:00:00. > :00:10.The Director of Public Prosecutions says critics who've accused him
:00:11. > :00:15.of treating former soldiers unfairly by deciding to prosecute some
:00:16. > :00:18.for Troubles-related killings have insulted him and his team.
:00:19. > :00:21.Our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney asked Barra McGrory
:00:22. > :00:24.to respond to claims that he's not impartial because as a solicitor
:00:25. > :00:26.he represented the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams
:00:27. > :00:34.Mystified is the mildest way I can put it because anyone
:00:35. > :00:40.who is informed about these matters would know that as a professional
:00:41. > :00:46.lawyer you represent anybody who seeks the representation from you.
:00:47. > :00:56.I have been a professional lawyer for 30 years, during which period
:00:57. > :00:58.I have represented loyalist paramilitaries, republican
:00:59. > :01:00.paramilitaries, members of the DUP, members of Sinn Fein,
:01:01. > :01:05.I have represented a broad cross-section of people.
:01:06. > :01:09.Who I have represented in the past really has nothing to do with it.
:01:10. > :01:13.As Director of Public Prosecutions now, do you view that
:01:14. > :01:16.criticism as an attempt to influence your decision making,
:01:17. > :01:22.an attempt to put pressure on you not to prosecute former soldiers?
:01:23. > :01:25.I can't speak for the motivation of people who say such things
:01:26. > :01:29.but some of them ought to know better.
:01:30. > :01:31.If they're not trying to influence me, then
:01:32. > :01:33.they are certainly being personally insulting and questioning
:01:34. > :01:43.What concerns me more about that is it is insulting
:01:44. > :01:48.to this office and to lawyers who work here and do their work
:01:49. > :01:56.daily with absolute integrity, and to the best of their ability.
:01:57. > :02:01.I am personally offended by the remarks, but I am
:02:02. > :02:04.more offended on behalf of the individuals who work
:02:05. > :02:08.for the public presecution service and who do a fantastic job.
:02:09. > :02:11.I think those making the comments ought to think a bit more
:02:12. > :02:19.Politicians have been divided on what Mr McGrory said
:02:20. > :02:22.The DUP leader Arlene Foster said there was a disproportionate
:02:23. > :02:25.emphasis on the state, while the Ulster Unionist Doug
:02:26. > :02:27.Beattie, who's a former soldier, said the perception from a large
:02:28. > :02:29.portion of the community was that investigations
:02:30. > :02:35.Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly defended Mr McGrory,
:02:36. > :02:37.saying it was a scurrilous attack and that he was acting
:02:38. > :02:44.The former Alliance leader David Ford also defended him.
:02:45. > :02:46.The View will have more on legacy issues shortly -
:02:47. > :02:51.here's Mark Carruthers with the details.
:02:52. > :02:57.That's right, Rick - we have Sir Jeffrey Donaldson
:02:58. > :03:01.and Gerry Kelly in the studio on the day when a senior
:03:02. > :03:05.legal figure in Northern Ireland has found himself and his office pulled
:03:06. > :03:07.into one of our most toxic political problems.
:03:08. > :03:12.A former army officer has said he was a kind of torturer when it
:03:13. > :03:16.came to interrogating terrorist suspects during the Troubles.
:03:17. > :03:19.Bob Stewart, who's now an MP, was reacting to remarks by the US
:03:20. > :03:22.President Donald Trump about the use of water-boarding when questioning
:03:23. > :03:27.Before entering the world of politics, MP Bob Stewart
:03:28. > :03:32.The outspoken former army colonel came to prominence
:03:33. > :03:37.However, it's remarks he made about his time as an officer
:03:38. > :03:39.serving in Northern Ireland during the Troubles that have
:03:40. > :03:47.The Conservative MP was speaking on BBC radio earlier today.
:03:48. > :03:55.There were forbidden techniques introduced in 1977, some of which I
:03:56. > :04:05.In a way, technically, as you look at it today, I was the
:04:06. > :04:21.The UK Government authorised the use of five interrogation methods
:04:22. > :04:23.during the early years of the Troubles, but this
:04:24. > :04:27.A man who was arrested and claimed he was waterboarded
:04:28. > :04:34.during questioning spoke to the BBC about it a few years ago.
:04:35. > :04:37.The water torture, putting a gun against my head and saying if I
:04:38. > :04:40.didn't admit to killing a soldier they would have shot me dead.
:04:41. > :04:45.A group known as the hooded men have been challenging the authorities
:04:46. > :04:47.here over allegations of torture after they were
:04:48. > :04:55.And that campaign is still going through the legal process.
:04:56. > :04:58.Campaigners for the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings have
:04:59. > :05:01.been told their lawyers will be able to apply for legal aid.
:05:02. > :05:04.The Government has intervened to remove legal barriers which had
:05:05. > :05:06.stopped their Northern Ireland-based solicitors from
:05:07. > :05:12.The inquests into the deaths of 21 people who were killed by the IRA
:05:13. > :05:17.in November 1974 are due to resume later this year.
:05:18. > :05:20.The man who died on the Westlink yesterday was 69-year-old
:05:21. > :05:25.His car was the only one involved in the crash.
:05:26. > :05:30.Three people escaped injury when a pipe bomb
:05:31. > :05:34.was thrown at a house in Londonderry last night.
:05:35. > :05:37.The two men and a woman were inside when the device exploded
:05:38. > :05:40.in the garden of the property at Erne Gardens in the mainly
:05:41. > :05:43.loyalist Irish Street estate in the Waterside.
:05:44. > :05:46.Up to forty people were moved to a nearby community centre
:05:47. > :05:49.while army bomb disposal experts examined the device.
:05:50. > :05:57.This neighbour described what happened.
:05:58. > :06:04.The house has got gas in it, whatever he was growing Meadowbank.
:06:05. > :06:05.The rest of it was lying on the gas main.
:06:06. > :06:07.We thought the whole thing might have went off
:06:08. > :06:12.The children were terrorised and scared to come back
:06:13. > :06:16.My wife is pregnant and I thought there was going to be an early
:06:17. > :06:21.Boxer Carl Frampton says he's expecting between four and five
:06:22. > :06:23.thousand local fans travel to Las Vegas for his WBA
:06:24. > :06:28.title defence against Leo Santa Cruz this weekend.
:06:29. > :06:29.Following their initial encounter last summer Frampton
:06:30. > :06:32.was named the prestigious Ring Magazine's Fighter of The Year.
:06:33. > :06:37.BBC Newsline's Thomas Kane has sent this report from Las Vegas.
:06:38. > :06:39.Headlining here on the world-famous Las Vegas strip is reserved
:06:40. > :06:42.for the biggest names in boxing and following his historic victory
:06:43. > :06:44.over Leo Santa Cruz in July, Karel Frampton joined that elite
:06:45. > :06:58.Over the next 48 hours, thousands of fanatical fans
:06:59. > :07:01.will arrive here in Nevada for what could prove to be
:07:02. > :07:04.a career defining night, not just for the Belfast boxer
:07:05. > :07:12.Santa Cruz lost his undefeated record and world title
:07:13. > :07:18.in the previous contest, but the Irish boxer
:07:19. > :07:20.maintains he learned more from their fight and his ability
:07:21. > :07:30.Michael Gove he feels the result will be exactly the same. And the
:07:31. > :07:33.new... If I can beat Leo Santa Cruz,
:07:34. > :07:36.that's even more impressive How much of a bearing will the first
:07:37. > :07:51.fight have on this one? I think it will have a lot.
:07:52. > :07:53.Psychologically, I already have the edge.
:07:54. > :07:56.When I fight different opponents the second time I always improve.
:07:57. > :07:59.I believe I'm better at boxing than Leo Santa Cruz
:08:00. > :08:05.I believe I will win more convincingly.
:08:06. > :08:08.We will have all the big fight build-up on tomorrow's programme
:08:09. > :08:10.as the countdown continues to Frampton against Leo
:08:11. > :08:23.You can listen live on Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Five Live.
:08:24. > :08:26.There was quite a drop in the temperature today -
:08:27. > :08:31.Here's Cecilia with all the weather details for the days ahead.
:08:32. > :08:38.Still pretty cold out there. It will stay dry for much of the night. The
:08:39. > :08:41.chilly wind will ease a little bit, but will be strong enough to keep
:08:42. > :08:46.the frost away. Rain threatening parts of the West. That will come
:08:47. > :08:51.eastwards during tomorrow. At the same time, it will not feel as cold
:08:52. > :08:54.because that chilly wind will ease away. Dry weather tomorrow morning,
:08:55. > :08:58.particularly across eastern counties. The rain does not reach
:08:59. > :09:03.Belfast until about lunchtime. There is the rain gradually moving from
:09:04. > :09:06.the West, to the Irish Midlands and towards Wicklow. It is reaching
:09:07. > :09:11.Belfast about lunchtime, getting into some western parts of Britain
:09:12. > :09:15.later in the day. For many parts of Britain it will be a dry, bright
:09:16. > :09:20.day, not as bitter as today. It will not be as cold in Northern Ireland
:09:21. > :09:23.as tomorrow afternoon. The rain is very slowly clearing away from
:09:24. > :09:27.Belfast and the East Coast. It is drying up in the West, with some
:09:28. > :09:32.brightness to end the day. Saturday, a bright and breezy day. Sunshine
:09:33. > :09:36.and dry weather. There will be a scattering of showers. Some of them
:09:37. > :09:40.could be quite sharp. Sunday starts dry with some sunshine. A good chunk
:09:41. > :09:44.of the day could stay dry. Eventually we are expecting it to
:09:45. > :09:50.cloud up with some rain. Unite that is it for now, the next BBC Newsline
:09:51. > :09:52.is at 6:25am. You can also keep updated
:09:53. > :09:56.with news online. There's a reason why your drink
:09:57. > :10:09.tastes better today, why you're noticing
:10:10. > :10:12.the subtle botanicals,