:00:22. > :00:26.Good evening. In is BBC Newsline. The headlines. 160 jobs are at risk
:00:26. > :00:30.as the Game store groups hits insolvency. Following our
:00:31. > :00:38.investigation into badger baiting we are with the police and the
:00:38. > :00:43.USPCA as they carry out more raids. He was on the settee and I woke up
:00:43. > :00:49.with a guy hold Meg down, wanting to know where the money was.
:00:49. > :00:57.Belfast pensioner injured when he fought off a gang of robbers. 500
:00:57. > :01:05.people a week being reassessed for incapacity benefit. Nearly a
:01:05. > :01:08.quarter are told you are fit for work. The public inquiry into the
:01:09. > :01:11.deaths of five children hears mounting criticism of hospitals.
:01:11. > :01:15.Join me for the details. Success for the Belfast golfer in Morocco
:01:15. > :01:22.and for our cricketers in Dubai. They celebrated qualification for
:01:22. > :01:28.the World Cup and two of the players will be joining me live
:01:28. > :01:38.here in the studio. And another glorious day, and it still is as
:01:38. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :01:49.you can see from the live pictures from Helen's Bay. I will have the
:01:49. > :01:55.latest and I will tell you what it was like on the day the BBC first
:01:55. > :01:58.broadcast the weather on radio. Over 100 jobs are being lost with
:01:58. > :02:02.the closure of most of the Game stores in Northern Ireland. Admin
:02:02. > :02:06.stray twors called in to the chain today. Our business correspondent
:02:06. > :02:12.is with me. So tell us more about this retail group, Game. The Game
:02:12. > :02:14.group is a major high street retail chain and it trades under the name
:02:14. > :02:18.Game. It sells computer games and the hard wear, things like
:02:18. > :02:20.PlayStations, Xboxs, there are 609 branchs in the United Kingdom and
:02:20. > :02:24.Ireland. Employing more than 5,000 people. What we were told this
:02:25. > :02:29.afternoon is the 277 of those, so almost half, are to close. That
:02:29. > :02:33.will affect more than 2,000 staff across the UK and Ireland.
:02:33. > :02:37.specifically Northern Ireland, what is the picture there? A higher
:02:37. > :02:41.proportion of stores will close here, we have 18 in Northern
:02:41. > :02:48.Ireland, 18 branches, 13 will close, and that will mean a loss of 110
:02:48. > :02:54.jobs, now of the five that will remain open and continue to trade.
:02:54. > :03:04.Two of those are in wells -- Belfast, they fb in Londonderry the
:03:04. > :03:09.
:03:09. > :03:10.Richard Monday centres Game store will remain open. The admin they
:03:11. > :03:20.have fors have said they are doing whatever they can to assist staff
:03:21. > :03:23.
:03:23. > :03:32.to help them and sort out what redundancy entitlements they might
:03:32. > :03:39.be due. We have lost so many retail jobs, did this come as a surprise?
:03:39. > :03:42.Not really. The company over extended many felt in 2007 when it
:03:42. > :03:51.bought Game station. They told the Stock Exchange they intended
:03:51. > :04:00.calling in the administrator, once they do that supply lines dry up.
:04:00. > :04:06.Today's announcement there was an inevitability, what wasn't known
:04:06. > :04:13.the extent it would affect stores here in Northern Ireland. For now
:04:13. > :04:21.sh thank you. A pensioner from Belfast says he will never leave
:04:21. > :04:29.his front door open again after three masked robbers came in
:04:29. > :04:36.demanding money. The 73-year-old man and his elderly sister who has
:04:36. > :04:40.learning difficulty were left traumatised. Brian him bg said he
:04:40. > :04:47.was targeted because of a rumour that he had won 20,000 in the
:04:48. > :04:57.bookies. I was lying having a doze. Next thing I woke one a guy holding
:04:57. > :05:06.me down, wanting to know where the money was. He left go of me. He
:05:06. > :05:12.went out an told the other guy, "You watch him" once I got the
:05:12. > :05:19.opportunity of getting up, I pushed him out of the road, I have a
:05:19. > :05:25.little coin box that I save, just for the kids, and I lifted it and I
:05:25. > :05:29.threw it out the window, hoping to break the window. It didn't break
:05:29. > :05:35.the window but it made a lot of noise. He panicked. Called his
:05:35. > :05:40.friends to get out, they ran, I ran out behind him. Not knowing there
:05:40. > :05:48.was one still to come, and when I turned round, outside on the
:05:48. > :05:58.pathway, this other one came flying out my door, hit me in the chest
:05:58. > :06:05.
:06:05. > :06:12.and knock me out into the street. Where I hurt myself, split the back
:06:12. > :06:20.of my head open, hurt my back and elbow. If you can learn from me,
:06:20. > :06:30.keep your door locked, because themselves these people don't care
:06:30. > :06:42.
:06:42. > :06:52.Had been an agonising wait for each Five families. Several concerns
:06:52. > :06:59.
:06:59. > :07:06.mismanagement of fluids and she was able to reveal that the consultant
:07:06. > :07:12.paediatric anaesthetist in Adam's case hasn't admitted he did manage
:07:12. > :07:17.the correct amount of fluid but it was put into Adam's body at a very
:07:17. > :07:22.high rate, perhaps at rate his body couldn't cope with. It was reveal
:07:22. > :07:27.had the kidney transplant procedure took something like 32 hours, the
:07:27. > :07:36.recommended guidelines suggest 22 hours. On the issue of record
:07:36. > :07:40.keeping, the records were so badly kept, the inquiry at this stage
:07:40. > :07:50.can't establish who attended the kidney transplant operation. There
:07:50. > :07:50.
:07:50. > :07:59.was a emotional evidence. His mother painted a very vivid picture
:07:59. > :08:05.of her son. That is right. Speaking through senior counsel to the
:08:05. > :08:07.inquiry, Deborah said her son was simply adorable. She said he was a
:08:07. > :08:14.beautiful child, well-mannered who loved imitating his grandfather.
:08:14. > :08:24.She said he was full of fun, used to walk behind him with his ars
:08:24. > :08:36.
:08:36. > :08:46.shouldn't be lost. -- arms P Thank you. The police have arrested three
:08:46. > :08:48.
:08:48. > :08:58.people involved in alleged badger baiting. As we vealed in our recent
:08:58. > :08:58.
:08:58. > :09:05.series of reports the illegal persecution of badgers continues.
:09:05. > :09:13.The animals are killed by dogs who are seriously injured themselves. I
:09:13. > :09:21.must warn you there are distressing images from the start of our next
:09:21. > :09:27.report. Our reporter joined the police and UPCA officers as they
:09:27. > :09:33.carried out the raids. BBC Newsline's investigation into
:09:33. > :09:41.badger baiting revealed the sickening cruelty of this blood
:09:41. > :09:46.sport. Badgers are torn to death by dogs, who are themselves often
:09:46. > :09:50.badly injured. Today was the culmination of a two-year operation
:09:50. > :09:54.by the USPCA against people suspected of being involved. It
:09:54. > :09:58.marked the end of an operation run by police officers and animal
:09:58. > :10:02.welfare groups. Here police officers were briefed. They were
:10:02. > :10:11.shown graphic footage of badger baiting. The silence shoebg of
:10:11. > :10:17.their shock at what they were seeing. Raids took place in Belfast,
:10:17. > :10:22.At this farm officers found several dogs in cages. The police seized
:10:22. > :10:26.two of the animals. Lakeland terrier and Patterdale terrier. The
:10:26. > :10:29.dogs were taken to be examined by vets. Three people were detained
:10:29. > :10:32.during raids in Belfast. The USPCA says it has received plenty of
:10:32. > :10:37.information since the issue was highlighted. We are amazed at the
:10:37. > :10:46.feedback there has been. The helpline has been ringing literally
:10:46. > :10:50.off the hook since we did this work. And I understand the BBC have had a
:10:50. > :10:56.massive impact as well, so that is what this is about. This is to
:10:56. > :11:04.highlight and expose and show this activity for what it is.
:11:04. > :11:09.organisations say it thought badger baiting mite have been a myth
:11:09. > :11:19.before it started looking into the problem. Now there is no doubt
:11:19. > :11:24.
:11:24. > :11:29.Despite the complaints the minister says the system is fine. The
:11:29. > :11:38.appeals system is working, and the main reason why you get changes,
:11:38. > :11:43.from the cases that we have seen so far and it is a limited number. The
:11:43. > :11:46.main reason is that additional medical evidence is provided by the
:11:47. > :11:50.customer. So far out of 67,000 claimant, just over 9 thousand have
:11:50. > :11:59.been reassessed. A quarter have been told they are no longer
:11:59. > :12:07.entitle to the benefit. Almost half were found to be fit for some form
:12:07. > :12:11.of work, they will be helped to find a job. And almost a third were
:12:11. > :12:17.found to be unfit for work. They will stay on benefits and be
:12:17. > :12:22.reassessed every year. If it continues like this, 18,000 people
:12:22. > :12:27.could find they are expected to start applying for jobs. The system
:12:27. > :12:29.has its critics. You can be in the middle of cancer treatment and be
:12:29. > :12:34.found fit for work, fluctuating conditions for example, not
:12:34. > :12:43.properly taken into account in this test. Progressive condition, one we
:12:43. > :12:53.know are going to get worse, the test is not sensitive enough to
:12:53. > :12:58.that. It is flawed in that there are a number of people who for
:12:58. > :13:02.example could barely get into a workplace and can still be found
:13:02. > :13:07.fit for work, even though their disability prevents them from
:13:07. > :13:10.getting to work. One woman knows what he means. Currently undergoing
:13:10. > :13:14.treatment for cancer, and reassessed as fit for work, she
:13:14. > :13:19.contacted BBC Newsline. Today, she says the minister's comments
:13:19. > :13:23.haven't helped. I have been let down, I worked all my life. I am
:13:23. > :13:28.entitled to be sick. I am entitled basically to go through any
:13:28. > :13:34.treatment, to get my head together, try to get back to work, when I'm
:13:34. > :13:38.ready. Not when they are telling me that I'm ready. I do think it has
:13:38. > :13:44.let a lot of people down. Personally it has let me down.
:13:44. > :13:50.you have lost incapacity benefit fitted you can appeal. 40% of the
:13:50. > :13:56.appeals have been sunk successful so far. Critics say that means the
:13:56. > :13:59.system is flawed. The minister says it means it is mostly working.
:13:59. > :14:06.Years of antagonism between prison officers and management could be
:14:06. > :14:10.coming to an end. The union that represents officers has reached ap
:14:10. > :14:19.agreement with the Department of Justice on new working practises,
:14:19. > :14:23.our Home Affairs correspondent reports. Over staffed, but under
:14:23. > :14:28.performing. Is how the prison service had been described in
:14:28. > :14:34.recent years. The union that represents Prison Officers, the POA
:14:34. > :14:35.has been characterised as an obstacle to change. But that now
:14:35. > :14:38.appears to have changed. After several months of negotiation, the
:14:38. > :14:46.prison service and the POA have agreed in prince a way forward.
:14:46. > :14:53.khruends changes to shift patterns The reforms will mean new faces as
:14:53. > :14:56.well as new working practices. 151 experienced prison officers will
:14:56. > :15:05.leave this Friday as part of a voluntary redundancy scheme. They
:15:05. > :15:10.will be replaced later this year by new recruits on lower salaries.
:15:10. > :15:16.An independent study of problems in Belfast's Holyland says there needs
:15:16. > :15:19.to be a city-wide student housing strategy. The report by Belfast
:15:20. > :15:25.City Council said that a long-term plan to reclaim the area by
:15:25. > :15:28.encouraging a better mix of housing. It has cost up to �3 million a year
:15:28. > :15:33.to retain the Holyland in south Belfast and things like day-to-day
:15:33. > :15:36.policing, cleaning and other services. To save money and improve
:15:36. > :15:41.community relations, the report says there are too many privately
:15:42. > :15:46.rented houses with far too many occupants. The universities want to
:15:46. > :15:51.come up with an list of accredited land thought that goes beyond basic
:15:51. > :15:55.legal requirements. Landlords whose houses meet that standard can't
:15:55. > :16:01.sign up for the scheme, it is almost like a brokerage. We would
:16:01. > :16:07.encourage all students to go through that skin. There are some
:16:07. > :16:11.serious issues in Belfast. As long as we can make it work, we will all
:16:11. > :16:18.be looking at every option. residents' group welcomes this
:16:18. > :16:23.report. They would like a couple of the access roads closed. At long
:16:23. > :16:28.last, we have something in black and white in that we have been
:16:29. > :16:35.signed for a decade but hopefully we also have a plan that someone at
:16:35. > :16:39.ministerial level will take on board. With ever expanding campuses,
:16:40. > :16:47.it is hoped lessons from the Holyland will be applied to other
:16:47. > :16:57.areas. It has been a beautiful day with
:16:57. > :17:11.
:17:11. > :17:14.temperatures getting as high as 19 Celsius at Malin Head. We'll hear
:17:14. > :17:17.from Belfasts Michael Hoey on his success in Morocco yesterday in
:17:17. > :17:19.just a moment but first Irelands cricketers have returned home from
:17:19. > :17:25.the World Twenty Twenty qualifying tournament with the winners trophy
:17:26. > :17:34.and a place in the World Cup secure. Joining me two Gary Wilson and
:17:34. > :17:41.Andrew Whyte. What does it mean to Ireland to qualify for another
:17:41. > :17:47.World Cup? It is massive. Since 2007, we have really set world
:17:47. > :17:57.cricket alight. With her efforts in India, beating England was a big
:17:57. > :17:59.
:17:59. > :18:03.publicised victory and we want more cricket against the top nations.
:18:03. > :18:07.You brought the trophy home after 10 winds in a row but you lost the
:18:07. > :18:11.opening game, how worried are you? There was a bit of panic but we
:18:11. > :18:16.were pretty confident that we are pretty good side. It was just a
:18:17. > :18:21.matter of going out and winning the next 10 games. We are happy to get
:18:21. > :18:26.three in the end. One of your team- mates created a storm across the
:18:26. > :18:32.world, everybody seems to be talking about Mr Stirling? Yes, he
:18:32. > :18:36.is only 21. His innings on Saturday night to help us win this trophy
:18:36. > :18:44.was simply world class. There is no doubt that the world is that his
:18:44. > :18:48.feet in terms of cricket. Should you have been even playing in the
:18:49. > :18:52.tournament at all and having to qualify for this after all the big
:18:52. > :18:57.scalps you have taken? We can only play what is in front of us, that
:18:57. > :19:03.is up to the chief Executive. We were just happy to get through the
:19:03. > :19:08.tournament. What does this do for the ongoing credibility of Irish
:19:08. > :19:12.cricket? It is just a massive. We can only beat what is put in front
:19:12. > :19:18.of us but to beat teams like Afghanistan, it is used for the
:19:18. > :19:22.sport in Ireland. Some great scenes over the last couple of weeks. Test
:19:22. > :19:26.status is where you want to be, playing the big teams on a regular
:19:26. > :19:32.basis. Do you think that will not be possible? It is very difficult
:19:32. > :19:36.to know. Our chief Executive and others are doing their very best to
:19:36. > :19:40.make it possible. We as players are concentrating on what is in front
:19:40. > :19:48.of us on the faint and if we keep putting in performances like the
:19:48. > :19:55.last couple of weeks, hopefully we will not be far away.
:19:55. > :19:59.Michael Hoey was a winner in Morocco. He received a cheque for
:19:59. > :20:02.over �200,000. Graeme McDowell from Portrush earned a double that
:20:02. > :20:06.amount even though he finished second behind Tiger Woods at the
:20:06. > :20:11.Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament in Florida. It was
:20:11. > :20:15.Michael Hoey's for career on the European tour and he added a unique
:20:15. > :20:25.tribute to his growing collection. Presented with this ceremonial
:20:25. > :20:32.dagger after his win, Michael Hoey put his opponents, producing a
:20:32. > :20:38.flawless display. The 33 year-old shot two consecutive rounds of 65.
:20:38. > :20:43.This victory lignites his hopes of making the European Ryder Cup team.
:20:43. > :20:50.I played well in the back nine, which was key. I putted well and
:20:50. > :21:00.got lucky. The luck was with me all week. In Florida, this long eagle
:21:00. > :21:04.putt was a highlight of Graeme McDowell's round. But the Portrush
:21:04. > :21:10.player was not able to topple the leader, Tiger Woods, who won his
:21:10. > :21:13.first Tour event in 2.5 years. Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke
:21:13. > :21:22.will both play at the Houston Open next week before the first major of
:21:22. > :21:25.the year, the US Masters in Augusta. There was Olympic heartbreak for
:21:25. > :21:30.the Ireland women's hockey team at the weekend. They were beaten 4-1
:21:30. > :21:33.by Belgium and the qualifying final in Antwerp. So, just like the men,
:21:34. > :21:38.they missed out on a place at the London Games at the very last
:21:38. > :21:42.hurdle. Linfield could be within just one
:21:42. > :21:46.game from winning of the local football's Irish League. They
:21:46. > :21:50.maintain their 12 point lead at the top of the Irish Premiership table
:21:50. > :21:54.wines to a 3-0 win against Lisburn Distillery. There are just five
:21:54. > :22:00.matches left. Portadown and Cliftonville are battling it out
:22:00. > :22:09.for second place. This goal helped Cliftonville beat Donegal Celtic.
:22:09. > :22:14.Glentoran lost again, beaten at home by Ballymena. This goal sealed
:22:14. > :22:19.a 3-1 win for Crusaders and next up for them is an Irish Cup semi-final
:22:19. > :22:23.against Dungannon who were thrashed 5-1 by Glenavon at the weekend.
:22:23. > :22:29.Dungannon it also had their goalkeeper sent off. It appeared
:22:29. > :22:33.that he attempted to bite another player. He was then a red carded
:22:33. > :22:37.and his is a hefty suspension and he will miss the Cup game this
:22:37. > :22:41.weekend. In Gaelic football, there was a
:22:41. > :22:49.thrilling Ulster Division One match at the at letter grounds. Armagh
:22:49. > :22:52.had a one-point win over County Down. It was Michael Stevenson's
:22:52. > :22:59.first league start for Armagh and it resulted in him scoring six
:22:59. > :23:02.freeze, the last one winning a thrilling derby against Down. The
:23:02. > :23:12.contest remained close throughout, the only goal coming from this
:23:12. > :23:13.
:23:13. > :23:17.penalty. However, it was a mixed night for a PJ Caraher. Back on the
:23:17. > :23:22.team that recovering from a leg break last year, the comeback was
:23:22. > :23:26.cut short when he sustained a serious injury. He broke his leg in
:23:26. > :23:29.two places and will be out for the rest of the season. The victory
:23:30. > :23:35.means Armagh take a massive step towards staying in Division One
:23:35. > :23:44.next season. A win in their final game against Donegal will secure
:23:44. > :23:49.top-flight football in 2013. Ulster's rugby players won a 27-23
:23:49. > :23:52.a way to Treviso on Saturday. Unfortunately, we have not been
:23:52. > :24:02.able to bring you pictures of the game but we promise we will bring
:24:02. > :24:03.
:24:03. > :24:07.you them as soon as we can. Stop torturing me on Twitter about it!
:24:07. > :24:12.It may be 26th March but the weather today it was something we
:24:12. > :24:16.would be delighted with indigenous. This is what it is like right now
:24:16. > :24:20.in Helen's Bay in County Down. The sun will be going down after a day
:24:20. > :24:27.at his ease sunshine and warm temperatures. Isn't that lovely?
:24:28. > :24:37.Look at that blue sea. You would think it was the Mediterranean ex
:24:38. > :24:39.
:24:39. > :24:43.Mark here is Angie Phillips with It is looking pretty good. First,
:24:43. > :24:47.it was on this day back in 1923 that the BBC first broadcast a
:24:47. > :24:51.weather forecast on the radio so I was wondering what the weather was
:24:51. > :24:55.like on that day. I did some research and got my hands on a
:24:55. > :25:05.chart from that very day, and thanks to the Met Office archives.
:25:05. > :25:10.All the usual lines here, they were packed across Ireland that day.
:25:10. > :25:14.Things were very different in those days, the forecasters had to decode
:25:14. > :25:19.information and plot these charts by hand so very time-consuming. Is
:25:19. > :25:27.all very different today with computers doing that and we can
:25:27. > :25:33.animate the charts on screen as you see all the time. Even the you can
:25:33. > :25:38.take part by letting us know what it is doing where you are. Big
:25:38. > :25:43.changes since Britain 23 but this is today's chart. High pressure
:25:43. > :25:48.very much in charge. It is going to stay fairly settled for a good part
:25:48. > :25:52.of the week. Especially the first half of the week, more warm spells
:25:52. > :25:57.of sunshine but it will turn cooler later. Even then, the emphasis on
:25:57. > :26:05.mainly dry weather. A clear and wetter evening now that the clocks
:26:05. > :26:08.have changed. Quite cool with the odd patch of ground frost and
:26:09. > :26:18.missed but tomorrow, another of find a date with lots of sunshine
:26:18. > :26:21.to come. It won't be long before the sun gets to work and as
:26:21. > :26:25.temperatures but if you are on the County Down coast, there is that
:26:25. > :26:33.onshore breeze so if you are on an exposed beach, the temperatures
:26:33. > :26:40.only 12 or 13 degrees. Inland towards the north and north-west,
:26:40. > :26:47.we see a highs of 19 or 20 Celsius. Then my head into tomorrow night,
:26:47. > :26:52.another Clear and chilly night. Maybe a little bit warmer on the