:00:20. > :00:27.Good evening. The headlines this Friday evening:
:00:27. > :00:33.Two bombs in Londonderry - one in a bicycle by a riverside walk.
:00:33. > :00:37.were lucky today, that these mindless thugs did not kill an
:00:37. > :00:40.innocent member of society. Should taxis get a green light to
:00:40. > :00:49.use city centre bus lanes? Donegal is beautiful and its people
:00:50. > :00:53.are lovely, but this weekend they will be anything but!
:00:54. > :00:57.For one night only - the free arts events on offer - I'm live with the
:00:57. > :01:00.details. We are in for a very chilly night
:01:00. > :01:07.with temperatures close to freezing for some, but another fine day is
:01:07. > :01:10.on the way tomorrow. More details shortly.
:01:10. > :01:17.Reckless in the extreme is how the police have described an attempted
:01:17. > :01:20.bombing along the River Foyle in Londonderry last night. One device
:01:20. > :01:23.was a booby trap bomb attached to a bicycle which was chained to
:01:23. > :01:26.railings on a public walkway popular with walkers and joggers.
:01:26. > :01:29.The second device was a pipebomb, which had been left in a rucksack
:01:29. > :01:32.nearby and was picked up by a member of Foyle Search and Rescue
:01:32. > :01:35.out on patrol. The Mayor of Derry, Kevin Campbell, says people are
:01:35. > :01:42.outraged and demanding that dissidents stop their campaign of
:01:42. > :01:47.violence. Here's our North-West reporter, Keiron Tourish.
:01:47. > :01:51.Police say dissident republicans had deadly intent. The Diddy device
:01:51. > :01:56.with the time or was attached to this bicycle that was covered by
:01:57. > :02:03.forensic officers this morning. It was Jane to railings at the back of
:02:03. > :02:09.Derry City council's offices. Police believe it was intended for
:02:09. > :02:17.officers who would arrive at the scene, or for bomb disposal experts
:02:17. > :02:22.who had gone to defuse a device, at a bomb, a close by. This pipe bomb
:02:22. > :02:27.was left in a public place. This is freshers week with a lot of
:02:27. > :02:31.students and the City. We are lucky today that these mindless thugs
:02:31. > :02:36.have not killed him and -- an innocent member of society in the
:02:37. > :02:41.city. The booby-trapped bomb was similar in size to the device which
:02:41. > :02:46.went off inside the Santander Bank in the city centre last year. The
:02:46. > :02:50.pipe bomb was discovered by a group of volunteers from false search and
:02:50. > :02:56.rescue who were patrolling the river bank. One woman picked up the
:02:56. > :03:01.rucksack, but put it down again when she noticed an object inside.
:03:01. > :03:06.Nobody gets paid to do this. People give up their free time to help
:03:06. > :03:14.people in distress. To think their lives are being put in danger by
:03:14. > :03:18.somebody leaving a device like that, for a member of the public to lift.
:03:18. > :03:22.200 staff to work at Derry City Council's administrative
:03:22. > :03:28.headquarters were not able to get into day, and 100 employees at a
:03:28. > :03:32.call centre near by were all so unfair -- were also affected. The
:03:32. > :03:37.owner of this bed and read the City had visitors staying last night,
:03:37. > :03:44.but the tourists had to move to the back of the house. It is a disaster
:03:44. > :03:48.for the town. Any publicity like this is bad for the city. We had
:03:48. > :03:52.people booked in for tonight, but we don't know if they will arrive.
:03:52. > :03:56.Some of them were staying three nights. A lot of times when
:03:56. > :04:01.something like this happens, believe that a one night. They're
:04:01. > :04:05.frightened. Detectives investigating this incident are now
:04:05. > :04:10.studying CCTV images and are appealing for the help of the
:04:10. > :04:15.public. They want to hear from anyone who noticed any suspicious
:04:15. > :04:17.activity last night to get in touch. Three men have been arrested in
:04:17. > :04:21.Lurgan in a police operation against dissident Republican
:04:21. > :04:26.activity. They were arrested when two cars were stopped at Kiln Road
:04:26. > :04:32.last night and a gun was recovered by the police. Eyewitnesses have
:04:32. > :04:35.said officers surrounded one of the cars and took two men out of it.
:04:35. > :04:37.A County Tyrone man who shot and killed his former girlfriend has
:04:38. > :04:40.been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Fred McClenaghan, from
:04:40. > :04:43.Broad Street in Magherafelt, murdered Marion Millican at a
:04:44. > :04:46.laundrette in Portstewart, where she worked, in March last year. The
:04:46. > :04:50.judge said there was evidence McClenaghan had planned the
:04:50. > :04:54.shooting using an untraceable illegal shotgun. It also emerged
:04:54. > :04:57.during the trial that he had attacked her in the past. Speaking
:04:57. > :05:00.outside court today, the victim's daughter described him as an evil
:05:00. > :05:06.man and a monster and described the 16-year jail sentence as too
:05:06. > :05:09.lenient. More now on yesterday's news of a
:05:09. > :05:12.massive multi-million pound order for the Ballymena firm Wrightbus.
:05:12. > :05:19.The company was awarded the contract to build 600 vehicles,
:05:19. > :05:22.dubbed Boris Buses, by the operator of London's transport network. It's
:05:22. > :05:26.not yet clear if the order will create any new jobs. The contract
:05:26. > :05:32.is due to be signed next week and more details may emerge then. Today,
:05:32. > :05:39.the news was welcomed by political representatives.
:05:39. > :05:45.This clearly sustains over a 1000 people in this manufacturing plants,
:05:45. > :05:52.and the subsidiary manufacturers. It is about building on that and
:05:52. > :05:57.sustaining it. It is a boost for Northern Ireland. We saw a few days
:05:57. > :06:03.ago the loss of hundreds of jobs at its F G Wilson. That was
:06:03. > :06:08.devastating news for those people. This is really good news enjoy this
:06:08. > :06:10.-- shows that Northern Ireland is open for business.
:06:10. > :06:14.Two provincial teams will contest for the All-Ireland football crown
:06:14. > :06:21.this Sunday in Dublin. Still to come on the programme: Thomas
:06:21. > :06:25.Niblock is in the heartland of the Ulster support.
:06:25. > :06:29.Rory Kavanagh will be playing midfield for Donegal this weekend
:06:29. > :06:36.and we are here at his local primary school where he's in a
:06:36. > :06:39.class of his owner. Now, if you've been driving in
:06:39. > :06:42.Belfast city centre this week, you've probably noticed the new bus
:06:42. > :06:45.lanes that have come into operation. They are designed to speed up
:06:45. > :06:48.public transport, but should they be used by taxis, as well? The move
:06:48. > :06:51.is part of a proposal by the Department of Regional Development
:06:51. > :06:57.to overhaul taxi services in the City, but not everyone is happy
:06:57. > :07:04.with the prospect, as Kevin Sharkey reports.
:07:04. > :07:07.There are two types of taxi services in Belfast, the public
:07:07. > :07:12.hire taxis queue for business and could be flagged down on the street.
:07:12. > :07:17.There can also use bus lanes. Private hire taxis must be booked
:07:17. > :07:22.over the phone and they can't use bus lanes. That could be about to
:07:22. > :07:27.change. From next January they can be flagged down on the street like
:07:27. > :07:33.black taxis. The department wants to let them use bus lanes as well.
:07:33. > :07:38.Like the taxis, there are two types of bus lanes. Into the city they
:07:38. > :07:42.operate at peak traffic times only, while in the city centre there and
:07:42. > :07:48.used all day. This is one of a new number of bus lanes introduced
:07:48. > :07:52.recently. It is meant to be used only by buses and black taxis. The
:07:52. > :07:57.four other taxes are given permission to use it, there is a
:07:57. > :08:01.problem that other motorists are using it illegally. Even though
:08:01. > :08:08.proper policing of the new and old bus lanes remains an issue, the
:08:09. > :08:13.private hire taxis went into this lane. We are looking forward to the
:08:13. > :08:22.private higher taxes being able to use the bus lanes. We think it is a
:08:22. > :08:27.discrimination against us. We hope it goes in our favour. Others,
:08:27. > :08:32.noticeably cyclists, are resisting it. The department says that
:08:32. > :08:39.traffic levels of in bus lanes will double. It makes it a much less
:08:39. > :08:43.attractive place for cyclists to be. If the department is trying to make
:08:43. > :08:47.cycling more attractive, these regulations will potentially be
:08:47. > :08:52.damaging both to those targets. department's consultation closes
:08:52. > :09:02.today, but it will be the end of the year before a final decision is
:09:02. > :09:05.taken. The Next an issue highlighted by one of our viewers.
:09:05. > :09:07.It concerns a scheme which is meant to address a crisis in training for
:09:07. > :09:11.trades. Some employers say the Programme-Led Apprenticeship, or
:09:11. > :09:17.PLA, has become a scourge on the electrical industry - that it leads
:09:17. > :09:23.nowhere and young people aren't getting the qualification they need.
:09:23. > :09:28.Our district journalist Louise Cullen reports.
:09:28. > :09:35.On the way to becoming a fully qualified electrician. We are
:09:35. > :09:39.working on site with an electrician. Be on site electrics tend to be a
:09:39. > :09:43.little different from what you see on a piece of paper. He is on a
:09:43. > :09:49.traditional apprenticeship working with an employer while studying.
:09:49. > :09:51.Because the economic downturn made it harder to find an employer, the
:09:52. > :09:55.department's introduced the programme led of a dish of Skene
:09:55. > :10:01.three years ago. It is mostly classroom-based and leads to a
:10:01. > :10:06.level to qualification, not a level three that the industry recognises.
:10:06. > :10:09.It is an arrangement which allows young people to develop some
:10:09. > :10:14.technical skills, some employability and some transferable
:10:14. > :10:19.skills which will allow them to progress to an apprenticeship and
:10:19. > :10:23.employment at a later date. young person is going through an
:10:23. > :10:29.apprenticeship. That will not be the case. We are seeing signs are
:10:29. > :10:34.that at the moment. It is not going to produce an electrician at the
:10:34. > :10:40.end of the four-year term. With PLA students in the classroom 15 hours
:10:40. > :10:45.week, employers say can be hard to get level three apprenticeships.
:10:45. > :10:50.haven't been able to recruit because there is no facility to the
:10:50. > :10:55.employed people on at the traditional routes of the NVQ 3.
:10:55. > :10:58.a statement, the department said it has reminded training suppliers
:10:58. > :11:03.that the programme led apprenticeship shouldn't be
:11:03. > :11:13.actively promoted, but it is a fall-back measure when all other
:11:13. > :11:20.
:11:20. > :11:23.attempts to get an apprenticeship It is Friday and for many people a
:11:23. > :11:29.night to hit the town. Julie McCullough is in Belfast City
:11:29. > :11:33.Centre. It is culture night. More than 200
:11:33. > :11:42.events to choose from at a host of strange venues, and it won't cost
:11:42. > :11:45.The motto for the London Olympics was Inspire A Generation, and
:11:45. > :11:51.there's no doubt the medal success of the Coleraine rowers has urged
:11:51. > :11:54.young people in their hometown to follow in their footsteps. This
:11:54. > :12:04.week one of those Olympians returned to his old school to show
:12:04. > :12:06.
:12:06. > :12:12.its rowing team how it's done. David Maxwell reports. It is cold,
:12:12. > :12:20.wet and very early, but the roars of Coleraine Inst is getting ready
:12:20. > :12:27.to take to the water. An Olympics civil -- this past pupil has
:12:27. > :12:32.returned to give a masterclass. am going to Spain's the day
:12:32. > :12:38.training. Throughout the day, we have got different things for them
:12:38. > :12:43.to talk about. We'll be talking about drugs in sport, supplements,
:12:43. > :12:49.higher approached the sport. It is straight onto the River Bann for a
:12:49. > :12:54.paddle session. Sound easy? Think again. This is continuous rolling
:12:54. > :13:00.for 100 minutes. These guys are getting a test of what it takes to
:13:00. > :13:07.be an Olympian. They have done 10 miles on the water and now it is
:13:07. > :13:11.time for breakfast. The respite does not last long. It is back on
:13:11. > :13:17.the water again for an hour of sprint racing. This is a training
:13:17. > :13:27.regime without mercy. He has to do 300 days a year for four years.
:13:27. > :13:32.
:13:32. > :13:36.I'll be ready for bed when I get home! 10 years ago he was draining
:13:36. > :13:43.down here, and it just shows that anyone can do it if they have the
:13:43. > :13:48.dedication. This is a school that has already produced a silver and
:13:48. > :13:52.bronze Olympians and it doesn't intend to stop churning them out.
:13:52. > :13:57.We currently have 100 boys participating in rowing. They have
:13:57. > :14:01.picked up the training schedule that Olympians are engaged in an be
:14:01. > :14:06.trained for five days a week. We have three boys could be identified
:14:06. > :14:14.by us and rowing Ireland as potential international roars.
:14:14. > :14:18.the school has high hopes of future success. How could the boys not be
:14:18. > :14:25.inspired from the story of schoolboy amateur to world-class
:14:25. > :14:29.athlete? I wasn't a typical make-up of a roar. I wasn't very strong! It
:14:29. > :14:34.just shows you that it doesn't matter what size and shape you are,
:14:34. > :14:42.if you work hard at its you can achieve something like going to the
:14:42. > :14:45.Olympics. Donegal's Gaelic footballers, the
:14:45. > :14:53.golfer Rory McIlroy and the boxer Carl Frampton are all chasing glory
:14:53. > :14:56.this weekend. Stephen Watson is here.
:14:56. > :15:02.It has been 20 years since Donegal's only All-Ireland victory.
:15:02. > :15:09.They take on Mayo this Sunday in pursuit of Sam Maguire. Thomas
:15:09. > :15:19.Niblock is live in Letterkenny. The question, is can the class of 2012
:15:19. > :15:21.
:15:21. > :15:28.emulate that of 1992? It is funny you should mention that,
:15:28. > :15:34.because we're at the primary-school where the teacher is Rory Kavanagh.
:15:34. > :15:44.We're going to sneak in to his classroom. They are singing a
:15:44. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :16:26.They are normally a very quiet bunch. What has the buzz been like?
:16:26. > :16:31.Fantastic. The only colours you would see in Donegal from a
:16:31. > :16:40.satellite picture would be green and yellow. Having Rory Kavanagh on
:16:40. > :16:49.the staff has been fantastic. is your name? She in. He will win
:16:49. > :16:58.this weekend? Donegal. He is going to win? Donegal is going to win by
:16:58. > :17:07.1000 miles. Others the Donegal is going to win. They have the best
:17:07. > :17:17.team, and Rory Kavanagh. Begin his life from 3:15pm on BBC
:17:17. > :17:17.
:17:17. > :17:22.television. It is also on Radio Ulster. Who is going to win? ALL:
:17:22. > :17:26.Donegal! It was all smiles between Rory
:17:26. > :17:28.McIlroy and Tiger Woods last night as they went head to head in the
:17:28. > :17:31.opening round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta last night.
:17:31. > :17:35.World number one McIlroy finished three shots behind Woods, and four
:17:35. > :17:38.behind the leader. He is still well in the hunt not just to win the
:17:38. > :17:40.tournament, but the play-off series and a bonus of an amazing $10
:17:40. > :17:45.million. McIlroy rolled in some impressive putts in his opening
:17:45. > :17:48.round, and has just started round two.
:17:48. > :17:51.Next week he joins Graeme McDowell in the European team in the Ryder
:17:51. > :17:54.Cup. Carl Frampton reckons he is now
:17:54. > :17:57.just two fights away from emulating Rory McIlroy and becoming the best
:17:57. > :18:00.in the world. The Belfast boxer takes on two-time world champion
:18:00. > :18:10.Steve Molitor of Canada in the Odyssey. This afternoon the two
:18:10. > :18:17.fighters went head-to-head. I spent a long time away from my family. My
:18:17. > :18:25.daughter is starting to be aware of me being away edgy get sad. I am
:18:25. > :18:31.going to knock this guy out. Anybody can steer you down and make
:18:32. > :18:34.a mean fees, but in their ring it is the skill that reveals.
:18:34. > :18:37.Coleraine have made an impressive start to this year's Irish League
:18:37. > :18:41.campaign. They are currently in second place under the guidance of
:18:41. > :18:51.manager Oran Kearney. Tomorrow, he's up against his old club, and
:18:51. > :18:57.
:18:57. > :19:00.he's done his homework. The students cured know that their
:19:00. > :19:05.teacher is a man he is used to coming up with the winning formula.
:19:05. > :19:10.Under his guidance, Chorion reached the League Cup final and finished
:19:10. > :19:15.4th in the league last year. He believes they could do better.
:19:15. > :19:19.year I felt our side was a bit young and experienced. He probably
:19:20. > :19:24.punched above her weight at times. To get to the Cup Final in get the
:19:24. > :19:28.experience was great for the lads. I think it has whet the appetite at
:19:28. > :19:33.the club and we would love to go a stage further. Coleraine have
:19:33. > :19:39.fought hard for results on the pitch this season. On paper they
:19:39. > :19:44.should be Ballymena tomorrow, but derby matches can be unpredictable.
:19:44. > :19:49.Ballymena have done very well. They haven't conceded many goals. They
:19:49. > :19:53.are going well. I can see it being the tightest derby game for a long
:19:53. > :20:03.time. They will know tomorrow whether it is a pass or fail with
:20:03. > :20:12.their teacher! That is the sport for tonight. I am
:20:12. > :20:15.off to the Ryder Cup! Now to something that only happens
:20:15. > :20:18.once a year and gives people all over Northern Ireland the chance to
:20:18. > :20:21.sample some arts events for free. Yes, it's Culture Night and our
:20:21. > :20:23.reporter Julie McCullough is live with one of the acts performing
:20:23. > :20:28.later. Julie. We are in a very appropriate venue
:20:28. > :20:33.for this evening's act. Northern Ireland opera is performing pieces
:20:33. > :20:39.from Sweeney told. We will hear more from then it in a couple of
:20:39. > :20:44.minutes. Let me go to the organiser of culture night. Adam, at the top
:20:44. > :20:53.line tonight is that everything is free. For people who do come along,
:20:53. > :20:58.what can they expect? 220 events. There is something for everyone. We
:20:58. > :21:04.have a carnival, children workshops, opera, theatre, and loads of stuff
:21:04. > :21:11.just happening on the streets, street artists, making people can -
:21:11. > :21:18.- Making Belfast come alive. It is not just in Belfast. Where else can
:21:18. > :21:23.people go to take part? There are events all over islands. In
:21:23. > :21:30.Northern Ireland's in Derry and at antrum and Armagh, Strabane and
:21:30. > :21:40.Holywood. Why just in one night and not over a week? That is the magic
:21:40. > :21:48.
:21:48. > :21:52.of it. If we had half as many We want so much stuff. We will have
:21:52. > :22:02.to leave it there. For now I will leave you with a little taster of
:22:02. > :22:18.
:22:18. > :22:28.There is plenty happening outside this weekend's! The weather
:22:28. > :22:31.
:22:31. > :22:36.After sunset, it is going to turn cold, so do bring a coat. It will
:22:36. > :22:41.stay dry. The temperatures will continue to fall. We are expecting
:22:41. > :22:45.some frost to develop. It could drop below freezing in the
:22:45. > :22:51.countryside. The North Coast will not be too bad but temperatures
:22:51. > :22:54.around six degrees. We will get * Dr a cold start for the weekend.
:22:54. > :23:01.Tomorrow will be dry and bright. To begin with there will be some mist
:23:01. > :23:07.and fog, but that will burn away fairly quickly. Plenty of sunshine
:23:07. > :23:12.to enjoy. There will be some clout from time to time. With the
:23:12. > :23:15.sunshine, it will feel pretty pleasant for the time of year. The
:23:15. > :23:20.temperature to see on the map are recorded in the sheered, so if
:23:20. > :23:25.you're out and about in the sunshine, it will feel a bit warmer.
:23:25. > :23:31.Towards the end of the day, we will still have the sunshine. Clear
:23:31. > :23:35.skies again tomorrow night for some of us. They will be more cloud
:23:35. > :23:44.around them tonight. For many towns and cities, not as cold as tonight
:23:44. > :23:51.but you will still feel it. Sunday will get off to a cold start again.
:23:51. > :23:56.We are looking at another dry and bright day. The sun will come out
:23:56. > :23:59.from time to time. Temperatures will stay around 14 degrees. If
:23:59. > :24:05.you're having to the All Ireland final, expected to be dry and
:24:05. > :24:09.bright. It will change as you go towards next week. Low pressure
:24:09. > :24:13.will pushing from the Atlantic and with that we can expect that to
:24:13. > :24:18.turn much more unsettled. At least for the beginning of the week there
:24:18. > :24:23.will be rain to come and the winds will pick up. Do enjoy the sunshine