:00:07. > :00:11.The Director of Public Prosecutions has agreed to meet the First
:00:12. > :00:13.Minister to discuss her concerns over the collapse
:00:14. > :00:18.29 murder charges against Seamus Daly
:00:19. > :00:22.Arlene Foster says she wants to find out why the case was halted.
:00:23. > :00:29.Here's our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney.
:00:30. > :00:32.Seamus Daly was released yesterday just hours after the case
:00:33. > :00:37.His lawyers say the case should never have made it to court.
:00:38. > :00:42.The First Minister takes a different view.
:00:43. > :00:44.Arlene Foster was here to visit a new ?105 million hospital
:00:45. > :00:47.being built in the town, but events of the past
:00:48. > :00:55.I'm very, very conscious of the fact there are so many families
:00:56. > :01:00.and the wider community that feel a great deal of hurt this morning.
:01:01. > :01:03.While his lawyer said he should never have been charged,
:01:04. > :01:05.Arlene Foster wants the Public Prosecution Service
:01:06. > :01:20.We want to ask questions about why the DPP decided not to proceed
:01:21. > :01:23.in the terms of this case and we will following that
:01:24. > :01:27.We want to ask questions about the conduct of the case,
:01:28. > :01:30.how it was taken forward and how they communicated with the families,
:01:31. > :01:32.because I feel that the way they were treated was unacceptable.
:01:33. > :01:35.The Director of Public Prosecutions, Barra McGrory, today confirmed
:01:36. > :01:37.and that he will meet Arlene Foster to discuss concerns.
:01:38. > :01:40.In a statement to the BBC, he also said he has written
:01:41. > :01:42.to the families of those killed to explain the reasoning behind
:01:43. > :01:47.the decision to withdraw the charges.
:01:48. > :01:50.The Public Prosecution Service said it had no option but to drop
:01:51. > :01:55.the case after the key witness changed his evidence.
:01:56. > :01:58.The prosecution's case relied upon the witness to link Seamus Daly
:01:59. > :02:03.with a mobile phone used by members of the Real IRA
:02:04. > :02:08.Seamus Daly has always strongly denied any involvement.
:02:09. > :02:11.14 years ago, the BBC's Panorama programme asked
:02:12. > :02:13.about allegations that he had used a phone belonging
:02:14. > :02:23.to the bombers which showed he was involved.
:02:24. > :02:26.One thing I would like you to explain Mr Daly is why you came
:02:27. > :02:33.The key witness in a prosecution case against Seamus Daly has said
:02:34. > :02:35.he called him from a mobile phone linked to the bombers
:02:36. > :02:40.But last week he said he may have been mistaken and that the call may
:02:41. > :02:47.At that point, the prosecution case was completely undermined.
:02:48. > :02:51.Seamus Daly met his solicitors in Belfast today to discuss
:02:52. > :02:53.an appeal against a civil prosecution that found him liable
:02:54. > :02:56.He declined the request for an interview about
:02:57. > :03:03.A witness at the inquest into the death of teenager
:03:04. > :03:06.Arlene Arkinson has said she became frightened of Robert Howard
:03:07. > :03:09.after he told her he had previously murdered a six-year-old girl.
:03:10. > :03:12.Howard was the main suspect in Arlene's disappearance.
:03:13. > :03:17.He was never convicted of murder, although he was convicted
:03:18. > :03:20.of the attempted rape of a girl the same age.
:03:21. > :03:35.Robert Howard was well known in a castle. But he had a reputation now
:03:36. > :03:38.the mother of one or lean's friends had explained what she thought of
:03:39. > :03:42.him. She told the court she met Robert Howard and did not like him.
:03:43. > :03:47.It older he had been in prison after the murder of a six-year-old girl,
:03:48. > :03:51.and whilst he had many convictions, he was never convicted for that
:03:52. > :03:54.crime. She resolved she and her family should have nothing to do
:03:55. > :04:02.with him. She told the court Howard was an evil looking man with drink
:04:03. > :04:05.in him. She also said she did not like the look of him and want to be
:04:06. > :04:10.in his company, because he was very scary. She also said Arlene said she
:04:11. > :04:14.needed money for an abortion became hysterical and Robert Howard's name
:04:15. > :04:24.was mentioned. Later commanding's sister Kathleen gave evidence.
:04:25. > :04:28.Kathleen also had to deal with local rumours about Arlene's boyfriend.
:04:29. > :04:34.Kathleen Arkin as an wept briefly as she recalled the last time she had
:04:35. > :04:40.seen her sister in August 19 94. She had given her money for chips as she
:04:41. > :04:44.set off for a disco. An Irish ?1 coin which she put in the pocket of
:04:45. > :04:49.their genes. Kathleen never saw Arlene again. She explained how she
:04:50. > :04:55.had complements the police ombudsman in 2006, but the RUC and PSNI
:04:56. > :05:00.investigation said they hadn't given the case the seriousness and
:05:01. > :05:04.credence it deserved. In 1996, the police searched the home and they
:05:05. > :05:09.kept in the house for over two days and briefly arrested her partner.
:05:10. > :05:14.There had been more working of tongs, rumours now I accepted as
:05:15. > :05:20.incorrect. The rumours were that I killed Arlene, she said. The whole
:05:21. > :05:23.world was talking about it. Com bleating the evidence, Kathleen
:05:24. > :05:28.Arkin is an wept again as she said she simply wanted her little sister
:05:29. > :05:36.to have a decent crystal boreal. -- Christian burial.
:05:37. > :05:39.More than 70 doctors and academics have called for a ban on tackling
:05:40. > :05:41.in rugby matches played in UK and Irish schools.
:05:42. > :05:42.They've written to sports ministers in London,
:05:43. > :05:46.But the Irish rugby authorities have rejected the idea,
:05:47. > :05:48.as BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports.
:05:49. > :05:51.The only rugby David Ross can play now is wheelchair rugby.
:05:52. > :05:53.He was severely injured playing for his
:05:54. > :06:02.high school in the match three years ago.
:06:03. > :06:04.The tackle came beside me and the two players involved
:06:05. > :06:09.It falls to down into my chest and I heard
:06:10. > :06:13.I knew straightaway it had happened and that is how it happened.
:06:14. > :06:25.To try and stop it happening to other young rugby
:06:26. > :06:27.players, group of doctors and academics will attack linked
:06:28. > :06:30.And the reason is because the evidence emerging
:06:31. > :06:33.There are very high rates and risks of serious
:06:34. > :06:57.The authorities say there is no need for governments to intervene and
:06:58. > :07:03.they say the game here is in safe hands. We are trying to make sure
:07:04. > :07:08.the safest procedures are put in place and the guys understand how to
:07:09. > :07:11.tackle and with collisions. We will create an environment where people
:07:12. > :07:17.are comfortable and understand how to be successful when engaging in
:07:18. > :07:21.collisions. But what does David Ross think? In spite of what happened to
:07:22. > :07:28.him at school, he does not want to see tackling banned. I was going to
:07:29. > :07:34.school to play rugby. That was kind of why I went. It was secondary to
:07:35. > :07:39.what I was studying, that is how involved I got and how much I loved
:07:40. > :07:44.the game. And I would not change it. Many believe rugby just is not rugby
:07:45. > :07:48.without tackling. But many also accept there needs to be an ongoing
:07:49. > :07:51.debate about how to make the game safe.
:07:52. > :07:54.Geordie Tuft was a regular contributor to the Gerry Anderson
:07:55. > :08:00.Geordie Tuft, who was a regular contributor to the Gerry Anderson
:08:01. > :08:03.show on BBC Radio Ulster, has died in a fire at his home.
:08:04. > :08:06.The blaze destroyed his farm cottage near Loughbrickland in County Down.
:08:07. > :08:07.The cause is still under investigation.
:08:08. > :08:10.Geordie Tuft was a regular contributor to the Gerry Anderson
:08:11. > :08:15.His homespun wisdom and tales from the farmyard entertained
:08:16. > :08:20.Among them, his advice to one caller whose chicken kept falling over
:08:21. > :08:49.He died in a fire at his home just outside Loughbrickland.
:08:50. > :08:51.Fire crews were called to the burning cottage yesterday
:08:52. > :08:54.afternoon, and when they got there, the building was well alight
:08:55. > :09:01.Geordie Tuft's body was found inside the premises later.
:09:02. > :09:04.I said I've had this guy on for weeks, I do not know
:09:05. > :09:08.I don't know if it he's the real thing or what.
:09:09. > :09:19.I asked him if he would do a piece for Gerry
:09:20. > :09:30.An investigation is now underway to establish what caused the fire,
:09:31. > :09:36.but at this stage, it is being treated as a tragic accident.
:09:37. > :09:38.In just a few weeks, a number of large-scale events
:09:39. > :09:41.will take place to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.
:09:42. > :09:43.But how is the history of the event being taught
:09:44. > :09:49.Our Education Correspondent Robbie Meredith has been to one school
:09:50. > :10:03.which has put the Rising at the centre of its curriculum.
:10:04. > :10:14.He is playing a man killed taking part in the Easter Rising. I play a
:10:15. > :10:18.soldier who is fighting on Wall Street for freedom against the
:10:19. > :10:22.British Army. But for ten-year-old Pierce and his classmates at this
:10:23. > :10:28.primary School in north Belfast, history is in much alive. I
:10:29. > :10:32.approached the body which still appeared to be alive. We were about
:10:33. > :10:37.to lift it up when a young English officer stepped out of a doorway and
:10:38. > :10:41.refused to let us touch him. The drama is just one of the ways boys
:10:42. > :10:46.are finding out about the rising. They are learning about the names of
:10:47. > :11:00.Ireland's 32 counties and updating a very famous documents. -- rising
:11:01. > :11:05.macro. We have been waiting -- writing a proclamation for a new
:11:06. > :11:11.generation. It is about everybody having rights and free education.
:11:12. > :11:14.There is obvious and he was the us on the Boise offer learning about
:11:15. > :11:19.the Easter Rising and how it relates to them. But it is a hugely
:11:20. > :11:23.controversial and contested event in Irish history. Are they being saw
:11:24. > :11:26.more than one of you? In this school, we send them to the Northern
:11:27. > :11:30.Ireland War Museum as part of their study in World War II. The principal
:11:31. > :11:36.has taken them to meet Queen Elizabeth when she came here, so
:11:37. > :11:39.this is not about any type of indoctrination, but education. So
:11:40. > :11:41.for the boys of this school, learning about the rising is really
:11:42. > :11:46.going back to the future. The weather forecast now,
:11:47. > :11:56.with Cecilia Daly. Still some lively winds, especially
:11:57. > :12:02.around the coast. They will gradually ease off. Rain showers but
:12:03. > :12:06.no snow tonight, by the end of the night, it should be joy and clear.
:12:07. > :12:11.Not necessarily frosty ever, but temperatures could be quite low
:12:12. > :12:15.tomorrow, so the odd patch of ice or frost is possible, but also some
:12:16. > :12:21.shine which will hopefully make it feel more springlike, at least for a
:12:22. > :12:25.while. Light winds. Unfortunately, the dry, sunny weather doesn't last,
:12:26. > :12:32.the weather fronts will bring rating -- raining. Just a few showers
:12:33. > :12:35.dotted around are many places will be dry with sunshine. Here is the
:12:36. > :12:40.reign of marching in across the Republic of Ireland and moving into
:12:41. > :12:45.Northern Ireland, too. There could be snow mixed in with the rain.
:12:46. > :12:50.Mainly over the hills but should not be the same as this morning,
:12:51. > :12:55.certainly not a widespread snowy feature. Cold rain tomorrow night,
:12:56. > :13:02.that clears away with sleet and hill snow mixed in. We get into a cold,
:13:03. > :13:06.north-easterly wind. Sunshine at times, but also wintry showers both
:13:07. > :13:10.through Friday and Saturday, winds easing off and Sunday looks to be
:13:11. > :13:15.the night of the two weekend days. It will stay cold and there will be
:13:16. > :13:22.a continued risk of frost, ice and a bit of snow at times, mainly on the
:13:23. > :13:28.hills. That is it for now. We are back at 6:25am tomorrow morning. You
:13:29. > :13:30.can also keep up-to-date with news online. From all of us, goodbye.