25/09/2014 BBC Newsline

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me,

We've always been family, says Peter Robinson -

The shock of seeing a pensioner's killer back on

They have this strategic vision of a lemming.

The shock of seeing a pensioner's killer back on

the street - a victim's family asks, why couldn't we have been warned?

Dissident republicans list big changes they want to their

Adapting to weather conditions is part and parcel of being a farmer.

What is happening in the industry at the moment? I am here to find out.

The waiting is almost over for this year's Ryder Cup and Rory McIlroy is

named as one of the first pairs in action tomorrow.

And a bit more wind and rain for a time tonight,

The First Minister Peter Robinson took a swipe

at critics within his own party today, describing them as ?lemmings?

The comments follow yesterday's chain of events where

the former Health Minister Edwin Poots claimed Mr Robinson was going

to stand down ahead of the next Assembly elections.

Late this afternoon, a series of DUP MPs and MLAs have backed

Our political correspondent Gareth Gordon has the latest.

This was Peter Robinson, the First Minister, on his way to another job

announcement. But today, there was also Peter Robinson, the DUP

leader. There are some people so puffed up by their own importance,

people have the strategic vision of a lemming, and we have to deal with

those people. They won't take us off course, it is very clear where the

party's direction is, and the party has choices to make. It can follow

people down a road to destruction him a division within the party, and

the consequences which will be paid for that, or they can move ahead. Do

what we said in her election commitments of taking Northern

Ireland forward, that is a clear choice. I can't stop people from

making comments, all I can do is continue to raise issues with the

party officers. They have indicated their support for the strategy I

have outlined and we will see what the people have to say. He wouldn't

name names, so who can? Who is he talking about? It could be Edwin

Poots who lost his job as Health Minister today and was slapped down

after saying Mr Robinson would be gone in as leader within months. Or

then it could be the agricultural committee boss who was left behind.

Or it could be Paul given. It could be a number of people, trying to

whisper behind backs. The party will deal with them. Are you saying there

will be disciplinary action? I don't think there is anything I have said

which isn't sufficiently clear. What did one of the DUP's newest

ministers think? I think they made a mistake. Ignorance is bliss.

Colleagues were not so shy in what seems to be a campaign in a twitter

support. They were joined by Mr puts -- Mr Poots, and even used similar

language to a mandate to lead. They have laid bare internal strife and a

party that is often declared to be one big happy family, but he may

have pulled a masterstroke by putting down a rebellion quickly.

This is him leaving a meeting this afternoon. Were you happy about the

tweets he didn't say. Perhaps he thought he set enough.

Let's discuss this now with our political editor Mark Devenport,

Certainly Peter Robinson has acted in a fairly strong way today, both

in his language and earlier this week with moving ahead with his

reshuffle, when he targeted people who seem to be critical of him in

internal meetings. This tactic of taking to social media, to Twitter,

to pledge your loyalty to the leader, it has been subject to some

derision from other parties, but it has been an effective demonstration

of the white range of support he has got, so as the week comes to a

close, he seems to have won this fight. There is always grumbling,

but he seems to be on top. The Executive met today with

the Finance Minister, saying it urgently needs to take

action over spending cuts. No, there was no formal vote taken

and no decisions made. I gather that Executive ministers discussed the

matter of the two million pounds savings they have to make, but the

Justice Minister was quite exasperated when he came out because

he felt this matter of dealing with this can no longer be postponed.

There was no agreement to where we are going. We have pushed the fact

that the Executive needs to live up to the resource abilities that

people gave us, but there is no willingness around the table to be

realistic about making things better for the people of Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein didn't say anything after the meeting?

Not on the way out of the meeting, they left without making any

comment, that earlier in the day on the fringes of that job

announcement, Martin McGuinness did say that essentially he blames the

British Government for putting the Executive in an unreasonable

position. He said signing off on the changes to welfare reform was not

the way to go, and essentially Sinn Fein is saying they want to

negotiate it out with the British Government, but there is real

nervousness on the part of civil servants who don't want to sign off

on budgets or to assure the treasury that they will meet spending

controls when they can see they are on course to crash there is those

pending limits. -- spending limits. The leader of the UK Independence

Party Nigel Farage has said MPs from Northern Ireland should not vote

on matters which concern England. Mr Farage's party conference

begins tomorrow. There's been much political debate

about the shape of devolution across the UK after the Scottish

independence referendum. The UKIP leader has already said

Scottish MPs should refrain He told

our political reporter Stephen Walker that the same principle

should apply to MPs from here. Logically, we are going to have to

talk to Northern Ireland and to Wales about that same situation. We

cannot go on with a situation where English people now pay tuition fees

because the Westminster party, with the majority of Scottish MPs, voted

for it. It is not right and not fair. We need a completely new

constitutional adamant. I don't believe that can be put together in

the course of a few weeks in a private committee room. I want us to

have a UK constitutional event to talk it out. You're making a 2-tier

Parliament. That is true. We could make a extra layer with 500 extra

ministers, but I don't think there's any demand for that. We have a fair

deal between England and Scotland. That is where the tension is, that

is what needs to be sorted. Everything needs to be on the table.

When Maxim people would say that you are not behaving like a unionist. --

some people would say. England would break away, and say that it is

enough. We need to have devolution that works for everyone.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested following the death of a young woman

The 19-year-old medical student, who's from the Ards Peninsula,

was found unconscious in a flat in Cromore Gardens in the Creggan

The police say they are investigating the circumstances.

Police are trying to establish her movement and say she took a taxi

with friends at one ATM. -- one a M.

The family of a pensioner who died after being beaten on

a night out have called for reform of victims services here, after one

of them they drove past the man who was jailed for the killing.

They were unaware he had been let out of prison.

At the moment, victims of crime in Northern Ireland have to opt in

to the system to be kept informed, even though elsewhere in the UK

Jim, seen here at a family wedding, was beaten so badly that he spent

ten days in a coma before dying from his injuries. A man pleaded guilty

to manslaughter and was jailed for three years, but the devastated by

the death, the family didn't realise at the time they would have to fill

out a form to be informed about any developments with the attacker. They

only recently found out he was allowed out of the jail on a form of

the release. My son was on a street in town and was in a van and the man

walked past him. We were annoyed that nobody ever thought of

contacting us, or let us know, or prepare us. So I can warn my sisters

and daughters, my family. How are we going to react if we do see him? If

one of us bumped into him in town... I don't know.

In England and Wales, people are automatically registered. We have

already said that this hampers the board. The board said they

understand this, and are committed to working with the victims.

The family were already very disappointed with the criminal

justice system. The police disciplined seven officers and

involved in the initial investigation when they had said he

had simply fallen, that he hadn't been attacked. The victims charter

that is with the justice committee at the moment should be in place by

the end of this Assembly term, but that is too little, too late for

Dissident republicans in Maghaberry Prison have asked

the prison authorities to implement wide ranging changes they say will

31 prisoners aligned to the group referred to as the New IRA

want security measures relaxed and improved facilities for visits.

The proposed changes are being opposed by the outgoing chairman

of the justice committee, the DUP's Paul Givan.

Our home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney reports.

Tensions and disputes between republican prisoners and the

There are currently around 50 dissident republicans being held

The majority of them are aligned to the group

The group has accused the prison service of breaking

the terms of an agreement to relax security - and have sent the

authorities a document containing a wide range of proposed changes.

The BBC has obtained a copy of the 14 page paper,

In a section dealing with security issues,

That's angered the DUP's Paul Givan, who raised the issue with

Justice Minister David Ford before it was announced that he's

being replaced as chairman of the Justice Committee.

These proposals that are publicans are after is to remove any presence

of security staffer from their landings to avoid them ever being

locked up at any point within the facilities. This is a return back to

the Amaze and some fear it would be worse that. These are very real

concerns that the staff or relating to me and I have already met with

the Justice Minister and made it clear to him that there should be

these concessions made to Republic terrorists. -- Republican

terrorists. The document also calls

for an overhaul of arrangements I visited Maghaberry yesterday

and spent an hour speaking to a Veteran republican

Harry Fitzsimons is on remand with two other prominent

dissidents, including Colin Duffy, charged with attempting to murder

members of the security forces. He told me the document is not

a threat or an ultimatum, but an attempt to reduce

tensions and conflict He quoted from a number

of inspection reports. Those reports described

the controls on movement within the He said that,

as far as the prisoners are concerned, the system is not about

security but lowering their morale. Sources close to

the prison officers association They said those held

in the dissident wing are highly dangerous, and that controls

on movement are essential. In a statement,

the Prison Service said senior staff talk to prisoners on a regular basis

to discuss a range of issues. It said a review

of the implementation of the agreement reached in August

2010, which the prisons say should have resulted in a relaxation

in security, is currently being carried out and a report is expected

at the end of this month. A look at today's other news to --

now. Two men have been arrested over the murder of a man and many years

ago. He was found killed in 1999. Police believe he may have been

deliberately struck by a car. In the 1980s, Ayman Collins retracted his

statement against alleged IRA members.

The estimated number of school-age children with some form of autism

in Northern Ireland has risen by 67%, according to the latest

A report says the number of autistic children has increased to nearly

Boys are almost five times more likely to be affected

The report says that the highest prevalence rates are

among children in both the least and most deprived areas.

An IT company is creating 50 jobs with an expansion of its office

The positions at Version One will pay average salaries of ?57,000

a year - the highest of any jobs ever granted aid by Invest NI.

The firm which has offices across Britain and Ireland provides

computer support to public and private sector companies.

We implement those IT systems for our clients throughout

the world, and once they go live, we support them.

Most of the jobs here in Belfast will be supporting customers

on complex IT systems, making sure they stay up 24/7.

A farm business has been found not guilty of animal cruelty in a court

case brought by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A USPCA surveillance operation last March recorded a stag being brought

from Ballycrune Farm in County Down to a location near Katesbridge.

There, it was held for several days before being

Now a magistrate has ruled that he could not be satisfied

beyond reasonable doubt that the animal had actually suffered.

Falling beef, pig and milk prices are having a serious

Coupled with EU restrictions, agriculture, one of our most

important industries, is trying to work through its difficulties.

But Donna went to County Down this afternoon and discovered

Farmers are loving that the dry weather we have had recently. Great

time for harvesting. With your farmers Union hat on, the state of

the Northern Ireland agricultural industry, who is having the most

difficulty? If you look at the industry, prices

are an issue in all sectors. We have seen prices rise and fall in every

sector and the one that has taken the biggest take this year is the

beef sector. There are major problems there. We do have issues

around the dairy sector as well since the ban of European a product

going into Russia, there are issues there as well, but huge pressures

coming on from the major retailers on our vegetable and potato sectors.

Anything that can be done to help the farmers at the store mid-level

-- Stormont level? We're dealing with situation here and sometimes

you think what is happening here maybe doesn't have a major impact

throughout the world, but I think the local executive certainly have

given their backing to the local industry with their strategy report

and given the right signals from our retailers would certainly respond.

Why stay in such an unpredictable business? Briley, once a farmer,

always a farmer. You do have all situations to deal with. The weather

is one of the main ones. If you can't cope with the weather, don't

be a farmer. The recent dry weather, we have actually had 10% last

rainfall than usual. Our weather presenter Geoff Maskell

has been looking at the effects What a difference a month can make.

The last time I was here, the weather wasn't quite so kind to us.

I was here to meet in agricultural student and the rain just kept

coming down. That was back in August when it rained two days out of

three. One of the wettest summer month on record, with 44% more rain

than usual. When you get good weather, things flow much smoother.

You find yourself catching up on your jobs and getting ahead. There

are a big list of dry weather jobs and a small list of the wet weather

jobs, but there is a point where it gets too dry. You are not telling me

you want some rain? You always want what you can't have. Never

satisfied, but the high street has seen the good weather cause

confusion for retailers. We had lovely weather last week and we are

hoping for the comeback. The news forecast that it would be nice

though I will still wear my summer wardrobe. The jumpers are the first

thing to go, although it is mid-September and still quite warm.

Although some jumpers are bucking the trend. The dry September means

there is certainly more colour around. Everything has lasted far,

far longer because we haven't had the bad weather, the rain, the wind

and all the usual stuff. It is down to the fact that people have been

able to go out into their gardens and look after their plans, all of

the bedding plants that would have normally been knocked away with

rain, they are still here. There are no concerns about supplies of water

even though there is good weather. There are no signs of restrictions

anytime soon. The farmer on this land is hoping

that the dry spell will continue for at least a fortnight to help with

the solving. One thing is for sure, whatever the weather, the business

of farming never stands still. Now sport,

and the build-up is almost over and Stephen Watson is live at Gleneagles

in Scotland. The opening ceremony has just

finished and we do now who will play in the first set of matches

in the morning. The main event will see world number

one Rory McIlroy will partner Spaniard Sergio Garcia for Europe in

the final game against American's Phil made comments yesterday about

McElroy's relationship with Graham, he had a bit of a slave, so it could

be an interesting play. Graeme McDowell will sit out

the morning's play. Lining up for Ryder Cup battle with

a traditional Scottish welcome for A proud moment

for the first ever Irish captain, who enjoyed introducing his two

of his team in particular. From an Northern Ireland, Graeme

McDowell. Royal McElroy's Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy and McDowell won't be a double act on this occasion, as

Their determination to win tomorrow's game

against their American opponents was obvious after comments by

Phil Mickelson about McIlroy?s relationship with McDowell.

Sergio and Rory, who formed a real blonde and friendship, and respect

each other 's games during the summer period, they are the players

and they complement each other. They'd enjoy each other. They'd

enjoy each other's company. It was a natural fit.

There's a big Irish influence to Paul McGinley's back room team.

Multiple major winner Padraig Harrington and former Ryder cup

I am not a player, so I have to make sure I take that step back and I am

excited about how the week will go. It really is, as much as I have been

had many cups before, this is different. When you have the number

one player on your team, it is fantastic. But with 12 great

players, they are jelling fantastically well and Rory is a

special player. We all know that Graham is hard, he is also a special

player and you know when the heat comes on, these guys will stand up.

And helping get the all-important course ready the players is

The back I used to play here in 94, so to be asked back again, it was

something else. I jumped at the chance. It doesn't get much bigger

than this. The whole place is buzzing and as you can see, the

course is great and it will just get better. Up to Rory and Graham to do

their stuff. McIlroy tees

off the final match tomorrow morning McDowell is expected to be action

with Frenchman Victor Dubuisson And McElroy tees off at 8:20am

tomorrow. I can hardly wait. I am sure.

And now for the weather, will the farmers be happy or sad?

Well, more dry weather. This was the scene along the coast this morning,

with low cloud here. The cloud did break in some spots, and when it did

break, it was quite a warm afternoon. Out a lot of brightness

to end the day, but apart from the odd shower, it is mainly dry. We

have a change overnight, with a weather front moving in from the

west. You can see the white lines, quite a few of them there, that is

showing gusty wind. It will bring a narrow band of rain through,

probably clearing by the time we get to tomorrow. Him behind, we get some

temperature no lower than nine degrees Celsius. Into tomorrow, a

much more promising day. It will be brighter. The gusty wind eases a

little bit, but it will still be breezy around the coast. A very

different start to the day tomorrow I'm not the gloom, we will have

sunshine. There may be some patchy clouds throughout the day, but some

decent spells of sunshine. All of us will have that westerly breeze,

which will make it feel fresher with temperatures between 14 and 16

Celsius. Tomorrow evening, a cooler but the brighter evening. It looks

like it will be a cool night tomorrow night with temperatures

settling at around seven Celsius. Burrell spots could be lower than

that. -- rural. It seems to be mainly dry.

Enjoy your evening. We will