12/04/2017 BBC Newsline

This is BBC Newsline and these are the headlines

As the talks break for Easter the DUP leader says she intends

to engage with Irish speakers in a move to better

Condemnation of an attack on a Polish family's home.

Behind every statistic there is a person, a victim.

A former Police Ombudsman investigator is arrested -

Why there's a row over the draining of this dam in Newtownabbey.

Also on the programme: Getting rid of litter -

a survey reveals not enough of us are throwing it away properly.

Financial fallout - fans fume as Irish Cup final tickets

And a few showers around but not amounting to much and some

First to the statement from Arlene Foster about the Irish language. If

you months ago she said her party would never agree to an Irish

language act, today she said she would engage with Irish speakers in

a bid to better understand the language. But she wants to meet with

those who genuinely love Irish and don't want to use it as a political

weapon. Failure to get Agreement is one of the main sticking points that

has led to another missed deadline. If the parties cannot agree by early

May, there will be another Assembly election, or the introduction of

direct rule. Don't let anyone tell you that

Stormont is popular with the public. As for the people who are supposed

to use it, the politicians who were elected to six weeks ago, you will

have to wait a little bit longer. As the clocks -- as the clock ticks

towards another supposedly by the Secretary of State what a little

more time, by postponing once again. He said that some further progress

had been made including on the formation of an executive and on

legacy. However there was still a lack of Agreement between the

parties on a small but significant number of issues. But if no

executive is formed by early May he said he would need to take further

steps to ensure that Northern Ireland has the political stability

it needs. That is likely to mean either a second election or a return

to decision-making from Westminster. In other words, direct rule.

Afterwards, this question was aimed at the DUP. What sort of Britishness

is that if you are a Scottish Gaelic Speaker, or a Welsh Speaker, you

have a Scottish or a Welsh act, but if you live here, you do not. But

listen to this from the woman who said her party would never agree to

an Irish language act. For our part we do want to respect and indeed

better understand the language and culture which we are not a part of.

And to that end, over the next short period of time, I do intend to

listen, to engage with those from the Gaelic Irish background, those

without a party particle baggage, or indeed demands, but people who

genuinely love the Irish Language Act and don't want to use it as a

political weapon. Who knows where that could lead. As for the other

parties. I don't know how I can look at the public when I meet them over

the next couple of days, that once again we have missed another

deadline. Sometimes when you are sitting around a table discussing

issues that is almost like back to the future. Discussing matters

today, the exact same issues three and a half years ago. James

Brokenshire believes the remaining obstacles to a deal are

surmountable. They have not been so far.

Enda McClafferty our Political Correspondent is at Stormont.

What do we read into that statement from Arlene Foster that she wants to

meet Irish Language Act rubes? There will be many watching tonight

who thinks this is a long way off the Arlene Foster of the election

campaign. Her party has stressed that this is not a change of policy.

But it was deliberate Arlene Foster putting that information in the

public domain, that she plans to meet these Irish language groups,

beyond Sinn Fein, she wants to hear people who have no political

baggage. This might be this is the first step to clearing the way to

say, we can now make a decision about an Irish Language Act, without

the influence or demands from Sinn Fein. It'll be interesting to see

where this engagement ends up, this engagement that she will have with

these groups. Yet another deadline, early May,

more time to try to resolve their differences.

Do you think they will achieve that? We have a new deadline tonight, but

the language has changed here at Stormont. It is clear from the words

being used by Gerry Adams and indeed Arlene Foster, and Nigel Dodds, that

the parties are far apart in trying to resolve these outstanding issues.

It is difficult to see how things will be different in three weeks

after Easter compared to the six weeks we have already had. Where is

the dynamic going to come from so that we can reach a deal? There is

no doubt the parties are leaving tonight knowing that James

Brokenshire is clear that come the beginning of May eight is no

resolution, no deal, he is looking at two options, one, another snap

election, the other more influence for Westminster and what happens in

Northern Ireland. What only expecting as regards the

time frame after Easter? We are being told that Round Table

discussions will be paused until the 24th of April. In between times, the

contact will not stop, the parties will continue to meet, continue

discussions with both governments, but the substantive negotiations we

believe will begin on 24th of April. That leaves the parties with two,

possibly three weeks to resolve the difference is before we ditch this

may deadline. Then it'll be back in James Brokenshire's court to decide

what happens next. It'll be a long Easter and a long they beat

afterwards to see if Irish rule can be restored to Northern Ireland.

A brick was thrown into a house in Antrim overnight

The child was in the parents' bedroom and nobody was injured.

The police are treating the attack on the Polish

An attack that could have left his baby seriously injured.

This morning, smashed glass was still lying throughout this

Bricks were thrown to the front and rear of the house

Broken glass landed in the baby's cot but she was sleeping with her

The couple are originally from Poland and police are treating

Certainly at this stage we are treating it as

Hate crime is down but it is wrong in every way.

Behind every statistic there is a person and a victim.

This attack happened just before 2:30am.

The young couple and the baby girl were asleep inside.

They've lived here for just over a year and neighbours have

described them as quiet, kind and hard-working.

People here are hard-working and will give people their full support.

Police are appealing for information.

A former investigator with the Police Ombudsman's Office

has been arrested as part of an investigation

into the alleged theft of sensitive security documents.

It is understood the documents contained information

which the police and the security service MI5 believe could put

The BBC understands they were released to lawyers

without authorisation from the Ombudsman or the PSNI.

A 69-year-old man was arrested in Dartford in Kent on Sunday after the

PSNI conducted a joint search with local police. It is understand the

man retired from the ombudsman's office a number of years ago and the

documents do not refer to any case currently being investigated. A

statement said they were alerted to the theft last week. A spokesman

said that the material came to light during legal proceedings not

connected to the office. The ombudsman asked the police to begin

in criminal investigation into how and when this happens, and also

informed the information Commissioner. Meanwhile Steve

Martin, head of PSNI information branch confirmed that a man has been

arrested as part of the investigation. In a statement he

said: It is understood the documents at

the centre of this inquiry as regarded as historic. While we do

not know the precise details of what is in them the PSNI has suspended

the release of any further sensitive materials with the ombudsman's

Still to come on the programme: protocols is carried out.

The row over a price increase for tickets for this

A woman who claimed she was sexually harassed at work has received

settled her case with the Wah Hep Chinese

Jing-Yueh Huang-Porterfield worked at this community centre for 20

months. She enjoyed her job, offering support and advice to

members of the Chinese community. Master Tober she felt she had no

choice to resign. -- last October. The man just kept joking further

and further and thought I hope I will be the last one in

that workplace to suffer from that experience. I made a phone call to

the equality Commission. The equality Commission took upper case

and is now warning other employers that they have a legal duty to

protect their staff from sexual harassment in the workplace. Cases

like this are important. They illustrate the impact that can have

on individuals. People should feel empowered to be able to challenge

behaviour like this in the workplace. People can get advice

from the equality Commission, confidentially and 43, to enable

them to make sorts of challenges. The case was settled out of court

for ?6,000 with no admission of liability from her former employers.

In light of the case that Wah Hep Chinese Community Association says

it plans to liaise with the equality Commission to review its policies

and procedures. It says it regrets any upset caused to Jing-Yueh

Huang-Porterfield. Questions are being asked about why

a company which owns a dam on the outskirts of Belfast drained

most of it last week. The company says it did it

on the advice of a Government agency which told it to reduce

the risk of flooding. Here's our Agriculture

and Environment correspondent The dam has been in private

ownership for years. But the public has always had ownership -- had

access. Last Friday a digger was used to breach the retaining wall

allowing most of the water to flow into an adjoining River. You can see

the level where the water used to come up to, more or less up to the

rim. When that retaining wall was bleached thousands of gallons of

water flowed out of here, training this week overnight. Locals claim

that impacted waterfowl including ducks and swans which nest there.

The water would have went right out to the edge, rate far back to those

feeds, it would have come up there. It has dropped five or six feet.

Wild birds, their eggs and nests are protected and wildlife legislation.

The PSNI said there was an investigation whether there was a

breach. This afternoon representatives from several

political parties turned up to see the situation for themselves. I want

to see if we can get the sluice gate put back on. The local MP spoke to a

property developer that he believes might who owned the dam. He said

this reservoir was not safe, had Italy, there was a risk to people's

houses. New laws have thrown up unintended consequences, including

difficulty of getting planning permission for sites downstream of

dams and reservoirs that have not been surveyed and do not have a

safety certificate. This held water that came out flood plains and know

it will not do that in the future. The company that owns the dam said a

survey has been carried out and they had been told by the Rivers agency

to take steps to read use the risk of flooding. -- reduce.

The concern of local snow is to stem the flow of water in the short term.

-- locals no. The local unemployment rate has

fallen to its lowest level Other data released today suggests

that pay increases could soon be Our Economics and Business Editor

John Campbell is with me. What are the headline figures on

employment? They are positive. A lot of Long ran

positive data. The job market has been recovering in the last four

years. The claimant count, now stands at 31,000 500. That is down.

The other measure of unemployment, that's now stands at 5.2%. That is

the lowest level since the end of 2008. We have shared in what has

become known as the UK jobs creation.

It sounds very rosy but is it all good news in the Labour market?

When you Jill into the figures it gets more competent. In terms of job

creation that looks like the economy is running out of steam. Not

creating jobs as fast as we were. Maybe not treating many jobs at all

at the moment. The sort of jobs that have been created over the last

year, all the new jobs over the last year have come through

self-employment or part-time work. The number of full-time employees

has fallen. That suggests the sort of jobs we are creating art more

precarious sectors. Another important number is the employment

rate. That is the percentage of working age adults who have a job.

For the UK that is 74.6%, for as it is 69%. It suggests we are a less

dynamic economy than the UK as a whole. That points to some long-term

structural weaknesses in our jobs market.

I mentioned p earlier, what is the story?

We were talking about pay and inflation. If inflation outstrips

the rate of pay growth, living standards will fall, rate of

inflation is currently 2.3%, data to date suggests rate of pay growth is

around that figure, on some measures a bit more, some less, it suggests

that what hassles can expect in the coming months is a bit of a squeeze

on living standards. Plenty to come before

seven including: Boxer Carl Frampton on the options

for his next fight. The number of people dropping litter

has increased with 15% of streets failing to meet

the accepted standard. An environmental charity report has

also found dog fouling has decreased We are dropping more litter. Despite

all the warnings, fines and education. The cost of greeting it

all up has risen to a record ?43 million. That this just for the

period 2016-2017. One third of people across Northern Ireland admit

they have dropped litter at some point. It would seem that does not

matter if there is a bin or not. Not surprisingly Belfast with its larger

publishing has the worst record, but other areas do not feel well either.

That is nearly ?60 every year you will pay towards that. Every man,

woman and child is being nearly ?25 per year. If we all did the right

thing, but I litter in the bin or take it home, we could save vast

fortunes of money and spend that on more positive things for Northern

Ireland. This woman has seen her share of litter. Absolutely

disgusting. There is waste bins out there and they cannot even put it

in. They throw it in the street. Years ago people would have been out

brushing the streets. Do you ever see anybody out with a brush? Half

of them do not know what one looks like. I am here to tell you how to

deal with the letter. This is one of a number of campaigns to persuade

young men in particular how to deal with rubbish. It is your country.

After it. People just throwing it out cars and just throwing things

when they have finished with that. It is a nightmare. I go after people

as well. On the upside, dog fouling is at its lowest rate since records

began almost a decade ago. A significant hike in the price

of Irish Cup Final tickets has been Yes, Donna - tickets for the May 6th

showcase which went on sale Linfield's chairman Roy McGivern has

criticised the move, and significantly, his Coleraine

counterpart Colin McKendry, who was part of the committee

which signed off on the price hike, told BBC Newsline today that

lessons need to be learned. It is local football's big Day out.

Over 10,000 fans were at Windsor Park for last year's final. For this

year's showpiece, they will need deeper pockets.

Absolute joy on no spaces. We are disappointed in that. It is

excessive. The ticket price last year was ?15 and we had 11,000 at

the final last year. And with Windsor Park though completed this

was an opportunity to maximise attendance as to get a lot of mutual

funds along to the cup final, which is a spectacle for the entire

league. It is a missed opportunity. We are disappointed that we were not

consulted about the places. How does ?20 but could compare to other

sports? On the same day as the Irish cup final Irish rugby will play

Leinster in the Pro 12, it is ?20 for a standard tickets, ?32 for a

seat. Gaelic games, tickets last year were ?15 for standing, ?20 for

a seat. And in this year's Irish cup final at is ?20 for a place at

Windsor Park, last year it was 15, that is a height of 33% on last

year's ticket price. No one from the IFA was available for comment but in

a statement they confirmed: The Coleraine chairman sat on the

committee and signed off on the price increase.

I think we have misjudged the general feel of the public. I would

have to see it is not profits before people. The stadium costs are

extremely high. I have to accept on behalf of of the club responsibility

as part of the decision-making process and in the future possibly

we should consult with the finalists prior to deciding ticket prices.

Look at trends across football across the UK and Europe, the trend

is to bring prices down, look to FAI, they have maximise attendance,

per ticket. That is the direction we should be going on. It will not be

the direction this year. The Irish Cup final will take place on

Saturday 6th of May. As talks continue to tempt a high

profile opponent to Belfast for his homecoming fight,

former two weight world champion Carl Frampton has today told BBC

Newsline he has several options. And among them, is the possibility

of a non world title Immediately after his defeat in Las

Vegas Carl Frampton insisted that his next fight would be in his home

city. He wanted a rematch with Leo Santa Cruz, while Welshman Lee Selby

was also viewed as an attractive option. I am optimistic on either

one but there are other names around the division. We will get something

and it's pretty soon. The position I am in at the minute, I will not

fight a mug. It needs to be a credible opponent. I am coming off a

loss. Sometimes it is difficult to fight for a world title straight off

the back of a loss but it needs to be a big fight and it will be. Has

it been difficult to try to tempt people here? Leo Santa Cruz has been

difficult. He told people he was come to Belfast but that was not to

be. That is the way things happen in this game. But they get a lot of

opponents here. I am a big draw, I sell a lot of tickets, that brings

big purses for other boxers. A Santa Cruz trilogy fight remains the

long-term goal that Carl Frampton might have to wait.

The cyclist Mark Downey is having a breakthrough season on the track.

He's already won three gold medals and one silver

Mark Downey has continued with silver in the points and Madison

events, can he become world champion? I was beaten by the

current world champion. I am excited to go to that World Championships.

One last race, it would be a dream come true. Up towards the line. Can

he do it? Mark Downey is looking to follow in the slipstream of Mark

Ervin who won Ireland's first track title in over a century in 2013. He

has been a role model. I put it down to hard work. I was still young when

he won his world title. I said that as the person I want to be. He gave

us all that self belief. A big influence. Whatever happens in Hong

Kong Mark Downey has his plan mapped out to the next Olympics with a stop

off in Australia next year. That World Championships this year, then

on the road until September with the team, then the Commonwealth Games

next year, that'll be a big honour to be there in Australia. It is a

big goal in my career in cycling to get a medal in the Commonwealth

Games. And he will compete in the Madison on Sunday with his partner

Felix English. And John ram one of world golf's

rising stars... Angie Phillips has

the weather forecast. Not a straightforward focus --

forecast. There will be showers but hopefully they will not allow it to

too much. Quite a damp start this morning. A weather front pushing

through. It has cleared away to the side. It has brightened up through

the second half of the day. Some sunshine, if you showers on the

north coast, where it was also big easy. The just eat north-westerly

wind there. Those winds will be easing down as we go through the

course of this evening and tonight. Still brisk enough this evening to

begin with. Still showers running through particularly across the

north and may be down towards the Ards Peninsula. Inland it is drier

with clear spells. And with winds easing, quite cool. There could be

the odd pockets of crass frost. Tomorrow, cloud becomes an issue

once again. Not a bad start. Sunny intervals. The best of those in the

East. They could linger into late morning. Cloud starting to move in

from the West. It could be thick enough in places to give some

showers, light rain, Fermanagh, Derry, and chum. Even there there

will be gaps. Temperatures still 11 or 12. Winds blighter. Dry and clear

spells at the start of tomorrow night. It could become quite chilly.

It weather front moving through during the night. Once that clears

two we are back into that mix of bright intervals and scattered

showers as we head into Good Friday. It will feel cool in the wind. The

rest of the weekend, a weather front moving and that could bring some

rain on Easter Sunday. Our late summary

is at half past ten. You can also keep in contact with us

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a major scientific breakthrough.