:00:00. > 3:59:59underway in Brazil with the opening ceremony in Rio just hours
:00:00. > :00:16.This is BBC Newsline and these are the headlines
:00:17. > :00:26.A haul of dissident republican weapons found by police near Lurgan.
:00:27. > :00:28.A man's arrested over the murder of ten workmen
:00:29. > :00:33.Two people lose their lives on the roads in 24 hours.
:00:34. > :00:36.The sale of former police stations is turning out to be an answer
:00:37. > :00:52.This was the office for the police station. We do not have an office in
:00:53. > :00:56.the church. This is perfect. The Olympic Games get underway tonight
:00:57. > :00:57.in Brazil. Join me for all the latest.
:00:58. > :01:07.The police have put on display a haul of guns, home-made explosives
:01:08. > :01:11.They have described it as significant and believe it
:01:12. > :01:18.The two day security operation led to the closure of the railway line
:01:19. > :01:29.Our home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.
:01:30. > :01:37.The grounds of a former convent where the scene of a major security
:01:38. > :01:42.operation during the last couple of days. Specialist teams look through
:01:43. > :01:47.hedges on the outskirts of Lurgan. It was closed for a number of hours
:01:48. > :01:51.yesterday and again today because of what the police described as a
:01:52. > :01:55.significant operation. How significant became clear this
:01:56. > :02:01.afternoon when police displayed some of the items found. Some of the
:02:02. > :02:08.items are not here. What we have in total are parts of explosives. We
:02:09. > :02:13.have improvised launchers and a number of pipe bombs. We have three
:02:14. > :02:16.firearms and a variety of ammunition. These items were in the
:02:17. > :02:22.advanced state of readiness and some were ready to be used. As the police
:02:23. > :02:27.arrest conference was taking place, other items were being recovered
:02:28. > :02:29.from the scene. In the course of the investigation today, further
:02:30. > :02:39.searches and that location are ongoing. Further items have been
:02:40. > :02:44.identifying. As well as what you have seen here today, there are
:02:45. > :02:49.other items, including firearms and ammunition. The police released
:02:50. > :02:57.other images. A pipe bomb, a semiotic camp two -- is
:02:58. > :03:01.semi-automatic gun. They are believed to belong to the new IRA,
:03:02. > :03:07.which is known to be active in the area. This is the third hide to be
:03:08. > :03:14.found this year. In March, police and covered for plastic arrows
:03:15. > :03:20.underground. They contained component parts which could be used
:03:21. > :03:25.to make bombs. Two months later, just six miles away in a forest,
:03:26. > :03:32.police found what they described as one of the most significant finds in
:03:33. > :03:40.years. That included two military grade mines, material that could be
:03:41. > :03:46.used to destruct booby-trap bombs. The police say at this new find has
:03:47. > :03:46.saved lives and dealt a blow to dissident republicans.
:03:47. > :03:59.Put this in context for us. This is significant in two ways. First of
:04:00. > :04:05.all because of the quality to the correct quantity and variety. There
:04:06. > :04:11.were firearms and ammunition. They were found in a number of different
:04:12. > :04:15.locations, quite a bit of material. It is significant where they were
:04:16. > :04:23.found. The dissident group is known to be active north Armagh. The
:04:24. > :04:27.police believe this has dealt a major blow to the organisation and
:04:28. > :04:32.their activities. On a separate matter, we heard news today on
:04:33. > :04:41.arrest of people in connection to the Kingsmills murders 40 years ago.
:04:42. > :04:46.It was the worst atrocities of the troubles and no one has ever been
:04:47. > :04:52.convicted. Today the police said they had arrested a 59-year-old man.
:04:53. > :04:57.They gave no other details. This comes two months after they said
:04:58. > :05:01.they had been a major friend at breakthrough in this investigation.
:05:02. > :05:06.An inquest into this death, the police said they had identified a
:05:07. > :05:15.palm print and a possible suspect. The palm print had been found on the
:05:16. > :05:17.getaway vehicle used by the gang. More to come on this. For now, thank
:05:18. > :05:18.you. Two people have been
:05:19. > :05:21.killed in road crashes They were a woman in her 60s
:05:22. > :05:36.and a 50-year-old motorcyclist. The 39th person to die on our roads
:05:37. > :05:40.this year was killed here outside Hillsborough this morning. The
:05:41. > :05:47.impact of the collision was clear to see. It is a fast bit of road and
:05:48. > :05:50.the speed and the coach involved, it was a very serious accident. We
:05:51. > :05:54.treated three people at the scene and two were taken on to hospital
:05:55. > :05:59.for further treatment and one was released. The fourth person was
:06:00. > :06:05.trapped in the car and unfortunately that person has died at the scene.
:06:06. > :06:11.Investigation teams arrived to try and work out what happened. The main
:06:12. > :06:17.Belfast Dublin Road stayed closed in both directions for hours after the
:06:18. > :06:22.crash, with traffic diverted. Drivers could not avoid long
:06:23. > :06:28.tailbacks. Less than 30 miles away, another death. A man in his 50s died
:06:29. > :06:32.here. The police said his motorbike crashed into a roundabout. No other
:06:33. > :06:38.vehicles were involved. The number of road deaths of down slightly on
:06:39. > :06:51.the last two years. But to more families have been left devastated.
:06:52. > :06:53.The number of people in Northern Ireland applying
:06:54. > :06:56.for Irish passports rose by more than 60% last month,
:06:57. > :06:57.compared to the same period last year.
:06:58. > :06:59.The figures, which have just been released,
:07:00. > :07:02.cover the first full month since the UK's vote to leave
:07:03. > :07:06.BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson has been breaking down the numbers and joins
:07:07. > :07:13.What have you learnt today? These are the figures we have been waiting
:07:14. > :07:18.for. The figures from the first film on sites that Brexit vote. Let's
:07:19. > :07:25.look at those figures, in terms of Irish passport applications from
:07:26. > :07:32.Northern Ireland, in July last year it was 4070. July this year, the
:07:33. > :07:38.month just passed, that had shot up to 6638 applications. That's an
:07:39. > :07:42.increase of 63%. If you look at Great Britain, England, Scotland and
:07:43. > :07:47.Wales, there has been an increase in the ever people applying to Irish
:07:48. > :07:51.passports of 73%. I am sure politicians all over these islands
:07:52. > :07:56.will be poring over these figures to see what they really mean. We have
:07:57. > :07:59.seen that is a trend but we will not know until next month whether this
:08:00. > :08:05.trend is going to continue. Who has been applying? We know that
:08:06. > :08:10.information is confidential, but in the past in Northern Ireland at were
:08:11. > :08:17.normally all the nationalist persuasion. Normally, but we do not
:08:18. > :08:23.know how many and we do not know how many. Unionists, for European
:08:24. > :08:28.reasons and practical reasons, they would say, they have applied for the
:08:29. > :08:32.first time for an Irish passport, having held a British passport from
:08:33. > :08:38.within 60 years. Including Iman we're going to hear from now. A
:08:39. > :08:44.retired teacher and he explained to me why he decided to apply for his
:08:45. > :08:50.first Irish passport. Essentially, I am British but I am using the Irish
:08:51. > :08:53.passport as a means to an end. I have been speaking to other
:08:54. > :08:56.first-time applicant and we will hear from them next week. Mark sense
:08:57. > :08:59.and in the news room. A hostel for vulnerable
:09:00. > :09:01.women in West Belfast is to close later this month
:09:02. > :09:04.despite its management team requesting additional funding
:09:05. > :09:05.from the Housing Executive. Regina Coeli in the Andersonstown
:09:06. > :09:08.area is home to twenty women with mental health issues,
:09:09. > :09:23.alcohol and drug problems. Eight years providing a home for
:09:24. > :09:27.some of our most vulnerable women. This morning word filtered through
:09:28. > :09:32.that the hostel will be closing on the 31st of August. The bolt out of
:09:33. > :09:37.the blue. It is devastating. These women are so vulnerable. The morale
:09:38. > :09:44.is down. Where are we going to go into weeks? What was going to
:09:45. > :09:51.happen? -- in two weeks. It is just outrageous. It is believed up to 20
:09:52. > :09:56.staff will lose their jobs. In a letter seen by the BBC, the hostel
:09:57. > :10:01.management says the closure is down to what they claim the Northern
:10:02. > :10:04.Ireland Housing executive unwillingness to provide adequate
:10:05. > :10:10.funding. That is at complete odds provided by them. They say the all
:10:11. > :10:13.waiting to agree the budget when they received a letter from the
:10:14. > :10:17.management committee informing them they are going to close the hostel.
:10:18. > :10:21.We are all together and we are sitting there and waiting. Nobody
:10:22. > :10:26.has come to see what is happening about this. About our points. Ari on
:10:27. > :10:36.the urgency lest? Are they going to do anything? -- are we on the
:10:37. > :10:38.emergency lest? They have been lobbying local politicians and order
:10:39. > :10:40.to get the decision overturned. More than half of all the police
:10:41. > :10:43.stations in Northern Ireland have The majority were bought
:10:44. > :10:46.by private developers, Most of the buildings
:10:47. > :10:50.were demolished but some were retained including one
:10:51. > :10:52.which will soon be used for Sunday School classes
:10:53. > :11:07.as our Political Correspondent Enda It may not have been the most
:11:08. > :11:13.attractive building on the market. For those that bought the former
:11:14. > :11:16.police station, it was the answer to their prayers. The Presbyterian
:11:17. > :11:21.Church next door needed extra space for a car park. When the bombproof
:11:22. > :11:26.property on the other side of the security wall came on the market,
:11:27. > :11:33.they were first in with a bed. It cost us ?175,000. It is six of an
:11:34. > :11:38.acre plus a building. We think it is excellent value for money. What did
:11:39. > :11:42.they get further investment? This is the area that the general public
:11:43. > :11:47.will have access. We will keep it as a reception and make it more open
:11:48. > :11:52.and more receptive of members of the congregation. Then moving down
:11:53. > :11:55.through to the left, we have a room that would be perfect for a creche
:11:56. > :12:02.for the young children and the congregation. This was the office
:12:03. > :12:07.for the police station. We don't have an office in the church. This
:12:08. > :12:12.is perfect for all the papers. Moving across the corridor we have
:12:13. > :12:27.what was known as the surgeons removed. Because the room was not
:12:28. > :12:30.big, we... We tumbled the two into one. The potential is it could be
:12:31. > :12:35.used for the evergreens of the church. This was the holding cell
:12:36. > :12:42.and it was only used briefly. We do not know what we're going to use
:12:43. > :12:46.this form. Maybe it is a perfect room for someone to come in for some
:12:47. > :12:52.quiet reflection. 74 former police stations have been sold and the past
:12:53. > :12:56.ten years. 22 of them have stayed in the public sector but by housing
:12:57. > :13:02.associations, councils and community groups. The rest were sold on the
:13:03. > :13:07.open market to private developers, bringing in more than ?24 million to
:13:08. > :13:11.the public purse. Does the closure of 74 police stations mean we have
:13:12. > :13:16.74 at Trinity is who are feeling more exposed and vulnerable to
:13:17. > :13:22.crime? As the police service we are now less than half the size we used
:13:23. > :13:28.to be. Therefore, we do not need the same number as we needed before. We
:13:29. > :13:36.can contact people in different ways and we can give that unity confident
:13:37. > :13:40.through social media and having a building in today's digital age is
:13:41. > :13:46.not as important as it used to be. What has been the experience here?
:13:47. > :13:51.To people here missed the police station which once dominated the
:13:52. > :13:58.Main Street? There is a different era. There is telephone is and
:13:59. > :14:06.people have retires. As long as there is a police station in the
:14:07. > :14:10.facility, they are happy. This will be used as churchgoers and not
:14:11. > :14:17.criminals. If you fancy owning one of these, there is still one on the
:14:18. > :14:19.market in Belfast. An ASCII and price of ?900,000. -- and asking
:14:20. > :14:22.price of ?900,000. A review of taxi legislation
:14:23. > :14:24.could threaten the future The US company operates in more
:14:25. > :14:28.than 300 cities worldwide But it could now struggle to comply
:14:29. > :14:33.with changes to the law. Our Economics and Business Editor
:14:34. > :14:50.John Campbell reports. With just the press of a button,
:14:51. > :14:57.Labour is a growing giant. -- bluebird. They have had brushes with
:14:58. > :15:02.the law and regulators. In Belfast they have had a flavour of that. It
:15:03. > :15:05.is how taxes are regulated. A recent change in the lark means that all
:15:06. > :15:13.taxes will have to install meters and receipt printers. Bluebird does
:15:14. > :15:24.not work like that. It uses smartphones as meters. -- Uber those
:15:25. > :15:30.vehicles do not use a meter or have a roof sign. Crucially, the law does
:15:31. > :15:34.not stop taxis using those licenses. The minister says that is the
:15:35. > :15:38.loophole and one he is determined to close. If they are not happy with
:15:39. > :15:43.that, they will have to look elsewhere. We are going to have a
:15:44. > :15:50.taxi system here that is fear and transparent for everyone. The public
:15:51. > :16:03.safety is a very big thing because people are used to taxes arriving
:16:04. > :16:04.with no identification. Uber Seems startled by what is being proposed.
:16:05. > :16:23.They said... This journey has some way to go. It
:16:24. > :16:24.often gets what it wants, but it has pulled out of cities when things
:16:25. > :16:27.don't go its way. Next an update on Brooke Park
:16:28. > :16:29.which we have featured The former Victorian Parkland,
:16:30. > :16:33.where an orphanage once stood, He bequeathed a small fortune
:16:34. > :16:45.to build Londonderry's first He insisted that orphans
:16:46. > :16:49.like himself and the poor be among This weekend his relatives
:16:50. > :16:53.from around the globe will be in Derry to see how the park
:16:54. > :16:55.has been transformed. Here's our North-West
:16:56. > :17:07.reporter, Keiron Tourish. It is one of the city's best kept
:17:08. > :17:11.secrets, Brooke Park. It has undergone a major redevelopment in
:17:12. > :17:19.the last few years, costing ?5.6 million. The first orphanage was
:17:20. > :17:28.built here, using ?40,000 by businessman John Gwyn. He insisted
:17:29. > :17:31.the purist children were looked after first before others. Members
:17:32. > :17:37.of his family from Australia, Norway, France as well as the UK and
:17:38. > :17:41.Ireland will get a to it this weekend. It was a massive gesture.
:17:42. > :17:50.The original institute was opened by the bishop at the time. He made it
:17:51. > :17:55.clear that everyone should be allowed. He was progressive. As part
:17:56. > :18:02.of the major redevelopment, there will be a new cafe, leisure
:18:03. > :18:06.facilities, play garden and pond. As well as a environment training
:18:07. > :18:12.centre. It is 20 acres and is in the heart of the city. Over time, it was
:18:13. > :18:19.a very treasured Park initially, right through the 1900s all the way
:18:20. > :18:26.up until the trouble is it teetered out because it was neglected. The
:18:27. > :18:30.whole ethos of this project is to breathe some life into the space and
:18:31. > :18:37.the surrounding areas and put the park back into the wider city. When
:18:38. > :18:43.the descendants of John Gwyn visit here tomorrow, they will do so on a
:18:44. > :18:49.significant date. It will be 115 years since the public 's first
:18:50. > :18:55.started coming here in 1901. The newly redeveloped Brooke Park of
:18:56. > :18:58.2016 will officially be open to the public in a couple of weeks' time.
:18:59. > :19:00.While there still a shadow hanging over Team Ireland
:19:01. > :19:03.after a boxer's failed drugs test, the opening ceremony of the 2016
:19:04. > :19:05.Olympic Games takes place in Brazil tonight.
:19:06. > :19:25.Good evening. Good evening. Good afternoon from Rio. The Olympic Park
:19:26. > :19:30.behind me will stage many of the sporting events. A very impressive
:19:31. > :19:35.backdrop. The opening ceremony takes place in about 45 minutes away from
:19:36. > :19:43.here near Cocoa cabana Beach. Before that opening ceremony, somebody has
:19:44. > :19:48.already been in action today. He was taking part in the qualifying for
:19:49. > :19:58.the artery. He finished 38 out of 64. -- archery. Of the 28 athletes
:19:59. > :20:04.from Northern Ireland taking part, 11 of them are hockey players. Four
:20:05. > :20:09.were representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland and seven in the
:20:10. > :20:16.Irish team. It is the first time and Irish squad has been to the Olympic
:20:17. > :20:23.Games in 108 years. Being in Rio is a lifetime ambition. They are
:20:24. > :20:29.determined to enjoy the Olympic experience. It has been amazing.
:20:30. > :20:34.From the first moment, it has been surreal. We are excited to get
:20:35. > :20:38.started. It is amazing. There is a lot of history behind of what we
:20:39. > :20:43.have done here. Being at the Olympics, the pinnacle of our
:20:44. > :20:51.careers and are hockey in Ireland it is a massive thing. To even get to
:20:52. > :20:54.the games has already been an incredible journey. The players want
:20:55. > :21:03.to make sure they leave an impression. We want to come out and
:21:04. > :21:09.show we can able of. We know, we know we're capable of beating the
:21:10. > :21:13.bigger teams. That is what we here to do. We have the country on our
:21:14. > :21:19.shoulders but we do not feel that pressure. We have been together for
:21:20. > :21:24.ten or 15 years playing together the same is squad. We are a big family.
:21:25. > :21:36.There are hockey brothers from Northern Ireland here. We have
:21:37. > :21:41.beaten everyone who we come up against. It is doing it when it
:21:42. > :21:47.counts. We have let ourselves down in big games and semifinals. I think
:21:48. > :21:56.if we perform to our ability we can. It is in our hands. The two teams
:21:57. > :22:01.could meet later in the turn and. We will let you know how both teams get
:22:02. > :22:03.on. The local football season kicks off tomorrow and hasn't been a
:22:04. > :22:06.smooth start. One game is off. Portadown's opening game
:22:07. > :22:08.of the Danskebank Premiership season, away to Coleraine,
:22:09. > :22:10.will not go ahead tomorrow. The club's suspension
:22:11. > :22:12.from all football activity, imposed after failure to pay
:22:13. > :22:28.disciplinary fees, All the other games go ahead
:22:29. > :22:32.tomorrow. Crusaders lost just three games and 38 last season and will be
:22:33. > :22:37.the team to beat. The manager has been busy this summer to ensure the
:22:38. > :22:42.north Belfast side stay on top. We look forward to the challenge. We
:22:43. > :22:46.have enjoyed the last two years that have gone before. We had tougher
:22:47. > :22:51.times in the years before that. We have work to get where we are today.
:22:52. > :22:56.The trick was to keep it going and be competitive. The other teams
:22:57. > :23:05.around us are improving. It is important we improve our squad this
:23:06. > :23:08.year. We have lots of decent players in. We will bring them in and get
:23:09. > :23:10.them bed at into what we do and keep them working hard. We have an
:23:11. > :23:13.exceptional bunch of players and they will be competing for places in
:23:14. > :23:16.the team. That is the difficulty I have defined the right formula. We
:23:17. > :23:21.have also been searching for the answer. The Irish cup winners have
:23:22. > :23:30.brought the talent to their home ground. They have signed former
:23:31. > :23:37.Rangers striker to bring experience and goals to the Oval. While across
:23:38. > :23:40.Belfast at Windsor Park, the boss has called on former international
:23:41. > :23:48.team-mates to bolster the blue challenge. We were champions last
:23:49. > :23:53.year. The best team always wins the week. It is going to be a big ask
:23:54. > :24:00.for ourselves. We have brought players into narrow the gap. When
:24:01. > :24:05.you finish above them, if we finish above the three teams and dog when
:24:06. > :24:13.the league next year, I will be hugely disappointed. -- don't win
:24:14. > :24:18.the lake next year. There will be great goals to come. All the
:24:19. > :24:25.ingredients are there for another dramatic Irish league season. We
:24:26. > :24:30.will have all the results and action tomorrow. It is also a big day for a
:24:31. > :24:42.Gaelic football. Donegal take on Dublin and Tyrone play Mayo for a
:24:43. > :24:48.place on the last four. Not so long ago, Tyrone and Donegal played out a
:24:49. > :24:58.grilling Ulster final. The score is true gasps from the terraces. Who is
:24:59. > :25:07.the benchmark in training? He has trained very well. He is probably in
:25:08. > :25:17.front of everyone. Pete has everyone on a scale. The platform is high but
:25:18. > :25:21.everyone is very close to it. Now it is Mayo, not quite the machine they
:25:22. > :25:33.once were. We know what we are dealing with. Just because the last
:25:34. > :25:49.the match to Galway, doesn't mean to say the last of the quality that we
:25:50. > :25:57.had. -- lost. That wasn't to be. We can produce a performance and I
:25:58. > :26:01.think you have to go down with that degree of confidence and knowledge
:26:02. > :26:08.that he can do it. Going down there and producing it is a big task over
:26:09. > :26:15.the coming days. It all makes for a most intriguing Saturday. We will
:26:16. > :26:22.have live coverage of those quarterfinals tomorrow on BBC radio
:26:23. > :26:27.Ulster. I will be back with more from Rio tonight. Enjoy yourself.
:26:28. > :26:37.Angie has the latest weather forecast.
:26:38. > :26:46.We have a rear of low pressure. It is running up to the west. We are
:26:47. > :26:51.watching those isobars. Indicative of strengthening winds. There will
:26:52. > :26:56.be some rain associated with this system. A lot of dry weather and the
:26:57. > :27:00.temperatures are looking reasonable. Back to today, we had those light
:27:01. > :27:07.winds and that feel of cloud. Standing there as you look out. That
:27:08. > :27:13.cloud is also starting to break up. For many of us, a fine and bright
:27:14. > :27:18.end to the day. We hold onto that dry weather and broken cloud during
:27:19. > :27:23.the night as well. Very similar to last night. These are the
:27:24. > :27:28.temperatures in the towns, around 11 Celsius. In brutal areas they could
:27:29. > :27:35.get down to seven Celsius. A lot of dry weather and the wind will be the
:27:36. > :27:41.main feature. Not too bad in the morning. When are alight at this
:27:42. > :27:47.stage. Some sunshine around and the odd spot of drizzle. Not amounting
:27:48. > :27:51.to two much. We hold onto the dry weather for the afternoon. That wind
:27:52. > :27:58.started to pick up from the south. That is a mild direction. That is
:27:59. > :28:02.going to lift temperatures up to 21 Celsius. The cloud will start to
:28:03. > :28:07.thicken up towards the west in the evening. We are likely to get a
:28:08. > :28:13.spell of rain and the rest of the night is dry and cloudy. Very windy.
:28:14. > :28:22.Some keel force gusts and it stays very window into Sunday -- it stays
:28:23. > :28:25.windy into Sunday. Wetter later in the day. Goodbye and take here.