:00:00. > :00:00.again. So, a lot going on. That is all from us. Now for the news where
:00:00. > :00:34.you are. The people who are behind this have
:00:35. > :00:39.no ideal edge. They have nothing to offer. -- no ideology.
:00:40. > :00:41.The police believe an assault rifle found in Strabane was intended
:00:42. > :00:45.Parents of special needs children are left distraught as this centre
:00:46. > :00:52.stops a charity holding lessons there.
:00:53. > :01:01.The smile on her face, you cannot buy it.
:01:02. > :01:05.Will the new speed limit in the centre of Belfast make things safer
:01:06. > :01:09.or more congested? The controversial clash against
:01:10. > :01:11.Derry in the Dr McKenna Cup. And the remnants of the US snow
:01:12. > :01:14.storm are heading our way, but it won't be bringing snow -
:01:15. > :01:17.just some pretty wet Last night's rioting in Lurgan has
:01:18. > :01:23.been described by the police as an orchestrated, intense
:01:24. > :01:27.and prolonged violent attack. A shot was fired at police officers
:01:28. > :01:30.and more than 100 petrol bombs were thrown during several hours
:01:31. > :01:35.of trouble in the Lake Street area. The police had been there
:01:36. > :01:38.because of a security alert, which is now over
:01:39. > :01:53.and declared a hoax. A mixture of easily influenced young
:01:54. > :01:57.men and bewildered old men who do not realise the world has moved on.
:01:58. > :02:03.That is how the top police officer had scraped the people who threw
:02:04. > :02:05.petrol bombs at police for more than five hours.
:02:06. > :02:12.The people who are behind this have no ideology. They have nothing to
:02:13. > :02:22.offer. In many respects they can be compared to Isis. It is the people
:02:23. > :02:27.in their own community who are suffering as result of this.
:02:28. > :02:31.The security alert that lured police into the area is just the latest in
:02:32. > :02:37.a string of incidents, each one coming with a price tag running into
:02:38. > :02:45.perhaps tens of thousands of pounds. Beyond that is the loss of policing.
:02:46. > :02:49.The police officers who were absorbing petrol bombs and paint
:02:50. > :02:58.bombs and were at one stage the target of a live round of ammunition
:02:59. > :03:02.ought to be chasing after burglars and dealing with domestic abuse and
:03:03. > :03:08.keeping the roads safe. There is the greater cost of this society.
:03:09. > :03:11.For evacuated residents and inconvenienced commuters, all of
:03:12. > :03:24.this is horribly familiar. This happens on a regular basis in
:03:25. > :03:28.this area. What point is there to this?
:03:29. > :03:35.This afternoon, there was an uncharacteristic slip by the robot
:03:36. > :03:40.of the bomb disposal team. But police officers said the attackers
:03:41. > :03:42.will not be allowed to derail society.
:03:43. > :03:45.The police say a gun recovered in Strabane was a powerful assault
:03:46. > :03:48.rifle that was going to be used to try to kill officers.
:03:49. > :03:50.The Justice Minister David Ford has praised the local police
:03:51. > :03:52.for their work in the security operation.
:03:53. > :03:54.Here's our North-West reporter, Keiron Tourish.
:03:55. > :04:02.Police released photographs of the military style assault rifle be
:04:03. > :04:05.recovered. It was fired with ammunition during an investigation
:04:06. > :04:11.into dissident republican activity. The rifle was taken away by police
:04:12. > :04:15.during a security alert on Friday evening.
:04:16. > :04:20.Of course it is worrying. For any of us to think that that sort of weapon
:04:21. > :04:27.is in existence and circulation in our streets. I welcome the fact that
:04:28. > :04:30.we have been able to remove it. It does show the success that the
:04:31. > :04:36.police operation is having an being able to remove this. People who
:04:37. > :04:41.would have such a weapon and are solely intent on killing people and
:04:42. > :04:48.causing harm to the community. The Justice Minister a bit to the
:04:49. > :04:53.PSN eye. What we need to see is the continued
:04:54. > :05:01.united response against it. Until it see this kind of success on the part
:05:02. > :05:05.of the police. Critics say they have nothing to
:05:06. > :05:07.offer a society that does not want to be dragged into the past.
:05:08. > :05:10.A charity that pays for children with special needs to have horse
:05:11. > :05:13.riding lessons has been told it can no longer use an equestrian
:05:14. > :05:16.Incartus Pony Foundation says the centre's director hasn't given
:05:17. > :05:18.it a reason or enough time to find somewhere else.
:05:19. > :05:31.These are just some of the many children with special needs who
:05:32. > :05:38.benefit from spending time with the ponies here at Burn Equestrian
:05:39. > :05:42.Centre each week. Lucy was diagnosed with autism when she was two. Her
:05:43. > :05:45.dad is already worried about what will happen when the charity has to
:05:46. > :05:53.leave. You just see her confidence, it is
:05:54. > :06:04.so much better. The smile on her face, it is something that you
:06:05. > :06:08.cannot buy it. Just watching her, we would have to go and start paying.
:06:09. > :06:14.It is big money. It is not cheap thing the sort of thing.
:06:15. > :06:18.The Incartus Pony Foundation says around 100 children with special
:06:19. > :06:21.needs use the facility each month but that arrangement is about to
:06:22. > :06:26.come to an end. This is the letter the charity received last week
:06:27. > :06:31.telling them that all access to the centre is to be withdrawn. And that
:06:32. > :06:37.all activities by the charity parties stop within four weeks.
:06:38. > :06:42.I'd given no reasons whatsoever and no explanation. For the children, it
:06:43. > :06:49.is devastating. I cannot understand it. My plan is to overturn the
:06:50. > :06:55.decision. At least to get the charity the proper length of time to
:06:56. > :07:01.find an alternative. We don't want to lose somewhere for the next month
:07:02. > :07:05.or two months, we want a permanent home.
:07:06. > :07:08.The charity says it wants to stay at Burn Equestrian Centre because the
:07:09. > :07:09.children are used to coming here and many of them do not like change or
:07:10. > :07:11.disruption. BBC Newsline has contacted the owner
:07:12. > :07:14.of the Burn Equestrian Centre and in a statement he said: "Over
:07:15. > :07:17.the past two years the charity has We are not unsympathetic
:07:18. > :07:22.to the needs of these children, but their safety is of paramount
:07:23. > :07:26.importance and must You're watching BBC Newsline
:07:27. > :07:40.and still ahead on the programme: Should people over 75
:07:41. > :07:42.get a free TV licence? We get reaction to the
:07:43. > :07:48.BBC's proposed change. The Taoiseach has warned that
:07:49. > :07:53.if the UK decides to leave the European Union it could cause
:07:54. > :07:55.serious difficulties Enda Kenny was speaking
:07:56. > :07:59.at Downing Street after meeting Our Economics and Business Editor
:08:00. > :08:06.John Campbell is here. What was the focus of
:08:07. > :08:17.this meeting today? We know there is going to be a vote
:08:18. > :08:22.on whether the UK should stay in or leave the EU before the end of the
:08:23. > :08:27.year and possibly as soon as the summer. Before that, the Prime
:08:28. > :08:30.ministers try to get a better deal for Britain in Europe so he can put
:08:31. > :08:35.that to the country. Ireland is seen as a key ally for David Cameron has
:08:36. > :08:39.he seeks that better deal so that was the focus of the meeting between
:08:40. > :08:46.him and enter Kenny today. He believes that it is in Ireland's
:08:47. > :08:51.interests that the UK stays in Europe and that applies as much
:08:52. > :08:56.north of the border as south. From our perspective, it would
:08:57. > :09:01.create serious stuff got is for Northern Ireland if that was to
:09:02. > :09:05.happen. We want to work on the positive benefits that come from a
:09:06. > :09:11.strong Britain being part of a strong Europe and Ireland associated
:09:12. > :09:13.with that, north and south. The government is generally
:09:14. > :09:18.concerned about Britain leaving. What are the main reasons?
:09:19. > :09:23.Even speaking to diplomatic sources in Dublin many months ago, they were
:09:24. > :09:29.obsessed with the idea of Britain leaving the EU. One of the main
:09:30. > :09:34.issues is around the economy. The two countries do around 1 billion
:09:35. > :09:38.pounds of trade every week so they are concerned that anything she does
:09:39. > :09:45.run at. There are also concerned about the potential impact on
:09:46. > :09:51.British and Ireland relations and north and south relations. Expect to
:09:52. > :09:56.hear much more from these arguments and from people who say this is all
:09:57. > :09:57.hyped up. The UK leaving would have a positive effect on Northern
:09:58. > :10:00.Ireland. The Attorney General has lodged
:10:01. > :10:03.an appeal against a High Court Last month a judge,
:10:04. > :10:08.Mr Justice Horner, said the legislation was "incompatible"
:10:09. > :10:09.with the European Convention He said women who are the victims
:10:10. > :10:14.of sexual crime and cases of fatal foetal abnormality are entitled
:10:15. > :10:20.to exemptions in the law. A senior judge has accused
:10:21. > :10:22.the government of failing to properly resource delayed
:10:23. > :10:25.inquests into almost 100 deaths He also said some of the "excuses"
:10:26. > :10:36.offered by state agencies for the lack of progress
:10:37. > :10:38.were "preposterous". Lord Justice Weir is carrying
:10:39. > :10:51.out a major review at Terence McDaid was gunned down in
:10:52. > :10:59.front of his family in the 1988. It was claimed he was murdered by a UDA
:11:00. > :11:04.gang any case of mistaken identity, based on information given by the
:11:05. > :11:11.Army agent, Brian Nelson. In court, they said the cases could
:11:12. > :11:14.not be worked on at the same time but Lord Justice Weir said they
:11:15. > :11:17.could if they were adequately funded. He said the only thing that
:11:18. > :11:21.stopped them being worked on was the absence of resources on the
:11:22. > :11:26.government provides those resources. The judges also looking at the case
:11:27. > :11:32.of Gerard Slane, who, like Mr McPake, was shot at his home and
:11:33. > :11:37.also by the UDA, in a killing also linked to the agent Brian Nelson.
:11:38. > :11:42.The barrister for the family said resources may not be the only issue
:11:43. > :11:47.affecting delays. The QC said there was it history of the MoD and police
:11:48. > :11:53.are obstructing enquiries into investigations on state agents. Lord
:11:54. > :11:55.Justice Weir is set to recommend which ones can go to inquest when he
:11:56. > :11:57.completes his 10-day review. A lower speed limit in the centre
:11:58. > :11:59.of Belfast will come The 20 miles per hour restriction
:12:00. > :12:04.is aimed at improving road safety. As BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson
:12:05. > :12:19.reports, some believe it will lead Traffic around the city centre in
:12:20. > :12:25.Belfast is about to slow down. The new 20 mph zone concentrates on the
:12:26. > :12:28.northern half of the city centre. Looping round the City Hall and
:12:29. > :12:36.going as far as the Cathedral Quarter. And right past the Castle
:12:37. > :12:40.Court shopping centre. That it is a relatively small area and doesn't
:12:41. > :12:45.include other traffic hotspots so what is the verdict on the new
:12:46. > :12:49.restricted zone from road users? It is probably quite sensible
:12:50. > :12:52.because 30 miles an hour is too fast if you hit a pedestrian or something
:12:53. > :12:56.like that. Good idea.
:12:57. > :13:01.It speaks for itself. It is stupidity.
:13:02. > :13:06.It is going to cause a lot of problems.
:13:07. > :13:10.30 mph is the normal speed to what genius decided to bring it down to
:13:11. > :13:15.20? Roy Gordon is the road services
:13:16. > :13:21.manager for Belfast. A taxi driver said what genius thought of this?
:13:22. > :13:27.What use it back to him? We do not see this as an anti-car
:13:28. > :13:32.measure but as a pro-pedestrian and pro-secular is to measure. Research
:13:33. > :13:41.shows clearly that a pedestrian struck at 40 mph is 90% likely to be
:13:42. > :13:46.killed. At 30 mph it is 50-50. But at 20 mph, the chances of the
:13:47. > :13:50.talented reduced to 10%. When you look at the new restricted
:13:51. > :13:54.zone, it is pretty clear that it will take a lot of getting used to
:13:55. > :13:58.whether you like it or not. For example, this road behind the City
:13:59. > :14:04.Hall is now 20 mph when is this one close by is 30 mph. To try to help
:14:05. > :14:08.drivers, there are lots of shiny new road signs.
:14:09. > :14:10.Most of them are already up but the new speed limits would be enforced
:14:11. > :14:16.battles Andy. -- until Sunday. Our older citizens have got used
:14:17. > :14:19.to not paying for their TV licence. But BBC is considering asking people
:14:20. > :14:25.aged over 75 to give up their free licence or to make a voluntary
:14:26. > :14:29.contribution to its cost. Our Arts Correspondent Robbie
:14:30. > :14:43.Meredith has been getting reaction It is a popular leisure and past
:14:44. > :14:50.time by providing free TV licences for pensioners comes with the cost.
:14:51. > :14:54.People over 75 get the ?145.50 licence fee paid for by the
:14:55. > :14:59.government but they are looking for them to fit that instead and that
:15:00. > :15:02.will cost 60 -- but the government is looking for the BBC to cover that
:15:03. > :15:08.instead and that will cost ?650 million. They are looking for over
:15:09. > :15:13.75 is to volunteer paying the money but that has not gone down well.
:15:14. > :15:17.It is just another move that usually are continuously. When there is
:15:18. > :15:24.money required, always go to the weakest in most vulnerable.
:15:25. > :15:29.Yes, there are some people who could afford to pay it and whether they do
:15:30. > :15:33.so is up to their conscience but why did they take it on the cannot
:15:34. > :15:39.afford it? It is something older people will be worrying about now.
:15:40. > :15:42.A recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that
:15:43. > :15:50.pensioners were increasingly well off. So do many need TV racing --
:15:51. > :15:53.free TV licences. Some have second pensions and
:15:54. > :15:58.supplementary income and have saved for their retirement. We are not
:15:59. > :16:01.dealing with the community with the word pensioner means poor. Many
:16:02. > :16:05.could afford to pay the licence fee, just as many could afford to pay for
:16:06. > :16:10.public transport and not use concession fare.
:16:11. > :16:17.It is uncertain how much pensioners will want to give up what is a free
:16:18. > :16:20.benefit. The bill for the BBC is only going to get bigger, however.
:16:21. > :16:23.Millions of pounds of public money is to be invested to deal
:16:24. > :16:25.with the by-product of one of our most important industries.
:16:26. > :16:31.It's also an industry that generates a huge amount of animal waste.
:16:32. > :16:38.Well, that's something that has proven problematic in the past.
:16:39. > :16:40.So they're looking for a long term solution.
:16:41. > :16:42.Here's our Agriculture and Environment Correspondent
:16:43. > :16:56.More than 14 million chickens were brought here for the table last
:16:57. > :17:01.year. They produce a lot of waste. A quarter of a million tonnes of this.
:17:02. > :17:05.Post a letter, a mix of bedding and droppings. Getting rid of it is a
:17:06. > :17:11.big issue, won the executive plans to spend lots of public money on
:17:12. > :17:13.soon. The poultry industry wants to expand but they are already
:17:14. > :17:19.struggling to deal with the current amounts of letter. Batch should it
:17:20. > :17:26.is spread on field but it is rich in phosphorus so it can get into rivers
:17:27. > :17:34.and lakes so that is not a long-term situation due to water quality
:17:35. > :17:42.measures. An incinerator was turned down a few
:17:43. > :17:46.years ago. This time, up to ?20 million of taxpayers' money has been
:17:47. > :17:50.set aside to come up with the new plan. It will be offered as loans to
:17:51. > :17:56.companies to test new technology. The agriculture minister says
:17:57. > :18:00.schemes based on an aerobic ingestion are progressing quickly.
:18:01. > :18:06.This big green balloon and the tanks and towers immediately round at
:18:07. > :18:12.fairs and anaerobic digester, albeit on a large scale. Silage and slurry
:18:13. > :18:17.is fed into a heated system. Microorganisms wicket down and
:18:18. > :18:20.produce a biogas which is used to create power.
:18:21. > :18:25.If one of these was built around your home, should you be concerned
:18:26. > :18:29.with smell? We are standing on the site and
:18:30. > :18:36.there is no order other than that which would naturally the scoring --
:18:37. > :18:45.no smell. Once your -- once the process is
:18:46. > :18:51.over, you are left with the same amount of product as in the original
:18:52. > :18:59.waste. Then you're left with the same pollution problems. That is
:19:00. > :19:04.why, two years ago, a report said that anaerobic digestion was not the
:19:05. > :19:15.way to deal with poultry letter. -- litter. It may be further refined to
:19:16. > :19:21.remove nutrients. That might help get such a scheme over the line.
:19:22. > :19:25.Stephen Watson has the sports news and the final of the Dr McKenna Cup
:19:26. > :19:30.Not just because Tyrone won the competition for the fifth time
:19:31. > :19:34.They sealed a dramatic victory over Derry after extra time
:19:35. > :19:40.But the Ulster Council now awaits the referee's report after some ugly
:19:41. > :19:44.And a bad tempered second half in particular?
:19:45. > :19:47.There were three red cards and 18 yellow cards in total.
:19:48. > :19:49.And the Derry manager and several players were involved in a scuffle.
:19:50. > :20:03.When they see a game had just about everything, it inevitably means it
:20:04. > :20:05.had the good and perhaps the bad. Straight from the throwing, and in
:20:06. > :20:10.Rogers was involved in this collision. The result was a Poole
:20:11. > :20:20.Hospital and 14 stitches to his face. The margin between commitment
:20:21. > :20:26.and over the top can be small. Both players were eventually sent off for
:20:27. > :20:32.this incident. The Derry manager was also involved and he was dumped on
:20:33. > :20:41.his back side. When he got up, the referee descended -- decided to send
:20:42. > :20:45.him off as well. There were a couple of boiling
:20:46. > :20:52.points but that is what it is about and that is what people want to see.
:20:53. > :20:56.It was a cool night and we got a bit of space to warm it up.
:20:57. > :21:02.I am not emotionally charged the way the players are when I am on the
:21:03. > :21:06.sideline. Who was I to say that if I was in their position I wouldn't do
:21:07. > :21:10.the same thing? I ask them to reflect on what they did and act for
:21:11. > :21:23.the good of the team and think about how the redact next time.
:21:24. > :21:29.Tyrone came back and looked like bringing it into extra time. Tyrone
:21:30. > :21:36.eventually won by five points. You can only learnt so much by
:21:37. > :21:42.training. Derry is a fantastic team and we need them to push us on the
:21:43. > :21:45.same way they need us. The McKenna Cup is perceived as a
:21:46. > :21:54.pre-season competition. Perhaps nobody informed the teams. The game
:21:55. > :21:56.served as a great starter to what could be a fascinating thing course
:21:57. > :22:06.between two rivals. Ulster dismantled the French
:22:07. > :22:08.side Oyannax 56-3 at the Kingspan stadium to finish
:22:09. > :22:10.second in their pool But it wasn't enough to make
:22:11. > :22:14.the knock out stages where there is no Irish
:22:15. > :22:16.representation for the Director of rugby Les Kiss today
:22:17. > :22:27.reflected on a disappointing We gave it our best shot but it was
:22:28. > :22:34.not to be. You have seen a generation of players, supporters,
:22:35. > :22:38.and sponsors who expect European action and it has not happened. We
:22:39. > :22:45.will do what we can to turn that around next year.
:22:46. > :22:47.We are so used to seeing Irish provinces in European knockout
:22:48. > :22:50.stages. How quickly can you turn that around?
:22:51. > :22:56.I still think we have got great players in this country and we will
:22:57. > :22:59.see that in the six Nations. When you look at the English clubs in the
:23:00. > :23:04.French clubs who are spending more and more and bolstering their
:23:05. > :23:08.squads, it becomes important that we keep this with that and get the
:23:09. > :23:16.right depth and breadth of our squad so we can can eat.
:23:17. > :23:21.-- compete. They think more money needs to be
:23:22. > :23:25.invested? Those conversations happening and
:23:26. > :23:31.those who invest money well make those decisions. A lot of good
:23:32. > :23:32.people and smart people will make those decisions.
:23:33. > :23:35.Rory McIlroy finished tied for third place at the Abu Dhabi HSBC
:23:36. > :23:37.Championship, with the tournament won by Rickie Fowler.
:23:38. > :23:40.McIlroy's final round of 68, four under par, meant he ended
:23:41. > :23:46.the tournament just two shots behind the American.
:23:47. > :23:48.He's now finished runner-up four times and third once
:23:49. > :23:53.Warrenpoint's revival continued at the weekend
:23:54. > :23:59.They still sit bottom of the table but, after six games unbeaten
:24:00. > :24:02.and three wins in a row, the teams above them are now
:24:03. > :24:03.nervously looking over their shoulders.
:24:04. > :24:21.Up until the 12th of December, Warrenpoint had lost 13 week games
:24:22. > :24:27.in a row. -- league games. But the resurgence continues.
:24:28. > :24:31.Another massive performance. Full credit to the players. They deserve
:24:32. > :24:36.every bit of it. A massive three points for us and a convincing
:24:37. > :24:43.performance. Have a massive two weeks coming up and if we can can
:24:44. > :24:47.continued this form then we give ourselves a chance.
:24:48. > :24:57.This deflected header helped consolidate Crusaders' position at
:24:58. > :25:11.the top of the table. All the goals came in the second half. This pic of
:25:12. > :25:19.them. A home debut goal and this finish provided the finish. To Conor
:25:20. > :25:28.McCluskey goals helped Rangers to a victory.
:25:29. > :25:30.Kris Meeke was forced to retire from the Monte Carlo Rally
:25:31. > :25:34.We'll hear from Kris on tomorrow's BBC Newsline.
:25:35. > :25:45.The weather is next with Angie Phillips.
:25:46. > :25:57.Lots of wet and mild weather around. Tomorrow will be mailed again but
:25:58. > :26:03.not as mild as yesterday. The wind is often a feature as well. Quite a
:26:04. > :26:12.gusty day today. It wet spell in the middle part of the day. That cleared
:26:13. > :26:20.to brighter skies but it will be quite a chilly night. The next
:26:21. > :26:28.weather system is the remnants of the US snowstorm. No snow for us, it
:26:29. > :26:33.will just turn wet and windy. Quite a miserable start to the day. Do
:26:34. > :26:38.bear in mind that there is likely to be surface water and spray during
:26:39. > :26:44.rush hour. Persistent and locally heavy rain lasting through the
:26:45. > :26:50.rush-hour and some of it lingering. It may not clear the East Coast
:26:51. > :26:57.until mid-afternoon. After that, cloud breaks up and brighter spells
:26:58. > :27:05.in the afternoon. Mild again. A few showers following from the West and
:27:06. > :27:09.then after a quiet spell we have more wet weather coming in from the
:27:10. > :27:15.south. We have an early warning in place for this next batch of rain.
:27:16. > :27:19.It could cause travel disruption and we also have strong winds. We could
:27:20. > :27:26.have gales developing on Wednesday morning. Once out of the way, it is
:27:27. > :27:29.still blustery but brighter and temperatures fall and we could see
:27:30. > :27:33.wintry showers of the hells. More unsettled weather to come.
:27:34. > :27:45.bought on the streets of east Belfast,
:27:46. > :27:52.How can it be credible leadership did not know?