Talks Sean Claude younker told journalists he was hopeful that a deal could be reached in the coming weeks our political correspondent Tom Barton has the latest the question really there is whether this could mean was a gesture seems to be perhaps we could have a day or by the next meeting of European leaders in the middle of the week after next it's not clear whether all that will happen whether there might need to be a special summit in a van but the chairman of the disability charity Scope has criticised the benefits system after he was told he was no longer eligible for personal independence payments despite having Parkinson's disease and incurable prostate cancer Andrew McDonald who used to be a senior civil servant says the system needs reform what we've got here is a system that is opaque. That is as excessively complicated and far from being even handed as more than a suggestion of a sleight of hand which leads to disadvantage as able people what we think is needed is a full overhaul of the system if anybody from any party thinks that it is fixed they're wrong the Department for Work and Pensions says it's constantly looking to improve the quality and transparency of Pip assessments media reports in China say the president of the international policing agency Interpol is under investigation by the authorities there man Hong way he's Chinese is reported to have been detained as soon as he arrived in China from France last month. B.B.C. Northern Ireland has claimed 4 Gold 9 silver and it bronze awards at the Arab rights organization awards in Kilkenny radio for one local station of the year and B.B.C. News N.I. Collected gold for reporter Kevin McGhee story on Peter fine hunters the other night with the CD daily a bright but chilly morning ahead with scattered showers many in the north in the east gradually dying OJT the north west breeze will feel cold them will be quite gusty it's times the showers pass by but most of the showers will have gone before the afternoon to leave mainly dry weather with Bright was that his guys could out of the sun with eyes of 13 or 14 Celsius tonight will be mostly dry and clear with even a touch of frost possible B.B.C. News. B.B.C. Radio Ulster travel news. Inside Belfast we're getting reports of long delays on the upper Malone Road at Gray's time Avenue that's in both directions between from the road side and Dublin while northern land water continue work here then tonight part of the M one will be closed for resurfacing both ways from 11 until 8 tomorrow morning that's from junctions 11 to 10 as well as West pine from junctions 11 to 12 and tomorrow morning in Belfast city center and number of the. It will be closed for cyclo via these include the tonic Avenue Dublin Road and Bedford Street down to the city hall and the closures will be from 9 am until $1230.00 in the afternoon and Jordan reporting. Trouble B.B.C. Radio. On B.B.C. Radio Ulster a special program from Market Hill High School celebrating the recent European languages day. John told how did Media Awards radio presenter home 20. You're very welcome to a special show from Market Hill High School in kind it's a coeducational nonselective skirl with about 500 pupils opened in 1959 we're here today to mark European day of languages which was started by the Council of Europe back in 2001 there are events large and small happening all around the world from language competitions and ponder Cherry in India to a laborer in Simferopol on the Crimean peninsula there's a slum textured and that of painted a tree of languages in a week café in Reykjavik in Bergen Mall in Italy people have made a word salad of all their favorite words in all their mother tongues and in Karlsruhe in southern Germany there's an event where you can find out more about the connections between the Finnish and Hungary and languages so European day of languages been celebrated all around the world and this school has won awards in the past for their modern languages the opened in 1909 is to say since 2011 the principal has been Mr Maxwell He's here with me and I with Mike Mullen who's the head of Modern Languages Thanks for having us you're very welcome to market a law school you said during the assembly you just heard there that this is your favorite day of the year absolutely were. German friends are very disciplined. Graduated in that university so today is an extra special day for me it's just fantastic when you consider that they with such a fantastic cohort of people so on staff as well but also promote lying which is so free so if it like today and you also got an award today we did we in 2015 we 1st won the British Council International for lowered and every 3 years you have to apply for a accreditation so we reapply last school year and we just received word in the summer that we were successful again so we were excited and we were able to celebrate that stand up special assembly so what languages are taught in school and what languages are suppose are spoken in the school all of our people is in the area when they come in they study French and they study French from years eat 2 years 10 and then we also give all of our people the opportunity so the Spanish in year 9 and when they get here 10 the end of Year 10 they choose do they want the one to they want to or what path they're going to take at the C.S.E. But within the school there are people who speak other languages as well we have many languages I should mention as well we last year for the 1st time we had a mountain after school club we're going to run that again this year so that's after school provision but and we have lots of languages represented in scale we have people from many different nationalities Garion let me in the end Polish We have a French people this year as well as part of our exchange So yeah we're very excited to welcome all their languages or other speakers of other languages to our classes we're going to hear more about the program continue some of the more about the connections between the school and the community Paula McIntyre of course is with us here give a round of applause. Thank you. Mark and screw yakking on when we can always Department Yeah it's a pretty late night as his colleagues at last. You think it will be American today baked apples. From porch jerk but you know the script that's a bit of a cultural exchange I come. The Army I have to try to. Guard your brain but I'm. Trying to fake. Her. And. Just. Go to serve the Greek. European devil and I think. We'll hear from Paul we'll hear more from Mr Meir is as well the students have gone in their house and their continental breakfast they're having their croissants in the gym but we're going to be treated to a feast of music because one of the reasons I remember European to have language is Mr Maxwell says one of his favorite days of the year is because it's also my birthday and I always think studying languages gets under the skin of a country don't use doors and can lead you in a kind of voyage of cultural discovery Asbos for example back in 1902. Or. Given his proper Spanish name set up Pena flamenco which is the 1st flamenco society in Ireland here with my team from Cordoba they're going to perform the very day to take Hero very day. Green the color green let's hear Governor out of applause. From Pena. Betty Carol Betty so it's the color green. Walk in. Rio but. Yes I remember 20 years ago going to hard and cross. To meet a lot of people who were setting up a flamenco society and it seemed like the most exotic thing in the world. For a lot of years. And things became just complete whenever one night. Conservatory . Michael came alive in Belfast and what do you learn about spin from flamenco do you think we learn about. Very important to learn about cultures we have it is very popular in the sort of his pain and he is the music of the this is the music of the working class people that is a lot to learn about it is a very very beautiful thing to learn the songs of the songs of love are the songs of loss of a great variety of food now I Spanish people are very dramatic you know we are here you know and so yes sometimes can be very dramatic sometimes it can be happier sometime it can be more sad but that's really like for instance. Most of these point. To the song by the most famous Flamingo singers so all these poetries barged into and stage with of course it made guitar like they were. Places on honor for me I have to say to be with their Maestro from Belfast and how did you how did you learn this kind of guitar and uncle from Spain taking some of the 1st what were called Continental holidays at the time if you remember that brought back a cassette tape some guitarist I'd never even heard of and been playing around with . And thought this is good to try a bit of this took me 20 years to even get a handle on that no such thing as you're making in those days you you sort of went Spanish so she could learn them and they guitarists that were visiting even years and you know you know if. It's growing more than I would be more and more people are becoming interested Yeah we just did a little gig and Culture Night with half a dozen dancers and my taste some. Second generation migrant. Generation my it and it was very put on his own. He's nor can. We. Want so name him Lorca after that after this point because people. We have an accent on we don't pronounce the end of the word so it was a bit of a calling him an orca but he's Lorcan because he's an Asian name but that's the title of his 1st album right there Lorcan sings Lorca Yeah yeah definitely it was really nice to see because Northern Ireland is a very more to control society and these lovely to see it was lovely for me as a mother but also you know to feel that all those meet and people even in different countries the their lives are split into 2 world and we all have something to bring to the places that we're going to leave that was a beautiful scene I was very emotional because it was his 1st ever time with a guitar and he loves John plain and he was just giving it all you know for a personal I know it was very personal for a wee boy from the or more old you know. They were going to hear another song before the end of the program but in the meantime Muchas gracias thanks for talking to me I give your own of applause my take I'm John. I. You're listening to John told Show on B.B.C. Radio all stor B.B.C. Radio 4 we're in Market Hill High School to Mark European day of languages we've lots of languages and cultural experiences to come before the end of the program I'm with Mr Meir is who is the head of modern languages here Mark of the high school there's always that thing that people people of presume that Spanish is easier than French the French the hard language to learn Spanish is much easier I know you have a lot of links with Spanish here in the school we do I think for a long time people in our school have learnt French and Spanish is definitely growing in school and I think people just perceive that Spanish is a little easier because easier to say perhaps it's a bit easier to pronounce it and they're less. Definitely they can have a go at it without feeling selling or without feeling ridiculous so yeah I think there's there is a perception but I don't think I always tell them really at the end of day it's not and these are the rules of the C.M. That the structures are more or less the C.M. It's a little bit easier to say M.M.A. But there's a lot of emphasis on languages here in the school yet we definitely encourage all of our peoples to study languages we are very enthusiastic about languages and I think we make sure in the classrooms that where we teach French is by stuff people as not only learn the words but they get a love of learning about France or Spanish speaking world or the French speaking you know the culture today with the languages they're learning as well thanks for the important what was your own particular interest sponsors Well I didn't take up Spanish until I was at university I did French and German a level. As a beginner in 1st year of university and loved it so much I went with us and dropped Germans as you know you do lose a language when you don't practice so sadly I have lost my German but I continue them and because my Spanish I don't just started as a beginner it was a lot weaker than my French stage and I decided to go to America and spend some time teaching English No it was everyone in my year at university was going to be and I had a friend a long story I had for a and in from from school whose dad was involved in some project work in Ecuador and Empire gray and at the end of 1st year of university we thought we'd go to practice Spanish I mean just kind of flipped. And I went to Ecuador and spent 2 months in Ecuador teaching English after 1st year university and loved it so much so different from Northern Ireland I grew up in rural Northern Ireland so it was so different and decided from a year abroad that I would go back to Ecuador again the C.M. Teaching English and just fell in love of Ecuador left early. Really I said this when I was there the 2nd time I always highlight that because you don't like people who I love decade after record or the 2nd time was there then I met my husband so yeah love story and spun this story is the idea that. It's a proper is story of them or something like that I hear we have Melissa and Emma 2 of the students from the year 11 and year 12 Melissa and 11 Emma's and your 12 friends used in Spanish I'm going Spanish Well I should say. You and your friend. You know. Why study languages why do you think it's important. It gives you an edge on people in the business world so if you learn a language when you're younger you have that edge over people who maybe don't learn the language and if you go for a job you might have something extra that someone else doesn't have so it just gets it out ads. I saw they are good as I have a real keen interest in politics I like to sort of maybe go into the European Commission and I feel like it would just give me that way advantage if I started it from scale instead of pick it up and I'm older because you are not awful lot more when you're younger as opposed to when you are not when you're older so I'm old so it's all around us if you are if you follow the Premiership even the number of footballers who come in their French names or Spanish names and you know you hear people mispronounce And if you study French response you can say well you know it's this yeah. I did French for 3 years. But for my G.C.S.E. I dropped French polish so as a job then you would like to go into politics and you'd like to go to business I think so yes both of them you're going to take your languages with you wherever you go definitely the thing there's a reason you're looking to say to people you know take a language study a language I'm going to university something or is it you know it's one of those things as a matter. Of use I think we definitely courage that it's a skill and it does. As you know as the girls said it sets you apart so whether or not you're going to study a language specifically University where you're going to study a language with something I think it's irrelevant to G.C.S.E. Language is a really good language to have it's good she says he to have it shows really strong academic ability if you do a limit so you know we encourage people here to continue and to get a yeah get a low for it and hopefully one day it will I always tell them you know they never know 20 years down the line that's when most people say to me I wish I had studied languages so I always think yeah it's a great thing today look we've acquired behind. Your. Class and this is a multi-lingual car yet we've just formed this car this year so we have been learning a song for the we've just started September of c term and we have put this song together in the last couple of weeks and this is John Lennon's Imagine this is John and. By Market Hill High School OK Well let's hear part of the high school's arrangement of are still called Imagine imagine to get away. Was. I you. Wire of March until high school conducted by Mr Ramirez accompanied by Mr For face and imagine and not one not 2 but 3 languages well done to them You're listening to the John told show they're a little story that has a connection here that goes to the way to work and the story of a couple from this area later in life decided to move out to France and start a whole new life and learn the language this is the story of Derek Iris. She learned in. 11 I'm merits Matthew says and I'm Derek Matthews. From sunny Brae in the wire Molly France. They tell me Derek and Iris the 2 Viet ended up in fronts Well it's all going to last joint or actually 56 feet or coach which met me on a road on a small bridge and it left me I don't work because I was quite badly injured and we looked at it and said Right there's an opportunity what are we going to do we always want to move to France but I just thought to myself Well we're very lucky dark. Place to shark let's go for it why don't we have no right now I talking to make things let's get on with what will want to do with their life so people talk about this all the time but this dream of moving off and doing something very different you obviously talked about the years before the car accident we did that I wasn't going anywhere I was and you know we're not we've got grandkids here and look all right good jobs here in your business no we're not going well we're going on holiday but we're not going to I was actually landing in the hospital bed when I was committed with this little advert and not much bigger than a postage stamp that said by a 30 best nurse in France. And for long enough ships said I not go on and I had all the said well I want to go when I retire and a short while after I was released I was about on a Zimmer frame and had to stack so with Trish tags on our support we got on to a lame duck around well head to Norm to view this property. Not with a start over that's when we said right that said Sally Hey some will get thanked the question well keep telling yourself but called from wife from it's a joke if you speak French had you got some French No I suppose you want to came back I came to France with a school trip I'm just whatever happened I just said Someday I'm going to live in France a leg to lead back to laced. The weather stuff this was always a dream in the back of my head so but it's not very busy it's very good John I did to exchange groups to France we have French language concerts the never got I never had a minute I actually took the French in essence of for fortune if I had to do it again or have got in there in the classes. Difference and you lived in the culture and joined it it went by Great himself so you spent some time driving around looking for a suitable place to set up this new life what we're looking for what kind of place we're looking for well it was started off a normal day with out with what went on and went and said look over and see claimants like in the winter and we rented sheep and the weather was no better than Northern Ireland so we just started moving down to their tank but we're not going far value for money and we're looking for a property that we could run a small business like as eater our B. And B. From and really the core element that it had to be able to be developed into small cottage business and why the standard heats with different people learn from them yeah so it should very much mean we learnt as we went along and then coming back from the shore on we passed. Through summer and I was driving an hour said this is absolutely beautiful we have to come back and look around here and that's what we did we started looking round properties we went actually to look at a property which in the photographs was terrific but turned out