22/09/2016 BBC Newsline


22/09/2016

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for the White House? Join me now on BBC Two or

:00:00.:00:00.

The government and Stormont Executive have been told they've 14

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days to agree to fund inquests into some of the most controversial

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killings of the Troubles or face court action.

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The warning comes two weeks after Northern Ireland's most senior

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judge called for urgent action on the issue and said there's

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a legal obligation to ensure the inquests are heard.

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Our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.

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They came from different backgrounds, Catholics and

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Protestants, relatives of more than 30 people killed during the Troubles

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still waiting for inquest to be held to establish what happened. They

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joined in protest at Stormont today and spoke with one voice. Demanding

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that the government releases the funding needed for inquests into the

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killings of their loved ones. They included Nichola Baxter seen her

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with her cousin, who was shot dead by the UVF 11 years ago. I come from

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unionist background, we are awaiting 11 years for an inquest and a death

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certificate. Simple things that the law says we are entitled to as

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families, answers that we are not getting and it is the same for

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everyone. Standing alongside her, 38, whose brother was shot dead by

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soldiers at what has become known as the Ballymurphy massacre -- Rita

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Bonner. She should meet us. She has never said she would meet us and I

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think she needs to be doing more to release even the funds for everyone,

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not just our inquest, it is everyone's. Earlier this year,

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Northern Ireland 's most senior judge as the Stormont Executive to

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back a request for ?10 million in funding for a five-year plan to hear

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all legacy inquest. The Lord Chief Justice wanted the money released

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before an overall agreement is reached on how to deal with the

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past. But the request was blocked by First Minister Arlene Foster. This

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month, Sir Declan Morgan said he was hugely disappointed and said that

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dealing with the inquest was a legal obligation. The pressing need to

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make progress has been recognised by the committee of ministers at the

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Council of Europe which in its last report in June said that it was

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critical of the United Kingdom authorities and said they should

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take all necessary measures to ensure that the legacy system is

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properly resourced and staffed to enable effective investigations to

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be concluded. Earlier this month, speaking to the BBC at a meeting of

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the British Irish Association in Oxford, the Secretary of State

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insisted it is the responsibility of Stormont to do with the issue. It is

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for the Executive effectively to consider those issues and make a

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proposal in essence to seek funding from the UK Government around this.

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I think they are considering these carefully. Lawyer representing the

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families who took part in the protests accused the government of

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breaching international law. Very clearly there is a breach on the

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human rights legislation in this. I would ask the Secretary of State to

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read the Council of Europe report which states it is the obligation of

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the UK Government and I would ask him to read the statement that the

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Lord Chief Justice issued in September which outlined the

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obligations of the UK Government. He handed a letter to an official

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representing the Secretary of State warning that legal action will be

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launched in funding for the inquest is not released within 14 days. The

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Stormont Executive and the Department of Justice received

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similar letters. Vincent Kearney, BBC Newsline.

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A man's died after a fire in an ambulance in County Kildare.

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He was a patient inside the vehicle when it burst into flames at

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The ambulance with an elderly man on board pulled up outside Naas

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hospitals Accident and Emergency department at half past one this

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afternoon. An explosion was then heard and the ambulance burst into

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flames. Two paramedics tried in vain to rescue the man inside, but he was

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pronounced dead at the scene after Fire Service workers had managed to

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put out the fire. According to the health service Executive, the fire

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had caused the man's death. I am sorry to have to tell you that the

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patient's death was a direct consequence of the fire. If the fire

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had not occurred, then he would have not died. Our sympathies are very

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much with the family at this time it is a very tragic loss and the staff

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here at Naas General Hospital and the ambulance personnel did

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everything that they could to save him, but it was not possible. The

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two emergency service workers who attempted to save him sustained

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minor injuries. What caused the explosion, fire and death of a man,

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is now the subject of two separate investigations. One by the HSE and

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won by the Gardai and those investigations are looking at

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whether or not the oxygen supply on the ambulance may have been what

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caused the explosion. It does appear that the fire started towards the

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rear of the ambulance, in other words it does not appear that this

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was related to the engine. We are currently without prejudicing an

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outcome, we are focusing our concerns or our actions on the

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possibility and I stress that it is a possibility, but this was an

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oxygen related incidents, and a safety action notice is being issued

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to all personnel. Forensic tests will now try to ascertain what was

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behind this tragic accident. Two women, including

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one from Londonderry, have been killed in a car

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crash in Donegal. It happened yesterday afternoon

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outside the town of Ballybofey, The victims were 38-year-old mother

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of three Maria Wallis, originally from Derry,

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and 19-year-old Kiara Baird It's believed the car

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they were travelling in lost control An Air Ambulance service

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for Northern Ireland which was announced to some fanfare

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in the Spring is unlikely to be The BBC understands that several

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major issues including staffing It's also emerged that work

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to make a brand new helipad at the Royal Victoria Hospital

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in Belfast fit for purpose When it comes to major trauma, Time

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matters. Air ambulance like this one improve patient prospects in other

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UK regions, but Northern Ireland does not have one. At this years

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Northwest 200, rider Ryan Farquhar had to rely on the police helicopter

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to transfer him to Belfast after he was seriously injured. But a major

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announcement by the former Minister Simon Hamilton promised a dedicated

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air ambulance would be operational by the end of this year. That is

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beginning to look unlikely. The BBC understands that issues holding up

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progress include staffing, hangar facilities and issues with the new

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critical care building at the Royal Victoria Hospital. This building

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only opened last year and it cost over ?150 million. A helipad was

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built on the roof but it turns out it is not suitable for air ambulance

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use and making it fit for purpose could cost up to ?800,000 and take

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nine months. I am concerned about the issue of the helipad and I am

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concerned that there seem to be a lot of other issues that have not

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been resolved. Before the election we had talk of a tribute to the late

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Doctor John Heinz, if we are to have a tribute, it has to be a properly

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functioning service for the benefit of the people of Northern Ireland.

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Corks can turn slowly, you can get frustrated, but I am trying to apply

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pressure to ensure that this facility is in Northern Ireland as

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soon as possible, to help and assist the people of Northern Ireland. In a

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statement, the Department of Health said that the Minister will announce

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when the service will start after she has received advice from the

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Chief Medical Officer on the clinical and patient safety aspects

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of the service. It went on to say, whilst a functional rooftop pad at

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the Royal Victoria Hospital would offer significant

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advantages, the service could begin operation without it. When it

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arrives, the air ambulance will speed up a trauma victims journey to

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critical care, but for now the concern is the speed of progress in

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getting a service here off the ground. David Maxwell, BBC Newsline.

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There's a new warning this evening about the potentially deadly risk

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posed to young children by button batteries - the sort found

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Doctors at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children say

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they've seen a rise in the number of toddlers swallowing them.

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BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson has been speaking to one of the doctors.

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They are lithium button batteries. They are in lots of household items,

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remote controls, kitchen scales, scales in bathrooms, they are very

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common and they are in children's toys. They look quite innocuous,

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they could choke a child which is a potential risk. What actually

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happens to the battery inside the body? If these are studied the drug

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swallowed or put up the nose or in the year, because a chemical

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reaction and caustic soda is released. Everyone knows what that

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does, it cleans out drains, so can you imagine what it does to your

:10:01.:10:08.

oesophagus or pallet? We had a little girl called Ava and this is

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her x-ray, the battery was in her gallop for about three weeks. She

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had life-threatening breathing difficulties, it had eroded her

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oesophagus, it was placed up against windpipe and she had a narrow

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windpipe to breathe through. Our surgeons removed it under

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anaesthetic, it was wedged into her oesophagus, buried into the tissues

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and took a huge amount of effort to remove it. Some children are not so

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fortunate. We have had other children in this hospital who have

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been referred to great Ormond has it all and the battery has

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completely their pallet and they have life-changing injuries, also

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some children die because they have swallowed button batteries. They

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rode through a main vessels and they bleed to death -- Great Ormond

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Street Hospital?. What would you say to parents watching? I would say to

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any carer or childminder or anyone who looks after children,

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particularly toddlers, because toddlers learn and explore the world

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through their eyes, if you have remote controls, kitchen scales,

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weighing scales in bathroom, anything with a button battery, keep

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it away from small children. Mark Simpson, BBC Newsline.

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Now to what's coming up straight after this programme on The View -

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Thanks Jo - and tonight we're looking at the promise

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of the Ulster Unionists and SDLP to deliver a strong opposition

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against the DUP-Sinn Fein administration.

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Have the watchdogs bared their teeth yet?

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We've all four parties live in the studio straight

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We have had some lively showers through this evening

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and the first part of tonight and they will gradually clear

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to the east leaving us with dry conditions and clearing skies.

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That will see the temperatures drop away, last night we were down to 0.5

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degrees and we could get to a similar level to night.

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It means that there will be the chance of a bit of mist to begin

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with but for most people quite a bright morning.

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The difference is that those bright skies will not last as long tomorrow

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You will start to see the cloud filling in and behind

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that the showers working their way in from the west.

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We will not see the bulk of the rain through the day on Friday.

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That is focused more to the north and west of us but it shows

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what a different day that Scotland and Ireland are having tomorrow

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There, it is much warmer and brighter conditions especially

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For us, we do not really see the bulk of the rain until the early

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By the time we are looking out the window on Saturday morning it

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Quite a wet and windy start to the weekend, that rain sitting

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It will brighten up by evening time and we are then into some cooler air

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and once that front comes through it is a much cooler air mass

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and at this time of year you will notice the change quite sharply.

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Saturday is the day for the inside jobs,

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come Sunday it will be brighter, drier but markedly cooler,

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Our next BBC Newsline is at six twenty five in the morning

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You can also keep updated with News Online.

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