:00:00. > :00:14.So it's goodbye from me and on BBC One we now join the BBC's
:00:15. > :00:21.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline
:00:22. > :00:30.An apology for an 82-year-old man who waited six hours for an
:00:31. > :00:34.ambulance. A new law on legal highs comes into effect in spring.
:00:35. > :00:47.A bereaved mother says it is about time.
:00:48. > :00:50.If a drug dealer was to sell drugs, they can be arrested.
:00:51. > :00:53.The Taoiseach is set to dissolve the Dail ahead of a general election
:00:54. > :01:01.And, all this could be yours, if you have half-a-million
:01:02. > :01:07.With the tournament just days away, Luke Fitzgerald has been ruled out
:01:08. > :01:15.of Ireland's Six Nations title defence.
:01:16. > :01:18.And, Storm Henry may have passed, but it's still windy,
:01:19. > :01:19.also icy in places with some
:01:20. > :01:30.The Ambulance Service has apologised to an elderly man and his family,
:01:31. > :01:33.after he had to wait almost six hours to be taken to hospital.
:01:34. > :01:35.As Maggie Taggart reports, the service has held up its hands
:01:36. > :01:38.to admit the service last night in the Bangor and Newtownards area
:01:39. > :01:54.At ten o'clock last night, a call was made to the Ambulance Service
:01:55. > :01:59.about an elderly man in Banga, in his 80s, with a fractured hip or
:02:00. > :02:02.broken leg, it was not known at that time.
:02:03. > :02:06.The analysis was it was a category C non-urgent call but it should be
:02:07. > :02:11.responded to within an hour. They were short of cruise last
:02:12. > :02:17.night, so in response to that call took no less than six hours.
:02:18. > :02:22.Even the season is -- D ambience group were shocked at the delay and
:02:23. > :02:25.suffering of that man. I know personally speaking, and
:02:26. > :02:30.speaking to our staff at headquarters and on the road, that
:02:31. > :02:40.if this was my father, I would be livid. I would expect an apology.
:02:41. > :02:44.In a statement, the Northern Ireland anglers service offered a sincere
:02:45. > :02:53.apology to the family. They said this.
:02:54. > :02:59.Within the next few days, it said the trust would make contact with
:03:00. > :03:01.the family. It ended saying, our apology is
:03:02. > :03:05.unreserved. If you have had a similar
:03:06. > :03:08.experience, you can share your views New laws to prosecute people selling
:03:09. > :03:15.so-called legal highs have passed their final
:03:16. > :03:18.hurdle at Westminster. From the spring, offenders face up
:03:19. > :03:21.to seven years in prison. Several young people have died
:03:22. > :03:23.from taking the substances which can often be even stronger
:03:24. > :03:26.than illegal drugs. Among them was Sean Paul Carnahan,
:03:27. > :03:28.from west Belfast. Tara Mills has been
:03:29. > :03:43.speaking to his mum. Sean Paul Carnahan was 22 when he
:03:44. > :03:48.died, he lost his dad at the age of ten, and his mum says he had always
:03:49. > :03:55.had trouble coming to terms with it. What age when he had been there?
:03:56. > :03:58.Ten. Tracie knew he had been to a party but afterwards she found at
:03:59. > :04:07.what he had taken. If you days later, my oldest boy,
:04:08. > :04:13.told me Sean Paul had taken legal highs. At that stage, I had never
:04:14. > :04:21.heard of that in my life. From then, from Sean Paul taking legal highs,
:04:22. > :04:30.he was in hospital. That is all you were hearing these days. I asked his
:04:31. > :04:34.friends, his best friend, please tell me. He admitted they had taken
:04:35. > :04:39.other types of drugs but that was his first time taking legal highs.
:04:40. > :04:45.Were you able to find out where he got them from?
:04:46. > :04:50.He got them from a shop which has now closed down.
:04:51. > :04:54.The drugs are known as psychoactive substances mimicking the effects of
:04:55. > :05:00.drugs like cocaine. Their effect on mental health can be even more
:05:01. > :05:03.severe. Seven years is not long enough for
:05:04. > :05:10.somebody who has lost their life from a legal highs.
:05:11. > :05:14.They seem to be able to sell them and nothing is happening to anybody.
:05:15. > :05:24.It has taken a long time to get to this stage.
:05:25. > :05:30.If a drug dealer was to sell drugs at my door, the police will arrest
:05:31. > :05:34.them. With the shops, they can continuously do it. Even after Sean
:05:35. > :05:37.Paul's death. Those working to protect young
:05:38. > :05:41.people are relieved the legislation has made its way through
:05:42. > :05:44.Westminster. The current legislation gives the
:05:45. > :05:49.impression these substances are safe. Through our work with services
:05:50. > :05:53.that work with young people and adults, it is clear that these
:05:54. > :05:58.substances have the potential to cause individuals a lot of harm.
:05:59. > :06:01.Yes, we certainly welcome the legislation today.
:06:02. > :06:10.The damage that can be caused to mental health by these drugs has
:06:11. > :06:12.been well documented. What is not so well known is the destination it
:06:13. > :06:16.causes to the families left behind, to grieve the loss of a young life.
:06:17. > :06:18.News just in, a body has been discovered on a beach in County
:06:19. > :06:21.Down. It's understood the remains
:06:22. > :06:34.are those of a woman found What can you tell us? This grim
:06:35. > :06:39.discovery was made if you hours ago on to earn a beach by a member of
:06:40. > :06:42.the public walking their dog. That member or the public lives if you
:06:43. > :06:48.feet from where I am standing. I spoke to their neighbour who said it
:06:49. > :06:52.was quite a shock to find this grim discovery this afternoon. We don't
:06:53. > :06:58.know a lot about the identity of this woman, or the circumstances of
:06:59. > :07:00.her death. That presumably will be a priority for the police
:07:01. > :07:07.investigation, and a postmortem will be carried out.
:07:08. > :07:12.We have already had some community reaction this evening. The local
:07:13. > :07:17.Sinn Fein MLA said the discovery of a body at Wellow Beach was a tragedy
:07:18. > :07:21.and the local community has been shocked and saddened by the
:07:22. > :07:27.discovery. An unfolding story this evening. We will give you the latest
:07:28. > :07:31.on our radio bulletins and online and our late TV service.
:07:32. > :07:33.There is no police activity here at the moment. We will give you the
:07:34. > :07:37.latest details as we get them. The woman whose case sparked
:07:38. > :07:42.a debate about abortion in certain cases says she wants to meet
:07:43. > :07:52.the First Minister. The winter storms led to huge
:07:53. > :07:54.flooding problems around Lough But it also created another big
:07:55. > :07:59.issue which is only now The flooded waters have carried
:08:00. > :08:03.tonnes of rubbish into the lough, and it's now being washed
:08:04. > :08:06.up along its shores. Our agriculture and environment
:08:07. > :08:19.correspondent Conor Macauley The winter weather is still whipping
:08:20. > :08:23.up the swollen waters of Loch Neagh but now there is a new problem after
:08:24. > :08:30.the unprecedented rainfall that filled it to overflowing.
:08:31. > :08:33.This bait at rivals town is one of 40 nature reserves in Northern
:08:34. > :08:38.Ireland. An important habitat which we have pledged to conserve. As you
:08:39. > :08:42.approach the shoreline, you quickly realise the place is in a shocking
:08:43. > :08:47.state. As far as I can see in both
:08:48. > :08:50.directions, there is a long line of plastic, a tide mark, something you
:08:51. > :08:57.would expect to see at the seaside. A broken basin. An old workman's
:08:58. > :09:05.helmet, a child's Skrtel. The most concerning thing is this
:09:06. > :09:11.down here, a box for used needles, and there are needles in it.
:09:12. > :09:16.Much of this would have been swept up in five flooded rivers flowing
:09:17. > :09:21.into the Lough in December. 100 miles of shoreline. The problem is
:09:22. > :09:25.around the river mouth and because of the prevailing wind direction,
:09:26. > :09:29.the plastic has been pushed into the north-east corner of Loch Neagh
:09:30. > :09:35.close to Antrim. This would is on the foreshore,
:09:36. > :09:40.closed to the public now because access is flooded. It is scarcely
:09:41. > :09:45.recognisable. Much of the land adjoining the Lough
:09:46. > :09:51.is privately owned. One organisation hopes to get funding to start to
:09:52. > :09:59.sort the litter problem. To identify, and put a scheduled
:10:00. > :10:05.clean up, twice a year, three times a year, over the next five years.
:10:06. > :10:10.And start beginning to address, and take some of the rubbish away. Also
:10:11. > :10:15.to get a feel for the size and scale.
:10:16. > :10:17.That is work that badly needs to be done at what is meant to be one of
:10:18. > :10:29.our most highly protected habitats. The Organisation For Economic
:10:30. > :10:32.Co-operation And Development, or OECD, has apologised
:10:33. > :10:36.for publishing the wrong information about the literacy and numeracy
:10:37. > :10:39.skills of university students here. It had ranked them 22nd out of 23
:10:40. > :10:42.countries in literacy, Now, it says that local students
:10:43. > :10:50.are, in reality, in the middle of the list of the surveyed
:10:51. > :10:53.countries. A radical plan for an official
:10:54. > :10:56.opposition in the Assembly has been Parties, including Sinn Fein,
:10:57. > :11:02.the SDLP and the DUP, objected to major parts of a bill
:11:03. > :11:05.drawn up by the independent unionist Although he says what is left
:11:06. > :11:08.is still a major breakthrough. Here's our political correspondent,
:11:09. > :11:23.Gareth Gordon. The highlight of the Westminster
:11:24. > :11:27.week. We have done more on tax evasion and avoidance than Labour
:11:28. > :11:32.did. The truth is they are running to catch up but haven't got a leg to
:11:33. > :11:36.stand on. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition doing
:11:37. > :11:40.battle across a credit chamber. Officially, Stormont doesn't have an
:11:41. > :11:47.opposition, the parties who share the effective table often share
:11:48. > :11:53.little else. That may change. John McCallister they get his way. He
:11:54. > :11:57.proposed a radical plan. As it stands, every MLA has two align
:11:58. > :12:01.itself to either the Unionist or nationalist community. He wants that
:12:02. > :12:08.to end. God would be the current system of community designators were
:12:09. > :12:13.parties also identified. There would be no cross community voting system.
:12:14. > :12:17.Six or more MLAs could form the opposition. What we are more likely
:12:18. > :12:25.to end up with are the proposals in the fresh deal worth community
:12:26. > :12:28.designations with stage, only larger parties can form opposition, and
:12:29. > :12:34.those that do will receive extra money and speaking rights.
:12:35. > :12:39.Large parts of John McCallister's bill have been killed off.
:12:40. > :12:42.We believe the fresh start has provided and I'd missed a basis to
:12:43. > :12:50.satisfy the demands of those who don't want to be in Government. And
:12:51. > :12:54.around 20 designation, this is against the principles of the Good
:12:55. > :12:57.Friday agreement. It is a national evolution this
:12:58. > :13:02.Assembly will have the proper functions of an opposition with
:13:03. > :13:06.proper speaking time. We think it is important to maintain the quality in
:13:07. > :13:10.power-sharing provisions we struggled to achieve. The DUP's also
:13:11. > :13:18.had problems with other aspects of the bill. It is more significant.
:13:19. > :13:22.Some would claim it is. Other technical aspects of the bill we
:13:23. > :13:27.don't think would be prudent to follow through. Most of this bill,
:13:28. > :13:32.the general thrust, we are supportive of. It is inescapable
:13:33. > :13:39.that private members bills will only be acceptable if they have the
:13:40. > :13:43.support of the DUP and Sinn Fein. The man behind the original bill is
:13:44. > :13:48.not despondent. The important principle will be set
:13:49. > :13:54.in this legislation, that we will have the rights and parties will
:13:55. > :13:58.have did take up an opposition role in the Assembly. And provide
:13:59. > :14:02.scrutiny and choice and challenge to voters. Something which is a huge
:14:03. > :14:10.step forward. A step forward maybe, but not the
:14:11. > :14:11.leap he wanted. Once again, this has shown this place changes only at its
:14:12. > :14:13.own pace. The issue of abortion is set
:14:14. > :14:15.to return for debate The woman whose case sparked
:14:16. > :14:19.a debate about abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities says
:14:20. > :14:21.she wants to meet This evening, and Alliance MLA had a
:14:22. > :14:34.private meeting with Mrs Foster. Our political editor
:14:35. > :14:46.Mark Devenport is at Stormont. What can you tell us about that
:14:47. > :14:51.meeting? Neither side is giving out any details but we do know Stuart
:14:52. > :14:56.Dickson MLA who is bringing this amendment to change the abortion
:14:57. > :15:00.law, did have this private discussion with Arlene Foster. We
:15:01. > :15:04.know he was raising the hope that she would give her MLA is a free
:15:05. > :15:09.vote on the question. His amendment deals with the
:15:10. > :15:12.specific issue of fatal fatal abnormalities where women have been
:15:13. > :15:17.told their babies would not survive beyond birth. This issue was put in
:15:18. > :15:22.the headlines after Sarah Ewart talked about her tragic case where
:15:23. > :15:28.she had to travel to England to get a termination. She was at a Stormont
:15:29. > :15:32.this week and said she wanted to see Arlene Foster, to raise with her the
:15:33. > :15:35.specific circumstances she had faced.
:15:36. > :15:43.This is what she said. This is a medical procedure. We are not
:15:44. > :15:50.looking for anything else. We do not agree with full abortion for any
:15:51. > :15:52.reason. We are asking for her to let her party have a free vote so we can
:15:53. > :15:53.have these procedures in our hospitals.
:15:54. > :15:58.So, where is this likely to go next week?
:15:59. > :16:05.We are expecting it to be discussed on Tuesday and it could be the early
:16:06. > :16:12.hours before the MLAs get to it. The DUP continue to be opposed to the
:16:13. > :16:16.1967 Abortion Act, and not giving guidance on whether they will
:16:17. > :16:22.consider a free vote. The TUV will oppose it. Sinn Fein
:16:23. > :16:26.may back it. The SDLP and DUP are keeping their powder dry.
:16:27. > :16:27.This mood did not get through to the effective when David Ford was
:16:28. > :16:30.looking at this. And, today, MLAs have been
:16:31. > :16:38.debating issues around how We heard the bell ringing behind
:16:39. > :16:42.you. Any conclusion? That spell means
:16:43. > :16:47.they are still voting on the opposition bill. That will go on
:16:48. > :16:51.through the night. There are a few amendments to them to decide on. We
:16:52. > :16:57.are expecting the voting to continue on Monday next week. At the last
:16:58. > :17:02.minute, the Nationalist party, Sinn Fein and SDLP put their names on a
:17:03. > :17:06.petition of concern and that cannot be voted on until the next working
:17:07. > :17:09.day which will be Monday when the Assembly chamber resumes.
:17:10. > :17:12.The Taoiseach Enda Kenny will announce tomorrow that he's
:17:13. > :17:14.calling a general election, and the date is expected to be
:17:15. > :17:18.Our Dublin correspondent Shane Harrison joins me
:17:19. > :17:23.It had been thought that he would seek a dissolution
:17:24. > :17:38.In fairness to the Taoiseach, he personally never indicated the
:17:39. > :17:44.election would be called today. By not dissolving this afternoon, he
:17:45. > :17:49.allowed the punditry committee to investigate a horrific case of child
:17:50. > :17:53.sexual and physical abuse in a foster home in the south-east,
:17:54. > :17:57.overseen by the health service. It has led to Gerry Adams saying not
:17:58. > :18:01.only is this Government is incompetent as he sees it in the
:18:02. > :18:02.running of the economy, but in confident in the calling of a
:18:03. > :18:05.general election. What are the issues likely to be
:18:06. > :18:21.in the run-up to the election? It is going to be all about the
:18:22. > :18:25.economy. The Fine Gael edition said they have turned it around, as
:18:26. > :18:30.evidenced by tax return figures issued today. They will say a vote
:18:31. > :18:35.for us is a vote for stability over uncertainty. But Fianna Fail, Sinn
:18:36. > :18:40.Fein and the hard left party say there is an economic recovery but
:18:41. > :18:44.not everybody is benefiting, and there are still huge social issues
:18:45. > :18:49.around, like homelessness, the threat of homelessness, the lack of
:18:50. > :18:52.social housing being built. The current poll, we know you can't
:18:53. > :18:59.rely on them all the time, what are they indicating?
:19:00. > :19:03.The polls suggest that Fianna Gael and Labour are both going to lose
:19:04. > :19:07.seats, particularly the Labour Party which could see two thirds of its
:19:08. > :19:12.seats going. They also suggest Fianna Fail will improve, Sinn Fein
:19:13. > :19:17.could double the 14th seats it has. The current Government could well be
:19:18. > :19:21.returned. If it is, it will be dependent on the support of a
:19:22. > :19:28.growing number of independent TDs. It is all to play for, the election
:19:29. > :19:29.hasn't even yet been called. With Sinn Fein heading into that
:19:30. > :19:34.election, on BBC Spotlight this evening,
:19:35. > :19:36.the programme investigates what the impact of the recent tax
:19:37. > :19:39.conviction of prominent republican Thomas Slab Murphy means
:19:40. > :19:41.for the party, as it prepares And that programme can be seen
:19:42. > :19:52.on BBC One tonight, at 10.45. Darren Clarke says he's hoping
:19:53. > :19:57.the Ulster rugby team can help him in his quest for golfing glory
:19:58. > :20:09.as the Ryder Cup captain. Stormont is selling off its biggest
:20:10. > :20:11.and most important relic of the Cold War, and the asking
:20:12. > :20:14.price is just over half-a-million The Regional Government Centre
:20:15. > :20:21.was a nuclear bunker It was meant to be a refuge for VIPs
:20:22. > :20:29.if there was a nuclear war. Now, it could be yours,
:20:30. > :20:42.as Will Leitch reports. for sale, three acres of cold War
:20:43. > :20:47.history sitting in an industrial estate outside Ballymena. This is
:20:48. > :20:51.what is on offer, opened in 1990, one of 1600 built across the UK from
:20:52. > :20:55.the 1950s. This regional Government nuclear
:20:56. > :21:00.bunker was finished just after the Berlin Wall came down. By then,
:21:01. > :21:06.global politics had changed. If you buy it, you could put it to
:21:07. > :21:10.commercial use, or make a very unusual private residence with one
:21:11. > :21:15.heck of a front door. There are three blast doors, thick
:21:16. > :21:21.and airtight. The bunker was to be home to over 200 people, VIPs and
:21:22. > :21:26.support staff. It has its own dormitories. The bedding is still
:21:27. > :21:28.waiting for its first use. Plenty of power for the well-stocked kitchen
:21:29. > :21:36.which comes ready with tinned food from another era. There are several
:21:37. > :21:40.ideas for putting the site to use. We're not ruling anything out. The
:21:41. > :21:46.film industry in Northern Ireland, secure data storage, even a museum.
:21:47. > :21:51.There are examples throughout the UK where they have converted older
:21:52. > :21:55.bunkers into museums, mainly because it has original fixtures and
:21:56. > :22:02.fittings. And residential use. People could live in it. One
:22:03. > :22:04.drawback, there might be a map like this somewhere in the former Soviet
:22:05. > :22:10.bloc with this bunker marked on it. And Ireland's rugby team has been
:22:11. > :22:13.hit by injury to one of its players, ahead of the start
:22:14. > :22:16.of the Six Nations Leinster's Luke Fitzgerald is set
:22:17. > :22:23.to miss the tournament with a knee injury, as Ireland aim for a third
:22:24. > :22:25.successive Six Nations title. Fitzgerald will be out
:22:26. > :22:28.for up to eight weeks, and joins Tommy Bowe,
:22:29. > :22:44.Peter O'Mahony and Iain Henderson It is just doing an attacking drill
:22:45. > :22:50.at the Aviva at the opening session, his foot got caught in the grass and
:22:51. > :22:54.twisted his knee. Fairly innocuous but very unfortunate and unlucky to
:22:55. > :23:00.be out of the Six Nations. He was very upset and feared the worst.
:23:01. > :23:06.He has had a very good run, injury wise, since the end of last season.
:23:07. > :23:10.A great World Cup. Flying for Leinster up until the opening
:23:11. > :23:11.session on Friday. One of those things, very unfortunate.
:23:12. > :23:13.Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, and Graeme McDowell are all
:23:14. > :23:16.in Dubai, to compete in the Desert Classic tournament
:23:17. > :23:19.For Clarke, in particular, this is an important season.
:23:20. > :23:22.He'll captain Europe against the USA in the Ryder Cup later this year.
:23:23. > :23:24.And, today, he told Stephen Watson how he's been seeking advice
:23:25. > :23:33.from an interesting source, the Ulster Rugby team.
:23:34. > :23:41.Having fun in the Middle East son. But, for Darren Clarke, the serious
:23:42. > :23:44.business of the Ryder Cup is never far from his thoughts. He is
:23:45. > :23:49.determined his preparation for the autumn event will be perfect. As
:23:50. > :23:55.part of his meticulous planning, he has been to see the Ulster rugby
:23:56. > :23:59.captain Rory Best and director for some advice.
:24:00. > :24:05.Dispense a bit of time with layers and the backroom team, and Rory as
:24:06. > :24:09.well, picking their brains. It was great, I enjoyed it. I am a huge
:24:10. > :24:15.rugby fan. To see how they prepare for big matches was an eye-opener
:24:16. > :24:20.and something I will learn from. One golfer hoping the Ryder Cup is
:24:21. > :24:24.on his horizon is Graeme McDowell. The only European player to have
:24:25. > :24:32.automatically qualified for the last four. After finishing 2015 on a
:24:33. > :24:37.tournament high in Mexico, he is now practising hard on being on the
:24:38. > :24:42.European team once more. Of course I want to be part of the
:24:43. > :24:46.experience. Motivation is 100%. A lot of reflection last year when I
:24:47. > :24:51.wasn't playing well. We're dedicating myself to the game, doing
:24:52. > :24:56.what I want to do. I love it. Just a case of making sure I played as well
:24:57. > :25:01.as I know I can play. He also hasn't given up hope of
:25:02. > :25:05.qualifying for the Olympics this summer when golf returns to the
:25:06. > :25:16.Olympic Games in an even busier than usual year for our golfing stars.
:25:17. > :25:18.Linfield have the chance to go second in the Danskebank Premiership
:25:19. > :25:24.We'll have the result of that match, and Carrick versus Glenavon,
:25:25. > :25:35.Still pretty windy but Henry delivered 75 mile an hour gusts
:25:36. > :25:39.yesterday. Some were contending with the disruptive wins but others were
:25:40. > :25:46.being treated to sightings of this rare and beautiful clouds high up in
:25:47. > :25:52.the stratosphere with an iridescent Mother-Of-Pearl Trophy appearance. A
:25:53. > :25:57.couple of the many photographs that have been sent in, thank you.
:25:58. > :26:04.Storm Henry is heading to Scandinavia. Not as Wendy but plenty
:26:05. > :26:09.of ice bars packed in -- windy. We do get a squeeze again so we are
:26:10. > :26:15.likely to see those winds picked up, 30 miles an hour around the coast,
:26:16. > :26:19.as a band of rain, sleet and snow moves south, settling on the hill
:26:20. > :26:25.tops. Temperatures are close to freezing. Likely to become quite
:26:26. > :26:31.icy, ice warnings are in place. Through the night, that sleet and
:26:32. > :26:33.snow moves southwards. As it clears, the winds will ease.
:26:34. > :26:38.Temperatures might creep up a little. That means snow and ice will
:26:39. > :26:42.become patchy. We need to content the Sun ice
:26:43. > :26:49.tomorrow morning in the rush hour. Then, is bright and breezy day.
:26:50. > :26:52.Still a few showers from the north-west in the morning.
:26:53. > :26:57.Still a line of showers moving through in the afternoon but
:26:58. > :27:01.probably more dry. Some sunshine but not particularly warm in the breeze,
:27:02. > :27:06.temperatures of seven Celsius. The cloud will gather in the
:27:07. > :27:11.afternoon, spells of rain moving in towards the west. They could
:27:12. > :27:17.initially fall as snow over the hilltops tomorrow evening. A wet and
:27:18. > :27:20.windy night, much milder, temperatures actually rising.
:27:21. > :27:29.A mild day on Thursday. Breezy and cloudy, with patchy rain. Wet and
:27:30. > :27:35.windy weather to come on Friday. Alex summary is at 10:30pm on BBC
:27:36. > :27:40.One. You can always keep in contact with the programme on our Facebook
:27:41. > :27:43.page and we are on Twitter. From BBC Newsline, enjoy the rest of your
:27:44. > :27:45.evening, thank you for watching. Goodbye.