:00:13. > :00:18.Good evening. This is BBC Newsline with Noel Thompson. The headlines
:00:18. > :00:23.this Friday evening: $WHITE Why a dramatic increase in the price of
:00:23. > :00:28.alcohol is on the cards. A man described as a train spotter is
:00:28. > :00:32.remanded on terrorism charges. Sir Reg Empey angers the Scottish
:00:32. > :00:36.Nationalists with his views on independence. And caught on camera
:00:36. > :00:41.- using CCTV to crack down on poachers. Rory McIlroy has problems
:00:41. > :00:43.with the sand in Abu Dhabi but is still in contention. And we meet
:00:43. > :00:48.the Belfast ice hockey chalking up a giant number of appearances
:00:48. > :00:58.tonight. And finally the last weekend in January has arrived,
:00:58. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:02.find out if the weather will be wintry or hint at spring. The price
:01:02. > :01:05.of alcohol could be about to soar. It's part of an initiative to
:01:05. > :01:08.tackle of alcohol abuse by setting a minimum price, on both sides of
:01:08. > :01:12.the border. Ministers in Belfast and Dublin hope it will be
:01:12. > :01:15.introduced by the end of the year, and will mean that no one can sell
:01:15. > :01:18.alcohol for less than around 50 pence per unit. A unit is
:01:18. > :01:24.equivalent to half a pint of ordinary-strength beer. So will it
:01:24. > :01:30.really have an impact? Natasha Sayee has been finding out. At the
:01:30. > :01:35.moment a unit of alcohol can cost as little as 16 pence. It is cheap,
:01:35. > :01:40.it is plentiful and both Stormont and the republic's Government plan
:01:40. > :01:45.to stem its flow by making drinks like cider, beer and own brand
:01:45. > :01:52.spirits less affordable. In Northern Ireland a bottle of strong
:01:52. > :01:58.cider can be purchased for �2.30. Increasing the minimum price to 50
:01:58. > :02:08.pence a unit would make it �7. But according to the health ministers
:02:08. > :02:08.
:02:08. > :02:17.on both sides of the borderer the annual cost of alcohol abuse is 4.7
:02:17. > :02:22.billion euro. So will setting a minimum price make a difference?
:02:22. > :02:27.is a silly tax, it is hitting the ordinary people. I don't think it
:02:27. > :02:32.will do much good. What about yourself, will it affect how you
:02:32. > :02:36.buy? No. If people are going to drink, they will find the money
:02:36. > :02:41.somewhere. Not if they keep receiving money as registered
:02:41. > :02:46.alcoholics, they will find a way. But the Department of Health think
:02:46. > :02:50.it will worth. Our issue with price is some drinks are very affordable.
:02:50. > :02:54.Especially for young people. The effect to set a price would be to
:02:54. > :02:58.increase that price and make the availability of that drink harder.
:02:58. > :03:04.The plans should be in place by the end of the year. When the minimum
:03:04. > :03:11.price of a unit of alcohol will be exactly the same on both sides of
:03:11. > :03:13.the border. A man who has been described as a loner and a train
:03:13. > :03:16.spotter has appeared in court on terrorism charges. He was arrested
:03:16. > :03:24.near Downpatrick by the PSNI's serious crime branch. Our District
:03:24. > :03:27.journalist Claire Savage reports. 27-year-old Ryan Lavery from
:03:27. > :03:35.Downpatrick is accused of collecting information likely to be
:03:35. > :03:39.of use to a person committing or me pairing - epreparing an act of
:03:39. > :03:47.terrorism. The police say he had photograph of vehicles coming in
:03:47. > :03:51.and out of this army baifplts he is accused of having a list of vehicle
:03:51. > :03:56.registration numbers. Today at court, Ryan Lavery's defence argued
:03:56. > :04:03.his client was a train spotter, a loaner and a nerd with no friends.
:04:03. > :04:11.He said of his client, if he was put beside an airt - airport he
:04:11. > :04:16.would take pictures of planes. The accused father wo, at the Baracks.
:04:16. > :04:21.- works. The judge refused bail in case Ryan Lavery committed further
:04:21. > :04:27.offences. He said a mie court judge could decide if he was a train
:04:27. > :04:31.spotter. -- High Court judge. A bail application will be heard next
:04:31. > :04:33.week. The former Ulster Unionist leader Reg Empey has been called
:04:33. > :04:35.grossly irresponsible for claiming that independence for Scotland
:04:35. > :04:38.could re-ignite conflict in Northern Ireland. The present
:04:38. > :04:41.leader, Tom Elliott, recently got into bother when he said the
:04:41. > :04:50.Scottish Nationalist Leader Alex Salmond was a bigger threat to the
:04:50. > :04:55.Union that the IRA. Here's Gareth Gordon. In tt Scottish Parliament
:04:55. > :04:59.this week history beckoned. people who live in Scotland are the
:04:59. > :05:06.best people too make decision about their own future O that there can
:05:06. > :05:10.be no doubt. But in the House of Lords a former Ulster unionist
:05:10. > :05:15.leader said independence for Scotland could spell dire
:05:15. > :05:23.consequences for Northern Ireland. We have spent decades overcoming
:05:23. > :05:33.nationalist terrorism. And we after years and years managed to settle
:05:33. > :05:33.
:05:33. > :05:36.down our community. I don't wish to exaggerate, but if the Scottish
:05:36. > :05:42.nationalists were to succeed, it could reignite the difficulties
:05:42. > :05:47.that we have managed to overcome. Those sentiments have not gone down
:05:47. > :05:52.well in Scotland, where the Scottish nationalists. The words
:05:52. > :05:57.used were daft, crazy and irresponsible. To use such language
:05:57. > :06:05.in a situation in Northern Ireland, but over something as unrelated as
:06:05. > :06:11.Scottish independence strikes me as simply daft. Sir Reg Empey is not
:06:11. > :06:17.usually accused of being like this. One academic said he is surprised.
:06:17. > :06:21.He is a constructive unionist voice normally and if anything a calming
:06:21. > :06:27.influence. I think those remarks sounded very alarmist and almost
:06:27. > :06:31.panic-stricken. And I don't think they were designed to instil self-
:06:31. > :06:37.confidence in the unionist community, which at the best of
:06:37. > :06:41.times needs little encouragement to feel fearful. However much Alex
:06:41. > :06:47.Salmond would wish it was not so, it is clear the independence debate
:06:47. > :06:50.will not be for Scotland alone. Still to come on the programme: I'm
:06:50. > :06:56.live in Newcastle at a vintage car exhibition with a fascinating
:06:56. > :06:59.Titanic twist. And as the countdown to the Six Nations gets underway,
:06:59. > :07:07.I'm at the launch in Hillsbrough with Stephen Ferris, Paddy Wallace
:07:07. > :07:10.and Tom Court. Must try harder! That's the verdict of the Education
:07:10. > :07:14.Minister on the homework he handed out to the boards, asking them to
:07:14. > :07:17.carry out an audit of primary and secondary schools, to help build a
:07:17. > :07:20.picture of which ones, in these times of shrinking rolls, have a
:07:20. > :07:22.secure future. But John O'Dowd is unhappy with the reports and has
:07:22. > :07:25.asked the Boards to resubmit them. I asked our Education Correspondent
:07:25. > :07:33.Maggie Taggart if this was all about finding reasons to close
:07:33. > :07:38.schools. Well the minister would deny that. He says he wants to make
:07:38. > :07:44.decisions on the future, but he wants to know the facts first. That
:07:44. > :07:48.is why he asked the five boards the -- to look at each school and they
:07:48. > :07:51.have had three and a half months to come up with figures on the
:07:51. > :07:55.finances, the number of students and the success or otherwise of the
:07:55. > :08:00.schools. So that is what he has asked for. Burrless not happy with
:08:00. > :08:04.the result. Why not stkph He has said that it is far from a list of
:08:04. > :08:07.closures, but he has said that he wants to see what the prognosis is
:08:07. > :08:12.for the schools and what recommendations the boards would
:08:12. > :08:15.like to make. It seems the boards have given him the data and said,
:08:15. > :08:21.right it is over to you, to make up you minds about what should happen.
:08:21. > :08:25.But he wants them to make the proposals about what should happen.
:08:25. > :08:29.There is a suggestion that he is not happy about the extent of the
:08:29. > :08:38.financial information and it has been said to me that it may be cast
:08:38. > :08:43.too rosaway glow for some schools. -- rosy a glow for some schools.
:08:43. > :08:47.There has been some reaction. chair of the education committee
:08:47. > :08:50.said the thing is a mess and although it is obvious some schools
:08:50. > :08:57.will close, this system means that every school is worried and every
:08:57. > :09:01.school is looking over their shoulder and the SDLP said the list
:09:01. > :09:08.is masking a hit-list of schools for closure. That has been denied
:09:08. > :09:11.by the department. Thank you. Love them or hate them, wind turbines
:09:11. > :09:14.are becoming an ever more familiar sight across our landscape. To keep
:09:14. > :09:16.on the right side of the communities who live around the
:09:16. > :09:19.wind farms, developers offer funding for local projects. But as
:09:19. > :09:21.our Fermanagh District journalist Julian Fowler has found out,
:09:21. > :09:26.companies in Great Britain are paying out about four times more
:09:26. > :09:30.than companies in Northern Ireland. It is common practice for renewable
:09:30. > :09:36.energy company to pay money into a community fund so people beside
:09:36. > :09:40.wind farms get something in return. Research today reveals a big
:09:40. > :09:44.disParty between the amounts paid here compared to schemes in the
:09:44. > :09:49.rest of the UK. The money paid depends on the amount of
:09:49. > :09:55.electricity generated. Measured in megawatts a year. According to the
:09:55. > :10:02.research a typical amount paid to a local community is �500 per
:10:02. > :10:07.megawatt per year. In Scotland it is nearer �2,000 and sometimes more.
:10:07. > :10:12.Annual contributions was lower than in the rest of the UK and we found
:10:12. > :10:16.that models of ownship that exist in the rest of the UK don't exist
:10:16. > :10:21.in Northern Ireland. So in Scotland and in England, and Wales,
:10:21. > :10:26.communities might be able to own a turbine, part own a wind farm.
:10:26. > :10:29.village in Scotland which has benefited is Fintry. When a
:10:29. > :10:35.developer approached them to build turbines, they asked for an extra
:10:35. > :10:41.to be added for the community. community council budget was around
:10:41. > :10:48.�400 a year. We're now as long as the wind blows, looking, although
:10:48. > :10:52.we haven't paid for the turbine at say 50 to 60,000 a year. Fintry
:10:52. > :10:57.could receive more, enough to build a new school. These turbines
:10:57. > :11:02.dominate the village in Northern Ireland, but one local community
:11:02. > :11:10.group feels they should have got more. We were promised the village
:11:10. > :11:14.would be able to get a �1,000 per turbine to benefit the community.
:11:14. > :11:18.With running projects and different events in our village and that we
:11:18. > :11:21.would haven't to apply for the funding. But things changed when
:11:21. > :11:26.the planning went through and the turbines started to go up.
:11:26. > :11:30.community has to apply for a grant. One local renewable company is
:11:30. > :11:35.advertising for its community fund for projects that are energy
:11:35. > :11:41.efficient, or sustainable. Stormont has seat target to produce five
:11:41. > :11:44.times more electricity from renewables by 2020 and that means
:11:44. > :11:54.more turbines. But local communities will need to be
:11:54. > :11:59.
:11:59. > :12:04.convinced that they won't miss out Anyone trying to Bauch fish will
:12:04. > :12:11.not just have the B-list to look out for or -- to Porch fish will
:12:11. > :12:18.not just have the B-list to look out for. For those in the know this
:12:18. > :12:26.is happiness. These anglers are hoping to win a
:12:26. > :12:34.prize, but there is a problem. This lake has been decimated in recent
:12:34. > :12:41.years because of poaching. Most of the fish that have been caught a
:12:41. > :12:50.very small. The lake has been hit badly over
:12:50. > :13:00.the last number of years. Myself and my brother would have fished
:13:00. > :13:04.
:13:04. > :13:08.this lake a lot. Last year we fished the lake and we got nothing.
:13:08. > :13:18.There is no scientific evidence that poaching is affecting the
:13:18. > :13:22.
:13:22. > :13:27.stocks of fish. There was some legislation in place. It was not a
:13:27. > :13:36.serious problem. In the last five years it has become more
:13:36. > :13:41.significant. Their ages he is hitting back with cameras. Someone
:13:41. > :13:50.is setting and met in the river. They are removing fresh from the
:13:50. > :13:56.river. We have footage of anglers who have exceeded the limit.
:13:56. > :14:06.this case poachers are using stones to create an artificial bank in a
:14:06. > :14:08.
:14:08. > :14:18.river. We can retrieve the footage to see what is going on. Back here
:14:18. > :14:20.
:14:20. > :14:28.This week is the 70th anniversary of their arrival of US troops in
:14:28. > :14:33.Northern Ireland. The First Division's started to arrive in
:14:33. > :14:38.January 1942 before they headed on to North Africa. The second batch
:14:38. > :14:44.arrived in 1944 to train for the invasion of Europe. This exhibition
:14:44. > :14:54.is to remember the impact of this day. The UK had been isolated.
:14:54. > :14:57.
:14:57. > :15:07.Allies in Europe had been beaten. With the arrival of these trips
:15:07. > :15:17.there were powerful allies are visible in Northern Ireland. It was
:15:17. > :15:18.
:15:18. > :15:22.very heart-warming. And now for the sport.
:15:22. > :15:30.We will be speaking to some of the Ulster rugby players are very
:15:30. > :15:34.shortly. But first let us look at to Abu Dhabi golf Championship.
:15:34. > :15:42.Rory mac four Roy noticed a mistake himself. He responded like a
:15:42. > :15:52.champion. You saw the stance slightly closed
:15:52. > :15:54.
:15:54. > :16:04.there. For the second day running Rory McIlroy's radar went wrong.
:16:04. > :16:05.
:16:05. > :16:15.He paid the price. Two shot penalty. It was interesting. I did not get
:16:15. > :16:23.off to the greatest of start. I battled back really well. I made a
:16:23. > :16:33.stupid mistake on at nine. I played the back nine in very well. Overall
:16:33. > :16:38.
:16:38. > :16:41.it was not a bad score. That is really brave. This player is
:16:41. > :16:51.leading the Northern Ireland contingent.
:16:51. > :16:59.Graham Lyndall was a big mover. A three under-par round of 69 left
:16:59. > :17:02.him all smiles. Darren Clarke did not make the cut.
:17:02. > :17:08.Ireland's rugby squad are preparing for the start of the Six Nations
:17:08. > :17:14.Championship which gets under way next weekend.
:17:14. > :17:22.We have representatives of the Ulster contingent with us live.
:17:22. > :17:27.We have mapped in here at the launch. -- we have them here at the
:17:27. > :17:32.launch. You are in the form of your life at
:17:32. > :17:42.the moment. That must augur well for the Six Nations? I am feeling
:17:42. > :17:44.
:17:45. > :17:54.good. I am part of a good team. I am playing well. I am feeling
:17:54. > :18:04.confident and looking forward to the next two weeks. How will island
:18:04. > :18:06.
:18:06. > :18:16.cope without their talisman? -- how well Ireland cope? There is a lot
:18:16. > :18:18.
:18:18. > :18:27.of leadership. We will cope all right. The rivalry between Ireland
:18:27. > :18:35.and Wales has been notable. Why is that? You see the players week-in
:18:35. > :18:43.week-out. The competition is so fierce. Each team is capable of
:18:43. > :18:51.beating the other. Much has been made about a game
:18:51. > :19:00.been played on Easter Sunday. Is there an issue? It is not an issue
:19:00. > :19:10.to the players. You are in the form of your life. It is the Grand Slam
:19:10. > :19:18.achievable? We are not looking ahead of Wales. We will rest this
:19:18. > :19:25.weekend. Looking fit and looking formidable.
:19:25. > :19:29.Looking forward to it all starting. Tomorrow afternoon Coleraine fees
:19:29. > :19:35.Crusaders in the Irn Bru Cup Final. Join me for live coverage on BBC
:19:35. > :19:45.Two. We are in a good place at the
:19:45. > :19:48.
:19:48. > :19:56.moment. January has been good to us. Nothing inspires player more than
:19:56. > :20:02.getting results. This year we have been competing in it every game. We
:20:02. > :20:10.had too many draws in the league. On our day we are moving the ball
:20:10. > :20:19.about well. That will be required in the final. We need to take the
:20:19. > :20:24.game to the opposition. Graeme Walton was the first player to
:20:24. > :20:28.represent the Belfast Giants ice hockey team. Nine years later he is
:20:28. > :20:34.still an important part of his hometown side. Tonight the
:20:34. > :20:38.Dundonald based skater reaches a milestone.
:20:38. > :20:45.Graeme Walton is the kind of guy who set up goals rather than scores
:20:45. > :20:50.them. That has changed recently in training. He has now scored four
:20:50. > :20:55.goals over the past four weeks. That is more than he scored last
:20:55. > :21:05.season. He is about to make his 500 appearance for the Belfast Giants.
:21:05. > :21:08.
:21:08. > :21:15.It is great. Hopefully in the future more guys will make it.
:21:15. > :21:24.Their defence man is on sparkling form, but after 500 games is he
:21:24. > :21:32.getting to the stage where enough is enough? Some players can play
:21:32. > :21:37.for 30 years. I have got another year after this. You never know. I
:21:37. > :21:47.am enjoying it now. The team that is playing well. We're top of the
:21:47. > :21:54.league. 500 not out and top of the league. All is going well for the
:21:54. > :22:01.Belfast Giants and Graeme Walton. They are hoping for a repeat of
:22:01. > :22:05.2006 when they last won at the Elite League.
:22:05. > :22:11.Carl Frampton has his defence of his title against Kris Hughes. It
:22:11. > :22:21.will be a sell-out in London tomorrow. Carl Frampton is managed
:22:21. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:33.by Barry McGuigan. He is 5 ft 11. He is a southpaw. I
:22:33. > :22:42.have been training with guys who are a bit heavier. I have been
:22:42. > :22:50.sussing them out. I have come across every sort of style in the
:22:50. > :23:00.160 amateur fight. Tomorrow night Tyrone will try to
:23:00. > :23:00.
:23:00. > :23:10.overcome Derry. The Tyrone boss was keen to achieve early silverware.
:23:10. > :23:11.
:23:11. > :23:21.You can re- energise yourself. Hopefully we can be part of that to
:23:21. > :23:22.
:23:22. > :23:28.re energising. I am proud of the players. I told you it would be a
:23:28. > :23:34.busy weekend. We will be hearing a lot about the
:23:34. > :23:38.Titanic this year. Tonight our reporter is in the Newcastle where
:23:38. > :23:46.a ghost of a ship's past has appeared.
:23:46. > :23:52.There are 52 exhibits in this car exhibition. The one that is
:23:52. > :24:01.attracting all their attention is this vehicle. It is a Rolls-Royce
:24:02. > :24:11.from 19 -- from 1910. It has strong links to the Titanic.
:24:12. > :24:12.
:24:12. > :24:18.The current owner of the vehicle will tell us more.
:24:18. > :24:28.This car was ordered by the chairman of the Harland and Wolff
:24:28. > :24:28.
:24:28. > :24:31.shipyard. You can just imagine Hemp driving the car down to the
:24:31. > :24:37.shipyard and looking at the progress of the Titanic as it was
:24:37. > :24:44.being built. It would have been a sight to see in those days. What
:24:44. > :24:54.happened in the intervening years? After he died the car was turned
:24:54. > :24:56.
:24:56. > :25:02.into an ambulance. At one time the car that was used on a golf course.
:25:02. > :25:08.It was then converted into a breakdown vehicle. It was then sold
:25:08. > :25:18.it in the 1950s to a dealer who restored it and sold it to somebody
:25:18. > :25:18.
:25:18. > :25:26.in America. It was used on a cricket pitch and on a golf course.
:25:26. > :25:32.That is hard to believe. We had hoped to show you more but we have
:25:32. > :25:41.Ramos of time. If you want to get down here it is on tonight and also
:25:41. > :25:45.on Saturday and on Sunday. I wonder how many miles that as to
:25:45. > :25:55.I wonder how many miles that as to the gallon! Here is the weather: It
:25:55. > :26:08.
:26:08. > :26:16.will be a mixed weekend. At the It will be chilly. A sharp frosts
:26:16. > :26:23.to come. There could be some freezing fog. It will be a crisp
:26:23. > :26:28.and a dry start to the weekend. Cloud and rain will move into
:26:28. > :26:38.effect all of us by Sunday. Here is the weather front that is bringing
:26:38. > :26:44.
:26:44. > :26:54.in the rain. Cold air is being sacked in a from the Continent. --
:26:54. > :27:04.being taken in from the Continent. We may get some Hell's know. -- we
:27:04. > :27:14.
:27:14. > :27:24.may get some us know. -- snow. It is a cold start tomorrow.
:27:24. > :27:29.
:27:29. > :27:39.It will be dry. During the day the Reina will stay in the West but it
:27:39. > :27:40.
:27:40. > :27:48.will move eastwards tomorrow night. There may be some sleet for a time.