25/04/2014 BBC Newsline

first look at the papers over on the BBC News Channel. But

Good evening. New tougher rules are being introduced to try to stop the

kind of lending that contributed to the recent financial crisis. It's a

move that could affect thousands of people here trying to secure a

mortgage. From midnight your lifestyle will influence the chance

of you getting a home loan, with questions being asked about spending

habits. With the details, BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports.

Can you really afford a mortgage? Be prepared to be asked about how much

you spend on childcare, transport, holidays, and about gambling, going

to the gym, milk deliveries and haircuts. These are the questions

which mortgage providers should ask, but how much of a change will

it be? What they are looking at now is what you can afford in two years.

It used to be very much what is your income now. They will look at what

your outgoings might be, and they will add a little on for if interest

rates rise. They will be looking at can you still afford this mortgage

in a few years. The new rules are part of the MMR, the mortgage market

review. It is all a legacy of the credit crunch, and the idea is to

try to ensure that there isn't financial crisis. Because of the

last crisis, lenders are already asking a lot more questions than

they used to. And that's without the new rules. Jade recently went to a

bank to try to get her first mortgage. She says that rather than

an interview, it ended up being more like an interrogation. They were

asking me how often I went out, how much I spend. And I thought, why do

they need to know all my personal details? But they wanted to know

even more. Gym membership, cinema, how much I spend on food. I never

had any commitments, if I went out with friends, if we detained at

home. It was crazy, they wanted to know everything. Those who work in

the mortgage business are worried about long delays and fewer loans,

but they say the new system isn't all bad news. The positive impact

will be that it will assure appropriate lending, that people are

only borrowing what they can afford to pay back. And that means being

prepared to answer a lot more questions. And deafness Sery, to

make wax. -- and if necessary, to make cutbacks.

A 30-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman have been charged in

connection with a drugs seizure in south Belfast. Herbal cannabis worth

?75,000 was found during a police search operation in the area. Both

are due to appear before Newry Magistrates Court tomorrow morning.

A deal has been tabled to buy Northern Ireland's biggest

entertainment venue, the Odyssey Pavilion in Belfast. The prospective

buyers are the cinema operators Omniplex, who say they would make it

less geared towards bars and nightclubs. Here's our business

correspondent Julian O'Neill. Pavilion part of the Odyssey has a

tag of ?10 million. This offer from Omniplex is believed to fall short

of that. But the company is also willing to commit much-needed funds

for refurbishment. The family owned Irish firm operates cinemas on both

sides of the border, and in Northern Ireland is on some thing of an

investment splurge. That could now involve a prime piece of Belfast

real estate. We want to integrate. We're not going in there just to sit

around. We want to make a move on it and make it work. The Odyssey

pavilion has been up for sale for two years, but its problems stretch

back further. In 2010 it was placed into administration. The bank

stepped in and took control because of financial problems engulfing its

original developer. The pavilion with its bars and clubs is a popular

nightspot, but it has had its share of negative headlines. The Omniplex

says it would change things. We are not in the business of nightclubs,

and we are not in the business of 2am falling out into the streets. We

want to achieve a family friendly environment. But this deal still

requires an important symmetry, the Odyssey trust, the board which

manages the entire entertainment complex, which has yet to agree to

it. A statement said the trust continues to monitor the sales

process, and it is most concerned this important element of the

Odyssey is regenerated as soon as possible.

The Odyssey trust is due to consider the offer next month. Only then will

it be known if the Odyssey's long search for a buyer is finally over.

The Police are appealing for witnesses to a hate crime in south

Belfast yesterday when a 23-year-old man was stabbed. He was attacked as

he walked into Fane Street off the Lisburn Road at around half past ten

in the morning. Two men in their twenties shouted racist abuse. One

of them then stabbed the victim in the leg.

Four men have been arrested after a series of burglaries during the

early hours of this morning. Two vehicles were stolen in separate

incidents in Summerhill Court in North Belfast and at Nutts Corner.

Other burglaries, or attempts, were made in Newtownabbey, Jordanstown

and Carrickfergus. A County Down family who have been

plagued by an infestation of rats say they're at their wits' end.

They've told BBC Newsline some of them are the size of small dogs.

There are pictures of the vermin in our next report from Mervyn Jess.

Nobody wants a wrapped in their house. The Mackenzie family have had

nearly 60 since their infestation problem began four years ago. I

said, let's get a torch. I went up to the loft, and a rat. Or a

miniature dog! I have caught 59 to date. Even the family's Jack Russell

has done her bit, but still the problem persists. Despite extensive

searches around this garden area, no obvious rat holes have been found,

so so far, the main suspect in all of this is this extension to the

house. This was built over ten years ago on top of the existing manhole

covers, and it is thought that perhaps that is how the rats are

getting in, accessing the cavity walls of the house and going up

through pipes and into the attic. The Housing executive has been out

to take a look at the problem, and in a statement it says:

And environmental health expert is due to visit the home next week as

the search for an answer to this rodent problem goes on, and all the

family can do is to continue laying track. -- traps. Tributes have been

paid to one of Glasgow Rangers' greatest ever players, who's died.

Sandy Jardine, who played over 600 times for the club, lost his battle

with cancer aged 65. He was part of the club's European triumph in 1972,

and also played 35 times for his country. He was one of the great

Rangers men. He was my hero for 35-year is. I followed Rangers all

my life. He was one of the best players I have seen. He was still

working hard for the club even when he retired.

And in football, Derry City drew 1-1 with UCD in tonight's Airtricity

Premier Division match. Now time for the weekend weather

forecast, and here's Cecilia Daly. Good evening. It is a bit of a mixed

picture this weekend. There will be some rain around, but overall, there

will be more dry weather than wet stuff. We have some rain at the

moment, and that will continue to edge its way northwards. Could be

quite heavy for a while. We are looking at some rain for a while on

Saturday morning, but don't worry, because things will improve as the

day goes on from the south. To begin with, quite cloudy and breezy, with

rain edging northwards, some of which could be quite heavy. But

brightening up a hind it, and the afternoon will be brighter with some

sunshine. There will also be some sunshine across the Irish Midlands,

in southern areas of Ireland, it will be cool , cloudy and wet.

Elsewhere across Scotland, England and Wales, it will have in very wet

through the night, and will slowly become a little drier and bright as

the day goes on, although this North Sea coast will become cold and

misty. The breeze is in the East tomorrow, with a top temperature in

the West to 15 or 16 Celsius. On Sunday, there will be a few showers

around, especially in the West, and a cool breeze against . It stays

fairly settled as we head into the new week, but it looks like the

middle part of next week will bring some further rain.