15/04/2014 BBC Newsline

That's all from us. On Newsnight on BBC2 in a few moments, Jeremy Paxman

asks if Good evening.

Two men are being questioned after a major security operation in County

Tyrone. The police a substantial quantity of what they believe is

fertiliser was found in a van stopped by officers near Fintona in

the early hours of this morning. Our South West reporter Julian Fowler

has more. The white van that sparked a major

security operation. It was stopped by police at two o'clock this

morning. Army bomb experts use robots to take a look inside the van

and they removed a number of objects including a fertilizer spreader.

Five homes along the road were evacuated. Witnesses described

seeing a large number of police officers dressed in black and

carrying machine guns. Layers are used to light up the surrounding

fields and the police helicopter flew around the scene. The army left

at lunchtime, and the main road was reopened as the police continued

their investigation. Forensic officers have spent the afternoon

examining the van and a number of items have been taking away for

examination. Two men have been arrested and remain in police

custody. Three brothers with over 200

criminal convictions between them have been jailed for a rampage in a

stolen car. They began on the M2 and drove through Belfast jumping seven

red lights and nearly knocking down a pensioner. Mervyn Jess has more, A

29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the discovery of 16

cars during a police search in County Down. The three brothers and

the young woman all pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking. The

car was stolen in east Belfast in the early hours of the morning in

February of last year. It was later spotted by a mobile police vehicle

on the M2 motorway but it sped off. The vehicle drove through a red

light before going around a roundabout the wrong way, and then

sped onto a road, turning onto another road and almost striking a

pit -- pedestrian crossing. The stolen car then jumped a further six

red lights as it continued up to a junction at the M2, then travelling

and. A police helicopter tracked the vehicle to an area I'm a where all

four occupants were observed running away from it. The three brothers

were arrested and a young woman was found in an alleyway. The police say

that at one point during the chase, the front seat passenger climbed

over and changed places with the driver. None of those arrested would

say who was driving the vehicle. Jonathan Gordon, age 27, which

killed for 20 months, Peter Gordon was sentenced to 15 months, and the

third brother, 20-year-old Anthony Gordon from Belfast was jailed for a

year. A mother of two age 23 was put on probation for 18 months. The

judge rebuked the brothers for their behaviour in court, saying that the

reflected their blatant disregard for the court. Jonathan Gordon

replied, so what? The company which runs the local power grid has been

prevented from putting up its charges. Northern Ireland

Electricity had wanted to bill customers more in order to pay for

upgrading its network. Instead it's been told to reduce the charges, as

our business correspondent Julian O'Neill report. M2 -- NIE operates

the great and links to our homes to the big power stations. The company

had planned a major overhaul of its network, paid for by increasing

charges, but now it has been stopped in its tracks in a ruling from the

competition and markets authority. The winner and this is the consumer,

because we are seeing enhanced investment in the network going for

it at no additional cost and that is a good result for consumers and it

confirms the value of protecting the interests of consumers. M2 NIE's an

initial plan would have increased domestic bills by ?57, but the

ruling turns that on its head and instead customers will actually see

charges reduced over the same period about ?10. This could be seen as a

victory for the utility -- eternity regulator. NIE had been looking to

make more improvements to the grid. This ruling means it. Have to make

those improvements but not by charging customers more. It ensures

that there will be enough investments but also that they are

paying as little as possible, which is what consumers want. They want

lower costs with security that the lights will stay on. NIE said very

little in response to the building -- ruling. Today, it accepted the

outcome. A 29-year-old man has been arrested

in connection with the discovery of 16 cars. It is believed that the

cars had been stolen. A lorry, tools, engine parts and documents

were also seized by the police. Comber primary school has marked its

75th anniversary by officially naming its assembly hall after the

former pupil Corporal Channing Day who was killed in Afghanistan.

Generations of past pupils attended a special event at the school this

evening. Stormont minister Simon Hamilton, who also went there,

presented a memorial plaque to the Day family which will be mounted in

the school hall. She always had a smile on her face that she would be

having a giggle that the place where she played in school was now named

after her. She would really be having a giggle about it. 50 posts

are being created in Belfast by the IT firm Novosco. The jobs are part

of a ?4 million investment by the company, which provides IT

infrastructure to clients in Ireland and Britain. The Enterprise Minister

says the new posts in software and engineering will pay salaries of

around ?40,000. But 15 jobs are to go at the US

software company Vello Systems. The company only officially opened its

office in Belfast in February. Invest NI said although it had been

offered financial support, none has yet been handed over.

A man who was arrested in connection with murder of Kevin Kearney in

north Belfast has been released unconditionally. Mr Kearney's body

was found in a lake at Alexandra Park a day after he had been shot

while walking his dogs in October last year.

The annual Good Beach guide says all of Northern Ireland's beaches have

an acceptable level of water quality. The Marine Conservation

Society found nearly two thirds of beaches here have excellent water

quality. When the society tested the water at beaches around the

coastline last year, Newcastle beach was the only one to fail. However it

was found to be clean enough to be included in this year's guide.

The 2013 water results for the past since we started doing this some 20

years ago, so a really good news story for Northern Ireland. It means

a safer and more enjoyable day at the beach for families or anyone who

wants to engage in anything energetic, such as kite surfing or

anything that you can do at our lovely beaches. People can rushed

ashore that they are safe. -- per rest assured. Quite a frosty start

in places this morning. Tonight will not be quite as cold as last night.

We will probably get a bit more cloud edging and later in the night

and there is more of a southerly breeze, so temperature is around

five or six degrees. Some places could dip to three or four. A change

is on the way with a weather front coming in from the North West which

will bring increasingly cloudy conditions and spells of rain will

follow as well. It will be bright in the morning and breezy, but to three

or four. A change is on the way with a weather front coming in from the

North West which will bring increasingly cloudy conditions and

spells of rain will follow as well. It will be bright in the morning and

breezy, particularly in eastern areas, and mainly dry before the

rain starts to march into the west later in the morning. Later on,

rainbow push in two parts of Scotland with brisk winds. For

Easter Scotland and the rest of the Republic, it will be dry and a fine

day in other places with highs of 17 or 18 in the South East, hearts of

the Coast will feel that the cooler, though. It is going to be a

cooler affair tomorrow afternoon, 12 or 13 degrees as the rain continues

to track its way across. Perhaps not quite as persistent and parts of the

East. One or two showers into Thursday, but it looks as if there

will be some dry spells as well, and towards the Easter weekend, it is

dry but rather cloudy and cool. Good night.