:00:07. > :00:11.The UK is going to the polls on the 8th of June, an early
:00:12. > :00:15.Westminster election called by the Prime Minister before
:00:16. > :00:19.As our political correspondent Stephen Walker reports,
:00:20. > :00:21.over the coming days, potential pacts in key
:00:22. > :00:28.Once a snap general election was a long shot,
:00:29. > :00:33.Every poll creates winners and losers, and Northern Ireland
:00:34. > :00:44.Already, some are suggesting the general election of 2017 has
:00:45. > :00:46.created its first casualty - the talks process and devolution.
:00:47. > :00:53.I think quite frankly, we're seeing the freezer bags come out
:00:54. > :00:57.and the deep-frost button being pressed in the Assembly,
:00:58. > :01:02.But if that makes this place the centre of politics
:01:03. > :01:04.for Northern Ireland, then we need to make sure
:01:05. > :01:07.we have a strong DUP team here working for all the people
:01:08. > :01:10.By calling the election during the talks process,
:01:11. > :01:12.some think the Prime Minister has disregarded the wishes
:01:13. > :01:25.She has shown no interest anyway in Northern Ireland so far.
:01:26. > :01:26.She has hardly ever been to Northern Ireland,
:01:27. > :01:34.How she can do anything over the next seven weeks?
:01:35. > :01:35.It's just a disgrace what they're doing.
:01:36. > :01:37.Others insist that the Prime Minister is putting
:01:38. > :01:42.Yet again, we have Theresa May acting with the Tory Party in a very
:01:43. > :01:43.selfish way about protecting Tory Party interests,
:01:44. > :01:48.rather than protecting the needs of the people of Northern Ireland.
:01:49. > :01:58.It's not just devolution that's on the minds of unionists.
:01:59. > :01:59.Their co-operation in key Westminster seats helps
:02:00. > :02:03.I'm sure there will be discussions over the next few days
:02:04. > :02:05.of where we can come to the best agreements around
:02:06. > :02:11.What we want to do is make sure we have representation
:02:12. > :02:22.There is no point electing people that will not take their seats in
:02:23. > :02:29.The election will take place on Thursday, June 8th,
:02:30. > :02:31.meaning Parliamentary time is running out.
:02:32. > :02:33.Within days, emergency financial measures needed in the absence
:02:34. > :02:35.of the Stormont Executive will be pushed through here,
:02:36. > :02:37.in advance of the dissolution of Parliament in May.
:02:38. > :02:43.So the starting pistol has been fired for an early general election.
:02:44. > :02:44.Our second poll this year. Get ready for leaflets, posters, TV debates
:02:45. > :02:51.and election broadcasts. A motorcyclist has died
:02:52. > :02:52.following a collision with a tractor near Gilford,
:02:53. > :02:54.in County Armagh. It happened shortly before
:02:55. > :02:56.half-past one this afternoon The man who died was
:02:57. > :02:59.21-year-old James Campbell. A Coleraine man has appeared
:03:00. > :03:08.in court charged with 16 sexual offences which the police allege
:03:09. > :03:10.are linked to a fake The 23 year old denies
:03:11. > :03:14.the charges and claims someone Limavady Court was told some
:03:15. > :03:18.of the women involved have been left traumatised and in need
:03:19. > :03:19.of medical help. Here's our North-West
:03:20. > :03:34.reporter, Keiron Tourish. Ryan Eastwood, a waiter
:03:35. > :03:36.from from Grasmere Mews, Coleraine, of causing two women to engage
:03:37. > :03:40.in sexual activity on the Skype He faces 14 offences relating
:03:41. > :03:44.to the improper use of electronic communications by sending Facebook
:03:45. > :03:45.messages which caused A Detective Constable told the court
:03:46. > :03:50.that the police investigation into the fake online modelling
:03:51. > :03:53.agency began last year. A woman had told police that she had
:03:54. > :03:55.been contacted via Facebook by a modelling agency
:03:56. > :04:01.based in London. More contact was made by another
:04:02. > :04:05.man, who used two different names. The woman was asked to send
:04:06. > :04:08.photographs of herself fully The police said that
:04:09. > :04:18.when Ryan Eastwood was arrested, he claimed he was
:04:19. > :04:20.a victim in the case. He said that the social
:04:21. > :04:22.media accounts had been set up by someone else,
:04:23. > :04:25.using his name. The police told the court that some
:04:26. > :04:28.of the women who were victims in the case had required medical
:04:29. > :04:30.assistance and had Ryan Eastwood was remanded
:04:31. > :04:41.in custody until next month. More than one third of Belfast Bikes
:04:42. > :04:44.are out of action because of theft or vandalism, the city's
:04:45. > :04:46.council has revealed. The damage is costing ratepayers
:04:47. > :04:50.about ?20,000 a year and is putting future plans to extend
:04:51. > :04:54.the scheme in jeopardy. Over the Easter weekend,
:04:55. > :05:07.19 of the bikes were stolen and only Our call is for members of the
:05:08. > :05:11.public to be vigilant. We often see people walking past when we check
:05:12. > :05:16.CCTV and watch people take these bikes and do nothing about it. We
:05:17. > :05:20.are not encouraging people to interact with people taking by
:05:21. > :05:26.bikes, but phone 999 if you are seeing a theft live, or if you have
:05:27. > :05:29.information to assist us with our enquiries, contact us on 101 or
:05:30. > :05:32.through the Crimestoppers phone line as well.
:05:33. > :05:34.Harland and Wolff has won a wind turbine contract
:05:35. > :05:36.with a Polish company, supporting 80 jobs in Belfast.
:05:37. > :05:39.It will make parts used to anchor turbines to the seabed off
:05:40. > :05:42.It is the second major turbine-related order
:05:43. > :05:48.The exploration of space has been inspiring us for more than 50 years.
:05:49. > :05:50.The stars and planets have had a special impact on an autistic
:05:51. > :05:56.Hayden Geraghty didn't speak his first words until he was three.
:05:57. > :05:58.But that changed when he watched British astronaut Tim Peake's
:05:59. > :06:04.And he's been talking about space ever since.
:06:05. > :06:06.Our reporter Declan Harvey caught up with Hayden
:06:07. > :06:14.Still a little shy at times, but Hayden Geraghty
:06:15. > :06:18.is unrecognisable from the boy he was just over a year ago.
:06:19. > :06:27.He didn't like much eye contact and his speech was very delayed.
:06:28. > :06:36.But all that changed in December 2015, when Major Tim Peake became
:06:37. > :06:38.the first British astronaut to blast off to the International
:06:39. > :06:49.He started doing the countdown, right up to the blastoff.
:06:50. > :06:58.This was the first real length conversation or sentence from him.
:06:59. > :07:02.I never imagined how it's developed on.
:07:03. > :07:09.What planet is it that you want to go to?
:07:10. > :07:14.Can you tell him whereabouts Mars is?
:07:15. > :07:17.It's the fourth planet away from the sun.
:07:18. > :07:18.Hayden met his hero in Belfast last year.
:07:19. > :07:24.He's also the youngest member of the Astronomy Ireland Club.
:07:25. > :07:29.It's transformed Hayden with his learning, development and speech.
:07:30. > :07:31.That wee personality, that we used to worry
:07:32. > :07:33.about if we were ever going to really find out
:07:34. > :07:37.The charity Autism And I have said there are things that other families
:07:38. > :07:41.That despite the challenges and differences that come
:07:42. > :07:43.with autism, there are many positives - and sometimes,
:07:44. > :07:50.A firefighter from Omagh has been hailed a hero after coming
:07:51. > :07:54.to the help of a runner during the Boston Marathon.
:07:55. > :07:57.Crew Commander Terry Canning, who's pictured here on the right,
:07:58. > :08:00.saw that an American runner was overcome with heat
:08:01. > :08:05.Along with another competitor from Chile, he helped carry her up
:08:06. > :08:07.to the finishing line, then set her down so she
:08:08. > :08:12.He said it was the right thing to do.
:08:13. > :08:14.Time for a check on the weather forecast now.
:08:15. > :08:29.Good evening, a lot of dry weather this month and we do not expect much
:08:30. > :08:34.rain. Spots of drizzle the night and otherwise fairly cloudy and mild
:08:35. > :08:38.temperatures not much lower than seven, 8 degrees. Some of the cloud
:08:39. > :08:42.quite low and sitting on the Hills so a bit dull and dreary tomorrow
:08:43. > :08:48.but hopefully we will see brightness is developing later and a bit of
:08:49. > :08:52.sunshine. Drizzle here and there in the morning, but not too much and it
:08:53. > :08:56.will disappear and a good part of the day will be dry but fairly
:08:57. > :08:59.cloudy. Lovely weather towards the South Coast of Ireland with
:09:00. > :09:05.sunshine, and towards London and South East England before it starts
:09:06. > :09:10.the cloud, edging southwards. It wet day for North West Scotland with
:09:11. > :09:14.persistent drizzly rain and hill fog and showers elsewhere. That is the
:09:15. > :09:18.case for Northern Ireland, a lot of dry weather, quite cloudy, drizzly
:09:19. > :09:22.showers and where it brightens which is more likely in the used, it feels
:09:23. > :09:26.quite pleasant and temperatures could hit 15, 16 degrees. A weather
:09:27. > :09:31.front on Friday moving South bringing rain for a while, but
:09:32. > :09:35.nothing heavy, and temperatures will fall after that so it will be cooler
:09:36. > :09:40.this weekend, but we expect a lot of dry weather. Rain for a time on
:09:41. > :09:44.Friday and it may brighten in places, temperatures fall, at 11
:09:45. > :09:48.degrees towards the North coast. And on Saturday, more typically 10
:09:49. > :09:49.degrees but hopefully with that cooler air, we will see a bit of
:09:50. > :09:51.sunshine as well. Our next BBC Newsline
:09:52. > :09:54.is at 6:25 in the morning You can also keep updated
:09:55. > :09:57.with News Online. With unprecedented access
:09:58. > :10:11.to our prison service, and some of the men and women
:10:12. > :10:13.serving time, BBC Northern Ireland reveals
:10:14. > :10:18.the stories behind bars.