01/04/2014 BBC Newsline

Dan, thank you. That's all from us. Now,

Good evening. Belfast Council has voted to invite the Pope to the

city. The motion was passed by 30 votes to nil as Unionist

representatives all abstained. Our political correspondent Gareth

Gordon was there. Should the Pope be invited to Belfast? This unionist

councillor said it could led to unrest and made his feelings clear.

But when the issue was debated by city councillors tonight, Jim

Rodgers and fellow unionist councillors decided to abstain,

meaning the invite, backed by nationalists and Alliance, was

overwhelmingly passed. I am glad they didn't oppose it. I am saddened

that they couldn't find it in their hearts to support it, to send out a

positive message from our city that we are progressing. It was

essentially an election stunt and it wasn't a game we were willing to

play. They were wanting an insult and we weren't going to give them

that. The Pope meets the Queen on Thursday. Unionists say it would be

appropriate for her and the Westminster government to issue such

an invite, not the City Council. But letters will now go from City Hall

to the Pope's represenatives and the Executive, asking it invite the

pontiff to Belfast. This could have descended into

another major row, but it didn't, for which many will be grateful.

another major row, but it didn't, if the Pope ever does make it to the

city, it will be another matter altogether. -- whether the Pope

makes it. More than 1500 homes are to be built

here in a multi-million-pound investment in social housing.

Hundreds of jobs will also be created. Here's our business

correspondent Julian O'Neill. This project in Holywood is nearing

completion, but demand for low-rental social housing far

outstrips supply. Today's deal will help deliver more homes. ?180

million, most of it in cheap bank loans, has been obtained by Clanmill

Housing Association to ramp up a building programme. This is a major

investment which will enable Clanmill to developed many more

homes in the future. We need social housing that will help leverage the

money and this is a good example of that. -- Housing

money and this is a good example of are able to leveraging money. The

package will fund 1600 new homes over four years. Associations like

Clanmill have been borrowing money from banks the years, but it is the

scale of this deal which is significant. And it also comes at a

time when the Stormont Executive wants to see an increase in the

number of social homes being built. This year, we are increasing the

number of social homes being delivered by 50% and to deliver that

step change, we are going to need a lot of private finance and I am

encouraged that banks are looking to significantly increase their lending

to our members. Stormont needs Clanmill and associations to borrow

more to build more. That's because there are tens of thousands of

people in housing need. As well as reducing the waiting list, this deal

will also support jobs. Deals like this, which will see around 1000

jobs actually created and sustained by the work that will be done by

Clanmill over the next couple of years, gives help and assistance to

a construction sector which has suffered over the last number of

years. Given the squeeze on public funding, bank financing for projects

is more important than ever. The new homes will go in areas where there

is most demand. The police say dissident republicans

need to get off the back of the community in Strabane. Homes were

evacuated in the early hours of this morning because of a pipe bomb alert

in as many days. -- the second in as many days. Our north-west reporter

Keiron Tourish has more. The pipe bomb was discovered in this alleyway

at around 1:30am this morning. The police believe the device was

deliberately abandoned after they had carried out a number

deliberately abandoned after they searches. They were alerted by a

local resident and evacuated around 30 homes just before 4am. A number

of pensioners were among those moved out, including an 80-year-old

resident who relies on an oxygen tank. I was going like that, I was

shaking like a leaf, scared the life out of me. Everybody was afraid,

especially the old people, like. Because they are very old and there

was a man up here, he needed, he wasn't well either, and he was a

good age. This was the second device found in Strabane in the space of 24

hours. Yesterday, a bomb packed with nuts and bolts was discovered near

the golf course. Police believe that was an attempt to kill PSNI officers

by luring them into was an attempt to kill PSNI officers

form of explosive device is a danger to both ourselves and the community.

I would say to these people, it is time you get off the backs of this

community. You don't have the support in this area, the people

don't want you and you have to stop this sort of activity. Detectives

who are investigating attribute both incidents to dissident republicans.

-- they have linked both incidents. They say that like the rest of

Northern Ireland, the threat level remains severe. They want to hear

from anybody who witnessed anything. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess

of Cornwall have ended the first day of their visit to Northern Ireland

by meeting people from the tourism industry at Hillsborough Castle.

Earlier they spent some time in County Fermanagh, as Julie

McCullough reports. The first stop of the day was Enniskillen Castle,

where the royal couple got a musical reception from the Royal Irish

Regiment band, and some daffodills grown in the school garden of these

primary pupils. It was very amazing. I don't know what to say. We told

them our teacher and classroom assistant were the best and he

agreed! Inside the museum, they were shown artefacts from the Drumclay

crannog, an agent burial sites discovered in 2012. -- an ancient

burial site. The prince also got to meet the Strawmen of Fermanagh,

which he appeared to be very curious about. Is this the whole team? We

have had a lot of business from England as well, going to pubs and

with cider drinkers. From the castle, it was on to Florencecourt

House, the 18th century home of the Earls of Enniskillen, now in the

hands of The National Earls of Enniskillen, now in the

real opportunity to showcase how beautiful it is and how important it

is for tourism in Fermanagh. But it was tourism across Northern Ireland

that was on the agenda at Hillsborough Castle this evening,

where the couple got to meet some of those who work in the industry. It's

a pleasure to meet the Royal people who come here. It's a vote of

confidence in the whole of Northern Ireland and for me it's a vote of

confidence for the city of Derry. This was the final engagement of the

day for the Prince and Duchess. More are planned for tomorrow.

Looking ahead to a story we'll have on tomorrow evening's BBC Newsline,

and we'll be asking why some Catholic children are doing much

better than their Protestant counterparts at school. Maybe they

aren't as confident in themselves as we are. We are taught really to have

confidence in ourselves and taught why can we not do this, we are girls

and Catholics, why can't we be the best scores or why can't we have the

best top marks? I don't think it is anything to do with faith and

religion, it is no one 's fault own if you aren't pushing yourself to do

well in school and you're losing out. It is not anyone else's fault

but your own. More views on tomorrow's BBC Newsline at 6:30pm.

We hit 16 degrees earlier today. Will the mild weather return

tomorrow? Here's Barra Best with the forecast.

Will the mild weather return tomorrow? Here's Barra Best It is

dry out there and will stay dry for most of the night as the cloud stays

with us. Some mist or coast or pork could drift further inland as

temperatures inland fall to five or six degrees. I morning we will see

more unsettled weather and that sets the picture for the rest of the day.

It will turn wet and windy for us all. To begin, the north Coast will

fare better, largely dry and bright but the cloudy and wet weather

further south will move north across all places. The best places to avoid

unsettled weather will be in central and south-east of areas of England,

where we will see good sunshine and highs of low 20s, good weather also

for low areas of Northern Scotland, everywhere in between breezy at

times, scattered charmers and the odd rumble of thunder. Across

Northern Ireland you will want to keep the umbrella handy tomorrow,

there will be outbreaks of rain and persistent and heavy bursts, and

across the East Coast with easterly winds it will be blustery. Today we

had 16 degrees in the West. Tomorrow we will be lucky to hit 11 so a

chilly feel with the wind and rain. On Thursday there will be some wet

weather around the coast but further inland drier and brighter with highs

of 15 degrees. Into the weekend, staying unsettled with some rain but

not all the time. Dry weather as well. That's it for now. We will

have up dates in the breakfast programme starting at 6:25am

tomorrow. From me, good