:00:00. > :00:17.The headlines on BBC Newsline: Walking free from court -
:00:18. > :00:20.the evangelical pastor accused of making grossly offensive
:00:21. > :00:32.I'm very happy, very happy at today's verdict.
:00:33. > :00:34.All hands to the pumps in the fight against the rising
:00:35. > :00:43.Only for the banks and the pumps, it would be here.
:00:44. > :00:45.How the crisis in the care sector is putting our
:00:46. > :00:49.We're live at Belfast City Hall as the council kicks around
:00:50. > :00:56.a controversial plan to honour two football teams.
:00:57. > :01:02.100 years after the Battle of the Somme, reports from the trenches of
:01:03. > :01:03.the 32nd Ulster Division here in France.
:01:04. > :01:05.World champion cyclist Martyn Irvine tells us why
:01:06. > :01:13.And a welcome break from wet weather is on the way, but for how long?
:01:14. > :01:16.Find out shortly. The evangelical pastor
:01:17. > :01:18.James McConnell has been found not guilty of making "grossly offensive"
:01:19. > :01:22.remarks about Muslims. The 78-year-old from Newtownabbey
:01:23. > :01:26.was charged 18 months ago following a sermon at
:01:27. > :01:31.the Whitewell Tabernacle Church. Today the legal process
:01:32. > :01:33.came to an end as Pastor McConnell at the end
:01:34. > :01:41.of his trial, a free man. The judge, Liam McNally,
:01:42. > :01:45.ruled his comments were offensive, but not "grossly" offensive -
:01:46. > :01:48.the definition required For a while there I thought
:01:49. > :02:01.the judge was going to put me down because there was two policemen
:02:02. > :02:04.sitting behind me and I thought this is it, and then he turned around
:02:05. > :02:07.and I was amazed he said twice not It was this sermon in 2014 that
:02:08. > :02:14.landed Pastor McConnell in court. Now people say there
:02:15. > :02:17.are good Muslims in Britain, that may be so, but
:02:18. > :02:21.I don't trust them. But it wasn't just what he said -
:02:22. > :02:25.it was the fact the sermon The judge accepted Pastor McConnell
:02:26. > :02:30.thought he was preaching to his congregation and not
:02:31. > :02:34.the whole internet. But he said he words caused him
:02:35. > :02:37.to lose the run of himself and he should be more
:02:38. > :02:49.careful in the future. That was one particular message I've
:02:50. > :02:50.preached. Look at the thousands of messages
:02:51. > :02:53.I have preached and I listen to and I have even said worse things
:02:54. > :03:05.than that and it has gone out. Elsewhere in the sermon,
:03:06. > :03:16.Pastor McConnell's criticism Is Lamb is heaving, say tannic, a
:03:17. > :03:18.doctrine spawned in hell. -- is Lamb is heaving.
:03:19. > :03:21.And while the judge said he was absolutely entitled
:03:22. > :03:23.to criticise another faith, he'd not set out clear reasons why -
:03:24. > :03:26.instead he said he'd indulged in nothing more than
:03:27. > :03:29.Judge McNally said if a Muslim had described Christianity in the same
:03:30. > :03:33.way there would have been such a tornado of abuse it would make
:03:34. > :03:42.the reaction to Pastor McConnell's words look like an April shower.
:03:43. > :03:47.Members of his congregation have supported him throughout.
:03:48. > :03:49.his solicitor said the trial had taken its toll
:03:50. > :03:52.You can only expect justice in the next world,
:03:53. > :03:55.but on this occasion the law and justice have come together,
:03:56. > :03:56.this gentleman has taken a principled stand,
:03:57. > :03:59.he has carried the can for this to the detriment
:04:00. > :04:02.of his health for nearly two years and he is to be
:04:03. > :04:04.congratulated, we are greatly relieved that justice was done.
:04:05. > :04:06.The judge, I believe, he didn't do it lightly,
:04:07. > :04:09.he took it over the holidays and he came
:04:10. > :04:12.with the decision that he saw nothing that would be
:04:13. > :04:31.A statement from the Belfast Islamic this afternoon said:
:04:32. > :04:34.As he left, Pastor McConnell thanked his supporters and said
:04:35. > :04:41.he would continue to spread the word of God around the world.
:04:42. > :04:44.The Rivers Agency says the level of Lough Neagh is at a 30-year high
:04:45. > :04:50.They're pumping water away from a number of homes along
:04:51. > :04:53.the shore in an attempt to save them.
:04:54. > :04:56.And the Agriculture Minister went to Fermanagh today to see
:04:57. > :04:58.for herself the impact on communities isolated
:04:59. > :05:06.Our Agriculture and Environment correspondent Conor Macauley reports
:05:07. > :05:08.Several rivers converge at Derrytresk near Coalisland before
:05:09. > :05:15.That's a lot of water and much of it has backed up
:05:16. > :05:19.That's meant misery for the people living in a few houses who've relied
:05:20. > :05:22.on the sandbags and pumps provided by the Rivers Agency
:05:23. > :05:29.No water has got in yet, but it has been close,
:05:30. > :05:34.as 72-year-old Jimmy Quinn explained.
:05:35. > :05:47.Only for the bags and that pumps, it would be. It's not looking well when
:05:48. > :05:49.the Swans are going by the window, watching Coronation Street.
:05:50. > :05:51.Further west and in Fermanagh, the Agriculture Minister took
:05:52. > :05:54.to a tractor to navigate flooded roads that have isolated around
:05:55. > :05:56.a dozen homes at Inishroosk, near Lisnaskea.
:05:57. > :05:59.This has been the only way in and out of this community
:06:00. > :06:05.Among the people she met, Gerry McManus, whose 87-year-old
:06:06. > :06:22.And that's a big problem. She's 87 and needs care for times a day.
:06:23. > :06:27.Can't get in, so I take time off work and look after her. Hope
:06:28. > :06:35.difficult hazard in getting access? Tractors every day. To give you a
:06:36. > :06:41.sense of the scale of flooding, this is Upper Lough Erne, it is normally
:06:42. > :06:46.about 45 square kilometres but is now twice that size. It is clear to
:06:47. > :06:51.me there are other things we need to look at like roads being raised. In
:06:52. > :06:58.the past some roads were raised by about a metre, now two metres in
:06:59. > :07:00.some instances but you can see those roads are underwater again so has it
:07:01. > :07:03.being raised high enough? Those are questions for another time
:07:04. > :07:06.- for now, the people of Fermanagh and around the shores of Lough Neagh
:07:07. > :07:09.must pull together to get And with the prospect of more rain,
:07:10. > :07:13.there's not much sign of the roads The pressure on hospital emergency
:07:14. > :07:27.departments is being linked to the difficulty in getting care
:07:28. > :07:30.packages for elderly people either They cannot be moved out of hospital
:07:31. > :07:34.unless there is One care company told our
:07:35. > :07:37.reporter Maggie Taggart Another predicts a lack
:07:38. > :07:41.of finance will put it out The care sector complains that
:07:42. > :07:47.funding has steadily reduced and the prospect of soon having
:07:48. > :07:50.to pay a higher minimum wage will be Already it is not seen
:07:51. > :07:56.as an attractive job to many and there are problems recruiting
:07:57. > :08:00.care staff, so some say they can't Senior doctors say there's
:08:01. > :08:16.a knock-on effect in hospitals. If elderly people are ready to be
:08:17. > :08:22.discharged from hospital but cannot look after themselves at home, there
:08:23. > :08:29.are two main options. Around 9000 people are in residential homes,
:08:30. > :08:35.around 23,000 get domiciliary care. If those are not possible, they have
:08:36. > :08:40.to stay in hospital and that is part of the reason for the current
:08:41. > :08:46.logjam. The issue in the hospitals relates to delayed discharges due to
:08:47. > :08:51.unavailability of care packages to support people when they come home
:08:52. > :08:52.and also the issue of releasing people from hospital to care homes.
:08:53. > :08:55.Pauline Shepherd has her finger on the pulse -
:08:56. > :08:56.she represents more than 250 care providers.
:08:57. > :08:59.One company owner told me the system is imploding and another predicted
:09:00. > :09:06.he would have to go out of business within months.
:09:07. > :09:13.There have been a number of domiciliary care providers who are
:09:14. > :09:16.looking to sell their businesses, if that happens the impact back to the
:09:17. > :09:18.hospitals will increase. The care sector is to meet
:09:19. > :09:20.the Health Minister next week to plead its case but it fears
:09:21. > :09:24.no-one is listening to its concerns. Allegations of abuse at a Protestant
:09:25. > :09:28.children's home have been revealed The home was run by a mission group
:09:29. > :09:33.within the Church of Ireland The Historical Institutional Abuse
:09:34. > :09:39.Inquiry has opened public hearings into allegations of sexual
:09:40. > :09:42.and physical abuse Children were shipped to Australia
:09:43. > :09:50.in the middle of the last century Among those sent to the other side
:09:51. > :09:55.of the world - two young boys They are among a number of people
:09:56. > :10:00.who say they were abused there by some staff,
:10:01. > :10:15.visitors and some other children. The focus on a former Church of
:10:16. > :10:19.Ireland home illustrates how this inquiry continues to unwrap the
:10:20. > :10:23.history of society in Northern Ireland, and the narrative is a
:10:24. > :10:29.broad one. Previously Catholic state-run institutions, Barnardo's
:10:30. > :10:30.charity and today a former Protestant children's home.
:10:31. > :10:33.One of the former child migrants gave evidence to the Inquiry
:10:34. > :10:36.He claimed that he became a teenage prostitute after suffering abuse
:10:37. > :10:39.at Manor House and further abuse at a Presbyterian church
:10:40. > :10:41.farm training home, after he arrived in Australia.
:10:42. > :10:44.Another man alleged that he was tied with a rope, attached to a brick
:10:45. > :10:47.and tied to his bed at night, to prevent him from
:10:48. > :11:00.Public hearings at this inquiry are now into their third year and will
:11:01. > :11:04.continue until the summer. Then the chairman will write his report and
:11:05. > :11:05.he must presented to the office of the First and Deputy First Minister
:11:06. > :11:08.by January. A memorial service has been held
:11:09. > :11:11.to remember ten workmen who murdered in Kingsmills in County
:11:12. > :11:15.Armagh 40 years ago. The victims, who were all
:11:16. > :11:19.Protestant, were shot dead when an IRA gang
:11:20. > :11:21.ambushed their minibus. Here's our south east
:11:22. > :11:25.reporter Gordon Adair. With their faces set
:11:26. > :11:38.against the bitter January cold, those who lost loved ones
:11:39. > :11:40.at Kingsmills paused In my memory's eye I can see
:11:41. > :11:49.the uncontrollable grief of families whose loved ones had
:11:50. > :11:52.been so cruelly taken, sons, husbands, fathers,
:11:53. > :11:56.decent hard-working men. He was only 19 when he
:11:57. > :12:02.was killed that night. His mother and sister-in-law
:12:03. > :12:07.say their desire to see justice done
:12:08. > :12:10.has never dimmed. They killed three of my family,
:12:11. > :12:22.not one, because my mother My mother was putting dinner
:12:23. > :12:26.out for him and forgot, things like that, you know,
:12:27. > :12:31.so we're just looking for justice. And for Mrs Lemmon, wife
:12:32. > :12:35.of Joe Lemmon, 93 years of age, very unwell today, would love to be
:12:36. > :12:39.here but it isn't possible, she has always asked
:12:40. > :12:44.the question - why? A number of statements were read out
:12:45. > :12:48.on behalf of those now too elderly or infirm to attend services
:12:49. > :12:52.like today's and it's very clear that even four decades on,
:12:53. > :12:56.people still struggle to come to terms with what happened on this
:12:57. > :13:06.lonely stretch of road. Belfast City Councillors have been
:13:07. > :13:08.debating whether to host a joint civic reception for
:13:09. > :13:16.the Northern Ireland Both sides have qualified for this
:13:17. > :13:20.summer's European Championship Our reporter Rick Faragher
:13:21. > :13:36.is at the City Hall. The debate is ongoing although we
:13:37. > :13:39.expect a vote shortly. The question is, should a joint Civic reception
:13:40. > :13:47.for both the old teams on this island be held at the faster the
:13:48. > :13:51.whole? In November a reception was held for Northern Ireland after they
:13:52. > :13:57.qualified for Euro 2016. The Republic then qualified by play-offs
:13:58. > :14:03.and this is what put forward the SDLP motion of a joint reception,
:14:04. > :14:07.supported by Sinn Fein and Alliance, although unionists have argued
:14:08. > :14:12.against this, saying it would take away from the reception already
:14:13. > :14:16.posted, discredit it and make the council looked disorganised,
:14:17. > :14:20.although all worst the Republic of Ireland the best of luck.
:14:21. > :14:25.Nationalists say a joint reception the presents both main traditions
:14:26. > :14:31.and affects allegiances of football supporters. This is the first time
:14:32. > :14:35.Northern Ireland and the Republic have qualified for the same major
:14:36. > :14:40.tournament, fantastic news for the managers, both men from Northern
:14:41. > :14:46.Ireland and both who will attend a reception at Dublin City Council
:14:47. > :14:50.after the tournament, but it remains to be seen if a single event will be
:14:51. > :14:51.held here in Belfast. We will see shortly.
:14:52. > :14:54.A prominent SDLP politician will not be putting forward his name
:14:55. > :14:56.for re-election to the Assembly in May.
:14:57. > :14:58.Alban Maginness has represented North Belfast since 1998.
:14:59. > :15:01.He says he believes it's the right time for him to leave.
:15:02. > :15:04.Here's our political correspondent Gareth Gordon.
:15:05. > :15:07.After more than 30 years as an elected politician,
:15:08. > :15:11.Alban Maginness says it may now be time to consider his memoirs.
:15:12. > :15:15.He certainly wrote his own piece of history in 1997
:15:16. > :15:18.when he became Belfast's first nationalist Lord Mayor.
:15:19. > :15:33.I reject that criticism of me as chairman of this council. You can
:15:34. > :15:36.reject it. You produce the evidence of that.
:15:37. > :15:41.He has other hair-raising moments as well, like the time
:15:42. > :15:45.he had his famous moustache shaved off for Children in Need.
:15:46. > :15:54.Is there a doctor in the house? Where is Alasdair McDonnell? No,
:15:55. > :15:57.please, I want a real doctor! Alistair, for give me.
:15:58. > :15:59.Like Alasdair McDonnell, Alban Maginness will soon be gone
:16:00. > :16:10.I think it's the right time for me to move on and allow somebody to
:16:11. > :16:17.take up the leadership in terms of being MLA for North Belfast and I
:16:18. > :16:23.have complete confidence in any of the people I have suggested to you,
:16:24. > :16:28.that they would be very good as MLA 's, so I have no qualms about
:16:29. > :16:39.leaving the Assembly, it will be in good hands. And Stormont is set for
:16:40. > :16:46.a major changing of the guard before the next elections in May. Of the
:16:47. > :16:52.108 MLAs, 30 will not be standing, and that number could rise. Only in
:16:53. > :17:01.Lagan Valley and North Antrim May voters have the chance to stand
:17:02. > :17:05.again. As of now, only one sitting MLA will be putting their name on
:17:06. > :17:15.the ballot paper this time around in South Belfast. Already the hot
:17:16. > :17:18.favourite to succeed all but McGuinness is Nichola Mallon, like
:17:19. > :17:23.him, a former Lord where. -- mayor. Three weeks ago today a group
:17:24. > :17:25.of Syrian refugees came to Northern Ireland -
:17:26. > :17:28.part of the UK government's response 51 arrived in Belfast
:17:29. > :17:31.from camps in Lebanon. 11 of the children are
:17:32. > :17:40.under the age of five. Ten Syrian families arrived in
:17:41. > :17:45.Belfast on a dark December afternoon. They spent their first
:17:46. > :17:53.few days at a Welcome Centre. Three weeks on, one person who knows them
:17:54. > :17:59.is Michelle James, who has been working closely with the families.
:18:00. > :18:05.Things are busy, we moved families out of the Welcome Centre after a
:18:06. > :18:09.few days, into communities and we are completely overwhelmed with the
:18:10. > :18:15.support our communities have offered the families. They have been
:18:16. > :18:20.welcomed, neighbourly it was Christmas, people were at doors with
:18:21. > :18:27.presence, gets, offering help, children are now making friends.
:18:28. > :18:32.English is not the barrier. Very humbled to be involved in this piece
:18:33. > :18:37.of work. We were brought in a few weeks before the families were due
:18:38. > :18:42.to arrive and we are learning a lot, working closely with partners in the
:18:43. > :18:46.community and in the wider voluntary sector because we want to make sure
:18:47. > :18:52.these families feel welcome and that we can meet their needs. And they
:18:53. > :18:57.have specific needs, coming from dreadful circumstances. We don't
:18:58. > :19:00.know the full story yet and I don't know how long it will take for some
:19:01. > :19:07.families to share their full stories. We are starting to get some
:19:08. > :19:11.information and offer the support families need and will post them to
:19:12. > :19:17.special support if needed. And there is a second group of refugees due to
:19:18. > :19:19.arrive here before April, expected to settle up in the Northwest.
:19:20. > :19:22.Next, the first of our special reports this week marking
:19:23. > :19:24.the centenary year of significant events in our history.
:19:25. > :19:27.The Battle of the Somme claimed tens of thousands of lives -
:19:28. > :19:36.many of them from the 36th Ulster Division.
:19:37. > :19:38.Recently our reporter Mervyn Jess visited the Somme
:19:39. > :19:41.in northern France and the memorial tower built to honour those who died
:19:42. > :19:46.in one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.
:19:47. > :19:54.At 20 past seven on the morning of the 1st of July 1916, men of the
:19:55. > :20:01.36th Ulster Division were among the 100,000 Allied soldiers who went
:20:02. > :20:06.over the top to face the German army on the slopes of the Somme. It was
:20:07. > :20:12.to become known as the bloodiest day of the British Army. It is only when
:20:13. > :20:17.you climb into the trench that you start to get a sense of what it was
:20:18. > :20:25.like for those men fighting in them during the Battle of the Somme. Just
:20:26. > :20:31.over the top was the full horror of war and a few hundred yards that way
:20:32. > :20:36.is the final proof of that. The day after the battle began, 60,000
:20:37. > :20:41.Commonwealth soldiers have become casualties of war with 20,000 of
:20:42. > :20:49.them killed. Among the dead more than 2000 Ulster men, but the battle
:20:50. > :20:53.raged on and insert timbre, the 16th Irish division, made up of soldiers
:20:54. > :20:59.from Southern counties, suffered nearly 4500 casualties with nearly
:21:00. > :21:06.1200 killed, more Irishman died I think with Allied divisions. People
:21:07. > :21:14.from Ireland North and South regularly visit the War graves, some
:21:15. > :21:25.of them for the first time. W forever. -- love you forever. It's
:21:26. > :21:30.very moving, no matter how many times you do it, it still affects
:21:31. > :21:35.you. You were in a cemetery with a lady who had never been here, we
:21:36. > :21:41.both came out in tears. An Armistice Day each year, a ceremony at the
:21:42. > :21:46.Ulster Tower is attended by people from France and reverent Ireland. It
:21:47. > :21:51.is very moving because when you think of those junk lads leaving
:21:52. > :22:00.home, smiling and they just walked into hell. TRANSLATION: We realise
:22:01. > :22:04.as you get older all these men came here freely to help us hold onto our
:22:05. > :22:09.freedom in France and in the world, but particularly in France. It
:22:10. > :22:17.showed union between the countries to keep our freedom and our
:22:18. > :22:23.fraternity. The attack was at half past seven across the track up to
:22:24. > :22:30.the German wire, and few men but any further, but to Victoria crosses
:22:31. > :22:34.were one over there, and one was the only surviving the sea in the
:22:35. > :22:40.battle. Stories about the battle continued to be told, such was the
:22:41. > :22:43.slaughter that the memory was seared into the communities the soldiers
:22:44. > :22:45.came from. Tomorrow we have another special
:22:46. > :22:47.report marking events in 1916 The end of the competitive road
:22:48. > :22:54.for a great cyclist. Yes, Martyn Irvine has announced his
:22:55. > :23:00.retirement from competitive racing. A World Track Champion in 2013,
:23:01. > :23:03.the Newtownards rider also won two world silver medals
:23:04. > :23:05.in a fine career. But he hasn't made it
:23:06. > :23:08.to the Olympics in Brazil this year, and now has decided to stop
:23:09. > :23:18.cycling altogether. It was little under three years ago
:23:19. > :23:26.in Belarus that Martyn Irvine created are cycling history. Can
:23:27. > :23:35.Martyn Irvine do it? My word, he can! Martyn Irvine is the world
:23:36. > :23:39.champion. But injuries and failure to qualify for the Rio Olympics
:23:40. > :23:46.means has decided to retire. It's massive beak has I was never a
:23:47. > :23:49.professional but an amateur who rode professionally, and then when I
:23:50. > :23:54.missed the Olympic slot, it was like if you are not even an amateur in
:23:55. > :24:02.the Olympics it is impossible, so that was a big swinger, and then the
:24:03. > :24:05.motivation, the dream was to bury the Demons of underperforming in the
:24:06. > :24:11.last game, that is why I took so long to make my mind up, but I think
:24:12. > :24:16.it is the right season. But his place in sporting history books is
:24:17. > :24:21.assured, the first man from Northern Ireland to be a world track cycling
:24:22. > :24:27.champion. I regret not soaking that up more because looking back it was
:24:28. > :24:33.easy because I trade under Andy Sparks, I trained so hard that
:24:34. > :24:37.racing was easy and I needed that to give me a bit of confidence and kept
:24:38. > :24:44.winning things after that, I have a lot of medals that could never have
:24:45. > :24:51.happened, so it is a good story, it is up to me to keep reminding people
:24:52. > :24:55.it can be done, so I am happy. A maverick who will long inspire
:24:56. > :24:57.future Irish cyclists. Yes, let's hope so.
:24:58. > :24:59.Tonight's game between Carrick Rangers and Dungannon Swifts
:25:00. > :25:01.in the Danske Bank Irish Premiership has been postponed.
:25:02. > :25:04.The game will be rescheduled in due course but it's the seventh
:25:05. > :25:07.successive time Carrick have been unable to play at their ground.
:25:08. > :25:10.They now haven't played at home game there since October 31st last year.
:25:11. > :25:12.Finally, Royal County Down has been declared the current number one golf
:25:13. > :25:15.course in the world by a panel of nearly 2000 experts.
:25:16. > :25:18.It even finished ahead of Augusta National,
:25:19. > :25:23.venue for the US Masters of course, which ended up in the number 2 spot.
:25:24. > :25:31.I'm sure the Irish Open had a lot to do with that.
:25:32. > :25:40.We have seen a lot of flooding, people need some dry weather. We
:25:41. > :25:44.have some promising weather for the next 24 hours but one figure that
:25:45. > :25:50.will not surprise you, December was almost the wettest in a hundred
:25:51. > :25:57.years, beaten by 1919 by three millimetres. Today we have one or
:25:58. > :26:03.two patches of wet weather tonight but it will clear away and turned
:26:04. > :26:07.chilly, especially for the sky clears, allowing temperatures to
:26:08. > :26:13.fall below freezing. Some pockets of mist or fog developed but if you are
:26:14. > :26:17.heading out tonight, to cut some night skate photographs like this,
:26:18. > :26:22.you may not need the umbrella but you will need warm clothes. Tomorrow
:26:23. > :26:27.will be a chilly start, there will be more rain later on, for the
:26:28. > :26:33.beginning of the day it will be dry for most of us although a little
:26:34. > :26:37.chilly, taking a while for fog to clear away and then into the
:26:38. > :26:43.afternoon dry weather and sunshine, temperatures about normal with light
:26:44. > :26:49.winds and it will stay dry until the middle of the afternoon. Towards
:26:50. > :26:54.evening it will turn more unsettled, we will see rain creep up into
:26:55. > :26:59.Fermanagh and tyrants and slowly moved east through the night, some
:27:00. > :27:03.of that rain heavy and persistent as lasting for a few hours, so the Met
:27:04. > :27:09.Office has issued a weather warning. There may be further disruption and
:27:10. > :27:15.flooding in some areas and surface spray on the roads. As that rain
:27:16. > :27:18.leaves colder air behind, we will have sleet and snow for hill is
:27:19. > :27:25.elsewhere wet and chilly on Thursday. Overall it is not too bad,
:27:26. > :27:30.largely dry, more sunshine with the old scattered showers and it will be
:27:31. > :27:33.like that again for Friday and Saturday. More flooding, difficult
:27:34. > :27:35.times for many people. You can also keep in contact with us
:27:36. > :27:43.via Facebook and Twitter.