02/03/2016 BBC Newsline

The Director of Public Prosecutions has agreed to meet the First

Minister to discuss her concerns over the collapse

29 murder charges against Seamus Daly

Arlene Foster says she wants to find out why the case was halted.

Here's our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney.

Seamus Daly was released yesterday just hours after the case

His lawyers say the case should never have made it to court.

The First Minister takes a different view.

Arlene Foster was here to visit a new ?105 million hospital

being built in the town, but events of the past

I'm very, very conscious of the fact there are so many families

and the wider community that feel a great deal of hurt this morning.

While his lawyer said he should never have been charged,

Arlene Foster wants the Public Prosecution Service

We want to ask questions about why the DPP decided not to proceed

in the terms of this case and we will following that

We want to ask questions about the conduct of the case,

how it was taken forward and how they communicated with the families,

because I feel that the way they were treated was unacceptable.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Barra McGrory, today confirmed

and that he will meet Arlene Foster to discuss concerns.

In a statement to the BBC, he also said he has written

to the families of those killed to explain the reasoning behind

the decision to withdraw the charges.

The Public Prosecution Service said it had no option but to drop

the case after the key witness changed his evidence.

The prosecution's case relied upon the witness to link Seamus Daly

with a mobile phone used by members of the Real IRA

Seamus Daly has always strongly denied any involvement.

14 years ago, the BBC's Panorama programme asked

about allegations that he had used a phone belonging

to the bombers which showed he was involved.

One thing I would like you to explain Mr Daly is why you came

The key witness in a prosecution case against Seamus Daly has said

he called him from a mobile phone linked to the bombers

But last week he said he may have been mistaken and that the call may

At that point, the prosecution case was completely undermined.

Seamus Daly met his solicitors in Belfast today to discuss

an appeal against a civil prosecution that found him liable

He declined the request for an interview about

A witness at the inquest into the death of teenager

Arlene Arkinson has said she became frightened of Robert Howard

after he told her he had previously murdered a six-year-old girl.

Howard was the main suspect in Arlene's disappearance.

He was never convicted of murder, although he was convicted

of the attempted rape of a girl the same age.

Robert Howard was well known in a castle. But he had a reputation now

the mother of one or lean's friends had explained what she thought of

him. She told the court she met Robert Howard and did not like him.

It older he had been in prison after the murder of a six-year-old girl,

and whilst he had many convictions, he was never convicted for that

crime. She resolved she and her family should have nothing to do

with him. She told the court Howard was an evil looking man with drink

in him. She also said she did not like the look of him and want to be

in his company, because he was very scary. She also said Arlene said she

needed money for an abortion became hysterical and Robert Howard's name

was mentioned. Later commanding's sister Kathleen gave evidence.

Kathleen also had to deal with local rumours about Arlene's boyfriend.

Kathleen Arkin as an wept briefly as she recalled the last time she had

seen her sister in August 19 94. She had given her money for chips as she

set off for a disco. An Irish ?1 coin which she put in the pocket of

their genes. Kathleen never saw Arlene again. She explained how she

had complements the police ombudsman in 2006, but the RUC and PSNI

investigation said they hadn't given the case the seriousness and

credence it deserved. In 1996, the police searched the home and they

kept in the house for over two days and briefly arrested her partner.

There had been more working of tongs, rumours now I accepted as

incorrect. The rumours were that I killed Arlene, she said. The whole

world was talking about it. Com bleating the evidence, Kathleen

Arkin is an wept again as she said she simply wanted her little sister

to have a decent crystal boreal. -- Christian burial.

More than 70 doctors and academics have called for a ban on tackling

in rugby matches played in UK and Irish schools.

They've written to sports ministers in London,

But the Irish rugby authorities have rejected the idea,

as BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports.

The only rugby David Ross can play now is wheelchair rugby.

He was severely injured playing for his

high school in the match three years ago.

The tackle came beside me and the two players involved

It falls to down into my chest and I heard

I knew straightaway it had happened and that is how it happened.

To try and stop it happening to other young rugby

players, group of doctors and academics will attack linked

And the reason is because the evidence emerging

There are very high rates and risks of serious

The authorities say there is no need for governments to intervene and

they say the game here is in safe hands. We are trying to make sure

the safest procedures are put in place and the guys understand how to

tackle and with collisions. We will create an environment where people

are comfortable and understand how to be successful when engaging in

collisions. But what does David Ross think? In spite of what happened to

him at school, he does not want to see tackling banned. I was going to

school to play rugby. That was kind of why I went. It was secondary to

what I was studying, that is how involved I got and how much I loved

the game. And I would not change it. Many believe rugby just is not rugby

without tackling. But many also accept there needs to be an ongoing

debate about how to make the game safe.

Geordie Tuft was a regular contributor to the Gerry Anderson

Geordie Tuft, who was a regular contributor to the Gerry Anderson

show on BBC Radio Ulster, has died in a fire at his home.

The blaze destroyed his farm cottage near Loughbrickland in County Down.

The cause is still under investigation.

Geordie Tuft was a regular contributor to the Gerry Anderson

His homespun wisdom and tales from the farmyard entertained

Among them, his advice to one caller whose chicken kept falling over

He died in a fire at his home just outside Loughbrickland.

Fire crews were called to the burning cottage yesterday

afternoon, and when they got there, the building was well alight

Geordie Tuft's body was found inside the premises later.

I said I've had this guy on for weeks, I do not know

I don't know if it he's the real thing or what.

I asked him if he would do a piece for Gerry

An investigation is now underway to establish what caused the fire,

but at this stage, it is being treated as a tragic accident.

In just a few weeks, a number of large-scale events

will take place to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.

But how is the history of the event being taught

Our Education Correspondent Robbie Meredith has been to one school

which has put the Rising at the centre of its curriculum.

He is playing a man killed taking part in the Easter Rising. I play a

soldier who is fighting on Wall Street for freedom against the

British Army. But for ten-year-old Pierce and his classmates at this

primary School in north Belfast, history is in much alive. I

approached the body which still appeared to be alive. We were about

to lift it up when a young English officer stepped out of a doorway and

refused to let us touch him. The drama is just one of the ways boys

are finding out about the rising. They are learning about the names of

Ireland's 32 counties and updating a very famous documents. -- rising

macro. We have been waiting -- writing a proclamation for a new

generation. It is about everybody having rights and free education.

There is obvious and he was the us on the Boise offer learning about

the Easter Rising and how it relates to them. But it is a hugely

controversial and contested event in Irish history. Are they being saw

more than one of you? In this school, we send them to the Northern

Ireland War Museum as part of their study in World War II. The principal

has taken them to meet Queen Elizabeth when she came here, so

this is not about any type of indoctrination, but education. So

for the boys of this school, learning about the rising is really

going back to the future. The weather forecast now,

with Cecilia Daly. Still some lively winds, especially

around the coast. They will gradually ease off. Rain showers but

no snow tonight, by the end of the night, it should be joy and clear.

Not necessarily frosty ever, but temperatures could be quite low

tomorrow, so the odd patch of ice or frost is possible, but also some

shine which will hopefully make it feel more springlike, at least for a

while. Light winds. Unfortunately, the dry, sunny weather doesn't last,

the weather fronts will bring rating -- raining. Just a few showers

dotted around are many places will be dry with sunshine. Here is the

reign of marching in across the Republic of Ireland and moving into

Northern Ireland, too. There could be snow mixed in with the rain.

Mainly over the hills but should not be the same as this morning,

certainly not a widespread snowy feature. Cold rain tomorrow night,

that clears away with sleet and hill snow mixed in. We get into a cold,

north-easterly wind. Sunshine at times, but also wintry showers both

through Friday and Saturday, winds easing off and Sunday looks to be

the night of the two weekend days. It will stay cold and there will be

a continued risk of frost, ice and a bit of snow at times, mainly on the

hills. That is it for now. We are back at 6:25am tomorrow morning. You

can also keep up-to-date with news online. From all of us, goodbye.