Newsround: what Wednesday's papers say

The top stories in Wednesday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

- The paper says that a pledge to make Ireland a "republic of opportunity" and a limited Cabinet reshuffle will be Leo Varadkar's first acts after becoming Taoiseach today. The new Fine Gael leader will also outline his response to Brexit and cite reducing child poverty as a personal priority.

- It also reports that a UN committee has said that Ireland's abortion laws should be changed to prevent more people from having their rights violated in the same way as a woman who had to travel to Britain for a termination after her baby was diagnosed with a fatal foetal abnormality.

- A man was arrested last night after gardaí identified dismembered remains found scattered along a Co Wicklow roadside as those of a woman, the paper says. The victim's identity was known to detectives last night but further checks, including DNA sampling and an examination of dental records, were being carried out to confirm it.

- In its business section, the paper says that investment banks and brokers working on AIB's upcoming flotation have secured enough demand to cover the maximum 28.8 per cent stake the government plans to sell in the coming weeks.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- The FT reports that Uber's chief executive Travis Kalanick has decided to go on leave for an indefinite period after a highly critical report into the ride-hailing company's dysfunctional management followed hard on the heels of the death of his mother.

- David Cameron has added to pressure on Theresa May to adopt a "softer" Brexit, saying the prime minister should talk to the Labour opposition to develop a more consensual approach, the paper says. The former prime minister told a conference in Poland that the election result should force May to "listen to other parties" on how to leave the EU.

- It also reports that Spanish prosecutors have accused Cristiano Ronaldo of a €14.8 million tax fraud in the latest case of a star footballer coming into conflict with the country's tax authorities. The accusation deals a potentially harsh blow to the Real Madrid striker and threatens to darken a season that was otherwise marked by a series of sporting triumphs, the paper says.

- In its Companies & Markets section, the paper reports that shares in Merlin, the entertainment group that includes Madame Tussauds waxworks, fell sharply yesterday after the company warned that foreign visitors to the UK might stay away in the coming months following the recent terrorist attacks in Manchester and London.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- Detectives have arrested a man in connection with the murder of his female relative whose dismembered remains were found dumped in the Wicklow mountains, the paper reports. Gardaí believe the woman, who was in her late 50s, was killed during a row in which she was struck over the head with a blunt instrument.

- It also says that Transport Minister Shane Ross is at the centre of a furious row over 'stroke politics' after securing the reopening of a Garda station in south Dublin. Ross' campaign for Stepaside Garda station came to fruition moments before Enda Kenny formally told the Dáil of his resignation as Taoiseach.

- Health Minister Simon Harris is expected to survive a Cabinet reshuffle after "serious campaigning" by Simon Coveney on his behalf as Leo Varadkar warned TDs that many of them will be disappointed by his ministerial appointments because there simply aren't enough to keep everybody happy.

- Theresa May's plans to sign a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party to support her minority Conservative government could jeopardise the Northern Ireland peace process, John Major has warned. The former UK prime minister warned that "hard men" are still "lurking in the corners of communities".

IRISH EXAMINER

- The Examiner reports that incoming Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is to deliver a major snub to Simon Coveney who looks set to lose out on the role of Tánaiste. Supporters of Varadkar say they expect Frances Fitzgerald to remain as Tánaiste while Coveney, who been appointed as deputy leader of Fine Gael, will be moved to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

- It also reports that up to 130,000 households who turned to St Vincent de Paul for help last year were paying back loans to moneylenders with interest rates of up to 168 per cent, the paper says, adding that in one rural area there were 23 agents operating for one moneylender.

- It says US Attorney General Jeff Sessions had heatedly denied that he had any undisclosed meeting with the Russian ambassador or conversations with Russian officials about the US elections and vowed to defend his honour "against scurrilous and false allegations".

- In its business section, it reports that the EU plans to give itself powers to move euro clearing business away from London's financial sector after Brexit and to adopt a model closer to that operated by the US but the financial industry has warned that forced relocation would split markets, bump up trading costs and diminish the status of the euro as well as threaten thousands of jobs in the City of London.