:00:14. > :00:19.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline.
:00:20. > :00:22.A lightning strike at a Lisburn primary school leaves a man
:00:23. > :00:26.and his son in a critical condition and his daughter seriously injured.
:00:27. > :00:28.An independent panel says criminals are using paramilitary labels
:00:29. > :00:35.The baby with spina bifida who had pioneering surgery performed
:00:36. > :00:41.Train and bus fares may be linked to inflation in future,
:00:42. > :00:46.As Kyle Lafferty hobbles out of Northern Ireland training
:00:47. > :00:48.here in France, I'll have the very latest on the striker's injury.
:00:49. > :00:51.In a special interview for BBC Newsline, manager Michael O'Neill
:00:52. > :00:54.reflects on making it to the Euro finals for the first time.
:00:55. > :00:58.And today's thunderstorms will ease away this evening.
:00:59. > :01:00.Tomorrow is shaping up to be a pretty decent day.
:01:01. > :01:11.First to that lightning strike just outside a primary school in Lisburn,
:01:12. > :01:14.which has left a father and his two young children in hospital.
:01:15. > :01:17.The man and five-year-old boy are in a critical condition.
:01:18. > :01:21.The seven-year-old girl is said to be seriously injured.
:01:22. > :01:29.Our reporter Barra Best is in Lisburn this evening.
:01:30. > :01:37.Incidents like this here at Killowen Primary School in Ms Browne are
:01:38. > :01:43.extremely rare. One member of staff at another school described the
:01:44. > :01:47.noise as an almighty bang. It is believed that the strike, which --
:01:48. > :01:51.it is believed that was a strike which had the man and two children.
:01:52. > :01:55.Thunderstorms and heavy downpours were still happening sometime after
:01:56. > :01:58.lightning struck the school just after two p.m.. There are still some
:01:59. > :02:04.details about exactly what happened but it is understood the man was
:02:05. > :02:07.picking up the children from school. Seven ambulances and police
:02:08. > :02:11.responded quickly, bringing three to hospital. It is understood the
:02:12. > :02:15.children suffered burns. It has emerged the man was resuscitated at
:02:16. > :02:21.the scene and a defibrillator was also used. He was at a critical
:02:22. > :02:29.stage, so our thoughts and prayers are with them. They are well known
:02:30. > :02:33.in the local community. A lot of people are talking about it.
:02:34. > :02:37.Understandably, have caused upset with children and parents at the
:02:38. > :02:46.school. It is just terrible. The children are all upset. He's even
:02:47. > :02:52.scared to go to school tomorrow. Just awful news. It is a big shock.
:02:53. > :03:01.You just think, do I know this person? You just don't know. I was
:03:02. > :03:06.in that Ringo and my father's, it could happen to any of us. One local
:03:07. > :03:10.politician said he hoped the council could do all it could to help. It is
:03:11. > :03:17.just tragic news, it is unbelievable. The father had just
:03:18. > :03:20.come down to pick up his children will stop the emergency services
:03:21. > :03:25.responded quickly. It is just tragic. But we as a council will try
:03:26. > :03:32.to do our best, whatever we can do to try and help. Today's storms
:03:33. > :03:35.followed hundreds of strikes which were reported across Northern
:03:36. > :03:42.Ireland last night. Heavy downpours also caused flash flooding in places
:03:43. > :03:47.today. In a statement, the Ambulance Service said it arrived within seven
:03:48. > :03:50.minutes. The man, who was critically ill, was taken to the Lagan Valley
:03:51. > :03:57.Hospital in Lisbon. The young boy was taken with the girl to the Royal
:03:58. > :04:00.Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. The school said the thoughts of the
:04:01. > :04:03.entire school community are with the family at this time.
:04:04. > :04:05.The panel set up to look at paramilitary activity says
:04:06. > :04:08.a new decommissioning scheme should be set up to deal with any
:04:09. > :04:12.groups wanting to put their arms beyond use.
:04:13. > :04:16.The suggestion is one of 43 recommendations made by the panel,
:04:17. > :04:21.which was set up as part of last year's Fresh Start Agreement.
:04:22. > :04:28.Our Political Editor, Mark Devenport, is at Stormont.
:04:29. > :04:35.Tell us more about the panel's report. He remember that during the
:04:36. > :04:43.negotiations last, the murder of former IRA members, at certain
:04:44. > :04:46.stages it looked like it would call the continuing existence of
:04:47. > :04:51.devolution into question. This paramilitary panel, which is
:04:52. > :04:54.reporting on strategies to disband the paramilitaries, was part of the
:04:55. > :05:02.Fresh Start Agreement and they have come up with a batch of agreements,
:05:03. > :05:06.43 of them, some then our carrots, like a decommissioning scheme, help
:05:07. > :05:12.for ex-prisoners, others are sticks, like cutting down on offering bail
:05:13. > :05:15.to serious offenders, reviewing unduly lenient sentences and
:05:16. > :05:19.importing new legislation, potentially from Scotland, which
:05:20. > :05:24.would deal more stringently with organised crime. One of the authors
:05:25. > :05:29.of the report says he wants to see a shift to treating paramilitaries as
:05:30. > :05:32.criminals. A lot of what we are seeing within the paramilitary
:05:33. > :05:36.groupings are simply organised crime groupings, living within the wider
:05:37. > :05:41.paramilitary style grouping. And using the name of the grouping as a
:05:42. > :05:48.badge of convenience, or an enhancing of the criminality they
:05:49. > :05:53.are involved with. That must all cease and organised crime group
:05:54. > :05:57.legislation will target those organised crime groups within the
:05:58. > :06:02.communities. We think that is what the community is ultimately want to
:06:03. > :06:07.see happening. In mixed political reaction at Stormont to the report.
:06:08. > :06:16.Jim Allister is not particularly impressed, he called it a toothless
:06:17. > :06:20.whitewash. But the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister see
:06:21. > :06:25.this as a forward-looking report, handle both directions in the coming
:06:26. > :06:30.months on it. On a separate issue, the new opposition parties have been
:06:31. > :06:34.complaining about what? About the way they are being treated in the
:06:35. > :06:39.chamber. This week we have had a number of debates led by the
:06:40. > :06:41.opposition on issues like manufacturing strategy or hospital
:06:42. > :06:46.waiting lists but they said within the business community today, that
:06:47. > :06:51.the US he and Sinn Fein shifted the goalposts. -- the DUP. They cut down
:06:52. > :06:55.the amount of time given over to opposition debates. They are
:06:56. > :07:00.accusing them of arrogance and fear, saying they are using wit of numbers
:07:01. > :07:01.but it is not good for the health of this new system of oppositional
:07:02. > :07:05.democracy. Still to come on the
:07:06. > :07:08.programme before seven: We catch up with some
:07:09. > :07:10.Northern Ireland football fans, as they say "au revoir"
:07:11. > :07:12.before heading off to support Pioneering surgery has been carried
:07:13. > :07:19.out on a baby with spina bifida It is only the second time
:07:20. > :07:25.the surgery has been performed on an unborn child from Northern
:07:26. > :07:28.Ireland. Adam Daly's parents hope
:07:29. > :07:30.the surgery, which was done Our Health Correspondent,
:07:31. > :07:45.Marie-Louise Connolly, reports. At four months old, Adam Daly looks
:07:46. > :07:49.like any other baby. But underneath the smiles, there is a serious
:07:50. > :07:54.health story. During the 20 week scan when he was still in the womb,
:07:55. > :07:58.doctors detected a hole in his spine, which means he has spina
:07:59. > :08:03.bifida. I didn't really understand what the condition would be to stop
:08:04. > :08:07.I didn't know whether he was going to survive. The condition can take a
:08:08. > :08:11.child disabled and have complications, including bladder and
:08:12. > :08:15.kidney problems. After much deliberation, the couple decided to
:08:16. > :08:19.travel to Germany, where surgeons performed pioneering surgery on
:08:20. > :08:22.Adam, weeks before he was born. He is only the second baby from
:08:23. > :08:29.Northern Ireland to have such an operation performed in the womb. The
:08:30. > :08:36.surgeon would go in, keyhole, three holes were made into my uterus. One
:08:37. > :08:42.for a camera and the others for utensils. He went in, cleaned the
:08:43. > :08:47.lesion on the back and put a collagen patch onto the region and
:08:48. > :08:51.stapled it in place. The idea is that this protects the spine from
:08:52. > :08:56.any further damage for the rest of the pregnancy. And this morning,
:08:57. > :08:58.Adam got to meet the man who performed the surgery. The German
:08:59. > :09:07.doctor was addressing a conference organised by the charity khat Shane.
:09:08. > :09:15.-- the charity khat Shane. I think it is a very important thing to make
:09:16. > :09:19.Lidl Sergio accessible -- foetal surgery accessible to people who
:09:20. > :09:22.carry foetuses with spina bifida. No modern science and medicine has made
:09:23. > :09:27.it possible that the children are less severely impaired after
:09:28. > :09:33.delivery, and that gives them a far better head start in life. The
:09:34. > :09:37.operation was a risk, but as his dad tells me, it means there is a good
:09:38. > :09:40.chance at will be able to walk. I just want him to grow up fit and
:09:41. > :09:46.healthy and later down the line, I'm looking forward to being able to say
:09:47. > :09:51.to him that we did everything that we could for him at this age. Around
:09:52. > :09:53.16 children are born every year in Northern Ireland with spina bifida.
:09:54. > :09:57.Bus and train fares may go up on an ongoing basis.
:09:58. > :10:00.The man who runs Translink launched a plan to grow passenger numbers
:10:01. > :10:06.and part of it could involve linking fares to inflation.
:10:07. > :10:12.Our Business Correspondent, Julian O'Neill, reports.
:10:13. > :10:20.Ticket fares have been frozen this year, but 12 months ago, these
:10:21. > :10:25.passengers felt price pain, a hike four times the rate of inflation. It
:10:26. > :10:33.would need ministerial approval, but in future, Translink wants to ease
:10:34. > :10:36.understanding, simply linking prices to inflation, argues its boss,
:10:37. > :10:42.Doctor of reasonable increases on his -- on an ongoing basis. What I
:10:43. > :10:48.would be more focused on is an increase that is well understood,
:10:49. > :10:52.fits with supply and demand and with the Consumer Price Index on an
:10:53. > :10:57.annual basis. Then we just get into an understanding as the fares are
:10:58. > :11:04.moved. Translink passenger surveys indicate that big hike in the fares
:11:05. > :11:08.hurt. Value for money ratings among passengers dropped. The company
:11:09. > :11:14.admits it has its work cut out, but as it launched a strategy document,
:11:15. > :11:20.the European official for public transport providers jumped to their
:11:21. > :11:27.defence. The Translink fares are at least the European average. Probably
:11:28. > :11:33.less expensive than London. I think the value for money is good.
:11:34. > :11:36.Translink has set itself the goal of 85 million passenger journeys
:11:37. > :11:42.annually by 2021. To hit that target, Translink needs to add 5
:11:43. > :11:46.million to current passenger journeys, and what growth there has
:11:47. > :11:52.been in recent years has been down to trains, not buses. The bus and
:11:53. > :11:56.train operator wants Stormont to dig deeper, calling for its growth plan
:11:57. > :12:00.to be backed by sufficient public funding. But with cash tight, fares
:12:01. > :12:04.may have to come under greater focus.
:12:05. > :12:06.Yesterday on the programme, we were in Bangor to sample opinions
:12:07. > :12:10.For this evening's programme, Catherine Morrison went to Coleraine
:12:11. > :12:22.to find out how people there will be voting on the 23rd, and why.
:12:23. > :12:28.A pretty Riverside town, close to the coast and rustling with people.
:12:29. > :12:37.On a day like this, you could be forgiven for thinking you are in
:12:38. > :12:41.Coleraine's French twin. Coleraine was the first time in Northern
:12:42. > :12:50.Ireland -- town, to be twinned with a French town. Regular exchange trip
:12:51. > :12:53.has cemented that relationship. But it is the relationship with the EU
:12:54. > :12:59.that is coming increasingly under the spotlight, here and elsewhere. I
:13:00. > :13:07.am or expecting to leave, to be honest. Making our own decisions. I
:13:08. > :13:12.would like to stay in. Things would get more expensive outside the EU. I
:13:13. > :13:16.don't like the way things are going. I cannot see the benefit of staying
:13:17. > :13:22.in at the moment. I think it is better to begin and all one, you
:13:23. > :13:30.know. There have been enough wars in Europe. Coleraine has a sizeable
:13:31. > :13:33.Polish population and this woman is amongst them. She says she has
:13:34. > :13:39.benefited from the free movement of people within the EU. I think the EU
:13:40. > :13:44.gives me the opportunity to come to this country and open my own
:13:45. > :13:49.business. I came here when I was 18 and was able to find a good job. It
:13:50. > :13:54.would be harder for me to find a job or open a business. Issues like
:13:55. > :13:58.immigration, the migrant camps in Calais, I continue to make headlines
:13:59. > :14:09.in France, but what about here? Immigration? It is a bit of a
:14:10. > :14:14.sideshow, I think. The main bugbear is the unelected representatives in
:14:15. > :14:19.Brussels. I think immigration has been beneficial for Northern
:14:20. > :14:23.Ireland. This and that is also a Conservative councillor and is going
:14:24. > :14:28.to vote to leave the EU. For him it is less about immigration and more
:14:29. > :14:33.about self-determination. To my mind, it is not reform model. It
:14:34. > :14:37.wastes a lot of money. We put a massive amount of money into it, we
:14:38. > :14:42.get some back but we have no control over how it is spent. That is the
:14:43. > :14:47.fundamental issue. The like of our ability to use our own money. In
:14:48. > :14:52.just over two weeks, the polls will open and voters will make their
:14:53. > :14:53.choice. But leave or remain, Coleraine's relationship with its
:14:54. > :14:58.French twin will continue. A few weeks ago, we reported
:14:59. > :15:01.on a group of Northern Ireland soccer fans who've come up
:15:02. > :15:04.with a bargain basement approach They bought a second hand caravan
:15:05. > :15:07.and converted it into This afternoon, these "fans
:15:08. > :15:11.in a caravan" set off for France, and Mervyn Jess was there
:15:12. > :15:20.to see them off. Before setting off for the Euros,
:15:21. > :15:27.make sure you have the match tickets. This group of Northern
:15:28. > :15:29.Ireland supporters clubbed together and bought an old caravan, which
:15:30. > :15:35.they converted into the very own team hotel. Months of planning,
:15:36. > :15:41.fitting the caravan at, trying to get the lads together. Hopefully we
:15:42. > :15:50.are not going to believe that the boat. You were late, what happened?
:15:51. > :15:55.Packing all my stuff! I am getting some stick already. A bit of
:15:56. > :16:01.last-minute packing, which involved stocking up with a few home comforts
:16:02. > :16:06.and essentials. All topped off with a dollop of optimism, for the team
:16:07. > :16:11.and the mobile accommodation. I just hope it is good to last for the
:16:12. > :16:17.three weeks! We have brought tents just in case it doesn't. Just time
:16:18. > :16:28.for a team photographed before the fans set off to collect three more
:16:29. > :16:34.supporters and begin the long drive. We need to start off with a win.
:16:35. > :16:39.Then we can qualify for the group. We will see how the team and the
:16:40. > :16:40.fans get on as the tournament progresses. For now it is game on
:16:41. > :16:43.and all about getting there. And if you're going to France
:16:44. > :16:45.for the tournament, Here's a short film to show
:16:46. > :17:04.you how to get in touch. Northern Ireland's star striker,
:17:05. > :17:07.Kyle Lafferty, has limped out of training this morning
:17:08. > :17:10.at the squad's camp near Lyon. For the latest, we can join
:17:11. > :17:19.Stephen Watson live. The Northern Ireland squad
:17:20. > :17:23.is currently being entertained in the restaurant behind me,
:17:24. > :17:34.by the Mayor of the town The good news is, Kyle Lafferty is
:17:35. > :17:36.with them. He arrived a short time ago, smiling and walking a little
:17:37. > :17:38.better than he was earlier. Earlier today he dramatically
:17:39. > :17:40.pulled up in training, with what appeared to be
:17:41. > :17:41.a groin injury. The Northern Ireland camp have very
:17:42. > :17:44.keen to dismiss early fears that he may miss this weekend's
:17:45. > :17:47.opening game, but our pictures will still leave the thousands
:17:48. > :18:08.of fans heading to France worried. It was all going so well after the
:18:09. > :18:12.training session. Until this. The man who scored the goal is to get
:18:13. > :18:16.Northern Ireland to these finals overstretched his groin and was left
:18:17. > :18:22.lying in a heap. The pain was clear for all to see on his face. But the
:18:23. > :18:31.manager did not seem overly worried. No major concerns at all. He is
:18:32. > :18:37.fine. Just need to take him out of the training session. On examination
:18:38. > :18:43.with a doctor, he is fine, he feels good. He later re-emerged from the
:18:44. > :18:47.dressing to spend time in an ice bath and his later suggested the
:18:48. > :18:53.injury may not have been as bad as it looked. I think it was a slight
:18:54. > :18:58.sort of... He has just opened up his groin a little bit, I think it is
:18:59. > :19:02.the most intelligent thing to do, just to sit it out. Nobody wants to
:19:03. > :19:09.get injured before the biggest moment of our life. It has been
:19:10. > :19:16.massive for us. He is a handful. It was a bit of a scare, seeing him
:19:17. > :19:18.like that. So, Laverty will be assessed and treated by the medical
:19:19. > :19:22.team over the coming days. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad
:19:23. > :19:23.will continue their preparations for the opening game against Poland in
:19:24. > :19:25.five days. Michael O'Neill has been
:19:26. > :19:27.Northern Ireland manager for four and a half years and has
:19:28. > :19:29.received high praise for turning round the fortunes
:19:30. > :19:32.of the team. He has guided Northern Ireland
:19:33. > :19:35.to a first major finals in 30 years. And in a special interview
:19:36. > :19:38.for BBC Newsline, he started by telling me how much he is enjoying
:19:39. > :19:54.the experience. Typically, we are together for a
:19:55. > :19:59.maximum of ten days. Then you have a break of a month, there is another
:20:00. > :20:02.fixture, then sometimes you go four months without seeing the players at
:20:03. > :20:11.all. This is good because it is almost like a club environment. The
:20:12. > :20:17.positives are that you get more time to speak to players, more time to
:20:18. > :20:22.speak to the players you wouldn't -- you would not speak to on a more
:20:23. > :20:27.regular basis. How confident are you that Northern Ireland can spring a
:20:28. > :20:36.couple of surprises? I believe we are capable of doing that.
:20:37. > :20:40.Qualification, there is a sense that the 14 month period, ten tough
:20:41. > :20:44.games, to only lose one game and to subsequently going -- go on and be
:20:45. > :20:50.unbeaten, it gives me great confidence. There are a lot of
:20:51. > :20:57.players now who are accustomed to playing international football they
:20:58. > :21:05.are in a good frame of mind. They are rank highly in the world. When
:21:06. > :21:10.you put all of those into the mix, if you're not going to have belief
:21:11. > :21:19.now, you will never have it. We are facing a tough group. But we aim to
:21:20. > :21:27.string a few surprises. How important is the opening game of the
:21:28. > :21:31.campaign? There is a sense that when you are a small country, you need to
:21:32. > :21:40.start on the front foot and be able to get the momentum. Have the belief
:21:41. > :21:44.in your squad, I look at our squad and it was a different group of
:21:45. > :21:50.players. They evolved into a different group of players in a
:21:51. > :21:55.short space of time. If we can win the opening game, or certainly if we
:21:56. > :22:01.don't lose, I think we will know if we can win one of the other games,
:22:02. > :22:03.we should qualify. For all those millions of people watching, what
:22:04. > :22:09.would your message be to them about what kind of team they can expect to
:22:10. > :22:15.see? This is a good bunch of players, a very genuine bunch. We
:22:16. > :22:21.would hope that we will become ever's other team. I think Lessig
:22:22. > :22:27.that level of support in the Premier League this year and everyone wanted
:22:28. > :22:31.Leicester to win it. There is an honesty in our team, they are very
:22:32. > :22:35.hard-working. But there is no lack of quality, I don't want people to
:22:36. > :22:43.think that this is a one-dimensional team. At the end of the day, we are
:22:44. > :22:50.the top goal-scorers in her group. 18 goals in ten games. What is
:22:51. > :22:51.important for me is that we stay competitive.
:22:52. > :22:54.The Republic of Ireland squad will arrive in France tomorrow.
:22:55. > :22:56.Thomas Kane will be with Martin O'Neill's side
:22:57. > :23:10.Some breaking news today? The beautiful city of Versailles will be
:23:11. > :23:15.the Republic of Ireland's home from home for the next few weeks, they
:23:16. > :23:19.will arrive boosted by the news that Martin O'Neill and his backroom team
:23:20. > :23:24.have signed a contract to remain in charge for the 2018 World Cup
:23:25. > :23:27.qualifying campaign. Ahead of its first major tournament as manager,
:23:28. > :23:32.O'Neill has opened a BBC News lied about his hopes for Euro 2016, the
:23:33. > :23:35.similarity between his current players and the Northern Ireland
:23:36. > :23:40.World Cup squad of 1982, and he gives us an insight into his
:23:41. > :23:45.relationship with Roy Keane. If you don't qualify people will say... It
:23:46. > :23:50.has worked out pretty well, we meet each other occasionally but we don't
:23:51. > :23:57.socialise. We don't socialise together. When we go into the camp,
:23:58. > :24:03.it is getting down to work. Things are great. He is a motivational
:24:04. > :24:08.character in himself. He has been splendid for the group of players.
:24:09. > :24:14.Because they have a lot of respect for him, he was phenomenal as a
:24:15. > :24:21.player. And for a lot of these paid, he has been their hero. If we do not
:24:22. > :24:25.qualify, maybe it was the big disaster of all time. And eaten much
:24:26. > :24:32.more of my interview with Martin O'Neill on tomorrow's programme.
:24:33. > :24:35.That's it from France. The Northern Ireland team enjoying some
:24:36. > :24:38.hospitality this evening, I will be back on her late bulletin this
:24:39. > :24:42.evening with the latest update on Kyle Lafferty. All the fans are
:24:43. > :24:43.keeping their fingers crossed that he makes it through his fitness
:24:44. > :24:54.test. Now, the weather. Intense
:24:55. > :24:59.thunderstorms have affected some parts of Northern Ireland today.
:25:00. > :25:03.Still some thunder and mining around as well, particularly across the
:25:04. > :25:08.North. But the storms did not affect everywhere and this is how things
:25:09. > :25:10.are the moment. A cluster of heavy showers across northern counties.
:25:11. > :25:15.Sunshine breaking through in the South. The heavy rain warning is
:25:16. > :25:20.still in force for another few hours. The risk of some possible
:25:21. > :25:24.flooding and disruption. Things will improve later this evening. After
:25:25. > :25:30.midnight, most places will be dry. Another warm night, perhaps not as
:25:31. > :25:37.sticky as last night. Likely to be mist and low cloud for a time
:25:38. > :25:41.tomorrow morning. But it will end up a pretty decent day, particularly in
:25:42. > :25:47.the afternoon. First thing, there is likely to be mist, low cloud and
:25:48. > :25:53.even fog along parts of the coast. It could affect the very tomorrow
:25:54. > :25:57.morning. Otherwise, a misty start. Temperatures in the mid-teens by the
:25:58. > :26:03.middle of the morning. We expect the mist and low cloud to gradually burn
:26:04. > :26:06.back to the coast. By the afternoon, most places having some lovely
:26:07. > :26:11.sunshine. It will be dry virtually everywhere tomorrow and temperatures
:26:12. > :26:17.will recover into the low 20s. Still some humidity around tomorrow, but
:26:18. > :26:21.not as heavy as it has been today. Tomorrow night, the mist and low
:26:22. > :26:25.cloud returns to many places. Dry again and still fairly mild,
:26:26. > :26:29.temperatures in double figures. Once we get rid of that mist on Thursday,
:26:30. > :26:33.it should be a reasonable day with some sunshine and temperatures into
:26:34. > :26:37.the low 20s. Perhaps a couple of showers breaking out but by and
:26:38. > :26:45.large, a lot of dry weather. But that changes on Friday. This is the
:26:46. > :26:48.real change, Atlantic Systems start to come back, bringing widespread
:26:49. > :26:58.rain and a drop in temperature. Unsettled this weekend, but not
:26:59. > :27:04.raining all the time. For reaction on that lightning
:27:05. > :27:06.strike story, we are on Facebook and Twitter. Goodbye from now.