:00:00. > :00:14.That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me,
:00:15. > :00:20.The heat gets turned up on the green energy controversy as a senior civil
:00:21. > :00:29.servant names Arlene Foster's former special advisor.
:00:30. > :00:36.My understanding was that Andrew Crawford was the person with that
:00:37. > :00:38.influence, but I have no direct evidence of that.
:00:39. > :00:40.A DUP advisor admits his father-in-law has
:00:41. > :00:44.A few days ago, he said no-one in his family had any.
:00:45. > :00:47.A brother and sister are still critical after being hit
:00:48. > :00:49.by a car near Randalstown - their principal says everyone
:00:50. > :01:03.The Prime Minister says the leaving the customs but what does that mean?
:01:04. > :01:14.Guy Martin is coming back to road racing in Northern Ireland.
:01:15. > :01:21.And sunshine still a bit elusive, but at least it's mainly dry.
:01:22. > :01:23.A senior civil servant says he believes a former special adviser
:01:24. > :01:27.to Arlene Foster exerted influence in relation to the Renewable
:01:28. > :01:33.Dr Andrew McCormick told Stormont's Public Accounts Committee
:01:34. > :01:38.that he understood the adviser had influenced a decision
:01:39. > :01:43.Naming the advisor as Andrew Crawford, he also told the committee
:01:44. > :01:45.that he had no direct evidence of this.
:01:46. > :01:47.Dr McCormick, who is a departmental permanent secretary,
:01:48. > :01:50.also said that leaked insider information may have had
:01:51. > :01:53.a significant impact on the ?490m overspend.
:01:54. > :02:06.Conor Macauley watched the committee hearing.
:02:07. > :02:15.He acknowledged it tends himself, there was huge interest in what he
:02:16. > :02:19.had to say. There is more attention on this than back in September. He
:02:20. > :02:24.is the senior civil servant in the Department for the economy, charged
:02:25. > :02:28.with clearing up this mess. It emerged today that he told me DUP of
:02:29. > :02:31.his belief that one of their special advisers was exerting pressure to
:02:32. > :02:35.keep the scheme open, even as applications were flooding in and
:02:36. > :02:42.officials wanted to shut it down. There was a view from others in the
:02:43. > :02:49.party that the date originally proposed should be extended, that we
:02:50. > :02:52.were aware of the time, where of some of those conversations through
:02:53. > :02:58.the summer of 2015. I was never clear exactly who was involved, that
:02:59. > :03:05.the person with the dealing with was Timothy Cairns, but he was making it
:03:06. > :03:13.clear to us that it was not his own idea, nor the Minister's idea. That
:03:14. > :03:16.led to an obvious question from the Public Accounts Committee, whose
:03:17. > :03:23.idea was it? The understanding that I expressed to the Minister and to
:03:24. > :03:29.his adviser in recent times is that Andrew Crawford had been the person
:03:30. > :03:33.exerting that influence. He was at pains to say he had no direct
:03:34. > :03:43.influence of that pressure. In the summer of 2015, Andrew Crawford was
:03:44. > :03:47.Arlene Foster's spa, and his brother is a claimant. At one point in
:03:48. > :03:53.proceedings, Arlene Foster's name came up to. Having considered all
:03:54. > :04:06.the material, have you seen any evidence of wrongdoing by the former
:04:07. > :04:08.First Minister? No. Mr McCormick was only getting started in a session
:04:09. > :04:14.where he confirmed he was permitted to speak freely. He said there had
:04:15. > :04:18.been a perfect storm of circumstances that led to the
:04:19. > :04:21.projected over stand, a lack of understanding by officials of the
:04:22. > :04:26.lucrative subsidy, the fact that the industry did understand, and that up
:04:27. > :04:34.to 100 installers were spreading the word to get in. And then this
:04:35. > :04:38.bombshell. Around the period of July, there is evidence of some
:04:39. > :04:46.premature information being made available to the industry, and some
:04:47. > :04:52.document appeared with me anonymously after Christmas, and
:04:53. > :04:57.this needs further investigation. I would prefer not to say too much
:04:58. > :05:00.about these because I don't want to prejudice the investigation, but the
:05:01. > :05:04.consequence is very serious because this shows that there was premature
:05:05. > :05:08.awareness of the potential for the tariff to be reduced, and the
:05:09. > :05:15.message went within the sector, getting quick. Would that be a
:05:16. > :05:20.suggestion that it has come from within your department? Yes. Not
:05:21. > :05:25.from any other source? The evidence suggests there was some information
:05:26. > :05:28.being shared prematurely with the industry from departmental
:05:29. > :05:32.officials, yes. There were further revelations about on tax with the
:05:33. > :05:40.police and allegations of abuse in the scheme. And a meeting with a
:05:41. > :05:43.density Minister, and proceedings may have been recorded in the
:05:44. > :05:47.chamber without his knowledge or consent. It seems that the drip feed
:05:48. > :05:56.of revelations has finally turned into a torrent.
:05:57. > :06:00.In a statement, Andrew Crawford confirmed that in the summer of 2015
:06:01. > :06:03.he had spoken to his fellow special adviser in the Department of
:06:04. > :06:08.enterprise, trade and investment about the R H I scheme. He said he
:06:09. > :06:12.would have been offering informal advice and assistance to a colleague
:06:13. > :06:16.and was not speaking behalf of the then Finance Minister Arlene Foster.
:06:17. > :06:20.He repeated that he had not sought to keep the scheme open against the
:06:21. > :06:23.wishes of the Deputy Minister, and had advised that changes to the
:06:24. > :06:25.terrorists take effect from October one.
:06:26. > :06:27.Meanwhile, Simon Hamilton's special advisor John Robinson is coming
:06:28. > :06:29.under pressure to step aside after he confirmed that his
:06:30. > :06:33.father-in-law is involved in the controversial RHI scheme.
:06:34. > :06:35.Mr Robinson has insisted he has no role in his
:06:36. > :06:41.But opposition parties at Stormont say he should not be advising
:06:42. > :06:43.Simon Hamilton at a time when the Minister is dealing with
:06:44. > :06:53.Our Political Correspondent Enda McClafferty reports.
:06:54. > :06:56.John Robinson is a key player in the DUP's backroom team.
:06:57. > :07:00.He's been advising the leadership on how best to deal with the press
:07:01. > :07:09.Now he's making the headlines, and here's why.
:07:10. > :07:17.The very first piece of information given to me at a mystic thing-macro
:07:18. > :07:20.ministerial office by the DUP appointed special adviser Timothy
:07:21. > :07:27.Cairns that you will not be allowed to reduce the tariff on this scheme
:07:28. > :07:31.because the special adviser to the then First Minister, and John
:07:32. > :07:36.Robinson, the director of locations to the DUP at that time, and now the
:07:37. > :07:37.special adviser to the economy minister has such extensive interest
:07:38. > :07:40.in the poultry industry. Both special advisors rejected those
:07:41. > :07:43.allegations and John Robinson then sought to put the record straight,
:07:44. > :07:54.issuing a statement. But 24 hours later he had to issue
:07:55. > :07:57.a second statement after it emerged his father-in-law
:07:58. > :08:03.was involved in the scheme. Again, John Robinson denied any
:08:04. > :08:18.personal involvement. He confirmed his father-in-law
:08:19. > :08:48.was in the scheme, saying: Some have questioned how
:08:49. > :08:56.the information was released. The DUP won't necessarily tell you a
:08:57. > :08:58.liar, but they won't necessarily disclose everything.
:08:59. > :09:01.John Robinson was not up for talking today, so we didn't
:09:02. > :09:04.get a chance to ask him if he is the right man to advise
:09:05. > :09:06.the Minister, Simon Hamilton, about fixing a scheme
:09:07. > :09:09.which his father-in-law is involved in.
:09:10. > :09:14.Obviously there is a conflict of interest there, and that is
:09:15. > :09:16.something that ought to have been disclosed at the earliest
:09:17. > :09:20.opportunity. It does not necessarily mean that it would prevent him doing
:09:21. > :09:23.the job well, but people ought to be aware that he has that conflict.
:09:24. > :09:25.John Robinson, the party officer who made a career
:09:26. > :09:28.out of helping others deal with tricky political questions,
:09:29. > :09:30.has had to come up with some answers himself.
:09:31. > :09:35.Joining me now is our business correspondent Julian O'Neill
:09:36. > :09:43.and our political editor Mark Devenport.
:09:44. > :09:51.It is very unusual to get such a senior civil servant releasing so
:09:52. > :09:55.many bombshells, even the revelation that one of his conversations he
:09:56. > :09:59.thinks may have been taped with his former minister. There was plenty of
:10:00. > :10:04.grist for the various opposition parties to talk about in relation to
:10:05. > :10:10.this. Sinn Fein talked about this being more evidence of mishandling
:10:11. > :10:14.of the R H I scheme, the Ulster Unionists talked about a gross
:10:15. > :10:17.misuse of power, but there were some elements within the permanent
:10:18. > :10:21.secretary's evidence that Arlene Foster might have taken a bit of
:10:22. > :10:27.heart from. Simon Hamilton will release the names of the RHI
:10:28. > :10:34.beneficiaries next week. Yes, it is his intention of his to publish a
:10:35. > :10:39.Who's Who of RHI recipients on the last sitting day of the assembly
:10:40. > :10:44.next week. We are talking about a list of up to 1400 businesses. The
:10:45. > :10:51.Minister and the DUP have been under political pressure to do this. All
:10:52. > :11:00.we have had thus far is a leaking of information of the location of body
:11:01. > :11:03.as. Dash-macro boilers. The assembly earlier this week was told it was
:11:04. > :11:08.the Department's intention to publish the list last week that it
:11:09. > :11:13.held off under threat of injunction. The Public Accounts Committee was
:11:14. > :11:16.today told that legal action is ongoing, but the minister wants
:11:17. > :11:20.openness and transparency around this. 90% of those people he wrote
:11:21. > :11:23.to before Christmas did not consent to their names being put into the
:11:24. > :11:28.public domain. He has got to balance that and he is now in the process of
:11:29. > :11:32.writing to them again, mindful of the Data Protection Act, but he does
:11:33. > :11:36.think it is in the public interest to publish. One assumes, if this
:11:37. > :11:40.intention is carried through, along with a list of businesses we will
:11:41. > :11:43.get information around when they applied. Was it during the
:11:44. > :11:47.well-publicised spike we have talked about, and how much have they
:11:48. > :11:52.received in payments? Who is going to take more comfort out of today,
:11:53. > :11:56.Arlene Foster or Jonathan Bell? Jonathan Bell was there watching the
:11:57. > :12:01.civil servant give his evidence. Until now he has been a voice crying
:12:02. > :12:03.on his own that there was a special adviser involvement in relation to
:12:04. > :12:08.this, so he will at least take comfort from the fact that Andrew
:12:09. > :12:12.McCormick has repeated that belief, it even though Andrew Crawford has
:12:13. > :12:15.denied what has been suggested. Arlene Foster won't like the fact
:12:16. > :12:19.that his former special adviser has been put centre frame in this, but
:12:20. > :12:22.she will take part from the fact that Andrew McCormick said there was
:12:23. > :12:27.no evidence of wrongdoing on her part. She to all the adviser
:12:28. > :12:31.officials had given her, and she was not told to close it down urgently
:12:32. > :12:34.because at that point there was not much uptake in terms of people
:12:35. > :12:37.signing up to take on the scheme. Thank you both.
:12:38. > :12:40.The principal of the school attended by a brother and sister knocked down
:12:41. > :12:42.yesterday near Randalstown, has said pupils and staff
:12:43. > :12:47.The pair, aged 14 and 11, are in a critical condition.
:12:48. > :12:51.Our north east reporter Sara Girvin has been to the scene.
:12:52. > :12:54.The brother and sister were making their daily commute
:12:55. > :12:58.home from school when they were hit by a car.
:12:59. > :13:00.Both children are pupils at St Patrick's College in Maghera.
:13:01. > :13:07.Their principal says it's been a difficult day for the community.
:13:08. > :13:15.They are lovely children, they are very popular with their peer group,
:13:16. > :13:19.well respected in the school. It is devastating news for this school
:13:20. > :13:23.community. We are very shocked. At this time, I just want to ask
:13:24. > :13:27.everybody to keep the children in your thoughts and prayers, as we are
:13:28. > :13:30.doing. Every prayer count at this stage.
:13:31. > :13:33.The children were making the half hour journey
:13:34. > :13:37.They got off the school bus and were crossing this road
:13:38. > :13:39.when they were struck by a white Audi A3.
:13:40. > :13:41.The vehicle remained at the scene and both children
:13:42. > :13:43.were taken to hospital, where they are in
:13:44. > :13:46.Residents say they've been raising safety concerns about
:13:47. > :13:59.People are just in shock. People are in shock, it could have been any
:14:00. > :14:02.family. This will touch every family in the local area will stop it is a
:14:03. > :14:04.small, tight-knit community. The Department of Infrastructure
:14:05. > :14:06.confirmed that a local MLA It said in light of that,
:14:07. > :14:11.the department had reviewed signage The road was closed in both
:14:12. > :14:14.directions overnight, Police have asked
:14:15. > :14:17.witnesses to come forward. Sara Girvin,
:14:18. > :14:21.BBC Newsline, Randalstown. Five people have been shot
:14:22. > :14:24.in paramilitary-style attacks in the Turf Lodge area of west
:14:25. > :14:27.Belfast in a month. The victim of the latest shooting
:14:28. > :14:30.last night was a 26-year-old man. Police say the number
:14:31. > :14:32.of paramilitary style shootings in west Belfast doubled in 2016,
:14:33. > :14:49.compared to the previous year. Over the last few weeks, under the
:14:50. > :14:53.cover of darkness, men have bought guns onto the streets. They have
:14:54. > :14:58.carried out a total of four attacks in Turf Lodge, injuring five people.
:14:59. > :15:03.The latest took place in this alleyway, around 10pm last night. A
:15:04. > :15:08.man in his 20s was shot in both legs. Police had been in the area
:15:09. > :15:12.investigating another shooting which took place very close to hear just
:15:13. > :15:17.last week. In that attack, a husband and wife were shot in their home. It
:15:18. > :15:20.is understood they were trying to protect their son. The week before,
:15:21. > :15:29.a 21-year-old man was shot in both legs. And, on 18th of December, a
:15:30. > :15:33.16-year-old boy was shot. Police say it is too early to link these
:15:34. > :15:37.incidents come which have all taken place within a one-mile radius, but
:15:38. > :15:41.say violent dissident republicans are behind some of the attacks. We
:15:42. > :15:45.have seen over the last year in west Belfast a lift in these types of
:15:46. > :15:50.incidents, and people are killing doing it for their own very selfish
:15:51. > :15:54.ends, trying to exercise control in the community, and try to pretend
:15:55. > :15:57.they are a police service. They are not. A police service in West
:15:58. > :16:00.Belfast is deeply service in Northern Ireland. No other society
:16:01. > :16:06.in the world would accept this, and my concern is that here in Northern
:16:07. > :16:09.Ireland there is an attitude of acceptability at times. Today, no
:16:10. > :16:14.one wanted to speak on camera, but the police say they need people to
:16:15. > :16:18.speak to them in order to bring this spate of gun attacks to an end.
:16:19. > :16:28.Teachers go on a half day strike over pay.
:16:29. > :16:31.Sinn Fein have accused the Taoiseach of having no plan for dealing
:16:32. > :16:36.Yesterday, the Prime Minister said that Brexit will mean the UK leaves
:16:37. > :16:41.It's the arrangement which, at the moment, allows
:16:42. > :16:44.for tariff-free trade across the border.
:16:45. > :16:47.So, leaving the Union could mean the return of customs checks.
:16:48. > :16:52.Our Economics and Business Editor John Campbell is at a haulage
:16:53. > :17:07.Both the Prime Minister and the Brexit secretary have spoken today,
:17:08. > :17:10.seeking to reassure people that however difficult things may be
:17:11. > :17:13.around the border, that can be sorted out in Brexit negotiations,
:17:14. > :17:17.but businesses are understandably concerned. A director of this
:17:18. > :17:23.company told us earlier that any move towards a hard customs border
:17:24. > :17:28.would be a disaster. My father founded the company in 1972, and I
:17:29. > :17:37.joined 20 years ago. We have 20 trucks, 50 trailers, and we do 20-30
:17:38. > :17:40.export a year. There is a bigger market in the south. At the moment
:17:41. > :17:44.it takes a truck to ours. If the Borders return, it we could spend
:17:45. > :17:52.four or five hours at the border clearing customs, which will impact
:17:53. > :17:56.us greatly. At the minute there is no border issues at all. You can
:17:57. > :17:59.drive straight through. Before the early 90s when the Borders came
:18:00. > :18:05.down, a driver had to make three stops. They had to stop with a
:18:06. > :18:09.security agent, this could take four or five hours. The working Time
:18:10. > :18:15.directive states a driver can only work 12 hours a day. 80% of our
:18:16. > :18:22.trucks operate in and out of mainland Europe, said the problems
:18:23. > :18:25.we face in the South will be tenfold compare to Europe. I would like to
:18:26. > :18:32.board is not to be there. Free trade is crucial to us. The Prime
:18:33. > :18:35.Minister's plans came under scrutiny today, but truth be told, we did not
:18:36. > :18:43.learn that much more about the detail of her customs plan.
:18:44. > :18:47.So we now have a much better idea of the Prime Minister's Brexit plan.
:18:48. > :18:51.Out of the single market, out of the customs union, and on the hunt for
:18:52. > :18:54.new trade deals. She said there will be a new customs deal, but when
:18:55. > :19:00.asked about it today, there was no detail. Frictionless borders in
:19:01. > :19:04.nation to the customs issue. An important issue for us in relation
:19:05. > :19:10.to our racial ship with the North of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
:19:11. > :19:14.We are on a single page on this, we want to ensure we have the best
:19:15. > :19:19.possible arrangement that does not lead to a borders of the past for
:19:20. > :19:24.Northern Ireland. Trade experts suggest a new deal could be focused
:19:25. > :19:32.on important sectors like aerospace, to ensure firms like bombarding
:19:33. > :19:37.don't experience disruption to their supply chains. But there is no real
:19:38. > :19:41.precedent for what Theresa May is proposing. She is adamant about no
:19:42. > :19:44.return to borders of the past, but David Davis has conceded that we
:19:45. > :19:50.could return to a situation where lorries are being checked at the
:19:51. > :19:53.border. That has caused alarm among employers and trade union. Sinn Fein
:19:54. > :19:58.says it has caught the Irish government on the hop. When you say
:19:59. > :20:05.that you will protect this country, this country goes beyond dumb dog
:20:06. > :20:09.into the exotic lands of Newry. And as far as the Glens of Antrim. That
:20:10. > :20:14.is the responsibility and the jurisdiction that you hold must be
:20:15. > :20:25.want the plan, we need the plan. When do we hear the plan? No return
:20:26. > :20:30.to a hard border. We are going to work for that. All of the details
:20:31. > :20:35.will not be known for quite some time because the negotiations have
:20:36. > :20:39.not even started. The Brexit negotiations are due to begin by the
:20:40. > :20:40.end of March. Perhaps then we'll have a clearer idea what this will
:20:41. > :20:50.mean for the border. Tonight, John Britton has entered
:20:51. > :20:56.the debate. He has also been a former EU ambassador, and he says
:20:57. > :21:05.Theresa May's customs plans are simply unworkable.
:21:06. > :21:08.A Northern Ireland spokesman, Lord Dunlop, has said "any form
:21:09. > :21:09.of joint authority" would be incompatible with the
:21:10. > :21:14.He was responding to a question in the House of Lords this afternoon
:21:15. > :21:16.over whether or not the Republic would be given an enhanced role
:21:17. > :21:23.This is an important point. I can confirm that the government remains
:21:24. > :21:29.fully committed to the Belfast agreement, including the principle
:21:30. > :21:32.of consent governing Northern Ireland's constitutional position.
:21:33. > :21:35.It is on that basis that Northern Ireland is and remains a full part
:21:36. > :21:39.of the United Kingdom, and clearly any form of joint authority would be
:21:40. > :21:45.incompatible with the consent principle.
:21:46. > :21:47.Thousands of teachers belonging to the Irish National Teachers
:21:48. > :21:49.Organisation have held a half day strike over pay.
:21:50. > :21:51.Around 800 schools across Northern Ireland
:21:52. > :21:53.were affected, as our education correspondent
:21:54. > :21:59.About 7,000 teachers in Northern Ireland have staged
:22:00. > :22:04.Pickets, not parents or pupils, were at many school
:22:05. > :22:12.The pain makes teachers feel valued, and at the moment we don't feel
:22:13. > :22:13.valued. These INTO members in
:22:14. > :22:15.Londonderry were also out, and angry about a pay freeze last year
:22:16. > :22:24.and a 1% rise this year. My 1% equates to just over ?4. I
:22:25. > :22:29.have a 12-year-old daughter. I've was to give her ?4 to go to the
:22:30. > :22:41.cinema with her friends it would not even get her in. Some schools were
:22:42. > :22:42.closed this morning, and in some cases schools have had to close for
:22:43. > :22:43.the entire day. Back in Belfast, 300 teachers
:22:44. > :22:54.held a strike rally. This is the point where we have to
:22:55. > :22:55.stand up and say no more. We are not being walked on.
:22:56. > :22:57.There were hard words for the education minister
:22:58. > :23:08.What priorities are you placing on education? What priorities are you
:23:09. > :23:09.placing on schools and children, and what priorities are you placing on
:23:10. > :23:10.teachers? But the education boss
:23:11. > :23:19.chairing pay talks There is no money in the education
:23:20. > :23:24.budget to go back over previous pay negotiations. Given that we agreed
:23:25. > :23:28.to meet again next week, I don't understand what benefit will
:23:29. > :23:31.possibly be derived from striking today. What I do see is that
:23:32. > :23:37.teachers will lose pay, schools will be disrupted, pupils will lose
:23:38. > :23:38.education, and parents will have their lives disrupted and I am
:23:39. > :23:39.disappointed about that. These teachers returned
:23:40. > :23:41.to their classrooms at lunchtime, but with continued uncertainty over
:23:42. > :23:43.the education budget, disputes over their pay are likely
:23:44. > :23:49.to last much longer. One of the biggest personalities
:23:50. > :23:53.in road racing, Guy Martin, is to return to both the NorthWest
:23:54. > :23:57.200 and Ulster Grand Prix this year, One of the great draws in the sport,
:23:58. > :24:06.he has not raced since suffering multiple injuries in a crash at
:24:07. > :24:09.the Ulster Grand Prix two years ago. In the same year he was critical
:24:10. > :24:12.of the Northwest 200 circuit. But, after announcing a new ride
:24:13. > :24:29.with the Honda team, he's back. The last time Guy Martin raised in
:24:30. > :24:32.Northern Ireland, this happened. It was a high-speed crash which made
:24:33. > :24:37.him question his future in the sport. But he is returning with a
:24:38. > :24:41.new team, and his first road racing appearance will be at the Northwest
:24:42. > :24:47.200 in May, a race he said he did not ever want to compete in again
:24:48. > :24:53.after his appearance in 2015. Riding round chicanes. I am bored to the
:24:54. > :24:59.back teeth. No interest, no interest. No interest. But this is
:25:00. > :25:07.the machine which has tempted him back. The new Honda 2017.
:25:08. > :25:12.He will ride the Superbike at the fastest track in the world, where he
:25:13. > :25:17.has won many times. And he will go in search of his first Northwest 200
:25:18. > :25:21.success. The hugely popular rider will undoubtedly be a massive draw
:25:22. > :25:22.for both events. Looking forward to it.
:25:23. > :25:25.The Belfast boxer Michael Conlan has been speaking to
:25:26. > :25:27.the press in New York ahead of his professional debut.
:25:28. > :25:29.A former Olympic bronze medallist and amateur world champion,
:25:30. > :25:31.Conlan outlined some grand ambitions as a pro.
:25:32. > :25:34.He will fight the American Tim Ibarra on St Patrick's Day
:25:35. > :25:42.at the iconic boxing venue Madison Square Garden.
:25:43. > :25:51.It has been a dream for me to come here. I still feel a bit overwhelmed
:25:52. > :25:54.being here in the garden, and for my debut to be on Saint Patrick stay
:25:55. > :26:06.here is going to be special. The journey is a good one. I truly
:26:07. > :26:12.believe in my ability will stop I speak with complete confidence at
:26:13. > :26:14.all times. No matter who is in front of me, no matter what day it is, no
:26:15. > :26:17.one is going to beat me. Ulster won't rest their Irish
:26:18. > :26:19.international this weekend in their final European Rugby Champions Cup
:26:20. > :26:22.tie against French side Bordeaux. The game is effectively
:26:23. > :26:24.academic for Ulster, who can't now make the knockout
:26:25. > :26:27.phases of the tournament. Eight defeats in the last 12 games
:26:28. > :26:44.has certainly led to some reflection We have met as a player group, had a
:26:45. > :26:51.view honest words together, things that we feel we have not been up to
:26:52. > :26:57.scratch on, and what we are trying to fix in training. Like I said,
:26:58. > :27:01.there has been a bit of honesty over last couple of weeks, and that is
:27:02. > :27:03.the only way we can fix anything. That is something we have addressed.
:27:04. > :27:06.In last night's Irish Premiership action Glenavon snatched a draw away
:27:07. > :27:10.The home side took the lead with fifteen minutes to go
:27:11. > :27:13.when Joshua McIlwaine headed in his third goal in two games.
:27:14. > :27:16.But Glenavon equalised when player-manager Gary Hamilton,
:27:17. > :27:19.who had come on off the bench, sent a shot that was deflected
:27:20. > :27:22.into the net to rescue a point for the visitors who remain sixth
:27:23. > :27:28.Ireland's men's cricket team have beaten the United Arab Emirates
:27:29. > :27:30.by 24 runs in Dubai to reach the semi-final stage
:27:31. > :27:51.Let's get the weather now. It is all very quiet and still and
:27:52. > :27:55.settled. High-pressure is very much in charge. It will ensure a lot of
:27:56. > :28:00.dry weather. We should see some bright spells developing, but there
:28:01. > :28:05.will often be a lot of cloud, and it will become a little chilly. The
:28:06. > :28:11.temperatures today were actually above average. Not very inspiring
:28:12. > :28:17.whether beneath this swathe of stubborn cloud, so nice to see some
:28:18. > :28:21.early spring colour that with a rhododendron coming into bloom. We
:28:22. > :28:25.will hold onto those cloudy skies through this evening and into
:28:26. > :28:34.tonight, perhaps giving the odd spot of drizzle, but most places will
:28:35. > :28:37.avoid that. Into tomorrow, the cloud still the predominant feature, and
:28:38. > :28:41.we still have a lot of dry weather to come. During the morning with
:28:42. > :28:48.that low cloud, don't be surprised if you get the odd spot of drizzle.
:28:49. > :28:52.Again, it is mainly dry. Then it is not really changing through the day.
:28:53. > :28:55.Mainly cloudy. If you are in the West, a small chance you could see
:28:56. > :28:59.the odd bit of brightness coming through late in the day, but it
:29:00. > :29:05.can't began renting. At least those temperatures are above average at
:29:06. > :29:09.eight or 9 degrees. Into Friday, it'll get off to a cloudy and misty
:29:10. > :29:13.start, but Friday could be our best and brightest day of the next few. A
:29:14. > :29:17.better chance of some sunshine coming through as well. Into the
:29:18. > :29:26.weekend, we still have high in charge. It brings a drift of the
:29:27. > :29:31.continent, which is pretty cold. The blue extends right down into Spain.
:29:32. > :29:38.Instead of building sand castles in Alicante, the children have been
:29:39. > :29:41.building snowmen on the beach. A trend is for damages to come down. A
:29:42. > :29:45.lot of cloud through the weekend, but it stays mainly dry.
:29:46. > :29:48.You can also keep in contact with us via Facebook and Twitter.