion? yes, sir. 1917, sir sam mendes' unblinking vision of war, is a frontrunner for best picture. mendes has been nominated for best director. his competition comes from quentin tarantino, for his love letter to los angeles in the ‘60s, once upon a time in hollywood. bong joon—ho for parasite — a dark, violent look at south korean class. and todd phillips, for his controversial dark thrillerjoker, which leads the pack with 11 nominations. this is meg, amy, beth and jo. the line—up for best director is all male, something that has not gon

fianna fail coming second, fine gael on the third on 21%. though sinn fein has won this first stage of the electoral process, it is unlikely they will run out as the largest party in the irish parliament, because attlee ran fewer candidates in the. at the moment, analysts think it is likely that fianna fail will end up as the largest party, led by the former irish minister. during the campaign, both fine gael and fianna fail side they will not doa and fianna fail side they will not do a collision with sinn fein. last night, fine gael leader said he would stick to that. the fianna fail leader however wouldn't give a definitive answer, he said that people came out to vote in numbers and he respected there. that there we re and he respected there. that there were still big car significant differences dipping his party and sinn fein, lots to tease out over the next couple of days. the way forward is not straightforward, a lot will come down to the final numbers, counting will continue today, 160 seats in the irish parliament, have still to be fi

fine gael have also said they won't do it, and they do mean it. the big question in irish politics now is, can martin be persuaded to go into some sort of agreement with sinn fein, although he promised voters that he wouldn't? tell us briefly why wouldn't he? there is this kind of bogeyman about history and ira lengths, this is a relatable woman who takes tv camera shopping with her. she really and ira threat? no. most of the support that this surge came from people under 35, who were very young when the good friday agreement was signed. people who are 60—65, you know, do still feel that that link that you talk about to the ira and the past would stop them voting. but for me, hall martin, the leader of fianna fail, the big problem is that their policy agenda is not compatible. sinn fein are a left—wing party, fianna fail art centre, ce ntre— right party. to tackle the problem is that mid—on has been accusing the other parties of ignoring, she will have to put up taxes, housing, talking about crumbling public health service, the high cost o

fine gael have also said they won't do it, and they do mean it. the big question in irish politics now is, can martin be persuaded to go into some sort of agreement with sinn fein, although he promised voters that he wouldn't? tell us briefly why wouldn't he? there is this kind of bogeyman about history and ira lengths, this is a relatable woman who takes tv camera shopping with her. she really and ira threat? no. most of the support that this surge came from people under 35, who were very young when the good friday agreement was signed. people who are 60—65, you know, do still feel that that link that you talk about to the ira and the past would stop them voting. but for me, hall martin, the leader of fianna fail, the big problem is that their policy agenda is not compatible. but for micheal martin, the leader of fianna fail, the big problem is that their policy agenda is not compatible. sinn fein are a left—wing party, fianna fail are a centre, ce ntre— right party. to tackle the problems that mcdonald has been accusing the other parties o

the best outcome is a government without fine gael and fianna fail, so that's the first thing that i want to test. sinn fein's ultimate goal is to create a united ireland, breaking northern ireland away from british rule. its historical links to the ira caused controversy during the campaign, but the party appealed to voters with radical left—wing policies on health, housing and pensions. the surge for sinn fein has changed the landscape of irish politics, and it raises new questions for the uk about the likelihood of a border poll. but it is still unclear who will form the next government. leo varadkar‘s party, fine gael, and their opponents, fianna fail, had previously said they will not form an alliance with sinn fein. it seems that we have now a three—party system, three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, roughly the same number of seats, and that's going to make forming a government quite difficult. ireland's economy is the fastest growing in europe, but the high cost of living means many voters are not feeling the benefits. i think they're sick of the l

exit polls in ireland's general election suggest a three—way tie between the prime minister's fine gael and two rival parties. england reignite their six nations title hopes after beating scotland, but wales were beaten by ireland. and we will be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers, jo phillips and nigel nelson. stay with us for that. in the last hour, a member of the thai security forces has become the 21st person killed by a soldier who went on a shooting spree with an assault rifle. special forces have stormed a shopping centre in the city of nakhon ratchasima, also known as korat, where the gunman is believed to be holed up. in the last few hours, a number of casualties have been brought out of the complex and rushed to ambulances. it is still not clear how many people remain inside the shopping centre tonight. this is the scene live. a series of explosions and gunshots have been reported in the past 30 minutes. armed officers remain outside the building as the operation to locate and disarm the gunman continues. we will bring you the latest as it this story d

but he is staying on as interim leader of fine gael while the 3 main parties battle through deadlocked coalition talks. after an inconclusive election, attempts in the irish parliament to elect a new prime minister have ended without agreement. around seventy british people stranded on a cruise ship injapan will be evacuated later on friday. a growing number of passengers on the diamond princess have tested positive for coronavirus and only people showing no signs of illnes will be allowed to return home. once here, they will be quarantined in hospital. rupert wingfield—hayes reports from yoka hama, where the ship is moored. there is no mistaking who it is getting off the diamond princess in this video. australians, elated to be back on dry land and heading home. evenif on dry land and heading home. even if it is another quarantine camp. their relation to elation is tempered by the news today that two elderly japanese passengers ta ken news today that two elderly japanese passengers taken off the ship last week have died in hospital. for the britons still waiting for their release, f

his party, fine gael, finished third in the elections earlier this month, behind the centrists fianna fail and the left—wing sinn fein. there are still many parts of the uk, struggling

fine gael have also said they won't do it, and they do mean it. the big question in irish politics now is, can martin be persuaded to go into some sort of agreement with sinn fein, although he promised voters that he wouldn't? tell us briefly why wouldn't he? there is this kind of bogeyman about history and ira lengths, this is a relatable woman who takes tv camera shopping with her. is she really an ira threat? no. most of the support that this surge came from was people under 35, who were very young when the good friday agreement was signed. people who are 60—65, you know, do still feel that that link that you talk about to the ira and the past would stop them voting. but for me, martin, the leader of fianna fail, the big problem is that their policy agenda is not compatible. sinn fein are a left—wing party, fianna failare a ce ntre— right party. to tackle the problems that mary lou has been accusing the other parties of ignoring, she will have to put up taxes, housing, talking about crumbling public health service, the high cost of childc

it predicts that leo varadkar‘s fine gael party are tied with their opponents fianna fail, and it is impossible to say at the moment who will form the next government. now, counting takes place the following day, and it is highly likely after that that coalition negotiations will begin between the parties, and that will be where things really get down to the nitty—gritty. coalitions are the norm here in ireland. now, the current taoiseach, leo varadkar, he has had a very high international profile over the past three years as ireland's youngest ever prime minister. he has had huge influence in the brexit negotiations. if it is his opponents, fianna fail, who form the next government, then it will be their leader, micheal martin, who becomes the next irish prime minister. now, the other big story of the night is there looks to be some major breakthroughs for sinn fein, major gains for them. a big, successful night for them, if that exit poll is to be proved correct. now, this is the first time that a general election in ireland has been held on a saturday. leo varadkar said he wante

it suggests that the centre—right fine gael party, led by the prime minister, leo varadkar, won about 22% of first preference votes, with the centrist fianna fail and left—leaning sinn fein, only fractionally behind. before the election fianna fail and fine gael — which have dominated irish politics for decades — said they would not enter a coalition with sinn fein, citing its links to paramilitary violence during the conflict in northern ireland. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah. thank you. it is all about storm ciara today. bringing some destructive weather around the british isles. the met office has issued an amber warning for the entire uk. everywhere are seeing strong winds and heavy rain for the rent that is leading to flooding problems. likely custody of between 60 and 80 mph fairly widely. higher in scotland and are in some coasts and hills where we have had gusts of more than 80 mph. heavy rain and the most persistent moving south across england and wales mac across this cold front. heavy showers for the north—west with hail and thunder. mild but ex

fine gael have also said they won't do it, and they do mean it. the big question in irish politics now is, can martin be persuaded to go into some sort of agreement with sinn fein, i promised voters that he wouldn't? tell us briefly why wouldn't? tell us briefly why wouldn't he? there is this kind of bogeyman about history and ira lengths, this is a relatable woman who takes tv camera shopping with her. she really and ira threat? no. most of the support that led to the surge came from people under 35, who we re very surge came from people under 35, who we re very young surge came from people under 35, who were very young when the good friday agreement was signed. people who are 60-65, agreement was signed. people who are 60—65, you know, do still feel that that link that you talk about to the ira and the past would stop them voting. but for me, martin, the leader of fianna fail, the big problem is that their policy agenda is not compatible. sinn fein are a left—wing party, fianna fail art centre, centre—right party. to tackle the problem is

an exit poll puts the main parties on a three way tie, with leo varadkar‘s fine gael party on 22.4% of first preference votes, closely followed by sinn fein on 22.3% and fianna fail on 22.2%. we can speak to bobby mcdonagh, a retired senior diploman. hejoins us now from dublin. why does the vote seem to be evenly ' 7 why does the vote seem to be evenly split? that is simply the choice people have made. we do not yet know the outcome of the election yet. there is a certain margin of error and the exit polls but under a electrode system, which is a very sophisticated one, everyone has one vote but they can express preferences. if your first preferences. if your first preference is not elected, your vote passes to your second preference and so on. passes to your second preference and so on. so, the actual seat allocation will be quite a different from the percentage of votes and there is a widespread view here that fianna fail will end up as the largest party and then probably fine gael and then sinn fein, and they will have to consider how to put together a coalition government. what are

fine gael and fianna fail have previously said they would not going into coalition with sinn fein, a party with historical links to the ira. they will now be under pressure to reconsider. sinn fein, meanwhile, they are triumphant with their success , they are triumphant with their success, their president mary lou mcdonald arrived here earlier to huge cheers, colin is a revelation at the ballot box. there is success —— calling it a revelation. it is likely they will push harder for a border poll, something that has been very much on the agenda since the brexit vote. the oscars will be handed out in a glittering ceremony in los angeles later tonight. the world war one drama ‘i9i7,’ and from south korea, the film ‘parasite,’ are the frontrunners for best picture. but much of the buildup has been dominated by criticism over the lack of diversity among the nominees. our arts editor, will gompertz has more from la. welcome to the red carpet where they will be making their way into the academy awards. it has been met with criticism about lack of diversity, no females in the bes

three and a fail on 22% and fine gael and 21%. even sinn fein's own strategies did not expect that level of success at the ballot box —— strategists. the party run fewer candidates than its rivals which means it is unlikely to become the largest party in the irish parliament. it focused its campaign on the issue of a nationwide housing shortage, and stood on distinctly left—wing economic policies. the party also wa nts a economic policies. the party also wants a referendum on irish unity to be held within five years. sinn fein's opponents have focused on its links to the ira during the conflict in northern ireland, and argued that makes it an unsuitable party for government. the current prime minister has said he will be sticking to that position. minister has said he will be sticking to that positionlj minister has said he will be sticking to that position. i have made my position and that of my party very clear during the campaign. we won the votes that we won on that basis in my position has not changed. fianna failwill p

gusts across the country but elsewhere whether improving and by the time we get to the afternoon, the gaels should have gone by then and then by the evening, it will fall flat and calm. the temperature on tuesday will be around about ten in the south and on the north not far off that as well. this is the forecast for wednesday so we have got high pressure across the uk which means very settled conditions and also means it will be a chilly start to wednesday as well. so let's summarise all of that. we are in very very when they start to the beat, lots of showers, sam hill snow, blizzards for a time in scotla nd snow, blizzards for a time in scotland but from mid week, drier and much brighter. good morning. welcome to breakfast, with dan walker and louise minchin. our headlines today. a man shot dead by police after stabbing two people in south london was a convicted terrorist who had been released earlyjust days ago. sudesh amman was under armed police surveillance — the government says it will today announce "fundamental changes" to the way people convicted of terrorism offences are handl

to tennis and gael monfils has won his second title in the space of seven days, after beating the canadian teenager felix auger aliassime, in straight sets at the rotterdam open. the frenchman came into the tournament on the back of victory in montpelier and continued that run against his 19—year—old opponent to clinch what is his 10th career title. monfils has now won 7 of his 10 atp tour trophies on indoor hard courts. kiki bertens has become the first player to win back—to—back titles at the st petersburg open. and she made all it look very easy, beating the home favourite elena rybakina in straight sets, 6—1, 6—3 for her first wta title this season and her 10th overall. major league baseball's commissioner rob manfred has been talking for the first time since the investigation into the houston astros' sign—stealing scandal. four people were suspended and subsequently fired for using electronics to work out what pitch would be delivered during 2017 and 2018. manfred admits he thought about stripping the astros of their 2017 world series title. 0nce once you have a situatio

but defending champion gael monfils marches on. welcome along to the programme. three—time australian rugby union player of the year, israel folau, is set to return to action this weekend, for the first time in 10 months. the former wallaby was sacked last year by rugby australia and his state side, over homophobic comments he posted social media. folau's now back in the spotlight, after being the given the chance to return to rugby league, signing for the french based super league team, catalans dragons. and the man who's played for his country in both codes of rugby, set to make his debut on saturday against castleford tigers. 0ur sports correspondent natalie pirks reports from perpignan. his athletic ability is not up for debate but his personal

lead irish prime minister leo varadkar faces a huge test to remain in power after his party phoenix gael came 3rd in recent opinion polls victory for shin fein would bring to an end a political drop paly which is ruled since 1937 with either fee to go off in a foil in power since the republic formation is still remains are likely however with shin fein competing for considerably fewer seats than the big 2 parties both seen a go and feel a foil has ruled out working alongside sinn fein as part of a coalition but with an existing parliament already built on compromise some allowances may have to be made. well here in germany the state premier elected with votes from the far right alternative of germany has resigned 3 days after taking office the election of thomas kenniff a from the business friendly free democrats shouted a german post or political to boo or against cooperating with far right parties now the crisis meeting here in berlin the conservatives in their social democrat party has agreed to a push for a new election in the eastern state. black limousines pull up to the chancellor

djokovic will now face gael monfils in the semi—finals. the number 3 seed — who's chasing his 3rd tour title of the year — beat his fellow—frenchman richard gasquet 6-3, 6-3. in the other half of the draw, the number 2 seed, stefanos tsitsipas is also through to the semi—finals. but he was made to work hard for his victory over jan—lennard struff from germany. he had to come from a set down, to beat the world number 3a, with tsitsipas taking the deciding set 6—4, to seal his place in the last four. he'll now face great britain's dan evans who pulled off a shock win over the number 6 seed, andrey rublev. evans, who's ranked 37 in the world, won in straight sets, taking the second set tie—break, 11—9. and look what it means to him. and, on the wta tour, ashleigh barty is through to the semi—finals of the qatar open in doha. the current world number one beat the former world number one garbine muguruza to go through to the last four. the match went the distance — with barty taking the deciding set 6-2. she'll now face the

general election polls predict a tight race between the prime minister and their referent because finnick gael party the sense right fin a photo and for the 1st time. the left wing nationalist party led by mary lou mcdonald is offering policies to tackle iman's housing and health care crisis. in the united states the democratic party has declared that people would use the he will of the iowa caucuses monday's contest was the 1st to choose the democratic candidate to run against president trump in november's election. came back a bit just a no point one percent lead over senator bernie sanders and so both were awarded the same number of delegates. australia's encloses welcomed its heaviest rainfall for nearly 20 years the down 4 has helped put out some of the country's devastating bushfires and brought relief for farmers battling a prolonged drought the rains also have caused flooding and the risk of landslides . and swedish climate activists gratitude has been taking part in a school strike in lapland joining teenagers from the indigenous sami people she's on a visit to the region to find out

the defending champion gael monfils is safely through to the second round. the frenchman, who's the number three seed, beat portugal's joao sousa in straight sets. monfils is bidding for back—to back tour titles, following his victory in montpellier last week, — and he tookjust an hour and ten minutes to win 6—3, 6—2. monfils will now play compatriot gilles simon for a place in the quarter—finals. on to cricket, and england threw away the opportunity to beat hosts south africa in the first t20 international, losing a dramatic contest byjust one run temba bavuma top—scored with 43 as south africa made 177 for eight from their 20 overs. and england looked to be cantering to their target. jason roy smashing 70 from 38 balls including a 22—ball half century, to reach 132 for two, before his dismissal sparked an england collapse. adil rashid was run out off the last ball, while chasing the run that would have forced a super over. the second match is in durban on friday. that is all the time we have for 110w. you can get all the latest sports news at

fine gael has 37, and shane have 35. those three parties would have to come together with the help of the at least one of the smaller parties, the green party for example. fianna failand fine the green party for example. fianna fail and fine gael said they won't work with sinn fein, not least because of their past links to the ira. sinn fein say it doesn't want fianna fail or fine gael back in government. fine gael says its main reference is to be in opposition but it doesn't ultimately want some sort form of arrangement with fianna fail. you get a picture of how complex messes and could take many weeks. last time, the process of getting a government took 70 days andi getting a government took 70 days and i think the process this time it even more complicated. the new twenty pound note, featuring the painter turner, goes into circulation today. it's the third plastic note to be issued by the bank of england — but its arrival comes at a time when the use of cash is declining . i'm joined by personal finance expertjasmin

france's gael morphy's has won his 2nd tennis title of the week the rotterdam open off the streets canadian teenager felix simmie in straight sets to retain the title the 19 year old who made history by becoming the youngest finalist in the event missed the chance to clench his folks 80 i don't get the 10 career titles to work. over in russia kiki burton's got past alaina read the kenya of how does it stand to successfully defend her seat is for total number 8 seed for the netherlands down to 2 opponents 6163 it's the 10th w.t. singles title for the top of the cage. roger go holder has won her 3rd straight women's world cup slalom as a lackey and has now overtaken american mckayla scheffer and on top of the discipline we're standing with sweden is an aspiring larsson had a huge lead after recording the fastest time in her 1st line and then this happened which took her out of contention for holders when kids are on top of the stone ranking schifrin was taking a break from skiing since the death of her father to go still leads the overall world cup standing next. own favorite sergio has won t

exit polls in ireland's general election point to a three—way tie between the prime minister's fine gael and two opposition parties. ahead of the oscars and its long running diversity debate, film director spike lee tells us why hollywood

the nationalist party secured more first—choice votes than either fine gael or fianna fail, which have led irish governments for decades. the prime minister, leo varadkar, said that once the final result was clear it could take months to negotiate a coalition. we will go back to the oscars briefly, because it is traditional to ta ke briefly, because it is traditional to take a look at the addresses. —— the dresses. high fashion remained an ever important part of last night's oscars events, with one dress in particular drawing some interesting comments from viewers online. this is the dress in question worn by actress kristen wiig. over on twitter, one watcher likened it to a lasagne. another suggested it may have been inspired by a car wash. i think that is quite harsh. she is a very funny actress... old, i see, thatis a very funny actress... old, i see, that is a picture of a car wash. —— oh. no, that is not her. i think she wore it very well. i'm not going to comment. what about this one? i'm not even going to read this. shall i read it? you can if you want. no. some people v