ARLENE FOSTER

Actor Damian Lewis and crime writer Ian Rankin are among hundreds of Britons honored by Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates 70 years on the throne.

A 39-year-old lawmaker is set to become Northern Ireland’s youngest first minister, following an internal party revolt that led to the ousting of the leader who played a major role during recent Brexit dramas.

A 39-year-old lawmaker is set to become Northern Ireland's youngest first minister, replacing the politician from the same party who had been in the post since 2015 and through the Brexit dramas of the past few years. Paul Givan, a former communities minister,, was nominated for the top job in the Northern Ireland Assembly by the recently elected leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. The new DUP leader, Edwin Poots, unveiled his team on Tuesday.

PM: Australian trade deal a ‘massive opportunity’ for British farmers Downing Street’s plan to make Covid vaccinations seem sexy Diane Abbott: Batley and Spen loss would be ‘curtains’ for Starmer Paramilitary violence in opposition to NI Protocol not ‘off the table’ Coronavirus latest news: Follow updates in our live blog The Government wants to see more countries added to the green list, but Britons must be patient, Grant Shapps has urged. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, the Transport Secretary said he was "of course" pushing for the green list of destinations to be extended, but warned that we are "just having to wait for other countries to catch up with us" in terms of their vaccination programmes. "That's going to gradually happen, obviously, you can see it's happening, so that list should expand," he said. Mr Shapps said decisions on expanding the green list would depend on data showing the state of the pandemic in the various countries. "We are reviewing this all the time, every three weeks, the next review is in the first week of June and we'll have to see what happens," he told BBC Radio 4's Today. However, he poured cold water on expanding the list of holiday destinations immediately, saying: "Our message is very straightforward, which is 'just a little bit of patience, everyone'." This comes amid reports that up to 270,000 people will fly to amber list countries from the UK by the weekend despite Boris Johnson urging Britons to only travel to these areas for "extreme circumstances". Follow the latest updates below.

Edwin Poots has become the new leader of the Democratic Unionist Party after winning the first leadership contest in the party’s history. Mr Poots, the Stormont Agriculture Minister, said it was "an immense honour" to be chosen for the role, having beaten the party's Westminster leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson by 19 votes to 17. In his victory speech Mr Poots said he looked forward "to a positive relationship right across Northern Ireland and with my party colleagues and indeed with people from other parties". He said: "The opportunities for us to make Northern Ireland a great place after this hundred years has passed and we move into a new hundred years are immense." The election was called after former leader Arlene Foster resigned as DUP leader and Northern Ireland First Minister in April, following an internal party revolt. The 36 members of the party's electoral college, made up of its MPs and Stormont Assembly members, were eligible to vote on Friday in the race. Julian Smith, who was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2019 to 2020, tweeted his congratulations to Mr Poots, adding "a tough job ahead - but one which I am sure he will do well". Speaking briefly to the media as she left party headquarters after casting her ballot, Mrs Foster said: "I voted for the person who will bring the Democratic Unionist Party forward and I think that's very obvious." Mr Poots will be leader designate until Mrs Foster formally stands down. His election will now go to the party executive for ratification. Speaking before the results were announced, Strangford MP Jim Shannon said he was supporting Sir Jeffrey as next DUP leader. "I think Jeffrey has qualities that take him beyond Northern Ireland and across to the mainland," he said, adding: "I think those are statesman-like qualities that the party needs." North Antrim MP Ian Paisley Jr said his father, the party's founder, would be "immensely proud" that a democratic election was deciding the next leader. "It's a party that my dad founded with the name democracy in it and this is a democratic decision," he said. "At last the members, the elected members, are deciding who their leader is. That's a very important decision and I know he would be immensely proud of that today." As he arrived at headquarters, South Belfast MLA Christopher Stalford, who is supporting Mr Poots, said: "I think it's going to be a good day, a good day for democracy inside the Democratic Unionist Party." The campaign for the first leadership contest in the DUP's 50-year history has been unusual, in so much as the party prevented both men speaking publicly about their candidature. Party officers insisted the contest should be confined to internal campaigning among the electoral college. The campaign focused on rank-and-file concerns about DUP internal processes and structures, and wider political challenges facing unionism, in particular contentious post-Brexit trading arrangements, called the Northern Ireland Protocol, that have created new economic barriers between the region and the rest of the UK.

Northern Ireland’s largest British unionist party has chosen a religious conservative from the party's traditionalist wing as its new leader.

The DUP purge continued on Tuesday night after Lord Dodds announced he would step down as deputy leader and the party confirmed it would elect Arlene Foster’s successor by the end of next week. Just days after hardliners forced Mrs Foster to announce her resignation as party leader and Northern Ireland’s first minister, Lord Dodds confirmed that he would also vacate his position. In a statement issued last night, the 62-year-old, who previously served as the DUP’s Westminster leader, said that he had intended to step back whenever the “next internal election cycle had occurred” after being given a peerage. He added that under the party’s election rules, peers did not qualify for leadership positions and it would therefore be “incongruous and inappropriate” to continue in post. However, his departure is likely to be seen as another scalp for the rebels who last week forced out Mrs Foster over mounting frustration in the party over the leadership’s handling of Brexit and moderate stance on social issues.

NI's agriculture minister is one of three DUP politicians tipped as a potential party leader.

Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party is looking for a new leader following First Minister Arlene Foster’s announcement that she will be standing down after nearly 5 1/2 years.

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party is looking for a new leader following First Minister Arlene Foster's announcement that she will be standing down after nearly 5 1/2 years in the post. Following weeks of pressure related to her handling of Brexit and her perceived softening on social issues such as abortion and LGBT rights, Foster said she would step down as leader of the party on May 28 and as first minister of Northern Ireland at the end of June. If there is, it would be the first time in the Democratic Unionist Party's 50-year history that an election has taken place.

The leader of Northern Ireland has announced her resignation after members of her British unionist party mounted a push to oust her over the fallout from Brexit and other issues.

Authorities in Northern Ireland are seeking to restore calm after Protestant and Catholic youths in Belfast hurled bricks, fireworks and gasoline bombs at police and each other.

Police in Northern Ireland have appealed for calm after officers were attacked and cars were set on fire during a second night of unrest.

President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin on St. Patrick's Day, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden marked St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday by recommitting the U.S. to the Good Friday Agreement, which has come under increasing stress following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. Before the meeting, the president attended a morning Mass at the aptly named St. Patrick’s Church near his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, then returned to the White House to partake in the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, which were toned down due to the coronavirus pandemic. In keeping with recent tradition, the water in fountains outside the White House ran green for the day. Biden and Martin also emphasized their commitment to addressing global challenges and combating the coronavirus, among other issues, the White House said.

In this photo released by UK Parliament, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks, during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Fearing Johnson hadn't gone far enough, two regions in the United Kingdom chose to impose tougher measures than the prime minister. The announcement came after talks among political parties in the region’s power-sharing government that stretched from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. “Why did the prime minister reject that advice and abandon the science?” Starmer asked. “I rule out nothing, of course, in combating the virus but we’re going to do it with the local, regional approach that can drive down and will drive down the virus if it is properly implemented,” he said.