:00:00. > :00:10.Good evening. This is BBC Newsline.
:00:11. > :00:13.The police are investigating the motive for an attack on a family
:00:14. > :00:16.Four people were inside when a fire was started
:00:17. > :00:23.The family, who escaped with serious injury,
:00:24. > :00:25.told our North-West reporter Keiron Tourish they don't know why
:00:26. > :00:40.The police say this fire broke out at around three o'clock this
:00:41. > :00:44.morning. They believe all furniture may have been set alight, blocking
:00:45. > :00:49.the doorway. One of the four people in the house
:00:50. > :00:56.says the actions of her brother saved all their lives.
:00:57. > :01:04.The front door, all the house. Whoever did it, confess.
:01:05. > :01:09.Why did they do at? Don't know. My brother saved our lives.
:01:10. > :01:14.Another member of the family who wasn't in the house at the time says
:01:15. > :01:19.the consequences could have been horrific. She says her mother and
:01:20. > :01:26.sister and brother, and a family friend, could have lost their lives.
:01:27. > :01:33.My mother's coming 63 years of age, and for somebody to do this, this
:01:34. > :01:37.never happened to her in her life. I could have been lives lost last
:01:38. > :01:43.night. They could have been a death. We don't know who did it.
:01:44. > :01:47.Some scumbag. The Fire and Rescue Service say this fire was started
:01:48. > :01:52.deliberately -- deliberately. Detectives said they are still
:01:53. > :01:56.trying to establish a motive. They have appealed for witnesses or
:01:57. > :01:59.anybody who knows anything about the incident to come forward.
:02:00. > :02:01.A farmer has been given a suspended prison for causing unnecessary
:02:02. > :02:07.When inspectors visited the farm in Glenavy in County Antrim,
:02:08. > :02:12.they found dead and dying animals lying side by side.
:02:13. > :02:15.The case involved 150 cattle - and it's the biggest herd
:02:16. > :02:18.the authorities have had to remove from a local farm.
:02:19. > :02:19.Our agriculture environment correspondent
:02:20. > :02:32.This is one of the cattle whose condition caused such concern to
:02:33. > :02:37.inspectors when they visited James steel's farm.
:02:38. > :02:42.The 46-year-old had once had a successful cattle business worth
:02:43. > :02:45.more than ?1 million, but it had spiralled out of control.
:02:46. > :02:49.He pleaded guilty to six charges of causing unnecessary suffering to
:02:50. > :02:53.animals last spring. Officials had found dead or dying
:02:54. > :02:57.cattle amongst the living. Some of the sick ones had to be put down.
:02:58. > :03:01.Enforcement officers took pictures and video as part of the
:03:02. > :03:08.prosecution. They showed families in a very poor state. The dead and
:03:09. > :03:15.dying layered side-by-side. Some had no access to food or water.
:03:16. > :03:17.Departmental vets said conditions had been horrendous.
:03:18. > :03:23.There were animals who had died out in the field is trying to give
:03:24. > :03:28.birth. There were others lying dead in sheds, they had no access to
:03:29. > :03:32.feed. There were other living animals in the sheds, stepping over
:03:33. > :03:35.the top of the animals that were lying in the mud.
:03:36. > :03:40.The court was told things had started to go wrong after Mr Steele
:03:41. > :03:47.had got divorced. In January, what was left of his
:03:48. > :03:49.herd, 153 cattle, were seized by vets.
:03:50. > :03:52.The result of a previous cruelty case.
:03:53. > :03:56.The judge said he had been genuinely shocked.
:03:57. > :04:00.He gave James steel a five-month prison sentence, suspended for three
:04:01. > :04:04.years, and banned him from keeping animals for five.
:04:05. > :04:07.An army officer in charge of a unit which fired a rubber bullet
:04:08. > :04:10.at 11-year-old boy has told an inquest that no women or children
:04:11. > :04:14.Francis Rowntree was injured in the Divis area of Belfast
:04:15. > :04:21.It's also emerged during the inquest that soldiers didn't give a warning
:04:22. > :04:37.The inquest heard how the year in which Francis Rowntree died was
:04:38. > :04:40.troubled. Rioting was commonplace. Giving evidence today was the
:04:41. > :04:51.commanding officer on the 20th of April 19 72. The inquest heard a
:04:52. > :04:56.statement he made in 1972. He said there were crowds of youths, some as
:04:57. > :05:01.young as ten, involved and well organised rioting. 16 shots, he
:05:02. > :05:05.said, had been fired at his men that day, and the military vehicle had
:05:06. > :05:09.been pelted by missiles. He said soldier B, 107 in the
:05:10. > :05:12.vehicle, informed him that he had fired in the crowd and had hit
:05:13. > :05:18.someone. He was asked by counsel for the red
:05:19. > :05:21.-- Rowntree family why a warning had not been given.
:05:22. > :05:25.He said a warning was something they aspire to.
:05:26. > :05:29.He said, we had no one to address. The situation was flawed.
:05:30. > :05:31.Rioters were throwing stones, causing damage and injuring the
:05:32. > :05:36.military. He said he had met 30 to 40 parents
:05:37. > :05:40.to tell them their children were risking their lives.
:05:41. > :05:44.That was my warning. The inquest was told that the Company Mr Veitch
:05:45. > :05:46.commanded was a tough and bloodthirsty lot. Mr Veitch said
:05:47. > :06:17.that was not the case. The inquest heard that the army were
:06:18. > :06:19.to work on the principle of minimal force.
:06:20. > :06:21.He said yes, it was based on the traditional way of crowd dispersal,
:06:22. > :06:24.and not a way of dealing with the turmoil going on in the area in
:06:25. > :06:27.1972. He said, we did the best we could do at the time, but we were
:06:28. > :06:29.forever overtaken by events. He said no women or children were targeted,
:06:30. > :06:31.but it must have happened because they were part of the crowd. The
:06:32. > :06:31.inquest continues. A mixed martial arts
:06:32. > :06:33.fighter has died after Joao Carvalho from Portugal had been
:06:34. > :06:37.in a fight against Irish opponent Charlie Ward,
:06:38. > :06:39.and fell ill shortly The 28-year-old was taken
:06:40. > :06:42.to Beaumont Hospital, where he died. The sport is hugely popular on both
:06:43. > :06:45.sides of the Atlantic and his death has raised concerns about the safety
:06:46. > :06:53.of mixed martial arts. We've seen a number of fighters come
:06:54. > :06:59.into us with significant injuries, injuries to the head, to the face,
:07:00. > :07:02.so it seems to be a sport that any part of the body is fair game.
:07:03. > :07:04.You may have noticed in recent weeks you're now getting fewer
:07:05. > :07:07.The exchange rate has changed somewhat since last year.
:07:08. > :07:09.And as our business correspondent Julian O'Neill now reports,
:07:10. > :07:13.volatility in the currency markets has a lot to do with the referendum
:07:14. > :07:21.For watchers of money markets, like these business students, today was
:07:22. > :07:26.not actually a bad day for the pound, boosted by a rise in
:07:27. > :07:32.inflation. But generally, fortunes have slept
:07:33. > :07:41.since Christmas. In December one pound bought you around 1 euro 42.
:07:42. > :07:46.Now it is down to 1 euro 25, a slide of 25% -- 12%.
:07:47. > :07:50.Against the US dollar, the pound was worth $1 52 near the turn of the
:07:51. > :07:56.year. Today, it was around $1 42.
:07:57. > :08:01.Uncertainty over the outcome of the UK referendum on EU membership is
:08:02. > :08:07.one factor in how sterling is currently faring. And analysts
:08:08. > :08:10.predict the pound potentially faces an unsettled period.
:08:11. > :08:14.This is likely to continue until we get the vote. In fact it could get
:08:15. > :08:18.more volatile as we get closer to the vote.
:08:19. > :08:20.Not necessarily all one way, but certainly sterling is seeing some
:08:21. > :08:25.challenges. This time of year, many people are
:08:26. > :08:28.beginning to think in holiday currency.
:08:29. > :08:33.Sterling might not presently stretch as far, but exchange rates do not
:08:34. > :08:38.appear to be influencing bookings. It doesn't come into play, no.
:08:39. > :08:42.Why do you think that is? I just don't think they are that worried
:08:43. > :08:46.about the conversion rate when they walk through the door. They want the
:08:47. > :08:50.holiday, and if we provide them with the right information and the right
:08:51. > :08:55.holiday, we have done our job. Some businesses are currently
:08:56. > :08:58.getting a boost of starving's fall. Sales in the eurozone are suddenly
:08:59. > :09:05.providing a better return than last year, helping export orders rise at
:09:06. > :09:08.their fastest rate in 20 months. -- a boost from Stirling's fall.
:09:09. > :09:10.On last night's programme, we reported the theft of two
:09:11. > :09:14.World War I medals from a house in north Belfast.
:09:15. > :09:23.Now the family who they belonged to have appealed to the thieves
:09:24. > :09:27.The owner says while they may not be worth much,
:09:28. > :09:39.These photographs are all this family have left of their relatives'
:09:40. > :09:44.medals. When thieves broke into the home of the weekend, they stole
:09:45. > :09:47.three medals, including the military medal for bravery in the
:09:48. > :09:52.battlefield. This was the lower ranks' equivalent of the military
:09:53. > :09:56.Cross. And this is the man who was awarded it. He was a supper in the
:09:57. > :10:01.Royal Engineers and fought at the Battle of the Somme. This -- the
:10:02. > :10:06.medals belong to his grandson. It means everything to me and my
:10:07. > :10:11.family, a connection with the past, and with this being the 100th
:10:12. > :10:16.anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, it is even more poignant.
:10:17. > :10:23.They are irreplaceable items, medals won by John Mann and one of them did
:10:24. > :10:28.not come back. -- won by a young men. My grandfather died.
:10:29. > :10:31.The family say they are of great sentimental value to them, and they
:10:32. > :10:37.would like them back. I'm not sure if there is any
:10:38. > :10:41.monetary value, they are of great sentimental and emotional value to
:10:42. > :10:44.our family, but please, returned them.
:10:45. > :10:48.Medal collectors are being asked to keep a wary eye out, and police are
:10:49. > :10:49.appealing for anybody with information about the robbery to
:10:50. > :10:51.contact them. The Ryder Cup trophy arrived
:10:52. > :10:53.in Northern Ireland today - at the start of a brief tour
:10:54. > :10:56.which will see it on display The European Team captain
:10:57. > :11:04.Darren Clarke received He also gave his reaction
:11:05. > :11:08.to the decision not to stage next year's Irish Open at the Lough Erne
:11:09. > :11:18.resort in County Fermanagh, Yes, it is disappointing. But the
:11:19. > :11:24.European tour are working diligently with the people involved over here,
:11:25. > :11:29.they made a statement yesterday and we have got the open coming here in
:11:30. > :11:31.a few years' time, and hopefully we will have more tournaments here in
:11:32. > :11:32.the future. Football, and Northern Ireland's
:11:33. > :11:34.women have lost by three goals to one to Italy
:11:35. > :11:36.in their European qualifier. It leaves Northern Ireland fourth
:11:37. > :11:39.in Group Six, with three Now the weather forecast
:11:40. > :11:42.for tomorrow and the next few days,
:11:43. > :11:53.with Geoff Maskell. Good evening. We have had a lot of
:11:54. > :11:57.rain over the last few days, and it has all been done to this area of
:11:58. > :12:01.low pressure. It has been drawing the weather fronts in across our
:12:02. > :12:05.land, and the one that brought rain through this morning is still with
:12:06. > :12:09.us tonight, lingering overnight bringing rain particularly across
:12:10. > :12:14.the north coast. We keep a blanket of Clyde just about everywhere else
:12:15. > :12:20.as well, keeping the temperature is on the mild side. -- cloud. We
:12:21. > :12:24.finally say goodbye to that whether from tomorrow, as it sinks away
:12:25. > :12:29.south and fragments through the morning. It will turn increasingly
:12:30. > :12:34.showery. Behind it we keep hold of those cloudy skies, but it is
:12:35. > :12:37.getting a bit drier. We have two distinctive zones of weather, to the
:12:38. > :12:43.north of the front cooler air and strong breezes, to the south we
:12:44. > :12:46.could see highs of 17 across parts of London and the south-east. For us
:12:47. > :12:51.I think the temperatures are more likely to be ten or 11 at best,
:12:52. > :12:55.those showers are continuing to fizzle out as we go through the
:12:56. > :12:59.afternoon. By the time we get into Thursday, things are improving. We
:13:00. > :13:03.keep hold of some of those cloudy skies, but it is getting
:13:04. > :13:07.increasingly drier as we go through the day, then we will start to see a
:13:08. > :13:19.few holes being punched in the cloud, so as
:13:20. > :13:23.we get into the afternoon it is an increasingly bright afternoon. Top
:13:24. > :13:25.temperatures ten or 11, but after a week of grey, wet conditions, the
:13:26. > :13:26.fact it is getting drier and brighter will be really welcomed.
:13:27. > :13:31.Our next BBC Newsline is at 6:25 in the morning during Breakfast