:00:14. > :00:17.You're watching BBC Newsline, and these are the headlines
:00:18. > :00:21.The former police officer who's admitted killing a man
:00:22. > :00:28.The renewable heat scandal - the Finance Minister's burning
:00:29. > :00:34.accusation of widespread abuse of the system.
:00:35. > :00:40.I have no doubt that hundreds of businesses are it gaming the system,
:00:41. > :00:41.and that needs to come to a stop urgently.
:00:42. > :00:44.Coming home for Christmas - how the airports are coping
:00:45. > :00:48.as thousands of festive travellers fly in.
:00:49. > :00:56.Really excited to be here on Christmas holidays. Deceit family
:00:57. > :00:57.and friends I haven't seen in many years.
:00:58. > :00:59.The busiest shopping day of the year - but it's
:01:00. > :01:01.not frenzied Friday - it's Man Friday!
:01:02. > :01:08.Spent too much money. On the last day.
:01:09. > :01:10.A sell-out crowd begins to gather in Belfast as Ulster prepare
:01:11. > :01:14.to take on PRO 12 champions, Connacht.
:01:15. > :01:17.And it's going to be cold enough for the rugby tonight,
:01:18. > :01:25.but by Christmas morning, it could be 12 degrees.
:01:26. > :01:28.A former police officer has admitted killing a man by dangerous
:01:29. > :01:35.Eilish MacSherry, who's 41, and from Brookmount Heights in Omagh
:01:36. > :01:38.pleaded guilty to four charges in connection with the
:01:39. > :01:48.He was a father of two children from Killyclogher.
:01:49. > :01:50.Our south west reporter Julian Fowler was in
:01:51. > :02:00.When Eilish MacSherry first appeared in court in September, she pleaded
:02:01. > :02:04.not guilty. But today, when the charges were put to her again, she
:02:05. > :02:11.admitted she was responsible for the fatal crash. She was driving one of
:02:12. > :02:15.two cars which collided head on close to Omagh town centre in
:02:16. > :02:23.October last year. The driver of the second car, a 49-year-old Paul
:02:24. > :02:26.Mills, a father of two, was killed. Eilish MacSherry was serving PSNI
:02:27. > :02:32.officer when the fatal crash occurred. She was off duty at the
:02:33. > :02:37.time. She's since left the police service. Today, Eilish MacSherry,
:02:38. > :02:43.carrying a blue umbrella, left court after pleading guilty to causing
:02:44. > :02:48.death by dangerous driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident,
:02:49. > :02:55.and driving while unfit through drink or drugs. Members of Mr Mills'
:02:56. > :02:59.family wept in the public gallery as Eilish MacSherry stood in the dock
:03:00. > :03:04.in front of them. A defence Lister said alcohol dependency was a
:03:05. > :03:08.feature of this case, but that his client had been dry since the
:03:09. > :03:12.accident happened. The judge told Eilish MacSherry that the offences
:03:13. > :03:16.are serious, and have had a devastating impact on the family
:03:17. > :03:21.involved. He released her on bail until the sentencing hearing, and
:03:22. > :03:26.want her that a significant custodial sentence is inevitable
:03:27. > :03:29.when she returns to court in debris. -- in February.
:03:30. > :03:33.A man has died in a car crash on the M1 in County Tyrone.
:03:34. > :03:35.It was near Tamnamore, between junctions 13 and 14,
:03:36. > :03:39.The Police have appealed for witnesses to the
:03:40. > :03:43.The motorway has been closed in both directions, which has caused
:03:44. > :03:46.A 25-year-old woman from Londonderry has died
:03:47. > :03:49.in a two-car collision in County Donegal.
:03:50. > :03:51.It happened just before 11pm last night,
:03:52. > :03:55.The woman, from the Waterside area, died at the scene.
:03:56. > :03:59.A 20-year-old man is being treated in
:04:00. > :04:03.hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
:04:04. > :04:06.The Finance Minister has said hundreds of businesses have
:04:07. > :04:10.abused the controversial Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
:04:11. > :04:13.Mairtin O Muilleoir has also stated that the cost to the taxpayer
:04:14. > :04:18.could be ?600 million - higher than first thought.
:04:19. > :04:21.Our political editor Mark Devenport told me more about that
:04:22. > :04:33.He's not necessarily saying that hundreds of people are committing
:04:34. > :04:37.fraud. He acknowledges there is a higher bar to prove that. He
:04:38. > :04:42.certainly believes hundreds of people are put in an eligible claims
:04:43. > :04:46.to the scheme. That they haven't been energy-efficient or have gone
:04:47. > :04:51.against the principle of the scheme in creating useful heat. He hasn't
:04:52. > :04:56.done any particular investigation of its own, instead drawn on a recent
:04:57. > :05:00.PricewaterhouseCoopers report. The PWC report which was published
:05:01. > :05:06.and delivered to the Department of in October showed hundreds of
:05:07. > :05:12.businesses in that survey, showed that only 47% for using the scheme
:05:13. > :05:17.in a eligible fashion. Extrapolating from that, I have no doubt that
:05:18. > :05:20.sample - I'm not saying it's true across all
:05:21. > :05:24.businesses - but I have no doubt that hundreds of
:05:25. > :05:34.businesses are binning Chrysostom and that needs to come to a stop
:05:35. > :05:40.urgently. -- are gaining the system. In an article, it he describes the
:05:41. > :05:44.renewable heat scandal as the Mosul areas facing institutions here in
:05:45. > :05:49.the last ten years. He says that many nationalists and republicans
:05:50. > :05:52.who want revenge and their DUP for their arrogant handling of
:05:53. > :05:57.proceedings earlier this month. He said the revenge is not a policy,
:05:58. > :06:02.but Sinn Fein will return to this in a motion early in the New Year for
:06:03. > :06:06.Arlene Foster to step aside. And while Sinn Fein look for Arlene
:06:07. > :06:11.Foster to step aside, speculation that the Deputy First Minister and
:06:12. > :06:18.his position. This comes from a former Sinn Fein
:06:19. > :06:23.MLA, it he says that Gerry Adams' recent references to Martin
:06:24. > :06:26.McGuinness' health are an indication that a change of the guard in Sinn
:06:27. > :06:30.Fein is maybe closer than people thought.
:06:31. > :06:32.Thank you. The Department for Communities
:06:33. > :06:34.has withdrawn funding The Liofa Bursary Scheme enabled
:06:35. > :06:38.at least 100 people a year to attend summer language classes
:06:39. > :06:42.in the Donegal gaeltacht. Our education correspondent
:06:43. > :06:55.Robbie Meredith reports. The Liofa programme was set up by
:06:56. > :07:01.Carol McGill and to encourage people to learn the Irish language. A
:07:02. > :07:04.bursary scheme worth up to ?50,000 per year enabled to 100 people who
:07:05. > :07:10.otherwise could not afford it to spend time in Irish language summer
:07:11. > :07:13.schools in the gaeltacht. But the Department for Communities said, due
:07:14. > :07:17.to the need for efficiency savings, they won't provide any money for the
:07:18. > :07:23.scheme next year. Members of the Irish language community have
:07:24. > :07:24.reacted angrily to the decision, with Dr Neil, calling it a blatant
:07:25. > :07:27.act of discrimination. Air and seaports have been
:07:28. > :07:29.busy today with people Mervyn Jess met some of the home
:07:30. > :07:46.bound travellers as they arrived. This is the busiest day over the
:07:47. > :07:50.Christmas period for Belfast International Airport. It may come
:07:51. > :07:54.around once every year, but is no less exciting for all of that. We've
:07:55. > :08:01.been waiting to be re-knighted with their friends for the first time in
:08:02. > :08:07.over a year. This couple were the first -- Burton are the last people
:08:08. > :08:13.off but flight. Also on the flight, pop star Tim Wheeler.
:08:14. > :08:19.Is it as manic over there as it is over here?
:08:20. > :08:23.It wasn't too bad. The US consul general was having
:08:24. > :08:27.family over from the States for their first ever Christmas in
:08:28. > :08:32.Northern Ireland. We have been very lucky, very
:08:33. > :08:39.fortunate this Christmas to have my wife's cousin and her grown-up
:08:40. > :08:42.daughter to visit us. We're really pleased to welcome them to Northern
:08:43. > :08:49.Ireland. We have 21 flights in today, not a
:08:50. > :08:54.seat on any of them. That has been the case the last four days. Every
:08:55. > :09:00.flight is very, very busy. We're delighted to see all those people
:09:01. > :09:04.coming home and we are very happy. At Belfast City Airport, it was a
:09:05. > :09:07.similar story. People glad to see family and
:09:08. > :09:11.friends they have not seen in many years. General excitement, families
:09:12. > :09:18.just glad to be home for the festive season.
:09:19. > :09:24.Spending time with a family. Hearing and Northern Irish accent. Try to
:09:25. > :09:27.get my son to losing this accident and speak proper Northern Irish!
:09:28. > :09:33.What do you say? Accent!
:09:34. > :09:37.We live in Dubai, there's a first-time hamper Christmas in three
:09:38. > :09:42.years. I am visiting for ten days from
:09:43. > :09:45.Australia, my wife is from Belfast. She's been here for the last ten
:09:46. > :09:50.days. Would you think?
:09:51. > :09:54.Fantastic, we hope are a bit of snow.
:09:55. > :09:59.We haven't been hamper about nine years, my husband and I. It's just
:10:00. > :10:06.lovely to see the family. The party has started! And then it
:10:07. > :10:10.ends when he goes back! Elsewhere, the bad weather led to
:10:11. > :10:15.the cancellation of the Rathlin very. But the main see writings are
:10:16. > :10:16.performing as normal. -- Rathlin ferry.
:10:17. > :10:19.Last year, Lynette McKendry from County Antrim was dreading
:10:20. > :10:21.Christmas following a diagnosis of breast cancer.
:10:22. > :10:24.Twelve months later she says she has been given the strength to face any
:10:25. > :10:27.new challenges following a chance encounter with
:10:28. > :10:32.She's been talking to our health correspondent,
:10:33. > :10:46.As years ago, 2016 has been a roller-coaster for Lynette McKendry.
:10:47. > :10:50.She had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with inflammatory
:10:51. > :10:56.breast cancer in one abreast, and a different form of cancer in the
:10:57. > :10:58.other. Cancer and chemotherapy dominated, but an unexpected trip to
:10:59. > :11:04.convert monastery in West Belfast offered a chink of light. Especially
:11:05. > :11:07.at a time when Lynette, a member of the Church of Ireland, felt God had
:11:08. > :11:12.abandoned her. I can understand why people would
:11:13. > :11:17.question if there is a God, whenever they're actually threw so many
:11:18. > :11:24.problems that are being thrown at me in the last year. At the beginning,
:11:25. > :11:28.I did question that, but I got over that. I found peace. Just being able
:11:29. > :11:34.to spend time on my own and praying has actually had me get through.
:11:35. > :11:39.Lynette is dealt a triple blow when in August secondary cancer was found
:11:40. > :11:46.in her brain. Questions followed. Why me? But then, why not me? I'm no
:11:47. > :11:53.different to the next woman on the street, so why not me? I have got
:11:54. > :11:58.the strength and the courage to go on and raise awareness, I want to
:11:59. > :12:02.raise awareness of inflammatory breast cancer.
:12:03. > :12:08.In my class Christmas, Lynette tells me this one will be a cracker.
:12:09. > :12:13.This year it's all about family and food. Last year I couldn't taste
:12:14. > :12:16.anything. I had a sore mouth from chemo. I am aggregate have Christmas
:12:17. > :12:20.dinner this year. Is Santa coming?
:12:21. > :12:24.Big-time! The kids are looking forward to it.
:12:25. > :12:29.Bands are underway for a further fundraising next year. Before that,
:12:30. > :12:33.Lynette intends to celebrate Christmas. It's been a tough year,
:12:34. > :12:35.let's hope the next one is a happier and healthier one.
:12:36. > :12:37.Today was being billed as Frenzied Friday -
:12:38. > :12:39.the biggest shopping day of the year.
:12:40. > :12:43.or did Storm Barbara keep people at home?
:12:44. > :12:47.Catherine Morrison has been finding out.
:12:48. > :12:54.Much time in Belfast, and business was brisk, as you would expect with
:12:55. > :12:59.Christmas Day just around the corner. These are the last-minute
:13:00. > :13:04.shoppers. We're mostly of the male variety.
:13:05. > :13:08.This has been the busiest day for retailers this Christmas. The shops
:13:09. > :13:13.are full and full of men. Forget about Frenzied Friday, at this is
:13:14. > :13:18.Friday. You enjoying yourself? No. Spending too much money on the
:13:19. > :13:23.last day. The place full of men! Have you bought anything yet?
:13:24. > :13:27.Ice-cold no, I haven't. I don't even know the names of the
:13:28. > :13:32.shops. That's not a good start.
:13:33. > :13:34.No, it isn't. I'm very stressed at this time of
:13:35. > :13:41.the year. You don't like to stressed.
:13:42. > :13:43.I got my shopping done yesterday. Why do men leave it to the
:13:44. > :13:50.last-minute? It's just the way we are.
:13:51. > :13:53.Woody you think you might I think they're indecisive.
:13:54. > :13:58.High-street stores are facing ever more difficult trading conditions.
:13:59. > :14:04.Competition from online shopping. Despite these challenges, it's been
:14:05. > :14:09.a strong festive season for Sam. November started extremely well, and
:14:10. > :14:15.December is proving very positive. We had our busiest weekend since
:14:16. > :14:20.2008, are busiest days since 2008, and this will be the biggest week we
:14:21. > :14:26.have ever traded. That's because we have seven days this week. It's
:14:27. > :14:30.proving very, very positive. If you haven't finished your big
:14:31. > :14:34.shop yet, don't panic, there's always tomorrow. For everyone else,
:14:35. > :14:38.it's time to sit back, admired the tree and relax.
:14:39. > :14:40.There's no rest for Royal Mail workers just yet with
:14:41. > :14:45.We've been to Omagh sorting office, which is not only busy, but it has
:14:46. > :14:48.the longest-serving postman and the oldest postman
:14:49. > :14:58.Our southwest reporter Julian Fowler met up with them.
:14:59. > :15:05.There's not much room in the back of a post van at Christmas. Raymond
:15:06. > :15:12.Black has delivered the post for 48 years. He began in 1968, aged 15,
:15:13. > :15:16.delivering telegrams around Omagh. Back then, he made his deliveries on
:15:17. > :15:23.a bicycle. Used to pile the parcels in the
:15:24. > :15:30.front. Little bit top-heavy. It could have rolled off the ground.
:15:31. > :15:33.But it was fun. There's no way you could put the present-day volume of
:15:34. > :15:38.mail on a bicycle. There must be something in the water
:15:39. > :15:42.in Omagh. Working out at the same sorting office is this 70-year-olds,
:15:43. > :15:46.the oldest postie in Northern Ireland.
:15:47. > :15:48.People may be getting a present from a relative or something in
:15:49. > :16:00.Australia, somewhere like America may be. They recognise the writing
:16:01. > :16:04.right away. Things you learn,. They've sorted more than 40,000
:16:05. > :16:11.items in Omagh this morning. The delivery office is now empty, as the
:16:12. > :16:15.posties router the rounds. Raymond Black delivers around here.
:16:16. > :16:18.It's not only dogs postman here have to be aware of.
:16:19. > :16:25.I don't have a big problem with dogs. The main attack was a rooster.
:16:26. > :16:33.A feathered rooster. It was really, really out of the blue.
:16:34. > :16:38.Covering five miles each day on foot, and 70 miles in the van, it's
:16:39. > :16:47.hard, but rewarding work. It's busy. You know you're doing a
:16:48. > :16:53.good job. You go home satisfied it was a day well done, all your
:16:54. > :16:56.parcels delivered. That's basically what it's all about at this time of
:16:57. > :17:01.year. This won't be the last delivery.
:17:02. > :17:08.Neither we nor Raymond plan to hang up their postbag is just yet. Watch
:17:09. > :17:09.out for those roosters! We're approaching the end
:17:10. > :17:12.of the year, and it's the end of the road for this caravan,
:17:13. > :17:15.which came to prominence in the media during the summer's European
:17:16. > :17:17.Football Championships in France. So as BBC Newsline's
:17:18. > :17:39.Mark Simpson reports, At any point, did you think about
:17:40. > :17:46.just abandoning the caravan? Several times! Honestly, I think the
:17:47. > :17:53.first day we were in Normandy, we basically stopped. We have gone that
:17:54. > :17:57.far, we were outside the campsite, and the shell was starting to come
:17:58. > :18:03.off the caravan. So we bought a box of nails and nailed them in the
:18:04. > :18:11.whole way round. It held together. We've left Nice and heading to Lyon.
:18:12. > :18:17.The caravan's still going. And it somehow survived the entire
:18:18. > :18:22.tenements. But only just. 3000 miles in three weeks took its toll. The
:18:23. > :18:28.fans' plan had been to keep it for the next two years in case Northern
:18:29. > :18:31.Ireland 05 at the World Cup, but now they've reluctantly decided to give
:18:32. > :18:36.it away. They say it is too new. It's
:18:37. > :18:41.20-year-old caravan, so we can give it to the museum.
:18:42. > :18:44.What do you not be sorry to see her go?
:18:45. > :18:47.Under present, but don't think my mum would be too happy that sat here
:18:48. > :18:54.for another couple of years until Russia.
:18:55. > :19:00.We like idea of destruction Derby. A out for us! I imagine the first
:19:01. > :19:05.corner you go around 25mph, it'll be like matchwood!
:19:06. > :19:08.But they're holding onto the old caravan until at least the New Year.
:19:09. > :19:14.They want to have one last party in it.
:19:15. > :19:16.Merry Christmas! Animate Christmas to you too.
:19:17. > :19:19.A busy festive period for the Ulster rugby team begins with the visit
:19:20. > :19:27.Mark Sidebottom is there with this evening's sport.
:19:28. > :19:35.Thanks, Donna. No sign of Storm Barbara. But I am joined by a man
:19:36. > :19:40.who wreaked just as much havoc in his playing days, Stephen Ferris.
:19:41. > :19:43.Looking at Ulster wondering up, five-day town around for these guys,
:19:44. > :19:49.could they be feeling it? They might be, but they have to get
:19:50. > :19:53.themselves right mentally, played that conditions, hopefully the rain
:19:54. > :19:58.doesn't come out later. Connacht are suffering a lot of injuries, key
:19:59. > :20:02.players are missing. Some people believe that all struggling to get a
:20:03. > :20:07.win. Oster went to Connacht a few months
:20:08. > :20:15.ago, that's when the blip began. Comments plays turned them over.
:20:16. > :20:20.In that game, it they should have won it, then they started losing a
:20:21. > :20:25.couple on the banks. It's and experience nights, Rory Best
:20:26. > :20:29.capturing the troops. Paddy Jackson is back in, hopefully get us a
:20:30. > :20:32.result. The code is saying this is probably
:20:33. > :20:41.the worst week of his coaching career, denied plenty of his squad,
:20:42. > :20:47.you're expecting a home win? Pat Lam is going to have his work
:20:48. > :20:47.cut out tonight with a strong Ulster team.
:20:48. > :20:49.Thank you, back to the studio. Before we have the Christmas weather
:20:50. > :20:52.forecast and a carol from a children's choir,
:20:53. > :20:54.we're going to look back at some of the stories that
:20:55. > :21:05.made our news this year. The only thing that I would like to
:21:06. > :21:24.say is that I am delighted. People should not panic. This is
:21:25. > :22:16.something that will take place over a long period of time.
:22:17. > :22:27.# They sold me a dream of Christmas # They sold me a silent night
:22:28. > :22:33.# They told me a fairy story # I believed in the Israelites
:22:34. > :22:40.# I believed in Father Christmas # I looked to the sky with excited
:22:41. > :22:43.eyes # In the first white baton
:22:44. > :23:17.# I saw him in his disguise #. 580 posts will go this year, with
:23:18. > :23:39.the potential same again to be shed in 2017.
:23:40. > :23:47.Just some of the stories that made her a news this year. We have two
:23:48. > :23:53.more sleeps until the big day. Here's the latest weather forecast.
:23:54. > :23:58.This is the night that thousands of mums across Northern Ireland had
:23:59. > :24:02.been waiting for, the night their loved ones get home. There has been
:24:03. > :24:10.rain this morning and strong winds have come through, witty unpleasant.
:24:11. > :24:14.Gusts of 60mph on the north coast. But as bad as it could be, because
:24:15. > :24:19.it tracked a little further north. It was the north of Scotland that
:24:20. > :24:23.took the brunt. For us through this evening and overnight, we keep the
:24:24. > :24:29.westerly flow to the weather. A little bit of winter as in the
:24:30. > :24:33.hills, temperatures down to 2 degrees. Into Christmas eve, though
:24:34. > :24:41.showers continued. A chilly morning, 7 degrees. Through the first half of
:24:42. > :24:44.the day. As we get into the afternoon, those showers will turn
:24:45. > :24:50.increasingly into persistent rain. That is the sign of a little more
:24:51. > :24:53.mild edge starting to feed in. A process that will continue over
:24:54. > :24:57.Christmas Eve overnight. I don't think it will get in the way of any
:24:58. > :25:02.important deliveries. We will wake up to a treat on Christmas morning,
:25:03. > :25:06.because while it might still be hardier and breezy, in this little
:25:07. > :25:13.triangle here, we have some very mild air. First thing, we could be
:25:14. > :25:18.waking up to highs of 13 degrees. The temperatures will drop through
:25:19. > :25:22.the day, but certainly a very mild start. We have a weather warning in
:25:23. > :25:28.place, because it will be breezy, but it shouldn't have the travel
:25:29. > :25:32.impact of today's storm. By Boxing Day, the temperatures just to drop
:25:33. > :25:38.away to something a bit more normal. By Tuesday, the wind speed finally
:25:39. > :25:42.drops down, everything gets,, and we can all just relax a bit.
:25:43. > :25:43.No white Christmas? No white Christmas!
:25:44. > :25:45.Finally a Christmas carol - it's In The Bleak Midwinter,
:25:46. > :25:47.performed by pupils from St Patrick's Primary School
:25:48. > :26:09.# In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan
:26:10. > :26:20.# Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone
:26:21. > :26:30.# Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
:26:31. > :27:01.# Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor Earth sustain
:27:02. > :27:04.# Heaven and Earth shall flee away when he comes to reign
:27:05. > :27:12.# In the bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed
:27:13. > :27:27.# The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ
:27:28. > :27:43.# If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb
:27:44. > :27:54.# If I were a wise man, I would do my part