07/07/2011 BBC Newsline

This is BBC Newsline. The headlines this a Thursday evening... Nelson

McCausland fails to stop the Housing Executive ending the

contract with Red Sky. The family's vowed to fight on after dissident

Republicans win their civil appeals. Today's graduates but not any

decision about tuition fees. The animal on the run in the centre of

Belfast. It is the latest in our special series. We have still got

more rain coming. But I might have a glimmer of sunshine for the

The Housing Minister has failed in his attempt to stop the Housing

Executive ending the controversial contract with the company, Red Sky.

Executive will terminate the contract next week as planned. The

relationship between them and Nelson McCausland appears to have

deteriorated. He said one letter to him from the Chairman was like a

declaration of war. Here is our correspondent. The administrator

had to be able to be given an assurance that he could continue to

provide a service after due night. It turned out that was not possible

and he could not give that assurance. -- after July. The best

thing is to transfer the contract. Does that mean Red Sky is out of

the picture? We have his contract, yes. You have not got your way. --

with regard to this contract, yes. I made it clear the assurances had

to be made with the administrator. We had to enable a new procurement

process. What happens to the 400 jobs? You had expressed concern.

Public representatives across Belfast in different political

parties have expressed concern about that. Workers that have been

working on housing contracts will transfer to a new contract or under

current arrangements. I want to be absolutely certain that these

arrangements are in place and the jobs are safeguarded. Why did you

make an issue of this situation if they were going to be safeguarded?

Because I wanted to have certainty moving forward. This issue is not

about a company. It is about the housing executive itself. I have

got serious concerns about the way it is managed and monitored. I have

got serious concerns about the way in which the chairman of the

Executive has conducted business in the past few days. I have made a

reference to his letter. It was a declaration of war. House at the

battle been won by the Executive? - - as the battle been won. You have

seen the evidence as well as me. We have got serious problems with

regard to the management of contracts. The Housing Executive

and others are living in a state of denial. Explain to ask what exactly

is going to happen to the staff at Red Sky. That is 80 questioned. We

understand for hundred workers -- 400 workers would be affected but

actually it is 350. About 175 would be directly affected by the

contract. They have been told that under the Continuity arrangement

referred to by the minister, it means the employees will transfer

from Red Sky to the new contract. They have been given assurances

that they will transfer into these contracts. But there is still some

confusion in relation to administration as to whether or not

people would transfer. But the intention is that the jobs would be

safeguarded. That appears to be happening in relation to people

working on contracts. But what about this declaration of war? The

relationship between the minister and the Executive. Relations

between the two have taken a battering. It is unusual to have a

public debate like best. The minister accused the chairman of a

declaration of war. That he had written a letter and he talked

about them being aggressive towards them. There is a huge problem

between these organisations. dissident Republicans have a won

their appeals in the Omagh civil case which found them liable for

the 1998 Real IRA bombing. But the Appeal Court has upheld the case

against two others. Here is our correspondent. August 15th, 1998,

Omagh. 29 people and to unborn children died. 200 were injured.

The bomb weighed almost a quarter of a time. There has not been a

successful criminal conviction. But 12 family members brought a

successful civil case two years ago, winning damages of �1.6 million

from people they considered responsible. These are the men

found liable. They all appealed the decision with the benefit of legal

aid and today, we heard the result. aid and today, we heard the result.

These men boat had appeals dismissed. They are still held

legally liable. But these men were both successful in overturning the

both successful in overturning the case against them. The reasons were

explained in court. The appeal judges felt too much weight was

given to the fact that oral evidence was not given a. He was in

fact awaiting another trial in connection with the Omagh bombing.

They also felt that too much weight was given to inadmissible evidence.

The court also dismissed an appeal by the victim's families to

increase the damages awarded. But the main focus was not the money,

but the search for justice. Everybody's reaction is that it is

not good enough. But it is very difficult at the moment and it

always has been but we will carry on fighting. We have learned never

to be confident about anything. But we are determined. We have stood up

and demonstrated to other victims that we can move forward and we can

do this and have a successful legal action. That is what has happened

and we will continue to do that. We will continue to make sure as much

as we can bat victims are holding people responsible for what

happened. They believe a trial should be faced again and the date

has not been set. This man might be tried but might not. But the

families have said their quest for The police are advising motorists

to avoid these areas because of a vehicle hijackings. Eight lorry was

set on fire close to the local college and two vehicles burnt out

at the nearby roundabout. The president and Vice President of

Republican Sinn Fein had appeared in court charged with organising an

illegal parade in Lurgan. Des Dalton and Fergal MooreFergal Moore

are said to have arranged and taken part in the parade, supporting a

republican prisoner. Protesters protested outside. A police officer

said the organisers of the parade, which took place in January had

been warned it was illegal. She told the court the police had

footage of the accused parading and making speeches. The men were given

bail and Des Dalton claimed his arrest had been politically

motivated. What happened with the arrest of myself and the Vice

President I think is playing out the political pressure that has

been applied against the national committee. It is not a coincidence

that recently some politicians were making much of the fact that they

had not been any arrests for illegal republican parades.

army have carried out an explosion on a pipe bomb found in Newry. A

stretch of the Camlough Road between Carnagat Road and Monaghan

Street had been closed for a time. Coming up on the programme,

Ferdinand, B bull - backed the bull almost upstaged a royal visit. --

the bull almost upstaged a royal visit. The latest from the Golf

Championship. There is anger among students and universities with the

Executive not agreeing the level of local tuition fees will stop we

will hear from Stormont later --. We will hear from Stormont later.

It means students that have applied for courses are not certain how

much they will be paying. Graduation day. You could say these

students are lucky will stop when they started their courses they are

disturbed --. When they started their courses they understood how

much they would be paying. But these students have no idea.

understood how much it would cost and we had plans for financial

support. It will be difficult for the parents. It will be very

stressful. They are enjoying the celebrations. But many are worried

about getting other people to this point. The investment must be made

now. The Assembly must bite the bullet and understand what will be

invested him. We must look at the future of the economy. The cost is

not certain. But it is adding greater worry to an uncertain time.

I would have said at this stage that this sort of thing should be

resolved. It is not just students and parents. People working in

higher education also want urgent action. We must have a decision

quickly. People must be informed and must make choices. They cannot

decide where they are going until they understand the level of

tuition fees and financial support. We cannot be certain when that

decision will be taken. What is the advice for students waiting? People

are panicking. But from our perspective, we must put pressure

on local education authorities and contact councillors. We need an

urgent decision. The admissions service says students hoping to

attend university in September should apply as usual and that it

will update the system as soon as information is available. While it

is the end for some, for others, it begins in just 11 weeks. Many

people are hoping Executive will make a decision shortly. -- the

Executive. Confusion and uncertainty. What is the latest?

Here is our correspondent. We thought this might have been agreed

upon today. The minister responsible has drawn up paperwork

with a number of options but it was not put on the agenda. The

ministers wanted to agree the details before making a formal

decision. It is thought it is likely to be set at �3,500. That is

a modest increase for inflation. The minister is acknowledging this

is urgent. They might have an urgent procedure to push this

forward. I asked him if he could We would look to have a decision in

July. Documents are being prepared for the next academic year intake,

and by September, students will be looking to begin making their

choices and the information must be in place with regard to the fee

regime. What is holding up agreement, if

not the level of beefy? It is how they pay for what will be a �40

million hole in the budget. -- the fee. If they go for this level of

fee, they will have to make up that demand, because the current budget

allows for a different man. The question is, will this be spread

between different departments, presumably all except health? Or

will the Department of Health, learning and universities pay

little? That is the argument which must be solved.

A police search from infant's body at a house in Ballyclare has been

called off. It began after a tip- off that the body of a small child

had been buried at the rear of the house in hawthorn way. The police

are satisfied there are no human remains there and the information

was false. Hundreds of people packed out an

auction for repossessed properties in Dublin today. There was

something for all price brackets, with homes as cheap as 25,000 euros.

They were being sold on behalf of receivers and financial

institutions. How much would you pay for it? It

would have fetched close to 10 million euros a few years ago. It

needs a bit of work, but the reserve of 1.4 5 million is deemed

a bargain. Going once... Going twice... A phone bidder snapped it

up for 2.3 million. This is the second auction of distressed

properties sold on behalf of banks and receivers. The auctioneers

report interest from around the world. There was certainly plenty

of interest in his property, in the South of the city. Maybe it is

something to do with the neighbours? It is up the road from

Bonneau. -- Bono. In the end, it fetched 320,000 euros and there was

no shortage of willing bidders. Being willing and able to buy it is

a step too far for many frustrated homeowners. The property is well

priced, a great location. I would like to purchase it for myself,

however, trying to access their mortgage is not realistic at the

moment. They just do not want to give a mortgage, no matter what.

is a common complaint which is contributing to a stagnant property

market. The hope is that all options like this at least give the

market something of a boost, and with 98% of our properties sold, it

is a good day for the auctioneers. Smiles all round also for some very

happy customers. Sadly, one person's loss is

another's day. On to the next of our reports featuring old cinema

newsreels from the British Pathe archive. Today, we look at the

industry which made Belfast famous, our reporter is in the Titanic

quarter. Hello. The landscape behind me symbolises the

shipbuilding industry in Belfast. You are about to see some

remarkable scenes. You might want to look out for a cameo appearance

by a bloke called Ferdinand. -- In 1946, the then heir to the

throne, launched the second biggest aircraft carrier ever built.

God protect her and all who sail in her. The HMS Eagle was almost 250

metres long. The launch was a highlight in the history of the

company. Princess Elizabeth was a regular visit to to the shipyard

them. Later on this trip, there was a touch of the absurd. Butting in

on a great occasion, Ferdinand got a laugh and a headline. Fortunately,

the boisterous bovine did not deter royals from returning. In 1954,

Elizabeth was back, this time as Queen. She became the first monarch

to lodge a passenger ship, when she The Southern Cross. Airliner of

20,000 tonnes. It will make four round-the-world voyages per year,

calling at Panama, Fiji, New Zealand, Africa and South America.

This engineer remembers working on the ship. It was a fantastic entity.

We had great pride in having been part of creating that. They were

things of beauty. Many great liners had been made in

Belfast Stamper, including the Canberra. -- stamp. There was

massive public interest in launches like this. Engineers felt a mixture

of nervousness and excitement. seemed nothing could stop it.

Slowly and gently gathering speed. When it entered the water and

gently stopped. On one or two occasions, it did not stop in time.

No history of the shipyard would be complete with a dimension of the

white Star Line, which had a long association with the company. The

last white Star liner was built in Well, it was truly a different age

in the 1930s. Tomorrow night, we would go back even further, to 1924,

to look at the Irish Free State's answer to the Olympic games.

Music can lift your mood, especially at work, and it is

played a lot in businesses for employees and customers. But did

you know that you need not one, but two licences to play it on the

premises? Our reporter in South Down, has been finding out how even

diligent business owners have been caught out.

This jeweller pays �70 per year to play the radio in the shop.

Recently, he received a bill for a second licence from inspectors.

thought it was fair enough when they paid the first bill but then I

had agreed to pay another �200, just to play the same thing.

The law says that businesses must They were indirectly telling me

that the money goes to the likes of Paul McCartney and be unsafe.

Frankly, that amazes me. That they would need a small substances --

subsidy from businesses like my own. -- Paul McCartney and and Beyonce.

Did not have a right to be paid for their creativity? The radio

stations already pay them for the records, so in effect, they are

paid twice. Around the corner, this lady needs

two licences to play CDs. She says the public do not realise what

retailers have to pay before opening their doors for business.

I might not have anyone in the shop all day so how do they assess it?

The government have to look at this. What's would you like them to do?

want them to think about the small shopkeeper. Because services to

talk about small shopkeepers as the backbone of the economy. -- the

Conservatives. I have to make sure this shop stays open and is busy.

That we will have a vibrant town will be able to visit.

The Government is reviewing the two licence system and says a report is

due on this issue within a month. Rory McIlroy has decided to give

this weeks Scottish Open tournament a miss. It is the last warm-up

tournament before next week's Open Championship at Royal St Georges in

Sandwich, but fellow Ulstermen Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke

are well in contention. In fairy-tale surroundings at

castle steward Golf Links near Inverness, Sir Alex Ferguson looked

on as Darren Clarke made one eagle, four birdies and recorded a score

of three under par. Graham McDowell almost had an eagle on the part for

a 10th hole, and on the 14th again, it was his putting which let him

down. -- Graeme. He showed a rare glimpse of frustration but went on

to record a solid three under par, which leaves him four shots off the

lead. News of another medal tonight in

Belgrade at the European Junior Swimming Championship where

Sycerika McMahon has just won a gold in the 400m freestyle, her

second in as many days, smashing her own Irish Junior Record in the

process. Two local football teams are in

action in Europa League qualifying matches tonight. Glentoran are

looking to overturn a 2-1 deficit when they play Renova of Macedonia

in the second leg at the Oval, and Tommy Breslin's Cliftonville face

the Welsh Premier side The New Saints with the tie 1-1 after the

first leg. We will have action from both games tomorrow.

A lightning strike today left 40,000 people in Ulster without

electricity. It is back now, so I The indeed, dramatic weather today.

Our weather Potters have been very excited and been out with their

cameras. We had Dancing rain in the streets of Belfast. There were

torrential downpours in a lot of places, and thunder and lightning

as well. The you can see the lights on in these cars as the dark clouds

approach. They were responsible for today's lighting problems, were

people had their electricity supply disrupted. A few storms are still

expected over the next few hours and a rain warning is still valid.

Things are still improving. The greens and yellows here indicate

heaviest storms and showers. There is some drier weather at the moment

in the east. The storms are moving up in two parts of Down. Over the

next couple of hours, they could still be heavy downpours before

they ease away. A lot of places in the North will end up dry tonight

but a second area of rain will move into southern counties. So, more

wet weather to come tomorrow. It will largely affect southern

counties during rush hour. For the North and West, a quieter day to

come tomorrow. It looks like the drier weather will feed down from

the north-west during the day. Lunchtime tomorrow, the South East

still has a risk of heavy showers, not as intense as today but still

pretty nasty and cool without much sunshine. Although, gradually,

drier weather will feed down from the North West on a breeze. The

drier weather will push away the rain from South Eastern areas

during the afternoon and evening tomorrow, meaning the weekend will