:00:13. > :00:17.The biggest election turnout since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
:00:18. > :00:19.There's been a surge in support for Sinn Fein -
:00:20. > :00:33.Thank you so much to the electorate who have come out in strong numbers.
:00:34. > :00:38.The vote has been increased because people know that action had to be
:00:39. > :00:44.taken. They have had their say. The DUP called very notion that home in
:00:45. > :00:48.a backdrop of the heating scandal. People want the Executive band
:00:49. > :00:50.running and the Assembly and Executive to work on issues that
:00:51. > :00:59.matter to them. Its leader Naomi Long tops the poll
:01:00. > :01:04.in East Belfast but there have been big-name losses for the SDLP and the
:01:05. > :01:08.Ulster Unionists. It hurts a lot. It is disappointment. I have had the
:01:09. > :01:18.honour to represent this constituency since 1998. Good
:01:19. > :01:23.evening. As the counting continues this Assembly election has produced
:01:24. > :01:26.an increase in support for Sinn Fein. The DUP has largely held its
:01:27. > :01:28.place. Alliance also saw an increase
:01:29. > :01:30.in its share of the vote, but it hasn't been such a good day
:01:31. > :01:33.for the Ulster Unionists The first big shock of the day
:01:34. > :01:37.was Alex Attwood, the long-standing SDLP Assembly member,
:01:38. > :01:39.losing his seat in West Belfast. And late this afternoon
:01:40. > :01:42.the Ulster Unionist Danny Kennedy, who also served as a Stormont
:01:43. > :01:45.Minister, was eliminated More people went to
:01:46. > :01:50.the polls this time round. 64.8% of the electorate voted -
:01:51. > :01:53.that's up ten points In a moment we'll travel
:01:54. > :01:58.round all of the count centres to get an update on what's happening
:01:59. > :02:01.where you are. First Mark Simpson gives us
:02:02. > :02:14.an overlook at the state Thank you. This is what it is all
:02:15. > :02:18.about after all. Seats in the chamber. More than 30 have now been
:02:19. > :02:26.filled so let's see how things are shaping up. The largest party so far
:02:27. > :02:30.is... Sinn Fein. They have 16 seats. Around half of the seats filled so
:02:31. > :02:34.far. If we move across the chamber and see how the DUP are getting on,
:02:35. > :02:39.they are lagging behind at the moment with nine seats. They got 38
:02:40. > :02:42.last time. They want at least 30 this time. They have a long way to
:02:43. > :02:48.go but they do have time to close the gap and overtake Sinn Fein. We
:02:49. > :02:51.will see. What about the other parties? Fiddle to the back of the
:02:52. > :02:58.chamber we see the Alliance Party, a good that's what we go. Four seats
:02:59. > :03:02.with them, a good day so far. It is not so good for the unionist benches
:03:03. > :03:09.with Mike Nesbitt, only three seats so far. If we look at the SDLP they
:03:10. > :03:15.have only got two. I have just heard that has now increased to three.
:03:16. > :03:20.Good news there for Colum Eastwood the SDLP leader. One more seat to
:03:21. > :03:24.tell you about, Gerry Carroll from People Before Profit. He has been
:03:25. > :03:28.returned to Stormont from West Belfast. Those are the scores so far
:03:29. > :03:30.but it is early days. This was a football match it wouldn't even be
:03:31. > :03:33.half-time. A long way to go. The counting will continue this
:03:34. > :03:35.evening, but the final line-up of MLAs is not expected to be
:03:36. > :03:37.confirmed until tomorrow afternoon. Our political correspondent
:03:38. > :03:40.Enda McClafferty has been keeping a close eye on the winners
:03:41. > :03:47.and losers so far. The party's gamble to call
:03:48. > :04:07.the snap election paid off We have seen strong Republican women
:04:08. > :04:11.elected here today. I think it is an amazing day and we are delighted.
:04:12. > :04:14.Thank you so much to those who have come out in strong numbers. The
:04:15. > :04:19.thought has increased because people know that action had to be taken. We
:04:20. > :04:21.need to get down to business and deliver for all substance because we
:04:22. > :04:22.believe in equality. Key to the party's success
:04:23. > :04:24.was the big rise in turnout, up on average of 10% on the last
:04:25. > :04:27.Assembly poll. But as Sinn Fein celebrated,
:04:28. > :04:29.the SDLP lamented the end of an era in West Belfast -
:04:30. > :04:41.once a party stronghold. Clearly and personally disappointed
:04:42. > :04:45.but I am much more disappointed for the party in West Belfast. Much more
:04:46. > :04:50.disappointed from the SDLP supporters in West Belfast. I feel
:04:51. > :04:55.much more for the party and for people in the constituency than I do
:04:56. > :04:59.for myself. Disappointing though this outcome has been, after so many
:05:00. > :05:00.elections and actually so many close calls.
:05:01. > :05:02.And the Ulster Unionists also lost a long serving stalwart
:05:03. > :05:04.in its former minister Danny Kennedy.
:05:05. > :05:14.Yes, it is disappointing, but these things happen in politics. As in
:05:15. > :05:22.Powell said, more political careers end in tears. I think prefer
:05:23. > :05:24.Stevenson when he was defeated, he was too tired to laugh and too old
:05:25. > :05:25.to cry. Last year's success story had little
:05:26. > :05:28.to celebrate this time, as Eamon McCann predicted
:05:29. > :05:39.he is likely to lose his seat, As the campaign went on I didn't
:05:40. > :05:44.really feel I was storming the Winter Palace. It felt more like
:05:45. > :05:48.Custer's lust and because the parties in West Belfast through a
:05:49. > :05:52.hell of a lot of resources against People Before Profit. And here is
:05:53. > :05:56.another familiar face who may well be out of a job as we can. If I lose
:05:57. > :05:59.my seat it was very much because we were trying to balance the
:06:00. > :06:03.constituency. We took the view that that is a risk that it was worth
:06:04. > :06:07.taking to maximise the number of DUP boats in the Assembly and to try to
:06:08. > :06:09.maximise the DUP performance inside of us. -- UB votes.
:06:10. > :06:12.But the DUP vote held in other places, and the party easily faced
:06:13. > :06:14.down the challenge of their former minister Jonathan Bell.
:06:15. > :06:23.When myself and myself -- Michelle McIlveen, very high totals in first
:06:24. > :06:27.and second place. Peter Weir polled exceptionally well and we will have
:06:28. > :06:35.to wait for the later stages but we remain hopeful of holding on for the
:06:36. > :06:36.three seats. The Ulster Unionist Party failed to make gains and their
:06:37. > :06:38.party leader wasn't for talking. No such worries for Alliance
:06:39. > :06:48.as they remained on course We wanted to offer people a positive
:06:49. > :06:51.alternative and that's what we did. We talked about what we would do
:06:52. > :06:55.differently and try to re-establish the Assembly on a footing that would
:06:56. > :06:57.be sustainable but also able to deliver for people and a deep people
:06:58. > :06:59.responded and connected with that message.
:07:00. > :07:02.Elsewhere it was a day of mixed fortunes for others.
:07:03. > :07:04.The Green Party are on course to retain their two seats,
:07:05. > :07:07.while once again the TUV has failed to increase its numbers.
:07:08. > :07:09.But as the big two party's prepare for post-election
:07:10. > :07:15.negotiations, there was no hint of a thaw in relations.
:07:16. > :07:23.You remember the UDR? Ye are not the person that should be sitting
:07:24. > :07:25.there... With respect... With all due respect to you...
:07:26. > :07:28.The final make-up of the next Assembly will not be known
:07:29. > :07:35.We have reporters at every one of the counting centres.
:07:36. > :07:41.Let's start with the biggest centre in Belfast, and Tara Mills.
:07:42. > :07:44.Well, Donna, you join me in our studio here at
:07:45. > :07:48.the Titanic Exhibition Centre where 20 MLAs will be
:07:49. > :07:50.elected across the four Belfast constituencies.
:07:51. > :07:52.So, what are the big stories here so far?
:07:53. > :07:55.Well, probably the biggest name to lose a seat is the SDLP's
:07:56. > :08:00.The Alliance leader Naomi Long has been re-elected with an increased
:08:01. > :08:08.As has Sinn Fein's Mairtin O'Muilleoir in South Belfast.
:08:09. > :08:14.Counting continuing in North Belfast but no one has been collected there
:08:15. > :08:18.yet. With me now is Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill and
:08:19. > :08:22.the DUP's East Belfast and Pete Gavin Robinson. Michelle, a good day
:08:23. > :08:26.for Sinn Fein, the gamble paid off? A good day for Sinn Fein and
:08:27. > :08:30.equality and also for democracy. The turnout is up by 10% and that shows
:08:31. > :08:35.that people are motivated to come out and vote. To take a stand
:08:36. > :08:38.against anti-corruption and anti-Brexit and for an and respect
:08:39. > :08:42.and integrity in the institutions. It has been a great result and we
:08:43. > :08:45.are very grateful to the people who have come out and voted to return
:08:46. > :08:50.eight strong Sinn Fein team. We know how to do for the future and how we
:08:51. > :08:53.will conduct ourselves in the next three weeks. My negotiating team is
:08:54. > :08:56.ready to go and get stuck into dealing with the outstanding issues
:08:57. > :09:00.which we need to deal with because we have always said consistently
:09:01. > :09:03.what we don't need is another agreement, we need implementation.
:09:04. > :09:07.We are up for that and we will come at it with a political leadership
:09:08. > :09:11.and a will to try and find a way forward. But you sit in the
:09:12. > :09:14.Executive of Arlene Foster? While she has a shadow hanging over her no
:09:15. > :09:20.one can sit with her and supporter in offices of deputy of First
:09:21. > :09:24.Minister. That doesn't mean we can't find a way forward. That is over to
:09:25. > :09:27.the DUP to decide how they want to conduct themselves. People are angry
:09:28. > :09:31.and that has been borne out by the people who have come out to vote.
:09:32. > :09:34.For me today when a look at some of our candidates elected, all great
:09:35. > :09:39.people, but it has been a strong day for women. To see so many young
:09:40. > :09:41.women topping the poll in all constituencies is a good message and
:09:42. > :09:54.a good news story for women in politics and it
:09:55. > :09:56.bodes well for the future. Gavin Robinson, clarify this point about
:09:57. > :09:59.Arlene Foster, can you see a situation where she would step aside
:10:00. > :10:02.and not nominators but Mr? She knows she has our backing. She knows she
:10:03. > :10:04.has the backing of the people in her constituency and south Tyrone but
:10:05. > :10:06.right across Northern Ireland where the vote has held up in
:10:07. > :10:08.extraordinary circumstances. We would never have picked the
:10:09. > :10:11.atmosphere we have had to fight the selection in but the percentage of
:10:12. > :10:14.votes share is holding up right across the province of it is a good
:10:15. > :10:17.thing. That means that people understood and respected the message
:10:18. > :10:22.we were bringing to them. But for all the nice dog and platitudes you
:10:23. > :10:28.get from Sinn Fein is a hard end agenda there -- might talk. The need
:10:29. > :10:31.responsible but strong unionists but Arlene continues to have our backing
:10:32. > :10:35.and she is the leader that we place our trust in and the people are
:10:36. > :10:40.placed their trust and to carry that board. So we are guaranteed no
:10:41. > :10:43.Executive? We are guaranteed negotiations, no doubt about that.
:10:44. > :10:48.Whether they last three weeks or three months or six months there is
:10:49. > :10:52.a period of sustained period where we have an absence of Assembly and
:10:53. > :10:55.that is in no 1's interests. That is why people save the election was in
:10:56. > :10:59.the selfish interests of Sinn Fein, not on the interest of Northern
:11:00. > :11:02.Ireland, we don't want no budget for public services or a situation where
:11:03. > :11:07.we cannot engage in Brexit discussions where we do not have
:11:08. > :11:11.Assembly. But you are not ruling out Arlene Foster stabbings aside and
:11:12. > :11:15.not becoming First Minister? We support Arlene Foster. Not only the
:11:16. > :11:20.support of the party but the people. The percentage share right across
:11:21. > :11:23.Northern Ireland has been remarkable in extraordinary circumstances.
:11:24. > :11:27.Michelle O'Neill, you have got the people to come out and vote and
:11:28. > :11:30.there is an increase across the board and increased turnout. Can you
:11:31. > :11:34.guarantee of those people who have taken a chance on Sinn Fein but this
:11:35. > :11:38.time, maybe didn't before, there will not be a return to direct rule
:11:39. > :11:40.or is that secretly watch Sinn Fein want? Absolutely, we would never
:11:41. > :11:46.want direct rule. It would fail again. We want to find forward. We
:11:47. > :11:49.believe and institutions. Nobody worked harder than Martin McGuinness
:11:50. > :11:53.to make the institutions work and we believe it is in the public interest
:11:54. > :11:56.to held accountable ministers taking decisions but you can't have a
:11:57. > :12:00.government that doesn't have equality and respect at its core and
:12:01. > :12:03.that is not true to the principles of the Good Friday Agreement and
:12:04. > :12:07.where the public don't have faith in the integrity of the people making
:12:08. > :12:10.decisions so clearly we have a lot of work to do to deal with those
:12:11. > :12:13.issues but we want to get in there and we ask for the mandate to try
:12:14. > :12:17.and tackle the issues and get back in but we don't need a new agreement
:12:18. > :12:20.so I think it is doable in the weeks if there is the right attitude. We
:12:21. > :12:27.said consistently we are not referring to the status quo and we
:12:28. > :12:29.mean it because we can't. It is not in the public interest. We have to
:12:30. > :12:32.have equality in government. How would you describe the relationship
:12:33. > :12:36.between Sinn Fein and the DUP, Gavin? Not only did Sinn Fein plunge
:12:37. > :12:38.us into this crisis but they made the election period incredibly
:12:39. > :12:45.difficult in the demands they put forward, the route crests that they
:12:46. > :12:49.had is dressed up as latitudes. It is one-sided for justice, legacy,
:12:50. > :12:54.language and one-sided on their future view of how Northern Ireland
:12:55. > :12:58.should evolve. Three weeks I think is a tad optimistic. Still some work
:12:59. > :13:02.to be done obviously but thank you both of you for joining us. Let's
:13:03. > :13:10.find out what is happening in the other camp centres with Keiron
:13:11. > :13:14.Tourish in Foyle. Yes, here at the Foyle arena the count is continuing
:13:15. > :13:17.for East Londonderry and Foyle. The story of the day has been the
:13:18. > :13:24.Impreza performance of Sinn Fein. For the first time ever the party
:13:25. > :13:26.has outpolled the SDLP on first preference votes and who would have
:13:27. > :13:32.ever thought that in a place that was once John Hume's backyard and a
:13:33. > :13:36.Bastian and citadel of the SDLP? That has resulted in Sinn Fein
:13:37. > :13:41.retaining the two receipts for Elisha McCallion who topped the poll
:13:42. > :13:46.and the former hunger strike. Sinn Fein say that vindicates the stance
:13:47. > :13:49.taken by Martin McGuinness. For the SDLP the leader: Colum Eastwood has
:13:50. > :13:54.been re-elected in the last half-hour. He is expected to be
:13:55. > :13:59.followed by Mark H Durkan. Who will be the big loser in Foyle? It looks
:14:00. > :14:02.like it will be Eamon McCann from People Before Profit and it looks
:14:03. > :14:11.like Gary Middleton the standard-bearer for the DUP will
:14:12. > :14:16.retain his seat. Here in Bangor it has been a good day for the DUP. In
:14:17. > :14:20.North Down and Strangford they've topped the poll in both
:14:21. > :14:25.constituencies, took two seats in North Down and on course to take
:14:26. > :14:28.three and Strangford. Strong votes for Alliance and the Greens but the
:14:29. > :14:33.threat from Jonathan Bell never came in Strangford and it looks like the
:14:34. > :14:35.DUP will take three there. They very disappointing day for the Ulster
:14:36. > :14:39.Unionist. Although they took one seat in North Down it doesn't look
:14:40. > :14:43.like they will take a second in Strangford putting pressure on Mike
:14:44. > :14:52.Nesbitt. Now we go to, with Julian Fowler. A short time ago -- Omagh.
:14:53. > :14:54.We had a recount in the second count at Fermanagh and Tyrone win the DUP
:14:55. > :15:02.leader Arlene Foster was deemed elected. Although she topped the
:15:03. > :15:06.poll with 8479 votes that left her 232 short on first preferences of
:15:07. > :15:10.the quota. Part of the reason for the increased turnout had raised the
:15:11. > :15:15.quota level on last year and although her personal vote dropped
:15:16. > :15:17.on a year ago her party colleagues Lord Maurice Morrow, his vote
:15:18. > :15:23.increased slightly. She spent much of her time here inside a conference
:15:24. > :15:26.room away from the media and after she was deemed elected a short time
:15:27. > :15:31.ago we requested an interview with her but she will not be speaking to
:15:32. > :15:37.the BBC, we were told. The other story here is Sinn Fein. Michelle
:15:38. > :15:42.Gildernew and Jemma Dolan on course for two seats. The former MLA Sean
:15:43. > :15:46.Lynch could miss out. He is fighting for the last seat and it will come
:15:47. > :15:49.down to SDLP transfers and whether they go to him with the Ulster
:15:50. > :15:56.Unionist Rosemary Barton who is currently 500 ahead having done well
:15:57. > :16:00.on second preference votes. In West Tyrone Sinn Fein pulled over 21,000
:16:01. > :16:05.votes for the first time. Barry Michael Duff and Michaela Boyle were
:16:06. > :16:11.elected along with the DUP candidate Thomas Buchanan -- Thomas Buchanan.
:16:12. > :16:14.The big story in Banbridge is the loss of Danny Kennedy for the Ulster
:16:15. > :16:21.Unionist Party. And increased turnout of 10%, and pretty
:16:22. > :16:24.impressive vote for Sinn Fein. Three seat at the party in the Newry and
:16:25. > :16:27.Armagh 's constituency. Danny Kennedy said the seat had been
:16:28. > :16:33.washed away in the rising tide of Sinn Fein. He was very gracious in
:16:34. > :16:37.defeat. He was making no predictions of his own future, nor any undue
:16:38. > :16:41.criticism of his party leader. He signed off quite nicely, you may
:16:42. > :16:48.have heard earlier, I am too tired to love and I am too old to cry.
:16:49. > :16:51.Over in Upper Bann -- laugh. It is stepping up an interesting battle.
:16:52. > :16:55.Carla Lockhart has been elected and she has been joined by her running
:16:56. > :16:59.mate Jonathan Buckley. John O'Dowd is safe for Sinn Fein and it looks
:17:00. > :17:04.like Doug Beattie is good for the unionist party and Jo-Anne Dobson
:17:05. > :17:07.could be because castle deep but Dolores Kelly is making positive
:17:08. > :17:16.noises about her bid for that fifth and final seat. In Lisburn and it
:17:17. > :17:20.has been a slow day as far as the Lagan Valley count is concerned.
:17:21. > :17:26.Just one candidate passed the post so far, the DUP's Paul Givan who
:17:27. > :17:30.topped the poll and was elected after the first count. The story
:17:31. > :17:34.will be and it might not emerge until tonight or tomorrow but it is
:17:35. > :17:41.whether the DUP can hold onto three seats. I expect Edwin Poots to be
:17:42. > :17:45.elected at some point but Brenda Hale their third candidate could be
:17:46. > :17:49.in a fifth seed battle with Jenny Palmer of the DUP. Trevor Lunn of
:17:50. > :17:52.Alliance has pulled very well and almost doubled his vote in Lagan
:17:53. > :17:58.Valley and will be elected. Things are slightly more advanced in
:17:59. > :18:05.Southdown. Two Sinn Fein candidates over the line, Sinead Ennis and
:18:06. > :18:09.Chris Hazzard also elected, Sinead Bradley of the SDLP. All eyes on the
:18:10. > :18:16.fifth seat where once again Alliance is doing well and is in with a shout
:18:17. > :18:23.but it will probably go to: McGrath of the SDLP, two receipts, Jim Wells
:18:24. > :18:28.will probably also be elected there. And I am in Ballymena, two camps,
:18:29. > :18:32.Mid Ulster a strongly Republican area and the vote was up 14% and
:18:33. > :18:36.that seems to have helped Sinn Fein to keep all three MLAs including
:18:37. > :18:42.Michelle O'Neill. Their vote has been up. Plus the single unionist
:18:43. > :18:51.candidate, the DUP's Keith Buchanan. Four seats, one left. Patsy McGlone
:18:52. > :18:55.of the SDLP versus Sandra Overend of the Ulster Unionist Party. We hear
:18:56. > :18:59.that Patsy McGlone is quietly confident and it seems that Sandra
:19:00. > :19:03.Overend is vulnerable here. At the moment they are redistributing the
:19:04. > :19:07.votes of five more candidates. Different story in North Antrim,
:19:08. > :19:12.very strong unionist seat. Still no result here. No candidate selected
:19:13. > :19:16.after ten hours. We are onto the fifth stage of exclusions. The quota
:19:17. > :19:21.is about 8000 and the closest of that at the moment is Sinn Fein's
:19:22. > :19:28.Philip McGuigan. He is apparently celebrating on social media even
:19:29. > :19:31.though he has not been elected yet. People in contention here, Phillip
:19:32. > :19:35.Logan of the DUP and Robin Swann of the UUP. We think it might go to the
:19:36. > :19:41.UUP. Jim Allister of the TUV seems pretty safe here. Here in
:19:42. > :19:48.Newtownabbey it is the south and east and camps. Both turnouts were
:19:49. > :19:52.up more than 10%. -- Antrim. Sinn Fein's Declan Kearney came out top
:19:53. > :19:58.of the poll and he was first elected in unionist dominated constituency.
:19:59. > :20:02.The Ulster Unionist Steve Aiken was next and the Alliance Party David
:20:03. > :20:07.Ford says he is confident he will be next in line. No DUP MLAs so far but
:20:08. > :20:13.there are three candidates are fighting it out for those final two
:20:14. > :20:18.seats. In East Antrim, last time round it was three DUP, one UUP and
:20:19. > :20:25.one Sinn Fein. And one Alliance. David Hilditch was elected first
:20:26. > :20:30.just like last year. Next up was the Alliance's Stewart Dickson and the
:20:31. > :20:34.Ulster Unionist Roy Beggs. Sinn Fein's Oliver McMullan a little
:20:35. > :20:37.vulnerable. He remains so. The remaining two seats are being fought
:20:38. > :20:45.over by the Ulster Unionist Party and the DUP. Ita Dungan ending our
:20:46. > :20:49.round-up. Our Political Editor Mark Devenport is with me. The voters
:20:50. > :20:54.have had their say. How do some things? Sinn Fein will be the
:20:55. > :20:58.tonight. They have forced the election to the resignation of
:20:59. > :21:01.Martin McGuinness and they will feel vindicated by putting on four
:21:02. > :21:05.percentage points. They are the largest party in terms of the vote
:21:06. > :21:11.share. The DUP has still achieve that. The DUP has gone down 1%. That
:21:12. > :21:14.said, the DUP against the backdrop all the publicity about the
:21:15. > :21:17.Renewable Heating Incentive will feel a real -- will lead to make
:21:18. > :21:21.that the slip wasn't any bigger. They will feel may be a bit
:21:22. > :21:27.emboldened that they have at least held onto the top spot. In regard to
:21:28. > :21:30.the DUP, a lot of talk beforehand about their eligibility for the
:21:31. > :21:35.petition of concern. We have a long way to go yet, but how vulnerable
:21:36. > :21:37.are they on that? There are still a possibility they might lose out on
:21:38. > :21:41.that if they were to only get 29 seats, they would not be able to
:21:42. > :21:46.wield a petition of concern on their own because they need 30. That is
:21:47. > :21:50.very much something we won't be able to probably answer until tomorrow
:21:51. > :21:54.when we see how the final seats come through. Leaders are always under
:21:55. > :21:58.pressure in an election, some more than others in the selection
:21:59. > :22:01.according to the results? A lot of talk that Arlene Foster will be
:22:02. > :22:04.under pressure because of the negative publicity but they think
:22:05. > :22:07.the leaders of the most pressure with those of the official
:22:08. > :22:12.opposition, particularly Mike Nesbitt of the Ulster Unionists
:22:13. > :22:14.because even though the vote share has basically maintain the status
:22:15. > :22:19.quo, they have tattooed, one would have to ask if they can't fight back
:22:20. > :22:23.against the DUP in the circumstances what circumstances can they close
:22:24. > :22:28.the gap? They seem unable to do it. A disappointing election for both.
:22:29. > :22:33.The SDLP also. The Alliance have held their own even though others
:22:34. > :22:37.have lost seats. How surprised you at the departure of Danny Kennedy
:22:38. > :22:40.the seniors and Alex Attwood of the SDLP? It seems symbolic of the
:22:41. > :22:43.difficulties faced by the two opposition parties. We have to also
:22:44. > :22:47.remember that part of this is maybe not been able to capitalise on the
:22:48. > :22:51.situation they found themselves in, part of it is also the fact that we
:22:52. > :22:55.are seeing a shrinking Assembly from 108 seats down to 90. They were
:22:56. > :23:00.clinging on to some of the last few seats. They were to some extent of
:23:01. > :23:03.honourable. When the final vote is counted and we take stock of all
:23:04. > :23:07.this, any signs in the conversations you have heard today that this is
:23:08. > :23:11.going to move on? That is the problem. At the moment, not really,
:23:12. > :23:16.because we still have the DUP in Sinn Fein has the power brokers
:23:17. > :23:19.here. No doubt the secretary of State James Brokenshire will push
:23:20. > :23:22.them to enter talks as soon as possible probably on Monday but
:23:23. > :23:24.there is still a stand-off particularly over the dozens of
:23:25. > :23:28.other Arlene Foster will be nominated as First Minister. She
:23:29. > :23:33.might say, look, we are still the largest party in boats, we will have
:23:34. > :23:36.to see how the seeds of doubt, why should I stand aside? No obvious
:23:37. > :23:40.sign over the next few weeks of them resolving that. Or the many other
:23:41. > :23:43.issues of which they are at loggerheads. Thank you.
:23:44. > :23:45.In other news - "significant quantities" of human remains have
:23:46. > :23:49.been discovered at the site of a former mother and baby
:23:50. > :23:52.As our Dublin correspondent Shane Harrison reports,
:23:53. > :23:54.the home in Tuam was one of ten institutions where it's believed
:23:55. > :23:56.about 35,000 unmarried pregnant women were sent over
:23:57. > :24:11.The Tuam home was one of ten institutions in the Republic and to
:24:12. > :24:16.which an estimated 35,000 pregnant unmarried women were sent. It is
:24:17. > :24:20.said that a child would die there every two weeks between the mid
:24:21. > :24:25.1920s and the 1960s. The commission of investigation was set up to
:24:26. > :24:29.examine allegations about the deaths of 800 babies there and also
:24:30. > :24:33.concerned about the manner in which they were buried. Today in its
:24:34. > :24:38.report it said that it found significant human remains in 17 of
:24:39. > :24:44.the 20 underground chambers that it examined. It also said that the
:24:45. > :24:49.ranges of age of death ranged between 35 feet oh weeks and between
:24:50. > :24:54.two or three years. It says it was very shocked at the discovery. The
:24:55. > :24:58.children's minister here said that what was uncovered was very
:24:59. > :25:03.disturbing and very sad but not unexpected given what had been said
:25:04. > :25:05.about what was going on there. She added facts now had replaced
:25:06. > :25:07.speculation. A man wanted over the murder
:25:08. > :25:10.of the prison officer David Black He was arrested yesterday
:25:11. > :25:13.in County Donegal. Damien McLaughlin, who is originally
:25:14. > :25:17.from County Tyrone, was due to stand trial last month for aiding
:25:18. > :25:19.and abetting the murder of Mr Black in November 2012,
:25:20. > :25:23.but he skipped bail. The 40-year-old was
:25:24. > :25:29.remanded in custody. The biggest gas supplier
:25:30. > :25:31.in Northern Ireland has Customers of SSE Airtricity
:25:32. > :25:37.will see their bills go The company says the increase,
:25:38. > :25:43.which comes into effect next month, will see an average household paying
:25:44. > :25:46.an extra ?36 a year. It's blaming the rise
:25:47. > :25:52.on global gas prices. The High Court has ruled
:25:53. > :25:56.that the Northern Ireland Executive has failed in its legal obligation
:25:57. > :26:00.to implement an Irish Mr Justice Maguire said
:26:01. > :26:04.the Executive was in breach of pledges made
:26:05. > :26:06.in the St Andrew's Agreement The case was brought to court
:26:07. > :26:14.by the group Conradh na Gaeilge, who said plans to protect
:26:15. > :26:27.and enhance the language must The Irish trio Andrew Trimble, Craig
:26:28. > :26:32.Gilroy and Jared Payne have been named in the Ulster backline for it
:26:33. > :26:35.tonight 's game against Bennett in Treviso at the Kingspan Stadium in
:26:36. > :26:40.Belfast. Heavy rain led to a pitch inspection a short time ago but the
:26:41. > :26:48.game is going ahead at 7:35pm. Live coverage is on BBC Two from 7:30pm.
:26:49. > :26:55.Now the weather with Geoff Maskell. I promise no talk of politics in the
:26:56. > :27:00.next couple of minutes but plenty of discussion of rain. The rain that
:27:01. > :27:04.has been with us all day is staying because of a night and for that rain
:27:05. > :27:07.the Met office has a severe weather warning for rain in place. That is
:27:08. > :27:12.valid through until the middle of tomorrow. It has been very stubborn.
:27:13. > :27:16.All driven by an area of low pressure gradually over the Irish
:27:17. > :27:19.Sea. Gradually a distracting north of not quickly enough to ship this
:27:20. > :27:24.rain so it stays with us overnight tonight. More mild than last night
:27:25. > :27:28.because of all of that cloud, four or five Celsius. Saturday gets off
:27:29. > :27:32.to a bit of a soggy start. The promise of something a bit better
:27:33. > :27:36.later on in the day. As the centre of the low moves north gradually
:27:37. > :27:39.will start to see the rain and cloud peeling back from the south-east
:27:40. > :27:42.corner. The best chance of brightness across Strangford and the
:27:43. > :27:46.Ards Peninsula. Through the day gradually the rain will be
:27:47. > :27:51.increasingly confined along the north coast but still a pretty
:27:52. > :27:55.miserable day. As we go overnight Saturday into Sunday we keep the
:27:56. > :27:58.ring going. More showery in nature. A few more gaps between the showers
:27:59. > :28:03.and hence temperatures drop away a bit more. A bit cooler than we see
:28:04. > :28:09.overnight tonight. This is all driven by low pressure. Another
:28:10. > :28:13.couple coming through. One on Monday and then another one on Tuesday.
:28:14. > :28:18.They both bring plenty of rain with them. Sunday looking like the best
:28:19. > :28:22.other days. Still some rain in the forecast but there will also be a
:28:23. > :28:27.bit more brightness between the showers. At least the chance to get
:28:28. > :28:35.out and do one or two bits between the showery rain. Dr Butler seven or
:28:36. > :28:38.eight. Monday is a dry start but not long before the rain appears that
:28:39. > :28:44.the next low-pressure system starts to work its way in. All in all it
:28:45. > :28:48.is, I am afraid, rather soggy outlook for the next few days but at
:28:49. > :28:51.least you can sit in tomorrow morning and watch the rest of the
:28:52. > :28:56.election results because else would you be doing? Our late summary is at
:28:57. > :29:00.10:30pm on BBC One and now we go back to the special election
:29:01. > :29:01.programme, but from me, by