10/02/2016 BBC Newsline

MLAs have been debating an amendment which would allow them to make

exceptions in cases of comedy VDU P, who oppose it, have developed a

working group on the issue. The latest I am joined from Stormont

by our Political Correspondent. What is the latest? There are few more

difficult or sensitive issues facing politicians here. Not surprisingly

it has been a passionate debate, and emotive debate, and after four

hours, just over four hours, it is not quite over yet. We have not got

a result. But the issue is the question of whether the law in

Northern Ireland should be changed to allow abortions in the cases of

fatal foetal abnormality. If we are to continue to fail women in

Northern Ireland in this there we are up to getting our duties as

representatives. A traumatic journey for women to England is becoming a

shame on Northern Ireland. Looking elsewhere for sport and health makes

this worse. VDU P already made it clear they

opposed the amendment. What have they been saying? They say

it is too rushed. And that last night they said they would ask the

health minister to set up a working group involving clinicians and

people with legal backgrounds to work some recommendations for the

future as to how the issue might be addressed. Here is the junior

minister. I have not had the village of

bringing a child into this world. But I can empathise with all my

heart, the wished for, they longed for, can so quickly turned to

tragedy. The way forward that we are proposing is a compassionate one.

The working group will be set up by the end of this month but will not

report for six months, according to Sinn Fein, that is too long.

They have said they are sporting a commission which will report in six

months. What about the plight of women in the here and now? What

about the woman who are pregnant as a result of rape? Or women who are

faced with fatal foetal abnormality? We have still not had a vote but the

feeling is that with the DUP opposing, and the SDLP opposing, and

various others, it is likely, though not certain, but this is not the end

of the issue. Sinn Fein has made a formal

complaint to the Assembly Commissioner for Standards

following an incident involving the DUP MLA Jim Wells

in the Assembly chamber last night. It's the second complaint

against him in as many days after he was recorded making alleged

sexist comments during last week's Our political editor

Mark Devenport reports. It happened last week at a session

of the Public Accounts Committee. The microphone up whispered comment

from Jim Wells. He said he was scared out of his whip is when a

female civil servant, who reminded him of Arlene Foster, entered the

room. Then this quip... He described it as a

self-deprecating joke, but on social media many criticised him, including

Sinn Fein's Megan Fearon, who described the comments is disgusting

and showing contempt for women. Late last night the MLA was leading the

assembly chamber when on the opposite side, Mr Wells quickly rose

from his seat and appeared to confront her at the door before he

left. Her party colleague saw what was happening and moved to

intervene. Still Wells said he warned her the comments with the

sanitary. Tonight, Sinn Fein said they make a formal complaint to the

standards commissioner, saying the complaint is on the grounds of

equality, respect, and good working relationships between MLAs.

The scramble for tickets by Northern Ireland fans

is continuing after many loyal supporters lost out yesterday.

Today the Irish Football Association insisted the fans should

Many fans were so confident of getting tickets for France they had

already booked flights, hired cars, and hotels. Only to find out

yesterday they did not get any match tickets. Supporters like Roy McKie,

a regular for over 40 years. Disappointed, but at. Annoyed.

Four members of his family applied, only to got them. But they are all

still going to France together. The reason I am going is because the

flights are paid for. The accommodation is paid for. The cars

are paid for. And my son put it down as a driver of one of the cars.

So you have to go! I have to go!

Of course, there were winners as well as losers, I spoke to one

supporter who was embarrassed that the amount of tickets he got, having

undergone 21 qualification game at Windsor Park, he applied for, and

got, tickets to all three group games in France, in fact, he got to

tickets for each. Here is a copy of the e-mail he got. As well as two

tickets for the group matches he has been guaranteed tickets for any

match as Northern Ireland might play in the knockout stages. But it has

all come at a price. More than 1500 euros upfront. Around ?1200. It

appears that how much money supporters have been prepared to

spend has been important, not just the number of matches they have been

to in recent years. But the IFA say that the most loyal supporters

should get tickets soon in an extra allocation made available by Uefa.

They are in limbo at this point. I would ask them to have a small

amount of patience, wait, we will check all the data, make sure we get

all the right names into the system, and we will get Uefa to contact them

in the near future so they get access to the new ticket portal.

That should happen before the end of this month. As for Republic of

Ireland supporters, their long-awaited ticket news should on

Friday. Gardai say they are making progress

in their investigations into the recent

suspected gang murders. They have identified some of those

who carried out Friday's murder at the boxing weigh-in

and they believe those who murdered a taxi-driver on Monday night left

may have left DNA evidence in the get-away car

they failed to set on fire. Our Dublin correspondent

Shane Harrison reports. Crumlin in Dublin South inner city.

Not a very well off area. Long associated with drugs and crime. The

vast majority of people here are honest, law-abiding citizens. There

is a tiny minority. It is perhaps an unlikely starting point for a global

drug empire worth tens of millions of pounds. This man led the Crumlin

gang. Also known as Dapper Don, he is now based in Marbella, Spain. He

is said to have extraordinary personal wealth. It was a shooting

in Spain last September that prompted this outbreak of violence,

and exposed deep divisions. This man was a member of the gang, but it is

believed they killed him, suspect he was a police informant. Gary Hutch

was also a nephew of this man, known as the monk, he was a notorious

criminal in the 1980s and 1990s, but now says he has retired from crime.

The killing last Friday at a boxing promotion in Dublin was believed to

be a direct retaliation for the killing. David Byrne, a close tenant

of Kinahan was murdered, and for others injured. Within days, the

cycle of retaliation claimed another victim. And this is another uncle of

Gary, killed on Monday night. Few believe he was a gang member. The

widespread suspicion being that he was murdered simply because of his

surname. This afternoon, flowers from David Hearn's family outside

the Regency hotel where he was murdered. A Belfast on crime

correspondent said the amount of money one gang leader is making is

enormous. A senior anti-drug official told me

that Kinahan was the Manchester United of drug dealing. He has

things with Colombian cartels. He is that big that he can pick up the

phone and talk to people in Colombia. He is absolutely massive.

He has a fortune worth tens, if not hundreds of millions of euros.

With such a financial killing to be made the murders are perhaps not

surprising. And with armed Gardai on the street the suspicion is there

will be more fatalities in what is increasingly becoming personal.

Until the last few days the number of gangland killings had been

falling dramatically, and it is widely believed that Kinahan ordered

an end to all the future because they were hampering the making of

money. So the question now is, why the current killings? Are any

younger, more reckless generation taking over, in both camps? With

jewels still to take place parts of the city are living in fear and

dreading the next few days. -- with two funerals still to take place.

A coroner has told the West Midland's police to provide a list

of evidence in connection with the 1974 Birmingham pub

bombings which has been lost or destroyed .

21 people were killed when two bombs exploded at two pubs

The Coroner is deciding if inquests should be held.

The police are against resuming the inquests but victims relatives

and one of those wrongly convicted of the bombings want

With just two weeks to the General Election

in the Republic, our Economics and Business Editor John Campbell

has been in Dublin to look at the state of the Irish economy.

He's been speaking to people working with those on the margins of society

and to business people behind major projects on both sides

It is palpable. And it is very exciting at the moment. However, I

would say that there is a real nervousness as to whether it will

last. It is going to be clear in places

throughout the course of tonight, particularly in land and in eastern

areas. Temperatures will drop toward freezing, may be lower in some rural

spots. We are looking at Rost, mist and fog. And the threat of cloud

feeding in showers overnight, particularly over the hills. There

is the risk of a few icy patches. Tomorrow, generally speaking, a good

deal of dry weather, still some bright spells around. Eventually

more cloud than we had today. And with the fog patches in the morning,

there could be visibility issues, it could take some time to clear. Still

some showers towards the north-west. Fog will be stubborn to clear across

the Republic of Ireland but once it does, dry and bright. Variable cloud

across the rest of written. -- Britain. It could be quite brisk,

the wind, but elsewhere, mainly spells of sunshine, though not

particularly warm. Northern Ireland, the afternoon, more cloud than this

afternoon, still a few bright spells, and apart from the odd

shower, mainly dry with temperatures at 5-6dC. Friday, it also looks dry

and chilly but the trees with pick-up. The threat of rain on

Saturday, the main thing through the weekend is it is very cold, with

strong winds. Our next BBC Newsline is at 6:25am

in the morning during You can also keep updated

with News Online.