:00:00. > :00:22.This is BBC Newsline with Tara Mills.
:00:23. > :00:26.Murdered by being thrown off a bridge into a river -
:00:27. > :00:31.her family say they feel let down by her killer's sentence.
:00:32. > :00:40.We feel justice has not been done today and it should be a life for a
:00:41. > :00:44.life. They have taken our man but also our children's grandmother.
:00:45. > :00:46.The Executive considers completely shutting down its controversial
:00:47. > :00:49.It's time to go - the UUP and the SDLP call
:00:50. > :00:52.for the Assembly Speaker Robin Newton to stand down.
:00:53. > :00:54.Hundreds of people are arrested as the PSNI crack down
:00:55. > :01:05.We have arrested 241 people in the first three weeks of this year's
:01:06. > :01:08.campaign. And also on the programme tonight:
:01:09. > :01:10.We're getting in the mood for Christmas with the first
:01:11. > :01:14.in our school carol series. A goal of the season contender
:01:15. > :01:19.as the Belfast Giants edge out Manchester storm to
:01:20. > :01:37.reach the semi-finals Wintry showers straight out of the
:01:38. > :01:42.Arctic and the warmest Christmas Day on record. It is nothing but buried.
:01:43. > :01:47.The daughters of a county Antrim woman who drowned after being thrown
:01:48. > :01:49.40 feet from a bridge say justice has not been done after her
:01:50. > :01:54.murderer was jailed for a minimum of nine years.
:01:55. > :01:56.The body of 61-year-old Pauline Carmichael
:01:57. > :01:59.who was dressed in her pyjamas was found washed up
:02:00. > :02:05.on the shores of Lough Neagh in February last year.
:02:06. > :02:07.Her partner's son, 38-year-old former soldier Alan Foster,
:02:08. > :02:17.Our north east reporter Sara Girvin was at Belfast Crown Court.
:02:18. > :02:26.Pauline Carmichael was a mother of seven and grandmother to 16. It was
:02:27. > :02:33.a row with Alan Foster that saw her carrot to her death. The court heard
:02:34. > :02:38.after she had called police over his partying, he picked up while she was
:02:39. > :02:42.still in her pyjamas. A neighbour heard her screaming pleading with
:02:43. > :02:48.him to let her get her other shoe. He walks with her over her shoulders
:02:49. > :02:52.from the flat they shared the nearly a mile before throwing her off a
:02:53. > :02:55.bridge. She drowned in the water 40 feet below and was washed away. A
:02:56. > :03:00.postmortem examination revealed she had sustained a broken bolt -- bone
:03:01. > :03:03.in her throat as well as multiple rib fractures. Her daughter said she
:03:04. > :03:08.would have been terrified in the months leading up to her death. Her
:03:09. > :03:13.biggest fear of all was water and that was the thing that took a lie.
:03:14. > :03:18.We can only imagine what she felt all was thinking when she fell over
:03:19. > :03:23.that bridge. The court heard it was accepted that Foster suffered from
:03:24. > :03:27.prose dramatic stress disorder as result of his service in Bosnia and
:03:28. > :03:33.Iraq. -- post-traumatic stress disorder. The prosecution barrister
:03:34. > :03:42.said he knew exactly what he was doing. Foster had previously denied
:03:43. > :03:47.the killing before pleading guilty after the jury for his trial had
:03:48. > :03:51.been sworn in. Miss Carmichael's daughters said a minimum of nine
:03:52. > :03:57.years was not enough for a life sentence. We feel justice has not
:03:58. > :04:02.been done today. It should be a life for our life. Not only have they
:04:03. > :04:06.taken our mum, they have taken our children's grandmother. The thing we
:04:07. > :04:11.have to listen to come the things that she went through, has damaged
:04:12. > :04:17.us as a family. She was a good and loving person and unfortunately we
:04:18. > :04:21.have lost her. The judge said the circumstances of the murder were
:04:22. > :04:25.particularly callous and described it as a wicked act but he said he
:04:26. > :04:30.had taken into consideration Foster's guilty plea and the remarks
:04:31. > :04:36.he had shown. Foster will now spend at least nine years in prison before
:04:37. > :04:38.being considered for parole. The Executive is considering
:04:39. > :04:40.the complete closure of its controversial
:04:41. > :04:41.Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. It's exploring the option of buying
:04:42. > :04:43.out the contracts of scheme beneficiaries who are due to receive
:04:44. > :04:46.subsidy payments over The move would be aimed
:04:47. > :04:53.at sharply reducing Our Economics and Business editor
:04:54. > :05:07.John Campbell reports. It is the green energy scheme which
:05:08. > :05:12.has turned into a financial disaster and a political crisis. A badly
:05:13. > :05:16.designed, poorly managed subsidy system means the executive effacing
:05:17. > :05:23.and overspend which will hit its budget the 20 years. Its priority
:05:24. > :05:26.now is to find some way to reduce that ?400 million overspend as the
:05:27. > :05:31.First Minister alluded to earlier this week. The hope is to reduce the
:05:32. > :05:35.cost of the scheme to the executive's budget but they are
:05:36. > :05:40.subject to consider further work. This matters as we want to be fair
:05:41. > :05:44.to all those who responded to the incentive as it was intended to
:05:45. > :05:52.operate and also to ensure our process results the abuse of the
:05:53. > :05:58.scheme. I understand there our two main options on the table. The first
:05:59. > :06:03.is to fix the scheme. Reducing the rate in which subsidies paid. The
:06:04. > :06:06.second is to close the scheme entirely. That would mean giving the
:06:07. > :06:11.beneficiary is a one-off compensation payment but ending the
:06:12. > :06:15.stream of subsidies. The executive would like any buyouts to be
:06:16. > :06:20.voluntary but it is understood to have taken legal advice about making
:06:21. > :06:25.them compulsory. The cost of that would probably be at least ?60
:06:26. > :06:29.million. One opposition and melee with a legal background is warning
:06:30. > :06:36.such a process would be straightforward. If you take away
:06:37. > :06:40.something that you raise expectation to enjoy coming you have to
:06:41. > :06:44.compensate for it. If they are not happy with the compensation, they
:06:45. > :06:51.will have to have an appeal mechanism. It could come very
:06:52. > :06:55.convoluted and a very extended -- extensive process. They have known
:06:56. > :06:59.about this for a gear at least and should have been doing this
:07:00. > :07:07.corrective work well in advance. We still to know who set up this flawed
:07:08. > :07:11.scheme and who benefited from it. The executive, the DUP, they would
:07:12. > :07:19.love this issue to go away. If they can find a way to close the scheme
:07:20. > :07:22.entirely, it is a big step in that direction. It is unlikely to be
:07:23. > :07:26.straightforward with legal and financial obstacles to overcome. A
:07:27. > :07:27.final decision is expected to be announced here early in the New
:07:28. > :07:31.Year. The Ulster Unionist Party,
:07:32. > :07:34.the SDLP and People Before Profit have all called for the Speaker
:07:35. > :07:36.of the Assembly Robin He permitted the First Minister
:07:37. > :07:43.Arlene Foster to make a statement about the controversial heat scheme
:07:44. > :07:45.without the agreement of the Deputy The UUP leader Mike
:07:46. > :07:48.Nesbitt has written to the Speaker telling him
:07:49. > :07:51.to make his decision over Christmas. Robin Newton says he will
:07:52. > :07:54.respond in the New Year. The DUP say some parties have
:07:55. > :07:57.nothing to offer other than resignation calls
:07:58. > :07:59.and cheap walkout stunts. Our Political Correspondent
:08:00. > :08:08.Stephen Walker has more. Last Monday's Stormont witnessed
:08:09. > :08:12.chaotic scenes. There was a stand-off in the chamber,
:08:13. > :08:17.proceedings were delayed and there were points of order and opposition
:08:18. > :08:21.and other MLA's walked out when the speaker allowed Arlene Foster to
:08:22. > :08:24.give a statement as First Minister without the agreement of the Deputy
:08:25. > :08:31.First Minister, Martin McGuinness. Arlene Foster delivered her speech
:08:32. > :08:37.to a chamber of just DUP MLA's. It was a surreal moment. Now Mike
:08:38. > :08:43.Nesbitt has written to the speaker telling him to stand down. Mr Newton
:08:44. > :08:46.needs to stand down as speaker to protect the integrity of the
:08:47. > :08:51.institutions. He made a gross mistake on Monday. I have studied
:08:52. > :08:55.his letter and he has misinterpreted standing orders. More importantly he
:08:56. > :09:00.drove a coach and horses through the fundamental protection of car
:09:01. > :09:07.sharing, the executive office is joint. At the same Robin Newton has
:09:08. > :09:11.compromised the office of Speaker. It comes after he apologised in
:09:12. > :09:17.November for not declaring his links to charter NI when ruling against an
:09:18. > :09:22.urgent debate on its funding. Should he consider his future? He needs to
:09:23. > :09:26.think over Christmas whether he is capable and whether he is the right
:09:27. > :09:29.man for doing the job. Whether he's capable of ensuring we have
:09:30. > :09:35.impartiality in terms of decisions and whether he will stand up for the
:09:36. > :09:39.integrity of the institutions as well as standing up to the Minister
:09:40. > :09:49.and Deputy First Minister. Sinn Fein says the minister has set present
:09:50. > :09:53.for the future and the people say he should stand down. They say he
:09:54. > :09:59.should not be the only resignation. I want Mr Newton to step down and
:10:00. > :10:06.also other people. I would be unhappy if Arlene Foster was
:10:07. > :10:10.continued to be First Minister. The DUP say some parties have nothing to
:10:11. > :10:16.offer other than resignation calls and cheap walk-out stunts. Stormont
:10:17. > :10:25.is now in recess and Robin Newton so they will respond to mark -- to Mike
:10:26. > :10:29.Nesbitt's letter in the future. This feels different. There is still much
:10:30. > :10:33.disquiet about Monday's offence. This story may take a pause over
:10:34. > :10:37.Christmas but it seems likely that in the New Year, calls for Robin
:10:38. > :10:40.Newton's reservoir -- resignation will continue.
:10:41. > :10:43.A number of pubs and restaurants in Belfast faced disruption
:10:44. > :10:45.to their water supply today due to several burst water mains.
:10:46. > :10:47.The problems began with a burst main on the Grosvenor Road
:10:48. > :10:51.and there were knock on effects for businesses in the city centre.
:10:52. > :10:55.Some had discoloured water, while others had no water at all.
:10:56. > :10:58.The National Trust-owned Crown Bar on Great Victoria Street had
:10:59. > :11:01.to close its doors this afternoon for a time.
:11:02. > :11:04.NI Water said they had crews out repairing several different bursts
:11:05. > :11:14.and the situation should be resolved by pm
:11:15. > :11:22.Still to come on BBC Newsline before seven:
:11:23. > :11:24.These young doctors are doing the rounds
:11:25. > :11:26.in Altnagelvin Hospital - but now a senior academic says
:11:27. > :11:29.there's an urgent need for another medical school in the North West
:11:30. > :11:33.to train the next generation of doctors.
:11:34. > :11:36.More than 200 people have been arrested in the first three weeks
:11:37. > :11:39.of the police's christmas crack down on drinking and driving.
:11:40. > :11:42.It's the first time the police are conducting random breath tests
:11:43. > :11:56.The message is simple. You can be breathalysed at any time, day or
:11:57. > :12:01.night. It is a first in the UK. PSNI officers like these have the
:12:02. > :12:04.authority to pull you over and make sure you are not over the limit.
:12:05. > :12:08.Previously, they would have needed reasonable suspicion before asking a
:12:09. > :12:14.driver to take a breath test but not any more. Those in the policing
:12:15. > :12:20.believe it is having an immediate impact. We have arrested 241 people
:12:21. > :12:24.in the first three weeks of this year's campaign. It is a small
:12:25. > :12:29.increase on last year. Four more people have ended up being arrested
:12:30. > :12:32.and will be charged for it and stand the risk of losing their licence
:12:33. > :12:37.because of a stupid decision they have made. Whenever they have had
:12:38. > :12:44.too much to drink. We have carried out a lot more breath tests this
:12:45. > :12:49.year. In the last three weeks since the legislation came into force,
:12:50. > :12:54.there have been many checkpoints and according to the PSNI, there will be
:12:55. > :12:58.more over the festive season. To date, 66 people have died on the
:12:59. > :13:02.roads in Northern Ireland this year and many more have been injured.
:13:03. > :13:06.These officers are hoping that checkpoints like this will deter
:13:07. > :13:15.some people from having that one drink which could prove fatal.
:13:16. > :13:17.A man's escaped injury during a gun attack at a home in Londonderry.
:13:18. > :13:20.Two shots were fired at the living room window
:13:21. > :13:22.of the house in Bonds Street in the Waterside last night.
:13:23. > :13:27.The incident has been condemned by local politicians.
:13:28. > :13:31.A former commercial manager at the Irish Football Association
:13:32. > :13:35.has won almost ?30,000 in compensation at a fair
:13:36. > :13:38.Tracey Campbell was awarded the compensation after claiming
:13:39. > :13:52.Tracey Campbell was the commercial manager until she was made redundant
:13:53. > :13:57.in September last year. An employment tribunal found it wasn't
:13:58. > :14:04.a proper redundancy process stop the IFA just wanted to replace her. Her
:14:05. > :14:08.boss at the time was Una O'Reilly, a director of sales and marketing. She
:14:09. > :14:13.was criticised by the tribunal and it concluded the redundancy process
:14:14. > :14:17.was a sham and was part of a drive by Ms O'Reilly to replace the
:14:18. > :14:23.claimant with someone else. Una O'Reilly gave evidence, as did Jerry
:14:24. > :14:28.Clawson, the IFA director of corporate services. The tribunal
:14:29. > :14:33.found their evidence was unsatisfactory and evasive in
:14:34. > :14:38.several respects. Tracey Campbell's evidence was clear, convincing and
:14:39. > :14:44.consistent. The tribunal concluded she had been treated unfairly by the
:14:45. > :14:51.IFA and awarded her ?28,700 in compensation. Since being made
:14:52. > :14:55.redundant, she now has a new job. Tonight, the IFA issued a statement
:14:56. > :15:00.stopped they said they did accept the ruling of the tribunal and would
:15:01. > :15:02.not be appealing the decision. They said they would learn from any
:15:03. > :15:07.mistakes which were made. A major cross-border project has
:15:08. > :15:09.taken a significant step forward. The long-delayed and controversial
:15:10. > :15:12.electricity inter-connector has been granted planning permission
:15:13. > :15:15.in the Republic. It's a project which promises
:15:16. > :15:18.cheaper bills for consumers. Our business correspondent
:15:19. > :15:31.Julian O'Neill is here. Finally things are starting to
:15:32. > :15:36.happen. It is an advancement but art project over the line yet. Let us
:15:37. > :15:40.remind ourselves what we are talking about. This would be a second
:15:41. > :15:44.cross-border hookup of the electricity grids. We are talking
:15:45. > :15:56.130 kilometres of overhead power lines stretching from Co Meath to a
:15:57. > :15:59.substation Tyrone. It will cost ?200 million. The controversy, the
:16:00. > :16:04.opposition is from communities who live along that route. They want the
:16:05. > :16:09.power lines to be underground, that they cite health and environmental
:16:10. > :16:14.risks with this. The plans were to approve overhead power lines. The
:16:15. > :16:19.rationale for this interconnector is it should give us more reliable and
:16:20. > :16:23.better security of supply and give our help provide us the opportunity
:16:24. > :16:28.on occasion to buy cheaper power from the south and that should be
:16:29. > :16:32.reflected in consumer bills. What stages the project at? We are
:16:33. > :16:36.lagging behind the decision-making process which has occurred in the
:16:37. > :16:42.Republic. There is likely to be planning decision on the northern
:16:43. > :16:47.stretch in the summer. This needs planning approval in both
:16:48. > :16:51.jurisdictions. There is to be a public inquiry and a final decision
:16:52. > :16:59.will be made by the infrastructure Minister, Chris Hazzard. Today Sinn
:17:00. > :17:03.Fein said the southern approval was disastrous and they will keep
:17:04. > :17:08.campaigning for the underground cables. The argument against
:17:09. > :17:13.underground doing is it is a much more expensive approach.
:17:14. > :17:15.A senior academic says there's a urgent need for another medical
:17:16. > :17:16.school in Northern Ireland to help train the next
:17:17. > :17:19.Professor Hugh McKenna from Ulster University says there's
:17:20. > :17:23.a crisis in current staffing levels and that needs to be addressed.
:17:24. > :17:25.His comments come as the University has applied to the General Medical
:17:26. > :17:27.Council for accreditation to establish a new medical school
:17:28. > :17:37.for graduates in the North-West, as Keiron Tourish reports.
:17:38. > :17:52.Doing the rounds at Altnagelvin Hospital. There is a challenge to
:17:53. > :17:58.recruit enough doctors in the years ahead to meet the needs of an ageing
:17:59. > :18:03.population. That is why plans are being developed to open a new model
:18:04. > :18:06.school in the north-west. It is to recruit more doctors and retain more
:18:07. > :18:12.doctors in the north-west. The reason why is we have a crisis on
:18:13. > :18:15.our hands. The doctors we have got are excellent but we don't have
:18:16. > :18:21.enough of them. There is evidence not just from the acute sector but
:18:22. > :18:28.also primary care that medicine is on its needs. --. Many have looked
:18:29. > :18:33.at a number of locations across the Northwest including here. When up
:18:34. > :18:44.and running, the new medical school could employ as many as 50 staff and
:18:45. > :18:48.cost in the region of ?20 million. The new medical school would
:18:49. > :18:56.initially take in entry graduate students and would have cross-border
:18:57. > :19:02.cooperation. The medical director of the Western Trust says it is crucial
:19:03. > :19:06.to plan for the future. We have to make the course attractive. We have
:19:07. > :19:11.no doubt that we will fill posts that are offered and we have to make
:19:12. > :19:16.jobs for the future attractive. We can parallel the minister's vision
:19:17. > :19:20.and make sure we address needs in rural and urban communities and
:19:21. > :19:26.areas of urban deprivation. We would like to do this with a medical
:19:27. > :19:30.school that offers access and care for the most deprived. The Health
:19:31. > :19:35.Minister has pledged her support during a recent Finnish Daz visit to
:19:36. > :19:39.the north-west. I look forward to working through all the detail. I
:19:40. > :19:44.think it is a good news story for the people of the Northwest. A
:19:45. > :19:50.medical school country would be really good. That is something that
:19:51. > :19:55.we are -- that will really benefit the Northwest and I am keen to make
:19:56. > :19:59.sure we can work with them to develop your property. The target
:20:00. > :20:03.date is 2019, offering a four-year course to successful applicants. The
:20:04. > :20:07.political milk -- the political will may exist for it is development but
:20:08. > :20:16.the challenge is to secure is funding for the long-term future.
:20:17. > :20:18.Not for sport and news of ice hockey success.
:20:19. > :20:21.The Belfast Giants are through to the semi finals
:20:22. > :20:23.of the Challenge Cup after a thrilling game
:20:24. > :20:27.The quarter-final second leg meeting against the Manchester Storm
:20:28. > :20:29.produced arguably the game of the season
:20:30. > :20:32.As Mark Sidebottom reports the Giants eventually won,
:20:33. > :20:37.but only with a few seconds to spare in dramatic fashion in overtime.
:20:38. > :20:44.Was there ever a better game of icicle -- of ice hockey stage did in
:20:45. > :20:53.Belfast? The spectators were treated to pure sporting magic. Manchester
:20:54. > :21:00.scored three times. Back came the Giants to sweep home. As the match
:21:01. > :21:04.pink pond from end to end, Taylor Dickens struck again for the
:21:05. > :21:08.visitors. The yo-yoing continued as David Rutherford swept forward for
:21:09. > :21:17.Belfast to pick out Chris Higgins. And there was better to come. Much
:21:18. > :21:23.better, in fact. The equaliser was a thing of outrageous beauty. He dived
:21:24. > :21:27.and sliced for one of the final individual -- finest individual
:21:28. > :21:34.goals the arena has ever seen. Like Torvill and Dean dancing to an
:21:35. > :21:39.alternative bolero, he winced past two get one in clean. Over time
:21:40. > :21:44.beckoned and with eight seconds remaining on the clock, it was still
:21:45. > :21:48.deadlocked. Alex Foster popped up with a winner. 4-3 on the night. The
:21:49. > :21:58.Giants offence to the semifinals. Ulster rugby will have
:21:59. > :22:01.all their Ireland internationals available for Friday nights
:22:02. > :22:03.Guinness Pro 12 game against Connacht
:22:04. > :22:04.which means Rory Best, Andrew Trimble and Paddy Jackson
:22:05. > :22:07.should be included for the sell It's a busy period coming
:22:08. > :22:11.up for Ulster both domestically and in Europe and star
:22:12. > :22:30.player Ruan Pienaar admits We are playing really good teams.
:22:31. > :22:34.Exeter and Bordeaux again. This is a big month and a lot of physical
:22:35. > :22:39.games that we are playing on the bounce. It is all about getting
:22:40. > :22:43.fresh and staying in a positive mindset. If you can get it settled,
:22:44. > :22:55.Finally its been confirmed that Ed Joyce is to play for Ireland
:22:56. > :23:01.Paddy McCourt has left by mutual consent. He is thought to be
:23:02. > :23:05.considering taking a break from the game altogether.
:23:06. > :23:08.Finally its been confirmed that Ed Joyce is to play for Ireland
:23:09. > :23:11.Joyce, who has played 17 one day internationals for England said
:23:12. > :23:13.the prospect of playing test cricket for Ireland made his
:23:14. > :23:37.We have had more variety in the weather than a Christmas selection
:23:38. > :23:42.box. We have hailed Stevens -- hailstones on the pictures here.
:23:43. > :23:51.Tomorrow, more of those wintry showers straight out of the Arctic.
:23:52. > :23:55.On Friday, Storm Barbra is with us. Overnight tonight, the showers
:23:56. > :23:59.continue to drive-in. We will see some winter weather over the hills
:24:00. > :24:05.and some sleet and snow over the highest ground. Tomorrow is more of
:24:06. > :24:09.the same. That cold feel to the day. There will be some brightness
:24:10. > :24:15.between no showers but the Northwest is taking the brunt. Thunder and
:24:16. > :24:21.hail like we have seen today. Not quite the intensity to the showers.
:24:22. > :24:26.Once we head into the evening, we will look at the wind gauges. Coming
:24:27. > :24:33.round a little bit more and stop that is the sign that Barbra is on
:24:34. > :24:39.her way and she will be with us on Friday. Sitting over us on the
:24:40. > :24:44.middle part of the day. One of the busiest travel days of the holiday
:24:45. > :24:56.period with gusts of up to 80 mph. Really not a very nice day. We have
:24:57. > :25:00.some mild air. No sooner is Barbra out of the aware that we have
:25:01. > :25:05.another storm joining us on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve has a
:25:06. > :25:08.lull to it and then we have a warning in place the Christmas Day.
:25:09. > :25:10.If you want to stay up-to-date with the weather, I recommend the weather
:25:11. > :25:18.website to keep you up-to-date. It wouldn't be Christmas here on BBC
:25:19. > :25:21.newsline without our carols from schools across Northern
:25:22. > :25:22.Ireland. Tonight it's the turn
:25:23. > :25:55.of the Ballykeel Primary # Ding dong merrily on high,
:25:56. > :26:04.Verily the sky # Is riv'n with angel singing
:26:05. > :26:15.# E'en so here below, below, # Let steeple bells be swungen,
:26:16. > :26:51.# By priest and people sungen # Gloria Hosanna in excelsis!
:26:52. > :27:32.# Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong,
:27:33. > :27:37.ding-dong # Deck the halls with bells of Holly # Taser this season
:27:38. > :27:45.to be jolly. The roads we walk have demons
:27:46. > :27:49.beneath them...