:00:14. > :00:20.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline: Two religious orders
:00:21. > :00:27.apologise for abuse which happened in their childrens' homes.
:00:28. > :00:35.A father and his two sons plead guilty to animal fighting charges.
:00:36. > :00:40.The images that I saw were certainly the worst that I have ever seen.
:00:41. > :00:44.There is nothing to compare with this. Stallman's party leaders
:00:45. > :00:50.agreed to meet again to resolve their differences over Richard
:00:51. > :00:52.Haass's proposals. It is great news, our high school are staying
:00:53. > :00:56.open! A reprieve for one school but the
:00:57. > :01:00.news isn't so good for some others. Also on the programme this evening:
:01:01. > :01:02.Going for gold. He has been watching us from space
:01:03. > :01:08.and now he has come down for a closer look. Commander Chris
:01:09. > :01:12.Hadfield has landed based -- Belfast.
:01:13. > :01:17.We hear from Northern Ireland's Paralympic skier on her World Cup
:01:18. > :01:21.excess -- success. And the rain has returned but it's
:01:22. > :01:24.also accompanied by milder air. Two religious orders in the Catholic
:01:25. > :01:28.Church have apologised for the abuse suffered by children in their
:01:29. > :01:32.residential homes. The Health and Social Care Board said that if the
:01:33. > :01:38.state had failed in any way it was sorry. The comments were made on the
:01:39. > :01:46.second day of the inquiry in historical abuse in 13 care homes
:01:47. > :01:54.and borstals between 1922 and 1995. BBC Newsline's Tara Mills was there
:01:55. > :01:59.today. Well, we had no idea what the
:02:00. > :02:03.religious orders were going to say when they gave their opening
:02:04. > :02:07.statements to the enquiry. As it turned out, the two orders said
:02:08. > :02:11.sorry. This home was one of two run by the
:02:12. > :02:16.De La Salle order. Today they admitted that some brothers had
:02:17. > :02:20.abused boys in their care which was in total contradiction of their boat
:02:21. > :02:27.Quay should. They told the enquiry that they deeply regret that boys in
:02:28. > :02:31.their care were abused and they offered their sincere and unreserved
:02:32. > :02:35.apology. The enquiry also heard from the sisters of Nazareth who ran this
:02:36. > :02:40.home in Derry and several others across Ireland. There are solicitors
:02:41. > :02:45.said they had already begun a period of reflection about what happened.
:02:46. > :02:47.The enquiry was told the nuns were shocked and horrified at the
:02:48. > :02:52.testimonies given by some of the children met and cared for and
:02:53. > :02:56.they, too, apologised. Government run homes are also part of this
:02:57. > :02:59.enquiry and solicitors for the Department of Health and the
:03:00. > :03:03.Department of Justice also made statements, along with Barnardos who
:03:04. > :03:06.ran two of the homes being investigated. In its submission, the
:03:07. > :03:17.health and social care board said...
:03:18. > :03:22.Earlier the enquiry heard how one child in a care home and in the
:03:23. > :03:27.1970s had wet the bed and had her nose broke -- nose rubbed in it
:03:28. > :03:32.before being stripped and left on a cold room. The enquiry was told that
:03:33. > :03:35.all homes were aware of regulations dating back to 1952 and the
:03:36. > :03:39.enquiry's job is to establish how widespread such abuse was.
:03:40. > :03:42.The public hearing has now been adjourned until the end of the month
:03:43. > :03:53.when the first witnesses will be called to give evidence.
:03:54. > :03:56.Three members of an east Belfast family have pleaded guilty to
:03:57. > :03:59.offences following, what the police and the USPCA describe as, some of
:04:00. > :04:03.the worst animal cruelty they've seen. Jeremiah Kirkwood from Island
:04:04. > :04:06.Street and his sons Chris and Wayne admitted keeping or training animals
:04:07. > :04:08.for fighting, having equipment in connection with animal fights and
:04:09. > :04:18.causing unnecessary suffering to four pups. The investigation into
:04:19. > :04:25.the family's activities began over two years ago when video pictures
:04:26. > :04:29.were recovered from a mobile phone. I warn you that some of that video
:04:30. > :04:36.is in our next report from Gordon Adair. You may find it upsetting.
:04:37. > :04:42.A joint USPCA and police raid on a house in east Belfast in November
:04:43. > :04:48.2011. An ordinary terraced house, with a not so ordinary backyard. It
:04:49. > :04:55.is packed with cages, some empty but many of them with dogs, some just a
:04:56. > :05:02.few days old. Heavily marked. There were concerns about marks on some of
:05:03. > :05:05.the mature animals. Today the occupier of this house, Jeremiah
:05:06. > :05:10.Kirkwood, seen here on the right with his hood pulled over his face,
:05:11. > :05:14.his son Wayne who is with him and another son, Chris, pleaded guilty
:05:15. > :05:20.to having your training animals for fighting. Now, for the first time,
:05:21. > :05:24.we can tell you just why the police raided the home. Sometime before
:05:25. > :05:27.it, police officers searching a house band mobile phone. When they
:05:28. > :05:33.examined videos recorded on the phone that they were shocked. We are
:05:34. > :05:37.going to show you some of those recordings now but we would warn you
:05:38. > :05:43.that they are very distressing. A cat, probably a pet, caged. It has
:05:44. > :05:48.no way to escape as a dog is set on it. In moments it is pulled from the
:05:49. > :05:54.cage. The rest of the pictures are simply too graphic to show. In total
:05:55. > :06:00.for dogs were allowed at the cat which remained alive for some time.
:06:01. > :06:06.A man shakes a tree to dislodge a cat, again probably a pet. As soon
:06:07. > :06:11.as it hits the ground, two dogs are it. Again the rest of the sequence
:06:12. > :06:18.is too disturbing to show and the result the same. We showed the MP
:06:19. > :06:24.for East Belfast a slightly longer version of the pictures that we have
:06:25. > :06:28.broadcast this evening. Naomi Long has an established interest in pet
:06:29. > :06:34.welfare issues and first raised the issue of domestic pets going missing
:06:35. > :06:37.in the area over a year ago. It is appalling. To see people 's pets
:06:38. > :06:45.effectively being torn limb from limb while they are still alive, it
:06:46. > :06:48.is simply obscene and barbaric. Unfortunately we have not been able
:06:49. > :06:52.to identify who the cats belong to do but it appears they were being
:06:53. > :07:00.trapped and then used for the dogs to train them in preparation for
:07:01. > :07:04.animal fighting. When USPCA officers examine the video they quickly came
:07:05. > :07:07.to believe that what was going on went beyond cruelty, they felt that
:07:08. > :07:13.the cats were being killed in order to bloodied young dogs for other
:07:14. > :07:17.so-called blood sports such as badger baiting. The images that I
:07:18. > :07:21.saw were certainly the worst I have ever seen. There is nothing to
:07:22. > :07:25.compare with this. It is premeditated, the animal was totally
:07:26. > :07:29.defenceless and the cruelty was completely unnecessary and this was
:07:30. > :07:35.done purely for the enjoyment and we suppose it's guilt of people trying
:07:36. > :07:36.to demonstrate their dogs. All four guilty men will be sentenced next
:07:37. > :07:42.month. Still to come on the programme
:07:43. > :07:52.before 7:00pm: Concerns that Rathlin's tourism could be affected
:07:53. > :07:55.because of a building project. The fate of seven schools in East
:07:56. > :08:01.Belfast and Holywood has hung in the balance for nine months. Today they
:08:02. > :08:03.found out what is to happen to them. Some were earmarked for closure,
:08:04. > :08:08.some for merger and some for expansion. The Department for
:08:09. > :08:11.Education is trying to produce what's seen as a workable plan for
:08:12. > :08:22.controlled secondary schools in the area. Our education correspondent,
:08:23. > :08:25.Maggie Taggart has the story. It has been a nail-biting time for
:08:26. > :08:30.Dundonald Highbridge faced closure until a campaign drew teachers,
:08:31. > :08:34.pupils and the local community together. After nine months of
:08:35. > :08:38.uncertainty the principle was able to tell pupils and teachers the
:08:39. > :08:45.decision. It is great news, Dundonald high school is staying
:08:46. > :08:48.open! It was just pure elation, it is unbelievable. There was actually
:08:49. > :08:53.a tear because it has been a long and hard year for everybody, the
:08:54. > :08:58.kids, the school, the parents, the community. It has been really
:08:59. > :09:00.emotional for me as a pupil and also for the teachers as the teachers
:09:01. > :09:09.need the school is obviously they will lose their jobs and everyone is
:09:10. > :09:13.a big family here at the end of the day and we just needed to be the
:09:14. > :09:16.same and not change. It is a red letter day that they know that
:09:17. > :09:20.despite the good news there is a mountain to climb. They must
:09:21. > :09:24.increase the pupil numbers and improve performance to justify the
:09:25. > :09:30.confidence placed in them by the education minister. Your campaign is
:09:31. > :09:34.not over, it has only just begun. Show me, and more importantly, show
:09:35. > :09:39.the young people in your area, that you are serious about demanding a
:09:40. > :09:42.high-quality education and you are determined to stamp out in
:09:43. > :09:45.adequacy, raise achievement and expectation for your young people
:09:46. > :09:49.and show that you value and believe what the young people of Dundonald
:09:50. > :09:53.can achieve. The school was under threat because of low numbers and a
:09:54. > :09:58.poor performance and it will now get a lot of extra help, mentoring and
:09:59. > :10:18.training for the staff and the principle. I believe -- I agree with
:10:19. > :10:21.Mr O'Dowd that this is not the end of the hard work and the high school
:10:22. > :10:23.has to move forward and we are planning very carefully for the
:10:24. > :10:25.future of the children and the community here and all of the
:10:26. > :10:28.stakeholders involved in the school. One school is to close though.
:10:29. > :10:31.Orange field high school knew its days were numbered and it has wound
:10:32. > :10:33.down to only 80 pupils. I am disgusted, it is inconvenient for
:10:34. > :10:36.the pupils who go to the school. Many of them actually walk to the
:10:37. > :10:38.school and now they have to get buses. It is inconvenient. There
:10:39. > :10:40.were proposals to expand other schools and although this one is
:10:41. > :10:47.getting extra numbers are others are not. The merge of two schools in
:10:48. > :10:57.knock breeder is going ahead. The police are this evening dealing
:10:58. > :11:00.with a security alert in the Bell Steele Road area of Poleglass near
:11:01. > :11:03.Lisburn. An earlier alert in Market Square in Dungannon has ended and
:11:04. > :11:06.was declared a hoax. Leaders of the five Executive
:11:07. > :11:09.parties have agreed to meet again next week for more discussions on
:11:10. > :11:17.flags, parades and the past. Our political editor Mark Devenport is
:11:18. > :11:21.at Stormont. This is the first leaders meeting
:11:22. > :11:25.since the failure to agree to the proposals from Richard Haass. How
:11:26. > :11:30.did they get on with it they seem to have got on reasonably well in the
:11:31. > :11:33.sense it was a brief meeting. They stated their different positions and
:11:34. > :11:36.Unionists did not think the proposals were balanced by the
:11:37. > :11:39.Nationalists want to get on and implement them. Martin McGuinness
:11:40. > :11:43.said afterwards he does not want to get bogged down in considering the
:11:44. > :11:48.340 elements of the proposals which is what Peter Robinson has suggested
:11:49. > :11:51.and he said that it was now up to Unionists to show leadership. I have
:11:52. > :12:00.watched over the course of the last 18 months the two Unionists party is
:12:01. > :12:07.dancing to the tune of extremists within their own communities. I say
:12:08. > :12:14.that because I believe that the influence of these people has
:12:15. > :12:17.impacted on the Richard Haass negotiations and the outcome. What
:12:18. > :12:22.do the other leaders have two say? The Unionists did not actually come
:12:23. > :12:25.out to speak to us but DUP picked -- DUP spokesman has just told me that
:12:26. > :12:29.the parties need to achieve a deal amongst themselves and it is not
:12:30. > :12:32.enough for the Nationalists to agree with Richard Ass. The Alliance say
:12:33. > :12:36.that the meeting next week should tell whether this is just an
:12:37. > :12:39.illusion of activity and the SDLP were reasonably positive about the
:12:40. > :12:44.meeting, saying that they thought it had made progress and really it was
:12:45. > :12:48.now the time for implementation rather than renegotiating what was
:12:49. > :12:54.talked about by Richard Haass. How long can these meetings or this
:12:55. > :12:58.process keep going? That is an open question. Martin McGuinness said
:12:59. > :13:01.that there is no way that these leaders meetings will carry on until
:13:02. > :13:07.the time of the next election which is, of course, in May when the
:13:08. > :13:10.Council and European elections. It may well be that Unionists will want
:13:11. > :13:15.to play this long but Nationalists will want at some point to decide
:13:16. > :13:18.whether this is a delaying tactic or whether it will lead to the
:13:19. > :13:28.implementation of at least part of the Richard Haass proposals that
:13:29. > :13:32.they support. Thank you very Commissioners The DUP has criticised
:13:33. > :13:40.a documentary featuring its former leader. The civil rights movement he
:13:41. > :13:53.opposed was demanding equality in housing and voting. Never, never,
:13:54. > :14:02.never, never. Love him or loathe him, Ian Paisley has for decades
:14:03. > :14:08.been impossible to ignore. He made headlines for his opposition to the
:14:09. > :14:11.civil rights movement. He has surprised many with his latest
:14:12. > :14:26.admission in this exchange with a journalist. Was it fair? Now, it was
:14:27. > :14:38.not fair. Fair tournament is that every man has the same power to
:14:39. > :14:42.vote. -- fear government. Now Catholic had been allocated a
:14:43. > :14:52.permanent house for 34 years, how unacceptable is that? Not
:14:53. > :14:56.unacceptable at all. One-woman of Camara said she found it
:14:57. > :15:05.contradictory but many of those we met said they had not time to watch
:15:06. > :15:14.it. I did not see it. I did not, no. What did you think of it? I don't
:15:15. > :15:18.know. I have never been a big man supporter. He is now saying what I
:15:19. > :15:24.have said he should have said 30 years ago. It would have been useful
:15:25. > :15:29.for everyone here, young people looking at an old man, who made a
:15:30. > :15:34.political move at the end of his days, if he had said he learned
:15:35. > :15:39.something and he was not right in those times, that would have been a
:15:40. > :15:46.useful lesson for people but he was not big enough to do that. The DUP
:15:47. > :15:53.said many will regret the programme which selectively picks over parts
:15:54. > :15:58.of doctor Paisley's legacy and its other elements. There are failures
:15:59. > :16:03.of recollections and inaccuracies. Doctor Paisley always taught the
:16:04. > :16:14.party not to their grievances in public. -- air grievances. And
:16:15. > :16:24.coming up. Ground control to Major tom. The musical astronaut who has
:16:25. > :16:33.had a close encounter with Elf fast today. -- Belfast. There are fears
:16:34. > :16:37.that a decision to close the sea bird centre on Rathlin for a year
:16:38. > :16:41.could have a big impact on the island's economy. The RSPB runs the
:16:42. > :16:44.centre in the spring and summer but is suspending its activities while
:16:45. > :16:52.the building is upgraded by the owners, the Commissioners Of Irish
:16:53. > :16:56.Lights. David Maxwell has more. Around 30,000 Buddhas make this
:16:57. > :17:14.journey every year to the island home of Northern Ireland's sea bird
:17:15. > :17:19.colony. -- two lists. -- tourists. This is a fantastic viewing point.
:17:20. > :17:30.Within a few months thousands of sea birds will be on these clefts. This
:17:31. > :17:36.top attraction will pose for all of 2014. Investment has been welcomed.
:17:37. > :17:43.There are fears it could damage the island economy which relies on
:17:44. > :17:49.tourism. We knew the RSPB wanted to develop their facilities. We did not
:17:50. > :17:56.think it would happen during tourist season. They take the ferry across
:17:57. > :18:04.and it has wide implications not just for the island but for the
:18:05. > :18:13.wider lens and coastal area. The RSPB has now see over the building
:18:14. > :18:20.work but many believe they should have explored alternatives. It will
:18:21. > :18:30.have an impact on visitors, staff and volunteers. They should have
:18:31. > :18:35.been a review. It is the forthcoming season which is now in focus,
:18:36. > :18:39.thousands of birds will still come here, islanders hope a way can be
:18:40. > :18:52.found to make sure just as many two lists all. -- tourists follow.
:18:53. > :18:55.Tourism Ireland believes someone who will encourage more visitors is the
:18:56. > :18:57.man who has been watching us from space. The Canadian astronaut
:18:58. > :19:00.Commander Chris Hadfield who famously sang and tweeted pictures
:19:01. > :19:04.from the International Space Station has become a tourism ambassador. He
:19:05. > :19:15.landed in Belfast today for a close in counter with the city. Mark
:19:16. > :19:23.Simpson went to meet him. Disses ground control to Major tom, you've
:19:24. > :19:33.really made the grade... There says how Commander Chris Hadfield saw us.
:19:34. > :19:39.Last year he created a picture of Belfast by night. Today, Key decided
:19:40. > :19:47.to drop in. The first question, what is it like to walk in space? It is
:19:48. > :19:57.like the music Titanic, if you can stand at the very front you don't
:19:58. > :20:08.even see the ship any more. The dramatic images from space won hen a
:20:09. > :20:16.million followers on Twitter. I could see the geology and geography
:20:17. > :20:24.of Ireland, two are certain extent even the history becomes visible. I
:20:25. > :20:28.could directly communicate to show Ireland how it looks from millions
:20:29. > :20:32.of feet up and the immediate response and rebound of the warmth
:20:33. > :20:41.of a motion from the people across the island was just delightful. He
:20:42. > :20:51.has been doing promotional work for Tourism Ireland when you get to meet
:20:52. > :21:04.him he is very down to earth. He proved that last night singing Danny
:21:05. > :21:12.Boy in a bar in Donegal. The verdict on his singing, out of this world.
:21:13. > :21:15.Out of this world! We are not renowned for winter sports in this
:21:16. > :21:18.part of the world but today we celebrate more gold-medal winning
:21:19. > :21:21.success. Stephen Watson is here with more. The Paralympic skier Kelly
:21:22. > :21:25.Gallagher has won a second gold at the World Cup in Canada. The
:21:26. > :21:29.visually impaired skier from County Down won the giant slalom with her
:21:30. > :21:31.guide Charlotte Evans in Panorama in British Columbia, following
:21:32. > :21:37.Saturday's victory in the super combined event. It's a massive boost
:21:38. > :21:42.ahead of the Winter Paralympics in Sochi. Gallagher now looks sure of
:21:43. > :21:52.selection to the team next week and hopes to become GB's first-ever
:21:53. > :21:57.Paralympic gold medal winner. When we win we are working in harmony
:21:58. > :22:03.together so I am trusting and listening and working hard and
:22:04. > :22:08.Charlotte is doing exactly the same. It is like a relaxed flow of things
:22:09. > :22:15.that normally comes out and we are doing everything we can to make sure
:22:16. > :22:20.we are doing that every day. When we have done our last race together we
:22:21. > :22:24.like to know we have put everything into that. Then you can be proud of
:22:25. > :22:31.yourself because the two of us have worked very hard for it. More medals
:22:32. > :22:34.to come I am sure. The new Ireland rugby coach, Joe Schmidt, has named
:22:35. > :22:38.ten Ulster players in his first-ever extended Six Nations squad. As well
:22:39. > :22:41.as seasoned campaigners such as Rory Best and Andrew Trimble, he has
:22:42. > :22:44.included two uncapped Ulstermen in Robbie Diack and Rob Herring among
:22:45. > :22:46.44 names. Ireland's opening fixture of the Six Nations is against
:22:47. > :22:52.Scotland in the Aviva Stadium on Sunday second February. There is a
:22:53. > :22:54.full programme of matches in the Irish League tonight. The standout
:22:55. > :22:57.fixture sees leaders Linfield at home to one of their nearest
:22:58. > :23:01.challengers, Crusaders. And the Linfield manager is well aware his
:23:02. > :23:12.team has not beaten Crusaders in the last seven league meetings. It will
:23:13. > :23:18.be a tough game there is no doubt. I was bitterly disappointed when we
:23:19. > :23:24.went there earlier in the season and I thought we did not put up a fight
:23:25. > :23:31.at all. We were very unfortunate in the Premier league cup. We lost on a
:23:32. > :23:36.penalty shoot out. It is a mouthwatering game that you will
:23:37. > :23:45.relish. I am looking forward to seeing how much we have progressed
:23:46. > :23:50.down the line. A match has been conceded tomorrow against caravan
:23:51. > :23:58.due to the unavailability of players. And finally tonight, Rory
:23:59. > :24:06.McIlroy gets his season underway in Abu Dhabi, he has been getting
:24:07. > :24:11.underway for the next big tee off. Have a look at this. He is getting
:24:12. > :24:16.in the swing of things along with some of the world's other top
:24:17. > :24:23.players but not in a manner you would expect. Rory McIlroy will be
:24:24. > :24:28.looking to get off to a good start on Thursday. He really looks like he
:24:29. > :24:35.is enjoying this, hopefully he will get much better read than this when
:24:36. > :24:41.he gets out on the golf course. I hope to be in contention able more
:24:42. > :24:45.into an and is. By the standards I set myself last season I have not
:24:46. > :24:50.been doing enough but I feel like I am now doing much better and doing
:24:51. > :25:03.the start of the season on a solid case. Stick to the golf, I cannot
:25:04. > :25:10.see him doing Strictly explanation mark --! . After a wet and cold day,
:25:11. > :25:18.let us get the forecast, here is Angie. It has been a pretty cold and
:25:19. > :25:29.miserable day. We had the cold and icy start this morning. Temperatures
:25:30. > :25:37.down to -4 and -6. We did have some lovely sunrises. There is this
:25:38. > :25:45.frosty look to the foreground. It has all been change. To weather
:25:46. > :25:51.fronts pushed through, one this afternoon and another tonight. This
:25:52. > :25:57.evening the rain is turning more shallowly. There will be drier gaps
:25:58. > :26:03.and the weather front will move in. There will be more persistent rain
:26:04. > :26:09.and some heavy bursts. It will not be so cold as last night because of
:26:10. > :26:16.a southerly breeze. Temperatures will be higher by tomorrow morning.
:26:17. > :26:22.It looks like a milder day tomorrow and eventually it will be drier but
:26:23. > :26:26.it will be a slow start, breezy with spells of rain during morning rush
:26:27. > :26:32.hour but eventually that will become more shallowly and after a miserable
:26:33. > :26:38.start to the day the wind will ease away. There may still be a few
:26:39. > :26:46.showers into the early afternoon in parts of Antrim then drier weather
:26:47. > :26:51.follows. The best start of brightness developing in the West
:26:52. > :26:56.during the afternoon. Temperatures above average. Tomorrow night will
:26:57. > :27:01.get cooler again, we still have the southerly breeze but it will ease
:27:02. > :27:07.off. There may be the odd pocket of ground frost. Thursday will have a
:27:08. > :27:14.mixture of bright spells and showers and generally it is cooler, six or
:27:15. > :27:21.seven, closer to average. Cooler with bright spells and showers into
:27:22. > :27:25.the weekend. Two Catholic religious orders have apologised for abuse
:27:26. > :27:33.that happened in their children's homes. A father, their two sons and
:27:34. > :27:38.another man have admitted cruelty to animals. Our Facebook page has been
:27:39. > :27:42.getting a lot of reaction to that story. Join us if you can. That is
:27:43. > :27:44.all for now, goodbye.