Leo Varadkar Resigns; China Defends New Hong Kong Security Law | Top Stories | March 20th 2024

Catch up on the Top Stories of the day.

0:00 Leo Varadkar resigns as Irish PM
- The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, has announced that he is standing down from the position and also relinquishing his role as the leader of the governing Fine Gael party. Announcing his resignation, Mr Varadkar described leading his country as "the most fulfilling time of my life".

0:18 China tells UK and others to stop 'smearing' new Hong Kong security law
- China urged Britain to stop making "groundless accusations" about Hong Kong's new national security law and denounced countries that "smear" legislation that critics say further threatens freedoms in the former British colony. Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed the law on Tuesday, fast-tracking legislation to fortify perceived threats and cracking down on dissent.

0:43 Vietnam’s political turmoil deepens as president resigns
- Vietnam’s President has resigned due to “violations” and “shortcomings” after only a year in office the ruling Communist party has said, deepening political turmoil that risks undermining investor confidence. The political uncertainty comes at a time when Vietnam is attracting record foreign investment as it benefits from a global push by manufacturers to diversify away from China because of growing tensions between Washington and Beijing.