31/10/2013 BBC Newsline


31/10/2013

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the News of the World. That's all from the News at Six.

:00:00.:00:17.

Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline.

:00:18.:00:27.

A macho culture in the army. The gifrl girl of a veteran of a soldier

:00:28.:00:34.

who took hiss own life say it is stopping them. They are trained to

:00:35.:00:39.

fight and kill but not for coming home. There is pressure on Civil

:00:40.:00:44.

Service managers as sick leave among staff continues to right. Ballymena

:00:45.:00:49.

residents voice concerns about a proposed plant turning farm west

:00:50.:00:56.

to... On the programme, the Circuit of Ireland is back and the revample

:00:57.:01:00.

rallical desks I will have more shortly. All the fun of Hallowe'en,

:01:01.:01:04.

we are live on the banks of the Foyle.

:01:05.:01:08.

And in the wester, showers and gusting winds tonight. A cool

:01:09.:01:13.

nights, but Friday is looking pretty good.

:01:14.:01:19.

The girlfriend of a soldier found dead in his room at Ballykinler army

:01:20.:01:24.

camp has told us of her concerns for the care given to service personnel

:01:25.:01:30.

returning from Afghanistan. Corporal James Ross was one of two

:01:31.:01:34.

cases of suspected suicide at the base within the past year.

:01:35.:01:40.

BBC Newsline's Mervyn Jess has this exclusive report.

:01:41.:01:43.

Soldiers returning from Afghanistan go through a process called

:01:44.:01:48.

decompression before coming home. This usually means a period of rest

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and relaxation in Cyprus. Mental health issues arising from tours of

:01:55.:01:58.

duty have been on the military radar for some time, however, the recent

:01:59.:02:03.

suspected suicides of two soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles

:02:04.:02:07.

regiment, have made headlines in the national press.

:02:08.:02:10.

Now in her first television interview, the girlfriend of one of

:02:11.:02:14.

the soldiers who died Corporal James Ross, has spoken about her concerned

:02:15.:02:18.

over the care offered to soldiers returning from Afghanistan.

:02:19.:02:22.

If people are confused about how they are feeling, and they don't

:02:23.:02:27.

even know, how are they to go to a doctor and explain it, if they are

:02:28.:02:30.

not sure and they don't know what to do about it? The higher ranks and

:02:31.:02:35.

the authority within the army need to be able to make sure that these

:02:36.:02:40.

guys feel they can go and talk to nb about it. And that it is easily

:02:41.:02:44.

accessed, I would say that is it is the main thing, but at the same

:02:45.:02:49.

time, if the guys are not going to speak about it, what can we do? I

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didn't know James had any issues and still to this day, I don't know if

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this is what was going on in his mind, obviously there was something

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to make him do what he did, but if they won't speak about it, what can

:03:04.:03:08.

be done? A military investigation into the two deaths is nearing

:03:09.:03:11.

completion, and for that reason, no-one from the army was able for

:03:12.:03:16.

interview, however, in a statement, the army said that the mental health

:03:17.:03:21.

of personnel and veterans remains a top priority.

:03:22.:03:26.

With more than 7 million been spent to ex sure extensive support for

:03:27.:03:32.

those who needs it. Sharon says her boyfriend showed no signs anything

:03:33.:03:36.

was wrong before killing himself. I would never ever have imagined this,

:03:37.:03:40.

you know, he was never was down, he was so happy, so loving, so caring,

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there was no hints or clues that would have made me think he was

:03:48.:03:57.

depressed, let alone PTSD An expert researching post-traumatic stress

:03:58.:04:00.

disorder says spotting it isn't easy Unfortunately people seem to think

:04:01.:04:03.

coming forward to seek help is a sign of weakness, actually it is a

:04:04.:04:08.

sign of strength. I mean men in general are less likely to come

:04:09.:04:11.

forward for treatment or acknowledge they have mental health difficulties

:04:12.:04:15.

than women. In the military environment we have a predominance

:04:16.:04:19.

of men, and a very macho environment which might in some ways discourage

:04:20.:04:22.

that. Historically the culture of military

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life is macho by nature, and while soldiers continue to be sent to

:04:27.:04:30.

fight war, it is unlikely to change any time soon. That, says Sharon, is

:04:31.:04:34.

part of the problem. If this is what was going on in his head, he wasn't

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going to ask for help. He wasn't going to go and speak to welfare. He

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wasn't even going to say to me, because I was his girlfriend. They

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don't want to let their guard down. They are built to train and to fight

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and to kill. But they are not built for coming home.

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Shah Ron Lemon ending that report. -- Sharon. A priest has been

:05:02.:05:05.

assaulted and robbed in South Armagh. The attack was in the

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Parochial House of St Patrick, details have ejust emerged. Three

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youths beat the priest's head with a hammer and locked him in a bathroom.

:05:14.:05:18.

He escaped by climbing out of a window and was treated in hospital

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for facial injuries. The youths stole a small sum of money. On

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average civil servants take more than 10 days off sick every year.

:05:27.:05:32.

And the absent costs the Government more than ?30 million annually. But

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the headlines statistic masks a different problem.

:05:40.:05:43.

Sickness levels among civil servant, itself is an annual report that

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generates more heat than light, first, the bald statistics. 52%

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don't take any time off at all. A further 23% take what might be

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considered a reasonable one to five days off a year.

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The figure that makes the difference is the 11% of staff who are off sick

:06:02.:06:08.

for more than 20 days a year. I think like any caring employer you

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want to look after them and understand that I are going through

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difficult times and you want to support them. But across the system

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there is evidence of a more of a cultural problem, where over the

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last number of years we have drifted to a position where we have had

:06:22.:06:25.

seriously high levels of sickness absence.

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Simon Hamilton says an appropriate comparison is with the Civil Service

:06:30.:06:36.

in the UK who take threw days fewer off. He doesn't believe staff here

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are under any more pressure. This recruitment agency placed temporary

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staff in the private and public sector. It can be anything from a

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month to six weeks, to a year. And that is what we are given. The

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problem really is that long-term sickness in the Civil Service. It

:07:01.:07:07.

accounts for 70% of all absence. The most common reason given by a long

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way is wronger -- workers suffering from anxiety stress an depression.

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All of this sick leave is signed off by doctor, confirming that people

:07:18.:07:21.

are sick, and why are they sick is nay have to work against a

:07:22.:07:25.

background of job loss, threats of privatisation, seeing their pay cut,

:07:26.:07:30.

pensions being eradicated. The Finance Minister says officials will

:07:31.:07:34.

are looking at a new range of measures to tackle sick levels. It

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is expected to include carrot-and-stick.

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There is more to come. We look to see if there are grounds for

:07:45.:07:47.

optimism in the construction industry amid signs that the slump

:07:48.:07:54.

is over. A plan for a bioenergy plant in

:07:55.:07:59.

County Antrim that would turn poultry litter into power is causing

:08:00.:08:05.

controversy. Stream BioEnergy Ltd wants to build the ?15 million

:08:06.:08:09.

facility in a quarry outside Ballymena but some residents are

:08:10.:08:13.

concerned. Here is our North East reporter.

:08:14.:08:20.

Tully quarry is hard to see from the road. It is in a rural area three

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miles outside Ballymena. People who live nearby have learned of advanced

:08:25.:08:28.

plans to build an energy plant close to this site. They aren't happy. As

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far as we know the quarrying is continuing and you have explosives

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and in the vicinity you have explosive gas, albeit contained but

:08:38.:08:40.

if there is any problems with it it will be major problems. The facility

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makes electricity from methane gas. That gas is extracted from poultry

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litter, 89 tonnes the of it per day My main concern would be for health.

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My daughter has a chest condition, which she is on medication for from

:08:58.:09:02.

our family doctor, and we have no idea what this is going to do to the

:09:03.:09:08.

air quality. Once the gas has been extracted the left over material can

:09:09.:09:12.

be pelleted and used as fertiliser, Stream BioEnergy Ltd, which is

:09:13.:09:15.

behind the project says it is a sustainable way to deal with poultry

:09:16.:09:19.

waist, we could otherwise harm the environment.

:09:20.:09:23.

Last night, representatives from the company met residents in Ballymena

:09:24.:09:27.

but few felt they had their questions answers. Everybody got the

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feeling it is a done deal, you are only a tooth in the cog and the cog

:09:31.:09:34.

is controls a very big machine. It makes you feel small. The company

:09:35.:09:38.

didn't want to do an interview with the BBC but issued a statement which

:09:39.:09:42.

said: the application is due to come

:09:43.:10:00.

before the council here in Ballymena next week, but with so many

:10:01.:10:04.

residents making their voices heard, it seems likely that any decision

:10:05.:10:08.

will be deferred. It really is at the last minute people have realised

:10:09.:10:13.

this very large facility is going to be or being proposed to be placed in

:10:14.:10:18.

Tully quarry, I would intend to seek a deferral of this when it comes

:10:19.:10:22.

before council in order that the local residents can mean the

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planning service director. Round 100 plants have been approved in

:10:28.:10:31.

Northern Ireland. This uses grass and waste from a creamery. Where

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there is something with a larger output remains to be seen.

:10:38.:10:42.

The Chairman of the talks on flags parading an dealing with the past

:10:43.:10:47.

says the issue of the Maze site is on his agenda he hopes to find a

:10:48.:10:50.

solution to the deadlock. Dr Richard Haass was speaking in Dublin after

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meeting end end and Eamon Gilmore. The former US enjoy is due back for

:10:58.:11:01.

another round of discussions. I would say the question of the past

:11:02.:11:06.

is obviously one of the three central elements of the process,

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this is one element of that. So it figures in the conversations and it

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will figure in the conversations when we look at a way of addressing

:11:18.:11:23.

the past, in a manner that not only deals with the past, but also

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contributes to the quality of the present and the future.

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University lecturers and their support staff have been taking part

:11:31.:11:36.

in a one day strike. As our education correspondent reports,

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they say a pay offer is too low, and their work lows is too high. Queens

:11:41.:11:45.

and the University of Ulster say it is business as usual today, despite

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the strike action, but Queens admits it will not be able to assess the

:11:49.:11:53.

full effect until tomorrow. The university and colleges union has

:11:54.:11:57.

joined forced with Unite and unison for in UK-wide strike. They say that

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over the last four year, workers have in real terms suffered a pay

:12:02.:12:06.

cut of 13%. They have been offered a 1% pay rise and are angry as what

:12:07.:12:12.

they describe as a lack of negotiation Our team met with the

:12:13.:12:15.

university authorities and they said they will meet and talk to us but

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the 1% stays on the table. That is not negotiation. Queens say where it

:12:20.:12:24.

knows of disruption to service it has told students by e-mail, but

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there has ban mixed effect reported by students going to lectures this

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morning. Yes, I knew there was a strike going on but it hasn't really

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affected me or any of many my lecture, they have turned up. I

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think everyone is entitled if they don't think they are receiving fair

:12:40.:12:45.

pay, to be honest it hasn't affected me I have a class this morning but I

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didn't because of the strike. It is not a negative effect necessarily. I

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am never really opposed to not having to go class. Queens yuens

:12:56.:13:01.

versety say any missed lectures will be lost to the students We hope not

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to have too much effect. It is not to affect the students to any great

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effect. The Students' Union are fulling supporting the -- fully

:13:13.:13:18.

supporting the day of action. They say it has had a minimal impact on

:13:19.:13:27.

campuses. Several recent surveys have suggested the construction

:13:28.:13:30.

industry might be finally picking up after a deep depression. Our

:13:31.:13:35.

Economic and Business Editor John Campbell has been investigating and

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visited a business which has just had its best month in five years.

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They make the products needed to build houses, offices and factories.

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This concrete will probably make its way to the south of England - and

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market that is picking up. The boss is optimistic that says we are not

:14:06.:14:10.

out of the woods yet. I am cautious. It is so erratic. You think you are

:14:11.:14:20.

on the way back up again. 2012 was the quietest year. In 2013 we picked

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up some work. It is worth remembering how bad things got in

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this industry. In 2007 construction was worse ?3 billion. Last year it

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was worth less than 2 billion. That has had a huge human cost. 30,000

:14:50.:14:55.

jobs have been lost. Research suggests that workloads have finally

:14:56.:15:00.

started to increase in the last couple of months. Some sites which

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have been idle for years I know active again. A senior industry

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figure says there is a long way to go. We are may be beginning to see

:15:11.:15:16.

the signs of a recovery in the industry. It is worth expressing a

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note of caution. It is too early to say that we are in recovery. There

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were construction jobs on offer at this event in Belfast today. That

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they are in Canada. Many of the people here say they have already

:15:32.:15:46.

worked abroad in the last few years. People are moving there. There is

:15:47.:15:57.

good money to be made. This demolition work in Belfast is

:15:58.:15:59.

clearing the way for a huge development. It will provide work

:16:00.:16:05.

for hundreds of people over the next five years. It adds to the sense

:16:06.:16:10.

that maybe the slump is finally over.

:16:11.:16:17.

The construction sector will probably never again play a bigger

:16:18.:16:23.

role than it did in 2007. At that time it was linked to an

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unsustainable house price bubble. Now they are looking for sustainable

:16:27.:16:32.

growth. All over the place this evening

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there are ghosts and ghouls and scary monsters out and about for

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Halloween. The biggest organised event is in Londonderry where the

:16:39.:16:41.

council estimates 30,000 people will be enjoying the carnival and

:16:42.:16:44.

fireworks. Our North-West reporter, Keiron Tourish is there now. Keiron.

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I hope I am not a scary monster. Thousands of people out and about

:16:55.:17:03.

despite the terrible weather. One of the great features this year that we

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have been witnessing is a feature called Inferno. People are blown

:17:09.:17:18.

away by it. It is an installation underneath the bridge. We have been

:17:19.:17:23.

taking people on a journey into another world. It is full of

:17:24.:17:30.

inflatable illuminated sculpture, mechanical horses. There are people

:17:31.:17:40.

on bicycles. There are dancers all around. We have had 7000 people

:17:41.:17:47.

through during the day which is brilliant. An amazing response. What

:17:48.:17:52.

is that about live performance that most people which Mark? Tickets are

:17:53.:18:06.

cheap. Everybody is crossing the bridge. You are from the council for

:18:07.:18:14.

economic development. This is bringing the crowds in. This year we

:18:15.:18:20.

have surpassed herself. This is the most successful year today. Normally

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we get 35,000 people come to the city. Looking at ticket scales and

:18:27.:18:33.

events it will be 40,000 people. We have had the most amazing few days.

:18:34.:18:41.

We have had continental walls -- we have had continental markets. It is

:18:42.:18:49.

not finished yet. We are due to move to the Carnival. A great night in

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prospect. Not only do we have the Giro

:19:00.:19:02.

d'Italia cycling race coming here next year but another big

:19:03.:19:05.

international sporting event has just been secured. To tell us more

:19:06.:19:18.

Gavin Andrews is in Draperstown. This garage is a hidden gem. Rally

:19:19.:19:31.

cars from throughout the years. The Circuit of Ireland is the second

:19:32.:19:35.

oldest rally in the world - hugely popular in the 80s and 90s but in

:19:36.:19:39.

recent years has been in decline. But now next year's event has been

:19:40.:19:42.

included in the European Rally Championship - and will attract some

:19:43.:19:45.

of the best drivers in the world. And that means opportunities for our

:19:46.:19:50.

local talent. With me now is Marty McCormack, former Junior British

:19:51.:19:57.

Champion. Today's news is a boost to the sport

:19:58.:20:04.

across Ireland. This will bring the best competitors in the world. To

:20:05.:20:17.

bring all that back to Ireland is helping boost the circuit. Do you

:20:18.:20:30.

remember those days? It is to do with the atmosphere of the sport.

:20:31.:20:34.

The challenge of some of the toughest roads in the world. It is

:20:35.:20:39.

back to getting the best drivers together. I have done lots of

:20:40.:20:49.

rallies throughout Europe. Bringing out back to where it should be is

:20:50.:20:57.

the right direction. It is a shop window for you to go

:20:58.:21:06.

beyond Europe? Definitely. If you can prove yourself as a fast

:21:07.:21:12.

professional driver then you will be in full view. We are hoping to have

:21:13.:21:22.

a good programme starting at the Circuit of Ireland this year. What

:21:23.:21:30.

can people expect to see when Circuit of Ireland goes to the

:21:31.:21:34.

European level? They can expect to see much of the same. The atmosphere

:21:35.:21:44.

will be electric. The TV coverage is great for drivers. Thank you for

:21:45.:21:50.

your time. We reported last night on incidents

:21:51.:21:53.

of sectarian chanting at the Linfield-Cliftonville County Antrim

:21:54.:21:55.

Shield match by elements in both sets of supporters. Tonight, the

:21:56.:22:00.

Sports Minister Caral Ni Chuilin has issued a statement saying such

:22:01.:22:03.

bigotry has no place in football The Minister said: "Sectarianism is

:22:04.:22:06.

totally unacceptable, has no place anywhere in our society, and

:22:07.:22:09.

certainly not in sport, which should unite rather than divide." While

:22:10.:22:11.

acknowledging recent cross community initiatives by both clubs, she has

:22:12.:22:15.

called for a redoubling of efforts to promote inclusion, equality and

:22:16.:22:20.

respect. We contacted the IFA again today for their response to

:22:21.:22:23.

Tuesday's events - no-one was willing to comment.

:22:24.:22:30.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, Northern Ireland's women footballers earned

:22:31.:22:33.

the first point of their 2015 World Cup qualifying campaign last night,

:22:34.:22:36.

following a scoreless draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina at Mourneview

:22:37.:22:39.

Park. Meanwhile Crusaders knocked holders Ballymena United out of the

:22:40.:22:42.

County Antrim Shield with a 1-0 victory at Seaview. Nial Foster

:22:43.:22:51.

reports. Before last night's clash Crusaders

:22:52.:22:57.

were unbeaten in 14 games. Ballymena United worked the last team to

:22:58.:23:03.

defeat them. 13 minutes from time this strike extended their unbeaten

:23:04.:23:12.

run. It was a game of cat and mouse. Both teams cancel each other out. I

:23:13.:23:20.

felt we had the front foot in the last 20 minutes. This strike ended

:23:21.:23:31.

the reign of Ali Mina as County Antrim Shield champions -- ended the

:23:32.:23:37.

reign of Ballymena United as County Antrim Shield champions.

:23:38.:23:45.

Disappointed to lose it. It is our missed opportunity.

:23:46.:23:53.

Rory McIlroy has talked about turning things around in the past

:23:54.:23:57.

few weeks - and today it all came together as he shot his lowest score

:23:58.:24:05.

for seven months. He hit a seven under par 65 to take a two shot lead

:24:06.:24:09.

after the opening round of the World Golf Championship in Shanghai. Nikki

:24:10.:24:14.

Gregg reports. Extra practice is paying off for a

:24:15.:24:20.

Rory McIlroy. Before this tournament he admitted that he needed to get

:24:21.:24:24.

his parting back on track. He did so in impressive style picking up eight

:24:25.:24:30.

birdies in a round of 65. The rest of his game looked in good shape

:24:31.:24:35.

also. I played very well. I controlled my ball very well. I have

:24:36.:24:40.

a couple of loose shots that I got away with. It was nice to birdie the

:24:41.:24:48.

last couple. I am grateful I want to be. But a tournament victory all

:24:49.:24:54.

season Rory McIlroy is 62nd in the Race to Dubai. You need to climb

:24:55.:24:59.

into the top 60 to qualify for next month's season ending Championship.

:25:00.:25:06.

Around like today only strengthens my position. Graeme McDowell is also

:25:07.:25:13.

in a good position at three under par.

:25:14.:25:29.

Let us get the weather forecast. It will be a blustery and a Charolais

:25:30.:25:54.

night. -- blustery and Sherry. Tonight temperatures drop away. It

:25:55.:26:03.

will be a cold night and a cold start to Friday. Friday itself

:26:04.:26:18.

staying mainly dry and bright. Quite a bright picture wherever you are.

:26:19.:26:23.

Temperatures are little on the cool side. But it is a day that you can

:26:24.:26:28.

do something with because it is staying dry. As we go into Friday

:26:29.:26:34.

evening those clear skies mean that temperatures drop markedly. We could

:26:35.:26:46.

see below temperatures. Quite a cold night as they head into Saturday.

:26:47.:26:51.

There may be some strange sight around tonight. There were sites to

:26:52.:26:53.

be seen last night. He's wonderful pictures were taken along the North

:26:54.:27:07.

Coast. I do not think the weekend will offer the opportunities for

:27:08.:27:11.

taking these sort of photographs because we have low-pressure and

:27:12.:27:17.

this weather system heading and on Saturday and Sunday. That means we

:27:18.:27:22.

will have a wet picture. Saturday, in particular. Quite an miserable,

:27:23.:27:32.

damp, salty D. The weekend will be wet and wild.

:27:33.:27:43.

That is all from us. Goodbye.

:27:44.:27:49.

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