:00:25. > :00:25.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline:
:00:26. > :00:31.Heavy snow causes treacherous driving conditions in many places.
:00:32. > :00:33.As pedestrians slip and slide, who should take responsibility
:00:34. > :00:49.Almost 400 were arrested over Christmas, accused of trick driving,
:00:50. > :00:52.including a police officer. -- drinking and driving.
:00:53. > :00:54.Also on the programme: A self portrait by the Dutch master
:00:55. > :00:57.Rembrandt goes on show in Belfast for the first time.
:00:58. > :01:07.Jared Payne returns for the European showdown against Saracens tomorrow.
:01:08. > :01:09.After last night's snow, tonight ice is the big issue.
:01:10. > :01:11.The chance of freezing fog and temperatures down
:01:12. > :01:17.First to that exclusive story about a prison
:01:18. > :01:21.She has been arrested over an alleged sexual affair
:01:22. > :01:25.The officer has been suspended from duty while it's understood
:01:26. > :01:27.the prisoner has been moved to an isolation unit
:01:28. > :01:43.This is the loyalist killer at the centre of an alleged sexual scandal,
:01:44. > :01:47.in which a female officer has been suspended and arrested. Robert Young
:01:48. > :01:52.is serving a life sentence for a brutal murder in 2003. Drug dealer
:01:53. > :01:59.Jim Johnson was shot outside his home. Jailing for a minimum of 22
:02:00. > :02:04.years, the judge said he had shown Siew Prima indifference to the
:02:05. > :02:08.murder and his conviction. He said he was guilty of a brutal, callous
:02:09. > :02:13.murder. -- shown extreme indifference. There was a suspicion
:02:14. > :02:19.of a relationship developing between the officer and young, while both
:02:20. > :02:24.work in the prison kitchens. It is understood the officer was arrested
:02:25. > :02:29.last week as she arrived for work. But the authorities had suspected
:02:30. > :02:32.something was wrong much earlier. A decision was taken to launch a
:02:33. > :02:38.covert intelligence gathering operation. This eventually led to
:02:39. > :02:41.police being called in. The officer was arrested and questioned about a
:02:42. > :02:47.suspected sexual relationship with the prisoner. She has been released
:02:48. > :02:52.on police bail pending further investigations but potentially faces
:02:53. > :02:53.a charge of gross misconduct in a public office. In a statement, the
:02:54. > :03:12.Department of Justice said... Tonight, I understand Robert Young
:03:13. > :03:18.is being held in an isolation unit as the authorities try and establish
:03:19. > :03:19.if what was allegedly going on could have led to any breaches of prison
:03:20. > :03:25.security. The first real cold snap
:03:26. > :03:28.of the winter has caused problems on the roads and led
:03:29. > :03:30.to the closure of two schools. Overnight snow falls and freezing
:03:31. > :03:33.conditions meant people living on higher ground and in more
:03:34. > :03:36.isolated areas were worst hit, particularly in county Tyrone
:03:37. > :03:41.and across the north west. Road gritters had to be withdrawn
:03:42. > :03:44.from service in Londonderry after they came under attack
:03:45. > :03:57.from stone throwers. Even the critters found it difficult
:03:58. > :04:02.in the winter conditions. This vehicle was not alone. Motorists on
:04:03. > :04:13.high ground and on untreated roads struggled to cope. We had heavy snow
:04:14. > :04:19.overnight. Ice on the roads this morning. It was not easy getting
:04:20. > :04:24.about. They are very slippy. It is difficult here. I have only just
:04:25. > :04:30.come out. But the road is very slippery now. Very bad. I have not
:04:31. > :04:33.been on the main road yet. We started at nine o'clock this
:04:34. > :04:37.morning. The main roads are fine. Some of these high roads and by
:04:38. > :04:43.roads, there is a covering of snow and ice. They are treacherous. In
:04:44. > :04:47.Derry, these vehicles treating roads in the Creggan area had to be
:04:48. > :04:52.withdrawn four hours overnight after they were attacked by stonethrowers.
:04:53. > :04:57.Ten past ten last night a driver reported he came under attack in the
:04:58. > :05:03.Creggan estate by young people throwing snowballs and stones. The
:05:04. > :05:08.policy is when that happens the driver is removed from that area for
:05:09. > :05:14.his safety. Unfortunately a number of roads in that area were left
:05:15. > :05:19.untreated. Life on the farm is were made harder by cold snaps and
:05:20. > :05:25.keeping livestock fed and watered is a priority. It has come very quick.
:05:26. > :05:30.We were not expecting so much this morning when we came out. You cannot
:05:31. > :05:33.get the tractors into sheds and start to get them out of the cold.
:05:34. > :05:38.There is no water in the pipes and you have to carry water. Everything
:05:39. > :05:45.takes a while longer and is a bit harder. The sheds are cold, cold
:05:46. > :05:48.air, you are in the middle of the night Cowles, calves are born and
:05:49. > :05:56.are a bit delicate and you can lose cards in the cold. Despite the
:05:57. > :05:58.weather, just two schools had to close in Northern Ireland, one in
:05:59. > :06:06.Tyrone and one in the Glens of Antrim. Alternative methods of
:06:07. > :06:08.transport were being tried out! Elsewhere, the more conventional
:06:09. > :06:14.travellers were taking it easy. Concentrating on the road ahead.
:06:15. > :06:19.Others were taking the opportunity to grab some spectacular pictures
:06:20. > :06:25.with aerial drones. It does not matter what Curry -- colour your
:06:26. > :06:31.will is. It is same in this area and it looks set to continue. There is a
:06:32. > :06:32.warning of sub zero temperatures, freezing fog and more ice on the way
:06:33. > :06:37.tonight. The weather forecast is for more sub
:06:38. > :06:39.zero temperatures along We'll have more on that later
:06:40. > :06:43.in the programme. The freezing conditions have also
:06:44. > :06:45.been causing major problems for pedestrians and now there's
:06:46. > :06:47.a row over who is responsible Many people in Belfast city centre
:06:48. > :06:51.faced a treacherous walk to work this morning, as Rick Faragher
:06:52. > :06:59.has been finding out. Treading carefully. People struggle
:07:00. > :07:02.on pavements covered in highs. Temperature dropped to freezing.
:07:03. > :07:10.People are working to find little treatment on the footways. I watched
:07:11. > :07:13.and people are slippery -- slipping on the pavement and walking
:07:14. > :07:17.awkwardly into work. It slowed people down, slowed into use down in
:07:18. > :07:27.terms of getting to work places this morning. I walked to work the other
:07:28. > :07:31.day and fell ten times. Residential areas are worse than they are. But I
:07:32. > :07:36.have not had problems myself. Children come here and all people
:07:37. > :07:39.and it is very slippy. Even in the afternoon people carried on with
:07:40. > :07:46.caution as the temperature again fell. Who is responsible for making
:07:47. > :07:53.icy pavement safe? It is not a statutory responsibility. It is the
:07:54. > :07:57.people working on the road service. If they want to transfer that power,
:07:58. > :08:02.I think no stone should be turned till I get it sorted out. I do not
:08:03. > :08:06.want people falling like they did this morning and putting pressure on
:08:07. > :08:15.emergency units. In response, transport and I said that...
:08:16. > :08:27.More freezing weather is expected to night and this weekend. It means
:08:28. > :08:30.another treacherous the days for pedestrians. -- tonight and this
:08:31. > :08:33.weekend. The police arrested a man they'd
:08:34. > :08:35.been searching for in connection with a serious assault
:08:36. > :08:38.on a woman in Newtownabbey. Officers had appealed
:08:39. > :08:40.for the 33-year-old man to contact them after a woman was critically
:08:41. > :08:43.injured in the attack in Glengormley The police had released a photo
:08:44. > :08:47.of him and details of his car on Thursday and warned the public
:08:48. > :08:49.not to approach him. The man was arrested
:08:50. > :08:56.on the Newtownards Road in Belfast Almost 400 motorists were arrested
:08:57. > :09:02.over Christmas accused The number of arrests
:09:03. > :09:23.amounted to a 40% increase Every drink increases your risk of
:09:24. > :09:27.crashing. In spite of all the television advert campaigns, police
:09:28. > :09:33.warnings, the number of people drinking and driving is not going
:09:34. > :09:40.down. In fact it is going up. Over Christmas and the New Year, 396
:09:41. > :09:46.people were arrested. 71 women and 325 men. Including one driver
:09:47. > :09:52.arrested twice in a few days. Both on suspicion of drink and driving.
:09:53. > :09:58.The total number of arrests is higher than last year. It is a 40%
:09:59. > :10:02.increase. One of those arrested by the police was one of their own
:10:03. > :10:07.officers. What happens to police officers if they are found guilty of
:10:08. > :10:11.drinking and driving? A number of police officers have lost their jobs
:10:12. > :10:17.recently. They can certainly expect to find themselves in front of a
:10:18. > :10:22.panel when action -- and one action available is the loss of a job. This
:10:23. > :10:27.is the latest TV ad. Police hope drivers get the message. Anybody
:10:28. > :10:32.caught in the campaign of Christmas can be expected to be charged and
:10:33. > :10:35.put before a court, they can expect to convocation from driving and had
:10:36. > :10:38.to pass the test before coming back road and big insurance bills when
:10:39. > :10:43.they do try to come back after at least 12 months. In addition to the
:10:44. > :10:49.significant social embarrassment for being caught. Who are the people
:10:50. > :10:53.being arrested? Police statistics show they are right across Northern
:10:54. > :10:59.Ireland and of all different ages, from teenagers to one driver
:11:00. > :11:03.arrested this Christmas, aged 83. The holiday period might now be over
:11:04. > :11:07.but the warnings and testing will continue.
:11:08. > :11:11.There's been a verdict of accidental death recorded at the inquest
:11:12. > :11:28.His foreman had two pilots were killed in 2014 when the helicopter
:11:29. > :11:33.in which they travelled came down in dense fog in Norfolk. The founder of
:11:34. > :11:38.Norbrook Laboratories was one of the richest men in Highland. The inquest
:11:39. > :11:42.held that there were no mechanical faults with the helicopter but it
:11:43. > :11:46.would not be allowed to take off from a licensed aerodrome in severe
:11:47. > :11:52.weather conditions. Private helipads are not subject to the same
:11:53. > :11:58.regulations. We believe after this evidence that it was a preventable
:11:59. > :12:00.accident. We urge the aviation authority to expedite the
:12:01. > :12:05.application of long overdue regulations. They are expected to
:12:06. > :12:10.come into force later this year, August 2000 16. It is essential to
:12:11. > :12:26.stop the loss of more innocent lives. -- 2016.
:12:27. > :12:31.A 21-year-old, whose name cannot be given appeared in a court in Belfast
:12:32. > :12:36.earlier this week when she was ordered to stand trial at a date yet
:12:37. > :12:39.to be set. A protest was organised by a Lions for choice saying that
:12:40. > :12:41.she was the first to be charged with procuring her own abortion in at
:12:42. > :12:48.least 40 years. Two English exam boards announced
:12:49. > :12:52.yesterday that they would no longer That affects about a quarter
:12:53. > :12:55.of exams taken by pupils Come September all English boards
:12:56. > :12:59.will operate under a numerical results system with
:13:00. > :13:02.nine to one grade. The results here will
:13:03. > :13:05.continue to be A to G. After repeated calls
:13:06. > :13:09.for the Education Minister to change in line with England I
:13:10. > :13:11.asked him this afternoon how much he thought local
:13:12. > :13:22.students would lose out. I do not think they will lose out
:13:23. > :13:27.and if I did I would not have made the decision, made in November 2000
:13:28. > :13:31.15. As part of the planning I did not hesitate at a number of the
:13:32. > :13:38.awarding body saying they may remove the services. I have plans in place
:13:39. > :13:40.and I will be giving two schools Mapping the way ahead for those
:13:41. > :13:48.students currently studying on what is known as the current system and
:13:49. > :13:51.in future years to come. What do you say to parents fearful their
:13:52. > :13:56.children will not have the same education standard they now have at
:13:57. > :14:01.the moment? And in particular the choice of different exams, subjects
:14:02. > :14:08.and courses? They will have access to the same courses and access to
:14:09. > :14:13.the same subjects. The question is who will be the provider? That is
:14:14. > :14:19.the question to be answered. I am confident that we will be able to
:14:20. > :14:25.provide robust transferable exams this year and into the future. I
:14:26. > :14:29.have prepared for this announcement from what is known as the awarding
:14:30. > :14:33.bodies for several weeks and I will put forward more information to
:14:34. > :14:37.schools in weeks to come. Plans are at an advanced stage. It has not
:14:38. > :14:41.come as a shock. It is disappointing this decision has been made but it
:14:42. > :14:46.has not been a surprise or shock. They have not caught us on the hop.
:14:47. > :14:51.Plans are in place and they will be communicated to schools and students
:14:52. > :14:56.and parents. You can guarantee children are not being put out on a
:14:57. > :15:01.limb, so to speak? It must you remembered that they went on their
:15:02. > :15:07.own in regards to the GCSE model. England alone has decided to award
:15:08. > :15:12.9-1. Wales remained with the same system I'm advocating. Scotland has
:15:13. > :15:16.a totally different education exam system, as does the south of
:15:17. > :15:27.Ireland. All these systems can move forward. John O'Dowd.
:15:28. > :15:29.We have a story of enduring love between this man
:15:30. > :15:31.and woman who've been married for nearly 70 years.
:15:32. > :15:34.When Aileen Steele had to go into a care home in Ballynahinch,
:15:35. > :15:38.her husband Herbie, who is 91, moved house so he be close to her.
:15:39. > :15:48.Would you Move mountains to be close to a loved one? Herbie has done the
:15:49. > :15:54.next test thing, moving house from his old family home 20 miles down
:15:55. > :15:59.the road to be beside his wife. She is being cared for in a nursing home
:16:00. > :16:11.for elderly people with dementia. I met her on VE night. May, 1945. He
:16:12. > :16:16.was then only 17 and a half. I was 20. They were married three years
:16:17. > :16:22.later. Herbie lives opposite the care home despite being blind, he
:16:23. > :16:32.visits his wife every day. I wanted to be with her. Always very close
:16:33. > :16:37.together. Very much so. All right, Herbie? He can only make the short
:16:38. > :16:42.trip if somebody is with him. This is his neighbour. Sometimes I say, I
:16:43. > :16:47.do not think we will go today because it is a very bad day. He
:16:48. > :17:02.says, if you're willing to go, I am, he says. She does not know much
:17:03. > :17:08.about it. She knows very little. Knows very little, the memory has
:17:09. > :17:14.completely gone. Very often there is no talk out of her at all. I am
:17:15. > :17:19.happy to be very close to her, even though I cannot be with her all the
:17:20. > :17:25.time. It makes me very happy to see her happy and contented. He has
:17:26. > :17:26.moved heaven and earth to be with her, a good old-fashioned love
:17:27. > :17:34.story. Two peas in a pod. This is one of the world's most
:17:35. > :17:37.famous paintings by the Dutch artist It goes on display at
:17:38. > :17:40.the Ulster Museum in Belfast this weekend and is part of a tour
:17:41. > :17:43.of masterpieces which allows more You've heard of people taking
:17:44. > :17:48.a selfie with their mobile phones. Well, as Francis Gorman reports,
:17:49. > :18:03.this is a 400 year version. It is called self portrait, at the
:18:04. > :18:08.age of 63. It was painted in the last year of the artist's live,
:18:09. > :18:12.1669. It has been in the National Gallery in London since 1851 and has
:18:13. > :18:17.now come to the Ulster Museum. I could not be more pleased. Never in
:18:18. > :18:28.my career have I ever had anything as excited as hanging a Rembrandt in
:18:29. > :18:31.the museum. It is the quality, excitedly the beauty of the work. It
:18:32. > :18:37.does everything. It is a magnificent painting. Children from a school in
:18:38. > :18:42.County Armagh were among the first to see the painting today. It makes
:18:43. > :18:46.him look really strong and powerful and shows how great he was in the
:18:47. > :18:53.17th century and how important he may have been. It is great showing
:18:54. > :18:57.them the work on the Internet, but the first preference is to show them
:18:58. > :19:01.art in its natural state. Standing in the gallery, feet on the ground,
:19:02. > :19:04.looking at it, enjoying it and appreciating it in the real sense,
:19:05. > :19:10.that is when you get the full emotional work. It is part of an
:19:11. > :19:13.exhibition showcasing the Ulster Museum's collection of old Dutch
:19:14. > :19:18.masters and runs until March the 13th.
:19:19. > :19:20.There's an important weekend ahead for Ulster's rugby players
:19:21. > :19:27.Payne is back just in time for the European game
:19:28. > :19:34.It is the first game for Ulster this season after he sustained a foot
:19:35. > :19:39.He's one of seven changes to the team which narrowly
:19:40. > :19:42.defeated Oyannax last week, with key players Ryan Pienaar,
:19:43. > :19:45.Paddy Jackson and Andrew Trimble all included.
:19:46. > :19:47.As Nial Foster reports Ulster haven't got a good track record
:19:48. > :20:01.Earlier this season, humbled at home by the English champions. It has
:20:02. > :20:04.been a recurrent theme. They have played this side three times in
:20:05. > :20:11.three years and lost on each occasion. They are roaring into the
:20:12. > :20:20.lead here in Belfast! At the time it hurt. We try not to make it a case
:20:21. > :20:23.of, we go there... It is more taking confidence and momentum from the
:20:24. > :20:27.weekend and carrying it forward and getting the details right this week,
:20:28. > :20:32.and going there with confidence and putting in a big performance.
:20:33. > :20:35.Despite losing for the first time this season last week against
:20:36. > :20:38.harlequins in the industry and a ship, Saracens are widely regarded
:20:39. > :20:44.as the best team in the northern hemisphere. -- in the premiership.
:20:45. > :20:49.They are quite pragmatic and the nature allows them to be as good as
:20:50. > :20:55.they are. They understand exactly what they need to do. Were they need
:20:56. > :20:59.to be. In preparing for them, it is not difficult but dealing with them
:21:00. > :21:02.is difficult. Like the opposition last week in France, they also play
:21:03. > :21:12.on an artificial surface. Ulster are prepared. We have played on this
:21:13. > :21:17.before. We are very happy to play on that hard surface and throw the ball
:21:18. > :21:21.around. And they are as well, it seems. It is the home feel. It is a
:21:22. > :21:30.big game of physicality, it is what they pride themselves on. We have
:21:31. > :21:33.got to be better and harder, on the Woolpack and try and take it away
:21:34. > :21:35.from them. If they retain the Wulf Pack, they will be one step closer
:21:36. > :21:41.to the quarterfinals. -- Wulf Pack. In local football tonight's
:21:42. > :21:43.Premiership game between Ballinamallard and Portadown is off
:21:44. > :21:45.because of the weather. The decision to call off
:21:46. > :21:48.the league encounter was made following a lunchtime
:21:49. > :21:49.pitch inspection. Five Premiership games are scheduled
:21:50. > :21:57.for tomorrow including leaders Crusaders hosting Glentoran,
:21:58. > :21:58.and Cliftonville will have a new striker
:21:59. > :22:00.for their match against Glenavon. Today they signed Darren Murray
:22:01. > :22:03.from Portadown on a three-and-a-half He's eligible as the move
:22:04. > :22:09.was completed before the midday This week's County Antrim shield
:22:10. > :22:15.winners Ballymena meet Carrick, while Linfield who lost
:22:16. > :22:17.the final are at home The findings of a recent report
:22:18. > :22:22.by Derry City football club has revealed there is no appetite
:22:23. > :22:24.from fans to return to the Irish
:22:25. > :22:25.League. Derry left the league over 40 years
:22:26. > :22:28.ago before joining the Republic's But as Kieron Tourish reports
:22:29. > :22:41.not everyone is happy. When they return to senior soccer in
:22:42. > :22:47.1985 there was a scramble to secure tickets to see matches here, but
:22:48. > :22:50.more recently after they almost went out of business the board wants to
:22:51. > :22:55.revitalise the club and plan for the future. One legend favours a return
:22:56. > :23:00.to the Irish league. Personally I would love to see it down in
:23:01. > :23:09.Coleraine, matches that means something. There are a lot of games
:23:10. > :23:14.were no fans are coming. They has to be something done about that. Denis
:23:15. > :23:18.Bradley is a lifelong city fan who co-authored a new report on how to
:23:19. > :23:22.move forward and said the club needs to connect with young people, build
:23:23. > :23:26.community links and appoint a general manager to raise finance and
:23:27. > :23:31.profiles. What about returning to the Irish league? Tensions are still
:23:32. > :23:37.around with the old hostilities that exist. Derry city fans are
:23:38. > :23:42.comfortable in the league, even though it is a long journey. They
:23:43. > :23:46.are comfortable coming here. At the moment they say, whatever the
:23:47. > :23:50.future, just for the moment, we will stay where we are. It has been
:23:51. > :23:55.confirmed work on a major upgrade is starting in July. With a new look
:23:56. > :24:00.stadium and playing surface there are new challenges as well. Dennis
:24:01. > :24:04.thinks the situation is so series of the future of clubs north and south
:24:05. > :24:10.of the border is at stake. To do nothing is not an option. In order
:24:11. > :24:11.for clubs to make sure they survive, they must introduce a new generation
:24:12. > :24:23.of fans through the turnstiles. This weekend it's the semi-finals
:24:24. > :24:25.of Gaelic football's Bank Derry take on Cavan,
:24:26. > :24:28.and holders Tyrone will play Fermanagh, who are hoping
:24:29. > :24:41.their meteoric rise in 2015 Promotion and a place in the
:24:42. > :24:44.quarterfinal. 2016 is the year when they hope to continue that
:24:45. > :24:52.improvement. Starting with a place in the cup final. It has shown that
:24:53. > :24:55.in recent times, they had a readily successful season and it was always
:24:56. > :24:59.followed by a dip. We are determined not to let that happen this year.
:25:00. > :25:04.Expectations are higher than last year. We have had expectations for
:25:05. > :25:10.ourselves. We look forward to the challenges ahead. That's next
:25:11. > :25:13.challenge, Tyrone. He has scored more than any team in the contest
:25:14. > :25:27.this season. The manager expects a battle. I know the manner of
:25:28. > :25:29.competitive. -- the team. We like neighbours, we have so many
:25:30. > :25:33.neighbours it is unbelievable in every game we play, it is almost a
:25:34. > :25:36.derby match every time. We have got to get used that. The game will take
:25:37. > :25:47.place here on Sunday. Whatever team, whatever sport you
:25:48. > :25:56.are watching, I think it would be a good idea to wrap up warm, unless it
:25:57. > :26:02.is a game indoors. Now the weather. Wrap up at the moment. It is a very,
:26:03. > :26:07.very cold night. Last night the issue was snow and tonight it is
:26:08. > :26:12.ice. This was the scene last night. When we woke up at dawn it was a
:26:13. > :26:16.winter wonderland for everyone. Overnight, because we have had clear
:26:17. > :26:21.spells to end the day, temperatures are really dropping. Severe weather
:26:22. > :26:26.warnings for ice. We could see some temperatures Imro areas as low as
:26:27. > :26:32.minus seven degrees. -- in rural areas. It could be a problem in the
:26:33. > :26:39.Valley tomorrow morning. Then a race against time. We are waiting for the
:26:40. > :26:43.fog to burn back, but to give us some brightness before the clouds
:26:44. > :26:47.are thickening up and this reign over my shoulder is working its way.
:26:48. > :26:52.If you see some bright spells, make the most of it. Sunshine will be in
:26:53. > :26:59.short supply. Even when it is out for a fewer hours, it will not get
:27:00. > :27:02.much above four, 5 degrees. The rain will fall largely as rain, maybe
:27:03. > :27:09.sleet and slow on the very highest ground. -- sleet and snow. Into
:27:10. > :27:15.Sunday, the extra cloud cover means temperatures will not be as cold.
:27:16. > :27:20.Offering around freezing. A little bit more miles than they will be
:27:21. > :27:25.tonight. At the moment, we have high pressure sitting over Ireland. On
:27:26. > :27:31.Sunday it will trap a blanket cloud before this next front arrives. Will
:27:32. > :27:36.be a cold day, a cloudy day, very light wind and mostly drive for most
:27:37. > :27:40.people. Again we are waiting for some that fog to burn back.
:27:41. > :27:47.Temperatures might be topping out at six, 7 degrees. Still quite cold. We
:27:48. > :27:52.have said good buy in Maine to the snow. No more in the forecast for
:27:53. > :27:58.the next few days. -- in the main. Do not put your hot bottle away any
:27:59. > :28:06.time soon. It will be a bit raw. Winter wind and still a bit of bite
:28:07. > :28:10.to it. Have a good weekend. The late summary is at half past ten. From
:28:11. > :28:15.all of us here, take care this weekend. We will see next week.
:28:16. > :28:16.Goodbye.