22/02/2014 BBC Newsline

the very latest on the dramatic day's events

Good evening and welcome to BBC Newsline. More than 200 workers at

the Dungiven-based firm KPL Contracts have lost their jobs. The

business was placed into administration yesterday. Jenny

Lowry reports from Dungiven. The administrators had been

examining the books of the company since their appointment at lunchtime

yesterday. They have quickly concluded that the businesses longer

viable. The 202 workers have been paid but they are now out of a job.

KPL, founded in 1994, was a leading utilities contract, doing work for

companies like British Telecom. Locals described it as a bleak day

for the local economy. Everyone is stunned. It will take a week or two

before the full impact of this comes in. We have to remember that most of

these people were unaware of the enormity of the situation yesterday

and 24 hours later, they are out of work. The company borrowed tens of

millions of pounds to get involved in house-building. That put a major

strain on its core business, ultimately leading to the collapse

of the company. The bad news may not be over. KPL had a large network of

subcontractors, and the impact on them is not known.

A man in his 40s has escaped injury after a shot was fired at the front

of his house in Londonderry last night. It happened at Lincoln Court

just after 11 o'clock. ?? new line A 54-year-old man has appeared at

Ballymena Magistrates' Court charged in connection with a cannabis raid

on a restaurant in the town. Wan Hon-Fai, who's from the Cullybackey

Road, was accused of having cannabis plants estimated to be worth

?150,000. The police seized the plants from the town's Water Margin

restaurant after noticing a strange smell.

Ireland's dream of winning the Triple Crown will have to wait for

another year but the team are still in the race for the Six Nations

Championship after losing to England at Twickenham. Rob Carney scored the

first try for Ireland, storming through the England defence to make

it an easy conversion for Johnny Sexton. And Ireland's kicker added

to the total with this penalty a few minutes later. But England full-back

Mike Brown's pass off to Danny Care put his side back into the lead. And

despite intense pressure from the Irish, England held on to win by

13-10. Graeme McDowell is hoping to win the

WGC World Match Play competition in Arizona. He's due to tee off soon

against France's Victor Dubuisson in the quarterfinal. I do not know much

about his game, but I know he is a good player, very talented. I will

go out there, and play mistake free golf. I need to part the way I have

been putting. I need to get more focused on the greens. -- I need to

putt. I can pretty much beat anyone. The racing driver Paddy Hopkirk has

been made an ambassador for Belfast. It's part of the 50th anniversary

celebrations of his famous win at the Monte Carlo rally. Helen Jones

reports. From the glamour of Monte Carlo, to

Stormont. It is a mini show of strength, and at the front of it

all, the rally champion Paddy Hopkirk. This is the 50th

anniversary of his victory at Monte Carlo, and today he gets behind the

wheel of a replica of the car that brought him that victory. Becoming

an ambassador for Belfast is wonderful. I am very flattered and

honoured. The generosity of everyone to come along is wonderful, thank

you. I thought you were going to do the Italian Job and come down the

steps. I do not think the suspension would stand it. The Cassel has seen

some comings and goings, but this was possibly the most colourful and

the noisiest. My husband and my sign up there in a classic car. They are

part of this Cassel came -- part of this cavalcade. There are some

beautiful cars here. And then they were off, to City Hall, where

80-year-old Paddy Hopkirk was made an ambassador for Belfast. ?? new

line And now for a look at the weather and it's not looking great.

What a great spectacle. Here's Cecilia Daly.

line And now for a look at the Good evening. It is going to get

wetter and windier as the night goes on. There is a heavy rain warning in

force. It is valid till midday tomorrow, particularly across parts

of Fermanagh, County Tyrone and Londonderry. There will be heavy

rain everywhere during the early hours. Also, there will be strong

winds at times, up to 60 mph and exposed parts of the West, and the

East Coast. Tomorrow, the wet and windy weather will continue to

rattle quite a few windows early-onset the morning. But it will

improve as the day goes on. If you're up early, wet and windy to

begin with. But by nine o'clock, the worst of the wet and windy weather

has started to clear away. This is where the weather system will live

for a good part of Sunday. It will not reach the far south-east until

late in the day. Heavy rain warnings will affect Scotland and the North

of England. The situation is improving behind that area of rain

across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There will be

showers around, but it will not be so windy by Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow night, it will start to get colder. There could be a touch of

Frost. On Monday, there will be a reasonable start to the working

week. But Green will be coming in from the West on Monday night. That

will leave more unsettled weather by the end of the week.

That's it for now. BBC Newsline will be back tomorrow evening at 6:25.

You can keep up to date with local news on BBC Radio Ulster or on our

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