:00:12. > :00:15.Tonight's top stories: The renewable heating scandal burns on -
:00:16. > :00:18.the DUP plans emergency legislation to stop a half-billion-pound
:00:19. > :00:33.as Sinn Fein continues to call for her to stand aside.
:00:34. > :00:41.Do I really think that I am going to step aside at the behest of Sinn
:00:42. > :00:42.Fein? No, I am not. I am here because the electorate put me into
:00:43. > :00:44.this position. Also tonight: Under pressure -
:00:45. > :00:51.a plea for people to stay away It's not a happy new year
:00:52. > :00:55.at the petrol pumps as prices look Injury problems for Ulster rugby
:00:56. > :01:03.as star player Ruan Pienaar is set to miss ths months crucial Pro12
:01:04. > :01:16.and European games. Prepare yourself for a chilly night.
:01:17. > :01:18.But on the upside, it decent day tomorrow. I will have the details
:01:19. > :01:31.later in the programme. On a day when Arlene Foster
:01:32. > :01:32.described calls for her to step down as misogynistic, both the DUP and
:01:33. > :01:37.Sinn Fein discussing what they
:01:38. > :01:39.want to happen next. The DUP are calling for the Assembly
:01:40. > :01:41.to be recalled next week, to discuss emergency legislation
:01:42. > :01:43.to try to claw back Sinn Fein say they still want
:01:44. > :01:47.Arlene Foster to step aside while any inquiry into the failings
:01:48. > :01:51.around the scheme gets underway. from our agriculture and environment
:01:52. > :01:55.correspondent Conor Macauley, and from our political correspondent
:01:56. > :02:05.Gareth Gordon at Stormont. , has been speaking to some from a
:02:06. > :02:08.new group who represent the Keating -- who use the heating systems.
:02:09. > :02:11.First, our business correspondent Julian O'Neill is here.
:02:12. > :02:18.We have been waiting to hear about this plan is to save millions. Flesh
:02:19. > :02:21.out details. Well, as the pressure on Arlene
:02:22. > :02:25.Foster has intensified, we appear to have gone from a situation we were
:02:26. > :02:27.talking about having the RHI overspend, to eliminate it
:02:28. > :02:33.altogether. Let's remind ourselves of how the figures that up. This is
:02:34. > :02:39.a 20 year scheme, which at the moment is projected to cost ?1.2
:02:40. > :02:46.billion. Now, more than half of that, about 600 will be coming
:02:47. > :02:49.directly from the Treasury. So not out of the Northern Ireland budget,
:02:50. > :02:54.funded directly from London. Here is where the problem lies, a projected
:02:55. > :03:01.overspend of ?490 million, and it is that which the DUP now intends to
:03:02. > :03:06.eliminate altogether. There plan is this, to introduce emergency
:03:07. > :03:12.legislation which would redraw the highly lucrative tariff rates
:03:13. > :03:17.currently being received by about 1800 RHI beneficiaries. Now, this is
:03:18. > :03:21.in the early stages. It still needs Sinn Fein's endorsement, is my
:03:22. > :03:25.understanding, but the economy minister, Simon Hamilton, believes
:03:26. > :03:30.the plan offers the real prospect of correcting a huge financial mess.
:03:31. > :03:35.We have come up with an idea. It is an option that is being seriously
:03:36. > :03:40.considered. I wanted to develop that further, take some more advice on
:03:41. > :03:42.it, put that to the Executive for approval and the coming days and
:03:43. > :03:45.perhaps in the next week bring it back to the Assembly for approval
:03:46. > :03:55.and get this measure moving forward which will just the cost potentially
:03:56. > :03:58.down to zero. Have they done this past Sinn Fein question mark was
:03:59. > :04:02.Maggie May have, or maybe about to, what is not clear is whether Sinn
:04:03. > :04:06.Fein will sign up up to this puzzle. Simon Hamilton will take it to the
:04:07. > :04:12.Finance Minister and if he gets his approval, it will be endorsed under
:04:13. > :04:16.emergency procedures by the Executive, raising the possibility
:04:17. > :04:21.of the recall of the Assembly as early as next week in order to vote
:04:22. > :04:26.on this proposed legislation. Now, legal opinion has been sought within
:04:27. > :04:31.the Department for the economy. They feel that they can do this, but the
:04:32. > :04:35.equally acknowledge sources I am talking to, that is could very well,
:04:36. > :04:43.if it passes, be subject to legal challenge.
:04:44. > :04:46.OK, we will leave it there. Conor, you have been speaking to
:04:47. > :04:49.people who may have taken those challenges, what have they been
:04:50. > :04:53.saying? I am told a discussion today lasted
:04:54. > :04:57.about two and hours and between the feature of organisations in the room
:04:58. > :04:59.represented a very significant number of installations. They are
:05:00. > :05:02.only interested in presenting those who have been using the scheme
:05:03. > :05:07.legitimately and there are two essential outcomes. They are opposed
:05:08. > :05:09.to the publication of the names of the participants, from being
:05:10. > :05:12.proposed by the Department of the economy, because they do not like
:05:13. > :05:19.some of the publicity that those companies have already been shown to
:05:20. > :05:21.have, these boilers, have received. But more significantly is this line
:05:22. > :05:24.that they are prepared to take legal advice in relation to any proposed
:05:25. > :05:28.changes to their contracts. As Julian has just been sent, these 20
:05:29. > :05:32.year contract, lucrative schemes, Arlene Foster wrote a letter to the
:05:33. > :05:35.banks, you will remember, think that the tariffs were grandfathered and
:05:36. > :05:39.could not be changed by any future review, so that area is going to
:05:40. > :05:44.form the central bases of any legal challenge if indeed they do come.
:05:45. > :05:46.And the total Ulster farmers union has some advice for some of its
:05:47. > :05:51.members involved? That is right, lots of farmers are
:05:52. > :05:54.involved, particularly poultry farmers. The union says those using
:05:55. > :06:01.the scheme legitimately should not be scapegoated or penalised for
:06:02. > :06:04.failures of the schemes. The names should not be allowed to be
:06:05. > :06:06.published on to the authorities have done and audits so that the farmers
:06:07. > :06:12.can then save they were entirely within the parameters of the scheme.
:06:13. > :06:17.With the chief Executive of the union, he says his view is that this
:06:18. > :06:21.is not about transparency but an effort to shift the focus from those
:06:22. > :06:25.who failed to safeguard the taxpayer money. He says what cannot happen
:06:26. > :06:31.here is that changing the scheme, as Julian has described, it cannot just
:06:32. > :06:31.be about shovelling stuff under the carpet to avoid embarrassment for
:06:32. > :06:35.people. The First Minister Arlene Foster has
:06:36. > :06:37.again rejected calls for her to step aside over
:06:38. > :06:39.the renewable heating scandal. In an interview with Sky News,
:06:40. > :06:48.she claimed her political rivals were trying to remove
:06:49. > :06:52.a strong unionist leader. And that they were trying to remove
:06:53. > :06:54.a woman. But the claim has been heavily
:06:55. > :06:57.criticised by political opponents. This afternoon she and her
:06:58. > :06:59.deputy leader met senior Sinn Fein figures including
:07:00. > :07:01.the Deputy First Minister Here's our political
:07:02. > :07:08.correspondent Gareth Gordon. It is more than a fortnight since we
:07:09. > :07:12.saw Arlene Foster in public. Since then, calls for her to step aside
:07:13. > :07:17.have become louder and louder. Today, she said much of that was
:07:18. > :07:21.down to the fact she is a woman. Oh, I think there is a lot but personal,
:07:22. > :07:25.sadly misogynistic as well, because I am a female, the first female
:07:26. > :07:31.leader of Northern Ireland, so I firmly believe that is the case as
:07:32. > :07:36.well. But, you know, so be it. I have come through a lot worse than
:07:37. > :07:40.venomous attacks from my political opponents and I intend to continue
:07:41. > :07:43.to lead. All of the other parties in the Assembly have called for her to
:07:44. > :07:48.go, but she singled out the Executive partners, Sinn Fein. It is
:07:49. > :07:53.no secret that during my childhood the IRA tried to murder my father,
:07:54. > :07:59.it is no secret that in the past the IRA put a bomb on my school bus. So,
:08:00. > :08:05.do I really think that I am going to set the state -- step aside at the
:08:06. > :08:09.behest of Sinn Fein? No, I am not. I am here because the electorate that
:08:10. > :08:13.me into this position. I take the responsibility very, very seriously
:08:14. > :08:16.and I intend to see it through. Why would I stand aside? I have done
:08:17. > :08:18.nothing wrong. There has not even been an investigation into this
:08:19. > :08:22.matter. The Public Accounts Committee have not finished their
:08:23. > :08:27.investigation, I want an inquiry take place so that we can deal with
:08:28. > :08:32.all of the transparency issues. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein on a party
:08:33. > :08:37.political mission to get me to step aside, to weaken Unionism, which I
:08:38. > :08:42.will never allow to happen. So, what did her critics make of that? The
:08:43. > :08:45.SDLP's response to this financial fiasco would be exactly the same
:08:46. > :08:49.regardless of whether it was a woman or a man involved. It is about
:08:50. > :08:52.getting to the truth, establishing the facts, establishing who is
:08:53. > :08:55.responsible and holding them accountable. Gender or Unionist
:08:56. > :09:01.persuasion comes nowhere near into it. There is misogyny in politics,
:09:02. > :09:04.there is sexism in politics. They are very serious issues that many of
:09:05. > :09:09.us base but when you actually use that had to try to escape and evade
:09:10. > :09:12.your F1 responsibilities, I think that he demeaned the struggle that
:09:13. > :09:16.other women have a nontraditional sectors who are facing these
:09:17. > :09:19.challenges the in, day out. The buck stops with Arlene Foster. It is
:09:20. > :09:23.because she has nowhere to hide that she is now trying to drop off the
:09:24. > :09:29.stuff about gender and nonsense. It would suit suit a better if she came
:09:30. > :09:34.forward with a bit of humility and contrition. Late this afternoon, a
:09:35. > :09:38.development. Both myself and Martin McGuinness met with Arlene Foster
:09:39. > :09:42.and Nigel Dodds today. We restated the Sinn Fein position in relation
:09:43. > :09:45.to what needs to happen. We made very clear that Arlene Foster needs
:09:46. > :09:49.to step aside to allow for that school, independent investigation to
:09:50. > :09:53.happen. That investigation needs to be robust, it needs to be
:09:54. > :09:58.transparent and we need to get all of the answers into the public area.
:09:59. > :10:01.Anything could still happen, but a day which began with the parties
:10:02. > :10:06.shouting across the airwaves and ended with them meeting across a
:10:07. > :10:10.table. No signs to note of any breakthrough, but if the sun is
:10:11. > :10:12.sitting on Stormont, it may yet do so slowly.
:10:13. > :10:16.And Gareth Gordon joins us now from Stormont.
:10:17. > :10:22.Any developments? I suppose the fact that the
:10:23. > :10:25.participants begin face-to-face on Saturday will be taken as a sign by
:10:26. > :10:30.some at one of Stormont was 's famous last-minute deals is being
:10:31. > :10:33.hatched. But tonight, where are we are being heavily steered away from
:10:34. > :10:38.that notion. We are being told that nothing has changed. Sinn Fein say
:10:39. > :10:41.her private possession is that theme of the public position, but the
:10:42. > :10:45.bottom line remains Arlene Foster must set aside to allow any
:10:46. > :10:48.investigation to take place. And of course, Arlene Foster, you heard it
:10:49. > :10:52.there, then in the strongest possible terms that she has no
:10:53. > :10:58.intention whatsoever of stepping aside, at Sinn Fein or anybody else
:10:59. > :11:00.for that matter's behest. The danger is that the longer this runs the
:11:01. > :11:03.sides could talk themselves into positions from which there is now
:11:04. > :11:08.recruiting. One Stormont insider told me that if there is a way out
:11:09. > :11:13.of this, he cannot see it. Gareth, no sign of any terms of
:11:14. > :11:15.reference being agreed for any investigation?
:11:16. > :11:21.Arlene Foster said today that the head of the civil service had worked
:11:22. > :11:23.up terms of reference for an investigation in conjunction with
:11:24. > :11:28.the Attorney General and that those terms had been passed to Sinn Fein,
:11:29. > :11:31.but as yet there had been no reply from that party. Conor Murphy at
:11:32. > :11:35.Sinn Fein then said that the terms were insufficient in Sinn Fein's
:11:36. > :11:38.opinion, and this evening we are told that they have worked up their
:11:39. > :11:43.own terms of reference and have sent them back to the DUP on the head of
:11:44. > :11:45.the self-service and in time they were publish those terms of
:11:46. > :11:50.reference. Whether or not agreement can be reached on this issue, again,
:11:51. > :11:54.we just do not know. Martin McGuinness also met the
:11:55. > :11:57.Secretary of State today? Yes, it is interesting, Martin
:11:58. > :12:00.McGuinness has been at Stormont all day. He has a well-publicised health
:12:01. > :12:04.problems which is get away. He did not appear in front of the cameras
:12:05. > :12:07.today. He was on the way home when Michele O'Neil spoke to the earlier
:12:08. > :12:14.but he did meet James Brokenshire, among others, at Stormont House down
:12:15. > :12:17.the hill. He says that among other issues, he talked to James
:12:18. > :12:23.Brokenshire about legacy but also briefed on the current situation
:12:24. > :12:26.over the cheating scandal and he said that once again public
:12:27. > :12:30.confidence in the institutions was badly damaged. -- over the cheating
:12:31. > :12:34.scandal. He repeated once again that Arlene Foster must set aside before
:12:35. > :12:37.any investigation can take place. -- must step aside.
:12:38. > :12:39.only to attend their hospital Emergency Department
:12:40. > :12:43.As we reported last night, some people are experiencing
:12:44. > :12:48.The Health and Social Care board say people should
:12:49. > :12:54.consider attending their out of hours GP instead.
:12:55. > :12:56.Meanwhile the Health Minister has told the BBC that she intends
:12:57. > :12:59.to visit a hospital to see the situation for herself.
:13:00. > :13:05.Our Health Correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly reports.
:13:06. > :13:09.Understaffed and overstretched, it has been a tough time for many of
:13:10. > :13:14.those working on the front line of the health service. This Christmas
:13:15. > :13:17.saw a spike in the number of Norovirus cases right across
:13:18. > :13:21.Northern Ireland. This place additional pressure on hospitals,
:13:22. > :13:27.with many wards having to close, creating a shortage of hospital beds
:13:28. > :13:29.right across the system. Whilst all emergency departments are feeling
:13:30. > :13:34.the strain, some are feeling at more than others. Too many patients and
:13:35. > :13:38.ward closures caused a major incident to be declared at one
:13:39. > :13:43.hospital on Monday. A member of staff told the BBC that it was
:13:44. > :13:47.horrendous. She said experienced nurses are leaving while many others
:13:48. > :13:50.are talking about going. She told me that stars are at breaking point,
:13:51. > :13:55.and that management do not care about patient safety or staff
:13:56. > :13:58.well-being. A spokesperson for the Western Health Trust said the
:13:59. > :14:02.emergency plan was enacted following a particularly busy and challenging
:14:03. > :14:05.day, but was quickly stood down. Those in charge of managing the
:14:06. > :14:13.health service accept it is not good enough. I am very mindful of how
:14:14. > :14:17.distressing it is, how uncomfortable it is. It is not the servers I want
:14:18. > :14:19.for my family or the servers I think anybody should expect. But I would
:14:20. > :14:22.reassure people that are Health and Social Care Act professionals right
:14:23. > :14:25.across the system are working exceptionally hard. Their focus is
:14:26. > :14:29.on maintaining Safeco, providing dignity and good care to patients.
:14:30. > :14:34.The Health Minister intends to visit a hospital in the next 24 hours to
:14:35. > :14:37.see the situation for herself. I think that there has been major
:14:38. > :14:40.improvement in terms of some of the initiatives they have been able to
:14:41. > :14:44.take the Mike Burton plays but as the current picture good enough? No.
:14:45. > :14:49.Is it acceptable to wait over 12 hours? Absolutely not. Paul Beales
:14:50. > :14:52.trusts prepared for the winter pressures, at no point did they
:14:53. > :14:56.expect the 9% rise in the number of people seeking emergency help. At
:14:57. > :15:01.one hospital, that figure was 14% more than this time last year. But
:15:02. > :15:06.that arise in the default is not being matched by more nursing.
:15:07. > :15:11.Certainly, we know the figures would sure there are still around 1000
:15:12. > :15:15.vacancies within the hospital trust. Additional to that, we have nursing
:15:16. > :15:20.home vacancies in the independent sector of 500 or 600. There are
:15:21. > :15:24.significant vacancies within the nursing workforce. Such a surge
:15:25. > :15:29.meant more than 400 people had to wait at least 12 hours at emergency
:15:30. > :15:33.departments over the Christmas week. While health unions accept that
:15:34. > :15:40.winter pressures are unavoidable, they say building up the local
:15:41. > :15:41.workforce both in hospital and in the community must become a
:15:42. > :15:48.priority. Meanwhile, more than 5000 people
:15:49. > :15:52.could be a without a servers in Portadown. A medical practice is at
:15:53. > :15:56.risk of closure in just two weeks because its last remaining doctor
:15:57. > :15:58.has resigned. Other surgeries in the town have said they cannot take on
:15:59. > :16:05.any new patients. The footfall never stops at
:16:06. > :16:09.Portadown health centre, but for more than 5000 patients, any journey
:16:10. > :16:14.here may soon proved to be a step in the wrong direction. There are seven
:16:15. > :16:18.GP surgeries here, one, bad view, had seen three of its four doctors
:16:19. > :16:21.already leave. They have not been replaced. The last doctor tried to
:16:22. > :16:27.struggle on on alone but the ratio of 5000 patients to one doctor, more
:16:28. > :16:31.than twice what is agreed as a safe figure, not surprisingly proved too
:16:32. > :16:35.much to there. She resigned. Faced with the prospect of having more GP,
:16:36. > :16:40.some of the surgery's patients have planned a demonstration for Friday.
:16:41. > :16:44.The thing is, the doctors here in this practice warned of this two
:16:45. > :16:50.years ago. They had a notice on the screen in the waiting room saying
:16:51. > :16:53.the GP services in crisis. That was two years ago. Now, if they were
:16:54. > :16:57.telling the patients, you can sure they were telling the board, and the
:16:58. > :17:00.board seem to have sat on their hands and waited until something
:17:01. > :17:04.happened before they acted. It was too little too late now.
:17:05. > :17:10.This afternoon, the Health and Social Care Act board issued a
:17:11. > :17:14.statement assuring people but the surgery will not close, at least not
:17:15. > :17:17.in the next two weeks. However the DMA, which are present doctors,
:17:18. > :17:22.believes this is a sticking plaster and that what is actually needed if
:17:23. > :17:26.GP care is to survive is major surgery. They have not trained
:17:27. > :17:30.enough GPs in Northern Ireland over the last ten years, and now we have
:17:31. > :17:33.come to the point that unfortunately some morning were going to wake up
:17:34. > :17:38.and the surgery will be closed and there is no GP to manage. That is
:17:39. > :17:41.not about to happen in Portadown, but it is only the tip of the
:17:42. > :17:45.iceberg and this is where we are going across Northern Ireland. We
:17:46. > :17:48.feel very strongly that the Minister and old Stormont need to waken up to
:17:49. > :17:54.what is happening and we need to get something done right now. The fear
:17:55. > :17:57.remains among the patients and the demonstration will go ahead.
:17:58. > :18:00.Extra funding for marching bands while money for an Irish language
:18:01. > :18:03.scheme is cut has been described as a 'disgrace' by the SDLP
:18:04. > :18:09.The comments follow confirmation that a government scheme to fund
:18:10. > :18:11.musical instruments for bands cost ?98,000 - more than was
:18:12. > :18:23.Our arts correspondent Robbie Meredith reports.
:18:24. > :18:31.Marching bands are familiar sight, and sound. But they are not cheap to
:18:32. > :18:37.run. Silver band, for example, an instrument might cost up to ?3000
:18:38. > :18:39.per instrument. Last year, the communities minister resurrected a
:18:40. > :18:47.scheme to help them out. Getting bands grants of up to ?5,000 to get
:18:48. > :18:50.new instruments or replace old ones. But the scheme cost more than
:18:51. > :18:58.planned. The initial budget set aside was ?200,000, but the final
:18:59. > :19:07.cost to give grants to 68 bands was 200. In a statement, -- 200. In a
:19:08. > :19:11.statement, they said... The minister was not available for interview, but
:19:12. > :19:17.this story says the money will not helped bands from all backgrounds.
:19:18. > :19:21.The cost of instruments and the amount of money that requires to
:19:22. > :19:24.keep a band on the road, I think, has to be balanced. There is a
:19:25. > :19:29.social capital issue here as well. These bands are providing few Ms --
:19:30. > :19:32.free musical tuition for young people particularly, and it is not
:19:33. > :19:36.just bands from one community. They are probably largely from one
:19:37. > :19:41.community but there are bands across the board. But the chair of
:19:42. > :19:44.Stormont's communities come wants to know why an Irish language bursary
:19:45. > :19:47.scheme was cut but more money was found for bands. They have taken
:19:48. > :19:53.?50,000 of children who want to go and learn their native language and
:19:54. > :19:56.all of a sudden he finds ?100,000 for Orange bands. I think it is a
:19:57. > :20:01.disgrace, I think it is wrong and I think he has a lot of work to do to
:20:02. > :20:05.show the community that he is a minister for all others, not just
:20:06. > :20:09.just one community. All given merely restored a scheme which has been
:20:10. > :20:14.suspended by his predecessor, but at a time when Stormont's finances are
:20:15. > :20:18.under intense scrutiny, even decisions about relatively small
:20:19. > :20:19.amounts of money can be highly contentious. -- the Minister merely
:20:20. > :20:22.restored. The cost of petrol at the pumps has
:20:23. > :20:25.hit a two year high - according to figures compiled
:20:26. > :20:27.by the Office of Our reporter Will Leitch
:20:28. > :20:41.is at a service station Not a happy for for motorists?
:20:42. > :20:46.Indeed now. The last time unleaded petrol cost as much at forecourts
:20:47. > :20:50.just like this one was December 20 14. The Office of National
:20:51. > :20:55.Statistics crunches the numbers on a weekly basis and calculates the UK-
:20:56. > :20:58.wide average price. Based on data it gets from the supermarket and oil
:20:59. > :21:02.companies, and this is a UK has acquired average price. But during
:21:03. > :21:08.December, petrol rose by about ?3. In the first week of January, one
:21:09. > :21:15.litre of unleaded was an average of ?1. Diesel stands at ?1. The last
:21:16. > :21:21.time it cost that much was in the summer of 2015. -- ?1.20. It is not
:21:22. > :21:25.just petrol prices. Almost three quarters of household use hall
:21:26. > :21:31.meeting hour and a 900 leader Phil was around 300 in December. That is
:21:32. > :21:38.about 100 more expensive than this time last year.
:21:39. > :21:40.And all to do with the rising cost of oil?
:21:41. > :21:45.Yes, it is about global conditions. Oil trades in dollars, so we had the
:21:46. > :21:48.rising price of wholesale crude oil, combined with the weaker pound
:21:49. > :21:52.against the dollar. You have to factor in something else, a decision
:21:53. > :21:56.by Opec, the big oil producing countries, who decided to cut supply
:21:57. > :22:00.for the first time in eight years, resulting in an increase in the cost
:22:01. > :22:12.of a barrel of crude. Worth remembering, however, fuel prices at
:22:13. > :22:15.the pumps these ones behind me are still below what it was in 2013 and
:22:16. > :22:17.2014, but frankly I doubt that will be much comfort. The analysts are
:22:18. > :22:20.forecasting more rises, further increases, the question is how much.
:22:21. > :22:22.A lot of it will be down to a sterling performance and how much
:22:23. > :22:23.they influence the likes of you and I have over that.
:22:24. > :22:25.We will leave it there, thank you. After problems on the pitch
:22:26. > :22:28.at the weekend - problems for Ulster Ulster's injury list
:22:29. > :22:31.continues to grow. Director of rugby Les Kiss will have
:22:32. > :22:34.to plan the next coupLe of games at least without star player Ruan
:22:35. > :22:36.Pienaar. He's set to miss this Friday's Pro
:22:37. > :22:40.12 game against the Scarlets and possibly the next two games
:22:41. > :22:43.in Europe with a knee injury. Ulster have been stung by some heavy
:22:44. > :22:45.criticism after last Today Luke Marshall responded
:22:46. > :23:04.to those who question The comments about lack of effort
:23:05. > :23:08.and hard and what not, obviously for any man to get all that is quite
:23:09. > :23:12.demoralising. Those comments probably had quite a lot, but they
:23:13. > :23:17.are motivating as well, so they are. You are going to get criticised
:23:18. > :23:21.throughout your life, it is how you take the criticism. We are going to
:23:22. > :23:23.take it on the chin and hopefully get better for it.
:23:24. > :23:25.Irish internationals Paddy Jackson, Rory Best and Ian Henderson
:23:26. > :23:32.are expected to be available for this Friday's game
:23:33. > :23:34.while Ulster head coach Neil Doak is being linked with
:23:35. > :23:38.The defending Pro 12 champions will lose coach pat Lam to Bristol
:23:39. > :23:41.Today, Doak didn't rule himself out.
:23:42. > :23:49.It is always nice to get your name in certain rolls, but I am here to
:23:50. > :23:52.do a job with Ulster and we are focusing on Scarlets this weekend
:23:53. > :23:58.and making sure that we can get four bonds this weekend. Is that a job
:23:59. > :24:04.that would interest you if offered? You have got to keep options open.
:24:05. > :24:05.But as I said, I am with Ulster here and we are trying to concentrate on
:24:06. > :24:08.beating Scarlets this weekend. In local football league champions
:24:09. > :24:10.and leaders Crusaders started They beat Ards 4-2 bouncing back
:24:11. > :24:14.after a New Years Eve defeat Crusaders now haven't
:24:15. > :24:31.lost two league matches Ards looks like because another shop
:24:32. > :24:38.at the top of the table when they took a 2- goal lead over Crusaders.
:24:39. > :24:43.Paul pulled one back before the break, and in the second half, it
:24:44. > :24:50.was one-way traffic. Keitel grabbed the equaliser, and an own goal edged
:24:51. > :24:55.the trees in front. McMillan was sent off for Ards late on for this
:24:56. > :25:00.tangle with Andrew Mitchell. Before he duly sealed the three points for
:25:01. > :25:06.the 17th goal of the season. -- before one player sealed the points.
:25:07. > :25:09.At Windsor Park, George Allen is scored the only goal for Coleraine
:25:10. > :25:15.as Linfield slipped to seven points behind the league champions and
:25:16. > :25:21.Portadown were hammered 5-0 at Shamrock Park, a result of will war
:25:22. > :25:25.manager described as embarrassing. It was scoreless at Solitude,
:25:26. > :25:30.despite Cliftonville's best efforts against Carrick Rangers.
:25:31. > :25:37.Dungannon swifts lost a late lead home to bowl the a large United. Did
:25:38. > :25:45.Wilson had made it 2-1 before a -year-olds all wins in style in
:25:46. > :25:49.stoppage time. And Glenn Aven scored three unanswered goals in the second
:25:50. > :25:51.half to beat Ballymena United at the Showgrounds. My house scored a
:25:52. > :26:03.hat-trick on a 4-3 win. -- my house. Finally, Blaenavon were docked one
:26:04. > :26:09.weak pound and fined ?350 for fielding an ineligible pair against
:26:10. > :26:13.Portadown, who were awarded a win. -- one point.
:26:14. > :26:19.Plenty of clear blue skies today. On the downside, if chilly night as a
:26:20. > :26:24.result. Those temperatures fall Whately to freezing and below. In
:26:25. > :26:27.the countryside. We can expect some frosty conditions and possibly the
:26:28. > :26:30.odd stretch of ice by tomorrow morning as well. And although it
:26:31. > :26:33.will stay cold tomorrow, it is going to be done a fine day for the
:26:34. > :26:37.outdoors. It will be mainly dry and there will be some sunshine. A
:26:38. > :26:48.frosty start, but it should not take too long before that clears away
:26:49. > :26:53.and we sunny gaps coming and going. By lunchtime, the sunshine will come
:26:54. > :26:56.and go. It is not going to be clear blue sky all of the time but it will
:26:57. > :26:59.be dry and the whims of daylight. Seven or 8 degrees for County Down,
:27:00. > :27:01.further west maybe 7 degrees. Apart from parts of Connaught and maybe
:27:02. > :27:04.edges South West Munster will be good if spots of wet weather, it is
:27:05. > :27:06.a dry weather for us all. The winds coming from the side, temperatures
:27:07. > :27:09.may be be named degrees. Into tomorrow evening, it stays dry at
:27:10. > :27:13.least for another few hours but then the cloud begins to push on from the
:27:14. > :27:17.West. With that, there will be some wet weather for the likes of Sir
:27:18. > :27:21.Tyrone, Donegal and Derry. Patchy at first, but overnight we will have a
:27:22. > :27:26.bigger bulk of rain coming in, some of which will be heavy. It stops it
:27:27. > :27:29.from becoming too chilly. Temperatures tomorrow night, 45
:27:30. > :27:34.degrees, will upon on tonight. Misty, murky conditions behind the
:27:35. > :27:40.rain the rain. -- four or 5 degrees. A cloudy day, with wet weather to
:27:41. > :27:43.provide it, prepare yourself for on Friday. Little change over the
:27:44. > :27:44.weekend. Miles, cloudy, dry up gaps but some rain.
:27:45. > :27:51.I will be back at 10:30pm. of our local hospitals and
:27:52. > :27:55.clinics... There's a very large team of people
:27:56. > :27:59.needed to make this all work. ..following the people who dedicate
:28:00. > :28:04.their lives to saving ours.