:00:00. > :00:10.Hello and welcome to BBC Newsline. President Michael D Higgins has told
:00:11. > :00:13.a state banquet at Windsor Castle that Britain and Ireland must work
:00:14. > :00:19.together to craft a future that offers hope and opportunity for the
:00:20. > :00:21.people of both islands. Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness also attended
:00:22. > :00:28.tonight's banquet hosted by the Queen. It marks the end of the first
:00:29. > :00:33.day of the three day presidential visit. Let's go live now to Windsor
:00:34. > :00:37.and to Donna Traynor. The theme for today was mutual respect and
:00:38. > :00:42.historical significance and that was reflected in the speeches and
:00:43. > :00:49.symbolic gestures. Diplomacy took centre stage at St George's Hall as
:00:50. > :01:02.some of the visitors were on unfamiliar territory.
:01:03. > :01:07.The State bang wet is the centrepiece of the visit. 160 people
:01:08. > :01:12.turned up for what was a lavish occasion. Amongst the guests, Sinn
:01:13. > :01:19.Fein's Martin McGuinness who said he would follow the protocols including
:01:20. > :01:21.toasting the Queen. It was the first opportunity for Her Majesty to
:01:22. > :01:25.welcome her guest and reflect on the nature of the new relationship.
:01:26. > :01:30.My visit to Ireland and your visit this week, Mr President, show that
:01:31. > :01:37.we are walking together towards a brighter, more settled future. We
:01:38. > :01:46.will remember our past, but we shall no longer allow our past to ensnare
:01:47. > :01:55.our future. This is the greatest we can give to succeeding generations.
:01:56. > :01:59.Lead to go this response from President Higgins. We have a duty to
:02:00. > :02:05.all those who have lost their lives, a duty to build together in peace,
:02:06. > :02:10.it is the only enduring justice we can offer them. We share also the
:02:11. > :02:13.imperative to be unwavering in our support of the people of Northern
:02:14. > :02:17.Ireland as we journey together towards the shelter and security of
:02:18. > :02:22.true reconciliation. Outside, victims of Republican
:02:23. > :02:27.violence stage add protest -- staged a protest against the presence of Mr
:02:28. > :02:32.McGuinness, including a woman who lost her sister in the Birmingham
:02:33. > :02:36.pub bombings 40 years. Who is thinking about us? It appears that
:02:37. > :02:46.our politicians wish that they buried us alongside our dead.
:02:47. > :02:55.The banquet closed day one. The first visit by a Irish head of
:02:56. > :03:01.state. President Higgins laid a wreath of the tomb of the unknown
:03:02. > :03:06.solicitorier at -- unknown soldier at Westminster Abbey.
:03:07. > :03:11.Later, he addressed representatives of both houses of the Palace of
:03:12. > :03:14.Westminster. Tomorrow the focus shifts from the ceremonial to a
:03:15. > :03:19.celebration of Irish people's contribution to the civic life of
:03:20. > :03:22.Britain. President Higgins will visit a hospital as an
:03:23. > :03:26.acknowledgement of the role of Irish doctors and nurses in the NHS and he
:03:27. > :03:36.will have a meeting with the Prime Minister in Downing Street.
:03:37. > :03:46.The State visit has been marked by its warmth and has been relaxed as
:03:47. > :03:49.the president said in his speech. The two islands have achieved a
:03:50. > :03:52.closeness that once seemed unachievable. Ireland and Britain
:03:53. > :03:56.live in the shadow and shelter of each other.
:03:57. > :04:03.We'll have more coverage of the presidential visit across TV, radio
:04:04. > :04:06.and online tomorrow. Tonight's Spotlight investigation
:04:07. > :04:09.from Florida features an exclusive interview with a gun runner who
:04:10. > :04:13.armed the IRA during the peace process. Mike Logan was granted
:04:14. > :04:20.immunity from prosecution by the American Government in return for
:04:21. > :04:23.information. The programme also names the IRA boss at the time who
:04:24. > :04:27.is accused of ordering hundreds of guns over a five year period, a
:04:28. > :04:30.senior republican now at the very heart of the peace process.
:04:31. > :04:36.Spotlight reporter Mandy McAuley has more.
:04:37. > :04:42.Mike Logan started gun running for the IRA the year after they called
:04:43. > :04:47.their ceasefire. I was told to ignore any headlines and keep
:04:48. > :04:55.sending the guns. From 1995 to 1999 he posted 200 guns to the IRA in toy
:04:56. > :04:58.fire engines. I was a regular customer here. Sometimes I would buy
:04:59. > :05:01.four or five at a time. I brought them home and the kids would play
:05:02. > :05:09.with them and I would pack them up and ship them off.
:05:10. > :05:14.Mike Logan said his contact in the IRA was this man, Sean Spike Murray.
:05:15. > :05:19.He was in the Sinn Fein delegation as part of the recent Haass talks
:05:20. > :05:26.and is involved in a variety of groups, dealing with cross community
:05:27. > :05:31.and parading issues. Mike Logan tells Spotlight let him know one of
:05:32. > :05:38.his guns was used in the murder of two RUC officers.
:05:39. > :05:44.He would write down instead of communicate verbally to tell me
:05:45. > :05:51.which weapons had been received. He circled a couple of them and he
:05:52. > :05:59.said that one there had been used in an operation that had happened in
:06:00. > :06:05.Lurgan. Sean Murray said our accusations were without foundation.
:06:06. > :06:09.He went on to say he had never been arrested, detained or interviewed
:06:10. > :06:14.about the allegations and the PSNI would have acted if there was
:06:15. > :06:15.evidence. He told us his focus was and remains on helping the peace and
:06:16. > :06:25.political processes. You can see that Spotlight programme
:06:26. > :06:28.after this bulletin. The former Chief Medical Officer of England
:06:29. > :06:32.will head a group of experts to consider improvements to the way the
:06:33. > :06:36.health service is run in Northern Ireland. A review into the Emergency
:06:37. > :06:42.Department at the Royal Victoria Hospital was also published today.
:06:43. > :06:46.Marie-Louise Connolly reports. Whilst still on the subject of
:06:47. > :06:52.hospitals and emergency care, today was all about making announcements,
:06:53. > :06:54.sign posting ways forward and highlighting potential solutions.
:06:55. > :06:58.Showing he meant business, the Health Minister said patient care
:06:59. > :07:04.must come first and he was pulling out all stops to achieve that. Mr
:07:05. > :07:10.Poots published a range of action to say provide quality and good
:07:11. > :07:16.governance across-the-board. He has commissioned Sir Liam
:07:17. > :07:20.Donaldson to assess how the Health Service here should be governed.
:07:21. > :07:24.There will be inspections of acute hospitals, how the Belfast Trust
:07:25. > :07:29.plans to respond to the latest report and how the Northern Trust
:07:30. > :07:37.engages with the families in 20 cases that fell below standard.
:07:38. > :07:43.There was too much emphasis on targets and low staff morale.
:07:44. > :07:48.Belfast playing host tomorrow to a summit on emergency care. In the
:07:49. > :07:53.company of their national president, consultants are due to discuss a
:07:54. > :07:56.range of issues including staffing, funding and patient safety. An
:07:57. > :07:59.indication of just how fragile things are, the summit which
:08:00. > :08:04.involves the Health Minister is to be held in private.
:08:05. > :08:10.Now with the weather forecast here's Angie Philips. Good evening. Well,
:08:11. > :08:13.the clouds are rolling in once again. Quite damp in places through
:08:14. > :08:16.the course of the night with rain and drizzle. Particularly across
:08:17. > :08:20.parts of the north and the west. But not amount to go a great deal and it
:08:21. > :08:24.is milder tonight than it was last night, temperatures no lower than
:08:25. > :08:28.seven or eight Celsius. We are going into tomorrow on a cloudier note.
:08:29. > :08:30.There will be a good deal of dry weather, but first thing in the
:08:31. > :08:34.morning, it is a slow start, dull and grey. There will be bits and
:08:35. > :08:39.pieces of light rain and drizzle before it becomes that bit drier.
:08:40. > :08:43.For Western Scotland, it is likely to stay wet in places through the
:08:44. > :08:47.day, windy as well particularly in the north-west of Scotland. It
:08:48. > :08:49.should dry up across Eastern Scotland and for much of the
:08:50. > :08:52.Republic of Ireland and England and Wales, a lot of dry weather a few
:08:53. > :08:57.showers in areas exposed to the south and the west. A good deal of
:08:58. > :09:02.cloud here too, but a few bright spells possible towards the South
:09:03. > :09:06.Coast and temperatures should get up to 16 Celsius. The breeze lighter in
:09:07. > :09:08.the south as well. It is breezy for Northern Ireland tomorrow afternoon,
:09:09. > :09:13.but apart from the odd spit or spot of rain it is dry. One or two bright
:09:14. > :09:18.intervals, but a lot of cloud. Temperatures better. Less cold air
:09:19. > :09:22.tomorrow, up to 13 Celsius or maybe 14 Celsiusful the reason we have the
:09:23. > :09:25.mainly dry weather is high pressure to the south. Through tomorrow night
:09:26. > :09:28.and into Thursday morning, we get a weak weather front moving south so
:09:29. > :09:31.that's going to bring damp weather for a time through tomorrow night
:09:32. > :09:36.and into Thursday morning. Followed by a few showers. Slightly cooler
:09:37. > :09:38.air as well, but at least the winds are easing and Friday looks mainly
:09:39. > :09:45.dry. That's it for now. Stormont Today
:09:46. > :09:56.gets underway over on BBC Two at 11. 20pm. We are back during Breakfast
:09:57. > :09:58.tomorrow morning. From BBC Newsline, good night.