07/03/2017 BBC Newsline

This is BBC Newsline and these are the headlines

the first walk-out in the post-election talks

as Sinn Fein cut short a meeting with the Secretary of State.

All he did was waffle and more waffle in relation to how we are

going to go forward and give families what they need.

DUP Assembly Members rally round their party leader

as she vows to get a good deal in the negotiations.

I'm delighted of the support I've received from all of my colleagues.

What are the chances of unionist unity after the loss of 16

How the smell of decomposing rats has forced this woman

How a father's quick thinking helped him deliver his baby in the rear of

the family car. After two Olympic Games together, the sailors who will

now compete against each other for a place at the next Games.

And we've rain tonight. Will it be gone tomorrow?

I'll have your forecast later in the programme.

Sinn Fein have cut short a meeting with the Secretary of State

accusing him of waffling when it came to legacy issues.

The parties at Stormont have been continuing their series of meetings

on restoring the power-sharing Executive.

After meeting her Assembly team today the DUP leader Arlene Foster

said she was delighted with their support in the wake

of last week's election. The party dropped from 38 to 28

seats although the number of DUP votes increased.

Here is our Political Correspondent Stephen Walker.

If Arlene Foster is under pressure after seeing her Assembly team fall

by ten, she didn't show it today. Without telling the media, the DUP

leader turned up unannounced in Stormont's great hall at the absence

of any reporters, this statement. I'm delighted with the report I've

received from all of my colleagues today and I look forward now to

going in and getting a good deal, not just for unionism but for all of

the people of northern Ireland because that's where we are focused

on, on the restoration of devolution and making sure we have that

stability for the people of Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein set a different

town after they met the Secretary of State James Brokenshire, accusing

him of delaying legacy inquests. All he did was waffle, waffle and more

waffle in relation to how we are going to go forward and give

families what they need, access to due process. All day, the Stormont

state has been the venue for discussions and earlier, the mood

music was upbeat. We've been through this before, there have been

negotiations before. I'm working on this with a readiness to do a deal,

but only if it's the right kind of government, one that can do the

business people require. The Ulster Unionist Party also hopeful. We've

had a number of conversations with the Secretary of State and there is

a willingness among the parties we've spoken to. For the Alliance

Party, government finances were today's top talking point.

Certainly, a budget has to be agreed, it must be the fundamental

focus for all of us, public services, that we are able to invest

in our economy. What are the chances of success? Can a deal be forged in

the next two weeks? There is a sense of the urgency of what is at hand

here. The significance of issues we are dealing with and getting back

into devolved government at the earliest possible priority, that's

what is motivating me. There are two processes at work essentially, the

talks hosted by the Secretary of State James Brokenshire and then the

discussions between the DUP and Sinn Fein. It is those talks that will

ultimately determine whether or not power sharing is restored.

After what was described as a bad election for unionism -

there have been fresh calls, from amongst others,

David Maxwell looks at the possibility of

His report begins with some watershed moments for unionism.

You are yesterday's man, David! Ever since there has been more than one

big Unionist party, relations have never been smooth and have regularly

come to a head around electoral battles. That's been even more true

since unionists have entered power-sharing with nationalism in

general and Sinn Fein in particular. To date in the aftermath of a brutal

election for unionism, the DUP leader referred to a renewed attempt

to create unity but one former leader was dismissive. She, having

been responsible for this, should be sitting down and thinking carefully

about her own position, instead of engaging something which strikes me

as attempt to divert people from the mess she has made. She needs to

consider that there are strong arguments in favour of treating

people politely. But a senior DUP figure said his party leader had

struck the right tone. The focus I'm going to take today is to focus on

the issue of, is there a groundswell, an opportunity for our

parties and the Unionist cause? I believe there is. The article in the

Belfast Telegraph is very helpful in that regard. One lifelong Ulster

Unionist Party is not ruling out suggestions of a single party in the

future. There's an old saying, united we stand, divided we fall and

unless we get ourselves united, I feel the future is going to continue

to be disastrous. We can't afford that to happen. Unionists have shown

unity from time to time. The opposition to the Anglo-Irish

agreement and Geerink the Donald Grieve dispute and of course

electoral pact has secured seats. Tom Elliott will now pay a key role

in any internal Ulster Unionist Party debate. Bringing unity to

Unionists. Looks like an uphill struggle. There are still people who

are pretty hardline, right-wing Unionist, almost sectarian, and

others. But the difficulty is, you have to bring the hardliners along

and I think there is a job for the DUP to do and I think they are doing

it. Some believe the first step should be practical cooperation

between Unionists at Stormont. There is a possibility of 39 Unionists,

MLAs, coming together, I would foresee that contemplated under a

joint whip, working together, dealing with the business together

and channelling everything together and doing it in the united way. It's

been a long time since there was a singled Unionist party, any modern

Unionist leader would give a lot for that kind of control. Many would

consider it ironic is that came about due to an electoral setback

rather than historic dominance. Our political editor

Mark Devenport is with me. How surprised were you by the

walk-out? It's a solitary reminder this is not just one issue

negotiation. We've been focusing on whether Sinn Fein would drop it,

read lying in relation to Arlene Foster coming in as First Minister,

whether she would appoint a caretaker. Sinn Fein have been

careful in recent articles to try to turn up the pressure on the British

Government, so the question will be, given their attitude, when they were

saying the secretary state was waffling, whether that could become

a red line as these negotiations stretched out.

Arlene Foster's newspaper interview talking about unionist unity -

what do you read from that in the wake of the election?

We heard from David Maxwell's report that there are different views on

this. Obviously there will be pressure if they think they could be

another election and if Sinn Fein could catch the DUP, for Unionists

to gravitate towards one party. But some Unionists have very different

views. One MLA tweeted recently, you can be Unionist and still be in

support of same-sex marriage. He is obviously on the liberal end. If a

were to force this, even though some senior members of the DUP are

certainly thinking about it, they could start losing people at the

edges, potentially towards the Alliance Party.

When it comes to the workings of the Stormont Departments

as we approach the end of the financial year -

there's been an important communication from the head

of the civil service - what's he said?

This is Sir Malcolm Rifkind then, shortly due to retire, and he says

it is because of this crisis. He sent a message out to his staff,

acknowledging they were working in great uncertainty, saying they would

try to keep it as much as possible business as usual but also frankly

confronted the fact that if they don't get an Executive together in

the next couple of weeks, they would have to move into a situation where

senior civil servants will be trying to get that budget together. The

Alliance Party has written to the Secretary of State suggesting

emergency laws should be passed. Giving more flexibility over the

budget that they've had so far. I don't think the British Government

would go for that though. And we learned also there will be

a delay to the election I think the game is to buy as much

time as possible before we get a huge row between these parties. If

the Speaker is not elected until the end of the month, that means it

gives them a few extra weeks to try to cobble together some kind of

solution because obviously, the outgoing Speaker will be sitting in

the chair, a controversial figure because of its handling of events

last year and other parties say they lacked confidence in him.

This is BBC Newsline and still to come on the programme before 7pm -

Can a European student exchange programme continue to thrive after

Brexit? An inspection of all of the sites

that are registered under the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

is scheduled to begin in May. The tender for companies interested

in carrying out the checks As our business correspondent

Julian O'Neill explains the inspection is an attempt

to crack down on abuse The former economy minister Simon

Hamilton ordered the move on 100% inspections which seeks to reduce

some of the projected RHI over spend. According to information

supplied to companies, interested in bidding for the contract, there are

1200 sites to be visited. Site inspections are likely from May

onwards, will be unannounced. The department for the economy expecting

a final report of findings by the end of November. It will then decide

what enforcement action to take and this could involve the claw-back

payments already made. Julian O'Neill, BBC Newsline.

The House of Commons Defence Committee has been taking advice

from a panel of law academics on the possibility of the government

introducing a Statute of Limitations on killings here involving

It came back into sharp focus again today, during a hearing of the

defence committee at Westminster. A panel of law academics on what the

government could do legally, to deal with these cases, some of which go

back 40 years. Last month during Prime Minister's Questions in

Parliament, the chair of the defence committee spoke out on the issue of

former soldiers being prosecuted for troubles Mack related shootings.

Surely the answer has to be a statute of limitations preventing

the prosecution of veterans to do with matters that concern prior to

the date of the Belfast agreement? Today, he asked the academics for

clarity on the government introducing a statute of limitations

on legacy killings. I think it has to be for everyone. Apart from

anything else, if you introduce this statute of limitations, it looks

like state impunity in effect. There are international and legal... You

have a stronger case to make if you say this is part of eight genuine

effort of conflict transformation to deal with the legacy of the past and

we apply it evenly across all of the actors. If you just apply it to the

state, it looks old-fashioned. A former Secretary of State for

Northern Ireland gives his view on Spotlight this evening. If you do

not want your elderly relative, former soldier, prosecuted, you have

got to accept the elderly, former Republican who did something totally

wrong and illegal and murderous, has got to be exempt from being pursued

and prosecuted as well. Any limitations on legacy issues are

likely to be challenged by the families of those shot dead by the

army at that time. And you can see more of that

Peter Hain interview on Spotlight here on BBC One at 10.40pm just

after our late news. A Belfast woman says she's had

to leave her Housing Executive home because of the smell

of dead rats decomposing. She reported a rat problem

in February and was visited by pest control from Belfast City Council.

Kelly Bonner reports. Marilyn Greg lives in a Housing

Executive house on Somerset street in south Belfast. She first reported

a rat problem in February and was visited by pest control from Belfast

City Council. I haven't been here Fred Couples of days so I don't know

how bad the smell is. The dead rats have been left to decompose on her

property. Can you smell it? This is the kitchen. It is quite strong. The

Housing Executive has offered her deodoriser to deal with the smell

for the four weeks it is expected for the rats to decompose. It's

still rotten. Their droppings under there, evidence the rats had eaten

it. They say it went under the floorboards, in the back of the unit

or possibly in that pike. I couldn't live here with that smell. I've been

on people's couches for the last two weeks. That smell is disgusting, you

couldn't expect anybody to live in that smell. A Housing Executive

spokesperson said in rare cases, rats may die in the cavity under a

property once poison has been applied.

Meanwhile, contractors have been engaged to carry out remedial works

at the property to ensure pests cannot return. Marilyn says she will

not be returning to her home until the smell has been sorted.

While we await the negotiations on the UK leaving the European Union,

local schoolchildren are forging links with the continent.

Our education correspondent Robbie Meredith visited Maghera

to learn about an EU project which it's hoped will

It's a long way to travel for school dinners. I am from Germany. I'm from

a grammar school, a school specialised in science and

mathematics. 40 other pupils and their teachers from six European

countries are spending a week at St Patrick's's college in Maghera, as

part of the EU's in raspberries project for schools. It's a great

opportunity for my students, not only for language skills, I'm an

English teacher and I teach them English, but also the way of getting

to know new cultures. We have seven countries here said they really have

culture is to learn from. Is it any more than just a good school trip? I

was thinking, I will get a week to go to Denmark, but you learn a lot.

I learned about the different respect and differences, different

language and culture but the real differences, also how similar you

are to these people. They get to know Northern Ireland and each other

as well as learning entrepreneurial and business skills. Funding

education projects like this are due to continue until 2020 and the

British Council say they are hopeful it will keep going even after the UK

exits the EU. St Patrick's's principal says it is a project which

changes perceptions. 42 students we have from our six countries and they

are all being hosted by our parents so they are getting a real feel of

real life in Northern Ireland as opposed to the image of troubles and

bombs and violence. And it seems to be working. It's beautiful, I really

like it. Although the weather is kind of... But I really enjoy it!

For Helen, it is about current affairs as well as the climate and

the countryside. I knew there was this election, some days ago, that

was very controversial. Next, a bit of improvisation and

quick thinking by a father who had to deliver his baby daughter in the

rear of the family car. He used his shoelaces to tidy umbilicus.

Georgina and Paul Doherty were on their way home to hospital in

Londonderry when her labour stepped up a gear. They pulled over to the

side of the road as the baby began to make an appearance. With help

from the emergency services on the phone, the father delivered her

safely. Just as her head was out, he phoned the dispatcher so they talked

him through it. I think at that stage, the dispatcher thought the

baby was still on its way that Paul had to keep saying, the baby is

actually here! A bit of a surprise but well done! Now we have the

latest sports news and we begin with sailing.

After competing for Ireland in two Olympic Games together,

the sailors Matt McGovern and Ryan Seaton have now

But both have set their sights on competing at the Games

in three years' time, with different partners.

After eight years and two Olympic Games in London and Rio

where they got a top ten finish, it was time to take a step back

Like many good partnerships Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern's had

An amicable split, yes, but both could not sit on the shoreline

for long and they are back, but with different partners.

I actually took a bit time off and just got away from sailing.

Had a holiday for a month and had time to think about what I had to do

in the future and whether I wanted to do another Olympic cycle

and after that I decided I would like to try out

with a new partner and Matt and I had had the chat as well

and it was for a new challenge and something fresh and new.

I suppose at the time I was maybe hinging more towards hanging up

the wetsuit for a change, but no decisions were made

and Ryan and I, he was keen, he wanted to go on and look

for something different, so he decided to go on anyway.

At that stage I decided to do some training with the young guys

the federation had picked up and I was pretty sure by that stage,

a month or two had passed and I wanted to keep going.

So everyone is getting on well at the moment at least,

but with just one place available at Tokyo 2020 for Ireland,

eventually the two friends will have to face each other.

When we were campaigning we had the Aussie and Kiwi teams,

they were our best friends from Australia and hang out

with us between events and we were really close

but at the same time you give nothing away.

You'll still be nice on the land but fight when you're on the water,

it is just another boat and someone else to beat.

Both of us I would have to say really have to believe

If you don't have that mindset I don't think

there is much much chance of beating any of the other top

countries so you have to believe you can beat everyone.

And the first major head-to-head battle will be

at the World Championships in Portugal later this year.

Ulster take on Zebre at the Kingspan on Saturday. A victory would see

them move up to fourth in the Pro12 table and in the tussle for a

play-off. A bonus point would be the ideal scenario.

We will approach it as we always do. Four points is the important thing,

get the victory and go for the bonus point. The reality is, we want to

get a bonus point every game if we can. It takes a few steps to get

their and we will back ourselves to get it this week if we can start the

game well. The game is live on BBC Two this Saturday.

Derry City has apologised to fans after the floodlights failed

during their first home game of the season.

Brandywell stadium is undergoing a major upgrade so the Candytripes

are playing their home fixtures in County Donegal.

The club says every effort is being made to make sure it

Our north-west reporter Keiron Tourish has more.

All the signs looked good for Derry City adds a new temporary home. A

Sellout crowd and a great atmosphere despite the driving rain. But then

the lights went out after just 25 minutes. People were starting to get

into the atmosphere and all of a sudden, the light cut out and it was

incredible. That this happened. The Candystripes made a great start to

the season, beating Bohemians 4-111 days ago. Then came the abandoned

game against Limerick. The manager was philosophical about the lights

going out, preferring to focus on two tough games coming up, away to

shamrock Rovers and hosting champions Dundalk Monday evening.

These two are two of the big fights and our boys have been fantastic in

their preparation and they are geared up and ready to go for Friday

night. The massive redevelopment of Brandywell is continuing and the new

York Stadium is now taking shape. In the meantime, Derry City will

continue to play their games at McGinn park and the fans will

certainly be hoping any pirate glitches have now been sorted out.

-- pyro. This is a picture of a daffodil as

big as he is! It's like being in the land of the giants! A big

improvement in our forecast tomorrow but quite a bit of rain to get

through first. It was a little bit delayed. It decided to move in

through this evening. Some of it will be quite heavy but it should be

gone by midnight. No frost to worry about for tomorrow

morning. The wins will have eased after a breezy night and it will be

mainly dry with more in the way of sunshine and certainly starting to

feel much more like spring. Not too bad start, not too chilly, the sun

will come out pretty quickly and it will last during the day for many of

us. A small chance of the odd isolated shower. Temperatures

responding to that sunshine tomorrow, 11 or 12 degrees, maybe

the odd 13 in a couple of lucky spots. If you are travelling

tomorrow, it is dried practically everywhere but a bit of a north -

south split in terms of sunshine. Cloudier and damper towards the

south coast. Plenty of sunshine in the north. It will stay that way for

us until tomorrow evening before nightfall and then tomorrow, staying

largely dry. A few showers expected tomorrow night, especially for more

northern areas and a few of them could be quite heavy. Another mild

night, temperatures around four or 5 degrees. Thursday, we do it all

again, plenty of dry weather in the current forecast. We expect some

sunshine as well. Temperatures reaching 11 or 12 degrees. Some rain

in the forecast coming later on in the day through Thursday evening.

Eventually pushing east across all places. It will clear away but

behind it, Friday, we expect some grey skies and damp and drizzly

conditions but the southerly wind keeps things feeling mild. A few

showers expected through the weekend but temperatures staying up in the

double figures right through to the end of the weekend with no frost.

Finally starting to feel a bit more like spring.