:00:00. > :00:07.we are back with the late news at 11.00pm.
:00:08. > :00:09.Good evening and welcome to BBC Newsline.
:00:10. > :00:12.The police are investigating an alleged assault on the Sinn Fein
:00:13. > :00:15.MLA Gerry Kelly in Belfast city centre last night.
:00:16. > :00:21.The incident took place on Gordon Street in the Cathedral Quarter
:00:22. > :00:26.The police confirmed that a man in his 60s received
:00:27. > :00:30.A 21-year-old man has been arrested and is still in custody.
:00:31. > :00:34.Gerry Kelly, who represents the north Belfast constituency,
:00:35. > :00:38.says he has made a formal complaint to the PSNI.
:00:39. > :00:41.The Strangford MLA Jonathan Bell has been suspended from the DUP.
:00:42. > :00:44.Last Thursday, he gave a television interview during which he accused
:00:45. > :00:47.DUP advisors of delaying his plans to close down the flawed
:00:48. > :01:05.This afternoon it said that it supported the need for a speedy
:01:06. > :01:08.resolution to the issue and would support the motions of officials to
:01:09. > :01:19.reach the conclusion. This morning paper will have made
:01:20. > :01:24.interesting reading for the major players in this political drama,
:01:25. > :01:28.Foster and Bell. The fallout from his interview with Stephen Nolan
:01:29. > :01:31.continues daily. The party have now suspended him or allegedly speaking
:01:32. > :01:38.to the media without permission. In a separate development, a series of
:01:39. > :01:41.allegations have been made about his behaviour by two female and three
:01:42. > :01:47.male colleagues. His solicitor declined to comment. Tomorrow the
:01:48. > :01:58.action switches to Stormont, where a DUP and other -- motion is in place
:01:59. > :02:03.to call on the leader to step aside. Arlene has a job to do, she's not a
:02:04. > :02:06.quitter, she's not going to run away from her responsibilities as some
:02:07. > :02:10.would want her to do. She is up for the challenge, has nothing to hide,
:02:11. > :02:15.as made it absolutely clear that she will give full disclosure. But Sinn
:02:16. > :02:18.Fein want Arlene Foster stepping aside. They haven't made it clear
:02:19. > :02:26.whether they will accept the exclusion motion. It has been asked
:02:27. > :02:32.that she step aside until the report can be made, but the motion tomorrow
:02:33. > :02:38.is about excluding her for six months. As is traditional, it seems
:02:39. > :02:42.Christmas and political crisis go hand-in-hand here. Tomorrow focus
:02:43. > :02:45.will be on Arlene Foster as she faces her biggest test as First
:02:46. > :02:50.Minister. The Northern Ireland electricity
:02:51. > :02:52.supplier Open Electric has gone into administration
:02:53. > :02:55.and had its licence revoked. All its customers have automatically
:02:56. > :02:58.been moved to Power NI. Open launched in August
:02:59. > :03:00.2015 and had about 1,100 domestic customers,
:03:01. > :03:02.less than 1% cent of the market. Customers have been
:03:03. > :03:15.assured there will be Open Electric is a small firm. We
:03:16. > :03:21.have seen a number of new suppliers come into the market over the last
:03:22. > :03:26.18 months, and that is good, we want a healthy competitive market but
:03:27. > :03:29.they came into the market when wholesale gas prices were low and we
:03:30. > :03:34.have seen increases in those gas prices over recent weeks, the
:03:35. > :03:38.regulator having been monitoring all the suppliers and all prices and
:03:39. > :03:41.this small supply has just found it very difficult as prices have gone
:03:42. > :03:42.up to maintain its position in the market.
:03:43. > :03:44.Ulster have lost their crucial European Champions Cup tie away
:03:45. > :03:49.to Clermont-Auvergne by 38 to 19, despite a spirited second half
:03:50. > :03:57.comeback against the French side. Gavin Andrews reports.
:03:58. > :04:05.In a near carbon copy of last week public game between the sides
:04:06. > :04:14.Claremont got off to a flying start. What a step from the world club
:04:15. > :04:18.runner. It was 21 nil by by half-time. Ulster struggled with the
:04:19. > :04:28.French giants. The second half started with Clermont confirming
:04:29. > :04:31.their bonus point with a drive. Lesser teams may have crumbled at
:04:32. > :04:39.that point because they came back at the French with a second-half
:04:40. > :04:50.revival. It continued as Ulster rumbled over and the hosts were
:04:51. > :04:57.suddenly rattled. Both the right back into it! A penalty try and a
:04:58. > :05:02.yellow card for Paddy Jackson and did Ulster resistance, and with two
:05:03. > :05:06.bonus point wins in their remaining games there are hopes of a final
:05:07. > :05:07.rest upon them. The Black Santa charity
:05:08. > :05:09.sit-out is underway outside The charity fund raising event
:05:10. > :05:13.is in its 40th year and so far The Dean - who is in his sixth
:05:14. > :05:17.year as Black Santa - is hoping to raise ?200,000
:05:18. > :05:28.by the time the sit-out Not only has it become past of
:05:29. > :05:36.Belfast tradition the actual amount of money is also assisting a great
:05:37. > :05:39.number of charities, and so it is a tradition and it is important from
:05:40. > :05:42.that point of view but it is also important that we maintain it
:05:43. > :05:46.because they charities are receiving a lot of money and the generosity of
:05:47. > :05:48.the people of Belfast is also being represented by it.
:05:49. > :05:59.Good evening. This time next week it will all be over but you may be
:06:00. > :06:02.listening to some wild winds outside your house because it looks like
:06:03. > :06:08.we're in for a very windy weekend next weekend. Wyatt 's delight, dry
:06:09. > :06:14.and frost free largely but some damp drizzle by the end of the night by
:06:15. > :06:19.the west. , but improving for the second half of the day. Here is
:06:20. > :06:24.Wednesday, cold, blustery, sunshine but also showers. By the end of the
:06:25. > :06:28.week, this area of low pressure threatens some very windy weather
:06:29. > :06:32.for Friday the Christmas weekend and possibly some disruption to travel.
:06:33. > :06:37.Stay tuned to the forecast as looks like we will be reacting to the
:06:38. > :06:41.weather. Wet and windy spells, turning colder, some snow on the
:06:42. > :06:45.hills but also some very windy conditions at times. Tomorrow
:06:46. > :06:49.morning, then, dull, damp, drizzly. Some rain on the hills but nothing
:06:50. > :06:53.too serious in the forecast. If you are travelling, fog could affect
:06:54. > :06:58.areas for southern Britain at a time. Bits and pieces of rain and
:06:59. > :07:01.drizzle at times, brightening up from the west lunchtime onwards and
:07:02. > :07:06.hopefully most of Northern Ireland will cheer up with some sunshine
:07:07. > :07:10.before the day is finished. It is then pretty clear and frosty on
:07:11. > :07:14.Monday night with even some fog in places on Tuesday morning. Not a bad
:07:15. > :07:18.start to Tuesday, wet and windy rushing in from the west, that's the
:07:19. > :07:22.first weather system this week. It clears to leave the bright, blustery
:07:23. > :07:24.conditions before Wednesday. Sunshine but also some snow on the
:07:25. > :07:25.hills. Our next BBC Newsline
:07:26. > :07:30.bulletin is at