03/08/2016 BBC Newsline

The Justice Minister has backed calls for an inquiry

into controversial undercover police units from Scotland Yard

It's been revealed that the Metropolitan Police has

contacted the family of at least one Troubles murder victim to say

an undercover officer infiltrated a protest about the killing.

Claire Sugden says the units activities could have

implications for police investigations here.

Our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.

Mark Kennedy is one of the former undercover officers

He was one of a number who infiltrated environmental

pressure groups by tricking women into sexual relationships.

The Metropolitan Police has apologised for their activities.

We have accepted those relationships should not have happened and we have

been through a process and agreed settlement with the woman and part

of that settlement was a desire on our part to be very

Prime Minister Theresa May visited Northern Ireland last month.

But there are no plans for a judge leading a public

inquiry into the activities of the undercover units to do so.

In her previous role as Minister for the Home Office, Theresa May

set up the inquiry - and limited its scope

That's despite the fact that Mark Kennedy, seen here on the left,

and a number of the other undercover officers worked in Northern Ireland,

and did so without the knowledge of the RUC or PSNI.

Stormont Justice Minister Claire Sugden has now added her voice

to calls for the inquiry to be extended.

In a letter sent in June when Theresa May was

still at the Home Office, she said the PSNI has examined

thousands of Scotland Yard documents after being told

there may be material relevant to Northern Ireland.

The letter said the Metropolitan Police has contacted the family

of at least one murder victim here to inform them that

their officers were present at protest activity relating

to the murder, and that it plans to contact another family

Claire Sugden said it's possible that operations conducted

by the undercover units - or any material they gathered -

could have implications for police investigations and inquests

Because of those potential implications, she said

it was imperative for the inquiry to follow the evidence trail

While in Northern Ireland, Mark Kennedy is known to have

attended meetings of environmental activists at the Menagerie bar

on Belfast's University Street, and the City Church

Activists and campaigners here who claim they may have been

spied on by the undercover units also want the terms of reference

Lawyers acting for a number of them have written to Theresa May,

claiming a failure to do so would be a breach of their human rights.

The lawyers said it wouldn't be rational for the government

to conclude that there was a need for a judge led inquiry into these

allegations in England and Wales, but no need for an inquiry

into the same allegations, involving the same undercover officers,

A man has died after he was injured in a car crash in Claudy yesterday.

The 60-year-old was a passenger in a car that was involved

in a collision with a van on the Foreglen Road.

The man's name hasn't yet been released.

A man and woman have been arrested in connection with the murder

Michael McGibbon died after being shot several times

in the leg in Butler Place not far from his home.

Dissident Republicans were blamed for the murder.

A group of Chinese tourists has come under attack by stone

The family of eight had flown into Northern Ireland this morning

and were on a private tour when the coach they were in was hit.

No one was injured but the tourists were extremely frightened.

This was their first time in Northern Ireland.

I was driving up the bottle of both the Falls Road and the bus was

attacked by stones or bricks and it smashed the windows. I had Chinese

tourists on the bus, doing a city tour of Belfast. They were so

shocked and terrified at the time that they wanted to go back to the

hotel and didn't... They were pretty scared and shut up.

A major fish kill in a County Londonderry river

is believed to have been caused by silage effluent.

Several thousand fish have died since the pollution spill

Here's our northwest reporter Keiron Tourish.

Amateur photographer Lucan Newland was back on this stretch

of the River Faughan today, collecting yet more dead fish.

He came across a large amount of different kinds of fish

He was horrified and recorded what he witnessed.

I was walking here with a friend yesterday and he stumbled

upon a fish and I looked at it myself, and I noticed another one

and another one and as we went along the river it escalated quickly,

we started to realise a considerable amount of damage was done.

We saw 20 or 30 dead fish in the spot, then we started to see

big salmon floating side-by-side, and the whole place

The Loughs Agency says a range of fish have been

killed or left distressed, including salmon, sea trout

and eel - virtually everything that lives here.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency said the pollution

Were talking several thousand dead fish

At the moment we are following a definite line of inquiry but we

No one from NI Water was available for interview but in a

statement that organisation said the water here was of the highest

NI Water said it shut down a water treatment works in Eglinton

as a precaution and will continue to monitor the Faughan.

The police are investigating an attack on an orange hall in Crumlin.

It's believed sectarian graffiti was spray painted onto the building

on the Antrim Road sometime between midnight and early this

The police say the target of a bomb found in Lisburn at the weekend

was most likely a person, rather than a location.

It's believed the device may have fallen from a vehicle in the city

A controlled explosion was carried out in Market Place

A 22-year-old Portadown man has been charged with sexually grooming

Christopher Davison, from Granville Gardens,

faces two charges of sexual communication with a child -

and two of meeting a child after sexual grooming.

He was released on bail and ordered not to contact anyone connected

with the Irish Football Association or anyone under 18 via social media.

He is also to stay out of Banbridge.

The chair of the Assembly's Health Committee has said she would not be

against the introduction of a drug that can prevent HIV.

The DUP's Paula Bradley made her comments after a court told

the Health Service in England that it can fund provision

A local man who is HIV positive says it's all about prevention.

Our health correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly reports.

Greg Owen was diagnosed with HIV in 2015.

Since then, he's been campaigning for the drug PREP to be

made available on the National Health Service.

A UK trial has shown that the pill provides more than 80% protection

against HIV, so it's only those who don't already carry

In Belfast they had 800 people living with HIV but 200 who don't

If you blitz this with education and prevention and

treatment, you will not have an HIV situation here, when we look

Yesterday's High Court decision in London, which ruled that NHS

England should fund the drug, could mean an annual bill of around

Attending the opening of this new charity shop,

the DUP's health spokesperson, perhaps in a surprise

move, said her party backed funding the drug.

It may be is seen as not our party's stance when it comes to gay men but

I know as someone who has chaired the sexual health committee in the

Assembly that it is something I have had an interest in, and I know 41%

of our population who have an HIV diagnosis are heterosexual.

That reaction got this one from Greg.

I came back to Belfast bracing myself and when I heard that, I was

Over 800 men and women here have been diagnosed with HIV.

Northern Ireland has the highest proportion of new HIV diagnoses each

year of anywhere else in the UK, and that is a concern, a quarter of

people living with HIV do not have a diagnosis yet.

This HIV drug ruling presents a modern dilemma for the public

But with an appeal likely, its availability is hardly imminent.

The Olympic Games get underway this Friday -

and some of the first Northern Ireland athletes in action

Former medal winners Alan Campbell and brothers Richard and Peter

Last-minute preparations that one of the Olympic's most spectacular

venues, even on an overcast day. I came out in the evening. Not even he

has seen anything like it before. The last few Olympics were man-made

lakes, this is a naturally occurring late in the middle of Rio and one of

the most iconic venues. This is just up to my right, we couldn't ask for

a better location, better place, better venue. The bit of wind, which

might make it trickier, but nothing that we shouldn't be a will to cope

with. In London four years ago, our three rovers produced three medals,

two silver and a bronze. They are hoping to go even better this time

and become Northern Ireland's first gold medal Olympic winner since

1968. We started rowing at 15 or 16 years old, it's all those years

though the outcome of the mental stability, the technical prowess

that we have. It all comes together on this track and the finish line

just behind us, to cross first would be an amazing feeling to beat

Olympic champion. Representing Northern Ireland, it would make it

even more special. Great day for the Chambers family. It is a great

achievement, I was thinking about it the other day, going to the Olympics

just by itself is pretty incredible. To come away with something using an

better. And a gold medal would be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Now let's get the weather forecast with Angie.

Hello, Kitty evening. Temperature wise, not all that bad, near

average, but a terminal weather-wise with heavy showers and those gusty

winds. Winds will easy little bit, stays quite breezy. Further showers

coming in, some quite heavy before they start to ease later on in the

night. Not too chilly tonight, those of 12 or 13 Celsius. Into tomorrow,

a better day. It looks like a drier day for many of us, brighter as

well. In the morning, still crazy, some showers scattered around before

the ease in the afternoon. Across the rest of the country, not as

windy as today, but still breezy enough. That Greece will continue to

bring showers across Scotland, feeling quite fresh. Heavy downpours

across the Republic of Ireland, northern and central parts of

England and Wales, but not all parts will get them. Sunshine in between

and not too many of the showers for the far south where it will feel

that bit warmer with highs of 22 or 23 Celsius. Coming back to Northern

Ireland, the showers have all but gone in the afternoon, mainly dry,

and we have a fair amount of sunshine. A bit fresh on the north

coast, an onshore breeze, around 16 Celsius. In this shelter of the

South, feeling pleasant in the sunshine, 19 Celsius. Showers coming

in later on the day on Friday, temperatures rising for the weekend,

often cloudy, but some dry and bright spells as well.

Our next BBC Newsline is at 6:25 in the morning

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