28/02/2012 BBC Newsline

Good evening, this is BBC Newsline with Noel Thompson and Donna

Traynor. The headlines this Tuesday evening:

An 83-year-old man is hit in the face with an iron bar as he and his

brother are robbed for the third time.

We're getting ready for a big influx of tourists this summer -

but what's to be done about our decaying towns?

No shift in the number of people smoking, but the Health Minister

has a vision for a tobacco-free society.

Ovarian cancer is killing over 100women a year - campaigners say

society needs to be more open about the disease. We speak about breasts,

we speak about testicles, so why can't we speak about ovaries?

The cab down his arm for this year's International 200 and some

of the top road racers are here in the BBC -- the countdown is on.

And tomorrow, hopefully a few brighter intervals again but, like

today, they could be pretty Good evening.

An 83-year-old man was hit in the face with an iron bar by a gang of

men who ransacked the house he shares with his 81-year-old brother.

This is the third time the pensioners have been robbed and the

police had supplied security devices to the house.

Our district journalist Francis Gorman has been talking to the

Murtagh brothers at Lurganare Cross on the outskirts of Newry.

Jimmy and Patsy Murtagh at home today, still coming to terms with

their latest ordeal. Around teatime last night, a gang of masked man --

men forced their way into the home. Jimmy it remembers being afraid we

heard noises from the kitchen. thought, what is that? There was

too much thumping. And that put me up. And I knew, I was expecting

trouble. I knew then. But I didn't see them until they came it, and I

knew when they left tools and will, I was in trouble. The gang ran spat

-- ransacked the house and in 50 minutes, made off with the

brothers's pensions and wallets. The imagine you are in your room

and five men walk into your room with balaclavas and one of them

carrying an iron bar. It is very frightening. It is terrible. I had

a big stick and one fellow was very big. Well over six foot. And he was

thin. And I made at him with the stick and he grabbed it and he

pulled a knife, and he bawled at 1/4 to my chest. -- Paul Kidd and I

caught it. After they were rocked the second time, the brothers got a

panic button. Patsy usually wears it around his neck, but last night

it was unfortunately on his dressing table.

Derelict and half-finished buildings that blight our towns and

cities - many are the ugly consequences of the property crash.

Today, the Assembly has been trying to come up with ways to tackle the

problem. So many may be available,

especially for count among -- along the north coast, so they can

prepare for the Irish Open in Portrush this summer.

The council hoped this derelict hotel in Portrush will soon be

demolished. Today, it is an unwanted eyesore, just one of

several buildings left rotting in the property downturn. Here are on

the north coast, there is added incentive to deal with these blots

on the landscape. The Irish golf championship -- Irish Open Golf

Championship is on its way to an Manage its potential. There is a

scheme planned to improve derelict site on the north coast. Time is

limited, so I can't do grandiose schemes but we can cosmetic to make

some of the derelict buildings Blakelock -- look more attractive,

so the images can be beamed around the world during the Irish Open.

don't think it will make a lot of difference to tourists coming up.

But but it this way, a cosmetic job is not very good because it doesn't

last very long. This project shows what is possible. This is an old

hotel, still unoccupied, but with Cantle intervention its appearance,

at least, has been given a makeover. In Belfast, the local council has

also been active, forcing the dereliction of a derelict property

that also once stood here. It is a problem the MLA once addressed.

There are issues of health and safety around those sides, and also

of illegal dumping it, so we have to make sure the Minister speaks to

officials within councils to try and less than the gap with regards

to legislation and give them the powers to be able to go in and

force developers to actually tidy up those sites. So it is not just

the north coast problem. Neglected buildings are a feature of many

towns. Portrush and its surrounding area could be poised for special

treatment. The plight of people living on

half-finished housing developments is another growing problem.

Developers running into financial trouble, disappearing and leaving

so-called "ghost estates" in their wake. And no organisation prepared

to complete the work. Residents say it's not just about a

lack of services, there's the danger to their children. Their

fears were intensified with last week's drowning of a toddler on a

ghost estate in Athlone in County Westmeath.

Kevin Sharkey reports from Ripley Crescent in Portadown.

It didn't look like this in the brochure. And now the developers

have gone. Some houses never built, and the outside of the others never

finished. But the bills keep coming. The Post man one of the few

services willing to come into this estate. Residents must drag Benz to

a nearby road. The lorries will not come in here, too dangerous. The

residents say it is dangerous for them as well. Manholes are sitting

Open over there. The fences are not complete, you can't let your

children out to play without being supervised. Coming into the warm

weather, what are you meant to do, let them out or keep them in?

Residents that have too many answers to the problems, but they

do know what is needed. We need street lighting, it is extremely

important to make it safe. We need the area tidying up and the roads

finished. Ideally, we would like the whole site finished and with

all families so we don't feel so vulnerable and isolated. You can

feel vulnerable and you are living in pitch black on a derelict site.

So the danger remains, but who should be doing something about it?

This organisation, the Health and Safety Executive of Northern

Ireland, has a role, but only while construction is still under way.

Once the Bill does leave, irrespective of the reasons, they

have no responsibility -- the builders. That Leeds residents like

this with few options other than to tread carefully. -- it in Leeds

The Former First Minister Lord Bannside has been discharged from

hospital where he was receiving treatment for heart problems. It's

understood Ian Paisley was well enough to walk out of the Ulster

Hospital in Dundonald last night. He spent more than a week in

intensive care. In a statement issued this morning, Baroness

Paisley thanked the staff at the hospital for their care and all

those who had offered prayers and support.

The number of people smoking has not dropped for the last five years,

but the Health Minister says he's still aiming to create a tobacco-

free society. Edwin Poots has launched a ten-year

strategy to help people stop smoking and prevent others from

taking it up. Chris Page reports. Attitudes towards smoking have

changed a lot since the 1960s, when most people lit up frequently. It

is now much less common habit but recently, the number of smokers has

stopped falling. 24% of people in Northern Ireland smoke, that

proportion has not reduced in the last five years. Smoking causes

around 2,300 deaths every year and the cost to the health service is

huge. Hospital spent �190 million treating smoking-related illnesses

in a year. -- 119. The Health Minister hopes to bring down of the

percentage of smokers to 15%, meaning they would be around

130,000 fewer smokers. It is not just about stopping people smoking,

it is about reducing the number of people starting to smoke and

protecting those that living environments where there are

smokers, such as children in cars. A so this week, cigarette vending

machines will be effectively banned. And sides like this will become a

thing of the past. -- sites like this. Large shops will have to

remove tobacco despise. They will be banned in small shops from 2015.

There will also be a consultation on whether smoking Inkatha should

be made illegal and the Health Minister is suggesting smoking ban

could be extended to some outdoor places. Many people complain of

people smoking outside the front doors of shopping centres and

hospitals. That is something we will be looking at. Doctors say it

is particularly important the message gets through to young

people. We are seeing patients coming in in their twenties and

thirties with heart attacks, which seems ridiculous but it happens and

his unfortunate the more common than we would like to think. There

may be a long way to go, but the minister believes a tobacco free

society is possible some time and that is his ultimate aim.

And lots of people have been engaged in some pretty energetic

debate on this subject on our Facebook page. If you want to join

Facebook page. If you want to join in the address is on your screen.

You can also follow us on Twitter Still to come on the programme: We

are in Uganda to help -- see how help from here is offering a

brighter future. And we start the countdown to the

international North West 200 here in the BBC.

Ovarian cancer kills around 120 women here every year - that's

about twice the number of road deaths. Because the symptoms are

often confused with non-life threatening conditions, diagnosis

can come too late. To raise awareness and save lives,

a local charity wants women to start talking as openly about their

ovaries as they do about their breasts. With the story, here's our

Health Correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly.

An increasing number of women are having to access information on

ovarian cancer. Around 120 die from the disease here every year.

Difficult to diagnose, the statistic is not improving. This

woman was given the news for years ago. A few years before that, I had

been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and the symptoms got worse

and I had severe abdominal pain and a lot of tummy bloating, so I was

taken into the hospital and initially they thought it was

appendicitis, but after scans and tests, they discovered it was a

tumour on my ovary, which turned out to be cancer. This is one of

the services we provide for ovarian cancer patients. This charity in

Belfast is the only ovarian Cancer Support Centre in the UK. I want

the public to not be embarrassed about talking about gynaecological

cancers. In 2002, Maureen Clarke's daughter died from the disease. She

says greater funding and even awareness of symptoms which include

back and pelvic pain, and even feeling follow-up, are vital.

old statement is in the male population, this is a female

problem, a woman's problem, but it's not if you have a loved one

diagnosed with ovarian cancer. And we need to speak out more about

ovarian cancer. We speak about breasts, we speak about testicles,

so why can't we speak about ovaries? During Edyta's treatment,

test revealed she has also a career of a genetic Bell condition. That

is information the family prefer to convert rather than shy away from -

- confront. For females, it would been ovarian, for males, it would

be bell. We are regularly screened. So far, genetic testing is proving

effective. The majority ovarian cancers are detected at a late

stage, which is hard to treat, but is it is picked up after their

early stage, it is much more and it -- if it is picked up early, it is

more easy to manage. Part of the success behind the Breast Cancer

awareness campaign has been transforming it from a taboo

subject to one that is openly discussed and even used as a theme

for open air concerts and marathons. Now those involved in ovarian

cancer and bowel cancer are calling It is believed a body found in a

river in County Donegal is a man who escaped from police custody in

Strabane last year. A digger driver discovered skeletal remains near

the River Finn in Lifford this morning. They are believed to be

the remains of 22-year-old David Colhoun. He went missing ten months

ago, running off during a transfer between police cars. It could take

place two weeks to identify the body, David's father says he is

sure it is his son. I am shocked, but relieved, it is coming to a

close. Sand, but we knew he would - - we would get in some day. He was

there, we were right all along. Republic waters have been at --

waters have been asked how much say they should have in the economy.

The Government is encouraging I guess boat, seemed it is vital to

rebuild the country's reputation. - - the yes board. The no camp,

including Sinn Fein, say it could condemn the Republic to austerity.

How big a surprise was this referendum today? It was widely

suspected of this treaty was boarded Trust -- specifically to

avoid Ireland having to have a referendum on this issue, but the

Attorney General advised that, because the treaty is unique, a

referendum was necessary. The treaty is designed to tighten

budgetary controls are crossed the eurozone states to avoid a repeat

of the current debt crisis. Financial sanctions would flow from

Brussels to Dublin where those rules to be breached, leading to

concerns that too much financial control would be given to Brussels.

Ireland has a history of rejecting EU treaties, what would happen if

they produced a no this time. -- this time?

Yes, that is right, and there are genuine fears something like that

could happen again, after years of austerity there is support for

Europe -- the support for it Europe in the Republic has weakened, and

there are fears of a public backlash. F Ireland voted no, the

treaties could still go ahead because it only needs to be

ratified by 12 of the 17 euros on members. But, Ireland would no

longer get a financial assistance from the other members. His bete --

expect a lot of this debate to revolve around Ireland somehow

being bribed to pass this referendum. Another view is that

this is a great opportunity for I went to press for debt reduction as

quid pro al for ratification. -- quid pro -- quid pro quo.

Assembly members want to build greater links with a country more

than 4,000 miles away, a place devastated by civil war.

20 years ago, Uganda was a failed state, and although it has been

transformed with a booming economy, millions remain in poverty. MLAs

want to build on the work of charities and stretches, helping

people in the north of the country. Our reporter travelled there to

find out how arrogant is offering hope to a brighter future in Uganda.

Kampala, the capital of Uganda, on the shores of Lake Victoria. A mix

of prosperity and poverty. In the market you can buy Irish. The main

-- that is the name the Ugandans have given to potatoes. Travel

north across the river Nile and you are in our region devastated by

conflict. Until a few years ago, a population the size of Northern

Ireland where refugees in their own country, living in camps as the

Government fought the rebel soldiers of the Lord's Resistance

Army. The work of local aid agencies is helping to transform

the lives of those who have returned home. One-third of the

family's we work with would have a cash income of about �40 per year,

so if you put that in perspective, it is less than �1 per week. It is

often the simple things that are most effective. Many ways been

spent on kerosene for lamps, but one think Uganda has freely and

abundance is sunshine, and these solar lights are at it. Every time

you need a family they say, before, I spent my money on kerosene, I

have the solar lights and I am now spending my money on school fees,

tools for the farm or medical services for my family, or I am

saving a bit of money. consequences of a spark can be

devastating, but there have been a no fires this year where solar

lamps are used. There have been other benefits to health and

education. The local school has reported the best exam results in

that district. The children in primary and secondary schools are

taking their exams and they're using it for reading effectively at

night, under the solar lamp, and it also improves on their academic

performance in school. The long- term aim is to help those who have

relied on aid to help themselves. This work has been supported by the

Partnership for National Development, which has provided

funding to end the years of darkness in this part of Africa.

And on tomorrow's programme, we hear from the victims and survivors

of the Lord's Resistance Army, including a former child soldier

forced to take part in the massacres.

Next, some of the world's top road racers are at the BBC tonight as

the countdown to this year's North West 200.

Thanks very much indeed. Tonight here at the BBC we are looking at

the exciting plans of the extensive coverage this year across radio,

online and television, and BBC Newsline will be live from the

North West 200, as well, shall casing of these machines and some

of the best road racers in the world. One of the best is home-

grown - Alastair Seeley is the current British Supersport champion,

and his success in the North West 200 over the last few years has

helped him earn a place in the Sports Institute of Northern

Ireland. As Niall Forster will find out, he works as hard off the track

as on it. From a superbike to an exercise

bike, Alastair Seeley has adopted a different approach to his

preparations for the new season. The guys I am not against, they

will train just as hard, so I have to push beyond that and train

harder. When I get on the grid, the first round, I can look around and

say to the guys, I have trained harder than you come and it will

pay off in the race, hopefully. And to achieve more success, he is

pushing himself through the pain barrier.

The dead list to start with, we are now up to 120. We will keep pushing

that up, it is basically a lot of arm, shoulder and backward. It is

all the upper half and torso. With the North West 200 around the

corner bomb Alastair has his sights set on a new personal best.

North West 200 is fun, but it gets serious on race day. I want to win

five races and be the second man to do it since Philip McCann. As long

as I can feel stronger on the bike and fitter come the end of the

season, standing on the top step. And if he does, although hard work

will be worth it. Philip McCann, who holds that

record, is with me. Alastair tries to -- is trying to

equal your record of this year. How good it -- is it to have a rider

from Northern Ireland there? It is superb, there is a lot of

pride, we have a lot of people from across the world coming to try and

win a our Irish road race, and it is great we have a man to pick out

the a truly defending those big races.

Last year was a bit of a washout at the North West 200, one race and

then an oil spill put paid to any racing at the end of the day, a

bomb scare, as well. This year at the hope is it can get back on

track, bigger and better. I think it will, organisers are

putting a lot of work in. I believe we cannot have bad weather another

year. No matter what, this year will be better than last. The want

the BBC and the organisers are putting in, they have reorganised

the racing so we have two days of practice, then we have all day

Saturday, I think we are in for a superb North West 200.

That extra racing on the Thursday night, is that important for the

riders to give them more race time? Yes, lots of practice in, to put

two races in on Thursday night is the will to that dream. Every rider

wants to ride more when he comes to the North West 200, so the line-up

on Saturday will be even more competitive than ever. The I keep

their much indeed, enjoy the rest of the evening.

-- thank you very much indeed. In football, Michael O'Neill has

named Steven Davis as the new Northern Ireland captain. He will

lead at the side out in the friendly against Norway tonight.

It was day one of his budding relationship -- this budding

relationship between the captain and the manager, one fans hope will

blossom in the years to come. He is a player that leads by

example. He never shirks responsibility on the pitch. He is

always trying to get positive performances and bring the best out

of the people around him by how he O'Neill has been impressed without

Davies has coped with the added pressure of captaining Rangers at

club level. He knows a lot when terms of house

he plays, and within the team we have a lot of readers, a lot of

experience, so it is not a case of one person being the captain. We

have a lot of experience and leaders in the team that could,

also. If with Aaron Hughes reversing his decision to retire

from international football, the manager resisted the temptation to

hand him back the captain's armband. I spoke to them previously, in

relation to coming out of retirement. He had no expectations

to return as captain for stroppy has been extremely supportive of

the decision. He recognises that it is perhaps time for someone else to

take over captaincy of the team for a long time.

Having been selected as -- have been selected his captain, O'Neill

will wait until tomorrow to run -- name the rest of the team.

The Republic of Parliament are in friendly action, as well, taking on

and the Czech Republic at the Aviva Stadium. Robbie Keane will return

to his side, LA Galaxy, after the game. He is in pretty good form

after his recent spell with Aston Villa. He says first team football

is keeping him sharp. Going to LA Galaxy and winning the

championship and the first few months, that was great. It is just

about playing, the more you play it the sharper and fitter you get in

games. You certainly see the benefits from it.

That is just about it from Black Star studios, it is not me on my

own tonight, we have a pretty full house here to hear about the BBC's

plans for North West 200 this year. His fans, of course!

His fans, of course! Let's see what the weather is doing.

The emphasis is still very much on the mild conditions, and it was

exceptionally mild today, up to 16.3 Celsius earlier, almost ten

Celsius above the seasonal average and closer to what you would expect

at the end of May. They had some direct sunshine earlier, some parts

also had some hazy sunshine. For many, it was predominantly cloudy.

We will hold on to the cloud through this evening, though it is

dry, as well. Through the night the cloud goes down to the hilltops,

perhaps squeezing out some drizzle, some mistiness and damp air over

the hills. But for most of us it staves drive. -- it stays dry. The

mild weather continues tomorrow, still a lot of cloud, too, so it

could be damp, up mistiness may create minor visibility issues, and

any drizzle will leave with the dry weather. We will have some bright

spots in the afternoon, probably parts of County Down and County