:00:08. > :00:09.The Education Minister has described as flawed a decision
:00:10. > :00:13.by the Education Authority to reduce the number of hours children can
:00:14. > :00:21.John O'Dowd said proper consultation hadn't taken place.
:00:22. > :00:24.The move was due to come into effect in September.
:00:25. > :00:34.Our education correspondent Robbie Meredith reports.
:00:35. > :00:36.It's hometime for these nursery pupils at Tor Bank special
:00:37. > :00:41.But they are leaving school long before midday and much
:00:42. > :01:02.The decision to cut their hours led to a statement from the Education
:01:03. > :01:07.Minister. They have got to come up with a decision on special needs,
:01:08. > :01:12.the current decision is flawed. They based it on the learning to learn
:01:13. > :01:15.policy which does not relate to special education needs. And they
:01:16. > :01:21.made a decision without consultation. It is key in areas
:01:22. > :01:25.like this if you consult with schools, parents and pupils about
:01:26. > :01:28.the future of early years education. He ordered them to revisit their
:01:29. > :01:34.plans, which teachers told me Ltd the amount of help that they could
:01:35. > :01:37.give to pupils. All 16 nursery pupils are in nappies and they
:01:38. > :01:44.require intimate care and perhaps training them to use the toilet is
:01:45. > :01:49.not feasible. That has had to be put on hold. The other big target and
:01:50. > :01:52.quality of life skill we would teach would be the feeding programmes, our
:01:53. > :01:56.children are not here for lunchtime so we cannot work on those
:01:57. > :02:03.self-feeding skills. The school already has had to cut the hours
:02:04. > :02:07.from 4.5 hours to 2.5 hours per day and the education authority want all
:02:08. > :02:12.of Northern Ireland special schools to do the same. In terms of a
:02:13. > :02:19.strategy it is very poor. Children like ours that attend nursery group
:02:20. > :02:23.have complex needs, they need intensive support from an early age.
:02:24. > :02:30.They need to that to be connected up and they need longer school to let
:02:31. > :02:35.us do that. Parents like Francine Huston is due to start at a special
:02:36. > :02:40.school in September in nursery are also worried. These children need
:02:41. > :02:45.more help, not less, and help in every aspect in relation to feeding,
:02:46. > :02:50.everyday activities that we take for granted with average kids. These
:02:51. > :02:54.children might have learning difficulties but they can learn. It
:02:55. > :02:59.just takes them that bit longer. Now the authority have been told to
:03:00. > :03:04.review their plans, these parents like many others will hope that that
:03:05. > :03:08.means a total rethink. But a final decision is not expected until after
:03:09. > :03:16.the election, under a new Education Minister.
:03:17. > :03:18.The man suspected of killing the Tyrone schoolgirl
:03:19. > :03:20.Arlene Arkinson once joked to workmates about getting away
:03:21. > :03:22.with murder, according to statements given to the police.
:03:23. > :03:25.The evidence about Robert Howard has been read out at the inquest
:03:26. > :03:29.Arlene hasn't been seen since August 1994 after a night out in Donegal.
:03:30. > :03:40.Arlene Arkinson, schoolgirl, missing for over 21 years. Robert Howard,
:03:41. > :03:46.child killer, serial rapist, tried and acquitted for the murder of
:03:47. > :03:50.Arlene Arkinson in 2005, he was imprisoned for other crimes and died
:03:51. > :03:55.there last year. For some weeks in 1993 he had worked as a labourer
:03:56. > :03:59.into Rome for a local man, Mervyn Philly. In 2002 the late Finlay
:04:00. > :04:02.contact with the police to explain how Howard had once joked and
:04:03. > :04:06.busted. He had said if he ever committed a murder he would not be
:04:07. > :04:10.caught because he knew how to get rid of the body. Mr Finlay said he
:04:11. > :04:14.and his employees had laughed at the time but he remembered the incident
:04:15. > :04:18.some years later when Howard was charged with the murder of Arlene.
:04:19. > :04:23.Statements from others described how Howard had shown them chemicals from
:04:24. > :04:27.a disused store beacon -- beside a chemist shop and had explained how
:04:28. > :04:30.they could dissolve bones. There was evidence from two former prisoners
:04:31. > :04:36.who have met Howard in the hospital wing of Crumlin Road Jane in 1993.
:04:37. > :04:40.-- jail. They said he busted that he pretended to be claustrophobic to
:04:41. > :04:42.fool prison authorities and offered advice on how to trick psychiatrist.
:04:43. > :04:50.The inquest continues. The police have been given more time
:04:51. > :04:53.to question three men arrested in connection with the attempted
:04:54. > :04:55.murder of a prison officer The 52-year-old man needed surgery
:04:56. > :04:58.after a bomb exploded The dissident republican
:04:59. > :05:03.organisation that describes itself The Public Prosecution Service says
:05:04. > :05:10.it's decided not to prosecute a soldier who killed an unarmed
:05:11. > :05:24.teenage boy in Londonderry in 1972. It says there is no reasonable
:05:25. > :05:28.prospect of proving that the soldier did not act in self defence,
:05:29. > :05:30.believing that he was under imminent attack.
:05:31. > :05:33.15-year-old Daniel Hegarty was shot twice in the head during an army
:05:34. > :05:34.operation to clear no-go areas in the city.
:05:35. > :05:37.An inquest in 2011 found that the teenager posed no risk
:05:38. > :05:42.and dismissed claims that soldiers had shouted warnings before firing.
:05:43. > :05:45.The police say they're treating the death of a man in Portadown
:05:46. > :05:50.The body of 31-year-old Eimantas Gerdvilas,
:05:51. > :05:52.a Lithuanian who had been living in the town,
:05:53. > :05:54.was found in a stream in the Mourneview Street area.
:05:55. > :06:03.They were released tonight on bail pending further enquiries.
:06:04. > :06:05.More than 50 people are losing their jobs
:06:06. > :06:12.with the closure of Austins in Londonderry.
:06:13. > :06:15.The store has been in the city since the 1800.
:06:16. > :06:17.Our north-west reporter, Keiron Tourish reports.
:06:18. > :06:20.It is one of Europe's oldest department stores but today
:06:21. > :06:22.the shutters were down on Austins of the Diamond.
:06:23. > :06:25.It is an institution in the city which was first opened
:06:26. > :06:30.But the business has now gone into liquidation with the loss of 53
:06:31. > :06:32.jobs across a range of home furnishings, ladies
:06:33. > :06:40.It is understood that staff received a letter saying the company had
:06:41. > :06:44.The liquidator has been meeting members of staff to
:06:45. > :07:03.Some of the others had been aware of difficulties.
:07:04. > :07:06.It did not come as that much of a shock but for all of them,
:07:07. > :07:12.They are treating it in many ways like a bereavement.
:07:13. > :07:14.Austins had been under pressure for a number of years.
:07:15. > :07:17.Traditional department stores right across the UK in the retail sector
:07:18. > :07:28.The sector has had to remodel itself to meet the needs of the modern
:07:29. > :07:32.retail offering so it has not come as a surprise.
:07:33. > :07:34.Shoppers were stunned by news that the iconic landmark
:07:35. > :07:51.Austins has been here a lifetime, everybody knows it.
:07:52. > :07:58.People working in there will have young families and mortgages.
:07:59. > :08:01.The liquidator says more meetings with staff are planned to ensure
:08:02. > :08:10.they receive all the support they need at a difficult time.
:08:11. > :08:14.The police are treating an overnight fire in south Belfast as arson.
:08:15. > :08:20.A bungalow in the Belvoir estate was destroyed and six other homes
:08:21. > :08:23.damaged after bins were set alight beside an oil tank.
:08:24. > :08:25.An elderly woman and her daughter had to be rescued.
:08:26. > :08:42.I am a member of pitching club and I raced them. I have a bad back and a
:08:43. > :08:53.bad heart. -- pigeon. They're just so relaxing to watch. I will
:08:54. > :08:55.probably rally round and try to get back into them again.
:08:56. > :08:57.The founder of one of Northern Ireland's most successful
:08:58. > :08:59.manufacturing companies hopes the UK votes to leave the European Union
:09:00. > :09:03.William Wright is the first prominent local businessman
:09:04. > :09:07.to endorse what's being called a Brexit.
:09:08. > :09:12.Our business correspondent Julian O'Neill has more details.
:09:13. > :09:16.William Wright makes fewer headlines than his buses.
:09:17. > :09:19.Only seldomly does he step into the limelight, like during this
:09:20. > :09:25.But today he was front-page news, becoming the first major business
:09:26. > :09:29.figure to openly endorse a UK withdrawal from the EU,
:09:30. > :09:48.For this organisation's founder to come out
:09:49. > :09:51.and nail his colours to the mast and say this to his
:09:52. > :09:53.employees, it is a very powerful statement.
:09:54. > :09:55.It may be best known for its London Routemaster,
:09:56. > :09:58.but Wrightbus is a global business, selling much more into markets
:09:59. > :10:02.Speaking to the Ballymena Guardian, Mr Wright said, the bureaucracy
:10:03. > :10:06.of Europe is not conducive to the UK's business interests.
:10:07. > :10:20.If the UK can regain control of its own affairs we can strike our own
:10:21. > :10:21.trade agreements with other countries.
:10:22. > :10:24.Others are less certain a so-called Brexit would be a positive step.
:10:25. > :10:26.One business leader today quoted research suggesting an out vote
:10:27. > :10:31.could take the edge off corporation tax production.
:10:32. > :10:34.We need economic stability in which to grow.
:10:35. > :10:39.We need market access and we need to take advantage of corporation tax
:10:40. > :10:41.which is a fundamental opportunity for Northern Ireland,
:10:42. > :10:43.the greatest opportunity in Northern Ireland has had
:10:44. > :10:53.Other major employers have recently been speaking in favour of the UK
:10:54. > :10:59.maintaining its membership of the EU.
:11:00. > :11:03.What the Leave camp in Northern Ireland has lacked
:11:04. > :11:06.is a high-profile supporter in big business, or at least one prepared
:11:07. > :11:16.Protesters opposed to an exploratory oil well near a County Antrim
:11:17. > :11:19.reservoir have been ordered to clear access to the site or risk
:11:20. > :11:26.They were issued with a solicitor's letter telling them to leave
:11:27. > :11:27.the site at Woodburn Forest near Carrickfergus.
:11:28. > :11:30.Northern Ireland Water says the project does not threaten
:11:31. > :11:33.the water supply but campaigners claim chemicals used in the drill
:11:34. > :11:41.could pose a risk to drinking water for thousands of homes.
:11:42. > :11:47.For water catchment we are concerned that we will be here and be present
:11:48. > :11:48.and this campaign will continue until we stop this.
:11:49. > :11:53.Cecilia Daly has the latest weather forecast.
:11:54. > :11:59.Good evening. It is wet out there tonight, there will be some bursts
:12:00. > :12:04.of heavy rain around and the rain is on for a good part of the night.
:12:05. > :12:07.Perhaps some sleet and snow mixed in over higher ground. By morning we
:12:08. > :12:11.have drier weather across the North and west. The wind will pick up from
:12:12. > :12:15.the north-west. The wind is a notable feature tomorrow, making it
:12:16. > :12:22.quite cold. But a good deal of sunshine around. The last of that
:12:23. > :12:26.moving away quickly. The risk of ice in places for a short time tomorrow
:12:27. > :12:30.otherwise plenty of bright skies to come. Also brightening up over
:12:31. > :12:34.Scotland, with some showers in the MAC and some lovely sunshine to come
:12:35. > :12:38.for the Republic of Ireland. Strong wind down through the Irish Sea
:12:39. > :12:42.affecting Wales and south-west England and some heavy rain over the
:12:43. > :12:46.Midlands and Southern counties of England and also snow falling for a
:12:47. > :12:51.time across the Pennines. Not too bad for Northern Ireland tomorrow.
:12:52. > :12:54.Eight or 9 degrees in the sunshine, but feeling chilly in the wind.
:12:55. > :12:59.There will at least be some sunshine around. Dry tomorrow night, quite
:13:00. > :13:02.chilly but there's downwards, expecting milder air from the South
:13:03. > :13:07.West and with that temperatures reached perhaps the mid-teens by the
:13:08. > :13:12.end of the weekend. Over the next few days we have some wet weather
:13:13. > :13:16.tonight, some sunshine tomorrow but chilly. Turning milder from Thursday
:13:17. > :13:20.onwards but also cloud on Thursday in the West with some spots of rain,
:13:21. > :13:23.sunshine and times across the East. On Friday some wet weather for a
:13:24. > :13:26.time, double-figure temperatures this weekend.