08/04/2014 BBC Newsline


08/04/2014

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Hello and welcome to BBC Newsline. President Michael D Higgins has told

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a state banquet at Windsor Castle that Britain and Ireland must work

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together to craft a future that offers hope and opportunity for the

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people of both islands. Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness also attended

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tonight's banquet hosted by the Queen. It marks the end of the first

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day of the three day presidential visit. Let's go live now to Windsor

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and to Donna Traynor. The theme for today was mutual respect and

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historical significance and that was reflected in the speeches and

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symbolic gestures. Diplomacy took centre stage at St George's Hall as

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some of the visitors were on unfamiliar territory.

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The State bang wet is the centrepiece of the visit. 160 people

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turned up for what was a lavish occasion. Amongst the guests, Sinn

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Fein's Martin McGuinness who said he would follow the protocols including

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toasting the Queen. It was the first opportunity for Her Majesty to

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welcome her guest and reflect on the nature of the new relationship.

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My visit to Ireland and your visit this week, Mr President, show that

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we are walking together towards a brighter, more settled future. We

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will remember our past, but we shall no longer allow our past to ensnare

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our future. This is the greatest we can give to succeeding generations.

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Lead to go this response from President Higgins. We have a duty to

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all those who have lost their lives, a duty to build together in peace,

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it is the only enduring justice we can offer them. We share also the

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imperative to be unwavering in our support of the people of Northern

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Ireland as we journey together towards the shelter and security of

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true reconciliation. Outside, victims of Republican

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violence stage add protest -- staged a protest against the presence of Mr

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McGuinness, including a woman who lost her sister in the Birmingham

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pub bombings 40 years. Who is thinking about us? It appears that

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our politicians wish that they buried us alongside our dead.

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The banquet closed day one. The first visit by a Irish head of

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state. President Higgins laid a wreath of the tomb of the unknown

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solicitorier at -- unknown soldier at Westminster Abbey.

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Later, he addressed representatives of both houses of the Palace of

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Westminster. Tomorrow the focus shifts from the ceremonial to a

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celebration of Irish people's contribution to the civic life of

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Britain. President Higgins will visit a hospital as an

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acknowledgement of the role of Irish doctors and nurses in the NHS and he

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will have a meeting with the Prime Minister in Downing Street.

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The State visit has been marked by its warmth and has been relaxed as

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the president said in his speech. The two islands have achieved a

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closeness that once seemed unachievable. Ireland and Britain

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live in the shadow and shelter of each other.

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We'll have more coverage of the presidential visit across TV, radio

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and online tomorrow. Tonight's Spotlight investigation

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from Florida features an exclusive interview with a gun runner who

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armed the IRA during the peace process. Mike Logan was granted

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immunity from prosecution by the American Government in return for

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information. The programme also names the IRA boss at the time who

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is accused of ordering hundreds of guns over a five year period, a

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senior republican now at the very heart of the peace process.

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Spotlight reporter Mandy McAuley has more.

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Mike Logan started gun running for the IRA the year after they called

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their ceasefire. I was told to ignore any headlines and keep

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sending the guns. From 1995 to 1999 he posted 200 guns to the IRA in toy

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fire engines. I was a regular customer here. Sometimes I would buy

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four or five at a time. I brought them home and the kids would play

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with them and I would pack them up and ship them off.

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Mike Logan said his contact in the IRA was this man, Sean Spike Murray.

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He was in the Sinn Fein delegation as part of the recent Haass talks

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and is involved in a variety of groups, dealing with cross community

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and parading issues. Mike Logan tells Spotlight let him know one of

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his guns was used in the murder of two RUC officers.

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He would write down instead of communicate verbally to tell me

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which weapons had been received. He circled a couple of them and he

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said that one there had been used in an operation that had happened in

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Lurgan. Sean Murray said our accusations were without foundation.

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He went on to say he had never been arrested, detained or interviewed

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about the allegations and the PSNI would have acted if there was

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evidence. He told us his focus was and remains on helping the peace and

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political processes. You can see that Spotlight programme

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after this bulletin. The former Chief Medical Officer of England

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will head a group of experts to consider improvements to the way the

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health service is run in Northern Ireland. A review into the Emergency

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Department at the Royal Victoria Hospital was also published today.

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Marie-Louise Connolly reports. Whilst still on the subject of

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hospitals and emergency care, today was all about making announcements,

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sign posting ways forward and highlighting potential solutions.

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Showing he meant business, the Health Minister said patient care

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must come first and he was pulling out all stops to achieve that. Mr

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Poots published a range of action to say provide quality and good

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governance across-the-board. He has commissioned Sir Liam

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Donaldson to assess how the Health Service here should be governed.

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There will be inspections of acute hospitals, how the Belfast Trust

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plans to respond to the latest report and how the Northern Trust

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engages with the families in 20 cases that fell below standard.

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There was too much emphasis on targets and low staff morale.

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Belfast playing host tomorrow to a summit on emergency care. In the

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company of their national president, consultants are due to discuss a

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range of issues including staffing, funding and patient safety. An

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indication of just how fragile things are, the summit which

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involves the Health Minister is to be held in private.

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Now with the weather forecast here's Angie Philips. Good evening. Well,

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the clouds are rolling in once again. Quite damp in places through

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the course of the night with rain and drizzle. Particularly across

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parts of the north and the west. But not amount to go a great deal and it

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is milder tonight than it was last night, temperatures no lower than

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seven or eight Celsius. We are going into tomorrow on a cloudier note.

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There will be a good deal of dry weather, but first thing in the

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morning, it is a slow start, dull and grey. There will be bits and

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pieces of light rain and drizzle before it becomes that bit drier.

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For Western Scotland, it is likely to stay wet in places through the

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day, windy as well particularly in the north-west of Scotland. It

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should dry up across Eastern Scotland and for much of the

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Republic of Ireland and England and Wales, a lot of dry weather a few

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showers in areas exposed to the south and the west. A good deal of

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cloud here too, but a few bright spells possible towards the South

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Coast and temperatures should get up to 16 Celsius. The breeze lighter in

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the south as well. It is breezy for Northern Ireland tomorrow afternoon,

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but apart from the odd spit or spot of rain it is dry. One or two bright

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intervals, but a lot of cloud. Temperatures better. Less cold air

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tomorrow, up to 13 Celsius or maybe 14 Celsiusful the reason we have the

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mainly dry weather is high pressure to the south. Through tomorrow night

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and into Thursday morning, we get a weak weather front moving south so

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that's going to bring damp weather for a time through tomorrow night

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and into Thursday morning. Followed by a few showers. Slightly cooler

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air as well, but at least the winds are easing and Friday looks mainly

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dry. That's it for now. Stormont Today

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gets underway over on BBC Two at 11. 20pm. We are back during Breakfast

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tomorrow morning. From BBC Newsline, good night.

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