:00:18. > :00:22.Good evening. You're watching BBC Newsline with Sarah Travers. The
:00:22. > :00:24.top stories this Thursday evening: Tom Elliott stands up to the Orange
:00:24. > :00:34.men trying to discipline him for going Constable Ronan Kerr's
:00:34. > :00:40.funeral. I do not believe it was any sin or crime to go to the
:00:40. > :00:45.funeral of a murdered police officer. Could fines be on the
:00:45. > :00:49.cards for people who abuse the nine nine service? I'm live at the
:00:49. > :00:52.control room with the detail The multi-million pound grant to
:00:52. > :00:55.farmers which MLA's say was a waste of money. S. Meet the brothers who
:00:55. > :00:58.could be going for gold together at the London Olympics next year. And
:00:58. > :01:08.if you needed anything doing outdoors, today was the day to do
:01:08. > :01:11.it - there's more rain on the way. The Ulster Unionist leader, Tom
:01:11. > :01:14.Elliott, says he has no regrets about attending the funeral of
:01:14. > :01:16.Catholic police officer, Ronan Kerr. As we revealed last night, he and
:01:16. > :01:18.his party's Stormont Minister, Danny Kennedy, are facing Orange
:01:18. > :01:21.Order disciplinary hearings after a lodge in Belfast complained they
:01:21. > :01:24.had broken the rules by attending a Catholic mass. This afternoon, Mr
:01:24. > :01:26.Elliot told BBC Newsline that he's been inundated with support from
:01:26. > :01:36.the public, including many Orange men. Here's our political
:01:36. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:52.correspondent Gareth Gordon. In his shop today, drum maker and orange
:01:52. > :01:57.man, William Hewitt was clear where he stood on the row. They broke the
:01:57. > :02:03.law, as an Orangeman. As a brother arrange man they went to a chapel
:02:03. > :02:07.for a funeral and... They need to take it from there. In this
:02:07. > :02:12.loyalist heartland, there were other views. Most people we have
:02:12. > :02:20.spoken to here say they believe Tom Elliott and Danny Kennedy did
:02:20. > :02:29.nothing wrong. I'm an orange man I would go to funeral. It is against
:02:29. > :02:34.the rules. They're ape shepbt rules. Its none sense. You don't think
:02:34. > :02:39.there is a problem? No. I think they should be able to g to
:02:39. > :02:45.whoever's funeral they want. It is nothing to do with politics.
:02:45. > :02:50.Ulster unionist leader came to the BBC for his first interview since
:02:50. > :02:54.the storm began. His message - no regrets. I do not believe it was
:02:54. > :02:59.any sinner crime to go to the funeral of a murdered police
:02:59. > :03:03.officer. Someone who was serving this community, someone who served
:03:03. > :03:08.in my constituency. I believe by doing that, that was showing
:03:08. > :03:11.leadership from the Ulster Unionist Party and from our community
:03:11. > :03:14.towards the services that Ronan Kerr and others are
:03:14. > :03:18.proindividualing to this society. Yet the Orange Order of which
:03:18. > :03:22.you're a member of, takes a different view. Well I think we
:03:22. > :03:26.need to put that in context, in that it appears that one particular
:03:26. > :03:30.lodge has made a complaint. That is something that will have to be
:03:30. > :03:34.dealt with, through the due processes of the orange institution.
:03:34. > :03:38.I'm happy that we follow that due process and I'm happy to
:03:38. > :03:43.participate in that process and be part of it. Are you advised think
:03:43. > :03:47.lodge has made this complaint? think in the context of what it was
:03:47. > :03:53.about, I'm surprised. I'm surprised in the sense that we were doing
:03:53. > :03:57.what was right for society. I must say it is very demoralising for me
:03:57. > :04:02.at think stage to see this going through the emotions that its for
:04:02. > :04:08.the Kerr family. I must say that the Kerr family, I have a lot of
:04:08. > :04:11.simpthri for at this time, because I'm sure it is retraumatising them.
:04:11. > :04:16.Today the issue was mentioned in the House of Commons. The leader
:04:16. > :04:21.will be as shocked as I was to hear do senior members of Ulster
:04:21. > :04:26.unionists have been summoned to a Orange Order disciplinary
:04:26. > :04:29.proceedings after they attended the funeral of the murdered Catholic
:04:29. > :04:35.police officer, Ronan Kerr. Can I ask that we have a shot debate in
:04:35. > :04:39.which all members of the House can demonstrate our support for Tom
:04:39. > :04:46.Elliott and Danny Kennedy and recognise the responsible way they
:04:46. > :04:53.have offered leadership. Elliott said he has had much back.
:04:54. > :04:58.I have 45 a -- had a huge amount of support, from the general public,
:04:58. > :05:05.but a lot of them from orange men and fellow orange men, people I
:05:05. > :05:12.don't even know. The next move is up to LOL 821 who made the
:05:12. > :05:15.complaint and the Orange leadership. One in five callers who dialled 999
:05:15. > :05:17.here last year did not need emergency help. Over 28,000 callers
:05:17. > :05:20.wanted everything from assistance getting into bed to treatment for a
:05:20. > :05:30.toothache. Our health correspondent, Marie Louise Connolly, is at the
:05:30. > :05:30.
:05:30. > :05:33.ambulance control centre in Knockbracken in south Belfast.
:05:33. > :05:36.Abusing the system not only costs lives but is costing the Health
:05:36. > :05:39.Service hundreds of thousands of pounds. To improve the system, the
:05:39. > :05:42.Health Minister has told the BBC he's considering introducing a
:05:42. > :05:52.system where people can also dial 111 as well as imposing those who
:05:52. > :06:03.
:06:03. > :06:07.waste paramedics' time. Responding to an emergency and every sect e
:06:07. > :06:12.second counts. The calm is to a house where a man is having trouble
:06:12. > :06:18.breathing. Within minutes the vehicle leaves the Royal Victoria
:06:18. > :06:23.Hospital. Swift action could save a life. While this incident turned
:06:23. > :06:27.out to be serious, not all emergency calls are. In fact,
:06:27. > :06:34.paramedics are increasingly finding their time is being wasted. It was
:06:34. > :06:41.ten to 12 and I was off duty at midnight and when I arrived she
:06:41. > :06:49.told me I -- she couldn't get a ring off her finger. Last year the
:06:49. > :06:53.ambulance service received 130,000 calls. Around 28,500 were non-
:06:53. > :06:57.emergency and included requests for helping to stop a nose bleed,
:06:57. > :07:03.finding a missing person, even trading -- treating a tooth ache.
:07:03. > :07:07.How can the system be improved? We're looking at best practice
:07:07. > :07:11.elsewhere. In England they have a 111 system, that would be an
:07:11. > :07:15.alternative for people who are not sure to call and we could fine
:07:15. > :07:23.people who progress lively abuse the system. By streamlining the
:07:23. > :07:28.service, the minister said he is improiving it, including closing
:07:28. > :07:32.the city hospital's A&E. The Royal will become the main hub for
:07:33. > :07:37.admitting patient and if a person arrives by car or ambulance, they
:07:37. > :07:41.will be assessed. Depending on their condition, they could be
:07:41. > :07:45.admitted here, or they could be sent to the city hospital for
:07:45. > :07:49.example, if their complaint is cancer-related. However, there is a
:07:49. > :07:53.third oop option. If a person arrives here believing they need
:07:53. > :07:58.emergency care, they could be sent to an out of hours centre. If it is
:07:58. > :08:02.thought a GP could look after them instead. GPs say they want to play
:08:02. > :08:09.a bigger role in the reorganisation of emergency care, but insist it
:08:09. > :08:13.will come at a price. There needs to be change in patient behaviour
:08:13. > :08:17.and patient education in where to go and I think that most doctors
:08:17. > :08:22.who work out of hour will say the pressures are severe, most are
:08:22. > :08:27.stressed with the amount of work and we would welcome more resource.
:08:27. > :08:31.Now the change to the local emergency service is taking pace,
:08:31. > :08:35.academics say if managed properly, there could be huge savings.
:08:35. > :08:39.believe it will save into the hundreds and thousand over time.
:08:39. > :08:43.Because we need joined up thinking about the out of hours service and
:08:43. > :08:46.the ambulance and emergency services, people are using the
:08:46. > :08:54.emergency service listen they should be using the out of hours
:08:54. > :09:00.service. But the savings would be substantial. Well I'm joined by the
:09:00. > :09:04.director of operations here. Brian, we're trying to improve the system,
:09:04. > :09:09.most of the fault lies with the public. Do you think the par Med
:09:09. > :09:15.yibs who are sitting around us here could better assess the situation?
:09:15. > :09:21.Yes we could do more work in that field. It has been done in England,
:09:21. > :09:25.where paramedics have sat beside call takers and intercepted calls
:09:25. > :09:30.and got more information and be able to stop it as an emergency
:09:30. > :09:35.call and provide advice, or direct them to another service. We have
:09:35. > :09:41.heard stories of people ringing to have a ring removed or to find a
:09:41. > :09:45.cat, why do these call get through? Often those calls come through,
:09:45. > :09:50.because the caller hasn't given the full information and the call taker
:09:50. > :09:54.has no option but to treat it as a high priority, because of patient
:09:54. > :09:59.safety and dispatch a blue light ambulance. The health minister has
:09:59. > :10:03.said he is considering the system of where the public can dial 111 to
:10:03. > :10:07.get information, how helpful would that be? That would be a great
:10:07. > :10:14.initiative and it mean question deal with the non-emergency calls,
:10:14. > :10:18.it means the patients, the caller, will quet a -- get a better service
:10:18. > :10:22.and it will take pressure off the emergency departments. Belfast is
:10:22. > :10:28.about to undergo tremendous change to its accident and emergency
:10:28. > :10:32.services, the City A&E will close, how close are you to finalising all
:10:32. > :10:36.of the details to ensure man power is in place? We do still have a bit
:10:36. > :10:41.of work to do. But we will be confident that we will be ready for
:10:41. > :10:47.the change. You will be there. You're not quite there yet? Seems
:10:47. > :10:49.hard to believe? Well we had to wait until the Belfast Trust had
:10:49. > :10:56.finalised their service delivery model. Now we know what will be in
:10:56. > :11:01.place, we will put in place the resources to meet that demand.
:11:01. > :11:06.While I have been here, for about the past 40 minutes, the same woman,
:11:06. > :11:11.the same caller has been calling this centre asking for an ambulance.
:11:11. > :11:21.She has been on to this crew here. That is one example of how their
:11:21. > :11:23.
:11:23. > :11:28.time is being wasted. Armed officer went to the castle Mara estate
:11:28. > :11:33.after reports that shots were fired. Two men were arrested. There are no
:11:33. > :11:36.reports of injuries. The police operation is continuing. Two dive
:11:36. > :11:38.teams are this evening joining the search for the missing Ballycastle
:11:38. > :11:42.woman, Karen Coyles. The 47-year- old, who's a prominent member of
:11:42. > :11:45.the McQuillan GAA club in the town, hasn't been seen since Sunday night.
:11:45. > :11:48.A subaqua team from Dundalk and the Mourne Underwater Search Team will
:11:48. > :11:55.focus on an area below the cliffs where a dog team led the rescue
:11:55. > :11:58.services yesterday. A witness in one of the biggest criminal trials
:11:58. > :12:01.here for decades has admitted new flaws in his evidence. Robert
:12:01. > :12:04.Stewart is testifying at the trial of Mark Haddock and 13 other men,
:12:04. > :12:14.some of whom are charged with the murder of Tommy English 11 years
:12:14. > :12:16.
:12:16. > :12:20.ago. BBC Newsline's Will Leitch was in court. A day of frank admissions
:12:20. > :12:26.and major discrepancies in a witness's evidence. Robert Stewart
:12:26. > :12:31.said he has been a terrorist, in his words, a nasty piece of work. A
:12:31. > :12:36.defence barrister said his testimony had contraDixs. He told
:12:36. > :12:42.the defence that one of the defendants, onBond had been present
:12:42. > :12:46.at punishment beating in 1996, but the lawyer said he had new evidence
:12:46. > :12:50.showing that Bond had been in prison on that day. There was
:12:50. > :13:00.lafter in court. The judge called for quiet and Mr Stewart said, he
:13:00. > :13:13.
:13:13. > :13:18.must have made a mistake. Mr Later Barry Macdonald, QC, produced
:13:18. > :13:24.new evidence from the day of the Tommy English murder. The RUC has
:13:24. > :13:30.seen Mr Milner a car leaving and reenstering the area twice in ten
:13:30. > :13:34.mince. This when Mr Stewart said Miller was in an area six miles
:13:34. > :13:44.away. Robert Stewart has been giving evidence for seven days.
:13:44. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:50.Many more days of tough questions could well lie ahead. Still to
:13:50. > :13:55.come: Why women are more likely here to split with their partner
:13:55. > :14:05.over fertility problems than anywhere else in the UK. And the
:14:05. > :14:10.Corraine brothers hoping to win A draft report from that Stormont
:14:10. > :14:14.spending watchdog will slate �120 million grant scheme for farmers.
:14:14. > :14:19.The report will ask if the scheme, funded by the taxpayer, was even
:14:19. > :14:24.necessary in the first place. Kevin Magee reports.
:14:24. > :14:29.This is what one European directive aims to prevent. Poor water quality
:14:29. > :14:33.caused by chemicals called nitrates washing into our water courses. The
:14:33. > :14:38.chemicals are contained in slurry, a by-product of dairy farming. To
:14:38. > :14:43.prevent being fined under EU law, the Department of Agriculture here
:14:43. > :14:49.gave 4,000 farmers a total of �121 million in grants to build slurry
:14:49. > :14:54.tanks, like this one on a farm outside Ballywalter in County Down.
:14:54. > :14:59.The purpose of it is to give meet increased storage and that is a
:14:59. > :15:03.requirement under a directive coming out of Brussels. There is no
:15:03. > :15:07.spreading now undisclosed period during the winter. Yes, this helps
:15:07. > :15:12.the environment, because we're slurry is spread during the growing
:15:12. > :15:15.season. Therefore there is no leaching. But will investigation by
:15:15. > :15:22.the storm and spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, has
:15:22. > :15:25.heavily criticised the scheme. In a draft report, it says it was poorly
:15:25. > :15:30.planned and badly managed and says it was not designed to minimise
:15:30. > :15:34.cost to taxpayers. Uncertainties, delays and revisions hampered the
:15:34. > :15:37.programme. The draft report also says there are fundamental
:15:37. > :15:41.uncertainties over the extent to which the scheme is contributing
:15:41. > :15:47.towards the improvement of water quality in Northern Ireland. And on
:15:47. > :15:50.that basis it concludes, it did not provide good value for money. But
:15:50. > :15:57.many of those who benefited from the farm nutrients scheme say it is
:15:57. > :16:03.too soon to measure its success. is too early to get the full impact
:16:03. > :16:07.of what this scheme has and will achieve. I know that on my own farm
:16:08. > :16:12.nitrate levels in the soils and phosphate levels and the sales are
:16:12. > :16:15.dropping quite substantially. PAC says it is extremely
:16:15. > :16:22.disappointed that the draft report was leaked. The final version is
:16:22. > :16:26.expected in the next three weeks. Good news in Enniskillen. It is to
:16:26. > :16:30.get a new �12 million road scheme. The Regional Development Minister
:16:30. > :16:33.Danny Kennedy announced today that work on the Cherrymount Link Road
:16:33. > :16:38.will begin later this month. It is expected to be completed early in
:16:38. > :16:44.2013. It has been in the planning quite a number of years. We are
:16:44. > :16:49.very pleased we about the stage. I think it holds out a very good
:16:49. > :16:52.prospect for the travellers in this area, particularly in and around
:16:53. > :16:55.Enniskillen and County Fermanagh. Women in Northern Ireland are more
:16:55. > :16:59.likely to split up with their partner due to the stress of
:16:59. > :17:03.fertility problems than women in other parts of the UK. That is one
:17:03. > :17:07.of the findings in a recent survey by. It says that 20% of women here
:17:07. > :17:13.are stated that their relationship nearly ended because of infertility.
:17:13. > :17:15.With me in a studio for tonight's Family Focus is a Sharon Davidson
:17:15. > :17:20.from Infertility Network UK. Welcome to the programme. You are
:17:20. > :17:25.no stranger to the stress of infertility. Indeed, you tried for
:17:25. > :17:29.five years and you were on what you call the infertility roller-coaster.
:17:29. > :17:34.Yes, it is in roller-coaster ride, when you go through fertility
:17:34. > :17:38.treatment. We waited five years for our precious son to be born and
:17:38. > :17:41.went through numerous treatments cycles to get him. I have
:17:41. > :17:49.personally experienced the stress of infertility. It cannot be
:17:49. > :17:53.underestimated. The findings do not surprise me at all. Infertility is
:17:53. > :17:57.a devastating condition. It is very much a roller-coaster ride and when
:17:57. > :18:01.the treatment does not work for a couple, only one in four treatments
:18:01. > :18:06.are successful, I mean it is devastating for the couple and for
:18:06. > :18:09.them to pick up the pieces again and try again is very difficult.
:18:09. > :18:15.For couples in Northern Ireland there is this postcode lottery as
:18:15. > :18:18.well. Does that had to the stress? Tell us about the situation. Very
:18:18. > :18:24.much so. In Northern Ireland, if we compare ourselves to other parts of
:18:24. > :18:29.the UK, just across the water in Scotland, couples can get three
:18:29. > :18:34.treatment cycles, eligible couples, that is, in Northern Ireland treat
:18:34. > :18:37.couples only receive one fresh treatment cycle. What that means is
:18:37. > :18:41.that if the couple go through, especially a young couple, if they
:18:41. > :18:47.go through fertility treatment and get a number of embryos and those
:18:47. > :18:50.embryos are good enough to freeze, then should that couple experience
:18:50. > :18:54.-- experienced that particular treatment cycle being a MUC
:18:54. > :19:00.successful, they can try again with the frozen embryos, but in Northern
:19:00. > :19:05.Ireland we only get a fresh cycle funded and the couple would have to
:19:05. > :19:10.find �1,000 for the transfer of any frozen embryos. The constraints on
:19:10. > :19:15.health budgets. Do people take IVF seriously? Do they see it as a
:19:15. > :19:19.need? Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system and
:19:19. > :19:25.basically it should be treated as such. It should be treated as an
:19:25. > :19:29.illness and the NHS is there for clinical need, not based on your
:19:29. > :19:34.ability to pay for treatment. A cycle of infertility treatment, of
:19:34. > :19:39.IVF treatment, is �4,000 and in the current economic climate couples
:19:39. > :19:43.can just not up for that kind of money and they are basically having
:19:43. > :19:46.to go through treatment and suffer the effects of if it doesn't work
:19:46. > :19:49.and suffer in silence because sometimes their immediate family
:19:49. > :19:53.don't even know what they're going through.
:19:53. > :19:56.Con appellations, I know you have won an award in London for your
:19:56. > :19:59.campaigning on behalf of couples going through infertility --
:19:59. > :20:03.congratulations. Thank you for joining us.
:20:03. > :20:13.It you have any comments on this issue you can go to our Facebook
:20:13. > :20:17.
:20:17. > :20:21.Two of Northern Ireland's bigger than big hope for some edifying
:20:21. > :20:24.visit back home today. Here is Stephen Watson.
:20:24. > :20:28.Coleraine rowers Richard and Peter Chambers spent most of their time
:20:28. > :20:31.in England training for the 20 told London Games. Fresh from winning
:20:31. > :20:34.medals at the World Championships in Slovenia this month their
:20:34. > :20:38.thoughts are now turning to the Olympics, where the brothers could
:20:38. > :20:42.role in the same boat. Nikki Gregg caught up with them today.
:20:42. > :20:46.It is a familiar routine for the chambers brothers. Back home after
:20:46. > :20:53.a long and successful season they could not resist getting out on the
:20:53. > :20:56.Bann together where it all started. We have been doing different things,
:20:56. > :21:01.talking to the young kids, getting photographs with them. It is nice
:21:01. > :21:05.to be back, doing coaching as well. We travel quite a lot together now
:21:05. > :21:10.and be in at each other's company. Whether that is a good thing or a
:21:10. > :21:14.bad thing. The two have been sharing the spotlight. By Richard
:21:14. > :21:18.took bronze with Great Britain's lightweight four CRU at the World
:21:18. > :21:22.Championships, p to one gold and the pair, to add to his world and
:21:22. > :21:27.23 title. He is in no doubt about his highlight of the year, teaming
:21:27. > :21:32.up with Richard at the World Cup in Lucerne. That was probably my most
:21:32. > :21:38.favourite race of the season. Even though the under 23 some seniors as
:21:38. > :21:45.well, that was special. I was hugging Peter too tightly at the
:21:45. > :21:48.end, he said, I can't breathe! It was an amazing, amazing experience.
:21:48. > :21:51.Hopefully one we can repeat over the next couple of years. If all
:21:51. > :21:55.goes to plan they may be racing together that the London Olympics.
:21:55. > :22:00.There are currently six oarsmen competing for a spot in the
:22:00. > :22:03.lightweight four boat next summer. The coming months will determine
:22:03. > :22:07.who fills the seeds. Their achievements come as no surprise to
:22:07. > :22:12.those who have watched them develop. What the main thing that sets them
:22:12. > :22:20.apart is toughness. They are two to floods. They will race until the
:22:20. > :22:24.last stroke. -- they are two tough lads. Competitive, yet sporting.
:22:24. > :22:29.Double gold would be nice. Paul Cutler has turned professional and
:22:29. > :22:35.will make his debut in next week's Austrian Open. He was the top
:22:35. > :22:38.scorer in victory over the USA last week. Cutler will be back in
:22:38. > :22:44.Scotland at the Dunhill Links Championship as he attempts to
:22:44. > :22:48.secured his Tour card. Shamrock Rovers managed by Jim
:22:48. > :22:57.Magilton are playing their first game in the Europa League. The are
:22:57. > :23:01.at home to Reuben Kazaa of Russia. At half-time it is one-nil. The
:23:01. > :23:05.Russians missed the opportunity to make it two, missing from the
:23:05. > :23:15.penalty spot. Not quite going the way of Rovers.
:23:15. > :23:18.They stand to make several million Euros on that European odyssey. But
:23:18. > :23:22.money for the upgrade of Derry City's ground the Brandywell is
:23:22. > :23:26.several years away. The fans are angry that facilities are not being
:23:26. > :23:30.upgraded and the club has promised to hold a meeting to discuss the
:23:30. > :23:35.way forward. Kieron Tourish reports with the help of her BBC colleague
:23:35. > :23:39.from yesteryear. A visit to Derry would not be complete without the
:23:39. > :23:41.lookout Brandywell, the much publicised, cut -- often
:23:41. > :23:46.controversial home of Derry City Football Club.
:23:46. > :23:51.More than 40 years on at this famous old stadium is still proving
:23:51. > :23:58.controversial. Many fans are left wondering if there will ever be an
:23:58. > :24:01.odd -- and upgraded facilities. Over the years as dander was built
:24:01. > :24:05.on one side of the ground but on the other it is a case of time
:24:05. > :24:12.standing still. These are the open- air toilets and the fans have had
:24:12. > :24:17.enough. This is Third World stuff here. Any visitors coming here
:24:17. > :24:21.asking to go to the toilet, I'm embarrassed. It is quite awful.
:24:21. > :24:25.will not put me off going to Brandywell but it is a disgrace,
:24:25. > :24:29.what we have to put up with here. While the government says funding
:24:29. > :24:36.will not be available until 2015, the club says it has realistic
:24:36. > :24:39.expectations. We're not looking for the Rolls-Royce of the stadiums, we
:24:39. > :24:44.are looking for an adequate, clean professional stadium. It will
:24:44. > :24:48.attract fans. One former terrace hero says it makes sense to invest
:24:48. > :24:52.for a new generation. It is dreadful, unfortunate because if
:24:52. > :24:56.you had a decent stadium and good facilities, there would be more
:24:56. > :25:00.people coming to watch games. the arguments continue over funding
:25:00. > :25:04.there is no doubt about the team's superb performance on the field,
:25:04. > :25:08.top of the lead and then been in 16 games. And a League Cup final to
:25:08. > :25:14.look forward to. And from me on the somewhat chilly slopes of
:25:14. > :25:19.Brandywell... Yes, you have guessed it, 40 years on and the slopes is
:25:19. > :25:24.still very much evident in Brandywell in 2011. And in case you
:25:24. > :25:29.are wondering it is still a bit chilly! Back now to the warmth of
:25:29. > :25:32.the BBC Newsline studio. Tomorrow, we will look ahead to
:25:32. > :25:36.their top-of-the-table Irish League clash.
:25:36. > :25:43.It has been feeling a little chilly, but as we head towards the weekend
:25:43. > :25:49.let's been finding out -- let's There is more what, breezy weather.
:25:49. > :25:53.If you did not get your grass cut, not many opportunities. It is
:25:53. > :25:57.looking more unsettled. Today, the best day of the next few. Not
:25:57. > :26:01.exactly the sunniest. We had a decay in weather front over the top
:26:01. > :26:08.of us, responsible for the cloud. Along parts of the East Coast it
:26:08. > :26:14.was fairly bright for a time. The lough was looking lovely with the
:26:14. > :26:18.summer blooms. The park looked inviting. I don't think it will be
:26:18. > :26:22.the case for the next few days. It is still dry. A few bright spells
:26:22. > :26:25.across South Down and parts of Armagh but they will fill in again.
:26:25. > :26:30.The crowd will gather during the course of the night and the wet
:26:30. > :26:34.weather will follow -- cloud. Many parts turning damper. A bit of a
:26:34. > :26:38.breeze picking up from the south- east. It is mild, temperatures no
:26:38. > :26:42.lower than 11 or 12 Celsius. Not long before the wet, breezy weather
:26:43. > :26:46.tracks across all parts tomorrow morning, so something to bear in
:26:46. > :26:51.mind for the morning rush-hour. A lot of surface water and sprain
:26:51. > :26:55.places and reduced visibility slowing journeys down. Fairly heavy,
:26:55. > :26:58.persistent spells of rain and an increasing breeze by all parts of
:26:58. > :27:02.the rush-hour. Once it gets to the east it could take until early
:27:02. > :27:05.afternoon before it clears out of the weight and we could see some
:27:05. > :27:10.thundery bursts across parts of down and Antrim in particular. It
:27:10. > :27:13.should not last all day. Drier conditions follow from the West End
:27:13. > :27:19.should get across to the east and the afternoon. A few rays of
:27:19. > :27:23.sunshine. Even then, few sharp showers. It will feel warm, 15
:27:23. > :27:27.Celsius. Tomorrow evening and tomorrow night, the breeze starts
:27:27. > :27:34.to swing to the West. More showers, more frequent across northern and
:27:34. > :27:39.western areas. They will reach the south-east. Dusty winds on Saturday,
:27:39. > :27:48.heavy, thundery showers but they will move in the breeze -- Dusty.
:27:48. > :27:51.The top story tonight, the Ulster Unionist Tom Elliot has told