:00:00. > :00:10.Good evening, and welcome to BBC Newsline.
:00:11. > :00:13.Northern Ireland's most senior judge says comments made by
:00:14. > :00:16.Health Minister Edwin Poots about a court ruling on gay men
:00:17. > :00:21.giving blood were "detrimental to the rule of law and unacceptable".
:00:22. > :00:24.Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan outlined his concerns
:00:25. > :00:29.in a letter to the First and Deputy First Ministers eight months ago,
:00:30. > :00:39.Here's our home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney.
:00:40. > :00:46.A judge ruled last November that a decision by Edwin Poots to ban gay
:00:47. > :00:47.men from giving blood in Northern Ireland was irrational.
:00:48. > :00:49.The Health Minister strongly criticised the ruling
:00:50. > :00:53.and questioned the merits of lodging an appeal against it.
:00:54. > :01:03.Do I believe I would get fairness in the Court of Appeal forward there be
:01:04. > :01:05.a circling the wagons? I would be concerned that may not be the case.
:01:06. > :01:08.That prompted the Lord Chief Justice to write a strongly worded letter to
:01:09. > :01:10.the First and Deputy First Ministers asking for assurances that
:01:11. > :01:17.Sir Declan Morgan gave a copy of that letter to the BBC.
:01:18. > :01:24.Describing the comments as detrimental to the rule of law
:01:25. > :01:28.in Northern Ireland, he said it was entirely unacceptable for the
:01:29. > :01:34.minister to suggest that the Court of Appeal is biased or unfair.
:01:35. > :01:38.He goes on to say the statement by Edwin Poots was not only untrue but
:01:39. > :01:40.also damaging to public confidence in the administration of justice,
:01:41. > :01:46.The Lord Chief Justice referred to the letter in a speech today marking
:01:47. > :01:53.In January this year, I wrote to the First and Deputy First Ministers
:01:54. > :01:57.about ministerial comments which I consider to be damaging to the rule
:01:58. > :02:01.of law and requested an assurance that there would be no repetition.
:02:02. > :02:05.I received an acknowledgement on the 22nd of January indicating
:02:06. > :02:09.that my correspondence was under consideration, but as yet I have had
:02:10. > :02:17.This is an unfortunate and fairly isolated incident but it is not a
:02:18. > :02:27.He said Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness had reached
:02:28. > :02:29.He said Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness had breached
:02:30. > :02:31.an agreement that the judiciary would be independent
:02:32. > :02:34.of government and immune to any partisan or political interest.
:02:35. > :02:37.I have made a conscious effort to engage in a positive way with
:02:38. > :02:41.the Executive and I have no wish to become embroiled in an unhelpful
:02:42. > :02:45.debate but I would be failing in my duty if I had not written to the
:02:46. > :02:47.ministers to express concern over a lack of political regard
:02:48. > :02:50.for independent judicial decision-making.
:02:51. > :02:54.His audience included the chairman of the Justice Committee,
:02:55. > :03:00.a close colleague of Edwin Poots, and the Justice Minister.
:03:01. > :03:03.The judiciary should not get too precious about their status.
:03:04. > :03:06.They are fundamentally important to the rule of law in Northern Ireland,
:03:07. > :03:21.Politicians ultimately our lawmakers, which digitally fatback
:03:22. > :03:24.the judiciary then need to enforce to the courts, so politicians have a
:03:25. > :03:26.role to play in establishing the framework.
:03:27. > :03:29.In a statement, the Department of Health had publicly stated that
:03:30. > :03:32.this was a matter for the fairness and impartiality of the courts.
:03:33. > :03:34.Having expressed concerns over whether he would get a fair hearing,
:03:35. > :03:38.he is appealing against the decision.
:03:39. > :03:46.-- against the Dutch's November ruling. -- the judge's ruling.
:03:47. > :03:49.A third person from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of
:03:50. > :03:52.manslaughter over the death of man in a shipping container in Essex.
:03:53. > :03:54.The dead man was one of 35 people from Afghanistan,
:03:55. > :03:56.including 15 children, discovered locked inside a container
:03:57. > :03:59.The 47-year-old suspect, who is from Dungannon, was arrested
:04:00. > :04:04.by Merseyside Police earlier today at Liverpool Ferry Port.
:04:05. > :04:07.The Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers,
:04:08. > :04:10.has called on Sinn Fein and the SDLP to stop blocking welfare reform, and
:04:11. > :04:15.for the DUP to stop blocking talks on flags, parades and the past.
:04:16. > :04:18.In a speech tonight in Oxford, Ms Villiers said that deadlock
:04:19. > :04:21.and dysfunction in the Stormont Executive was now
:04:22. > :04:26.a real possibility if the parties did not act and grip the situation.
:04:27. > :04:29.She warned that some of the costs of blocking welfare reform were
:04:30. > :04:35.eye-watering, and there could be no extra money from central Government.
:04:36. > :04:37.The police have announced a zero-tolerance crackdown
:04:38. > :04:41.on a range of motoring offences following a rise in road deaths.
:04:42. > :04:44.Officers have been instructed to immediately issue tickets for
:04:45. > :04:50.speeding, seatbelt offences and for using a mobile phone while driving.
:04:51. > :04:58.No more second chances, no more softly-softly.
:04:59. > :05:05.The police say they have a zero tolerance policy on the roads.
:05:06. > :05:08.If you are caught speeding, using a mobile phone or not having a
:05:09. > :05:19.seatbelt on, you will get a ticket, a ?60 fine and three points.
:05:20. > :05:27.We don't want to catch you speeding but I would rather give you a ticket
:05:28. > :05:29.than knock on your family's dot to tell you that like to tell them you
:05:30. > :05:33.have been killed in an accident. Behind every incident
:05:34. > :05:37.on the roads is a human story. For legal reasons this man's
:05:38. > :05:39.identity cannot be revealed, but he wants his story to be heard
:05:40. > :05:42.about what happened to his teenage He was a front seat passenger in the
:05:43. > :05:50.car and had horrendous injuries. He was not recognisable
:05:51. > :05:55.as our son because his head had swollen probably three
:05:56. > :05:59.times the size of a normal head. What sticks in my mind is
:06:00. > :06:02.his young brother and sister. They were lying across his bed
:06:03. > :06:14.crying and crying and pleading to are not concentrating when they
:06:15. > :06:20.are driving and it has to stop. It is not the first campaign against
:06:21. > :06:23.motorists using mobile phones while The question is,
:06:24. > :06:27.will it make any difference? Some drivers say they have
:06:28. > :06:31.already got the message. When I was on the phone,
:06:32. > :06:44.my mind was not there. So I was very lucky, I could have
:06:45. > :06:52.crashed many times on the phone, so I never do it now. No mobile phone.
:06:53. > :06:53.You have learnt your lesson? Yes, and I live to
:06:54. > :07:00.The police are hoping that other drivers have got the message too.
:07:01. > :07:03.A 21-year-old man has been jailed for five years for having guns
:07:04. > :07:06.Nathan Hastings, from Stradowen Drive in Strathfoyle, seen here
:07:07. > :07:09.at a previous court appearance, was caught with the weapons during an
:07:10. > :07:14.A pipe bomb, firearms and ammunition were found inside a bag
:07:15. > :07:19.He pleaded guilty to all charges at Belfast Crown Court.
:07:20. > :07:22.A lawyer described Hastings as a "foot soldier"
:07:23. > :07:29.Hundreds of boxing fans turned up at the weigh-in in Belfast today
:07:30. > :07:32.ahead of Carl Frampton's world title fight tomorrow.
:07:33. > :07:36.Loud cheers greeted the challenger as he entered the Ulster Hall.
:07:37. > :07:41.Around 16,000 fans are expected at the specially-built arena at
:07:42. > :07:46.Both Frampton and the current IBF Super Bantamweight Champion,
:07:47. > :07:48.Kiko Martinez, made the weight comfortably,
:07:49. > :08:00.The Belfast fighter already thinks he's got the upper hand.
:08:01. > :08:11.He was trying to act calm. I've got him already. Tell us about the
:08:12. > :08:16.atmosphere here, in front of 1000 people turning up to see you. At
:08:17. > :08:23.least. Most fighters couldn't get this to their fight so very humble,
:08:24. > :08:25.everyone who came here today will be in for a treat tomorrow.
:08:26. > :08:31.Now, with the weekend weather, here's Barra Best.
:08:32. > :08:41.We had unsettled end of the week. The wet weather cleared away to
:08:42. > :08:43.relieve a dry but chilly night, especially where skies clear in the
:08:44. > :08:49.countryside, temperatures could dip into low single figures. Most other
:08:50. > :08:54.places should stay up to 8 degrees. A cold start to the weekend but
:08:55. > :08:59.overall not bad, dry weather and decent spells of sunshine. A cold
:09:00. > :09:03.start to Saturday, one or two shower were towards the north coast at most
:09:04. > :09:10.other places will stay dry with sunshine. Unsettled weather from
:09:11. > :09:14.Northern areas of England, Wales and Scotland, in between to and bright
:09:15. > :09:20.weather, still warm towards the south-east of England. Across
:09:21. > :09:24.Ireland, a dry day. Cloud will come and go, as will sunshine with
:09:25. > :09:29.temperatures reaching the high teens in places. For Northern Ireland
:09:30. > :09:35.tomorrow afternoon, cooler towards the north coast, 15 or 16 degrees
:09:36. > :09:40.further south and it will stay dry if you are heading to the boxing in
:09:41. > :09:48.Belfast tomorrow evening. It will be a dry day on Sunday, a little cloud,
:09:49. > :09:51.20 bright and sunny weather. Fresh towards the north coast. Higher
:09:52. > :09:55.temperatures dip further south you are. Looking ahead, nothing will
:09:56. > :10:02.change, 20 of dry weather in the forecast. Follow us on Twitter if
:10:03. > :10:04.you can. And that it for now. Thank you for watching.