02/03/2014 BBC Newsline

the evening session still to come. There is more throughout the evening

on Welcome to BBC Newsline.

Comments by the former Secretary of State Peter Hain suggesting soldiers

responsible for the killing of civilians on Bloody Sunday should

not be prosecuted, have been criticised by Sinn Fein as

"ill-judged". The DUP says if it emerges terrorists are not being

sought for prosecution, it would be unthinkable the courts would pursue

killings related to the state. Martin Cassidy reports.

Once again, Peter Hain finds himself embroiled in Northern Ireland

affairs. The former Secretary of state saying soldiers involved in

the Bloody Sunday killings should not be prosecuted. His latest

comments follow the disclosure that almost 200 republican paramilitary

suspects were sent letters assuring them they were not being sought by

police. And he now says there should be an even handed approach to

members of the British security forces as well. If you have, as has

been the case, addressed the question of former terrorists

involved in activity, then it should apply evenhandedly right across the

board to members of the British security forces as well. Sinn Fein

says given the ongoing police investigation into the events of

Bloody Sunday Peter Hain's comments are ill-judged and ill-timed. I

think that he should have reflected the current week -- legal reality

and that is there is an investigation into what happened on

bloody Sunday that has to be pursued. We are clear that there

should be no amnesty form -- for everyone and no one should be immune

from prosecution if they have broken the law. But if we were in a

situation when it became evident that people involved in paramilitary

terrorist activity were not being pursued for prosecution it would be

unthinkable that the court would pursue those who were involved in

killings related to the state. The justice minister saying -- day

before saying that if -- the justice minister says that his comments go

against the rule of law. In Dublin, the convicted drug dealer

John Gilligan remains in a stable condition in hospital after he was

shot in the west of the city last night. He was shot six times by two

masked gunmen. Mr Gilligan had been accused of murdering the journalist

Veronica Guerin in 1996 but was later acquitted.

John Gilligan, perhaps the Republic's most notorious prisoner,

was released last year after serving 17 years for drug dealing. But an

attempt was made on his life. The would-be killers went to the wrong

part but the would-be victim play down the incident. I thought it was

a Halloween prank and I have no problem with anybody, no problem

with anyone. Has it warned you that you have to be careful? What you

think it would happen? I haven't a clue. Was Halloween. Last night, he

was not so lucky. He went to his brother's house last night and two

gunmen forced their way into the west Dublin home and fired several

shots at him in the living room and hallway. He was hit in several

places but his injuries were not life-threatening. He was taken to a

nearby hospital where he is a stable condition. The gunmen drove a

coloured four-wheel drive. There are appeals for eyewitnesses and anyone

with information to come forward. Banks and mortgage companies here

are being urged to do more to help homeowners who are in negative

equity. New figures by mortgage group HML released this weekend show

Northern Ireland has the highest rate of negative equity in the UK.

Kevin Sharkey reports. 2005 - the year home owners here saw

their property prices starting to rise at a rapid rate. Peaking two

years later in 2007. Then, it all started to go drastically wrong for

home owners with mortgages. The boom went bust and property prices

crashed. The end of last year brought some slight signals of

growth, and a small chink of light at the end of a dark few years for

house prices. But, the property price collapse was so big, and the

recent improvements so slight - the impact on negative equity has been

minimal. Leaving Northern Ireland home-owners facing much bigger

struggles that home owners in the rest of the UK And, for homeowners

here, that a big problem. To get. -- to get an idea of the problem, here

in Northern Ireland, it is 41% compared to 16% or 1% in London.

That is thousands of homeowners whose homes are less than the value

of their mortgage. And for homeowners yeah, that is a big

problem. We have been told by mortgage providers that there are

some bright spots and prices are starting to rise and we will have to

wait and watch. These latest figures confirm that the storm clouds of

negative equity are still loom large on the Northern Ireland horizon.

In golf, Rory McIlroy tees off shortly at the Honda Classic in

Florida confident that he can win his first PGA tour event since 2012.

McIlroy is two shots clear of the field after shooting a one under par

69. It was at the same tournament a year ago that led him to walk off

the same course at Palm Beach Gardens, saying he was suffering

from toothache. In Gaelic football, Tyrone scored a

dramatic two goals in the last two minutes to deny Kildare. In the

National Football League in Newbridge this afternoon, Ronan

O'Neill's goal with seconds to go was followed by another from Mark

Donnelly - giving Tyrone a one point win. Final Score Kildare one goal

and 21 points, Tyrone three goals and 16 points.

Now with the weather forecast here's Cecilia Daly.

It will be a frosty one tonight and an ice warning will come into effect

soon. The frost will be particularly sharp in rural areas. And because

many services are wet, untreated services will be slippery. Some

pocket around tomorrow morning. A chilly start of the week. Overall,

not particularly wet and much milder. Tomorrow, it is far from

mild. Cold and icy to begin with. Once temperatures start to rise, it

will be quite nice for a while with sunshine and pleasant early March

sunshine. Moving into the West of Ireland later, some rain. Also rain

and hail snow over Scotland slowly moving away into the North Sea. This

area of cloud and showery rain moving away from south-east England.

So in the afternoon, still mostly dry but then the cloud and

eventually some rain moves in. Tomorrow night, that could linger.

There could be wintry showers over high ground. Temperatures will not

be as low but there will be enough for ice. Some quiet conditions

coming on Tuesday and Wednesday. A loss of dry whether into Wednesday.

There will be some rain as we get to Thursday but temperatures will be in

double figures. That's it. Goodbye.