:00:00. > 3:59:59the English game couldn't ignore. That's
:00:00. > :00:11.Good evening. There were dramatic scenes on the streets of Belfast
:00:12. > :00:15.tonight as the Giro d'Italia began. Tens of thousands of spectators
:00:16. > :00:18.lined the route - but hopes of Irish success were dashed early on when
:00:19. > :00:21.rider Dan Martin was involved in a spectacular collision with his
:00:22. > :00:28.team-mates after riding over a manhole cover in wet conditions. He
:00:29. > :00:37.is now out of the race. BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports on
:00:38. > :00:39.the day's events. On the Newtown North Road in East
:00:40. > :00:46.Belfast, the sort of crash which every cyclist dreads. Commentator --
:00:47. > :00:53.COMMENTATOR: Oh, my goodness.
:00:54. > :01:00.Dan Martin, he is holding his elbow. He is rocking and rolling. He
:01:01. > :01:05.wasn't. He's got a suspected broken collarbone and his Giro is over.
:01:06. > :01:14.Heartbreak for the Irish rider. The crash was shown on the big screen at
:01:15. > :01:22.Belfast City Hall. The entire team have hit the deck. It is all part of
:01:23. > :01:28.cycling, but it does not make it any easier to watch. Especially for
:01:29. > :01:34.friends and family of the riders. It was the low point on a day of highs.
:01:35. > :01:41.As the Giro finally got under way. It started with a kiss. A day in
:01:42. > :01:48.Belfast like no other. The riders were up early for a practice session
:01:49. > :01:53.and so were the spectators. This is an incredible experience for the
:01:54. > :01:57.people of Belfast. Our favourite colour is not green, white and gold
:01:58. > :02:03.or red, white and blue, it is pink. I am dressed in pink, a wonderful
:02:04. > :02:10.experience. Just before six o'clock, the Giro officially began. Five,
:02:11. > :02:18.four, three, two, one... CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:02:19. > :02:27.. It wasn't long before they reached Stormont. Then, it was through south
:02:28. > :02:31.Belfast, finishing at Belfast City Hall. Tonight's race is all about
:02:32. > :02:37.speed rather than stamina. It is the battle against the clock. The
:02:38. > :02:42.winners were the Australian team, Orica Green Edge. For most
:02:43. > :02:47.spectators it was their first taste of the Giro and they seemed to like
:02:48. > :02:51.it. To see this coming to Belfast, it is marvellous. It is amazing.
:02:52. > :02:54.Everything is in pink, like a big hen party. It is nice to be known
:02:55. > :03:00.for something good in Northern Ireland. I feel proud. As for the
:03:01. > :03:06.riders, they have to do it all again tomorrow. This time, from Belfast to
:03:07. > :03:09.the Causeway Coast and back. Great excitement.
:03:10. > :03:12.To find out about when the roads are closing and re-opening tomorrow and
:03:13. > :03:17.Sunday, check out the traffic website trafficwatchni.com.
:03:18. > :03:21.Tributes have poured in for wee Oscar who lost his battle with
:03:22. > :03:25.cancer yesterday. Among those praising his bravery were the First
:03:26. > :03:32.and Deputy First Ministers who he'd met on a trip to Stormont. Ciara
:03:33. > :03:41.Riddell reports. A little boy captured the hearts and
:03:42. > :03:45.minds of many. Oscar Knox' short life was dominated by his
:03:46. > :03:49.condition, neuroblastoma. His journey documented on social media
:03:50. > :03:55.by his parents gathered followers from across the globe, including
:03:56. > :03:58.local sporting stars. And it was via Twitter the heartbroken family
:03:59. > :04:03.announced his death, saying, our beautiful, amazing and much loved
:04:04. > :04:09.son Oscar Knox gained his angel wings yesterday afternoon. Sleep
:04:10. > :04:14.tight, little man. We are heartbroken, it is very sad. Kind of
:04:15. > :04:20.in shock because with the little man, I knew he was very sick but you
:04:21. > :04:25.kind of just expected him to get better. He was such a fighter and it
:04:26. > :04:30.is heartbreaking. Thanks to fundraisers the little boy travelled
:04:31. > :04:35.to America for specialist treatment in 2012. Six months later in April
:04:36. > :04:42.last year he was given the all clear but the rare and aggressive cancer
:04:43. > :04:45.returned in August. The Wii Oscar fundraising and awareness campaign
:04:46. > :04:51.run by his parents help promote blood donation. He was a typical
:04:52. > :04:55.small boy, but full of beans and you could tell that he would make an
:04:56. > :05:02.impact. That was proven by the impact he had on our business here,
:05:03. > :05:06.with helping promote blood donation. Recruiting new donors. Oscar Knox
:05:07. > :05:12.will be remembered as a little boy who 40s disease with a smile. His
:05:13. > :05:14.fans in Glasgow Celtic say the five-year-old's courage was
:05:15. > :05:19.inspirational. COMMENTATOR:
:05:20. > :05:22.Special Belfast boy. An elderly man has been hit with a
:05:23. > :05:26.hammer during a robbery at his County Down home. Three men broke
:05:27. > :05:29.into the house in Ballynahinch late last night and stole jewellery. The
:05:30. > :05:33.man, who's in his 70s, needed hospital treatment.
:05:34. > :05:36.Trade unions are to ballot for industrial action over cost-cutting
:05:37. > :05:39.measures at the City of Derry Airport. The airport management said
:05:40. > :05:45.last month that five senior posts had already gone and that there
:05:46. > :05:48.could be further redundancies. The unions, NIPSA and Unite, have called
:05:49. > :05:57.for a halt to the restructuring proposals which they say could
:05:58. > :06:00.result in the airport's closure. We have met with the staff in the
:06:01. > :06:05.airport and they are very concerned for the future of the airport and
:06:06. > :06:08.fear for their jobs. The airport has declined drastically in the last few
:06:09. > :06:12.years and we are concerned if there is no change and we don't get growth
:06:13. > :06:14.and new business that its days could be numbered.
:06:15. > :06:17.The D-day landings of 1944 were remembered in Carrickfergus earlier
:06:18. > :06:21.today with a wreath laying service at sea. The event is one of many
:06:22. > :06:33.taking place in the build-up to the 70th anniversary on June sixth. Will
:06:34. > :06:35.Leitch reports. EXPLOSION it was the biggest
:06:36. > :06:41.seaborne invasion in human history. The D-day landings of June 1944
:06:42. > :06:43.marked the start of the Allied liberation of those parts of
:06:44. > :06:51.north-western Europe still occupied by the Nazis. More than 4000 ships,
:06:52. > :06:56.several thousand smaller craft and 160,000 men crossed the Channel to
:06:57. > :07:01.France and the Normandy beaches. Today, bagpipes used to pipe Lord
:07:02. > :07:04.love and his commandos onto Sword Beach and Pegasus Bridge were
:07:05. > :07:08.brought to Carrickfergus accompanied by a flotilla of small ships. We use
:07:09. > :07:16.were laid in remembrance of those who died. Northern Ireland had a
:07:17. > :07:21.large part to play in the last war. The munitions factory, the people
:07:22. > :07:25.that went off to war, the people who helped. The flotilla is calling at a
:07:26. > :07:28.number of UK ports before the anniversary next month. New
:07:29. > :07:31.Lyon-macro In football, Derry City suffered another Premier Division
:07:32. > :07:35.setback with a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Shamrock Rovers.
:07:36. > :07:39.The Candystripes have won just two out of 12 games in the league this
:07:40. > :07:43.season. Here's Cecilia Daly to tell us what
:07:44. > :07:45.the weekend weather's going to be like for the cyclists and the rest
:07:46. > :07:55.of us. Hello, the summary and forecast this
:07:56. > :07:59.weekend, it it will not be raining all the time. Make the most of the
:08:00. > :08:03.dry gaps. The rain is coming back, it will be wet for a good part of
:08:04. > :08:08.the night, some of it will be heavy. An inch in hilly areas by the
:08:09. > :08:12.end of the night. Most will have no -- move through bike tomorrow. It
:08:13. > :08:17.could be down for a time early on. It will brighten up before the heavy
:08:18. > :08:20.showers arrive later in the afternoon. Some sunshine breaking
:08:21. > :08:26.through for a while, heavy showers developing. Some could have thunder
:08:27. > :08:28.mixed in later in the day. I good scattering of showers for the
:08:29. > :08:35.Republic of Ireland as well as Wales and south-west England. Strong and
:08:36. > :08:39.gusty winds. The rain over England lingers -- with the way but it will
:08:40. > :08:42.linger over Scotland and Northern Ireland, keeping it chilly. In
:08:43. > :08:46.between the showers there will be sunshine tomorrow, which will allow
:08:47. > :08:50.temperatures to reach 14 Celsius. Some will be thundery downpours. If
:08:51. > :08:56.you get one, you will know about it. They edge away south eastwards
:08:57. > :09:00.later in the day. For stage two of the Giro d'Italia, as it leaves
:09:01. > :09:03.Belfast and heads north up towards the north coast and back down the
:09:04. > :09:07.Antrim coast into Belfast, there will be some sharp showers en route.
:09:08. > :09:13.There will be sunny moments, with light winds. On Sunday, the Giro
:09:14. > :09:16.d'Italia heads south towards Dublin. It looks as though in some ways they
:09:17. > :09:22.will have the wind behind them to help them move along. Some showers
:09:23. > :09:26.arrive. Not quite so heavy. That is your local news and weather.
:09:27. > :09:30.I am back tomorrow evening at 6:10pm with more. Enjoy the Giro and watch
:09:31. > :09:32.those showers. Goodbye.