:00:00. > :00:09.Last night's rioting in Lurgan has been described by the police
:00:10. > :00:13.as an orchestrated, intense and prolonged violent attack.
:00:14. > :00:17.A shot was fired and more than 100 petrol bombs were thrown at officers
:00:18. > :00:20.during several hours of trouble in the Lake Street area.
:00:21. > :00:23.The police had been there because of a security alert,
:00:24. > :00:28.which has since been declared a hoax.
:00:29. > :00:32.A mixture of easily influenced young men and bewildered old men
:00:33. > :00:34.who do not realise the world has moved on.
:00:35. > :00:39.That is how the top police officer described the people who threw
:00:40. > :00:44.petrol bombs at police for more than five hours.
:00:45. > :00:47.The people who are behind this have no ideology.
:00:48. > :00:52.In many respects they can be compared to Isis.
:00:53. > :00:56.It is the people in their own community who are suffering
:00:57. > :01:10.The security alert that lured police into the area is just the latest
:01:11. > :01:13.in a string of incidents, each one coming with a price tag
:01:14. > :01:17.running into perhaps tens of thousands of pounds.
:01:18. > :01:25.The police officers who were absorbing petrol bombs
:01:26. > :01:30.and paint bombs and were at one stage the target of a live
:01:31. > :01:35.round of ammunition ought to be chasing after burglars
:01:36. > :01:40.and dealing with domestic abuse and keeping the roads safe.
:01:41. > :01:43.There is the greater cost of this society.
:01:44. > :01:47.For evacuated residents and inconvenienced commuters,
:01:48. > :01:53.This happens on a regular basis in this area.
:01:54. > :02:05.This afternoon, there was an uncharacteristic slip
:02:06. > :02:10.by the robot of the bomb disposal team.
:02:11. > :02:13.But police officers said the attackers
:02:14. > :02:20.will not be allowed to derail society.
:02:21. > :02:23.There will be more political reaction to the unrest in Lurgan
:02:24. > :02:25.on Good Morning Ulster Tomorrow morning.
:02:26. > :02:34.The police say a gun recovered in Strabane was a powerful military
:02:35. > :02:38.type rifle that was going to be used to try to kill officers.
:02:39. > :02:41.The Justice Minister has praised the local police for their work
:02:42. > :02:48.Police released photographs of the military style assault
:02:49. > :02:52.It was fired with ammunition during an investigation
:02:53. > :03:00.The rifle was taken away by police during a security alert on Friday
:03:01. > :03:10.For any of us to think that that sort of weapon
:03:11. > :03:13.is in existence and circulation on our streets.
:03:14. > :03:16.I welcome the fact that we have been able to remove it.
:03:17. > :03:19.It does show the success that the police operation is having
:03:20. > :03:24.People who would have such a weapon and are
:03:25. > :03:31.solely intent on killing people and causing harm to the community.
:03:32. > :03:34.The Justice Minister appealed to the PSNI.
:03:35. > :03:41.What we need to see is the continued united response against it.
:03:42. > :03:44.Until we see this kind of success on the part
:03:45. > :03:54.Critics say they have nothing to offer a society that does not
:03:55. > :04:06.A lower speed limit in the centre of Belfast will come
:04:07. > :04:12.The 20 miles per hour restriction is aimed at improving road safety.
:04:13. > :04:17.As BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports, some believe it will lead
:04:18. > :04:25.Traffic around the city centre in Belfast is about to slow down.
:04:26. > :04:28.The new 20 mph zone concentrates on the
:04:29. > :04:33.Looping round the City Hall and going as far as the Cathedral
:04:34. > :04:37.and right past the Castle Court shopping centre.
:04:38. > :04:40.But it is a relatively small area and doesn't
:04:41. > :04:44.include other traffic hotspots, so what is the verdict
:04:45. > :04:49.on the new restricted zone from road users?
:04:50. > :04:53.It is probably quite sensible because 30 miles an hour is too fast
:04:54. > :04:58.if you hit a pedestrian or something like that.
:04:59. > :05:06.It is going to cause a lot of problems.
:05:07. > :05:10.30 mph is the normal speed so what genius decided to bring
:05:11. > :05:17.Roy Gordon is the Road Service manager for Belfast.
:05:18. > :05:20.A taxi driver said what genius thought of this?
:05:21. > :05:27.We do not see this as an anti-car measure but as a pro-pedestrian
:05:28. > :05:35.Research shows clearly that a pedestrian
:05:36. > :05:42.struck at 40 mph is 90% likely to be killed.
:05:43. > :05:49.But at 20 mph, the chances of that are reduced to 10%.
:05:50. > :05:54.When you look at the new restricted zone, it is pretty clear that it
:05:55. > :05:57.will take a lot of getting used to, whether you like it or not.
:05:58. > :06:00.For example, this road behind the City
:06:01. > :06:03.Hall is now 20 mph when this one close by is 30 mph.
:06:04. > :06:08.To try to help drivers, there are lots of shiny
:06:09. > :06:14.Most of them are already up but the new speed limits won't be
:06:15. > :06:19.enforced until Sunday.
:06:20. > :06:22.Two men accused of taking part in a plot to smuggle in cannabis
:06:23. > :06:26.valued at nearly ?20 million have been granted bail.
:06:27. > :06:32.They are Wenjie He, who's 38, of no fixed address in Newtownards
:06:33. > :06:36.and 31-year-old Jaizhu Cai, with an address at Dunleath Drive in
:06:37. > :06:40.Prosecutors claim the men were involved in smuggling the drugs
:06:41. > :06:46.They were arrested in March last year.
:06:47. > :06:49.The Attorney General has lodged an appeal against a high court
:06:50. > :06:53.Last month a judge, Mr Justice Horner, said
:06:54. > :06:55.Northern Ireland's legislation was incompatible with
:06:56. > :07:01.He said women who are the victims of sexual crime and cases of fatal
:07:02. > :07:05.foetal abnormality are entitled to exemptions in the law.
:07:06. > :07:09.Abortion is banned here unless the woman's life is at risk
:07:10. > :07:12.or there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental
:07:13. > :07:18.The Taoiseach has warned that if the UK decides to leave
:07:19. > :07:21.the European Union it could cause serious difficulties not just
:07:22. > :07:23.for the Republic but for Northern Ireland.
:07:24. > :07:26.Enda Kenny was speaking after meeting the Prime Minister
:07:27. > :07:38.From our perspective, it would create serious difficulties for
:07:39. > :07:48.Northern Ireland. We don't want to see that happen and we work on the
:07:49. > :07:49.positive end of this. Ireland associated with that, North and
:07:50. > :07:50.south. A senior judge has accused
:07:51. > :07:53.the government of failing to properly resource delayed
:07:54. > :07:56.inquests into almost 100 deaths He also said some of the excuses
:07:57. > :08:00.offered by state agencies for the lack of progress
:08:01. > :08:03.were preposterous. Lord Justice Weir is carrying out
:08:04. > :08:07.a major review at Laganside Courts Terence McDaid was gunned down
:08:08. > :08:15.in front of his family in 1988. It was claimed he was
:08:16. > :08:18.murdered by a UDA gang in a case of mistaken identity,
:08:19. > :08:23.based on information given In court, they said the cases
:08:24. > :08:31.could not be worked on at the same time but Lord Justice Weir said
:08:32. > :08:35.they could if they were adequately He said the only thing that stopped
:08:36. > :08:40.them being worked on was the absence of resources on the government
:08:41. > :08:45.provides those resources. The judge is also looking
:08:46. > :08:48.at the case of Gerard Slane, who, like Mr McPake,
:08:49. > :08:52.was shot at his home and also by the UDA, in a killing also linked
:08:53. > :08:57.to the agent Brian Nelson. The barrister for the family said
:08:58. > :09:02.resources may not be the only issue The QC said there was a history
:09:03. > :09:07.of the MoD and police obstructing enquiries
:09:08. > :09:13.into investigations on state agents. Lord Justice Weir
:09:14. > :09:15.is set to recommend which ones can go to inquest
:09:16. > :09:23.when he completes his 10-day review. Our older citizens have got used
:09:24. > :09:35.to not paying for their TV licence. A bill to reduce the number of MLAs
:09:36. > :09:40.at Stormont was granted passage today. It proposes to reduce the
:09:41. > :09:43.number from 108 to 90 and 2021. You can see more on that at Stormont
:09:44. > :09:50.today at 11: 15. BBC is considering if it's now time
:09:51. > :09:53.for people aged over 75 to give to its cost.
:09:54. > :09:58.a voluntary contribution Our Arts Correspondent Robbie
:09:59. > :10:00.Meredith has been getting reaction It is a popular leisure and past
:10:01. > :10:04.time but providing free TV licences People over 75 get the ?145.50
:10:05. > :10:10.licence fee paid for by the government but
:10:11. > :10:12.they are looking for the BBC to cover that instead
:10:13. > :10:17.and that will cost ?650 million. They are looking for over 75s
:10:18. > :10:23.to volunteer paying the money It is just another move that
:10:24. > :10:32.usually are continuously. When there is money required,
:10:33. > :10:35.always go to the weakest Yes, there are some people
:10:36. > :10:42.who could afford to pay it and whether they do so is up
:10:43. > :10:46.to their conscience but why did they take it on if
:10:47. > :10:50.they cannot afford it? It is something older people
:10:51. > :10:54.will be worrying about now. A recent report from the Institute
:10:55. > :10:58.for Fiscal Studies said that pensioners were
:10:59. > :11:00.increasingly well off. Some have second pensions
:11:01. > :11:09.and supplementary income and have We are not dealing with
:11:10. > :11:16.the community where the word Many could afford to
:11:17. > :11:21.pay the licence fee, just as many could afford to pay
:11:22. > :11:25.for public transport and not use It is uncertain how much pensioners
:11:26. > :11:30.will want to give up what is a free The bill for the BBC is only
:11:31. > :11:54.going to get bigger, however. The weather is next.
:11:55. > :11:58.Yesterday, Aldergrove had its warmest January day since records
:11:59. > :12:04.began in 1927, reaching 14.1 degrees. Still have some mild spells
:12:05. > :12:13.this week but not as mild and there will be chillier snaps interspersed
:12:14. > :12:18.and also unsettled spells of Wayne -- rain. We have had quite a gusty
:12:19. > :12:22.wind today. Through the night, but wind picks up further as the next
:12:23. > :12:28.weather system approaches. This is a reference of the snowstorm which
:12:29. > :12:31.affected America but no snow for us, just wet and windy weather and that
:12:32. > :12:35.is how we go into the start of tomorrow. Not very pleasant on the
:12:36. > :12:38.roads, a lot of surface water and sprayed through the morning rush
:12:39. > :12:46.hour and it looks as though that persistent and heavy rain could
:12:47. > :12:48.linger right through rush hour. That wet and windy weather affecting many
:12:49. > :12:54.parts tomorrow across the Republic of Ireland, the south-west of
:12:55. > :12:57.England. Heavier pulses of rain across north-west England and into
:12:58. > :13:04.the West of Scotland. They could be some flooding issues again. It will
:13:05. > :13:08.be damp as times and breezy. For Northern Ireland, come the
:13:09. > :13:12.afternoon, things are mortuary. We should see some brighter spells with
:13:13. > :13:17.highs of 12 or 13 degrees. Showery rain starting to edge in and another
:13:18. > :13:18.batch of wet and windy weather coming in on Wednesday morning and
:13:19. > :13:21.early morning is in place. Our next BBC Newsline is at 6:25am
:13:22. > :13:30.during Breakfast here on BBC One.