Newsround: what Tuesday's papers say

The top stories in Tuesday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

- The paper leads with the North as it reports that the Northern political process was plunged into crisis after a visibly frail and ill Martin McGuinness resigned as deputy first minister at Stormont Castle yesterday, a move that under the joint terms of the office also necessitated DUP leader Arlene Foster ceasing to act as First Minister.

- Its front page also reports on the death of TK Whitaker, Ireland's most influential public servant and the chief architect of the state's economic policy, who died at the age of 100.

- Relocating 40 unaccompanied minors from a former Calais migrant camp in France will cost the exchequer €11.5 million in the first year, the paper says, reporting there are concerns that this will have an impact on other services.

- Minister for Health Simon Harris has welcomed the first significant fall in public hospital waiting lists for two years but warned that emergency departments are going to remain under pressure for weeks. The number waiting for inpatient treatment or outpatient appointments fell by 2,000 to 536,000.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- Sterling dropped to its lowest level since October amid market fears that Theresa May is leading Britain to an uncertain future outside the single market, forcing the British prime minister to deny the UK was heading for a "hard Brexit", the paper's lead story says.

- It also reports on the likelihood of a snap election in Northern Ireland after Martin McGuinness' resignation as deputy first minister exposed a widening gulf between his party and the Democratic Unionists over the handling of a public spending scandal.

- Industrial action by station staff at London Underground halted the majority of services yesterday on the UK capital's most important public transport system, which carries 4.8 million passengers daily, with knock-on effects on other types of travel.

- The euro zone economy showed further signs of resilience yesterday with a fall in regional unemployment and rising German industrial production suggesting political headwinds have yet to knock the area's recovery off course.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- The paper also leads with Martin McGuinness' resignation as Northern Ireland deputy First Minister and his insistence that the decision to step down is not related to his health but in protest at the DUP's handling of a botched renewable energy scheme.

- It also reports that the country is bracing itself for an Arctic blast that could bring snow, ice and freezing temperatures as a polar front from Iceland settles over the country later this week.

- Expressway routes will be cut, jobs lost and lower pay introduced for new recruits under a survival plan rubberstamped by the board of Bus Éireann and which aims to save €7 million. The routes facing the axe are most likely to be in the west of the country while other routes will be subcontracted.

- On its business pages, the paper reports that KBC Bank has become the latest mainstream lender to sell loans to a third party, confirming that it has sold a small portfolio of loans relating to homes and investment properties.

IRISH EXAMINER

- The front page also leads with the North, reporting that power-sharing is in chaos following Martin McGuinness' resignation. Effectively announcing his departure from frontline politics, McGuinness, who has been severely ill in recent months, said he was resigning with "deep regret and reluctance", the paper says.

- The biggest labour union in the US has called on President Barack Obama to directly intervene and stop plans by Norwegian Air International to fly from Cork to the US as his term in the White House comes to an end.

- UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has held talks with senior members of Donald Trump's team as the UK government seeks to strengthen its links to the US president-elect before he takes office.

- In its business section, the paper reports that growth in household spending slowed in December for the third month in a row even as online shopping surged amid the Christmas spending rush, raising concerns about the outlook for consumer spending this year.