:00:00. > :00:00.Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka. That is all from the BBC News at
:00:00. > :00:22.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline. Job cuts at an airline in
:00:23. > :00:33.Belfast. I'm live at the City Airport to find out what it means
:00:34. > :00:37.for passengers. The families of 20 people killed by
:00:38. > :00:42.a loyalist gang are taking legal action against the government and
:00:43. > :00:48.the police. A mild has told how his father lost his life when the
:00:49. > :00:51.Filipino typhoon cut power to a hospital ward. The controversial
:00:52. > :00:56.police plan to get a service medal to staff at a cost of over ?300,000.
:00:57. > :01:01.Also, not a bad evening for Children in Need. Still some dry weather for
:01:02. > :01:06.the weekend, too. Join me for the forecast.
:01:07. > :01:10.First to the news that a light aircraft has crashed in County
:01:11. > :01:15.Fermanagh. The plane carrying two people ditched in Lough Erne this
:01:16. > :01:21.afternoon. Our reporter Julian Fowler is at the scene on the phone
:01:22. > :01:27.for us. What other details have you got?
:01:28. > :01:32.This plane had taken off from Enniskillen. It was a light aircraft
:01:33. > :01:37.and the two people on board were carrying out aerial photography work
:01:38. > :01:42.when the plane lost oil pressure. That meant the power to the engines
:01:43. > :01:49.was basically lost. He dry to find somewhere to land the plane but they
:01:50. > :01:52.said the fields in the area were too small to land safely so it became
:01:53. > :01:57.obvious to them very quickly that they would have to do a landing in
:01:58. > :02:07.the water. The plane came down in the water quite close to a local
:02:08. > :02:11.estate. It carried -- landed 30 metres from the shore and the
:02:12. > :02:16.passengers dry to open the doors but were unable to do so. They had to
:02:17. > :02:22.climb out of the window and swim to shore. They said that when they
:02:23. > :02:24.turned around, the plane was already below the water. They needed to
:02:25. > :02:31.shore safely and raised the alarm. They are OK and they have been
:02:32. > :02:35.checked out. Air accident investigators will have to carry out
:02:36. > :02:41.an investigation over the weekend. A 46-year-old motorcyclist has died
:02:42. > :02:44.in a road accident in Newtownabbey. It happened shortly after 7:00 this
:02:45. > :02:46.morning on the Monkstown Road when his bike was in collision with a
:02:47. > :02:51.car. The airline Flybe is planning to
:02:52. > :02:55.make more than 50 of its staff redundant in Belfast. The move is
:02:56. > :02:59.part of a wider programme of cuts across the UK announced earlier in
:03:00. > :03:01.the week. What does it mean for its operations at the George Best
:03:02. > :03:16.Belfast City Airport? Our Business Correspondent is there. Tell us
:03:17. > :03:20.more. Unions have been told that Flybe ones to make 52 people
:03:21. > :03:25.redundant here at the Belfast operation, that is one third of the
:03:26. > :03:30.workforce. 16 will be pilots, the rest will be engineers and cabin
:03:31. > :03:37.crew. It is news that everyone would have been dreading ever since on
:03:38. > :03:45.Monday that Flybe announced that 500 jobs would go from its UK wide
:03:46. > :03:50.operations. Most jobs are going from headquarters but Belfast is next in
:03:51. > :03:56.line to suffer losses although some bases are closing altogether. The
:03:57. > :04:01.rationale behind this? Flybe has a new Chief Executive who wants to
:04:02. > :04:04.make cuts to ensure the long-term future of this airline. It has been
:04:05. > :04:10.through other cost-cutting programmes before, it has also sold
:04:11. > :04:17.landing slots at Gatwick. This has helped the airline turnaround a loss
:04:18. > :04:20.operation into profit. This will be of little consolation to those 52
:04:21. > :04:30.staff here who are expected to be made redundant. For customers could
:04:31. > :04:33.this mean for services? In terms of routes, Flybe says it is business as
:04:34. > :04:39.usual. That will be a huge relief to the City Airport where Flybe is its
:04:40. > :04:46.biggest operator. It operates 12 routes, 500 services are offered
:04:47. > :04:50.every single week to and from Belfast hi Flybe. Those routes will
:04:51. > :04:56.be kept under review, an indication that nothing can be taken for
:04:57. > :05:01.granted. It has had difficulty filling those seeds and I think in
:05:02. > :05:05.the months ahead, a keen eye will be kept on those passenger numbers with
:05:06. > :05:09.both Flybe and the airport keen to see them boasted.
:05:10. > :05:12.The families of 20 people killed by a loyalist gang that included RUC
:05:13. > :05:17.and UDR members are taking legal action against the government and
:05:18. > :05:20.the police. They claim the authorities knew about the
:05:21. > :05:32.activities of the gang which has been accused of more than 100
:05:33. > :05:37.murders but allowed it to continue. This farm in South Armagh is alleged
:05:38. > :05:41.to have once been the base for a loyalist gang that killed 120 people
:05:42. > :05:46.in the early 1970s. It is claimed its members not only belonged to the
:05:47. > :05:51.UVF but also the RUC and EDR. The families of many of those it is said
:05:52. > :05:55.to have killed came the government, police and army knew about their
:05:56. > :06:02.activities but failed to stop them. Nine years ago, this mild, a former
:06:03. > :06:07.RUC Sergeant and convicted killer, told the BBC he was a member of the
:06:08. > :06:12.gang. He said the farm was used as a base for its activities in the
:06:13. > :06:22.1970s. Things would have been planned their because it was a safe
:06:23. > :06:26.house. That house was always watched. Special Branch, military
:06:27. > :06:34.intelligence even went to the house, so it was not a secret house
:06:35. > :06:42.because everybody knew what was going on there. It is claimed there
:06:43. > :06:47.was collusion between loyalist forces and paramilitaries on a huge
:06:48. > :06:51.scale. It includes extract from a report from the Historical Enquiries
:06:52. > :06:54.Team. In one report, they said there was indisputable evidence of
:06:55. > :06:57.security force involvement with loyalist paramilitaries which should
:06:58. > :07:02.have rung alarm bells all the way to the top of government. The families
:07:03. > :07:06.of 20 people said to have been killed by the gang have now launched
:07:07. > :07:10.legal action. They are claiming damages alleging failure by the
:07:11. > :07:13.government, the Ministry of Defence and the police to fulfil their legal
:07:14. > :07:18.duties to take action against those involved.
:07:19. > :07:22.A mild from the Philippines who is living in Belfast has lost his
:07:23. > :07:26.father in Typhoon Haiyan. Rick Lapuz is originally from Tacloban, one of
:07:27. > :07:28.father in Typhoon Haiyan. Rick Lapuz the cityies worst hit. He is now
:07:29. > :07:31.concerned about other families and how they are going to survive with
:07:32. > :07:44.hunger and disease becoming an increasing problem.
:07:45. > :07:51.All of the houses are gone. And aerial view of Rick Lapuz's home. A
:07:52. > :07:58.city that has been wiped out. His father had been in hospital but died
:07:59. > :08:05.when electricity supplies were cut. The storm came and that is it. It is
:08:06. > :08:12.like the whole area has been wiped out and there is no electric. The
:08:13. > :08:18.rest of the family is OK where he lives but every time he phoned them,
:08:19. > :08:22.they all say that they would not be able to survive starvation and
:08:23. > :08:28.thirst because there is nothing there at all. Rick works for a
:08:29. > :08:35.fast-food chain while his wife is a nurse. They have donated supplies
:08:36. > :08:43.but it is hard to know what the future holds. The people in work are
:08:44. > :08:48.very supportive. People we would see here tap our shoulders and are very
:08:49. > :08:51.caring and generous. Despite that, the uncertainty of what is happening
:08:52. > :08:56.day to day to his brothers is preying on his mind. He is not
:08:57. > :09:01.telling me the real story but there is one thing he told me, that the
:09:02. > :09:10.house of my father, the writ has been taken away. It is flattened. At
:09:11. > :09:16.night, you cannot go there on your own. You have to be extra careful.
:09:17. > :09:19.Rick will not be able to attend his father's funeral but here's hoping
:09:20. > :09:22.at some stage to go back to the Philippines and see the rest of his
:09:23. > :09:30.family and help in any way he can. Still ahead on the programme. We
:09:31. > :09:35.catch up with Pudsey Bear ahead of the big BBC Children in Need night.
:09:36. > :09:38.The PSNI are planning to award a service medal to officers and
:09:39. > :09:42.support workers who have served three or more years. It is believed
:09:43. > :09:46.the cost of implementing the proposal could be just over
:09:47. > :09:56.?300,000. Already questions are being asked about the expenditure
:09:57. > :10:00.and who should get the police medal. This is not the first time it has
:10:01. > :10:01.been proposed that the policing service here is recognised
:10:02. > :10:05.been proposed that the policing medal. The RUC was awarded The
:10:06. > :10:10.George Cross for service three byte the Troubles. Other medals continue
:10:11. > :10:16.to be awarded to individuals for long service, distinguished service
:10:17. > :10:19.and gallantry. The cost of a new medal marking the first ten years in
:10:20. > :10:23.the PSNI has raised eyebrows. Policing Board members who
:10:24. > :10:28.unanimously backed the project said they were told it would cost
:10:29. > :10:36.?50,000. Now a leaked document states it could be in the region of
:10:37. > :10:40.?315,000. The idea that it would cost ?300,000 did not come up. We
:10:41. > :10:45.were told it was within the budget of the PSNI themselves. I have
:10:46. > :10:49.already raised this with the Policing Board this morning and I
:10:50. > :10:53.intend to raise it again will stop I think it is a great difficulty. It
:10:54. > :10:59.was not talked about in any way at the time. I can understand why
:11:00. > :11:04.people are concerned, I am concerned about this massive increase in
:11:05. > :11:12.cost. I would not like to stand over that, I think if that is what it is
:11:13. > :11:16.going to cost, it puts an uncertain slammed on the project. They should
:11:17. > :11:19.be acknowledged for their outstanding work but the cost of
:11:20. > :11:24.this in these times of economic difficulties is just excessive. The
:11:25. > :11:30.Department of Justice supports the project, saying it recognises the
:11:31. > :11:32.contribution of staff in challenging and unique circumstances. The
:11:33. > :11:36.Northern Ireland Office says the medal is at a very early stage and
:11:37. > :11:39.approval must come from a Cabinet Office in London and then it goes
:11:40. > :11:42.before the Queen. It is clear there will be more talking out of this
:11:43. > :11:46.particular project before that happens.
:11:47. > :11:47.Millions of pounds in European funding to build a cross-border
:11:48. > :11:51.bridge linking County Down with Louth have been withdrawn. The EU
:11:52. > :11:54.had placed around ?15 million towards the Narrow Water Bridge
:11:55. > :11:58.project but that offer was withdrawn this afternoon because the project's
:11:59. > :12:00.backers failed to raise enough money to proceed. Our political
:12:01. > :12:06.correspondent Martina Purdy has the details. The problem with this
:12:07. > :12:11.project which was backed by the Irish government and storm and was
:12:12. > :12:14.that it hit a huge roadblock in June when it emerged the cost of the
:12:15. > :12:18.project was going to be twice as much as originally anticipated.
:12:19. > :12:26.Around ?30 million to build the bridge will stop the lead agency try
:12:27. > :12:30.very hard to make up the shortfall and have had some success in recent
:12:31. > :12:35.months but there still was a shortfall of ?6 million and the
:12:36. > :12:37.problem was, they ran out of time because the European money was
:12:38. > :12:42.conditional on the project being built by the end of December 2015
:12:43. > :12:48.and this afternoon, the European funding body said they could not
:12:49. > :12:53.wait any longer. What is the reaction to this? It is not
:12:54. > :12:57.unexpected in Terry because earlier this week, and Kenny warned about
:12:58. > :13:11.this deadline but still there is disappointment and bitterness about
:13:12. > :13:15.this. The SDLP's Margaret Ritchie says she is suspicious about the
:13:16. > :13:20.timing. She is concerned it is falling between Belfast and Dublin
:13:21. > :13:24.as each side of the border waited for the other to act. The DUP says
:13:25. > :13:28.it is not all bad news, though many still can be reallocated for
:13:29. > :13:32.projects but that is cold comfort for the one point gem of commerce
:13:33. > :13:36.projects but that is cold comfort who say people will be devastated by
:13:37. > :13:39.this. 13 people including a one-year-old
:13:40. > :13:45.baby escaped injury in a suspected arson attack in Londonderry early
:13:46. > :13:49.this morning. The Fire Service says getting all the residents out of a
:13:50. > :13:58.block of flats was a complex operation.
:13:59. > :14:02.The Fire and Rescue Service say this could so easily have been the scene
:14:03. > :14:06.of terrible tragedy. 13 people who live in this blog of flats were at
:14:07. > :14:12.the centre of the early morning drama just after 6:00. Thick smoke
:14:13. > :14:15.bellowed throughout the building before the alarm was raised by a
:14:16. > :14:18.resident. A couple and their one-year-old baby boy, as well as
:14:19. > :14:23.another mild, were among those rescued. The child was my father
:14:24. > :14:27.says he is now fine after being medically examined. As soon as the
:14:28. > :14:32.says he is now fine after being fire brigade came, we handed him of
:14:33. > :14:38.the window and luckily, we knew somebody who was able to take him
:14:39. > :14:42.for us until we got out ourselves. Very frightening. Fire crews wearing
:14:43. > :14:46.breathing apparatus had to rescue five residents and they were not
:14:47. > :14:52.down the stairs and for others what I themselves. Renzo teams were
:14:53. > :15:00.examining a burned out car but which had been the communal area. As you
:15:01. > :15:04.can see behind me, our colleagues are in -- investigating the cause
:15:05. > :15:11.but only indications are that it was deliberate. This so easily could
:15:12. > :15:14.have been a tragic set of circumstances not for the prompt and
:15:15. > :15:20.professional actions of the Fire Service we could have been talking
:15:21. > :15:22.professional actions of the Fire about a tragic situation. One
:15:23. > :15:27.resident who escaped unhurt says he believes many lives could have been
:15:28. > :15:34.lost. Although they are not making it official, the rug is lying in the
:15:35. > :15:39.first garden -- front garden so it is obvious it was set on fire.
:15:40. > :15:45.Anybody who would do that had to be of the mindset that people could
:15:46. > :15:51.die. You would not like that and not know that that was a possibility.
:15:52. > :15:54.They obviously didn't care. Detectives investigating this far
:15:55. > :15:58.have appealed to anyone with information about any suspicious
:15:59. > :16:02.activity in and around this block of flats to come forward. The Fire and
:16:03. > :16:05.Rescue Service say the incident underlined once again the value of
:16:06. > :16:15.having a working smoke alarm. Lots more to come on the programme
:16:16. > :16:21.this evening. I think that Royal Portrush would be a great first
:16:22. > :16:26.international major. Could one of golf's big majors be on its way to
:16:27. > :16:30.the North Coast? At this time of the year, people do
:16:31. > :16:35.weird and wonderful things to raise money for the annual BBC Children in
:16:36. > :16:45.Need appeal. A whole host of local charities will benefit from the
:16:46. > :16:50.money. Front face painting to the JAMA
:16:51. > :16:53.parties, it has been a busy day for fundraisers across Northern Ireland,
:16:54. > :16:58.all doing their bit for Pudsey Bear. In Londonderry, pupils at this
:16:59. > :17:01.school but their parents along to a special Children in Need class. This
:17:02. > :17:09.year we are getting all the special Children in Need class. This
:17:10. > :17:13.in, including some fathers. Unfortunately they will not put on a
:17:14. > :17:17.two to! Everybody get sponsored to do dancing and hopefully we raise
:17:18. > :17:21.lots of money. There is much more to come. Teddy bears have taken over
:17:22. > :17:31.this studio for a special teddy bears picnic programme. Tonight is a
:17:32. > :17:35.huge celebration, it is a party atmosphere. Pudsey Bear is having a
:17:36. > :17:40.picnic and it is all about raising money for Children in Need. It is
:17:41. > :17:45.going to be a fantastic night. The fundraisers have been working so
:17:46. > :17:48.hard to raise money for causes and children here in Northern Ireland
:17:49. > :17:50.because the money raised here a chilly stays in Northern Ireland. We
:17:51. > :17:56.are on the air at 730. You chilly stays in Northern Ireland. We
:17:57. > :18:06.forward to a great night's entertainment. We will be having
:18:07. > :18:12.lots of people here. 150 schoolkids ticking part in Gary Barlow's
:18:13. > :18:18.Singh. We will be giving you how -- flavour of how your money is spent
:18:19. > :18:20.throughout the evening. Pudsey Bear here will be hoping Northern Ireland
:18:21. > :18:27.can top last year's total. The TV special follows the One Show
:18:28. > :18:30.this evening. International football next and
:18:31. > :18:34.Northern Ireland are in action in a friendly away to Turkey. It is the
:18:35. > :18:45.first game since the manager Michael O'Neill signed a new two-year deal.
:18:46. > :18:48.Turkey has not played an international here for almost ten
:18:49. > :18:56.years so this stadium will be packed come kick-off time. Jimmy Nicholl is
:18:57. > :19:01.here, you won four of your 73 international caps against Turkey,
:19:02. > :19:06.you had a good record in your days but I think the class of 2013 will
:19:07. > :19:13.have a tough task tonight? This they will do but the last two away
:19:14. > :19:19.games, I am looking forward to this tonight working because it is a
:19:20. > :19:25.system that I enjoyed playing. There are a couple of young lads hoping to
:19:26. > :19:33.get on tonight. Aaron Hughes is back tonight and we will see now begin in
:19:34. > :19:35.the centre position as well? He has been doing really well and scoring
:19:36. > :19:45.goals but he is still been doing really well and scoring
:19:46. > :19:52.outside. I hope you get is the chances tonight. The game is live on
:19:53. > :19:55.BBC Radio Ulster. Martin O'Neill's rain as the
:19:56. > :19:58.Republic of Ireland manager will begin tonight with a friendly in
:19:59. > :20:08.Dublin tonight against Latvia. The kick-off is a little under an hour
:20:09. > :20:12.away. It is fair to say that when this
:20:13. > :20:17.fixture was announced, there was not much excitement about it but that
:20:18. > :20:20.all changed following the appointment of Martin O'Neill and
:20:21. > :20:27.Roy Keane. An additional 20,000 spec tutors are expected this evening. I
:20:28. > :20:33.am joined now by Brian care. The managers get nervous tonight? I am
:20:34. > :20:38.sure, Martin O'Neill will want to start with a wind in this first
:20:39. > :20:46.game. I am sure him and Roy Keane will be a little bit emotional being
:20:47. > :20:50.their first game. There will be a certain edginess but they have been
:20:51. > :20:54.around a long time and they have huge experience. The Roy Keane
:20:55. > :21:00.factor is intriguing for most supporters, you know what it is like
:21:01. > :21:04.to bring him in a setup because you brought him back from international
:21:05. > :21:11.retirement? He had the sort of impact he usually has when he comes
:21:12. > :21:16.into a grip. There was plenty of good humour around the place and he
:21:17. > :21:20.was very good on the pitch, as he always is. For tonight, they will
:21:21. > :21:29.want to get a wind and the players will now that they will be expected
:21:30. > :21:33.to perform. Kick-off is at 7:45. Martin O'Neill said every new
:21:34. > :21:37.manager gets a honeymoon period of ten minutes. Speaking to fans, they
:21:38. > :21:40.already think this is a marriage made in heaven.
:21:41. > :21:43.In Gaelic football, this Sunday it is the semifinal stage of the Ulster
:21:44. > :21:45.Club championship with coverage on BBC Rradio Ulster medium wave from
:21:46. > :22:01.2:00. The margin of success is always
:22:02. > :22:08.short when Australia are in town but tomorrow, they will come up against
:22:09. > :22:14.a face who has punished them before. It is going to be a difficult match.
:22:15. > :22:17.Australia where outstanding last week and even from the Lions in the
:22:18. > :22:23.summer, there has been a lot of personnel changes so it will be a
:22:24. > :22:26.very difficult game but one that we are definitely looking forward to.
:22:27. > :22:30.The game on Saturday has significance for Brian O'Driscoll
:22:31. > :22:33.who, after the disappointment of not playing for the Lions in their final
:22:34. > :22:38.test against Australia this summer, has some unfinished business. I
:22:39. > :22:43.think Brian was disappointed, we know that Roma in the summer. It is
:22:44. > :22:48.a massive opportunity for him and us to get a wind. 14 years on from
:22:49. > :22:59.making his Ireland debut against the Wallabies, he will want to mark his
:23:00. > :23:02.last game against them with a wind. Royal Portrush golf club has been
:23:03. > :23:05.mentioned as a possible host for the prestigious USPGA Championship.
:23:06. > :23:08.There are proposals in America to take the tournament overseas in the
:23:09. > :23:11.near future and Ted Bishop, President of the USPGA, was asked
:23:12. > :23:15.which venue he would like to see hosting the Major if the plan
:23:16. > :23:24.progresses. I think that Royal Portrush would be
:23:25. > :23:28.a great first international major. It was the first golf course played
:23:29. > :23:33.outside England or Scotland for an open championship and I think that
:23:34. > :23:37.given the powerful effect that Irish golfers have on the professional
:23:38. > :23:49.game today, that might be a good place to start.
:23:50. > :23:52.The weather is next. We are still expecting the first
:23:53. > :24:00.really cold blast as we head into the start of next week. For today,
:24:01. > :24:04.so far, so good. Not a knot of sunshine around. Plenty of cloud but
:24:05. > :24:08.it has been nearly dry. For the fundraisers, we
:24:09. > :24:12.it has been nearly dry. For the onto that dry, rather cloudy scene.
:24:13. > :24:18.Through the night, maybe one or two here intervals but generally,
:24:19. > :24:24.cloudy. It is quite mild for mid-November as well. Temperatures
:24:25. > :24:27.at seven degrees. No storm ringers on the horizon for the weekend but
:24:28. > :24:33.there will be more cloud than sunshine. Some real around but not
:24:34. > :24:39.wet all the time. It will kill down on Sunday with the risk of some
:24:40. > :24:50.frost in places. Tomorrow morning, a blanket of cloud and generally it is
:24:51. > :24:53.dry. We should hold onto that dry weather for daylight hours.
:24:54. > :24:58.Temperatures are again above average for the time of year at 12 degrees.
:24:59. > :24:59.For the North and West, a weather front moves in
:25:00. > :25:06.For the North and West, a weather some light rain. Breaking up as it
:25:07. > :25:12.moves so we may not see an awful lot of that. As it clears away, we get
:25:13. > :25:19.clear spells following in the North so temperatures should get down to
:25:20. > :25:23.freezing. A bright start in places on Sunday before the clouds against
:25:24. > :25:28.to bring some rain. Slightly lower temperatures as you can see and they
:25:29. > :25:36.get even lower into next week. At increasing risk of wintry showers.
:25:37. > :25:40.. A giant key awaits Van Morrison tonight as he receives the Freedom
:25:41. > :25:43.of Belfast. We will have a full report on our late news but first we
:25:44. > :25:49.join Maggie Taggart of the Waterfront Hall.
:25:50. > :25:53.2,500 people are expected here tonight and with them, 200 people
:25:54. > :25:57.who did not think they would get a ticket but got filmed at the last
:25:58. > :26:00.minute because some people did not pick up their tickets in time. Van
:26:01. > :26:08.Morrison has had many honours in his life like an OBE, the Hall of Fame
:26:09. > :26:15.and honorary degrees and crannies. He has sold 75 million albums and he
:26:16. > :26:20.has had a career spanning 60 years. If you have not got a ticket, we
:26:21. > :26:37.have a flavour of the city and the mild himself. -- the mild himself.
:26:38. > :26:41.-- the mild himself.