:00:17. > :00:19.Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Donna Traynor and Noel
:00:19. > :00:22.Thompson The headlines this Wednesday evening.
:00:22. > :00:32.New searches begin for Arlene Arkinson - the police say they want
:00:32. > :00:39.to end her family's torment. You have her face in your head
:00:39. > :00:43.every day. She would be 32 now, but she is still 15. She will always be
:00:43. > :00:46.Caring for elderly people - a call for the cumbersome complaints
:00:46. > :00:49.process to be changed. A football fan is acquitted of this
:00:49. > :00:53.attack on Celtic's Neil Lennon - we have the latest from Scotland.
:00:53. > :00:56.Paying a premium - the price of car insurance is to be put under the
:00:56. > :01:00.spotlight. On the road to recovery - an update
:01:00. > :01:09.on Johnny the Donkey. And the sun has been rather elusive
:01:09. > :01:12.lately, but we might just get a few The police have started a new
:01:12. > :01:16.search for the body of the Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson,
:01:16. > :01:19.who disappeared after a night out in 1994. It is believed she was
:01:19. > :01:22.abducted and murdered. The detective leading the investigation
:01:22. > :01:29.says they will be looking at 48 sites over the next two weeks in
:01:29. > :01:32.the hope of finding her remains and bringing some relief to her family.
:01:32. > :01:39.This morning police and specialist dogs were at Scraghy Road between
:01:39. > :01:47.Castlederg and Ederney where she was last seen. Here's our North-
:01:47. > :01:51.West reporter, Keiron Tourish. Emotional scenes as members of the
:01:51. > :01:57.family gathered at the start of the late deserters to find her sister.
:01:57. > :02:03.It is 17 years since fifteen-year- old Arlene Parkinson disappeared
:02:03. > :02:10.after a night out in Donegal. have your face in her - - your face
:02:10. > :02:16.in you're - - her face in your head every day. Should be 32 now, but
:02:16. > :02:22.she will always be 15. She was last seen in the company of Robert
:02:22. > :02:26.Howard, who gave her a lift home. Howard, who is now 67, was charged
:02:26. > :02:30.with her murder but acquitted in 2005. At the time the jury did not
:02:30. > :02:38.know that he was already serving life for rating and killing a 14-
:02:38. > :02:42.year-old girl in south London. Over the years there have been a series
:02:42. > :02:47.of searches in and around the Castlederg area, but no trace has
:02:47. > :02:51.ever been found of the schoolgirl. Today specialist search teams,
:02:51. > :02:56.using two dogs specially trained for these operations, began a fresh
:02:56. > :03:02.attempt to find her body. Police also said they want to trace the
:03:02. > :03:06.movements of the vehicle from 1994. Arlene was last seen in this area,
:03:06. > :03:13.in the lane way that we're standing in at the moment on the Scraghy
:03:13. > :03:19.Road in the early hours of 14th August 1994. She was seen leaving a
:03:19. > :03:24.farmhouse in at blue Metro car. I would appeal to anybody he has any
:03:24. > :03:29.knowledge of that last sighting or the blue Metro car, or any
:03:29. > :03:34.suspicious activity in this area to talk to us. The family continue to
:03:34. > :03:41.pray and wait for a breakthrough. hope to God that it comes to some
:03:41. > :03:46.kind of closure, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. I hope so, anyway.
:03:46. > :03:52.I hope that she can get a decent burial. The police say that since
:03:52. > :03:57.her disappearance in August 1994 there have been around 80 searches.
:03:57. > :04:02.In this latest operation 48 locations have been identified. But
:04:02. > :04:07.operation is likely to take several weeks, if not months. The it is
:04:07. > :04:11.unbearable even to think about it. 17 years we have lived with this.
:04:11. > :04:16.Hopefully we can bury her and bring her home and bury her with her
:04:16. > :04:20.mother and father and her sister. That is all we ask for. The family
:04:20. > :04:23.paid tribute to all who have supported them.
:04:23. > :04:25.There are calls today for more openness in the way complaints are
:04:26. > :04:28.handled against workers who look after vulnerable adults in nursing
:04:28. > :04:35.or residential care. The current system is described as cumbersome
:04:35. > :04:37.and there are fears of retribution. In the past year the number of
:04:37. > :04:41.complaints against workers has increased and there have been 14
:04:41. > :04:43.confirmed cases of misconduct. Residents were physically abused,
:04:43. > :04:50.left unclothed or unsupervised. Our health correspondent, Marie-Louise
:04:51. > :04:54.Connolly, reports. Packing away a lifetime of memories.
:04:54. > :04:58.This woman's parents are now being cared for in separate nursing homes.
:04:58. > :05:05.But she acknowledges his is a tough job, she says that any concerns
:05:05. > :05:10.raised about their care have been ignored. The system is very
:05:10. > :05:15.complicated and I have tried everybody under the sun and
:05:15. > :05:19.everybody passes due on to somebody else. But some believe it is not
:05:19. > :05:26.obvious where people can go to seek help and even if it was, many are
:05:26. > :05:29.too afraid for fear of retribution. It is the same thing you had so
:05:29. > :05:33.when you're at school boy you didn't want your money to go to
:05:33. > :05:36.school to complain in case something happened to you. I think
:05:36. > :05:40.people are afraid that if they complain it will have an adverse
:05:40. > :05:43.effect on the way in which their loved one is being looked after.
:05:43. > :05:46.But the most recent figures from the Northern Ireland Social Care
:05:46. > :05:50.Council show that some people are making their voices heard. In the
:05:50. > :05:55.past 12 months there were 95 complaints against those working in
:05:55. > :06:00.social care, a figure that is almost triple what it was two years
:06:00. > :06:07.ago. The BBC has found that as a result of those complaints 14
:06:07. > :06:10.people have appeared before the misconduct committee. The figures
:06:10. > :06:14.that have been revealed today are only the tip of the iceberg because
:06:14. > :06:18.someone he has a lot on in a care home would be very reticent to
:06:18. > :06:21.complain. I think we need a more open, transparent and accessible
:06:21. > :06:26.system, but those carers though exactly where to complain if they
:06:26. > :06:29.feel that their loved one has been badly treated. This nursing home
:06:29. > :06:32.was at the centre of the latest misconduct hearing. A care
:06:32. > :06:37.assistant who physically and verbally abused to residents was
:06:37. > :06:47.dismissed from his job in 2010 and suspended from practising for six
:06:47. > :06:52.
:06:52. > :06:57.months. In a statement his former According to the council, a care
:06:57. > :07:01.home owners are proving to be more responsible about reporting cases.
:07:01. > :07:04.Right relation in the industry is very important and has improved
:07:04. > :07:08.significantly. I think the recent incidences were rogue staff members
:07:08. > :07:13.across different care environments have been identified as evidence of
:07:13. > :07:16.the fact that the regulation is working. We are the number of 75-
:07:16. > :07:21.year-old expected to grow by 40 % in 10 years, how we improve the
:07:21. > :07:24.system that cares for them is becoming a priority.
:07:24. > :07:27.It is the job of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council to
:07:27. > :07:33.monitor and regulate the conduct of home care workers. The council is
:07:33. > :07:40.chaired by Lily Kerr. The number of complaints that we
:07:40. > :07:43.were referring to there, not 0.6 % of the workforce in the sector. But
:07:43. > :07:48.do you believe that the system in regard to making complaints needs
:07:48. > :07:54.to be changed? I believe that the council has a very robust system
:07:54. > :07:58.for dealing with complaints, but after listening to what John Harden
:07:59. > :08:03.son said I have written to her and said I am happy to meet with you if
:08:03. > :08:08.you believe that there are changes that we can make to the system,
:08:08. > :08:15.happy to do so, because I am concerned that hearing reports that
:08:15. > :08:24.people are passed from one person to another. It is not acceptable
:08:24. > :08:28.that people go from trust to board to council, so I'm happy to meet to
:08:28. > :08:33.see if we can streamline our processes. If there is not a one-
:08:33. > :08:38.stop shop, if the system is by a cumbersome, does that mean that we
:08:38. > :08:41.are seeing the tip of the iceberg in regards to cases of neglect. But
:08:41. > :08:46.there may be cases of abuse and misconduct that are going
:08:46. > :08:53.unpunished? We would appeal to workers to come forward. We would
:08:53. > :08:58.appeal to carers, to users. No one should suffer in silence. Since I
:08:58. > :09:02.have taken the chair of the council myself and the chief-executive have
:09:02. > :09:07.gone out and engaged with politicians and explain to them
:09:07. > :09:11.what it is we do. We have asked them to take our codes of practice
:09:11. > :09:15.both for the workers and for the employer - - employers into the
:09:15. > :09:19.centres so that people know. I have spent a lifetime fighting for the
:09:19. > :09:24.vulnerable and I have always said to staff come if you have got an
:09:24. > :09:31.issue about someone's poor practice you report it to your trade union
:09:31. > :09:36.or to anyone else. We have had people on this programme who were
:09:36. > :09:41.afraid to tell us who they were he worked in that industry and wanted
:09:41. > :09:44.to expose neglect and abuse. How do you encourage them and their
:09:44. > :09:51.employers have to report that? Employers are coming forward in
:09:51. > :09:57.larger numbers now. I believe that we have all got a responsibility to
:09:57. > :10:03.report poor practice. We should not stand over it because they are from
:10:03. > :10:08.noble people that we deal with. If there is any worker out there that
:10:08. > :10:12.is concerned that there is poor practice going on. If they want to
:10:12. > :10:16.approach the council in the first instance we will pass them to the
:10:16. > :10:21.appropriate a authority. We will deal with that attitude process.
:10:21. > :10:30.What we can take his anonymous complaints. Our systems must be
:10:30. > :10:33.robust and fair. People must complain.
:10:33. > :10:36.A Scottish football fan has been acquitted of carrying out a
:10:36. > :10:39.sectarian attack on the Celtic manager Neil Lennon. 26-year-old
:10:39. > :10:42.John Wilson was found guilty of breaching the peace by running onto
:10:42. > :10:52.the pitch during a game at Hearts last May and shouting and swearing
:10:52. > :10:55.at Lennon. BBC Scotland reporter Morag Kinniburgh was in court.
:10:55. > :11:00.The jury here at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to tea and a have bars to
:11:00. > :11:06.find the case against John Wells and other sulking Neil Lennon not
:11:07. > :11:10.proven. He had been charged with making sectarian remarks against
:11:10. > :11:14.the Celtic manager. He had admitted invading the pitch and found guilty
:11:14. > :11:18.of a lesser charge of breach of the piece, but back in May he invaded -
:11:18. > :11:25.- admitted invading the pitch shouting and swearing at Neil
:11:25. > :11:30.Lennon. He admitted in court that he had assaulted Neil Lennon by
:11:30. > :11:35.striking him on the head. When the jury returned a verdict ruled that
:11:35. > :11:39.the assault case was not proven, not enough evidence of that to
:11:39. > :11:44.convict him despite his admission. They did find him guilty on the
:11:44. > :11:49.lesser charge of breach of the pits, but they deleted any reference to
:11:49. > :11:54.any sectarian comments made or any religious hatred there may have
:11:54. > :11:57.been shouted. Now John Watson has been remanded in custody at his
:11:57. > :12:00.sentence has been deferred until 14th September.
:12:00. > :12:06.Still to come on the programme: Lucky to be alive - we hear from
:12:06. > :12:10.the biker who broke almost every bone in his body.
:12:10. > :12:14.We have more on the story of Johnny the donkey whose hooves were once a
:12:14. > :12:24.long queue struggled to walk. Now he has had his toenails cut and is
:12:24. > :12:25.
:12:25. > :12:28.So Fair Trading to investigate the high cost of car insurance and stop
:12:28. > :12:36.Northern Ireland drivers can pay 84 per cent more than the rest of the
:12:36. > :12:40.UK. Our Business and Economics Editor Jim Fitzpatrick has more.
:12:40. > :12:45.Making a living driving a cab is hard enough these days. Spiralling
:12:45. > :12:48.insurance costs don't help. It is very hard because the premiums have
:12:48. > :12:54.been going up every year. It is money we have defined and we are
:12:54. > :12:59.not earning. We are being discriminated against, probably, in
:12:59. > :13:03.Northern Ireland. Those who make their living selling insurance say
:13:03. > :13:13.the problem in Northern Ireland has been overstated. I am not disputing
:13:13. > :13:16.the higher costs, but I do think it is not as high as stated. Why is
:13:16. > :13:20.insurance in Northern Ireland so expensive? Is it lack of
:13:20. > :13:24.competition, because legal costs or to hire forcing up premiums -- are
:13:24. > :13:27.too high, or is it because we pay too much in compensation? Is it the
:13:27. > :13:31.fact that there are too many and insured drivers for whom the
:13:31. > :13:38.insured must pick up the tab? Whatever the reason, the figures
:13:38. > :13:44.are startling. According to the Consumer Council people here are
:13:44. > :13:48.paying premiums of �282 higher than the rest of the UK, �82 -- 84 per
:13:48. > :13:52.cent higher. Consumers also have left -- less choice with a maximum
:13:52. > :13:56.of 15 insurers, with up to 51 competing companies in the UK
:13:56. > :14:00.mainland. It is not as dormant and the Office of Fair Trading. The
:14:00. > :14:05.Consumer Council things they have the clout to solve the problem.
:14:05. > :14:08.have been relentless in relation to this for some time but we hope by
:14:08. > :14:11.taking the range of initiatives we have taken this morning, this will
:14:11. > :14:16.make a difference and help keep money in the pockets of Northern
:14:16. > :14:20.Ireland drivers. To date the OFT said it wouldn't necessarily
:14:20. > :14:25.investigate. It is an issue that has been driving consumers mad for
:14:25. > :14:28.years. A solution may yet be on the distant horizon.
:14:29. > :14:32.Speaking of money, finance will be very much on the minds of students
:14:32. > :14:36.as they prepare for college or university this year. Some banks
:14:36. > :14:41.are offering overdrafts of as much as �3,000.
:14:41. > :14:47.There are strings attached, though. Kevin Sharkey asks if these are
:14:47. > :14:52.good deal for a student or a temptation to go deeper into debt.
:14:52. > :14:55.Some students are already here for an early look around. There are a
:14:55. > :14:59.number of ways for students to look at this offer of an interest-free
:14:59. > :15:04.overdraft facility. Is it an easy way for student to get at their
:15:04. > :15:08.hands on much needed money to help them through college, or is it a
:15:08. > :15:12.case of the bank's encouraging yet more student debt? At the students'
:15:13. > :15:16.union across the road, there is caution. It is an issue at the
:15:16. > :15:20.moment because students are finding it difficult to get part-time jobs,
:15:20. > :15:24.so the temptation will be to get an overdraft. My advice would be to
:15:24. > :15:31.read the small print, talk to the students' union first, and try to
:15:31. > :15:36.find other ways before you get an overdraft. What about the small
:15:37. > :15:41.print? The banks that are lending up to �3,000 are only allowing for
:15:41. > :15:45.four cheque withdrawals within any given month, and four cash
:15:46. > :15:50.withdrawals within any given month. Over and above that, they are
:15:50. > :15:57.charging 70p per item. Bear that in mind every time you are taking out
:15:57. > :16:00.�20 or �30. So are the banks the big winners with these offers?
:16:00. > :16:06.like anything else, if you go beyond what they have agreed there
:16:06. > :16:10.are potential for additional sums. Generally, if it is managed in the
:16:10. > :16:16.right way, it is fine. For all this student, the message is clear:
:16:16. > :16:19.Don't. I would advise students to stay away from overdrafts. They
:16:19. > :16:29.seem appealing but when it comes to paying them back it is a nightmare.
:16:29. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:34.As the new academic year looms, Now to the race for the job of
:16:34. > :16:40.president of Ireland. For the first time in its history, Fianna Fail
:16:40. > :16:45.will not put up a candidate. The party's last nominee was Mary
:16:45. > :16:50.McAleese, whose two terms in office end in November. Jennifer O'Leary
:16:50. > :16:54.joins us now. What is happening with the Fianna Fail party?
:16:54. > :16:59.Monday, a sub-committee of the party recommended that Fianna Fail
:16:59. > :17:05.did not put forward an internal candidate. Today's three amenity
:17:05. > :17:08.and put out rubber stamp on that decision. -- a three hour meeting.
:17:08. > :17:13.There was a dominant political force in Ireland since the 1930s,
:17:13. > :17:17.and for the first time in its history, it won't be in the
:17:17. > :17:22.presidential election. The Fianna Fail leader explained the reason
:17:22. > :17:28.behind the decision. A we need to rebuild and strengthen the capacity
:17:28. > :17:34.of the party in the months and years ahead to ensure we are a
:17:34. > :17:39.vital force in Irish political life. Michael Martin asked broadcaster
:17:39. > :17:44.Gay Byrne to put his name forward. He said no. Could anybody else have
:17:44. > :17:49.been a possibility? The popular -- a popular sports commentator said
:17:49. > :17:58.he was considering a bid before he also ruled himself out, but let's
:17:58. > :18:04.not forget, Diana Rosemary Scallon is said to be considering a
:18:04. > :18:08.nomination but has been coy about her intentions. Not putting a
:18:08. > :18:12.candidate for it leaves it open to the other parties, surely, and
:18:12. > :18:18.those that have been confirmed. There are four definite candidates
:18:18. > :18:22.confirmed so far. The Labour Party nominee has topped the most recent
:18:22. > :18:28.polls of the declared candidates. He is a long-time politician and a
:18:28. > :18:33.published poet. He is followed by Gay Mitchell, the MEP for Dublin.
:18:33. > :18:43.There are two independence, Shaun Gallagher, and Mary Davies, who is
:18:43. > :18:44.
:18:44. > :18:47.best known for running the Special Olympics in Ireland. I spoke with a
:18:47. > :18:54.representative of another party saying they should run an internal
:18:54. > :18:59.candidate, but Sinn Fein will formally confirmed its stance in
:18:59. > :19:03.the coming weeks. Coming up in tomorrow's BBC Newsline, even the
:19:03. > :19:06.most is and outings can run into danger. Will Leitch is with the
:19:06. > :19:11.rescue services as they stop trouble from turning to tragedy.
:19:11. > :19:17.has already been a busy are some of unusual for rescuers just like this
:19:17. > :19:21.one. I will find out how the coastguard save lives. With the
:19:21. > :19:25.deaths of two top motorcycle racers, Adrian McFarland and Wayne Hamilton,
:19:25. > :19:29.this week, many people are again asking why racers risk their lives
:19:29. > :19:34.competing in the sport they love. Steve and Watson has been to speak
:19:34. > :19:38.to write a recovering from a life- threatening cash -- crash -- to a
:19:38. > :19:42.rider. John Laverty told me today he is
:19:42. > :19:47.lucky to be alive. He survived a high speed crash in the British
:19:47. > :19:52.Superbike -- Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, but broke almost
:19:52. > :20:00.every bet -- bone in his body. He has been transferred to the Royal
:20:00. > :20:05.Victoria Hospital in Belfast to start his long road to recovery.
:20:05. > :20:07.John Laverty faces months of intensive physiotherapy and
:20:07. > :20:12.Rehabilitation after sustaining life-threatening injuries. He
:20:12. > :20:17.smashed his ankles and his feet, broke his knees, his pelvis, ribs
:20:17. > :20:23.and both shoulders, and almost lost the use of his arms. I feel I am a
:20:23. > :20:27.very lucky in the way I cheated death at that speed. I hit a wall
:20:27. > :20:33.at 100 and their demise an hour, to walk out of it was a big surprise.
:20:33. > :20:40.I checked I was still alive at the time and I couldn't believe it. --
:20:40. > :20:45.120 mph. As a top motorcycle racer, he understands the risks. Last
:20:45. > :20:49.weekend's tragedy is when stop him returning to the sport. I think
:20:49. > :20:58.somebody was looking down on me. It was amazing what I came out of. I
:20:58. > :21:03.have to be thankful for that and move on. Hopefully people realise
:21:03. > :21:07.that people love what they are doing, and they can come to grips
:21:07. > :21:10.with that. There is a higher risk factor in our sport because you can
:21:11. > :21:15.get knocked down walking -- but you can get knocked down walking across
:21:15. > :21:19.the road, so you just get on with it. It is what we are brought up
:21:19. > :21:23.doing and it doesn't affect us in that way. I put it down to being a
:21:24. > :21:27.bit like a boxer. When he is knocked out he goes back into the
:21:28. > :21:34.ring and does his job. As soon as we are fit we are back on the bike
:21:34. > :21:37.again. He plans to be racing again next year.
:21:37. > :21:41.Let's hope we see him in action. Northern Ireland footballers have a
:21:41. > :21:44.vital game at Windsor Park on Friday night in the Euro 2012
:21:44. > :21:47.qualifiers, but if Nigel Worthington's team is to win and
:21:47. > :21:51.stay on course for the finals they may have to do it without two other
:21:51. > :21:55.star performers, one of him stole the show in the last game. Thomas
:21:55. > :21:58.Niblock reports. When two of your better players are
:21:58. > :22:01.casually strolling along while everyone else is training, you know
:22:01. > :22:06.something is not quite right. Northern Ireland trained this
:22:06. > :22:12.morning ahead of Serbia's arrival in Belfast, but Pat mid-court and
:22:12. > :22:18.Kyle Lafferty are injured, and may miss Friday's game. We have two
:22:18. > :22:25.doubts. Pat record has a calf problem and could be struggling for
:22:25. > :22:32.Friday. The other is Kyle Lafferty, who has again a calf problem. We
:22:32. > :22:39.think he will probably have a more realistic chance of maybe being
:22:39. > :22:42.able to be available for Friday night. Pat no court litter up
:22:42. > :22:52.Windsor Park against the Faeroe Islands last week and will be
:22:52. > :22:54.
:22:54. > :23:02.You can not do anything about it for a stock it is there. He started
:23:02. > :23:07.to fillet of Friday morning. -- feel it on Friday morning. Come
:23:07. > :23:13.Friday, the game could be a little bit too early for him. Manchester
:23:13. > :23:18.United and Serbia captain no money but it is also injured and would
:23:18. > :23:26.play on Friday, helping Northern Ireland's cause. A win is a must
:23:26. > :23:30.for qualifying for Euro 2012. We have highlights on BBC One.
:23:30. > :23:34.Linfield continue to lead the way at the top of football's Carling
:23:34. > :23:39.Premiership. Rory Patterson scored two goals for the champions in
:23:39. > :23:43.their 3-2 win against Lisburn Distillery last night. Jamie
:23:43. > :23:49.Mulgrew's strike for Linfield was arguably the goal of the game.
:23:49. > :23:52.There was a late consolation free- kick, but it still ended 3-2. At
:23:52. > :23:57.Glentoran Stephen Carson scored his first goal for his new club against
:23:57. > :24:03.his old one. They picked up a point at the oval with this Curtis Allen
:24:03. > :24:10.header. Glenavon are still winless, having lost 5-32 Cliftonville at
:24:10. > :24:16.Solitude. -- 53 against Cliftonville. Cliftonville moved to
:24:16. > :24:22.third in the table. Portadown and Linfield are joint top.
:24:22. > :24:25.Road racer Ryan Farquhar was a winner today at the Manx Grand Prix
:24:25. > :24:28.on the Isle of Man. An update on Johnny the Donkey from
:24:28. > :24:32.yesterday's programme. His hooves had grown so long he could hardly
:24:32. > :24:36.walk. It was reckoned he had endured two
:24:36. > :24:39.years of neglect. How is he doing now?
:24:39. > :24:43.Settling into his surroundings and showing no signs of the neglect
:24:43. > :24:48.that brought him here, Johnny the Donkey, on the left, was enjoying
:24:48. > :24:52.his new found fame this afternoon. He was a much sorrier sight when he
:24:52. > :24:57.arrived at the shelter just over a week ago. He had been rescued from
:24:57. > :25:02.the Mourne Mountains after two years of unchecked growth had left
:25:02. > :25:06.his hooves so deformed he could hardly walk.
:25:06. > :25:11.But now, after a visit by the farrier, he is much more
:25:11. > :25:15.comfortable and is responding well to treatment.
:25:15. > :25:19.My we got a call from a photographer lady who had been on
:25:20. > :25:24.the Mourne Mountains. She took a photograph and Johnny Donkey
:25:24. > :25:28.appeared from the hedges. She knew the feet went right so she found us.
:25:28. > :25:33.We think he survived on the mountain because he used a derelict
:25:33. > :25:39.cottage as a shelter. There is a steady stream of donkey's coming to
:25:39. > :25:42.the century. They had over 100 at Christmas. Four more arrive from
:25:42. > :25:46.Antrim earlier today, where they had been handed back for -- by
:25:46. > :25:51.people who no longer wanted them. The �600 the cost of keeping an
:25:51. > :25:54.animal like this is a big factor -- �600 per year. A couple of years
:25:55. > :26:01.ago during the boom it was considered fashionable by some to
:26:01. > :26:07.have a donkey. Mayors were around 1200 pounds and stallions around
:26:07. > :26:10.�500. Everything has changed now and animals are being abandoned.
:26:10. > :26:15.These two were turned out into a field near Armagh last week and
:26:15. > :26:21.rescued from there. The charity will try to the Home Johnny here,
:26:21. > :26:31.but if not, they will send him to England with a care for 2500 such
:26:31. > :26:31.
:26:31. > :26:38.Happy as Larry, or Johnny! Let's get the latest on the weather
:26:38. > :26:42.We have the remnants of Hurricane Irene heading our way but don't
:26:42. > :26:47.panic too much, it would just bring a way to spell. Until we get there
:26:47. > :26:50.it is largely dry, the statistics for August saying it has been a dry
:26:50. > :26:55.month, below average rainfall, believe it or not. It has been
:26:55. > :26:58.quite cold and cloudy as well. We have had sunshine this morning
:26:58. > :27:03.across Fermanagh but it didn't take long for the cloud to fill in, and
:27:03. > :27:07.that is how we end the day. Generally a lot of cloud. Through
:27:07. > :27:11.the night, more or less the same sort of story. Maybe the odd spot
:27:11. > :27:20.of drizzle over the holes butis continuing drive. Beneath a cloud,
:27:20. > :27:23.not to Chile -- most places continuing dry. It could get to six
:27:23. > :27:27.degrees in some parts of the countryside, with patches of mist.
:27:27. > :27:31.Tomorrow, the dryness continues, then cloud but hopefully we will
:27:31. > :27:35.see something brighter developing as we head to the afternoon. Don't
:27:35. > :27:39.expect much sunshine first thing in the morning, though, with the odd
:27:39. > :27:42.patch of mist and a good deal of cloud, but it should lift up a bit
:27:42. > :27:47.with more brightness come the afternoon, particularly across
:27:47. > :27:53.parts of Antrim, Down and Armagh. Sunshine is a possibility, even in
:27:53. > :27:57.the West, something brighter. Also a bit warmer tomorrow, a southerly
:27:57. > :28:02.breeze bringing temperatures up to 17 or 18 Celsius. At least a couple
:28:02. > :28:07.of degrees better than today. Into Friday, this area of low pressure,
:28:07. > :28:11.what is left of hurricane Irene is driving the weather front east.
:28:11. > :28:15.After a dry start on Friday, rain lingering into Friday night with