:00:00. > :00:17.the News of the World. That's all from the News at Six.
:00:18. > :00:27.Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline.
:00:28. > :00:34.A macho culture in the army. The gifrl girl of a veteran of a soldier
:00:35. > :00:39.who took hiss own life say it is stopping them. They are trained to
:00:40. > :00:44.fight and kill but not for coming home. There is pressure on Civil
:00:45. > :00:49.Service managers as sick leave among staff continues to right. Ballymena
:00:50. > :00:56.residents voice concerns about a proposed plant turning farm west
:00:57. > :01:00.to... On the programme, the Circuit of Ireland is back and the revample
:01:01. > :01:04.rallical desks I will have more shortly. All the fun of Hallowe'en,
:01:05. > :01:08.we are live on the banks of the Foyle.
:01:09. > :01:13.And in the wester, showers and gusting winds tonight. A cool
:01:14. > :01:19.nights, but Friday is looking pretty good.
:01:20. > :01:24.The girlfriend of a soldier found dead in his room at Ballykinler army
:01:25. > :01:30.camp has told us of her concerns for the care given to service personnel
:01:31. > :01:34.returning from Afghanistan. Corporal James Ross was one of two
:01:35. > :01:40.cases of suspected suicide at the base within the past year.
:01:41. > :01:43.BBC Newsline's Mervyn Jess has this exclusive report.
:01:44. > :01:48.Soldiers returning from Afghanistan go through a process called
:01:49. > :01:54.decompression before coming home. This usually means a period of rest
:01:55. > :01:58.and relaxation in Cyprus. Mental health issues arising from tours of
:01:59. > :02:03.duty have been on the military radar for some time, however, the recent
:02:04. > :02:07.suspected suicides of two soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles
:02:08. > :02:10.regiment, have made headlines in the national press.
:02:11. > :02:14.Now in her first television interview, the girlfriend of one of
:02:15. > :02:18.the soldiers who died Corporal James Ross, has spoken about her concerned
:02:19. > :02:22.over the care offered to soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
:02:23. > :02:27.If people are confused about how they are feeling, and they don't
:02:28. > :02:30.even know, how are they to go to a doctor and explain it, if they are
:02:31. > :02:35.not sure and they don't know what to do about it? The higher ranks and
:02:36. > :02:40.the authority within the army need to be able to make sure that these
:02:41. > :02:44.guys feel they can go and talk to nb about it. And that it is easily
:02:45. > :02:49.accessed, I would say that is it is the main thing, but at the same
:02:50. > :02:54.time, if the guys are not going to speak about it, what can we do? I
:02:55. > :02:58.didn't know James had any issues and still to this day, I don't know if
:02:59. > :03:03.this is what was going on in his mind, obviously there was something
:03:04. > :03:08.to make him do what he did, but if they won't speak about it, what can
:03:09. > :03:11.be done? A military investigation into the two deaths is nearing
:03:12. > :03:16.completion, and for that reason, no-one from the army was able for
:03:17. > :03:21.interview, however, in a statement, the army said that the mental health
:03:22. > :03:26.of personnel and veterans remains a top priority.
:03:27. > :03:32.With more than 7 million been spent to ex sure extensive support for
:03:33. > :03:36.those who needs it. Sharon says her boyfriend showed no signs anything
:03:37. > :03:40.was wrong before killing himself. I would never ever have imagined this,
:03:41. > :03:47.you know, he was never was down, he was so happy, so loving, so caring,
:03:48. > :03:57.there was no hints or clues that would have made me think he was
:03:58. > :04:00.depressed, let alone PTSD An expert researching post-traumatic stress
:04:01. > :04:03.disorder says spotting it isn't easy Unfortunately people seem to think
:04:04. > :04:08.coming forward to seek help is a sign of weakness, actually it is a
:04:09. > :04:11.sign of strength. I mean men in general are less likely to come
:04:12. > :04:15.forward for treatment or acknowledge they have mental health difficulties
:04:16. > :04:19.than women. In the military environment we have a predominance
:04:20. > :04:22.of men, and a very macho environment which might in some ways discourage
:04:23. > :04:26.that. Historically the culture of military
:04:27. > :04:30.life is macho by nature, and while soldiers continue to be sent to
:04:31. > :04:34.fight war, it is unlikely to change any time soon. That, says Sharon, is
:04:35. > :04:41.part of the problem. If this is what was going on in his head, he wasn't
:04:42. > :04:44.going to ask for help. He wasn't going to go and speak to welfare. He
:04:45. > :04:49.wasn't even going to say to me, because I was his girlfriend. They
:04:50. > :04:54.don't want to let their guard down. They are built to train and to fight
:04:55. > :05:01.and to kill. But they are not built for coming home.
:05:02. > :05:05.Shah Ron Lemon ending that report. -- Sharon. A priest has been
:05:06. > :05:10.assaulted and robbed in South Armagh. The attack was in the
:05:11. > :05:13.Parochial House of St Patrick, details have ejust emerged. Three
:05:14. > :05:18.youths beat the priest's head with a hammer and locked him in a bathroom.
:05:19. > :05:21.He escaped by climbing out of a window and was treated in hospital
:05:22. > :05:26.for facial injuries. The youths stole a small sum of money. On
:05:27. > :05:32.average civil servants take more than 10 days off sick every year.
:05:33. > :05:39.And the absent costs the Government more than ?30 million annually. But
:05:40. > :05:43.the headlines statistic masks a different problem.
:05:44. > :05:47.Sickness levels among civil servant, itself is an annual report that
:05:48. > :05:54.generates more heat than light, first, the bald statistics. 52%
:05:55. > :05:57.don't take any time off at all. A further 23% take what might be
:05:58. > :06:01.considered a reasonable one to five days off a year.
:06:02. > :06:08.The figure that makes the difference is the 11% of staff who are off sick
:06:09. > :06:12.for more than 20 days a year. I think like any caring employer you
:06:13. > :06:14.want to look after them and understand that I are going through
:06:15. > :06:19.difficult times and you want to support them. But across the system
:06:20. > :06:21.there is evidence of a more of a cultural problem, where over the
:06:22. > :06:25.last number of years we have drifted to a position where we have had
:06:26. > :06:29.seriously high levels of sickness absence.
:06:30. > :06:36.Simon Hamilton says an appropriate comparison is with the Civil Service
:06:37. > :06:43.in the UK who take threw days fewer off. He doesn't believe staff here
:06:44. > :06:48.are under any more pressure. This recruitment agency placed temporary
:06:49. > :06:56.staff in the private and public sector. It can be anything from a
:06:57. > :07:00.month to six weeks, to a year. And that is what we are given. The
:07:01. > :07:07.problem really is that long-term sickness in the Civil Service. It
:07:08. > :07:12.accounts for 70% of all absence. The most common reason given by a long
:07:13. > :07:17.way is wronger -- workers suffering from anxiety stress an depression.
:07:18. > :07:21.All of this sick leave is signed off by doctor, confirming that people
:07:22. > :07:25.are sick, and why are they sick is nay have to work against a
:07:26. > :07:30.background of job loss, threats of privatisation, seeing their pay cut,
:07:31. > :07:34.pensions being eradicated. The Finance Minister says officials will
:07:35. > :07:37.are looking at a new range of measures to tackle sick levels. It
:07:38. > :07:44.is expected to include carrot-and-stick.
:07:45. > :07:47.There is more to come. We look to see if there are grounds for
:07:48. > :07:54.optimism in the construction industry amid signs that the slump
:07:55. > :07:59.is over. A plan for a bioenergy plant in
:08:00. > :08:05.County Antrim that would turn poultry litter into power is causing
:08:06. > :08:09.controversy. Stream BioEnergy Ltd wants to build the ?15 million
:08:10. > :08:13.facility in a quarry outside Ballymena but some residents are
:08:14. > :08:20.concerned. Here is our North East reporter.
:08:21. > :08:24.Tully quarry is hard to see from the road. It is in a rural area three
:08:25. > :08:28.miles outside Ballymena. People who live nearby have learned of advanced
:08:29. > :08:32.plans to build an energy plant close to this site. They aren't happy. As
:08:33. > :08:37.far as we know the quarrying is continuing and you have explosives
:08:38. > :08:40.and in the vicinity you have explosive gas, albeit contained but
:08:41. > :08:47.if there is any problems with it it will be major problems. The facility
:08:48. > :08:53.makes electricity from methane gas. That gas is extracted from poultry
:08:54. > :08:57.litter, 89 tonnes the of it per day My main concern would be for health.
:08:58. > :09:02.My daughter has a chest condition, which she is on medication for from
:09:03. > :09:08.our family doctor, and we have no idea what this is going to do to the
:09:09. > :09:12.air quality. Once the gas has been extracted the left over material can
:09:13. > :09:15.be pelleted and used as fertiliser, Stream BioEnergy Ltd, which is
:09:16. > :09:19.behind the project says it is a sustainable way to deal with poultry
:09:20. > :09:23.waist, we could otherwise harm the environment.
:09:24. > :09:27.Last night, representatives from the company met residents in Ballymena
:09:28. > :09:30.but few felt they had their questions answers. Everybody got the
:09:31. > :09:34.feeling it is a done deal, you are only a tooth in the cog and the cog
:09:35. > :09:38.is controls a very big machine. It makes you feel small. The company
:09:39. > :09:42.didn't want to do an interview with the BBC but issued a statement which
:09:43. > :10:00.said: the application is due to come
:10:01. > :10:04.before the council here in Ballymena next week, but with so many
:10:05. > :10:08.residents making their voices heard, it seems likely that any decision
:10:09. > :10:13.will be deferred. It really is at the last minute people have realised
:10:14. > :10:18.this very large facility is going to be or being proposed to be placed in
:10:19. > :10:22.Tully quarry, I would intend to seek a deferral of this when it comes
:10:23. > :10:27.before council in order that the local residents can mean the
:10:28. > :10:31.planning service director. Round 100 plants have been approved in
:10:32. > :10:37.Northern Ireland. This uses grass and waste from a creamery. Where
:10:38. > :10:42.there is something with a larger output remains to be seen.
:10:43. > :10:47.The Chairman of the talks on flags parading an dealing with the past
:10:48. > :10:50.says the issue of the Maze site is on his agenda he hopes to find a
:10:51. > :10:57.solution to the deadlock. Dr Richard Haass was speaking in Dublin after
:10:58. > :11:01.meeting end end and Eamon Gilmore. The former US enjoy is due back for
:11:02. > :11:06.another round of discussions. I would say the question of the past
:11:07. > :11:12.is obviously one of the three central elements of the process,
:11:13. > :11:17.this is one element of that. So it figures in the conversations and it
:11:18. > :11:23.will figure in the conversations when we look at a way of addressing
:11:24. > :11:25.the past, in a manner that not only deals with the past, but also
:11:26. > :11:30.contributes to the quality of the present and the future.
:11:31. > :11:36.University lecturers and their support staff have been taking part
:11:37. > :11:40.in a one day strike. As our education correspondent reports,
:11:41. > :11:45.they say a pay offer is too low, and their work lows is too high. Queens
:11:46. > :11:48.and the University of Ulster say it is business as usual today, despite
:11:49. > :11:53.the strike action, but Queens admits it will not be able to assess the
:11:54. > :11:57.full effect until tomorrow. The university and colleges union has
:11:58. > :12:01.joined forced with Unite and unison for in UK-wide strike. They say that
:12:02. > :12:06.over the last four year, workers have in real terms suffered a pay
:12:07. > :12:12.cut of 13%. They have been offered a 1% pay rise and are angry as what
:12:13. > :12:15.they describe as a lack of negotiation Our team met with the
:12:16. > :12:19.university authorities and they said they will meet and talk to us but
:12:20. > :12:24.the 1% stays on the table. That is not negotiation. Queens say where it
:12:25. > :12:27.knows of disruption to service it has told students by e-mail, but
:12:28. > :12:31.there has ban mixed effect reported by students going to lectures this
:12:32. > :12:35.morning. Yes, I knew there was a strike going on but it hasn't really
:12:36. > :12:39.affected me or any of many my lecture, they have turned up. I
:12:40. > :12:45.think everyone is entitled if they don't think they are receiving fair
:12:46. > :12:50.pay, to be honest it hasn't affected me I have a class this morning but I
:12:51. > :12:55.didn't because of the strike. It is not a negative effect necessarily. I
:12:56. > :13:01.am never really opposed to not having to go class. Queens yuens
:13:02. > :13:05.versety say any missed lectures will be lost to the students We hope not
:13:06. > :13:12.to have too much effect. It is not to affect the students to any great
:13:13. > :13:18.effect. The Students' Union are fulling supporting the -- fully
:13:19. > :13:27.supporting the day of action. They say it has had a minimal impact on
:13:28. > :13:30.campuses. Several recent surveys have suggested the construction
:13:31. > :13:35.industry might be finally picking up after a deep depression. Our
:13:36. > :13:38.Economic and Business Editor John Campbell has been investigating and
:13:39. > :13:48.visited a business which has just had its best month in five years.
:13:49. > :13:57.They make the products needed to build houses, offices and factories.
:13:58. > :14:05.This concrete will probably make its way to the south of England - and
:14:06. > :14:10.market that is picking up. The boss is optimistic that says we are not
:14:11. > :14:20.out of the woods yet. I am cautious. It is so erratic. You think you are
:14:21. > :14:35.on the way back up again. 2012 was the quietest year. In 2013 we picked
:14:36. > :14:38.up some work. It is worth remembering how bad things got in
:14:39. > :14:49.this industry. In 2007 construction was worse ?3 billion. Last year it
:14:50. > :14:55.was worth less than 2 billion. That has had a huge human cost. 30,000
:14:56. > :15:00.jobs have been lost. Research suggests that workloads have finally
:15:01. > :15:05.started to increase in the last couple of months. Some sites which
:15:06. > :15:10.have been idle for years I know active again. A senior industry
:15:11. > :15:16.figure says there is a long way to go. We are may be beginning to see
:15:17. > :15:21.the signs of a recovery in the industry. It is worth expressing a
:15:22. > :15:26.note of caution. It is too early to say that we are in recovery. There
:15:27. > :15:31.were construction jobs on offer at this event in Belfast today. That
:15:32. > :15:46.they are in Canada. Many of the people here say they have already
:15:47. > :15:57.worked abroad in the last few years. People are moving there. There is
:15:58. > :15:59.good money to be made. This demolition work in Belfast is
:16:00. > :16:05.clearing the way for a huge development. It will provide work
:16:06. > :16:10.for hundreds of people over the next five years. It adds to the sense
:16:11. > :16:17.that maybe the slump is finally over.
:16:18. > :16:23.The construction sector will probably never again play a bigger
:16:24. > :16:26.role than it did in 2007. At that time it was linked to an
:16:27. > :16:32.unsustainable house price bubble. Now they are looking for sustainable
:16:33. > :16:35.growth. All over the place this evening
:16:36. > :16:38.there are ghosts and ghouls and scary monsters out and about for
:16:39. > :16:41.Halloween. The biggest organised event is in Londonderry where the
:16:42. > :16:44.council estimates 30,000 people will be enjoying the carnival and
:16:45. > :16:54.fireworks. Our North-West reporter, Keiron Tourish is there now. Keiron.
:16:55. > :17:03.I hope I am not a scary monster. Thousands of people out and about
:17:04. > :17:08.despite the terrible weather. One of the great features this year that we
:17:09. > :17:18.have been witnessing is a feature called Inferno. People are blown
:17:19. > :17:23.away by it. It is an installation underneath the bridge. We have been
:17:24. > :17:30.taking people on a journey into another world. It is full of
:17:31. > :17:40.inflatable illuminated sculpture, mechanical horses. There are people
:17:41. > :17:47.on bicycles. There are dancers all around. We have had 7000 people
:17:48. > :17:52.through during the day which is brilliant. An amazing response. What
:17:53. > :18:06.is that about live performance that most people which Mark? Tickets are
:18:07. > :18:14.cheap. Everybody is crossing the bridge. You are from the council for
:18:15. > :18:20.economic development. This is bringing the crowds in. This year we
:18:21. > :18:26.have surpassed herself. This is the most successful year today. Normally
:18:27. > :18:33.we get 35,000 people come to the city. Looking at ticket scales and
:18:34. > :18:41.events it will be 40,000 people. We have had the most amazing few days.
:18:42. > :18:49.We have had continental walls -- we have had continental markets. It is
:18:50. > :18:59.not finished yet. We are due to move to the Carnival. A great night in
:19:00. > :19:02.prospect. Not only do we have the Giro
:19:03. > :19:05.d'Italia cycling race coming here next year but another big
:19:06. > :19:18.international sporting event has just been secured. To tell us more
:19:19. > :19:31.Gavin Andrews is in Draperstown. This garage is a hidden gem. Rally
:19:32. > :19:35.cars from throughout the years. The Circuit of Ireland is the second
:19:36. > :19:39.oldest rally in the world - hugely popular in the 80s and 90s but in
:19:40. > :19:42.recent years has been in decline. But now next year's event has been
:19:43. > :19:45.included in the European Rally Championship - and will attract some
:19:46. > :19:50.of the best drivers in the world. And that means opportunities for our
:19:51. > :19:57.local talent. With me now is Marty McCormack, former Junior British
:19:58. > :20:04.Champion. Today's news is a boost to the sport
:20:05. > :20:17.across Ireland. This will bring the best competitors in the world. To
:20:18. > :20:30.bring all that back to Ireland is helping boost the circuit. Do you
:20:31. > :20:34.remember those days? It is to do with the atmosphere of the sport.
:20:35. > :20:39.The challenge of some of the toughest roads in the world. It is
:20:40. > :20:49.back to getting the best drivers together. I have done lots of
:20:50. > :20:57.rallies throughout Europe. Bringing out back to where it should be is
:20:58. > :21:06.the right direction. It is a shop window for you to go
:21:07. > :21:12.beyond Europe? Definitely. If you can prove yourself as a fast
:21:13. > :21:22.professional driver then you will be in full view. We are hoping to have
:21:23. > :21:30.a good programme starting at the Circuit of Ireland this year. What
:21:31. > :21:34.can people expect to see when Circuit of Ireland goes to the
:21:35. > :21:44.European level? They can expect to see much of the same. The atmosphere
:21:45. > :21:50.will be electric. The TV coverage is great for drivers. Thank you for
:21:51. > :21:53.your time. We reported last night on incidents
:21:54. > :21:55.of sectarian chanting at the Linfield-Cliftonville County Antrim
:21:56. > :22:00.Shield match by elements in both sets of supporters. Tonight, the
:22:01. > :22:03.Sports Minister Caral Ni Chuilin has issued a statement saying such
:22:04. > :22:06.bigotry has no place in football The Minister said: "Sectarianism is
:22:07. > :22:09.totally unacceptable, has no place anywhere in our society, and
:22:10. > :22:11.certainly not in sport, which should unite rather than divide." While
:22:12. > :22:15.acknowledging recent cross community initiatives by both clubs, she has
:22:16. > :22:20.called for a redoubling of efforts to promote inclusion, equality and
:22:21. > :22:23.respect. We contacted the IFA again today for their response to
:22:24. > :22:30.Tuesday's events - no-one was willing to comment.
:22:31. > :22:33.Meanwhile, on the pitch, Northern Ireland's women footballers earned
:22:34. > :22:36.the first point of their 2015 World Cup qualifying campaign last night,
:22:37. > :22:39.following a scoreless draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina at Mourneview
:22:40. > :22:42.Park. Meanwhile Crusaders knocked holders Ballymena United out of the
:22:43. > :22:51.County Antrim Shield with a 1-0 victory at Seaview. Nial Foster
:22:52. > :22:57.reports. Before last night's clash Crusaders
:22:58. > :23:03.were unbeaten in 14 games. Ballymena United worked the last team to
:23:04. > :23:12.defeat them. 13 minutes from time this strike extended their unbeaten
:23:13. > :23:20.run. It was a game of cat and mouse. Both teams cancel each other out. I
:23:21. > :23:31.felt we had the front foot in the last 20 minutes. This strike ended
:23:32. > :23:37.the reign of Ali Mina as County Antrim Shield champions -- ended the
:23:38. > :23:45.reign of Ballymena United as County Antrim Shield champions.
:23:46. > :23:53.Disappointed to lose it. It is our missed opportunity.
:23:54. > :23:57.Rory McIlroy has talked about turning things around in the past
:23:58. > :24:05.few weeks - and today it all came together as he shot his lowest score
:24:06. > :24:09.for seven months. He hit a seven under par 65 to take a two shot lead
:24:10. > :24:14.after the opening round of the World Golf Championship in Shanghai. Nikki
:24:15. > :24:20.Gregg reports. Extra practice is paying off for a
:24:21. > :24:24.Rory McIlroy. Before this tournament he admitted that he needed to get
:24:25. > :24:30.his parting back on track. He did so in impressive style picking up eight
:24:31. > :24:35.birdies in a round of 65. The rest of his game looked in good shape
:24:36. > :24:40.also. I played very well. I controlled my ball very well. I have
:24:41. > :24:48.a couple of loose shots that I got away with. It was nice to birdie the
:24:49. > :24:54.last couple. I am grateful I want to be. But a tournament victory all
:24:55. > :24:59.season Rory McIlroy is 62nd in the Race to Dubai. You need to climb
:25:00. > :25:06.into the top 60 to qualify for next month's season ending Championship.
:25:07. > :25:13.Around like today only strengthens my position. Graeme McDowell is also
:25:14. > :25:29.in a good position at three under par.
:25:30. > :25:54.Let us get the weather forecast. It will be a blustery and a Charolais
:25:55. > :26:03.night. -- blustery and Sherry. Tonight temperatures drop away. It
:26:04. > :26:18.will be a cold night and a cold start to Friday. Friday itself
:26:19. > :26:23.staying mainly dry and bright. Quite a bright picture wherever you are.
:26:24. > :26:28.Temperatures are little on the cool side. But it is a day that you can
:26:29. > :26:34.do something with because it is staying dry. As we go into Friday
:26:35. > :26:46.evening those clear skies mean that temperatures drop markedly. We could
:26:47. > :26:51.see below temperatures. Quite a cold night as they head into Saturday.
:26:52. > :26:53.There may be some strange sight around tonight. There were sites to
:26:54. > :27:07.be seen last night. He's wonderful pictures were taken along the North
:27:08. > :27:11.Coast. I do not think the weekend will offer the opportunities for
:27:12. > :27:17.taking these sort of photographs because we have low-pressure and
:27:18. > :27:22.this weather system heading and on Saturday and Sunday. That means we
:27:23. > :27:32.will have a wet picture. Saturday, in particular. Quite an miserable,
:27:33. > :27:43.damp, salty D. The weekend will be wet and wild.
:27:44. > :27:49.That is all from us. Goodbye.