17/08/2012 BBC Newsline

Good evening. Nearly 400 students who'd been told

they had a place at the University of Ulster have their offer

withdrawn. Success in the campaign to reduce

shoplifting in Belfast city centre. And a restriction remains on the

number of bands that can take part in a loyalist parade in Rasharkin

this evening. Baggy trousers will be out in force

as Madness take to the stage at Belsonic.

And we've got some fine weather to look forward to this weekend - I'll

be back with the details later in the programme.

It's been a day of confusion and uncertainty for hundreds of would-

be third level students. Yesterday, thousands got their A-level results

and within a few hours, they were told they'd been given a university

place. But for nearly 400, that information was false. They were

the victims of a computer error at the School of Engineering at the

University of Ulster's Jordanstown campus.

This is how it should have been, and for many it was. Taking their

first steps into college life, securing a sought-after place. In

this case, at the School of Engineering. Some did not get this

far. Yesterday, they were given a place and then it was taken away.

The School of Engineering sent messages of congratulations to all

students that applied for a placement. Big mistake, because in

the case of 370, no decision had been made. Within hours, euphoria

turned to bewilderment. At the start I was very happy but then one

side of the e-mailed to say I was accepted, I thought, this can't be

right, I will give them a ring. They were like, no, if you've got

an offer from the University you are accepted. I went, it can't be

right, because it is unconditional and they are hard to come by. My

dad said, you have an e-mail to said there is a mistake, blunder,

and my dad said it wasn't good. There are over 300 students across

Northern Ireland wondering what will happen next and looking for

help. The university needs to take responsibility for what they've

done. It may only be a technical error but it is an error that has

caused undue stress for a lot of young people at the moment. What we

would say is that students need to get in touch with UCAS. That will

give them a guaranteed idea about what is happening with their

application and what stage it is that. We would also say, get in

touch with university admissions. They will be able to talk you

through what the next steps are and how to deal with it in a robust way.

The University of Ulster said only 20 places still have to be filled

at the School of Engineering, so the vast majority of those affected

will not get on the course. The head of the university faculty

affected is Professor Richard Millar. Once you establish a

mistake had been made, while we do so slow in retracting the

acceptance e-mail? I do not think we were slow. The retracting e-mail

went out with in one hour. By their nature of the IT systems, when you

are sending large quantities of e- mail, they can be held at various

points in the system and therefore, regrettably, it was some time

before they arrived with some of the students. Why send an e-mail in

the first place, when most students go through the UCAS offering system.

It has led to confusion. Why send it in the first place? We want to

improve their communication with our students. We feel that just the

UCAS process can be quite an impersonal and cold process and

therefore, we like to welcome students whenever we are able to

come from an offer and give them some details about when they will

be expected to enrol and so on. That is the type of information

that goes out in that e-mail. In the past, we did this by post. That

is what has caught us out this year. We are trying to modernise our

communications with our students and we trialed e-mail this year as

a faster and more efficient means of communication but unfortunately,

within one school of the University, that has regrettably backfired.

Have embarrassed a year by this mistake, given that you are head of

computing and engineering faculties? Of course this is

embarrassing for us. Again, we apologise for what has happened. We

appreciate that this is a very stressful time for students and

their families. What can you do to help them out, the victims of the

error? Of that 370 students that have been affected, we now have

processed 170 of those since this happened yesterday. We will

continue working through the weekend and into next week to work

with the remaining 200 students. Yes, we had the mass e-mail because

we needed a rapid communication when things went wrong. We will be

personally speaking to each of those students. The minister has

asked his in -- official to conduct an investigation to ensure this

does not happen again. Giving your experience this time, would you

revert back to the postal service or will you stick with your e-mail

system? It is too early to say that. At the moment our efforts and

resources are devoted to communicating with the young people

affected and two processing visa applications. When that has been

completed, that will be be time for a very full investigation. When we

have the results of that, that will help us to judge. E-mail is the way

of the future. UCAS, a number of years ago, was completely paper-

based and it is now almost completely online. We recognise

that this is the way in which we need to move. You just have to get

it right fixture. Absolutely. Belfast city centre traders and the

police say their campaign to stamp out shoplifting is working. The

number of shoplifting crimes are down compared to an upward trend in

the rest of the UK. Customers theft is a real problem

throughout the UK. It costs businesses hundreds of millions of

pounds each year. The PSI, along with local traders, said they are

having success in dealing with the problem, particularly in Belfast.

The latest police figures for shoplifting in Belfast city centre

show a reduction of over 50% -- 15% this year than last. That is 59 few

incidents of this type of criminal activity. Even those caught in the

Act do not automatically find themselves in front of a court.

They are given a choice and given a chance. The retailer will say to

them, I will call the police or the alternative is, you can volunteer

to join a scheme. They give us their details and a photograph, and

that is sure to end all of the shops. We decide how long to ban

them for. They are normally excluded for between six months and

a year. If during the period of exclusion they shoplift again, they

are looking at a burglary charge, which is more serious. This is the

police control room which is able to access CCTV cameras over the

city. It is a major tool in tackling shops and street crime in

Belfast. We are linked to the radio system that operates through the

retail crime Watch scheme in Belfast. 300 retailers are

connected by the scheme. They can report on the movement off

potential shoplifters and we can monitor them. Some thieves are

opportunists, others are more organised. Better-trained staff,

sophisticated technology and more robust procedures are making life

difficult for the shoplifters. A High Court judge has ordered the

social networking giant Facebook to identify and stop people posting

abusive messages about a Belfast company on its website. Mr Justice

Weatherup gave Facebook 24 hours to provide the e-mail addresses of

those responsible and 10 days to supply more information about them.

The court was told the anonymous messages targeted three members of

the firm's staff. A restriction on the number of

bands that can take part in tonight's parade in Rasharkin will

remain. Bandsmen have failed to have the Parades Commission's

rulling overturned by the high court. Martina Purdy was in court.

Remind us what has led to this High Court action. This is an annual

parade. It usually involves around 40 bans, but nationalist residents

have subjected in the past to be numbers that descend on this

village. The Parades Commission has said it is one of the most

contentious situations facing it. On Tuesday, but Parades Commission

ruled it was going to limit the number of fans from 40, normally,

to just 25. It said it was doing this because it was concerned about

the lack of progress and dialogue. And the band's lead's argument?

They said they had not have -- supported independent mediation and

said the Parades Commission ruling was unreasonable, arbitrary and

fair and it only punished one side. Their Parades Commission rejected

this and an argument that it had acted beyond its own guidelines.

But the judge was not convinced by the argument? He rejected the

arguments and said that Parades Commission was within its rights to

encourage co-operation and progress. He said that within the guidelines,

the commission had to take on the impact of community relations and

at the absence of dialogue. He basically upheld the ruling. They

were accompanied in court by DUP's Ian Paisley Jr, who shared in the

disappointment afterwards. believe they had a strong case and

that there should be an appeal considered. That will not happen

today but they have 14 days in which to consider that matter, and

will -- they will considerate clearest -- seriously. There are

indications as to what happens from here. The Parades Commission

welcomed the ruling. Still to come on the programme...

Ripping yarns - find out what these women were doing in Newcastle early

this morning. And Madness gear up for a big gig

at Belsonic - they tell me what it's like to play to a big Belfast

crowd. All this week, we've been running a

series of reports looking at the tourism industry in Northern

Ireland. We've been seeing just what we have to offer both tourists

and those choosing to holiday at home. It comes amid an intense

campaign called Our Time, Our Place, but has it worked? Joining me now,

the tourism minister, Arlene Foster. Thank you for joining us. The

yearly figures for the number of tourists are up 13%, but if you

look at January to March, they are down by the same margin. This was

after the promotion of the MTV awards, why is that? What we need

to look out are the overseas visitors and our home visitors as

well. The tourism pound from people who holiday at home is just as

important as the overseas visitors. We realise people are dealing with

difficult times and we are not surprised it is more difficult to

get overseas travellers to visit, however I wait -- I think we should

wait to see how the year pans out as a whole. We are encouraged by

the figures we have received from hotels and visitors attractions.

The Titanic visitor attraction has had 300 be 1,000 people through

their doors, 67% overseas visitors. -- 330,000. This comes after the

Our Time, Our Place campaign, what has that cost you department?

has cost a significant some -- amount of money, but we felt the

need for a huge pitch in relation to tourism. I have been very

pleased that although this has been a government purse, but the tourism

industry has bought into it as well. Yesterday I was in Newcastle at a

hotel that has just gained another star. The tourism industry have put

their money into the product. It is not just a project for the

government but one for everybody. 2013 is a big year. We have got

Derry City of Culture and the World Police and Fire Games. They might

appeal to eight narrower range of people, but how much money have you

are allocated to them? As you know, the Executive has allocated a

significant amount of money to be UK City of Culture. We believe that

will be a game to ensure for the whole region. We want to shine as a

city of culture. You were right to mention the world police and fire

games. Off the back of a successful Olympic Games in London, I think we

can really take benefit of that next year, in 2013, and attract

people to Northern Ireland. There are 10,000 people expected to come

from 70 countries. Do we have enough hotel rooms for them? As I

say, this has been something we have been working on with the

industry. We have been very pleased with the way the hotel industry has

stepped forward and said yes, we are to play our part. There have

been new hotels coming to Northern Ireland. I have been vying for but

it has been a steady growth as opposed to a spurt. -- thankful

that. What we want to see is a planned rise in the number of bed

spaces that we have. It is also the bed and breakfast and self-catering

accommodation. We have seen a strong showing from them as well.

Thank you. We are still running our Facebook

poll on holidaying at home and abroad. If you scroll down the page

you can add your comment. This evening, we are getting a big

response to the e-mail mistake by the University of Ulster.

Residents in the County Antrim village of Carnlough say children

in the area have been left with nowhere safe to play after vandals

wrecked their play park. It's the second time the park has been

damaged, but it's so bad this time it had to be closed down.

Normally, this play a part would be packed with local children and

holidaymakers. -- play park. It had to close after vandals ripped up

flooring, polled seeds from their hinges and left the park too

dangerous for lobsters. I have two younger brothers and we reduce the

park a lot. It is disappointing. We do not have a safe place to play.

The young people are suffering. I have three grandchildren that they

have here. Now be will not be able to get into the park. Then the

summer time when they are on holidays, it is a safe place for

them. It is them that are suffering. The local community association

worked hard to secure funding for this park. They are worried that

the repair bill will mean the end. The cost to repair it last time

with �7,000. -- was �7,000. We know councils are in difficult

circumstances. The chances of getting it repaired at the moment,

I do not know, it might never open again. Lin Berra Council says it

will continue to maintain play parks but it is finding it

difficult to keep up with the amount of vandalism. -- the Larne

Borough Council. A bunch of guerrilla knitters, yes,

knitters, went on the rampage today in Newcastle. They said they wanted

to brighten the place up for the arts festival in the town this

weekend. It all happened early this morning, and our district

journalist was there to witness it. 7am, and the so-called yarn bombing

of the promenade is underway. These women are members of the Secret

Outside Crocheters and Knitters collective, or SOCK for short.

Their mission? To decorate public art and furniture. They've knitted

masks to remain anonymous, preferring to show their work than

their faces. It brightens up every past -- everybody's day. It shows

Knitting and crocheting to be a different kind of craft rather than

what your granny does to make you jumpers. This is something a bit

more urban and a bit quirky. They're at their work everywhere -

Fences... Benches... Lamp posts and even trees. You feel wonderful

because you have created this lovely stuff and everybody says,

that is great, and we share the enjoyment and the praise. So what

do the locals think? It is grand. It brings a bit of life and

something a bit different. Anything that adds a bit of spice to the

place is great. There is plenty of spies any way, but it is good.

must be great fun to do it in the first place. It is a lovely idea,

just to Brighton everything up. I think any kind of art is good.

you walk up the promenade you can see all of the creatures that they

have omitted, brittle star fish and plenty of spiders webs. It is

lovely. -- creatures they have knitted, little star fish. As

knitting has become more fashionable with younger women,

yarn-bombing has weaved its way around the world. This handiwork

will be on display until Sunday. Up to the north-west now, and in

Limavady, there's a big music and arts festival this weekend. The

Stendhal Festival will showcase more than 50 acts in jazz, blues

and rock and roll. You can even see some chainsaw sculpture and explore

a secret garden. With more here is our north-west reporter.

Final preparations were underway today for the Stendhal Festival

just outside Limavady. The organisers say it's a mix of music

and arts, underlining all that's best in local talent. Artists have

travelled from all over. One Leitrim group will be showcasing

their chainsaw sculpture - old wood recycled into unusual pieces.

of them might be lifelike, some are quirky. They generally might know

what they are but sometimes we try and add something else into it as

well. In another part of this farm, a special garden's being created

for a colourful wander through the woods. Artists are hoping to

encourage families to explore. of my big things is to try and and

being creative -- and encourage people to touch and feel and be

involved in being creative. headline act tonight is a coup for

the organisers - legendary guitarist Henry McCullough, whose

varied career has seen him star alongside many greats, including

Paul McCartney and Wings. The way it is organised, with the Poetry

corner and the acoustics, all that you would want for a family. They

have a creche and all the rest, plenty of fields. We have poetry,

we have sculpture, we have art galleries, craft, digital art

installations, botany, we try and get anything that takes a little

bit of creativity and get it under the one banner. The organisers

believe they have all angles covered but I just hope the sun

will shine. The baggy trousers will be out in

force in Belfast this evening as the '80s band, Madness, take to the

stage at the Belsonic Festival. They're kicking off one of two big

weekends of the festival, which includes performances from Sir Tom

Jones, David Guetta and Two Door Cinema Club from County Down. Also

on stage tonight is our reporter Natasha Sayee.

It is already starting. The atmosphere is fantastic. The doors

have just opened, so it is a bit empty. Madness will be appearing on

the stage in around two ours time to a crowd of around 5,000. Earlier

today, I caught up with some guys from the ban to ask them what they

think about playing to a Belfast Pride. NATS. Absolute glee. --

absolutely. The further north you get, in England, it is Newcastle,

and a Glaswegian crowd, they gave 110%. It is a good crowd. You know

it is going to be a good one. is it going to be like? It will be

a 90 minute set. We will have the classics. I was going to fly today

but there is not one of thick enough. -- there is not a wire

figure enough. We are going to have all of Europe favourites, but baggy

what's it? What of the old knees- ups. With me is the organiser.

Madness is just one band, what else can we expect? We have had Two Door

Cinema Club, nor Gallacher, Tom Jones, we have David Guetta it.

There is a lot on. Are you ready for it? Yes, it will be good later,

I hope. And if people dress up tonight, that is good. Just before

I left the office to go and interview Madness, Cecilia Daly

admitted that once upon a time, she had a bed of at crash on slugs. I

had to put it to him. Hello, Cecilia. He did a song on about her,

didn't he? Apparently the singer was getting ready for tonight.

Let's see what Cecilia thinks about Let's see what Cecilia thinks about

that. I do not think I have a creche any more if that is what

they look like! It was a long time ago. If you are heading off at this

evening for Belsonic, there is the risk of a share were, but it will

that be a washout like it was last night. -- Scharner. Things are not

looking too bad at all. For a lot of us it will be a decent weekend.

At the moment we are keeping an eye on things. Although it has been dry

so far, sunny and warm in places, there are heavy Starace with

thunderstorms. -- heavy showers. It is likely to head north. It will

certainly head parts of Mid-Ulster towards the north coast. There will

be short Scharner us this evening. Most of them will move away during

the early hours. Most places dry by morning. Another warm night.

Tomorrow may start off misty in places with low cloud. Similar to

this morning, but not too long before the sun breaks through. It

will be fine and dry with further sunshine for most of the day. It

will warm up quite quickly. Temperatures up to 21 Aug 22. Eight

very small chance of a Scharner in the West. -- at very small chance

of a shower in the West. Good weather for the festival at

Hillsborough tomorrow. The largely dry weather will continue into

tomorrow evening and tomorrow night. You might even be able to have a

barbecue. Sunday will bring some dry and bright weather.

Particularly to the north and north-west, that is when the best

sunshine will be. There is risk of cloud in the east at times and

maybe some showers in the East and South West. Promising runner for

the coming weekend, plenty of dry and bright weather, sunshine as

well and warm, and hopefully it will stay dry. The showers will be

back next week and some could be quite heavy, particularly on

Tuesday. Keep up to date on our Twitter site and have a lovely

weekend. You are off the Madness Christmas

card list, Cecilia! It looks like the winner will be