:00:00. > :00:17.This is BBC Newsline and these are the headlines this
:00:18. > :00:24.Four people escape out the back of a house in Londonderry
:00:25. > :00:29.after furniture is set on fire at the front door.
:00:30. > :00:34.There could have been a death at that house.
:00:35. > :00:37.Dead, dying and injured animals on a County Antrim farm -
:00:38. > :00:42.the owner gets a suspended jail sentence for cruelty.
:00:43. > :00:45.A Mixed Martial Arts fighter dies after a weekend event
:00:46. > :00:50.Ahead of the Assembly election we look at the hotly
:00:51. > :00:56.The cost of your holiday money if you're
:00:57. > :01:02.The Masters has just finished but already the countdown
:01:03. > :01:07.Today the famous trophy was in Portrush!
:01:08. > :01:18.but getting drier and brighter towards the weekend.
:01:19. > :01:20.Four people escaped serious injury in an early morning arson attack
:01:21. > :01:26.Furniture was used to start the fire at the front door of the property
:01:27. > :01:33.One family member says her brother heard the smoke alarm and managed
:01:34. > :01:36.to get everyone to safety through the back door.
:01:37. > :01:39.Detectives are investigating a motive.
:01:40. > :01:43.Here's our North-West reporter, Keiron Tourish.
:01:44. > :01:46.The police say this fire broke out around 3M this morning in the
:01:47. > :01:52.They believe old furniture may have been
:01:53. > :01:54.placed against the front door of the property and set alight,
:01:55. > :02:00.One of the four people in the house at the time said the
:02:01. > :02:11.actions of her brother saved all their lives.
:02:12. > :02:13.The front door, the hallway, all the house is a mess.
:02:14. > :02:37.Another member of the family who was not in the house
:02:38. > :02:40.at the time and I said the consequences could have been
:02:41. > :02:44.She says her mother as well as her sister and brother and a
:02:45. > :02:45.family friend could have lost their lives.
:02:46. > :02:48.My mother is 63, and for someone to come and do this
:02:49. > :02:51.This has never happened to her in her life.
:02:52. > :02:54.There could have been a death in that house.
:02:55. > :03:06.The Fire and Rescue Service said this fire was started deliberately.
:03:07. > :03:08.The detectives investigating the early morning arson say they are
:03:09. > :03:11.still trying to establish a motive and are appealing for witnesses or
:03:12. > :03:17.anybody who knows anything about the incident to come forward.
:03:18. > :03:20.Now to that animal cruelty case and a farmer who had 150
:03:21. > :03:28.animals taken from him, the biggest ever herd seizure here.
:03:29. > :03:30.Today James Steele from Glenavy in County Antrim was given
:03:31. > :03:32.a suspended jail sentence for keeping his livestock
:03:33. > :03:35.in what were described as horrendous conditions.
:03:36. > :03:38.He once had a thriving business which the court was told fell apart
:03:39. > :03:42.Be warned there are some graphic pictures in this report
:03:43. > :03:46.from our Agriculture correspondent Conor Macauley.
:03:47. > :03:53.This is one of the cattle that caused concern. The 46-year-old had
:03:54. > :03:58.once had a successful cattle business worth more than ?1 million
:03:59. > :04:04.but it has spiralled out of control. He pleaded guilty to six charges of
:04:05. > :04:08.causing unnecessary suffering to animals on his land. Officials found
:04:09. > :04:13.dead and dying cattle amongst the living. Some of the sick ones had to
:04:14. > :04:17.be put down. Enforcement officers took pictures and videos as part of
:04:18. > :04:24.the prosecution and showed animals in a poor state. This one was buried
:04:25. > :04:30.up to his belly in mud. The dead and dying lay side-by-side. Some had no
:04:31. > :04:34.access to feed or water. Vets said conditions have been horrendous.
:04:35. > :04:38.There were animals that had died in the field is trying to give birth
:04:39. > :04:43.and they hadn't been given that very attention. There were animals laying
:04:44. > :04:48.dead in sheds and had no access to feed. There were living animals in
:04:49. > :04:54.the sheds stepping over the animals that were lying in the mud. The
:04:55. > :04:58.court was told things went wrong after he got divorced. His wife had
:04:59. > :05:03.been the glue that kept the farm business together. In January and
:05:04. > :05:09.150 cattle were seized by vets, the result of a cruelty case. The judge
:05:10. > :05:15.said he was shocked by what he had seen and gave James a five-month
:05:16. > :05:21.prison sentence and banned him from keeping animals for five years.
:05:22. > :05:23.There's plenty to come on BBC Newsline including
:05:24. > :05:26.an appeal for stolen World War One medals to be returned
:05:27. > :05:39.They are irreplaceable items, medals won by more -- by men and one of
:05:40. > :05:44.them didn't come back. A Mixed Martial Arts
:05:45. > :05:46.fighter has died after Joao Carvalho from Portrugal had
:05:47. > :05:50.been taking part in a fight against an opponent called Charlie
:05:51. > :05:52.'The Hospital' Ward. The sport is hugely popular on both
:05:53. > :05:59.sides of the Atlantic in party because of Carvalhy's team-mate
:06:00. > :06:00.the World Champion Our Dublin correspondent Shane
:06:01. > :06:05.Harrison has more detail on this. Shane tell us more
:06:06. > :06:17.about what happened 28-year-old Joao Carvalho was
:06:18. > :06:21.checked by doctors at the stadium after the fight after he was
:06:22. > :06:26.complaining of feeling unwell and he was taken to the Beaumont Hospital
:06:27. > :06:30.in North Dublin where he underwent emergency brain surgery. He was in a
:06:31. > :06:37.critical condition. Today his Portuguese team said he died last
:06:38. > :06:41.night around 9:30pm. They and the organisers have issued a statement
:06:42. > :06:45.in which they say that they are very saddened by what happened and the
:06:46. > :06:50.family to whom they have expressed their condolences have appealed for
:06:51. > :06:53.privacy at this difficult time. Mixed martial arts has a massive
:06:54. > :06:57.following here because of the popularity of the Irish world
:06:58. > :07:03.champion Conor McGregor. Fights often take place in cages and fists
:07:04. > :07:08.and feet can be used even when the opponent is on the ground. It has
:07:09. > :07:12.been criticised for the violence associated with it, with some people
:07:13. > :07:17.saying it shouldn't be called a sport. Criticisms that have been
:07:18. > :07:23.repeated again today in the wake of Joao Carvalho's death.
:07:24. > :07:26.An army officer in charge of a unit which fired a rubber bullet at
:07:27. > :07:28.11-year-old Francis Rowntree in the Divis area of West Belfast
:07:29. > :07:31.in April 1972 has told the inquest that no women or children should
:07:32. > :07:35.Francis Rowntree was hit by a rubber bullet in the Divis area
:07:36. > :07:39.It also emerged during the inquest that soldiers didn't give a warning
:07:40. > :07:56.The inquest heard how begin which Francis Rowntree tried was troubled.
:07:57. > :08:02.Rioting was commonplace. Giving evidence was the commanding officer
:08:03. > :08:08.on the 20th of April 19 72. Seen here on the left leaving court. The
:08:09. > :08:13.inquest heard a statement he made in 1972. He said there were crowds of
:08:14. > :08:17.youths some as young as ten involved in well-organised rioting. 16 shots
:08:18. > :08:23.have been fired at his man that day and the military vehicle he had been
:08:24. > :08:27.in work -- was pelted by missiles. Soldier B, one of seven sobbed in
:08:28. > :08:31.the vehicle informed me that he fired at the crowd and had hit
:08:32. > :08:40.someone. He was asked by a Councillor why a warning was given
:08:41. > :08:44.before -- before Francis mind tree were shot. He said they had no one
:08:45. > :08:51.to address the situation. Waiters were acting illegally throwing
:08:52. > :08:54.missiles and causing damage. He said he spoke to people individually and
:08:55. > :08:59.met with parents to tell them that their children were risking their
:09:00. > :09:02.lives. The inquest was told that the company he demanded was a
:09:03. > :09:07.bloodthirsty lot. Mr Veitch said that was not the case. The inquest
:09:08. > :09:11.heard they were to work on the principle of minimal force and it
:09:12. > :09:15.was a governing principle. Mr Veitch said it was based on the traditional
:09:16. > :09:21.way of crowd dispersal and not a way of dealing with the turmoil going on
:09:22. > :09:25.in the area in 1972. He said we did the best we could do but were
:09:26. > :09:29.forever overtaken by events. He said no women or children were targeted
:09:30. > :09:30.but it must have happened because they were part of the crowd. The
:09:31. > :09:40.inquest continues. Next to the Assembly
:09:41. > :09:42.election and anyone looking to enter the race needed
:09:43. > :09:44.to have their nomination Voters have until Monday to register
:09:45. > :09:55.if they want to take part South Belfast is one of the most
:09:56. > :09:58.hotly contested constituencies. In the last election all the five
:09:59. > :10:01.main parties had This report from our
:10:02. > :10:13.Political Correspondent It is hard to escape the election
:10:14. > :10:19.here. Whether you are on a busy shopping street or in a live -- or
:10:20. > :10:23.in an Avenue, posters are everywhere. They all have a stake in
:10:24. > :10:30.south Belfast and on the ballot paper with independents and smaller
:10:31. > :10:35.parties. Back in 2011 the DUP, the Ulster Unionists, the Alliance party
:10:36. > :10:41.and Sinn Fein all talk one seat with the SDLP taking two. This time there
:10:42. > :10:49.will be some change because none of the successful candidates back in
:10:50. > :10:53.2011 are running again. South Belfast is multicultural and means
:10:54. > :10:58.parties have to reach out beyond the traditional heartlands. You have to
:10:59. > :11:03.chase the Bangladeshi boat, the Muslim vote, the Nationalists but
:11:04. > :11:10.also the peacemakers and bridge builders who all from -- often
:11:11. > :11:16.surprise people and cross the boundary. While Sinn Fein are open
:11:17. > :11:19.for a single seat, the SDLP want to retain two. For the last four
:11:20. > :11:24.elections people have written off our second seat and we have always
:11:25. > :11:30.come home with it. That is what we intend to do as well. Do you feel
:11:31. > :11:36.the pressure? Yes, nothing is taken for granted. It will be tight and it
:11:37. > :11:41.is a very diverse and crowded field. The Alliance Party also have two
:11:42. > :11:49.seats in their sights. In 2011, and Lo topped the poll here but now she
:11:50. > :11:55.has retired. Anna was an incredible person and put the Alliance Party on
:11:56. > :11:59.the mat -- map. There is a very strong core Alliance vote here and
:12:00. > :12:03.we are sitting my very impressive core vote and we're hoping to expand
:12:04. > :12:08.on that. We are very confident we will build on success. There is a
:12:09. > :12:25.battle within unionism in South Belfast. Emma Little Pengelly is
:12:26. > :12:30.there. If you want Arlene Foster as First Minister then support her
:12:31. > :12:34.candidates. I hope with a combination of the hard work I have
:12:35. > :12:39.done and being out there in the constituency, that it will be a very
:12:40. > :12:42.easy choice the people. Those in the Ulster Unionist camp say the
:12:43. > :12:48.election is about more than who should be First Minister. What I
:12:49. > :12:52.hear back is people have got tired of that argument. They see it in a
:12:53. > :12:57.joint office and when both have their veto on each other, the
:12:58. > :13:04.reality is who cares what side of the bed they are sleeping on? It is
:13:05. > :13:19.whether or not the last years of DUP Sinn Fein leadership is enough. She
:13:20. > :13:23.rejects any rejection of the Unionist vote. I don't see it like
:13:24. > :13:31.that. You cannot split the vote. That is the DUP's own version of
:13:32. > :13:35.project fear. Vote for us or you will get Martin McGuinness as First
:13:36. > :13:40.Minister. We already have Martin McGuinness as joint First Minister.
:13:41. > :13:44.While the final result is uncertain, one thing is clear. Voters are about
:13:45. > :13:47.to elect candidates they have never sent to Stormont Committee.
:13:48. > :13:50.And you can find a list of all the candidates
:13:51. > :13:52.in South Belfast on the BBC News NI website.
:13:53. > :13:55.Sterling against the Euro - the exchange rate has changed
:13:56. > :13:57.significantly compared to this time last year.
:13:58. > :14:02.You are now getting fewer for your pound.
:14:03. > :14:04.As our business correspondent Julian O'Neill volatility
:14:05. > :14:07.in the currency markets has much to do with the referendum
:14:08. > :14:20.For watchers of money markets like these business students at Queens
:14:21. > :14:29.University, today wasn't actually a a bad day for the pound boasted by a
:14:30. > :14:35.rise in inflation. But generally fortunes have slipped since
:14:36. > :14:42.Christmas. In December a pound bought you 1 euro 42. Now it is down
:14:43. > :14:47.to one point 25. That is a slide of 12%. It is not faring any better
:14:48. > :14:55.against the US dollar. ?1 was worth $1 52 near the turn of the air and
:14:56. > :15:01.today was $1 42. Uncertainty over the outcome of the UK referendum on
:15:02. > :15:07.EU membership is one factor on how sterling is faring and analysts
:15:08. > :15:12.predict the pound potentially faces an unsettled period. This is likely
:15:13. > :15:18.to continue before we get the vote. It could get more volatile as we get
:15:19. > :15:22.closer. Not all one way that sterling is seeing some challenges
:15:23. > :15:28.right now. This time of year many people are beginning to think in
:15:29. > :15:31.holiday currency. Sterling might not stretch as far but exchange rates do
:15:32. > :15:41.not appear to be influencing bookings. It doesn't come into play.
:15:42. > :15:44.Why is that? They are not worried about the conversion rate when they
:15:45. > :15:48.walk through the door. They want the holiday and if we provide them with
:15:49. > :15:52.the right information and holiday, we have done our job. Some
:15:53. > :16:01.businesses are getting a boost from the fall. There is a better return
:16:02. > :16:03.than last year helping export orders rise at their fastest rate in 20
:16:04. > :16:06.months. A family have appealed to thieves
:16:07. > :16:09.who stole two World War One The medals were taken
:16:10. > :16:13.from a house in north Belfast sometime on Saturday night,
:16:14. > :16:16.early Sunday morning. The owner says while they may not be
:16:17. > :16:32.worth much they are of These photographs are all a family
:16:33. > :16:36.have left of their relative's world war service medals. When thieves
:16:37. > :16:41.broke into their home at the weekend they stole six war models -- medals.
:16:42. > :16:44.This is the military medal for bravery on a battlefield and this
:16:45. > :16:51.was the lower ranked equivalent of the military Cross and this is the
:16:52. > :16:56.man who was awarded it. He was a sap in the Royal Engineers and fought at
:16:57. > :17:00.the Battle of the Somme. The medals belonged to his grandson. It means
:17:01. > :17:04.everything to me and my family. It is a connection with the past and
:17:05. > :17:09.with this being the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the
:17:10. > :17:16.Somme, it is even more poignant. They are irreplaceable items, medals
:17:17. > :17:23.won by a young man and one of them didn't come back. My great uncle,
:17:24. > :17:26.William James, he died. The family say they are of great sentimental
:17:27. > :17:32.value to them and they would like them back. I'm not sure if there is
:17:33. > :17:38.any monetary value in them but they are sentimental value to me and my
:17:39. > :17:41.family. Please return them. Metal collectors are being asked to keep a
:17:42. > :17:44.wary eye out for these and the police are appealing for anyone with
:17:45. > :17:50.information about the robbery to contact them.
:17:51. > :17:56.Attention is turning to a gig golfing tournament starting in the
:17:57. > :17:58.summer. The Ryder Cup trophy arrived
:17:59. > :18:00.in Northern Ireland today at the start of a brief tour,
:18:01. > :18:03.which will see it on display The Europe Team captain
:18:04. > :18:06.Darren Clarke received the trophy at Royal Portrush
:18:07. > :18:09.and gave us his thoughts on both the US Masters and this
:18:10. > :18:21.summers Irish Open. It is a small trophy but in the
:18:22. > :18:26.world of golf it is important. Darren Clarke was delighted to have
:18:27. > :18:32.the Ryder Cup at the start of its European tour. To have it here is
:18:33. > :18:38.special and it is here today and in Belfast tomorrow. A very proud
:18:39. > :18:43.moment. The Ryder Cup tour starts here. The Masters champion will be
:18:44. > :18:48.on the European team to the delight of the captain. Danny has been
:18:49. > :18:54.playing great for a couple of years now and I know Danny very well. He
:18:55. > :18:59.is part of the same stable that I have -- am. I have been practising a
:19:00. > :19:07.lot with him. To have another European winner and Danny in the
:19:08. > :19:11.green jacket winning the way he did is huge not just the Ryder Cup but
:19:12. > :19:20.for the European Tour. As that decision comes to move to Loch earn,
:19:21. > :19:25.Darren was philosophical today. The European Tour is working diligently
:19:26. > :19:30.with the people involved over here to get tournaments over here. They
:19:31. > :19:36.made a statement on it yesterday and we have the Open coming here. As the
:19:37. > :19:38.Darren Clarke, the future is simple. It is about keeping that little
:19:39. > :19:42.piece of gold in European hands. It was a fabulous weekend for some
:19:43. > :19:45.of our local gymnaststs. 16-year-old Ewan McAteer picked up
:19:46. > :19:47.a bronze at the British championships in
:19:48. > :19:50.Liverpool in the vault. man, Rhys McClenaghan,
:19:51. > :19:55.who competed in the pommel horse. Now he was up against three time
:19:56. > :19:58.Olympic medalist Louis Smith and double olympic medal winner Max
:19:59. > :20:01.Whitlock. McClenaghan took part in the pommel
:20:02. > :20:04.and despite still being at school, The BBC's Matt Baker
:20:05. > :20:08.caught up with the Bangor athlete after securing
:20:09. > :20:21.an impressive third place. Really didn't expect it. I went to
:20:22. > :20:25.the final having fun. It was for the experience and I came out with a
:20:26. > :20:29.medal. Going in with that mentality, how did that set you up because you
:20:30. > :20:34.are having fun and you wanted to show people what you were working
:20:35. > :20:39.on? It made me more, and kept me more composed and I wasn't nervous.
:20:40. > :20:41.I got a medal. Northern Ireland striker Jamie Ward
:20:42. > :20:44.faces an anxious wait to find out the extent of a hamstring injury
:20:45. > :20:46.sustained while playing for Nottingham Forest
:20:47. > :20:48.in a Championship game last night. Ward hopes the injury
:20:49. > :20:50.will not threaten his hopes of appearing at Euro 2016 in France,
:20:51. > :20:55.which starts in June. Portadown FC have been fined ?10,000
:20:56. > :20:57.by the IFA's disciplinary committee after being found guilty
:20:58. > :20:59.of committing two offences in relation to undisclosed
:21:00. > :21:01.payments to players. The club have also been banned
:21:02. > :21:04.from signing any new players on professional contracts
:21:05. > :21:16.until June 1st 2017. Look at those general lasts --
:21:17. > :21:22.gymnast, still studying and winning medals. Let us see if we all lucky
:21:23. > :21:26.with the weather forecast now. It was a pretty miserable day today and
:21:27. > :21:30.I would love a little bit of a dry spell.
:21:31. > :21:37.You might have to hang on one more day because we have had some heavy
:21:38. > :21:41.rain over the last few days and it is driven by this low pressure.
:21:42. > :21:48.Whirling around in the Atlantic and drawing those weather fronts in. It
:21:49. > :21:52.was the rain and its progress. Some heavy bursts as we went through the
:21:53. > :21:55.day. We thought the weather front was going to move further north
:21:56. > :22:01.overnight tonight but it looks like it will linger for a time. We have a
:22:02. > :22:06.dry hour but it will not take long for that rain to sink South. We keep
:22:07. > :22:13.a blanket of cloud sitting over us as we go through the evening.
:22:14. > :22:17.Temperatures around six Celsius. Tomorrow, we finally get to say
:22:18. > :22:21.goodbye to that weather front which has dominated our weather over the
:22:22. > :22:28.last couple of days. We start off with that band over us and it begins
:22:29. > :22:33.its journey south and loses its identity. The rain becomes more
:22:34. > :22:37.showery in nature. While we hold on to the cloud cover as we go through
:22:38. > :22:44.Wednesday afternoon, there is always the chance of a shower popping up.
:22:45. > :22:47.Temperatures down to 11 Celsius. It is an increasingly dry afternoon.
:22:48. > :22:52.Because we have that blanket of cloud sitting over us as we go into
:22:53. > :22:55.the night-time hours, we will keep temperatures on the mild side
:22:56. > :23:05.Wednesday into Thursday. There is the chance of a shower popping up
:23:06. > :23:09.but the temperatures will reach as low as five Celsius. Thursday, we
:23:10. > :23:14.turn a corner. While we start off with cloud and a few showers, by the
:23:15. > :23:18.end of the day it will be a very different picture. During the
:23:19. > :23:23.afternoon, some breaks open up and temperatures rise to 11 Celsius.
:23:24. > :23:31.After a week where we have had grey skies, something a bit brighter.
:23:32. > :23:32.That was BBC Newsline. Good night.