20/01/2016 BBC Newsline

Tonight's top stories: The police are continuing to question three

people about the murder of Eddie Girvan in Greenisland.

A warning after dozens fall prey to an online blackmail scam.

There will be a request for some kind of sexual imagery. The crime

gang Bob Bryan say that they are blackmailer.

A step closer for the family of Jean McConville to obtaining

the findings of a police investigation into her kidnap

What's the future for GCSE courses from English exam boards here?

Today it was announced at Rory Best is the new Ireland rugby captain.

Just trying to play it cool, but inside my heart was jumping!

After a beautiful day today, it's all change tonight

A grey and wet, mild and murky day to come on Thursday.

Hello and welcome to the programme this Wednesday evening.

A five-year-old boy has been knocked down in Newtownards.

The accident happened at 3.15pm on the Scrabo Road.

Martin Cassidy has been to the scene.

The incident happened around three o'clock this afternoon. There are a

number of schools nearby and it is said that children were making their

way home. One bystander said that the five-year-old boy was carrying

the schoolbag. The police investigation centres on a stretch

of the Scrabo Road, a suburban area on the outskirts of Newtownards. My

husband just came home at 3:15pm and said that the boy was lying on the

Scrabo Road, lying with his wee schoolbag and all. It is just

horrendous. I hope the boy is OK. Many local people are only receiving

news of the incident as they arrive home from work. The area remains

cordoned off. Police investigators have spent

a second day at the home of Eddie Girvan, the Greenisland

pensioner who was found murdered His body was found by chance

when police officers called at his home to make what they have

described as a routine enquiry. Two men and a woman are still

in custody in connection The police have been granted extra

time to interview the woman and one Our reporter Kevin Sharkey has spent

the day in Greenisland. In the shadow of Knockagh monument

today, memories of a friend and former golfing colleague

who spent part of his life It's not far from Eddie Girvan's

home, where his life ended in murder An amiable man. I have known him a

long time. I have known his father, his mother, his brother and sister.

I went to school with them. It is a complete shock to the society.

It is a complete shock to the society.

Outside the pensioner's home today, police.

Inside and out of view, investigators looking for more

Eddie Girvan was last seen alive at this off-licence just behind me,

that was at 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon. Lisa trying to figure out

what happened between them and 9:30pm on Sunday evening. It was

found at his home, his hands were tied and he was stabbed to the

chest. As the police try to bring

justice to this case, locals at the golf club

are remembering their former colleague Eddie Girvan and what one

member described to me He was very helpful. He would have

turned up and helped that somebody had a problem. That was the nature

of the guide. We had our golfing Society and Eddie became a member of

it. We went away to Scotland one time. Eddie turned up on the first

tee box is in his sports jacket, shirt and tie. We all had a bit of a

laugh, but he just continued playing can be enjoyed his company. As the

police tried to bring justice to this case, locals at the golf club

say they are trying to remember the good times they had together.

The police have received more than 60 reports of cyber-related

People who responded to requests for indecent images and videos

were threatened by online criminals, who said they would make the images

When it comes to cyber crime, most people think it will never happen to

me. But the police have been surprised at just how many men and

women have been caught out. We have seen young female victims of the

elderly adult men. From teenagers to people in their 60s. This will

target anyone who uses the Internet. It is a crime that only requires an

Internet connection, so it is no respect of age, class, gender. The

police are investigating 62 different cases. Some people have

been targeted by blackmailers whether you're on pornography sites.

But mainstream websites are also being used. People click on a link

or accept a friend request, and suddenly they are into her

relationship with a person. Eventually there will be a request

for some sort of sexual imagery, perhaps mutual sexual imagery. The

victim provides that the crime gang. The crime gang will then say I am

not too I said I was only need to pay me a certain amount of money. If

you don't I will circulate it. For example, particularly if you're on

social media, I will circulate it to your friends and family. Because you

have led me into your world, I know who your friends and family are. If

someone has sent images that they neither regret or even paid money,

what is due advice? We will not judge you do what you tell us. We

will treat you as the victim of crime, as you are. There are means

and methods that can be adopted to remove some of that imagery and

protect you. The crime gangs involved are often on the other side

of the world in places like the Philippines. Catching criminals is

not easy on the World Wide Web. Catching criminals is not easy

on the World Wide Web. The family of Jean McConville have

come a step closer to obtaining the findings of a police

investigation into her kidnap The mother of ten

was abducted in 1972. Her family has won the right

to seek a judicial review Jean McConville was taken

from her home in Divis Flats in West Belfast in December 1972,

forced to leave her children behind. She was wrongly accused

of being an informer, Her body lay undiscovered at this

beach in County Louth until 2003. Three years later,

the Police Ombudsman concluded a proper investigation

into the murder had not been carried Now the High Court has granted seven

members of the McConville family leave to seek a judicial review

into why they haven't been allowed to see a later Historical Enquiries

Team draft report into the killing. A barrister for the Chief Constable

said it would be made available, once there was no risk

of prejudicing any prosecutions. The family has offered to accept

a suitably redacted version. In court Mr Justice Maguire said

of the family: "They have waited extremely patiently over

an unconscionable period of time He later added: "No-one

could possible accuse the applicants in this case of rushing

into proceedings or expecting A full Judicial Review hearing

is expected later this year. The Police Ombudsman is to begin

an investigation into the deaths of 21 people murdered by loyalists

during the Troubles. The Ombudsman is to investigate

allegations of police The news was released

during a review hearing He was shot dead as he left a police

station in Lurgan in 1990. Our reporter Ita

Dungan was in court. Sam Marshall was shot dead shortly

after leaving Lurgan Police station The 31-year-old former IRA prisoner

had just signed bail papers and was walking away from the police

station with two other Republicans, Today, during a preliminary inquest

hearing into his death, a lawyer for the Ombudsman's Office

said Sam Marshall's death would now be investigated by the watchdog,

along with 20 others. According to Ombudsman's legal team,

the 21 murders had been linked by geographical location,

time span and by the paramilitary By that, he meant the actions

of the UVF in mid-Ulster during the late 1980s

and early 1990s. The lawyer also revealed the inquest

into Mr Marshall's death would now not go ahead until the findings

of a preliminary report Since the time of the shooting there

have been rumours of collusion. A car found near the scene was found

to be a military intelligence It later emerged that it was one

of six vehicles involved in a major surveillance operation involving

undercover soldiers. A Historical Enquiries Team report

into the murder in 2012 also found that two soldiers had followed

the three men when they left the police station and had

"partially witnessed the shootings". The killers two guns were never

found, but were linked Still to come on the programme,

after three months of a weakening pound against the euro, what does it

pound against the euro, what does it mean for our pockets?

It's emerged that some pupils studying GCSEs in Northern Ireland

will get some of their grades in number form.

That is despite Education Minister John O'Dowd's decision that all exam

boards operating here must only give their results using the letters

Our Education Correspondent Robbie Meredith can explain why.

All GCSEs in England will be rated from one to nine. John O'Dowd

decided not to go for this. The problem is that a quarter of the

exams here are taken in English boards. We thought that schools here

would have to take virtually all of their GCSEs through the Northern

Ireland exam board, but that is not quite the case. These people to

Campbell College in Belfast are in their GCSE studies next year and

have been picked subjects like Polish, mountain or psychology some

might get numbered grades from nine .1, and others will get letters.

Manager in will be graded from nine up to one. Other exams will get from

temp three down the GE. Schools will be allowed to offer 9-1 in GCSEs in

those subjects only until alphabetically graded specifications

become available. But see CEA are also revising their own GCSE

courses, meaning that some schools will have to change this year and

again next year. Religious education is one of the subjects to reduce an

English examination board. So the teachers within the department will

have to plan for a new specification. That is being revised

at the moment, launching the new specification from 2017. Campbell

College will potentially have the teach three different GCSE...

Education courses in three years. Just a few miles away, teachers see

your face the same situation in regards to the current GCSEs in

computing. With the changes that have been brought out we have to

look for a different specification. The Northern Ireland board are not

bringing on a computing course until 2017. So, we could have three

different systems in three years. Many schools are in a similar

position and have a short time to make a definitive decision on the

way ahead. So, a very complex situation for the

schools to deal with. A-Level to not affected by these changes. Robbie,

The value of the pound has been weakening against the euro over

That comes after a period of strength, which meant your money

went further on cross-border shopping or Spanish holidays.

So, will the pound continue to weaken and what impact

Here's our Economics and Business Editor,

Newry is a city well used to the impact of currency fluctuations.

When the pound is strong against the euro, it makes sense

for shoppers to head south where their money will go further.

The pound was exceptionally strong last year.

Historically, Newry has had to deal with the vagaries of the rates of

sterling and the euro. We have learned to deal with that. As far as

last year, it all came down to perception and the press were

saying, look how strong the point isn't how we are your release, so

people began to travel to the south the shop.

Hospitality was probably hit hardest, with wedding parties

in particular spying a bargain across the border.

People do come and ask you what the exchange rate is, but what they

stress to them is that the exchange rate is not certain and in a few

years' time it might have changed in the opposite way.

But now the tide could be turning, with various economic factors

So, a weaker pound could bring some relief to border retailers, but for

consumers it is a pain, particularly when it comes to holidays. If the

pound continues to weaken it will make relatively more expensive to

travel to America or Europe. But the dose businesses trying to sell their

business abroad, it can make it more competitive. About half of all of

exports -- all of our exports go to the euro land. So that is a huge

This time last year it cost about 77p to buy a euro.

Today, it costs about 77p to buy a euro.

But in between times, euros became as cheap as 70p.

So there will always currency fluctuations and its hard to say

if the pound is in for a prolonged period of weakness.

Coming up before seven o'clock, we assess the state of play between the

two main nationalist parties. between the two main

nationalist parties. The owner of the building

which was once the former Kincora Boys Home in East Belfast

has called on the DUP to clarify its position over

the building's future. Nine months ago, the then

First Minister, Peter Robinson, had called for it to be

razed to the ground. Since then, the owner says

he has heard nothing more and that he doesn't

know how to proceed. Today it's called Linden House,

but once it was known as Kincora Boys Home -

a place of fear for the teenage boys At least 29 are thought

to have been abused. Last year, the then First Minister,

Peter Robinson, described the building as a sore

in the community and called for it When a building is so associated

with horrific events such as the abuse of young boys,

as in the past with Kincora, I think the best thing to do

is raze it to the ground. Today, the building's owner told me

he has tried to contact the DUP and Peter Robinson by email

and registered letters and that I was proposing to

develope the office. We have a planing applilcation

for an extension at the back of the office and, effectively,

it was going to be my pension My architect informs me that

if we go ahead and build the extension and renovate

the building and it's going to be knocked down or vested,

what's the point of doing that? We need clarifciation

from Peter Robinson about what he was proposing and how

he was proposing to remove the building, which is

what he says he wants to do. The BBC asked the DUP

what their position is on the building once

known as Kincora House, We'll elect a new Assembly in less

than four months' time. Three out of the five main party

leaders are leading their parties into a Stormont election

for the first time. Colum Eastwood took charge

of the SDLP late last year. Our political correspondent

Chris Page has been assessing the state of play between the two

main nationalist parties. Amidst the hills of County Down,

there are key battlegrounds The SDLP are trying

to reclaim old ground. Newry is a bellwether

for nationalist voters. For almost 20 years,

the Newry and Armagh Westminster seat belonged to the

SDLP's Seamus Mallon. Now they have three MLAs

here, the SDLP one. On the streets, the parties' recent

fortunes are evident. I used to go with the SDLP, but they

don't do anything any more. I vote for Sinn Fein in the hope they do

well this year. Would anything swing you to the other nationalist party?

No. John Hume and all of those big people, they all sort of

disappeared. Seamus Mallon and all of them.

Mr Mallon's old job of Deputy First Minister has

belonged to Sinn Fein for nearly a decade.

Sinn Fein have two elections coming up, here and in the Republic.

Conor Murphy says that in itself is an important strategy.

We want to see the breaking down of the barriers that have prevented

economic growth along the border. We are in a party that is in a position

to do things about that. That is a primary difference. We don't just

talk the talk about reunification, we stand across the silent to have

the maximum change from North to South, East and West.

This is the man who will lead the challenge to them.

Colum Eastwood became SDLP leader in November.

The party's performance in Newry and Armagh will be an important

indication of whether he can dent Sinn Fein's vote.

She'll switch from her current constituency of South Down.

She believes Mr Eastwood will take the SDLP forward.

He has been a breath of fresh air to the SDLP. People are stopping me in

the street and saying to me how proud the heart of the SDLP making

the change in leadership. It is telling me another thing, that

people are sick of orange and green politics. They want a see change and

They want a see change and we want to make that change.

This commentator thinks the SDLP's first priority will be

They are trying to hold ground, hold what they have. They are -- it is

not realistic that they will make a massive change.

So, what do people in Newry make of the new SDLP leader?

I don't know about him. He is a Derry man. I don't know who he is,

to tell you the truth. Never heard of them. There are too many old

people. More young people might catch themselves on, you know? Would

you give him a chance? I might. Electoral success in places like

this is incredibly important for the nationalist parties, both

symbolically and strategically. The results of the Assembly election

will determine the direction of nationalism for the next five years.

of nationalism for the next five years.

Tomorrow, Chris will be looking at the battle within unionism.

Thomas Niblock is in studio for sport this evening and it's been

a great day for one Irish rugby player in particular.

Rory Best played for Ireland 89 times, but something

tells me his 90th cap is going to be something special.

That's because he is the new Irish rugby captain.

His journey from Banbridge Rugby Club to the very top of Irish rugby

is complete, as Rory Best adds his name to some

From the early days of the great Jack Kyle, to the days of colour

Willie Anderson faced down the haka in the 80's and,

in more recent times, it's been Brian O'Driscoll and Paul

But now it's Rory Best - a lifetime ambition achieved

When you look back, whenever I was younger and watching my dad played

for Banbridge, all I wanted to do was play for Banbridge. Then you

start to watch Ulster and Ireland games and you imagine what would be

like to plague of them. To be Ulster captain and Ireland captain, it is

massive for me. We are a big rugby family. I know my family and all my

friends will be delighted. It is a huge honour and something I am

unbelievably privilege and humbled to do.

The man who made the decision is Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.

So, how did Best find out he was to join some

He phoned me. There was probably a lot of smiling and nodding from my

end, which he didn't see, probably thankfully! He phoned me and said,

we would love you to be captain. You are the one we would like to do it.

I was trying to play it cool, but inside my heart was jumping. Yes,

Joe, I would be honoured to do it, thanks very much! The most difficult

The most difficult thing was keeping it quiet for a few days.

Talking is an important part of any sporting captain,

but Best would rather lead by a different way.

Words are good at the right time, but it is all about actions and that

is what you have got to try to produce. I don't think it is that

much more pressure than playing international week anyway because

you have to be at the top of your game.

In local football, Knockbreda made the sixth round of the Irish Cup

last night after beating Annagh United.

Elsewhere there were two games in the premiership but we start

with Glentoran's Irish Cup clash against Ards.

After three consecutive league defeat this is potentially a tricky

tie for the cup-holders, but Chris Landry settled the nerves after six

minutes. He was on target again shortly afterwards. The championship

leaders pulled a goal back. After the interval, glaring -- Glentoran

got their third. Lavery completed his hat-trick to set up a sixth

round tie at home with Blaenavon. We are actually playing twice in a row

against them. We are here to defend the trophy. If we are playing them

at home, we will go out and set out stall win the game. We want to win

the Irish Cup, that is the bottom line. This early goal was enough for

Ballymena United to get their win over struggling Carrick Rangers.

Warrenpoint's recent revival continued after they beat Portadown

2-1. Rory McIlroy tees off tomorrow,

in his first tournament Also in the field will be current

world number one Jordan Spieth, and the two have already been

locking horns, is a different form When we needed the race, we all put

it on high. Jordan nearly took the fight. We collided have down the

fairway. It was really good fun. It was a nice way to start the week.

Rory and I going this way, together. I bumped the back of his board.

Fortunately, his ankle stayed on the board, so that was nice! We had a

good time yesterday. It was not deliberate!

That will be a fascinating sporting rivalry through 2016.

Hello, good evening. It has been a beautiful day today. Tomorrow is

going to be normal service resumed. At least the year skies encourage

lots of people together with their cameras. We had a very full inbox

today. The clear skies, that is one of the reasons we will see some very

cold apertures through the first part of the night. It will start to

cloud over the span the brain moves in. There is the chance of mist and

hill fog by tomorrow morning. There is it is my brother will have a

grey, thank quality to it. Most of us will wake up to some rain. It

will gradually clear right to the east. Even once it is gone, we keep

that blanket of cloud sitting over us. We are into some more mild air.

Through Thursday afternoon, we should see temperatures in double

figures in many places. Even with that, it will not yield as nice a

day after the lovely blue skies today. In the Friday, we keep the

cloud cover and it is not long before the next band the brain such

to work its way in overnight. Some of that could be quite heavy for a

time. The good news is that it should be largely out of the way

overnight, so that the time most of us are waking up to go to work on

Friday morning it should be a dry picture. What we will see how these

tightly packed isobars. That is a sign of the breeze building. Friday

will be a blustery day. A day of sunshine and showers, but also

stronger winds. We are in the milder air, so some bright spells in

temperatures up into double figures for the showers come through in the

afternoon. Contrast the weekend temperatures, which will be up in

double figures, to what we saw last weekend. Then we had snow on the

ground. But the time you get to the back half of this weekend,

temperatures will be up around 13 degrees. They might want to think

about putting the boot back in the water!

You can also keep in contact with us via Facebook and Twitter.