:00:12. > :00:15.You're watching BBC Newsline and once again our main focus
:00:16. > :00:25.The former First Minister Arlene predicts that
:00:26. > :00:28.an election will be brutal, but she hopes an independent inquiry
:00:29. > :00:34.into the renewable heat scandal can be set up within the next 24 hours.
:00:35. > :00:41.It is needed to restore the confidence in the institutions and
:00:42. > :00:44.also for me personally to be able to regain my integrity which has been
:00:45. > :00:45.temptingly maligned but this past number of weeks.
:00:46. > :00:48.The Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams warns there can be no
:00:49. > :00:59.We get reaction from business and community groups to the potential
:01:00. > :01:03.collapse of the Northern Ireland executive. I think the losers in
:01:04. > :01:06.this process are the people, the citizens and in particular those
:01:07. > :01:08.citizens that were so badly affected by the troubles.
:01:09. > :01:10.A farmer tells us he fears his industry
:01:11. > :01:13.is being demonised over the renewable heat scandal:
:01:14. > :01:19.a couple admit helping the murderers of a Chinese restaurant owner.
:01:20. > :01:22.And it's going to get much colder over the coming days
:01:23. > :01:26.with a bitter northwest wind and some snow.
:01:27. > :01:37.An Assembly election hasn't been called yet but the DUP leader
:01:38. > :01:42.Arlene Foster say if it goes ahead, it will be "brutal."
:01:43. > :01:47.She has also said she hopes an independent inquiry
:01:48. > :01:55.into the controversial heating scheme could start within 24 hours.
:01:56. > :02:01.The resignation of Martin McGuinness as the Deputy First Minister has
:02:02. > :02:04.sparked yet another Stormont crisis and as our political correspondent
:02:05. > :02:09.Gareth Gordon reports, no one is quite sure what will happen next.
:02:10. > :02:14.Stormont today after. More dark clouds then rays of light but all
:02:15. > :02:18.pointing towards an election. And soon it will be about seats. Not
:02:19. > :02:23.these one stacked in the great Hall but the ones which we knew a place
:02:24. > :02:27.in the assembly chamber across Europe. The last poll how is barely
:02:28. > :02:32.over. The next one unlikely to be pretty. I have no doubt that if the
:02:33. > :02:37.election proceeds, it will be a brutal election. It will be a very
:02:38. > :02:40.difficult election and with Sinn Fein hat indicating that they're not
:02:41. > :02:44.going back to see disco, there are those of us who will also want to
:02:45. > :02:48.look at the construction of the institutions to see what we can do
:02:49. > :02:54.better because I think that there is no doubt, if you look back at our
:02:55. > :02:59.documents from 2003 row forward, we always said mandatory coalition as a
:03:00. > :03:03.first step towards moving to voluntary coalition and so we will
:03:04. > :03:07.want to look those issues as well after an election, if it takes
:03:08. > :03:13.place. So, undoubtedly, we're in for a period of direct rule. 24 hours
:03:14. > :03:16.after her partner in Government told her he was leaving, Arlene Foster
:03:17. > :03:20.sprung a surprise. It public inquiry into the heating scandal could be
:03:21. > :03:23.called soon. We're very keen that it is set up for all the reasons I have
:03:24. > :03:27.set out. The fact that from a political point of view I think it
:03:28. > :03:32.is needed to restore the confidence in the institutions and also for me
:03:33. > :03:35.personally to be able to regain my integrity which has been constantly
:03:36. > :03:40.maligned over this past number of weeks and months so it's important
:03:41. > :03:43.that we get this inquiry up and running as quickly as possible and I
:03:44. > :03:54.hope it'll be in place before the end of the week. Too late impress
:03:55. > :03:58.Sinn Fein. Martin McGuinness thanked well-wishers. Whether his health
:03:59. > :04:04.issues will allow him to even run an election is not clear but others are
:04:05. > :04:10.ready. We've had two max uprising elections, Brexit and the in the
:04:11. > :04:12.American election. I think we have unprecedented anger about this
:04:13. > :04:15.scandal waiting there are so many unknowns that there is all to play
:04:16. > :04:19.for if we go to an election and we will go on very confidently. What
:04:20. > :04:21.should be happening now is the Secretary of State and the Irish
:04:22. > :04:25.Foreign Minister should be convening talks with all five parties, not
:04:26. > :04:29.just with the two that have caused the problems of last 14 months, to
:04:30. > :04:33.see what we can do to reform the structures before we have the
:04:34. > :04:39.election campaign. The next steps as uncertain as Stormont 's future.
:04:40. > :04:45.Tara Mills spoke to the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams that
:04:46. > :04:47.afternoon. She asked him about the DUP's suggestion that there could be
:04:48. > :04:58.a lengthy period of directional. Directional cannot be an option.
:04:59. > :05:02.That if there is no agreement between the two biggest parties,
:05:03. > :05:07.legally there has to be direct rule. First of all, the situation has
:05:08. > :05:13.moved on tremendously. We are facing Brexit, you know. DUP for this part
:05:14. > :05:20.of the islands, contrary to the wishes of the majority of people,
:05:21. > :05:26.want to exit from the European Union so there is a challenge. So, you
:05:27. > :05:29.see, if you're against half a billion of money being flushed down
:05:30. > :05:33.the drain for possibly into someone's pocket, if you are against
:05:34. > :05:38.that, if you are for fairness and equality, if you value the progress
:05:39. > :05:41.that has been made, and unionist leaders have played a role in that
:05:42. > :05:46.process, if you want that to continue, then come out and vote and
:05:47. > :05:52.vote accordingly to make sure that the institutions that are put in
:05:53. > :05:56.place will be sustainable and will be based upon fairness, decency,
:05:57. > :06:00.good manners and equality. But what you've done means the money is going
:06:01. > :06:03.to go down the drain until the election process is completed and it
:06:04. > :06:10.also means that there can't be a short-term inquiry as the one you
:06:11. > :06:13.had suggested. That could take years, so you have undoubtedly got
:06:14. > :06:18.what she wanted or what you set out to get. And that's why Martin felt
:06:19. > :06:23.that his position was untenable. What are the other consequences of
:06:24. > :06:26.Martin McGuinness resigning is that there is no voice, there is a
:06:27. > :06:29.nationalist voice in the Brexit negotiations because you don't have
:06:30. > :06:33.a voice at Westminster, so we are totally detached. You have detached
:06:34. > :06:39.electorate away from the Brexit negotiations. Our voices loud and
:06:40. > :06:44.clear. We published a document strategy on Brexit, we have argued
:06:45. > :06:47.for the North to be treated with a special designated status... If
:06:48. > :06:53.you're not there, how can you hope... We couldn't get that done
:06:54. > :06:56.anyway because the DUP are for Brexit and against the majority vote
:06:57. > :07:01.which says that the people want to remain within the European Union.
:07:02. > :07:04.Just a number of final quick points. Martin McGuinness, some commentators
:07:05. > :07:08.have suggested it is actually your influence that has taken a harder
:07:09. > :07:11.line here and that if it had been entirely up to Martin McGuinness,
:07:12. > :07:16.there wouldn't have been resignation. It was from Martin
:07:17. > :07:21.McGuinness. In terms of itself, are you worried about him? Absolutely. I
:07:22. > :07:25.was with him at the castle just before the interviews. I found it
:07:26. > :07:32.very emotional as a period. He obviously is ill. He's very
:07:33. > :07:35.resilient. He's getting very, very best medical treatment so hopefully
:07:36. > :07:38.people praying, and they should pray, hopefully he won't back to
:07:39. > :07:44.himself before too long. Gerry Adams. It is the job of the
:07:45. > :07:46.Secretary of State to call a election. In the House of Commons,
:07:47. > :07:52.he outlined his thoughts. There was a nearly a full house
:07:53. > :07:55.from our local MPs in the Commons for this debate and afterwards
:07:56. > :08:06.I caught up with a number of them. MPs from all parties gathered to
:08:07. > :08:11.hear the Secretary of State, who knows his options and time for
:08:12. > :08:15.decision making is limited. The clock is ticking. If there is no
:08:16. > :08:21.resolution that an election is inevitable. Despite the widely held
:08:22. > :08:24.view that this election may deepen divisions and threatened the
:08:25. > :08:26.continuity of the devolved institutions. And there was a
:08:27. > :08:32.warning that an election could lead to political deadlock. This could
:08:33. > :08:37.last for months. I think were looking at weeks, months, maybe even
:08:38. > :08:42.years. If Sinn Fein continue on the line that they're on now. Just to
:08:43. > :08:47.clarify, years of direct rule? Well, if Sinn Fein are going to turn their
:08:48. > :08:50.back on power sharing and on the agreements that have previously been
:08:51. > :08:54.reached, then directional is the inevitable controversies of that. On
:08:55. > :08:59.the Labour benches, there was a feeling that an election was not the
:09:00. > :09:01.solution to Stormont's problems. I just don't believe that what were
:09:02. > :09:07.going into now will resolve anything in any shape or form. You think
:09:08. > :09:11.election will solve anything? Reed no one has convinced me that it will
:09:12. > :09:14.do anything. We will have a result at the end of that which the only
:09:15. > :09:17.change will be the number in the seven rumbled reduced from 108 to
:09:18. > :09:22.90. Others insist the electorate should
:09:23. > :09:27.use an electorate to -- an election to judge the record of the DUP and
:09:28. > :09:31.particularly Sinn Fein. Now they have to tell the truth about the DUP
:09:32. > :09:36.but of course the DUP have got their own point about Sinn Fein as well so
:09:37. > :09:40.be brought public have decisions and choices to make if there is to be an
:09:41. > :09:45.election. Even at this late stage, there is some hope that an election
:09:46. > :09:48.won't be necessary. It is certainly avoidable if everyone sits around
:09:49. > :09:51.the table. That is what the Secretary of State said he would do
:09:52. > :09:55.was sit around with everyone I talk to everyone. It is avoidable but not
:09:56. > :09:59.if we carry on in the same way we have been doing things. At
:10:00. > :10:02.Westminster, there is much surprise and sombre wonderment at how events
:10:03. > :10:07.at Stormont have unfolded in the last 24 hours. And whilst they have
:10:08. > :10:10.heard appeals from talks and solutions, there is a growing
:10:11. > :10:11.feeling that the parties in Northern Ireland will be on the campaign
:10:12. > :10:12.Trail within days. After today's debate
:10:13. > :10:14.the Secretary of State returned And he is going to spend the next
:10:15. > :10:20.few days talking to the parties Former First and Deputy
:10:21. > :10:25.First Ministers have been giving their thoughts
:10:26. > :10:29.on the current crisis at Stormont. The Ulster Unionist, Lord Trimble,
:10:30. > :10:31.says an election probably won't change the dominance
:10:32. > :10:34.on the two main parties but that disillusioned voters at least now
:10:35. > :10:36.have an alternative. The SDLP's Seamus Mallon says
:10:37. > :10:39.the fault for the current problems lies squarely with both
:10:40. > :10:53.Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness. The easy way out of this is to blame
:10:54. > :10:58.the institutions, not to blame the people who didn't bring integrity
:10:59. > :11:05.and a sense of justice and a sense of belonging and reconciliation to
:11:06. > :11:13.the whole process. I can't remember a time when the whole question of
:11:14. > :11:19.reconciliation was addressed in that assembly. Was addressed by beef
:11:20. > :11:21.first and Deputy First Minister. Today marks the deadline for those
:11:22. > :11:25.on the renewable heating initiative scheme to say if their details
:11:26. > :11:29.can be published. A former president of
:11:30. > :11:31.the Ulster Farmers Unions says he fears boiler owners like him
:11:32. > :11:39.will be "demonised" John Gilliland also warned
:11:40. > :11:41.the government against tearing up the contracts of those who signed up
:11:42. > :11:43.to the scheme. Our political correspondent
:11:44. > :11:45.Enda McClafferty has been speaking to Mr Gilliland
:11:46. > :11:58.on his farm in Londonderry. As you can see, this is our willow.
:11:59. > :12:02.A year after harvest... When it comes to renewable energy, few can
:12:03. > :12:05.both a track record like John Gilleland. He installed his first
:12:06. > :12:12.biomass boiler 30 years ago and now supplies woodchip from his willow
:12:13. > :12:18.crop to is all over Northern Ireland. Come to this boiler and I
:12:19. > :12:23.will permit obsolete Ashley C B woodchip. He has three boilers
:12:24. > :12:28.drying woodchip around the clock for which he gets paid ?80,000 a year
:12:29. > :12:32.from the RHI scheme. 30,000 of which is profit which he says he uses to
:12:33. > :12:38.pay off debts from his renewable investments. I encourage many, many
:12:39. > :12:42.people to go into renewable heat, but there are really scared at the
:12:43. > :12:47.moment. They're scared of being victimised, have been made a pariah
:12:48. > :12:51.in their own community. I think the Government needs to be genuine and
:12:52. > :12:55.before they release names at least allow them to be inspected and
:12:56. > :12:59.approved to the public that they're doing it above board so that when
:13:00. > :13:02.the wet woodchip comes in it goes on the special floor. This is where the
:13:03. > :13:06.warm air from the boiler comes up through, underneath the woodchip.
:13:07. > :13:11.This is close off at the moment and it drives the moisture out and you
:13:12. > :13:15.can see the water vapour coming out of the woodchip and we extracted out
:13:16. > :13:18.of... John Gilliland expects to be one of the few to go public and he
:13:19. > :13:24.is warned the Government against taking money from those like him who
:13:25. > :13:28.signed up in good faith. When you write a legal contract and you sign
:13:29. > :13:33.a legal contract, there are responsibilities on both parties to
:13:34. > :13:38.deliver the spirit of that contract. If governments then tears up 2000
:13:39. > :13:43.contracts, what other contracts are they don't want a terrible? They
:13:44. > :13:46.create a very dangerous precedent. John Gilliland, like hundreds of
:13:47. > :13:51.other boiler owners, is now waiting to see if his contract will be
:13:52. > :13:55.scrapped and his money cuts. But a bigger conserver hemp is the
:13:56. > :13:57.long-term damage on future green energy schemes in Northern Ireland
:13:58. > :14:01.and that's something he says he can't surprise on. -- can't put a
:14:02. > :14:03.price on. The knock-on effect of having no
:14:04. > :14:05.functioning Executive could be far Sara Neill has been been speaking
:14:06. > :14:10.to some of the groups who believe they could be left dealing
:14:11. > :14:17.with the fall out. For many nationalists, the straw
:14:18. > :14:22.that broke the camel 's back was the withdrawal of funding to the Irish
:14:23. > :14:28.language scheme. It targeted the most marginalised with in the
:14:29. > :14:31.community, people who couldn't afford to send their children,
:14:32. > :14:35.people who couldn't attend to themselves. This is who the target.
:14:36. > :14:39.You're talking about pennies in terms of the overall budget and it
:14:40. > :14:45.was seen as crass and as an outrageous attack. As I said, almost
:14:46. > :14:49.as valid people. The findings of the as oracle institution of query
:14:50. > :14:52.allegedly made public later this month but without a solid
:14:53. > :14:57.Government, victims say they are the real losers, a sentiment echoed by
:14:58. > :15:03.those affected by the Troubles. We just don't want to believe that as
:15:04. > :15:06.soon as Sir Anthony's report was ready and delivered on Friday, that
:15:07. > :15:10.the collapse of the Government and the collapse of our dreams and hopes
:15:11. > :15:15.and desires that this was going to be our day. I think the losers in
:15:16. > :15:19.this process are the people, either citizens and in particular those
:15:20. > :15:24.citizens that were so badly affected by the Troubles and lost loved ones,
:15:25. > :15:29.lost limbs and they were having some sort of hopes raised by the Stormont
:15:30. > :15:32.agreement on some of the things coming down the line from that. We
:15:33. > :15:36.were assured it would be a fresh start and now the whole thing is
:15:37. > :15:40.that we unravelled. In business, we know that markets hate uncertainty
:15:41. > :15:44.and it is feared that this political instability could cast a shadow over
:15:45. > :15:49.economic growth and later a slowdown in the construction industry. The
:15:50. > :15:52.industry was already in a very fragile position, beginning to make
:15:53. > :15:58.a recovery after ten long years and that just adds further uncertainty
:15:59. > :16:00.to an industry that quite frankly can play a very important role in
:16:01. > :16:04.economic growth so were very concerned. I've never seen a time
:16:05. > :16:09.when we need strong leadership more than we do now in advance of Article
:16:10. > :16:13.50 being triggered in March. We need to have that Northern Ireland voice
:16:14. > :16:16.out there, we had very unique circumstances that the rest of the
:16:17. > :16:21.UK do not face and who is going to be talking for us at those
:16:22. > :16:24.negotiations? In the second week of January, little more than 24 hours
:16:25. > :16:27.after Martin McGuinness stepped down, it's still not clear what lies
:16:28. > :16:31.in store for the people of Northern Ireland and if there is an election,
:16:32. > :16:35.what change that could bring. What is clear is that the events of
:16:36. > :16:37.yesterday at Stormont will be felt long into 2017.
:16:38. > :16:40.Our economics and business editor John Campbell is here in the studio
:16:41. > :16:44.and our political editor Mark Devenport is at
:16:45. > :16:56.Two Stormont first. What do you make of the claim that we could be facing
:16:57. > :16:58.a lengthy period of directional? Well, it seems logical even though
:16:59. > :17:02.Gerry Adams said earlier in the programme that that was not an
:17:03. > :17:06.option. If we do have an extensive negotiation after an election, then
:17:07. > :17:11.there really will be very little alternative but for the Government
:17:12. > :17:13.to step in and to administer Northern Ireland directly. That
:17:14. > :17:18.could mean different things in terms of policies. Maybe they could bring
:17:19. > :17:23.in same-sex marriage as they have elsewhere in the UK, maybe we could
:17:24. > :17:25.get more austerity measures, perhaps the bedroom tax without some of the
:17:26. > :17:29.mitigation that had been planned unless they get those measures in
:17:30. > :17:33.place. But in general, is not really a perfect system of Government
:17:34. > :17:37.having London-based ministers flying in just a few days and civil
:17:38. > :17:41.servants really administering the place on a sort of ticking over
:17:42. > :17:46.caretaker type pieces. John, let's look at the Stormont finances. What
:17:47. > :17:53.will that vacuum do? Just to pick up on something Mark said there, about
:17:54. > :17:56.the bedroom tax. That was a policy introduced by Westminster saying
:17:57. > :17:58.that people living in social housing could have the housing benefits
:17:59. > :18:04.reduced if it was felt they had too much space, too many legends. Under
:18:05. > :18:07.the fresh start agreement, Stormont agreed to mitigate that is so in
:18:08. > :18:11.effect the betting tax would not apply here. However, for that policy
:18:12. > :18:14.to take effect, a piece of legislation needs to go through
:18:15. > :18:18.Stormont and the important thing is that piece of legislation has not
:18:19. > :18:21.yet gone through. So the housing right organisation are warning that
:18:22. > :18:25.come next month, come the middle of next month, more than 30,000
:18:26. > :18:28.households could unexpectedly be paying the betting tax which means
:18:29. > :18:33.on average they would lose about ?20 a week in housing benefit. I imagine
:18:34. > :18:37.it will be good fun for the parties to try and explain that if they are
:18:38. > :18:40.campaigning on the doorsteps. We heard a business represents to talk
:18:41. > :18:44.about Brexit there in an earlier report. What difference will it make
:18:45. > :18:48.that we do not have executive ministers involved in the Brexit
:18:49. > :18:51.negotiations? There's something Cobbe joint ministerial committee
:18:52. > :18:53.which means each devolved administration comes together and
:18:54. > :18:56.meet with the Government in London and they are meant to feed into
:18:57. > :19:02.those Brexit talks. It looks unlikely that we will be
:19:03. > :19:04.representative to the stocks so in effect, our representative, the
:19:05. > :19:07.present looking ever Northern Ireland, is going to be James Brooke
:19:08. > :19:14.and Shire, the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup. Back to you Mark and to the
:19:15. > :19:19.keys renewable incentive scheme. What you make from the line from
:19:20. > :19:24.Ivan Foster who says she is willing to fast track in inquiry into the
:19:25. > :19:30.scheme? Under the 2005 enquiries act, any DUP ministers who still
:19:31. > :19:34.remain in place until midnight on the exception of Arlene Foster have
:19:35. > :19:42.the ability to put into place and inquiry. They could all Institute
:19:43. > :19:45.and inquiry, but I have to say that opposition parties have given as a
:19:46. > :19:48.dusty response Colling at electioneering or making Northern
:19:49. > :19:54.Ireland a lasting spot will have to see if this becomes a reality in the
:19:55. > :19:55.next few days. John Campbell in the studio and Mark Davenport are
:19:56. > :19:59.political editor at Stormont. A County Antrim husband and wife
:20:00. > :20:02.have admitted helping the murderers of a Chinese restaurant owner
:20:03. > :20:07.try to cover up the killing. Wing Fu Cheung - also
:20:08. > :20:09.known as Nelson Cheung - was stabbed to death outside
:20:10. > :20:11.Randalstown in 2015. Four people have now been convicted
:20:12. > :20:14.in connection with the killing. Our north-east reporter Sara Girvin
:20:15. > :20:26.was at Belfast Crown Court. Nelson Cheung was on his way home to
:20:27. > :20:30.Ballymena after closing his restaurant for the night. His
:20:31. > :20:35.attackers forced his car off the road on the outskirts of Randall
:20:36. > :20:40.Stout, stabbed him 17 times. His wife was injured during the robbery
:20:41. > :20:45.and her handbag, which contained a full and ?200, was stolen. Following
:20:46. > :20:50.her husband's murder, she left Northern Ireland and watched today's
:20:51. > :20:53.court proceedings in Belfast from Hong Kong. Gary and Lisa Thomson had
:20:54. > :20:58.previously denied all charges against them but entered new guilty
:20:59. > :21:02.pleas as their trial was about to begin. Both admitted assisting
:21:03. > :21:06.offenders by allowing two men who have already pleaded guilty to
:21:07. > :21:11.Nelson Cheung's murder to use their home as a refuge, remove clothing
:21:12. > :21:15.and preen themselves after the killing. Gary Thompson was
:21:16. > :21:19.previously accused of Mr Cheung's murder but that charge was left on
:21:20. > :21:22.the books. The couple also admitted perverting the course of justice
:21:23. > :21:28.while Gary Thompson pleaded guilty to robbery and Lisa Thomson to
:21:29. > :21:32.handling stolen goods. The two other men who admitted Mr Cheung's murder
:21:33. > :21:35.late last year are in custody awaiting sentence. Following their
:21:36. > :21:39.guilty pleas, Gary and Lisa Thompson were released on continuing bail.
:21:40. > :21:41.They will be sentenced at a later date.
:21:42. > :21:43.An inspection report on De La Salle College
:21:44. > :21:49.in Belfast says arrangements for safeguarding its pupils
:21:50. > :21:53.The Education and Training Inspectorate also found that staff
:21:54. > :21:58.at the school had been absent for an average of 40 days each
:21:59. > :22:00.during the last school year, as our education correspondent
:22:01. > :22:12.It was business as usual for the education Minister Peter Weir at
:22:13. > :22:18.Corpus Christi College in West Belfast this morning. Seeing and
:22:19. > :22:22.hearing how partnerships between schools there have really raised
:22:23. > :22:28.standards in the classroom. But not far away, it has been another grey
:22:29. > :22:32.day for the college, one of the county's largest primary schools.
:22:33. > :22:36.The inspector said that arrangements for protecting peoples was
:22:37. > :22:38.unsatisfactory. Teaching and assessment required significant
:22:39. > :22:43.improvement, a culture of bullying led to vulnerable and stressed staff
:22:44. > :22:46.and that they had limited confidence in the school governors. The
:22:47. > :22:50.inspection did say there have been some improvements since last
:22:51. > :22:54.September but is the culmination of over a year where there have been
:22:55. > :22:57.disputes among staff here and periods were a significant number of
:22:58. > :23:02.teachers have been off sick and protests by some parents. The local
:23:03. > :23:06.MP is worried. The Inspector's report is a hard-hitting report. We
:23:07. > :23:12.need to learn from it. We need to move on and we need to make sure
:23:13. > :23:16.that education and the inspector's report next year shows massive
:23:17. > :23:19.improvement. Despite the good news at Corpus Christi, the Lasalle was
:23:20. > :23:23.also on the mind of the education minister. We've put in special
:23:24. > :23:29.measures. Those of is the word loosely put in and indeed we are
:23:30. > :23:32.committed to doing that work. In a statement this afternoon, a
:23:33. > :23:34.spokesperson said they would take action to address the concerns
:23:35. > :23:37.highlighted by the inspectors. Golf and Rory McIlroy says
:23:38. > :23:40.he will probably not compete McIlroy has indicated that
:23:41. > :23:46.conflicting loyalties make him uncomfortable with declaring to be
:23:47. > :23:50.part of either a Great Britain Last year, McIlroy opted
:23:51. > :23:53.to represent Ireland, before pulling out of Rio Games
:23:54. > :24:05.because of concerns I'm a very conflicted person and not
:24:06. > :24:09.a lot of people understand that maybe, but it's just the way I feel
:24:10. > :24:14.and I know that some people, or most people, think that that is wrong.
:24:15. > :24:18.But it's the way I feel and I can't really help it, I guess. You know,
:24:19. > :24:23.more and more likely that I'll be going to the games -- more and more
:24:24. > :24:27.unlikely that I'll be going to the games. Not bad feelings towards the
:24:28. > :24:31.games and I think golf included in the games is fantastic, but just
:24:32. > :24:35.throw me, it's something that I just don't want to get into and, you
:24:36. > :24:38.know, that's a personal choice and hopefully people respect that
:24:39. > :24:41.decision and it's a decision that I have not taken lightly. A decision
:24:42. > :24:46.that I have with myself over for so many years and I hope it goes even
:24:47. > :24:51.better in 2020. You know, I just won't be a part of it. If it upsets
:24:52. > :24:54.some people, that's OK. I can't please everyone, but at least I keep
:24:55. > :24:56.saying as long as I'm true to myself, I'll be happy. 's
:24:57. > :24:58.Rugby and back row forward Chris Henry has signed
:24:59. > :25:00.The 32-year-old Ireland international,
:25:01. > :25:03.who's been hampered by injury and illness over the past
:25:04. > :25:05.two seasons, will now remain at the Kingspan Stadium
:25:06. > :25:16.Cecilia Daly is here with the weather forecast.
:25:17. > :25:21.I suspect is going to get even colder.
:25:22. > :25:26.Colder and windier and people have already noticed the wind picking up
:25:27. > :25:29.today. Today we had debited up to 11 or 12 degrees. Those figures will be
:25:30. > :25:35.cut and have to moral and add on an even stronger wind which will make
:25:36. > :25:38.it feel absolutely better. At the moment, not particularly cold. There
:25:39. > :25:43.will be damp weather around for awhile but after midnight, we will
:25:44. > :25:47.find that the wind strengthening with gales, severe gales coming up
:25:48. > :25:50.the coast. Showers coming into the North West as well and temperatures
:25:51. > :25:54.in the south-east could get low enough for perhaps one or two icy
:25:55. > :25:59.spots. So the main feature in Italy of the weather is going to be a very
:26:00. > :26:03.strong, cold wind so much colder tomorrow and much windier. But there
:26:04. > :26:07.will also be some dry and bright weather around and some sunshine.
:26:08. > :26:10.And there will be some showers. We are mostly looking at rain showers
:26:11. > :26:14.during the day tomorrow so first thing, temperatures around 5 degrees
:26:15. > :26:18.but feeling much colder in those very blustery winds. There will also
:26:19. > :26:21.be some sunshine and dry weather at times, particularly across the East
:26:22. > :26:24.and south-east. A day of sunshine and showers but very strong winds
:26:25. > :26:28.and winds could well cause some damage. Especially in the north and
:26:29. > :26:32.west. Could be some thunder mixed in with some heavy showers as well.
:26:33. > :26:35.Tomorrow evening, that's when the error gets cold enough for those
:26:36. > :26:40.showers to turn more and more to snow. So through Wednesday night and
:26:41. > :26:44.through the rest of Wednesday and Thursday, we will be looking at
:26:45. > :26:48.snow, cold, windy weather and also ice. You can see on the chart,
:26:49. > :26:51.temperatures not only fall to around freezing or below but also more and
:26:52. > :26:54.more in the way of white stuff. By Thursday morning, there could be
:26:55. > :26:58.some lying snow in places which could well cause some disruption.
:26:59. > :27:02.There will be further wintry showers, a real mix of showers
:27:03. > :27:05.really, through the fee next few days. Most of the lying still on the
:27:06. > :27:08.high ground of the north and west but there could be lying snow just
:27:09. > :27:13.about anywhere over the next couple of days so it certainly is a couple
:27:14. > :27:17.of days to come that will feel bitterly cold, you'll need to wrap
:27:18. > :27:20.up warm. And really strong wind. By the end of Thursday, there could be
:27:21. > :27:24.a couple of inches or more, especially over the high ground in
:27:25. > :27:27.the north and west but really through Thursday and Friday, a bit
:27:28. > :27:34.of snow is possible just about anywhere and it will feel better.
:27:35. > :27:36.And the first significant snowfall Billy the winter.
:27:37. > :27:40.That's right, I really easy winter so far so some say we were Jewett.
:27:41. > :27:57.-- June for some snow. of our local hospitals and
:27:58. > :28:00.clinics...