22/10/2013 BBC Newsline

pretty soggy. Thank you. That is all from the BBC. We

Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline: Echoes of Greece - I'm in

Dublin where the authorities have taken into care a blonde blue eyed

girl living with a Roma family. A significant ruling for gay and

unmarried couples wanting to adopt - we've the details.

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the Shankill bombing - tonight,

hundreds are turning out to remember those killed in terrorist

atrocities. It would not be the Turner Prize if

there was not some element of controversy. This year is no

different. Some pupils have already been banned from visiting this one.

Northern Ireland has a new world champion.

And there's a risk of localised flooding in places tonight, and

parts of the east could again be the target.

A seven-year-old girl has been taken into care in Dublin, while it's

established if a Roma couple who say she's their daughter, are telling

the truth. Following a case of alleged abduction in Greece, the

Gardai used emergency laws to remove the child from a house in Tallaght

in the south west of the city. Shane Harrison has more information.

Shane, how did Gardai find out about this?

Well, because of the Republic's laws, guidelines and rules

protecting children, very little is being set on the record. What we do

know is that a member of the public contact the gardai on Facebook and

alerted them to her concerns that a blonde haired, blue-eyed

seven-year-old girl was living with a Roma family. She looked very

different from the parents and her siblings. Embers of the child

protection unit went to the family to see for themselves. -- members.

The family insisted the girl was born in 2006 at a hospital in

Dublin. That he was -- she was a member of their family. The gardai

were not satisfied with their explanations were with the documents

they produce. They sought an emergency health care order to place

the child in care. Local people have been giving their reaction about a

case that is similar to that of Maria in Greece. It is really too

shocking to hear about. All I heard about it was about

Greece. I am really shocked. I would be very concerned. I hope there is

an innocent explanation. I would hate to think any child was taken or

abducted. Until proven guilty, everyone is innocent. You can point

the finger all you want, what there is no proof just yet.

It is our understanding that even as we speak there is an attempt to get

an order extending that emergency childcare for up to 28 days, to

allow for DNA tests and to allow for the authorities to see if the

documents stand up and whether there is an innocent explanation for this.

Next, a big announcement for unmarried and gay couples who want

to adopt. The Health Minister has been told he cannot appeal a court

ruling lifting the ban. Marie-Louise Connolly can take us through this.

As it stands, you can only adopt if you are married. What has changed?

This decision, which brings us in line with the rest of the UK, means

that gay and unmarried couples can adopt. Because the ruling comes from

the highest court in the land, it means it cannot be challenged. This

will be seen as a major victory for same-sex couples and unmarried

couples who want to have family. The Supreme Court dismissed the case as

the application did not satisfy the criteria of raising an arguable

point of law of general public importance. It was immediately

dismissed. The Health Minister had wanted the decision to be

overturned. It is not now happening. What has been his reaction? The

Minister has released a statement. He has said that it is with

disappointment he cannot appeal that decision. The minister says he is

currently considering the implications for the adoption bill,

which is being drafted and which he hopes to introduce to the assembly

next year. This is the second major ruling that has gone against Edwin

Poots in less than a week. Last Friday, the decision came on the

issue of gay blood. That decision was described as irrational that gay

men would not be able to give blood in Northern Ireland. Among the

criticism directed at the Health Minister was the fact that he was

allowing his own religious beliefs to cloud his judgement. Something he

denied. Just before I came on air, there was a statement from the

Alliance Party who said that his position as Health Minister has been

seriously undermined eye success of legal failures.

-- undermined by successive legal failures. Hundreds of people in the

Shankill area of West Belfast are taking part in a special remembrance

event this evening. The walk takes in five locations, where 25 people

were killed in attacks during the Troubles. Tomorrow is the 20th

anniversary of the attack at Frizzell's fish shop, where ten

people died. Chris Page is on the Shankill Road for us now.

Yes, there is a real spirit of community and remembrance here. The

ceremony has just started. Several hundred people have gathered. Over

40 years ago there was a furniture shop here. A bomb killed four

people. This is one of the five locations people will be visiting

tonight. 25 people were killed in those places, more than 200

injured. Jackie is one of the organisers. What are people thinking

tonight? It is a very sad occasion but we are here to show compassion

and solidarity with the families. We will be doing it tomorrow at West

Kirk. We are also aware there were four other no warning bombs in which

25 people were killed in total and 300 injured. This is to remember all

of that. And this particular Balmoral showroom bomb was one of

the five no warning bombs that killed people. We're here remember

this. We hope that it helps to bring about healing for those who were

briefed and for those who were injured, and for this whole

community which suffered so much during the Troubles. How important

is it for people to remember? Crewe this is a genuine outpouring of

community spirit. -- this is a genuine outpouring of community

spirit. This should never, ever happen again. That is all from the

Shankill for now. We will have a full report on the late News at

10:25pm. A secret journal being written by

the high profile Sinn Fein official and Republican informer Denis

Donaldson shortly before he was shot dead, is at the centre of a dispute

between the Gardai and the Police Ombudsman. The journal was found by

police in a County Donegal cottage where he was killed.

For 20 years, Denis Donaldson led a secret life as an informer for MI5

and the police. In April 2006, his body was found in this remote family

cottage in Donegal. He had gone there after being told by the police

that the media were going to expose his role as an agent. His family

have alleged that PSNI officers who knew about his secret role, may have

exposed him as an agent and contributed to his death. They

believe a journal written by Denis Donaldson could contain crucial

evidence about his killers. The journal was removed from the cottage

by gardai. They initially said they would return it to the family but

have refused to do so. Now they have refused repeated requests to send it

to the police ombudsman here. His investigators want to read it as

part of inquiry into allegations that police officers may have

contributed to Denis Donaldson's death. A solicitor for the family

said they cannot understand why one law-enforcement agency will not

share information with another. I think it is ridiculous. It is

nonsensical. It is nonsensical that the police ombudsman is only trying

to investigate an issue, and it is simply beyond the family's reason as

to why the gardai would obstruct it. The honours man has told the BBC

that despite the gardai refusal to make the journal available,

investigators have discovered new lines of inquiry which are well

underway. The gardai have not responded to questions about their

decision. Coming up before seven, find out why

a shortage of office space could be threatening job creation.

It's a big day for Londonderry as the city prepares for what it hopes

will be an influx of thousands of art fans. The ?25,000 top Turner

Prize will be awarded in December. But first, our arts correspondent

reveals the contenders. We have had a preview of the

exhibition of the Turner Prize. This used to be the living quarters for

the soldiers in the barracks. It is the first time the Turner Prize has

been outside England and it is a bit of a coup for the UK city of

culture. Sometimes unorthodox, sometimes controversial. First up in

Gallery number four, well, we're not allowed to film. It is an empty room

with people starting up conversations with the visitors. The

other exhibits include large paintings by a Canadian painter. A

public spat has caused a four raw here. Visitors can sketch this

figure of a naked man. No I'm quite surprised that there have been a

couple of schools that have not allowed their children to come and

join. It was not a problem when I showed it in Manchester. Maybe there

is a pocket of conservatism in this part of the world. How does a

veteran of other Turner Prize is in England view this opposition? --

exhibition? It is astonishing. To somebody who has never been to Derry

before, this set of buildings look beautiful. The galleries are

possibly slightly smaller than at Tate Britain. But there is a real

intimacy. Personally I think the show looks great. Tate Britain shows

Derry for its first trip outside England. -- chose. We want the

Turner Prize to travel. I think it becomes more interesting when it

leaves London. I have not got a favourite. I am the chair of the

jury! No! This showing was for the media only. It opens proper to all

visitors first thing in the morning. The good news is that unlike the

Turner Prize when it is held in London, this exhibition is free.

Unless you want the catalogue at ?3. The winner will be decided in

December. It's been reported today that the local construction industry

has finally come out of recession after five years. But in another

part of the economy, BBC Newsline has been told that there is a crisis

situation. A shortage of 'quality' office space in Belfast is so bad it

threatens to undermine attempts to win jobs from the UK and overseas.

This report from our business correspondent Julian O'Neill. The

locked doors lies abandoned office space. Much of what is gathering

dust is too old and too small. A report due from commercial agents

Lisney will say that Belfast lacks a supply of quality offices. Try

selling this to an inward investor. Typically a lot of these guys are

footloose, they will look at Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham

and Belfast. Belfast has a competitive edge in terms of

pricing, but in terms of availability we are low in stock. We

are close to crisis point. Belfast has 9000 square -- 900,000 square

feet of empty office space. Quarter of the stock is known as grade A. --

a quarter of the stock. Desirable space will soon be met. Occupancy

deals are close leaving stock low. Some help is in the pipeline.

Belfast Harbour is developing new offices on the waterfront at a cost

of ?10 million. There have been detailed discussions with invest NI

on who might fill them. A recent investment conference have given us

a lot of positivity in terms of foreign investment coming to Belfast

and we have had a number of discussions with clients and we are

quite buoyant about the level of demand that we can satisfy. One big

factor in this, there has been precious little finance available in

recent years for private sector developments. There have been

exceptions, like this building down by the law courts. The problem may

now need more radical thinking with Invest NI looking to see if Stormont

needs to intervene. Still to come on BBC Newsline... The Belfast student

setting the gold standard in archery. The only secondary school

in Crumlin in County Antrim could close next year, even though there

are thousands of school pupils in the area. Crumlin Integrated College

has been hit by several years of controversy. But as Mark Simpson

reports, the Ulster Unionist Party says the school must be kept open.

Pupils leaving Crumlin Integrated College today, unsure whether their

school has a future. It is not the first time it has been in the

spotlight. Last year some parents and pupils staged a protest,

following a highly critical inspectors report, which led to the

principle being suspended and having to undergo retraining. This protest

was over plans for her to return to the school. Also last year, police

investigated reports of a death threat against the principle.

Numbers have dropped in recent years at the school and a committee at the

education board has recommended its closure. A former school governor

says doing that would be a huge mistake. There are plenty of pupils

in Crumlin and I would like to see support coming from across the board

and keeping the school thriving. The family which lives across the road

from the school has two primary schoolchildren and their father is

worried about the future. Our alternatives are to go to Lurgan,

Lisburn or Belfast. We feel that it has been closed down for people who

live here. This is an increasing problem -- population. If the board

decides to close the school, the gates would not shut immediately,

there would be a two-month public consultation period and the decision

would have to be approved at the highest level, by the Education

Minister. The future of the school will be discussed at a board meeting

next week. Tonight the Board said all options would be considered

Now - in a moment we'll meet our latest world champion. But first,

Stephen Watson has news on Rory McIlroy. He may not have won much

this year and he's been talking about that. It has been

disappointing. As his troubled year draws near an end, Rory McIlroy has

admitted to being 'undergolfed' in the early part of the season. He's

now looking to end on a high, starting with the BMW Masters in

Shanghai. He is so popular in the Far East. After his second place

finish at the Korean Open, he has now arrived in China, where he

remains a huge draw. Nikki Gregg's report includes flash photography.

In this part of the world, they cannot get enough of Rory McIlroy.

Fans turned out for a golf clinic with him and he was happy to give

advice to both the smallest and the tallest, including this seven foot

one NBA star. He is rethinking his own approach to the game, admitting

that his schedule at the start of the year could have been better

planned and has affected his form. I felt like I was under golf to.

Especially with a few changes that I had to go through. You identify

things in competitive play, more than practice, and it has definitely

been a transitional year and a learning year and hopefully I can

put all the things I have learned into practice going forward. The

next up is a strong finish to an inconsistent year. It is hugely

important this week and next week. I want to get myself into the race for

Dubai and give myself a shot at defending my title in a few weeks.

He remains a huge hit in the Far East and he is keen to prove he has

rediscovered his rhythm on the golf course. Northern Ireland has a new

double world Champion. 17-year-old Patrick Houston, a schoolboy at

Campbell College in Belfast, won gold at the weekend in both

individual and team events at the World Archery Youth Championships in

China. Thomas Niblock has been to meet him. Patrick Euston is an Irish

champion, a British champion, a European champion and I am the

lighted to say now, you are a world champion. Congratulations. It is

brilliant. I am pleased with how I have done. You just got back from

China. The runway was flooded when we arrived in Belfast and we had to

take off again. You made it into school? I came in for an hour and

then I went home. What was the experience like in China? I was

pleased with how little nerds I felt. When I finished shooting, the

raw joy of winning was indescribable -- nerve. What about the

Commonwealth Games and the Olympics? There are a series of selection

shoots which will be held before the Olympics. There is no reason why I

cannot beat the other archers. Is that the ultimate aim? Ever since I

started winning competitions, I have that as a view. That has become more

realistic. We wish you all the best. Who knows? He could be a possible

Olympic champion. And congratulations are also due to

Rebecca Lennon from Banbridge who won a bronze medal at the world

championships. And there's more on those archery successes on BBC Sport

online. A good week for Ulster Rugby continued today with news that

back-row forward, Chris Henry, has signed a new three year deal that

will keep him at Ravenhill until at least June 2017. Meanwhile John Afoa

says he hasn't decided where he'll be playing rugby next season. The

All Black's contract with Ulster comes to an end in May and there's

ongoing speculation that he may be tempted to return to New Zealand.

And when to try and look and do things now. I want to get back and

playing around Christmas. I will speak to my wife and see what we

want to do. Last year I was looking to go home, but I am now hoping to

stay on. I am at the end of my contract and looking at everything.

At the World Amateur Boxing Championships, Flyweight Paddy

Barnes has won again and joins Michael Conlan and Tommy McCarthy in

the quarterfinals, which are live behind the BBC Red Button tomorrow

from 9am. Through the best and worst of times in the last 40 years, one

television programme's been there. BBC Northern Ireland's award winning

Spotlight programme is synonymous with investigative journalism.

Tonight, as Declan Lawn, reports it marks its 40th anniversary with a

special edition. It is the programme that in 1979 asked George Best if he

was an alcoholic. I have enough to keep me busy. I will give him a few

kids to keep him busy. The programme he asked John White where he got his

money. I do not smoke or drink. The flagship current affairs programme

Spotlight has been asking hard questions for 40 years. In the

beginning, it had a soft focus. As the Troubles raged, the first

editions of the programme looked at local government, traffic and even

the job of a lollipop man. By the late 1970s, a new breed of reporter

felt it was time for a change. Harmony people have you killed? The

more digging kind of stuff, the investigative work was not really

being done. We saw it as an opportunity to find things out. By

the 1980s, at macro spotlight had taken shape. Since then it has

delivered hard-hitting investigations. The concerns of MPs

that the should be an independent enquiry into the killings are shared

by people in Japan often. Spotlight can reveal that Iris Robinson

received a total of ?50,000 by two well-known property developers that

summer in 2008. These days, there are still plenty of questions left

to ask in Northern Ireland. As the saying goes, life begins at 40. And

you can see that special programme, Spotlight at 40, here on BBC One at

10.35 after our late summary. The weather is next.

For some parts tonight, it is a rerun of last night. More heavy

rain. We had a respite today, showers moved in, it lifted

temperatures to 17 degrees in places, but we had some decent

spells of sunshine between those showers and we had to cast our eyes

up went to see what is coming our way. This rain in the Republic of

Ireland is edging eastwards. This evening sees the spells and a few

showers, through the night we get more prolonged spells of rain, some

of it could be quite thundery and again it looks as though parts of

Antrim, and County Down part in the firing line. Not quite so wet in the

West, and mild night as well. Given that we had some flooding in the

East last night, the ground is pretty sodden and given more rain

tonight, that increases the risk of localised flooding and The Met

office has issued a warning and could be issues in these parts for

the rush hour tomorrow. A different day tomorrow, a cooler winds picking

up from the West, it will drive the rain out of the way and that will be

followed by bright spells and showers. It will brighten up with

some sunshine quickly tomorrow morning, but those showers will

start to feed him on the breeze. There will probably be more frequent

showers in County Tyrone and on the north coast. Fewer showers towards

the east and that those were the best of the sunshine will be.

Temperatures will be well down on today. Into tomorrow evening,

showers will start to ease away, the breeze will ease down tomorrow

night, it will end up dry and clear. It will be a chilly night. After a

chilly start, Thursday May be the best day, at bright day, lighter

winds. For Friday, low pressure is on the way. Our late summary is at

10.25. You can also keep in contact with us via Facebook and Twitter.

From BBC Newsline, goodnight.