06/01/2016 BBC Newsline

That's all from the BBC News at Six - so it's goodbye from me and on BBC

Tonight's top stories: As Lough Neagh breaks its banks,

businesses bear the brunt - is enough being done to stem

It is heartbreaking for everybody that is on the premises. We are

small businesses and at that whole lives into this. It is

The farmer who fears his flock may be buried below this landslide.

The lethal arsenal of dissident republican weapons seized

You can turn up the heat - energy bills look set to drop.

Also on the programme: Darren Clarke pays tribute to the late

Christy O'Connor Junior, who inspired a generation

After a rare dry day, tonight the rain returns.

The Met Office has issued another severe weather warning.

Flood-hit businesses on the shores of Lough Neagh have questioned

whether enough was done to prevent rising waters brought

The lough's water level is at a 30-year-high.

On the southern shore, several business properties have

Our Agriculture and Environment Correspondent, Conor Macauley,

This bike shop is one of four businesses that have been inundated

by the rising waters of temp one temp two Marina in Lurgan. A lot of

questions are being asked today about how the level of temp one is

regulated and if anything could've been done that would have prevented

this. Temp one had reached record heights

after the rain storms but neither water has reached the businesses on

the shore. They have been inundated, putting 20 jobs here at risk. Is

heartbreaking for everybody here on the premises. We are small

businesses. We have the dirt lies into this. It is heart-wrenching. In

the interim we will have to look at laying people off. I can't sustain

wages going out, I still have to pay my rent, rates and all the other

overheads. There is no income. People can come in through the shop

door. Temp one, the biggest in the British Isles, is at the 30 year

high. Its levels are being controlled by these gates. Question

to being asked if the gate should've been opened earlier. With the amount

of water forecast, was a sufficient? The answer would clearly seem to be

known. There are other reasons I'm sure why the floodgates were not

opened earlier. Maybe people would just caught a surprise. The agency

responsible says they acted appropriately. 43% of the landmass

of Northern Ireland trained in the temp one. In situations where we had

heavy rain across the catchment it is inevitable that we will get

rising water and associated flooding. It is heartbreaking for

the owners, some of them have been here for two decades, one only moved

in a Christmas. Some flood relief money has come from central

government. The executive has been called to hurry up and decide how it

will be spent. We want to know Will they be helped in the aftermath?

Will they get help to ensure that the businesses open game? If there

is any money, it will be of little comfort to business people. They

can't even start a clear up until the level of temp one starts to

fall. Executive ministers will meet

tomorrow in Cookstown. They are coming together with the chief

executives of the various councils to look at the response to the

flooding and see if any lessons might be learnt. The SDLP is still

holding out for a full executive meeting in relation to the flood

response. They say ?1.3 million is available for flood relief in

Northern Ireland and the executive needs to get a move on and start

hitting some decisions about how and where that money should be spent.

A sheep farmer whose land in the Glens of Antrim has been

partly destroyed by a landslide days it could be months before he's able

He believes 23 of his flock are buried underneath and,

with more rain forecast, he's worried the land could further

slip onto the public road and property below.

This farmer knows the land like the back of his hand. It has been in his

family for generations. In weather like this it is only accessible by

quad bike. Imagine his horror when he find this. A landslide. And this

is where his sheep had been grazing. Behind us that could be seven to ten

feet of material discharged. Somewhere in the middle of this I

presume there are 23 sheep missing at the moment and I can only presume

they are in there somewhere. Until we get machinery here, and I can't

imagine machinery will be able to access the stand until the

springtime, there will be a complete impact on the loss of forage. It is

not the first time the weather has taken its toll on its livelihood. In

2012 we had severe snow and suffered catastrophic losses, livestock and

stuff. Back at that time there was money released to help us through

that, and adore help, yes. Still, you can't get over the loss, bad

effect on your flock. He has insurance but it does not cover what

is regarded as an act of God. Has he thought about calling it a day? Lots

of times, but home is home. Where you are reared you always want to

come back to. It is where my heart lies. With more heavy rain forecast

the real concern is that this land could slide further onto the road

and the properties surrounding it. Jeff will be here with the full

forecast before the end of the programme.

Gardai have warned that dissident republican paramilitaries

are becoming increasingly skilled at making bombs.

Officers today held a press conference and showed a sample

A lethal and deadly capability. Gardai today put on a display of

selection weapons seized from dissident republicans over the last

two years. Rocket launchers, life -- life. -- rifles, rocket launchers

and a beer keg bomb. The beer keg was ready for use in Northern

Ireland. It was found, within three or 400 metres of the border to take

over the border to cause damage and potential injury and murder to

people living in Northern Ireland. Although gardai say they have had

significant success in disrupting attacks, there is concern that

dissident republicans are becoming more skilled at our making. I can

say with confidence that our interventions and the rest have,

without doubt, save lives. When you look at some of these devices and

the way they are operated, it shows an increasing sign of sophistication

in relation to engineering. I suppose the finding of such items

such as detonators are indicative of the business that these people are

in. 22 people have been charged in connection with dissident activity.

The gardai today as the public to be even more vigilant.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has denied trying to stop IRA victims

getting any financial compensation from Libya.

Mr Blair's comments come in written evidence

to the Westminster Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.

It's examining the role of the UK Government in seeking compensation

for the victims of IRA attacks, made possible by the provision

of Semtex explosives and other weapons by the regime

led by the former Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.

Some IRA victim said he feels let down by successive UK Government

because whilst the United States was able to negotiate a ?1 billion

financial compensation package from Colonel Gaddafi for its citizens who

had fallen victim to the Lockerbie bombing or another Libyan led

attack, when London normalised its relations with Tripoli there was no

financial compensation for victims of Semtex attacks, the explosive

provided to the IRA from Colonel Gaddafi. Some MPs and law firms are

saying that Tony Blair has questions to answer about all of this. In a

letter to the committee he says that he completely denies trying to stop

IRA victims getting compensation from Libya. He said any temp two

implicate him in stopping IRA victims from getting compensation is

wrong. The committee has invited Tony Blair to appear before it to

answer questions on this matter. Two former residents of a children's

home in Lisburn claim they were sexually abused

there by a member of the army. They were giving evidence

to the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry by video

link from Australia. Our reporter Kevin Sharkey was at

today's hearings in Banbridge. Lewis Byrne has long been the army

headquarters in Northern Ireland and two men who were children at Manor

house a soldier from the local barracks abuse them and other

children. The enquiry heard today that the soldier would visit the

care home regularly. He wore his army uniform and a trench coat. The

witnesses explained how the soldier was coming. He groomed them by

buying them gift and sweets. Later he sexually abused them in a and in

a bedroom. One of the men said that as children were just pieces of meat

to the soldier. The man told the enquiry that as a child he was not

allowed to tell anyone what he described as the terrible things

that were done to him. The man spoke to him about the impact it has had

on him all his life, and the relationship he has -- it is had on

with his son, not being able to cuddle him. Another man who was nine

years old when he was at the home described similar sexual abuse. A

third witness said that the children were accused of being wicked than

making up the stories. An unreserved apology has been given from the

charge for what happened. The soldier was described as an

opportunistic and devious abuser. When the witness was asked if the

staff knew about the abuse from the soldier, he replied, yes, they were

friends with the soldier. A two-year-old boy's died

after being crushed by a falling chest of drawers at his home

in Cloughmills last night. Archie Tafts was taken to hospital,

but he died from his injuries. Once a week he attended a mother

and toddler group in the town. One of the group's organisers said

he would be sorely missed. Archie was a happy little fella.

Very smiley and pleasant. I did a little bit of singing each week at

the end of the session and Archie was always up singing and dancing.

He seemed to enjoy it, anyway. The electricity supplier SSE

is cutting its prices from next week and bills from other energy

suppliers are also set to fall. The Utility Regulator is reviewing

electricity and gas tariffs and will make an

announcement next month. Our Economics and Business Editor,

John Campbell, is here. Temp one, the second-biggest

electricity supplier here, are going to cut paces by the 1% from Monday,

that comes on top of an 8% that they delivered last year. What is

underpinning this is that wholesale energy prices, what is paid for

energy on the world markets, is continuing to fall. Natural gas is

down by 20% compared to this time last year. What about the other

suppliers? The Utility Regulator, which has the power to set prices or

influence prices amongst the big suppliers, it is undertaking a

review that will report next month. Because those prices are coming down

globally, they should combine locally as well. It is the job of

the regulator to make sure that the process rebates reflect the

wholesale costs that the suppliers are paying. Electricity prices

charged by power NI should come down substantially and there will be a

fall in gas prices amongst the two big gas companies here. The smaller

companies may well cut their prices as a response to the bad. Generally

what we are continuing to see is energy prices are still coming down.

It's set to be another difficult year for schools when it

The education budget is being reduced by just under 4%

The cut was revealed at a Stormont committee today,

as our Education Correspondent Robbie Meredith reports.

A New Year but one that comes with the stark warning. On a

like-for-like basis with 2015-16, the budget for next year means a net

cash production of ?72 million, which is 3.8%. The education budget

is a big one at just under ?2 billion. While his departmental

officials were facing the education committee, the minister, John

O'Dowd, was on radio this morning. Around 800 teachers may leave under

two separate redundancy schemes. There is little detail yet over

where else savings are needed. We have announced the scheme about

newly qualified teachers. And the voluntary exit scheme will be in

place as well. That will help us manage costs in and around the

Department for Education. Schools will need to know their budgets so

they can make decisions about their own internal budgets. I hope to be

able to inform schools in early February. There was some good news

today. There will be more money for building projects meaning that some

of those long delayed new schools and repairs will get the green

light. Otherwise, most schools are again going to have to do more with

Otherwise, most schools are again going to have to do more with less.

A legal action on behalf of the 14 so called 'hooded men',

who claim they were tortured in the 1970s, is facing another delay.

Six of the men were at the High Court today for a judicial

review challenging the failure of the police and the Government

to investigate the torture allegations.

They want a formal admission that they were tortured

Lawyers for the Government asked for extra time for what they call

an "extensive trawl recovering material".

The men are angry at the further delay.

This has been going on now for 45 and a half years. In the interim,

four of our friends have died. Two more are in bad condition, one with

a bad heart condition, one with all timers disease. I think they are

going to with the all of us dies, but we will not stop. If we don't

make it, our families will keep pushing it. -- Alzheimer's disease.

In the second part of our series reflecting on the events of 1916,

The rebellion against British failed at the time, but within five years

Ireland was partitioned and 26 counties were granted self-rule.

BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports from Dublin on what's being done

Remember one thing it is not the law of Ireland it is the guiding

principle for future government. The minders of 1916 run around Dublin

and this year volunteers will a chance to look back at what really

happened. We call at Easter week because essentially it started on

Easter Monday and this surrender was on Saturday. Other areas in Dublin

did not surrender until the Sunday. We call it the week, in essence. Six

days that Shook and empire is afraid she will often hear. In three days

of fighting much of the centre of Dublin went into rooms. The rebels

were well organised, even producing their own newspaper. 100 years on,

the Irish government has drawn up a programme of events to mark the

centenary and the minister in charge is a Protestant from County

Monaghan. I am an Ulster woman. I come from a Presbyterian family so I

am very conscious of the sensitivities. I think it is a great

opportunity for us to come together, reflect on our shared history. So

much of history in 1916 is intertwined. We all live together at

the past, but I think what is important is that we look

ambitiously to the future. Like many aspects of Irish history, the S2 --

Easter Rising is divisive. Is there a danger that this year's

commemorations could actually do more harm than good? Historians say

the time is now right to debate the lessons of 1916. I think we are

prepared to be critical about it. Was justified? Can you get away from

the fact that there wasn't a democratic mandate it? Issues like

that, we are prepared to interrogate those night in a much more critical

way. That is what good history is about. As long as we continue

commemorating 1969 that we should not be worried. The timing of the

rising well Britain was at war has been debated at length over the

years. They spent a good couple of days shooting down... This tourist

guide deals with the timing issue on his 1916 walking tour. You have to

remember, many women, their husbands or fighting for King and country.

They were angry at these guys who had stabbed England in the back. I

ever, the best time to stab an empire is during her time of need.

Don't wait full she regroups, kept her while she is down. 1916 will be

marked this year at events on both sides of the border. A border which,

of course, 100 years ago did not exist.

On tomorrow's programme we look at one of the more unusual personal

stories revealed in this year of centenaries and find out

where you can go to trace your family's history.

Now sport and a sad day for Irish golf.

Yes, one of the most popular players in the game

The 67-year-old is best remembered for his role in helping Europe

retain the Ryder Cup in 1989, as well as inspiring the current

He will be remembered as an Irish golfing great. Christy O'Connor, his

second to the 18th. And for an iconic moment in European golf. Is

that the right club? This shot famously sealed victory over Fred

Couples and helped Europe retained the Ryder Cup. We all grew up

watching the two iron he hit into the Belfry, one of the most Hamish

shots any Irish golfer hit. His whole character will be missed. He

was always a huge supporter of Irish golf and always had a friendly

smile, always a good word. He was a genuinely good man. From golf's

famous O'Connor family, Christy Junior had a professional career

spanning four decades as the game moved into the modern era. Christy

O'Connor Junior was a larger-than-life character. He was

meant torture me when I first came onto, him Eamon Darcy looked after

me. They showed me the ropes. He will be sadly missed. The current

Ryder Cup captain was one of many to pay tribute to one of the great

characters of the game and a man who made the Ryder Cup what it is today.

Rugby now and he was sacked by England last month,

now Andy Farrell is to join the Ireland set-up after

The former Rugby League and Union international will be defence coach

It's a role he filled with the 2013 British and Irish Lions

Farrell spent four years with England as assistant coach

until he, and the rest of the coaching staff,

paid the price for England's World Cup embarrassment.

We've entered Olympic year and it's possible that Coleraine could be

sending as many as four rowers to Rio with Team GB.

That could include Alan Campbell, a bronze medallist in London four

years ago, and now looking to make a piece of Olympic history.

That Brazilian summer seemed a long way off on an overcast Boxing Day

morning but the omens are good for Alan Campbell as he won this race on

the river bank for the first time. His aim is to be the first Olympian

from Northern Ireland to compete in four games. It is exciting to be the

first one to do it four times. It would be an honour to do that but

that is not the driving factor. The driving factor is to be part of the

Olympic Games and tried to win another medal. I did it in London,

it is possible to do it in real digital era. Will he be a single row

again awkwardly contemplate being a member of a crew boats? If the chief

coach came to me and said to me I want to put you in the crew boats, I

would say, yes. The opportunity is there. Standards have come up. I

would be foolish to neglect that. If you still came to me and said, get

your single going, make that work, I would relish the opportunity and do

everything I can to try to go out there and get the best performance

out of myself. His success along with Peter and Richard Chambers has

inspired others. A fourth: rain rower is open to make his first

Olympic appearance. Watching Allen, Richard and Peter race in London was

incredible. I watched it just up there. That was the inspiration I

needed to gets four years and just keep building and building, one call

after another. It would be amazing for the town and for Northern

Ireland. And an opportunity to own hands: rain's Olympic rowing legacy.

And an opportunity to own hands: rain's Olympic rowing legacy.

Finally, history will be made in tonight's Bank

of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup tie between Fermanagh and St Mary's

when Maggie Farrelly from Cavan will become the first female referee

to take charge of a senior men's inter-county game.

It was a rare dry day today but I'm afraid it will not last. The rain is

already starting to pushing across County Fermanagh so we have yet

another severe weather warning for rain tonight. This band of rain is

pushing slowly east through the night. It will take up to nine hours

to cheer us entirely. We are expecting between 20 and 40

millimetres of rain. In normal circumstances that would not bother

us much but given the amount of water that there is in the ground at

the moment it does give the risk of localised flooding as we head

towards tomorrow morning. Once the rain clears away the temperatures

will drop and that will bring the risk of icy patches through the

early part of the morning. So, take a little bit of extra care on your

way to work tomorrow. Tomorrow itself will not be too bad. Brighter

conditions through the afternoon. Temperatures will be cooler than

they have been today. We will see highs of 5 degrees. At least the

skies will be brighter. In the Thursday evening and into Friday,

the temperatures will drop away again and it will be a cold night.

Showers will work their way through the Irish Sea and by John on Friday

to be sleet or snow over the moor and in particular but elsewhere

there is the chance of a more widespread frost. Actually started

the but again it will be a reasonably bright day once things

get going. This is the picture on Friday morning. Again, the

temperatures not very warm so do wrap-up. Four or 5 degrees. All

change on Saturday as the next weather system heads in our

direction. Where things have been cold but dry, Saturday will be a

little bit more wet as the next blue heads in our direction. Towards the

second half of the weekend the downward trend in the temperatures

continues. Sunday will be cold. You can also keep in contact with us

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