:00:00. > 3:59:59early 1990s. That's all from the BBC News at Six. It's goodbye from me.
:00:00. > :00:23.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline: I'm live in Coleraine,
:00:24. > :00:26.where I'll have the latest on the 300 job losses at the Driver and
:00:27. > :00:30.Vehicle Agency. Four men are sentenced for one the
:00:31. > :00:34.worst cases of animal cruelty seen in Northern Ireland. I'm in
:00:35. > :00:37.Washington with the First and Deputy First Ministers as they prepare to
:00:38. > :00:41.meet the vice president. Belfast Council adds its backing to the City
:00:42. > :00:45.Airport's plans to increase its passenger numbers. Paddy Jackson
:00:46. > :00:48.won't figure in Paris but starts for Ulster instead. And it's official:
:00:49. > :00:54.Stephen Ferris is back on the Ravenhill bench. It's been a dry and
:00:55. > :00:57.cloudy day which has made for some great photos. More of the same for
:00:58. > :01:05.tomorrow. I'll have the full forecast just before 7:00pm.
:01:06. > :01:11.The threat of 300 job losses at the Driver and Vehicle Agency has become
:01:12. > :01:14.a reality. Government ministers in London have made clear their
:01:15. > :01:22.intention to centralise services in Swansea by July. Motorists here will
:01:23. > :01:27.then for the first time be able to tax their vehicles online. Seven
:01:28. > :01:31.regional offices are affected but most of the job losses will be at
:01:32. > :01:34.the DVA headquarters in Coleraine. David Maxwell is there. David, an
:01:35. > :01:40.announcement the workers feared has now arrived.
:01:41. > :01:47.Yes, and these jobs had been under threat for two years but it didn't
:01:48. > :01:50.make it any easier for DVA staff when they received an e-mail this
:01:51. > :01:54.morning containing the news no one wanted to hear. Within minutes of
:01:55. > :01:58.arriving at work this morning, staff were told the news. By July, their
:01:59. > :02:05.services were no longer required. It came as a blow to many. We are all
:02:06. > :02:11.non-here and we're trying to take on board what has happened. -- we are
:02:12. > :02:17.all number here. We don't know whether we will have a job and what
:02:18. > :02:21.options are open, we don't know. I have three young kids. I'm the only
:02:22. > :02:26.work in my household. It has a big impact on what the future holds for
:02:27. > :02:31.myself and my family -- the only work. There are seven regional DVA
:02:32. > :02:34.offices as well as the regional headquarters. They offer
:02:35. > :02:38.face-to-face and postal services, but in a few months they will be
:02:39. > :02:42.gone. The decision has concerned regular customers. It is just a
:02:43. > :02:46.matter of walking over the bridge to get here, now you have to go to
:02:47. > :02:52.Swansea. It's a long wait. The UK Government says it will improve
:02:53. > :02:59.services allowing people to tax vehicles online and face-to-face
:03:00. > :03:05.services, and future payments can be made by direct debit. Staff here say
:03:06. > :03:07.drivers will be worse off. We have juiced services and functions in
:03:08. > :03:11.Northern Ireland and the general public will suffer, but more
:03:12. > :03:16.importantly, the Northern Ireland economy will suffer. We will lose in
:03:17. > :03:21.excess of ?22 million out of the Northern Ireland economy for a
:03:22. > :03:26.saving of ?12 million. The campaign to save the jobs has been a vigorous
:03:27. > :03:29.one with all parties, unions and business leaders uniting. Staff want
:03:30. > :03:35.to know now if they face redeployment or redundancy. Earlier
:03:36. > :03:41.today we spoke to deliver Morley -- Oliver Morley from DVLA in London
:03:42. > :03:46.and he gave some of the reasons for the changes. It is about providing
:03:47. > :03:50.online services and away we haven't done before, and it's also about
:03:51. > :03:56.making efficiency savings, of which there are significant savings for
:03:57. > :03:59.the taxpayer. It is very important to know that we will be providing
:04:00. > :04:08.both a new online service, the same one people have had in the rest of
:04:09. > :04:12.the UK since 2004 but also access via the post office, the 175 of them
:04:13. > :04:18.across Northern Ireland, at the same time. With me are two men who do not
:04:19. > :04:22.agree it would be a good thing, first the mayor, and we have heard
:04:23. > :04:27.about the impact on staff, but what about the impact on the town? It is
:04:28. > :04:30.a brutal and devastating announcement and will have a
:04:31. > :04:34.long-term effect on the economic future of the town. We are starting
:04:35. > :04:39.to come out of one of the worst recessions in memory, and this sort
:04:40. > :04:41.of loss of jobs, the type of jobs from our community will affect the
:04:42. > :04:49.whole community, the whole of society here in Coleraine. Also with
:04:50. > :04:55.me, John Ballot, and you fought an energetic campaign. You calling a
:04:56. > :05:01.day? Certainly not. We are only beginning. We will stand shoulder to
:05:02. > :05:06.shoulder and demonstrate the kind of message we need to get across to the
:05:07. > :05:08.government who took this decision by leaders out of the country. The
:05:09. > :05:13.assembly will discuss this on Tuesday, and let the battle really
:05:14. > :05:15.begin. I know there are a lot of workers this evening going home
:05:16. > :05:18.devastated, and if they're listening to this programme I hope they take
:05:19. > :05:24.confidence that we will not let them down. Briefly, wouldn't you say it's
:05:25. > :05:28.a good thing to be able to access services online and they can't do
:05:29. > :05:32.that at the moment? Of course it's good to have the service. It would
:05:33. > :05:35.have been nice if they had put the investment into Coleraine. The
:05:36. > :05:40.standard of service it is high, much higher than in England. Thank you
:05:41. > :05:44.for joining me this evening. I don't think we have heard the last of it
:05:45. > :05:49.and it's due to be brought up at the Assembly and Westminster next week.
:05:50. > :05:54.Four men from East Belfast have been given suspended prison sentences for
:05:55. > :05:57.what the USPCA have described as among the worst cases of animal
:05:58. > :06:00.cruelty they have seen. Jeremiah, Chris and Wayne Kirkwood, and their
:06:01. > :06:04.co-accused Jamie Morrow, could have been sentenced to up to two years in
:06:05. > :06:06.jail. This report from Chris Page features some very disturbing
:06:07. > :06:20.pictures. Autumn 2011 and the joint US PCA and
:06:21. > :06:25.police raid on the home of Jeremiah, Chris and Wayne Kirkwood in east
:06:26. > :06:30.Belfast. They found a number of cages, some containing darks --
:06:31. > :06:34.dogs, and some animals had signs that they had been involved in
:06:35. > :06:37.fighting. The police came here after they found horrific videos on a
:06:38. > :06:42.mobile phone belonging to another man, Jamie Morrow. We are going to
:06:43. > :06:48.show you some of that footage, but we should warn you again that it is
:06:49. > :06:54.very disturbing. This caged cat is probably a pet. A dog is set on it
:06:55. > :06:58.and pulls the cat from the cage. The rest of the pictures are too
:06:59. > :07:04.distressing to broadcast. In all, four dogs were allowed at the cat,
:07:05. > :07:09.which remain alive for some time. A man shakes a tree to bring down a
:07:10. > :07:14.cat, again probably a pet. When the cat hits the ground, two dogs are on
:07:15. > :07:20.it. Again, the rest of the video is too graphic to show. The Kirkwood
:07:21. > :07:24.family pleaded guilty to several offences and appeared before Belfast
:07:25. > :07:28.Crown Court today. Jeremiah, highlighted here, is 43. Beside him
:07:29. > :07:33.in the dock were his sons, Chris, 23, Wayne, who is 20, and he is
:07:34. > :07:39.highlighted on the left of the picture. The man in the dark blue
:07:40. > :07:43.top is 19-year-old Jamie Morrow, who admitted one charge. The judge
:07:44. > :07:47.sentenced all four men to six months in jail but suspended the sentence
:07:48. > :07:50.for two years and also banned the accused are keeping animals for ten
:07:51. > :07:57.years. The police say the cruelty was dreadful. The images were
:07:58. > :08:00.horrific, and again, our colleagues have confirmed its the worst they've
:08:01. > :08:06.seen, and it's certainly the worst I've seen. On leaving court, Wayne
:08:07. > :08:09.Kirkwood and Jamie Morrow was relieved, and Kirkwood even jubilant
:08:10. > :08:11.as he jumped on the back of a friend.
:08:12. > :08:17.An only son who killed his father and attacked his mother has been
:08:18. > :08:21.cleared of charges of murder and attempted murder. Gregory Lamont
:08:22. > :08:24.believed he was The Devil when he stabbed his parents John and Liz in
:08:25. > :08:29.their home in the Carnvale area of Ballymena last January. He attacked
:08:30. > :08:32.them after killing the family dog because he thought it had
:08:33. > :08:34.supernatural powers. A Crown Court jury acquitted the 27-year-old
:08:35. > :08:36.hospital worker on the grounds he was insane at the time of the
:08:37. > :08:46.attacks. The First Minister has described as
:08:47. > :08:49.unhelpful a claim by the former talks chairman Richard Haass that
:08:50. > :08:51.Northern Ireland is at risk of returning to daily violence. Peter
:08:52. > :08:57.Robinson and Martin McGuinness both said they did not believe that was
:08:58. > :09:00.going to happen. The ministers are in Washington where they will meet
:09:01. > :09:03.the Vice President. Mr McGuinness brushed aside speculation that
:09:04. > :09:06.President Barack Obama may snub them and decline to be at their first
:09:07. > :09:09.formal meeting with Vice President. Our political correspondent Martina
:09:10. > :09:16.Purdy has this report from Washington.
:09:17. > :09:22.Here in Washington, the flag is everywhere, symbol of unity for
:09:23. > :09:26.Americans. But emblems remain problematic that these leaders, who
:09:27. > :09:30.have failed to agree a deal on flags, parading and the past. But
:09:31. > :09:33.they have challenged a claim by the former talks chairman, Richard
:09:34. > :09:39.Haass, that this risks a return to violence. The overwhelming view in
:09:40. > :09:41.the community of Northern Ireland is we want to make progress and never
:09:42. > :09:45.go back to the dark days of the past, and I think it's probably
:09:46. > :09:49.unhelpful for us to start talking in those terms. You don't want to talk
:09:50. > :09:54.up violence, you want to talk up the prospect of stability and peace. I
:09:55. > :09:57.am one of those who is optimistic about the future. I don't have any
:09:58. > :10:02.sense that the situation will slip back to the past, and I have come to
:10:03. > :10:07.that point of view primarily because of the commitment that I see amongst
:10:08. > :10:10.all of those who are in government and those who are working within the
:10:11. > :10:15.police to ensure that extremists do not destroy the peace we have
:10:16. > :10:21.gained. Others in Washington say that Richard Haass's assessment is
:10:22. > :10:24.realistic. There is a very urgent need for us to get a grip on things
:10:25. > :10:30.in Northern Ireland, to get control of things and sort out the
:10:31. > :10:32.continuing differences. The first and deputy first ministers had
:10:33. > :10:36.scheduled a meeting this afternoon with end Kenny, but it says talks
:10:37. > :10:42.tomorrow at the might house with the US by President -- Vice President
:10:43. > :10:48.will reveal the mood of the Obama administration. What do people make
:10:49. > :10:54.of speculation that he might snub this meeting? We met this President
:10:55. > :10:57.eight times, and if it would be a snub him not to meet us nine times,
:10:58. > :11:03.we are delighted to meet the vice president, who was actually the one
:11:04. > :11:09.involved in terms of the Richard Haass process, so he will have an
:11:10. > :11:13.idea of where that processes. We have dealt with three American
:11:14. > :11:16.presidents, all of whom have given tremendous support to our peace
:11:17. > :11:22.process. I have no doubt whatsoever that that will continue, so he will
:11:23. > :11:27.either drop-in or he won't. Whatever spin is put on the talks tomorrow it
:11:28. > :11:30.is not all high-level politics. Stormont's Road Minister Danny
:11:31. > :11:34.Kennedy has been checking out cycle lanes with a view to making changes
:11:35. > :11:39.back home. Let's get some direction on where those talks in Washington
:11:40. > :11:44.are going. Martina Purdy joins me from Washington. Both ministers
:11:45. > :11:48.playing down the suggestion of a risk of a return to violence, but do
:11:49. > :11:53.you have any sense they are moving closer to breaking the deadlock on
:11:54. > :11:57.flags, parades and in the past? Donna, the First Minister said on
:11:58. > :12:01.some issues that they are tantalisingly close and progress is
:12:02. > :12:06.being made. I have to say, however, I didn't get that sense from the
:12:07. > :12:10.Deputy First Minister or the SDLP leader. I think the difficulty is we
:12:11. > :12:14.are in an election cycle right now. In a few months time we have the
:12:15. > :12:17.European and local government elections, and those conditions are
:12:18. > :12:20.not conducive to political compromise. We expect the vice
:12:21. > :12:23.president to tell ministers to finish the job, but when you put
:12:24. > :12:28.that to them, they say they agree, but the question is, how do you do
:12:29. > :12:34.it? They are meeting the vice president, but what else is on the
:12:35. > :12:44.agenda? That meeting at the White House is tomorrow morning, and
:12:45. > :12:47.around now they are expected to meet Enda Kenny, and they are attending
:12:48. > :12:50.the gala where the elite of the Americans will be at the Ronald
:12:51. > :12:53.Reagan Centre, and in the morning they are hosting a business
:12:54. > :12:58.breakfast before going to the White House. Martina, thank you. Tony
:12:59. > :13:01.Blair's chief negotiator during the peace process says he stands by his
:13:02. > :13:10.claim that the DUP knew about concessions made to Sinn Fein over
:13:11. > :13:13.IRA on the runs. In his book, Jonathan Powell said the DUP could
:13:14. > :13:17.accept the scheme as long as Tony Blair wrote to Ian Paisley making it
:13:18. > :13:19.clear it had been agreed under David Trimble's watch. Peter Robinson
:13:20. > :13:26.described that as "nonsense". This is what Mr Powell had to say today.
:13:27. > :13:31.The book was written in 2008, and I don't now want to go into new
:13:32. > :13:35.suggestions about who knew what and when. The book stands and it was
:13:36. > :13:43.based on my direst the papers of ten Downing St for the time we were in
:13:44. > :13:48.government -- based on my diaries. We want to get Northern Ireland
:13:49. > :13:51.politicians on solving the problems of the past are not trying to beat
:13:52. > :13:53.each other over the head with them. More of that interview will be on
:13:54. > :14:02.The View at 10:35pm tonight after Still to come on this programme:
:14:03. > :14:03.rugby is reaching out, and here in west Belfast, it's really catching
:14:04. > :14:10.on. A plan by George Best Belfast City
:14:11. > :14:17.Airport to grow passenger numbers by changing its operating rules has won
:14:18. > :14:20.the support of Belfast Council. But it wants the airport's promises on
:14:21. > :14:24.noise control to be closely scrutinised at a public inquiry
:14:25. > :14:26.which is due to be held later this year. Here's our business
:14:27. > :14:35.correspondent Julian O'Neill. For ten years, the airport has been
:14:36. > :14:41.trying to change one of the operating rules within its planning
:14:42. > :14:45.agreement. It wants to scrap a ?2 million cap on the total number of
:14:46. > :14:49.seats it can sell each year on departing flights -- 2 million cap.
:14:50. > :14:52.A public consultation on the issue ended last week, and Belfast
:14:53. > :14:57.councillors have now come out in support of the plan. In a decision
:14:58. > :15:01.to be ratified in the next two weeks, they believe that the lifting
:15:02. > :15:06.of this seating restriction will, in their word, add value to their local
:15:07. > :15:11.economies. The airport argues that the move increases its financial
:15:12. > :15:20.viability. Around 1000 people work here, and it will help attract new
:15:21. > :15:24.routes like Franca -- Frankfurt. Areas under the flight path support
:15:25. > :15:27.the change, but both councils raise the issue of noise ahead of a public
:15:28. > :15:33.enquiry which is likely to take place this year. On balance, we felt
:15:34. > :15:36.it was appropriate for the Council to respond positively. There will be
:15:37. > :15:40.a local public enquiry later this year and that is the appropriate
:15:41. > :15:47.forum to drill down and get that to the specifics of managing the noise.
:15:48. > :15:52.The airport suggests replacing the seat cap with noise limits, but
:15:53. > :15:58.residents say the noise will worsen as there is more scope with the
:15:59. > :16:01.seats restriction gone. This has been a long, drawn-out saga and
:16:02. > :16:05.there have been a number of judicial reviews. The council move will be a
:16:06. > :16:07.boost to the airport but it also ensures that the noise issue will be
:16:08. > :16:11.high on the agenda come the public enquiry.
:16:12. > :16:16.A Stormont committee inquiry about alleged political interference in
:16:17. > :16:18.the running of the Housing Executive was adjourned today after heated
:16:19. > :16:21.exchanges. The committee was taking evidence from the Social Development
:16:22. > :16:24.minister Nelson McCausland, when his DUP colleagues accused the Committee
:16:25. > :16:30.Chair, a Sinn Fein MLA, of demonstrating bias.
:16:31. > :16:39.Our Political Editor Mark Devenport reports.
:16:40. > :16:48.Mr Hayes? This enquiry was triggered by a BBC Spotlight programme last
:16:49. > :16:53.year which investigated allegations of wrongful interference in Housing
:16:54. > :17:00.executive contracts. Not long after the hearing got underway, the
:17:01. > :17:04.chair, Alex Muskie, asked the social leader if he had taken legal action
:17:05. > :17:10.against the BBC. But the day you peek's Sammy Wilson intervened,
:17:11. > :17:17.accusing him of in -- over seeding their terms of rations -- DUP's
:17:18. > :17:24.Sammy Wilson intervened. Stick to that! Excuse me, I am chairing the
:17:25. > :17:32.enquiry. You are not sharing it well. -- chairing it well. Trevor
:17:33. > :17:41.Clark also joined the criticism of the chair. You brought this in on
:17:42. > :17:49.your bias. If this carries on, I will adjourn the meeting. Gentlemen,
:17:50. > :17:54.it is clear that some members have come here to be the human shield in
:17:55. > :17:59.respect of the Minister. 50 minutes after the hearing began, the chair
:18:00. > :18:02.decided he had heard enough. I hear adjourn the enquiry. The committee
:18:03. > :18:08.will reconvene, but it's not clear when.
:18:09. > :18:14.With a new-look stadium and a team that's hard to beat, Ulster rugby is
:18:15. > :18:18.on the up. But it's still wants to reach out to new people in new
:18:19. > :18:21.places, including West Belfast. Mark Simpson went to a coaching session
:18:22. > :18:33.at a girls' school near the Falls Road. Go, go, go. Tag rugby in West
:18:34. > :18:43.Belfast, and they take it seriously. Scrum down here, yellow ball. Run
:18:44. > :18:46.forward, run forward, run, run, run! At this girls secondary school,
:18:47. > :18:52.rugby lessons began in September last year. When it started there was
:18:53. > :18:56.little interest because they had not seen a rugby ball, let alone handled
:18:57. > :19:03.one. Up to Tuesday of this week, we can turn out two weeks at a blitz
:19:04. > :19:09.tournament in Belfast. Ten players on each team, so the rise is
:19:10. > :19:14.staggering, to be honest. It is a sign of changing times. It would be
:19:15. > :19:21.new to the area. The girls have the opportunity to go to a match at
:19:22. > :19:26.Ravenhill, as Ulster Rugby have supplied us with free tickets. They
:19:27. > :19:30.went to the match on the Friday evening, and they really enjoyed it
:19:31. > :19:35.and it would have been the first time they've been at a rugby match.
:19:36. > :19:39.It's fantastic for them. There is no doubt it's good fun, especially on a
:19:40. > :19:43.day like today. It is very new, it's very different, but the question
:19:44. > :19:51.is, will it really catch on? The answer here is yes. I really enjoy
:19:52. > :19:56.it. I want to take it on as a sport. It's really good because you get to
:19:57. > :20:00.move a lot and it is start and stop in football, but in rugby you get
:20:01. > :20:06.stuck in. I like it more than any other sport, but now I really enjoy
:20:07. > :20:09.it. It is not the easiest sport in the world but it seems more and more
:20:10. > :20:13.people are prepared to give it a try.
:20:14. > :20:19.Well, for many years such outreach work has been part of the work of
:20:20. > :20:22.the Ulster Orchestra which has just pulled off a major coup. It has
:20:23. > :20:27.appointed a new international star as its chief conductor. He's from
:20:28. > :20:31.Venezuela and says the chemistry he felt from the orchestra musicians
:20:32. > :20:34.made him accept the job. Our arts correspondent Maggie Taggart met him
:20:35. > :20:47.as he rehearsed for a preview concert. Rafael will begin the
:20:48. > :20:50.Ulster Orchestra job in the Ulster Orchestra jobbing orchestra --
:20:51. > :20:55.September. He has homes all over the world and has performed with many
:20:56. > :21:00.great orchestras, but is used, hair and casual style makes him a rock
:21:01. > :21:03.star. I do not know if I am a rock star, but we will see. I want to
:21:04. > :21:10.have fun and make sure that people enjoy it. He had no reluctance to
:21:11. > :21:14.commit to Northern Ireland after meeting the orchestra. There was a
:21:15. > :21:24.nice chemistry between us and it was fun. It was a little bit magic.
:21:25. > :21:27.Raphael was helped to worldwide fame by an organisation in Venezuela
:21:28. > :21:33.which gives free tuition and concert tickets to encourage young children.
:21:34. > :21:36.He is hoping to carry that on in Northern Ireland. These pupils made
:21:37. > :21:41.their own pretend violins to take part in a concert with him.
:21:42. > :21:47.Everything has to be for the kids, and then if I am part of that, and
:21:48. > :21:52.once I was a kid, and I was influenced by everything, and I had
:21:53. > :21:56.the opportunity to work with this type of music because of the system.
:21:57. > :22:05.The children have been drilled in how to play and how to address their
:22:06. > :22:16.famous visitor. Only if he tells you to. What are you supposed to call
:22:17. > :22:26.him? You are supposed to call him maestro. Rafael wants to play down
:22:27. > :22:32.the traditions in the hope of bringing classical music to a
:22:33. > :22:36.younger audience. We saw earlier the coating that is
:22:37. > :22:41.going on to encourage a greater interest in rugby in West Belfast.
:22:42. > :22:44.-- coaching. Perhaps some new fans for this weekend's Six Nations game
:22:45. > :22:47.with Ireland taking on France. Mark Sidebottom is here. And the team is
:22:48. > :22:54.a predictable one. Pretty much as anticipated. The big
:22:55. > :23:00.fellow is back for the big one. A win will see Joe Schmidt's side
:23:01. > :23:02.clinch the Six Nations title. O'Mahoney comes back after
:23:03. > :23:08.recovering from a hamstring strain sustained in the defeat to England.
:23:09. > :23:11.As a result, Ulster's Iain Henderson is back on the bench, but Paddy
:23:12. > :23:15.Jackson is out of the squad altogether as Ian Madigan gets the
:23:16. > :23:17.nod as deputy to Jonny Sexton. The coach says the reason for that is
:23:18. > :23:22.Madigan's greater versatility. We have a few guys who are just
:23:23. > :23:25.under par little bit, without conveying too much information.
:23:26. > :23:32.Regarding that we want to make sure we have coverage across-the-board.
:23:33. > :23:42.Ian Madigan has played ten, 12 and 13, both in finals. To cover our
:23:43. > :23:46.options we needed him to cover those positions. If we were to start the
:23:47. > :23:52.game and Jonny Sexton was unavailable, he would have started.
:23:53. > :23:55.-- Paddy would have started. So Jackson goes straight into the
:23:56. > :23:57.Ulster starting line-up for tomorrow night's Rabo Pro 12 game against
:23:58. > :24:01.Scarlets. But the big news ahead of that game
:24:02. > :24:06.is the confirmation that Stephen Ferris is in the squad and will be
:24:07. > :24:09.on the bench at Ravenhill. He trained with the squad today and
:24:10. > :24:13.it's remarkable to think when he last played not a sod had been
:24:14. > :24:15.turned or a stand built in the new Ravenhill.
:24:16. > :24:20.He's been out since November 2012, but the ankle has healed.
:24:21. > :24:25.It will be good to get him back, it will be a great boost to the rest of
:24:26. > :24:29.the squad. The is obviously champing at the bit to get into the mix, as
:24:30. > :24:33.well. Everyone has had to have patience to get him back to this
:24:34. > :24:37.stage. I know that Stephen is a little bit frustrated, he wants to
:24:38. > :24:40.be on Friday night in the Jersey bashing into people and scoring
:24:41. > :24:46.tries. He wants to get back on the paddock and everyone involved in
:24:47. > :24:48.Ulster Rugby wants him back there. I saw him today and he looked rather
:24:49. > :24:54.does. The game is live on BBC Two tomorrow
:24:55. > :25:04.from 7pm. At Cheltenham today, Annie power suffered her first ever defeat
:25:05. > :25:10.as Barry Geraghty's horse More of That beat the Irish trained there
:25:11. > :25:13.into the second position. Jonjo O'Neill's horse edged out the
:25:14. > :25:16.favourite by a length for a fifth consecutive win.
:25:17. > :25:19.The eleven-year-old Big Bucks, who had won this event every year from
:25:20. > :25:23.2009 to 2012 was never in the contest and was retired after the
:25:24. > :25:27.race. Earlier, AP McCoy, still nursing a back injury, claimed his
:25:28. > :25:30.first win of the Festival when he rode 7-to-1 shot to victory in the
:25:31. > :25:32.Novices' Chase full. In a sulky, the new British
:25:33. > :25:34.champions beat the new British champions beat fieldbus died when
:25:35. > :25:38.the Belfast Giants thumped the Nottingham Panthers 4-1 at the
:25:39. > :25:40.Odyssey Stadium. Weather was pretty good today, let's
:25:41. > :25:43.get the forecast. get the
:25:44. > :25:48.It has been another dry and cloudy day today which has made for
:25:49. > :25:52.fantastic photography. This was dusk last night, beautiful light. If
:25:53. > :26:02.anything I think the light at Don Lewes Castle was even better. --
:26:03. > :26:08.Dunluce Castle. Prize goes to this one. It is another cloudy night
:26:09. > :26:15.tonight and the mist and fog starts to roll in. It is a mild night so we
:26:16. > :26:20.will see lows of six or seven Celsius. Friday is cloudy, but
:26:21. > :26:25.breezy. I don't think the River Bann will lick that still tomorrow. The
:26:26. > :26:29.upside is that freshening western wind will clear out the mist and fog
:26:30. > :26:34.quickly through the morning. It brings just a chance of light rain
:26:35. > :26:37.in the West but not a bad day despite the cloud. We are going to
:26:38. > :26:41.see temperatures into double figures, ten or 11 Celsius through
:26:42. > :26:45.the day. The best of any brightness will come across the eastern half of
:26:46. > :26:51.Northern Ireland. It is of course Gold Cup day at Cheltenham. If you
:26:52. > :26:55.are lucky enough to be heading to the races you are in for a beautiful
:26:56. > :27:00.day, 12 Celsius, the going is good to soft in places, and there is full
:27:01. > :27:05.coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live. Test of luck if you are there. Through
:27:06. > :27:10.Friday evening, another mild night. Temperatures down to five or six
:27:11. > :27:15.Celsius. We have this high pressure system looking after our weather for
:27:16. > :27:18.the last week or so. It is still the dominant force over the weekend but
:27:19. > :27:25.does not offer us quite as much detection. By Saturday we will have
:27:26. > :27:28.a chance of light rain working in and some decent temperatures. On
:27:29. > :27:34.Sunday we are likely to see a little more green, not enough to ruin your
:27:35. > :27:39.weekend at all. A lovely settled quality over the next few days, just
:27:40. > :27:43.missing out on those blue skies. Our latest summary is at 10:25pm is you
:27:44. > :27:52.10:25pm zero BBC One. Thank you for watching. Goodbye.
:27:53. > :27:55.Hello, Mr Walsh, I'm Ciara's...friend.
:27:56. > :27:59.I'm Tony, Ciara's da, and this is my life partner,