:00:00. > :00:16.Tonight's top story - major developments at Stormont
:00:17. > :00:22.as the SDLP say they will not be joining the Executive
:00:23. > :00:29.and the Alliance say their key demands have been rejected.
:00:30. > :00:37.The SDLP is tonight announcing that we will go into opposition to form a
:00:38. > :00:41.constructive opposition to the main party Executive. I'm not in a
:00:42. > :00:43.position to make a recommendation to the Alliance Party cancel this
:00:44. > :00:45.evening that we should nominate a Justice Minister.
:00:46. > :00:49.We'll be bringing you all the latest news and analysis.
:00:50. > :00:52.Why elderly residents may have to move 30 miles
:00:53. > :00:59.because of the closure of a church-run care home.
:01:00. > :01:03.I would be sorry if I was pushed away somewhere else.
:01:04. > :01:06.An arson attack on a Baptist church in County Down -
:01:07. > :01:09.the pastor says the community is stunned by the incident.
:01:10. > :01:12.How fears over security in France have halted a cross-community school
:01:13. > :01:18.A solid round at the K Club leaves tournament host Rory McIlroy
:01:19. > :01:22.very well placed after day one of the Irish Open.
:01:23. > :01:24.And the changing weather theme continues -
:01:25. > :01:35.I'll be back with the latest forecast.
:01:36. > :01:37.Stormont politics has been reshaped today as a second major party
:01:38. > :01:42.announced they would not be taking their seat at
:01:43. > :01:46.The SDLP expressed disappointment at the planned programme
:01:47. > :01:50.for government, but the First and Deputy First Ministers accused
:01:51. > :01:55.the party of slavishly following the Ulster Unionists to opposition.
:01:56. > :01:58.Then Alliance confirmed they aren't willing to take the Justice Ministry
:01:59. > :02:02.after their demands for reform were rejected.
:02:03. > :02:05.So could the DUP and Sinn Fein govern on their own?
:02:06. > :02:08.Or might the Secretary of State be forced to call a fresh election?
:02:09. > :02:15.Our Political Editor Mark Devenport is at Stormont.
:02:16. > :02:24.Quite the dramatic afternoon. Absolutely, it has had me scurrying
:02:25. > :02:28.around some of the reference books in the Assembly line library to try
:02:29. > :02:31.and find a precedent. We have the clock ticking down towards
:02:32. > :02:35.Wednesday, which is the last day we have to have a raft of ministers
:02:36. > :02:39.appointed, if we are not going to have the Secretary of State calling
:02:40. > :02:45.a fresh election. It has been clear for some time that the SDLP was as
:02:46. > :02:52.unhappy as the Ulster Unionist Party becoming junior partners in the
:02:53. > :02:56.power-sharing Executive but we have had deep unhappiness from the
:02:57. > :02:59.Alliance, who have put forward petitions are concerned about
:03:00. > :03:03.aspects of the Stormont system but seemed to get it all thrown back in
:03:04. > :03:07.their face, so we are looking at the real prospect of a 2-party
:03:08. > :03:13.coalition, even though it isn't entirely clear how the DUP and Sinn
:03:14. > :03:16.Fein will solve the problems surrounding the sensitive Justice
:03:17. > :03:18.portfolio. And the MacLaverty reports on a day which has included
:03:19. > :03:27.some unexpected twists and turns. It has been a high back or delete
:03:28. > :03:33.later day of high drama at Stormont. The SDLP is announcing that we will
:03:34. > :03:40.go into opposition to conform a constructive opposition to the
:03:41. > :03:44.Executive. The SDLP's decision to quit the Executive came after a day
:03:45. > :03:47.of hard talking at Stormont Castle. It had been clear over the last
:03:48. > :03:53.number of days that the party was getting ready to turn its back on
:03:54. > :03:55.government. That decision was rubber-stamped after a meeting with
:03:56. > :03:59.the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. We are very
:04:00. > :04:03.disappointed with the approach that has been adopted. We have tried time
:04:04. > :04:06.and again and have met as many departments and departmental
:04:07. > :04:10.officials as we possibly can. But that wasn't the only surprise as the
:04:11. > :04:14.first and Deputy First Minister tried to find a new Justice
:04:15. > :04:20.Minister. And the first candidate through the door was the Green party
:04:21. > :04:25.leader Stephen Agnew. We were invited to put forward our views on
:04:26. > :04:27.what we would like to see in a future programme if we were to
:04:28. > :04:32.consider taking up the Justice Ministry. Next up was the
:04:33. > :04:35.Independent Unionist MLA Claire Sugden. She stepped out without
:04:36. > :04:40.giving too much away. Then it was the turn of the Alliance delegation,
:04:41. > :04:45.led by former justice Minister David Forde. But they were in and out in
:04:46. > :04:50.less than ten minutes. But there was no sign of panic among those they
:04:51. > :04:55.left behind in the room. We are in control, we know exactly what we are
:04:56. > :05:02.doing, and we are very confident that come next Wednesday, the hunt
:05:03. > :05:07.will be run in the Assembly. Ministers will be appointed and the
:05:08. > :05:11.Executive will meet on Thursday. We are very clear that we both campaign
:05:12. > :05:14.to be in government, and others didn't campaign in such a clear way
:05:15. > :05:19.and we are seeing the fallout over that over the past few days. We are
:05:20. > :05:22.clear that we are going to be in government, there will be an
:05:23. > :05:24.Executive in place by the end of next Wednesday and we are also very
:05:25. > :05:30.clear that it will meet next Thursday. Arlene Foster and Martin
:05:31. > :05:33.McGuinness may be clear on what they expect to happen next, but they may
:05:34. > :05:39.have to plan for an Executive without the Alliance Party.
:05:40. > :05:43.Following the exchange of papers and in particular a brief meeting which
:05:44. > :05:47.we had with the First Minister and deputy First Minister this
:05:48. > :05:49.afternoon, I am not in a position to make a recommendation to the
:05:50. > :05:54.Alliance Party cancel this evening that we should nominate a Justice
:05:55. > :05:57.Minister. Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster are no closer this
:05:58. > :06:00.evening to finding a Justice Minister, but they do know who else
:06:01. > :06:03.will be joining them around the Executive table.
:06:04. > :06:05.Well, the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who made that
:06:06. > :06:10.announcement within the last hour, joins me now from Stormont.
:06:11. > :06:16.Mr Eastwood, what was the deal-breaker, why couldn't you go
:06:17. > :06:21.into government? Well, it is very clear that this is a very important
:06:22. > :06:26.day for the SDLP, but equally, it is a very important paper this process
:06:27. > :06:29.and our politics. We know what a big decision this was because
:06:30. > :06:33.nationalism, for decades, spent all that time in opposition, but we
:06:34. > :06:39.can't go into a government that continues with the old ways when we
:06:40. > :06:43.have such a new mandate, new ideas, new policies and new politics. We
:06:44. > :06:47.wanted to seek a programme for government, as we said throughout
:06:48. > :06:51.the election, that would reach those people left behind, reach those
:06:52. > :06:55.areas left behind and deal with all of the systemic problems we have in
:06:56. > :07:01.our economy. What were you looking for specifically that you didn't
:07:02. > :07:05.get? Well, we wanted to see investment in infrastructure,
:07:06. > :07:09.investment in higher education, investment in apprenticeships, in
:07:10. > :07:13.education, but also an attempt by this government to do things
:07:14. > :07:17.differently. It is absolutely clear that the DUP and Sinn Fein have no
:07:18. > :07:21.intention to do things differently, they don't want to put a programme
:07:22. > :07:24.of government to the people that will have actions, that will have
:07:25. > :07:28.implementation and thinks they can be held accountable to. We have no
:07:29. > :07:33.interest in putting out a programme for government that talks about a
:07:34. > :07:37.healthier society, more jobs, blue sky and greener grass, we want to
:07:38. > :07:40.see action. People told us very clearly, all of us, that they want
:07:41. > :07:45.to see change. We were proposing change and no one wanted to
:07:46. > :07:51.negotiate back. Is this not a case of the UUP putting you on the back
:07:52. > :07:54.foot and forcing your hand? No, the SDLP has a mandate from our own
:07:55. > :08:00.electorate. We told the electorate, we told the media, we would go in
:08:01. > :08:02.and negotiate hard for a programme for government and it is now very
:08:03. > :08:07.clear that we cannot achieve that. You only negotiated for a week, Mr
:08:08. > :08:12.Eastwood. The DUP and Sinn Fein today told us it was their process
:08:13. > :08:16.or no process. We are not signing up to a process that does not involve
:08:17. > :08:21.actions and interventions to economy and society that will turn this
:08:22. > :08:24.place around. We need to see a new type of politics. We have a new
:08:25. > :08:27.mandate with new people and new ideas and we are not prepared to be
:08:28. > :08:32.sucked into the old ways of doing business. That is clear that is what
:08:33. > :08:39.is going to happen. The DUP and Sinn Fein are offering the Justice
:08:40. > :08:41.Ministry to everyone they can find. We want to see different politics
:08:42. > :08:44.that ends the failure of the last nine years. Is this what your
:08:45. > :08:49.supporters wanted, to have all of the power go to the DUP and Sinn
:08:50. > :08:53.Fein? No, they wanted us to stand up and fight for them, to make a change
:08:54. > :08:57.of the type of politics we have seen here for far too long. That is why
:08:58. > :09:01.we went into this negotiation, we met with the head of the civil
:09:02. > :09:05.service a number of times, almost every department we could meet with,
:09:06. > :09:09.we put in papers, I don't see any other party doing that, to bring
:09:10. > :09:13.about a programming government with actions and implementations and
:09:14. > :09:19.thinks we can be held at count -- to account for. The DUP and Sinn Fein
:09:20. > :09:23.did not want to do that. We will former constructive, positive
:09:24. > :09:30.opposition. Just briefly, what does that mean, a constructive opposition
:09:31. > :09:33.mean? It means we won't oppose things for opposition's sake, we
:09:34. > :09:36.will put forward ideas and plans on some of those ideas will be based
:09:37. > :09:40.around how we make this Assembly work better because I think people
:09:41. > :09:43.have lost confidence in this Assembly. We want to see it more
:09:44. > :09:47.accountable, holding the Executive to account. That is what we will do,
:09:48. > :09:51.support the good things the Executive does but hold them to
:09:52. > :09:54.account when it does wrong and put forward positive ideas to change
:09:55. > :09:58.society because I think that is what people want to see happen. Thank you
:09:59. > :10:03.for joining us. And we will hear from Mark Davenport again before the
:10:04. > :10:06.end of the programme. Still to come...
:10:07. > :10:09.Nearly half of the people claiming unemployment benefits have been
:10:10. > :10:10.without a job for a year or more, but there are signs that things are
:10:11. > :10:20.looking up. Join me in Newton Abbey. Elderly residents at a Londonderry
:10:21. > :10:22.care home have called on the Presbyterian Church not
:10:23. > :10:24.to shut it down. The church wants to close it,
:10:25. > :10:27.along with another home in Portrush. They say both places were built
:10:28. > :10:30.in the 19th century and can't be updated, so they want to move almost
:10:31. > :10:32.40 residents More than 60 staff are
:10:33. > :10:36.affected by the proposal. Here's our north-west
:10:37. > :10:41.reporter, Keiron Tourish. Ard Cluan on Limavady Road has been
:10:42. > :10:44.operating since 1971 and, over that time, residents say it has
:10:45. > :10:48.been like a home from home. But the 13 elderly people who live
:10:49. > :10:52.there may be forced to move to a different home
:10:53. > :10:55.almost 30 miles away. The Presbyterian Church has proposed
:10:56. > :10:58.to close this facility and another home in Portrush,
:10:59. > :11:01.which has 26 residents, and transfer everyone
:11:02. > :11:18.to a refurbished 50-bedroom I'd be very disappointed if we had
:11:19. > :11:22.to leave and go away so far. I didn't realise what they were
:11:23. > :11:26.talking about. They were crying. I said, "What are you crying for?" I
:11:27. > :11:37.thought something had happened to them. But I realise now. You
:11:38. > :11:43.couldn't get any better anywhere. You can put that into smart words,
:11:44. > :11:52.if you like, but the staff are all lovely. And caring. You know, they
:11:53. > :12:00.are not ordinarily, they are caring staff. Our home in Londonderry and
:12:01. > :12:10.at home import rush are fast becoming untenable. For many years,
:12:11. > :12:17.they were first-class facilities but now we need to move to first-class
:12:18. > :12:29.facilities and the Garver home gives us that opportunity. I know there
:12:30. > :12:34.are only 30 miles separating them, but they are not 30 easy miles and
:12:35. > :12:38.in the winter, it will be difficult journeys for staff and relatives, so
:12:39. > :12:40.I am observing the impact it will have, it is heart-wrenching.
:12:41. > :12:43.Politicians and the trade unions have called for urgent meetings
:12:44. > :12:46.with the Presbyterian Church to try and get this decision reversed.
:12:47. > :12:49.They say any possible closure and relocation would cause massive
:12:50. > :12:58.A church in County Down says its congregation will have
:12:59. > :13:00.to meet elsewhere after an arson attack on its building.
:13:01. > :13:07.against Rathfriland Baptist Church last night.
:13:08. > :13:10.The church's pastor says the attack has stunned the local community
:13:11. > :13:13.and it will be weeks before they able to hold services
:13:14. > :13:26.The clear up work at this church will take weeks, but it could have
:13:27. > :13:32.been much worse, had a passer-by not noticed this fire last night and
:13:33. > :13:36.alerted the emergency services. These tyres were already in the
:13:37. > :13:39.church grounds and shortly after 11 o'clock last night, they were moved
:13:40. > :13:43.against the side of the building and set on fire. The church says the
:13:44. > :13:49.damage caused means the building won't be able to used -- be used for
:13:50. > :13:53.several weeks. The pastor says there is good community relations here and
:13:54. > :13:57.there has been very little anti-social behaviour in the past.
:13:58. > :14:02.It is a very peaceful community here, a lovely place to live, a
:14:03. > :14:06.great town and like I say, it is not something we expected at all. It is
:14:07. > :14:10.totally out of character and out of keeping in the area. It is an attack
:14:11. > :14:13.on the Lord and an attack on the Gospel. We are just here to preach
:14:14. > :14:18.the gospel and we will continue to do that in spite of the fire. It has
:14:19. > :14:22.taken the whole community by surprise, we are all shocked, but
:14:23. > :14:25.community will rally around the church, I popped in to see the
:14:26. > :14:29.pastor to show solidarity and I think that will happens in the weeks
:14:30. > :14:32.ahead. Despite the quick response from the fire service, church
:14:33. > :14:35.leaders say significant damage has been caused to this place of
:14:36. > :14:39.worship. A meeting due to take place here today was held in a
:14:40. > :14:42.neighbouring church and Sunday services are likely to be held at
:14:43. > :14:47.the local high school until the repair work is completed. Meanwhile,
:14:48. > :14:52.this morning, it was reported to police that Windows and an internal
:14:53. > :14:55.door have been damaged in an attack on Enniskillen Baptist Church.
:14:56. > :15:00.Police are appealing for information about both incidents.
:15:01. > :15:02.The majority of the 870 staff losing their jobs at the JTI
:15:03. > :15:05.in Ballymena are walking out through the factory gates
:15:06. > :15:09.If they are looking for another job, they will join almost
:15:10. > :15:12.There are signs, though, that the fate of people
:15:13. > :15:14.who are long-term unemployed may be improving.
:15:15. > :15:24.Donna Traynor was at Mallusk in Newtownabbey today to find out more.
:15:25. > :15:33.Long-term unemployment means people have been out of work for a year or
:15:34. > :15:36.more and that represents about 47% of the jobless total, although over
:15:37. > :15:41.the past year, there has been an improvement in that figure of 15%.
:15:42. > :15:44.Here at this facility in Newtownabbey, they train people in
:15:45. > :15:50.forklift truck driving and also manual handling in factories. One of
:15:51. > :15:54.those who benefited is John Ellis, who has got a job just yesterday,
:15:55. > :15:59.congratulations. What were your circumstances? I was out of work on
:16:00. > :16:04.and off for over a couple of years and it was difficult to find work,
:16:05. > :16:08.because having to go back and almost retrain and start from scratch
:16:09. > :16:12.again, from previous careers I had, it was just impossible, the jobs
:16:13. > :16:19.went out there. So I found myself having to start again and
:16:20. > :16:23.thankfully, people gave me support and encouragement and made me feel
:16:24. > :16:27.like a human being again. What was the significant change that made
:16:28. > :16:31.things work for you? I think it was just being given that confidence by
:16:32. > :16:37.the organisation, given that self belief. It is a very difficult thing
:16:38. > :16:43.when you are out of work, you can get out of it very easily and it is
:16:44. > :16:47.hard and you wonder where you start, in today's world it is very
:16:48. > :16:51.difficult to find out what you are good at, if you can't get the work
:16:52. > :16:58.in what you have been good at before. Thank you, John. Operations
:16:59. > :17:04.director here at People Plus is Andy O'Driscoll. What other sorts of
:17:05. > :17:09.people that your people help out with reskilling? We have a variety
:17:10. > :17:12.of people who come through the door and working partnerships across
:17:13. > :17:15.Northern Ireland. John is a great example of one of the customers who
:17:16. > :17:20.has come through from working in a different industry in the past. This
:17:21. > :17:26.week, many of the JTI workers in Ballymena will leave for the last
:17:27. > :17:31.time, the gates of the factory. Many well paid, highly skilled in that
:17:32. > :17:37.industry. What sort of expectations should they have if they are seeking
:17:38. > :17:42.a new job? The expectations, there are jobs out there, highly skilled
:17:43. > :17:44.jobs. We monitor the labour market information throughout Northern
:17:45. > :17:48.Ireland, so we know the industries that are up and coming and the
:17:49. > :17:52.industries within that area. We would work with those customers who
:17:53. > :17:55.have unfortunately been made redundant and highlight to them
:17:56. > :18:01.those industries that are recruiting at this moment in time. We tailor
:18:02. > :18:05.our academies to make sure they are linked into those industries that
:18:06. > :18:08.are in those regions and we would work with those customers to try and
:18:09. > :18:18.Rhys Gill them and retrain them. So there is always hope, many jobs out
:18:19. > :18:22.there, so it is about the retraining and learning skills. In the run-up
:18:23. > :18:27.to the Assembly election, but the DUP and Sinn Fein pledged they would
:18:28. > :18:30.create 50,000 new jobs. The specifics weren't very clear, but
:18:31. > :18:34.people who are training here and elsewhere will be hoping that that
:18:35. > :18:38.pledge comes to fruition. If you would like to share your experience
:18:39. > :18:41.of unemployment, check out our Facebook page.
:18:42. > :18:44.The European Championships are less than a month away and thousands
:18:45. > :18:46.of football fans here will be making the journey to France -
:18:47. > :18:49.but that won't include over 50 pupils and staff from two
:18:50. > :18:55.They've cancelled a planned trip to see games in Paris
:18:56. > :18:57.because of concerns over security, as our Education Correspondent
:18:58. > :19:10.France's set to host one of the biggest events in football. Northern
:19:11. > :19:15.Ireland and the Republic will be there, but these are year ten fans
:19:16. > :19:22.from St Mary's Grammar school in Gera felt will not be joining them.
:19:23. > :19:26.We had 50 pupils signing up between ourselves and the local high schools
:19:27. > :19:29.does go to the Euro 2016 Championships, five members of
:19:30. > :19:33.staff, and we were hoping to go for the full week, take in a couple of
:19:34. > :19:37.games around Paris. The trip had been planned for over a year and
:19:38. > :19:42.recent attacks in Paris and Brussels led to the decision to cancel, but
:19:43. > :19:45.was that an overreaction? We consulted widely with parents and
:19:46. > :19:50.staff and governors and, in fact, when we decided to make the decision
:19:51. > :19:53.to pull the trip, we wrote to them, we consulted with them and they were
:19:54. > :19:58.more than happy and they felt we made the right decision. Many of us
:19:59. > :20:01.have lived through the troubles in Northern Ireland, many would say
:20:02. > :20:04.suck it up and get on with it but when you are talking about young
:20:05. > :20:07.people and you are responsible for their well-being, you have to make
:20:08. > :20:13.these tough decisions. No pupils ended up out of pocket, because the
:20:14. > :20:15.schools cover the cost of cancelling, which ran into
:20:16. > :20:20.thousands, but watching the euros from home will still be tough. I'm
:20:21. > :20:24.still quite upset about it, I was looking forward to it. Safety is the
:20:25. > :20:28.number-1 thing they couldn't guarantee it, I completely
:20:29. > :20:31.understand. There is a state of emergency in France at the moment
:20:32. > :20:34.and security will be tight throughout the tournament. Schools
:20:35. > :20:39.here in Magherafelt have jointly taken schools to the Olympic Games
:20:40. > :20:42.and Rugby World Cup in the past but after cancelling this, they say
:20:43. > :20:48.future plans to big sporting events on hold.
:20:49. > :20:54.-- are on hold. Goal and the host has made a positive start at the
:20:55. > :20:59.Irish Open -- goal. Rory McIlory has never won his home event and has
:21:00. > :21:02.missed the cut in the last three years but an opening-round 60 75
:21:03. > :21:08.under par leaves him in second place as he chases a first tournament win
:21:09. > :21:10.of the season. From the K Club, Stephen Watson reports.
:21:11. > :21:17.Rory McIlory has struggled at the Irish Open in recent times, he
:21:18. > :21:20.missed the cut at Royal County Down last year and before that in Dublin
:21:21. > :21:25.and Cork, but today, the tournament host produced one of his best Irish
:21:26. > :21:32.Open displays. He found his touch on the K Club greens as well. And
:21:33. > :21:36.brilliant shots like this helped McIlroy to three birdies in the
:21:37. > :21:40.opening nine holes. And more followed on the back nine. It has
:21:41. > :21:46.been an excellent nine holes for Rory. This plot at the 13th gave him
:21:47. > :21:50.a share of the lead. And alongside him at that point at the top of the
:21:51. > :21:57.leaderboard, the Masters champion Danny Willett from England. Danny
:21:58. > :22:01.Willett goes to minus five. Graeme McDowell struggled early on,
:22:02. > :22:05.dropping shots to go 2-over par, but soon bounced back with a birdie at
:22:06. > :22:10.the 7th and an eagle at the 10th to move himself up the leaderboard.
:22:11. > :22:13.Coming over the water and he gets the top spin lovely, just what he
:22:14. > :22:17.needs. Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke had three front line birdies
:22:18. > :22:21.on a course which holds fond memories for him. Shane Lowry, who
:22:22. > :22:28.won this tournament as an amateur seven years ago, started with a
:22:29. > :22:30.round of 1-under par. While Paul Dunne also impressed, playing in his
:22:31. > :22:39.first Irish Open as a professional. If you were caught up
:22:40. > :22:42.in the gridlock on the M1 coming into Belfast this morning,
:22:43. > :22:44.you'll be pleased to know Three cows brought the city-bound
:22:45. > :22:47.lane to a standstill. But as BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson
:22:48. > :22:50.reports, the police quickly arrived on the scene and managed
:22:51. > :22:58.to moo-ve them. Cars in one lane, cows in the other,
:22:59. > :23:02.on one of the busiest roads into Belfast. And it could hardly have
:23:03. > :23:07.happened at a worse time. Around half past seven this morning. This
:23:08. > :23:08.is how BBC radio Ulster reported the traffic problems.
:23:09. > :23:16.We had three cows walking into Belfast in the fast
:23:17. > :23:19.Traffic is peeled back to junction eight.
:23:20. > :23:21.It will take a while to get them off the M1.
:23:22. > :23:24.It certainly did but by 8am, there was better news
:23:25. > :23:27.The three cows were moved into a field near a service
:23:28. > :23:31.The tailbacks heading into Belfast are still
:23:32. > :23:38.It is not the first time that cows have escaped onto the
:23:39. > :23:40.M1 and it probably will not be the last.
:23:41. > :23:47.The big problem this morning was that it happened at rush hour.
:23:48. > :23:54.And look where it happened. Only a few miles from Belfast city centre.
:23:55. > :23:56.The police were quickly on the scene
:23:57. > :23:58.and successfully managed to clear the road without any injury
:23:59. > :24:07.The cows were secured into a field, we found a field that we were able
:24:08. > :24:12.to herd them off into and secure them, so we are appealing to farmers
:24:13. > :24:16.in all contexts, not just farmers whose lands are above the motorway,
:24:17. > :24:20.but all roads, to check their fencing and make sure it is secure.
:24:21. > :24:23.Injuries and damage were avoided this morning because the police were
:24:24. > :24:28.in the right place at the right time Allsop unlike cows. -- unlike the
:24:29. > :24:35.cows. Add to the top story, and the SDLP
:24:36. > :24:41.announcing they will not take their seat at the Executive table. Mark
:24:42. > :24:45.Devonport, the Alliance's ruling Executive meets tonight but it is
:24:46. > :24:50.very clear they are not taking justice. Yes, we thought they might
:24:51. > :24:54.have a crunch decision at the Alliance ruling council, that will
:24:55. > :24:57.take place in an east Belfast hotel, but really there might be no
:24:58. > :25:02.decision to make because the leaders have decided that what is on offer
:25:03. > :25:05.from DUP and Sinn Fein in relation to issues like the petition of
:25:06. > :25:10.concern to Stormont is not enough, so I am expecting the same kind of
:25:11. > :25:15.holding pattern. I think Alliance, unlike the SDLP, is keeping a bit of
:25:16. > :25:20.chink of light open in the door. It is still thinking that if DUP and
:25:21. > :25:23.Sinn Fein comeback to them and re-engage with the party on its
:25:24. > :25:27.concerns, it could consider the justice portfolio but on this basis,
:25:28. > :25:34.tonight, we are not expecting that decision. And, mark, how would the
:25:35. > :25:38.opposition were? We don't know yet, we are in uncharted territory.
:25:39. > :25:42.Someone pointed out it is 18 years to the exact day that John Hume and
:25:43. > :25:47.David Trimble stood together at the theatre on the waterfront Hall
:25:48. > :25:55.selling the Good Friday agreement. I don't expect a a similar situation.
:25:56. > :25:58.They may work together on issues but otherwise plough their own
:25:59. > :26:02.particular furrows. Mark, we will leave it there, thanks very much.
:26:03. > :26:08.Time for the weather and Cecilia is here, a pretty mixed bag today.
:26:09. > :26:11.Yes, keeping an eye on the radar quite closely, especially the last
:26:12. > :26:15.couple of hours, some really lively showers and some thunderstorms over
:26:16. > :26:19.parts of County Antrim and towards the east coast. The worst of those
:26:20. > :26:25.are now moving away so it will dry up briefly this evening but some
:26:26. > :26:29.further showers for a wild, still the odd sharp one and by morning, a
:26:30. > :26:34.lot of places will have dried up. Not too chilly a night to come. We
:26:35. > :26:38.are expecting the drying up process to continue tomorrow morning, that
:26:39. > :26:41.will be the dry our half of the day because unfortunately, after a
:26:42. > :26:46.promising start with not too many showers, it will go downhill. So
:26:47. > :26:49.another day for the umbrella eventually, but there will be some
:26:50. > :26:53.fine sunny weather and bright weather around through the morning,
:26:54. > :26:59.it will be a nice journey to work or to school in many places, not too
:27:00. > :27:02.cold, ten or 11 degrees. Would you consider rain clouds gathering from
:27:03. > :27:06.the south-west, it will end up wet and some of the rain will be heavy
:27:07. > :27:10.and persistent and as a result, temperatures not much higher than 15
:27:11. > :27:13.degrees. It starts to drive from the south-west across Northern Ireland
:27:14. > :27:16.tomorrow evening but if you are heading to Dublin for the all-star
:27:17. > :27:27.Leinster match, it looks like there will be some rain close by. --
:27:28. > :27:33.Ulster Leinster match. The unsettled theme continues to the weekend, some
:27:34. > :27:35.heavy showers and perhaps thunder, so heavy showers are also affecting
:27:36. > :27:36.the Irish Open this weekend. You can also keep in contact with us
:27:37. > :27:43.via Facebook and Twitter.