14/08/2013 BBC Newsline

headlines. The Dungannon woman arrested in Peru for drug

trafficking insists he -- insist they were forced into it I I gang.

-- by a gang. Are you coming to Tennent's Vital? I

will have travel details. There is a big football

international around the corner. If you are heading outdoors tonight

you will need the waterproofs. I will have more details later.

The woman accused of drug trafficking in South America has

been speaking to the media for the first time. Michaella McCollum and

her friend from Scotland were interviewed by a Daily Mirror

journalist. He said they told him they had been forced into George

trafficking. -- drug-trafficking. Michaella McCollum from Dungannon

and Melissa Reid say they are OK. The journalist later said they told

him they had been forced to go to south America by an international

drugs gang. They were befriended and from there

they were taken to San Antonio. They were introduced to attract cartel.

-- a drug cartel. The story has made headlines around the world including

in a smack where the relatives of Michaella McCollum are awaiting

news. -- including in Dungannon. They have sent e-mails and made

phone calls to international support groups in Peru. There is support in

the town for the family. Nobody really knows what is happening.

A retired Irish diplomat has been to see them to try to find out what is

happening. We understand that some family members may be coming.

were due to appear in court today but it seems the case has been

delayed. For the sixth month in a row the

number of people signing on the dole has dropped. The Enterprise Minister

says that means the economy is regaining strength. In a moment we

will see if those figures reflect what is happening on the ground.

First let us take a look at the official numbers. In July 62,400

people claimed and employment benefits. That is the drop of 500.

The figures also point to some long-term problems. Look at the

people classed as economic we enacted, which in most cases means

they are not looking for work. -- economic li inactive.

The town of Strabane has for many years suffered from high

unemployment. A lot has been done to encourage people to learn new skills

which will hopefully improve people mac chances of getting employment

will stop -- which will hopefully improve the chances of people

getting employment. A sprawling urban community. Work

does not always come their way. Strabane has historically struggled

with jobs. It finds itself above the average for Northern Ireland for

people signing on the dole. Like many of his friends this man

has no job. I was low in confidence and needed

something to do. I asked for some help. They have been helping me with

my music. Training like this helps but about real jobs. The people we

work with have had a negative experience in school. They have low

confidence. Young people keep coming here looking for training.

ambition is to be a soccer coach. I want to get more qualifications.

This is the training. All these young people need now are jobs.

The recent loss of one of Strabane's best-known stories summed

up the local impact of the global recession. Linton and Robinson's was

a family run company. For the first time one of its founding directors

has spoken on television about the heartbreaking decision to

effectively end the business. The Linton and Robinson department store

developed out of this hardware shop in 1954. It grew to become a

household name. It sold furniture, hardware, and agricultural

machinery. This is one of the original founding members. He

recalls a thriving business which at one stage employed 75 people.

and Robinson's was a household name. But computers came in. Online was

the way that businesses went. You had the pressure of everything. It

ruined the business. But the face of Strabane has changed John

radically. -- changed considerably. One has only to look at the recent

past, retailers who have been around for nearly 100 years. The retail

cycle has become shorter and more intensive. Linton and Robinson's

faced many challenges. It kept trading during the worst excesses of

the troubles. In 2005 its farm machinery Department was targeted by

the sudden stop one man who worked for almost 25 years said it was the

end of the user. -- end of an user. I am very sad that Linton and

Robinson has died. If I was 20 years younger I would have come back in

again and see what I could do. retail park has led to a reduction

in shoppers going into the town centre. Whether family run stores

can flourish in the future remains an open question. The financial

journalist Paul Gosling joins me now. 500 fewer people claiming an

employment benefits, but how important is the detail of those who

are economically inactive? They either do not qualify for the dole

or they are not looking for work. The rate of people in work in

Northern Ireland is the lowest in the UK. We have serious underlying

problems. It is about the manned. A lot of people are not being pacified

as unemployed because they are long-term sick. We have the

underlying problems. -- classified as unemployed.

It is a very slow improvements. In some measures and employment is

improving, in some measures it is worse. We are just about struggling

out of recession battered will be very slow. We will not recover at

the same rate as the rest of the United kingdom.

The end of the year for a department store. How much more could educators

do take get the workforce back on the right track? That has to be the

-- that has to be the emphasis. We need to ensure that every child who

leads a school has basic skills. Too many people leave without basic

skills. We have got the smallest higher education sector in the UK.

Thank you for joining us. A prominent union flag protester has

been acquitted of assaulting a police officer at a demonstration in

Belfast. Jonny Harvey was also cleared of disorderly behaviour. He

had been accused of pushing a senior officer last December. The judge

dismissed the case. Still to come bash we are in County

Tyrone. I will be speaking to the manager.

The world police last week were described as the friendliest games

in the event 's history but it has emerged that in the dead of night,

thieves stole various items from two of the venues.

One of the most colourful events during the world police and fire

games. Whilst all eyes were on spectacles like this, there was

something untoward going on elsewhere. No sooner had the rugby

balls been put away when thieves struck. They got into this facility

sometime during the early hours of the mooring and they took to

generators and eight PA system. That is not all that was stolen. 40 kegs

of beer. That is a lot of beer to disappear. �6,000 worth. Have you

heard about the case of the missing beer kegs christen Mark I find that

really hard to believe. It is hard to fathom. Have you seen anyone

rolling any kegs done any hills? I've seen nothing, unfortunately.

you have seen anyone running around with 40 of these, a pop-up gazebo,

to generators and a PA system, contact police.

Big crowds are descending on south Belfast this evening. Some are

heading to the international football match at Windsor Park. Less

than half a mile down the road for the start of a huge music festival

with tens of thousands of people expected at the Tennent's Vital

event. Our reporter Conor Macauley is on Boucher Road for us. I'd say

walking is the best form of transport there.

Yes, people have been flooding in through the gates since half past

four. When you take into account there is another 10,000 or so down

the road at the football match, you can see the potential for traffic

chaos on the Boucher Road. But the traffic management system is working

very well so far. Absolutely no problems that I have seen. But the

best way to get here is probably by public transport.

The buses and trains, what is the best way to get here? Thousands of

people have been getting here by buses and trains. We have special

trains from all parts of the network and special coaches from across

Northern Ireland. Getting away from these things is sometimes more

difficult than getting to them. What are the arrangements for later on?

We have a special service to the city centre. Boucher Road will be

closed off to all traffic. We also have special trains travelling on

all parts of the network to get people home. We will get people

home. Thank you very much. That is good news.

I have seen a lot of people being dropped off in taxis. It is not a

problem now but it will be a problem at 11pm when the concert is over.

The roads will be closed to traffic. We will have the weather forecast

for Belfast this evening shortly. Still to come, how the statue of a

Lurgan legend is now in its rightful home.

Northern Ireland have a big task ahead tonight in a World Cup

qualifier. The Russians are in town. Stephen Watson is live at Windsor

Park. This game was due to be played on

the 22nd March but the big freeze meant it was called off. No concerns

tonight but the challenge is daunting. Michael O'Neill looking

for his first win in his tenth game in charge against Fabio Capello's

Russian side. They're aiming to go top of Group F. We have just heard

that Jonny Evans of Manchester United is out. With me is a man who

knows all about big occasions at this ground, former international

Keith Gillespie. Your reaction to that news?

Yes, it is a big blow for Northern Ireland. He has been a consistent

performer both at club level and international level. Despite being

quite young still, he is very experienced at international level

now. It obviously gives another player an opportunity to come in. He

can show what he can do but it will be a big mess. And if Northern

Ireland were to win or even get a draw tonight, it was about the

experienced players. Yes, it is important there are experienced

players playing well. They have been there and done it. They know what

the occasion is all about. This is a big occasion tonight. Michael

O'Neill is still looking for his first victory. Hopefully tonight can

be the time. Northern Ireland have sprung a surprise or two here in the

past. Can we realistically see them doing tonight? Why not? Nobody gave

as much hope when we played England and Spain. Nobody thought we could

beat them. Tonight, Russia, it will be a very difficult team. They have

a very experienced side and an experienced manager. It will be nice

to see some rain on the surface. It will make for a good passing game.

Hopefully the boys can go out there and do us proud. People have been

used to watching David Healy scoring all the goals and he is now semi

retired. Martin Paterson will lead the line

tonight. Yes, it has been a real problem for Northern Ireland

recently. There have been problems with injury. If you did David 's

goals out of the team and you are really struggling. But Martin has a

chance tonight. He only has one goal at international level so far but

hopefully he will add to that tonight. It is a thankless task

playing up there on his own. He is not the tallest and he will work the

line very well. It gives him a chance to show what he can do.

will be joining me on our television highlights tonight on BBC One. You

can also listen to live commentary of the game on BBC radio Ulster FM.

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has rung the changes to

his side for tonight's friendy with Wales in Cardiff. Only two players

are retained from the friendly with Spain in June. James McClean misses

out in the last game before the World Cup qualifiers against Sweden

and Austria next month. Gaelic Football and Tyrone's Conor Gormley

is set to miss the All-Ireland football semifinal with Mayo, He's

been hit with a one match ban by the GAA. So will Tyrone be appealing

appeal? Thomas Kane is live in the county with the manager Mickey

Harte. Yes, thank you very much. It follows

an incident as the players made their way off the field in that

quarterfinal. The GAA are looking at a grassed respectively. Joining me

is Mickey Harte. We are not appealing. We have applied for a

hearing and we are delighted to have the opportunity to do that. Conor

Gormley can present is out of what happened. We are very hopeful that

the people on the board will listen carefully and be in a position to

make a real judgement on what went on. What is your view of the

incident? My view is it deserves a hearing. It needs the players to

give their side of the story and to the people making the decision. At

the moment, that is still there to be decided upon. They have to have

the right to put their side of the story there. We are delighted they

have the opportunity to do that. There has been criticism in the

media. Do you think that has influenced the GAA? I would not

believe that is the case. The players are big enough to stand on

their own two feet. These things will go on in press circles and in

the media. The people who make decisions make them in good faith.

So much has been said about that tackle. Well, he held his hands up

and he said it was a foul but I would like to say that the kind of

file that was committed it not hurt anyone. Some of the players may well

injure players but they do not attract the attention. But is life.

I do not think this cynicism which was attributed to so much, I don't

think we deserve that tag. It is not something any of us want to see in

the game. Steps will be taken to reduce it and continue to be taken

to reduce it. Mickey Harte, thank you for joining us. Unbelievable

facilities. This centre opens next month. Rugby. Ulster's Tommy Bowe

could miss the first three months of the season due to a an injury he

sustained on duty with the British and Irish Lions. Bowe had

exploratory surgery today on his wrist which he broke in Australia

earlier this summer. He was scheduled to return to action with

Ulster in early October but could be now out for 12 weeks. That means he

would miss the opening two games in the Heineken Cup. But is it from

Windsor Park. Just two wins in the last 33 matches for Northern

Ireland. It is hard to be optimistic but you never know.

Name a famous greyhound and in this part of the world there's only one

that many will say, Master McGrath. He was one of sports most celebrated

animals from the 19th century. So celebrated, Queen Victoria asked to

meet him. In his home town of Lurgan though there was a distinct lack of

recognition. Until now. As our district reporter Gordon Adair's

been finding out every dog does indeed have its day.

It was from Brownslow House, hold of his -- home of his ill owner that

Master McGrath set off in 1868 and his place as a sporting legend.

It was the only dog that won it three times. Another dog did not win

because it was believed that the dog was doped by the trainer. They

brought a new trainer in and it won the following year. The year that he

lost, it was thought that he had �10,000 on it. The family gave his

bronze to the people of Lurgan and it stood outside the Civic Centre in

Craigavon for decades. Not any more though, now it is back home in

Lurgan. People are absolutely delighted to see him back. This is

where he belongs. I am delighted. And so are the people of Lurgan. I

would like to thank the Council for giving the dog back, so to speak.

But he does belong to the people of Lurgan, he is a Lurgan dog, not a

Craigavon dog. In front of me, there was a man with two young children

and the bronze was there the day before. The father started to tell

the children about the famous greyhound, Master McGrath. The

children were not aware of what it was. They were getting a history

lesson. Pride of place. Now let's get the latest on the weather.

People go into the football in south Belfast, all of those going to the

ponchos are bound to be doing a roaring trade this evening. It is

not a great night to be outdoors. We do have quite a bit of rain to come.

The rain has eased off. If you are heading to Windsor Park for the

game, or indeed Cardiff for the Republic game, we are expecting some

damp weather. And for the Tennent's Vital, we are expecting heavy rain

pushing in later this evening. This is the picture. This is the rain

edging its way in from the West. As you can see, the dark colours

indicates that rain will be heavy as we go through the night. It is not

going to be a cold night. Anything around 15 or 16 degrees for most of

us. That'll give us a mild start tomorrow. It will also be grey and

damp. But don't despair, there will be brighter weather developing by

lunchtime. Tomorrow morning, damp and drizzly to begin with for many

places and it will then begin to brighten up towards lunchtime. We

have some more rain heading our way. But before that, some sunshine,

especially towards the north coast. Temperatures of 19 or 20 degrees is

still above average for the time of year. But then the afternoon, this

rain pushing up. Some of that rain is going to be quite heavy.

Eventually, the heavy rain will push westwards. A wet evening to come

tomorrow night as well. It will turn dry around a bit of a cooler night

tomorrow. 12 or 13 degrees. That'll give this a better start Friday.

Certainly promising. But we can expect some more outbreaks of rain.

Not all the time. There will be dry weather to. We hold onto those