10/04/2014 BBC Newsline

Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline: There's another handshake

between Martin McGuinness and the Queen, as the Irish President's

state visit continues. An American company is to create

more than 1,000 jobs in Belfast. As two brothers are jailed for

murder, their victim's family criticise the sentences.

Work's to start on a ?20 million community complex at an old Belfast

army barracks. This border city blossomed in the

boom years. Join me later to find out if this magnet for shoppers is

making any headway on the road back to recovery.

And, clearer skies tonight mean it's going to be a colder one, but

tomorrow not looking too bad. The Queen and Martin McGuinness have

repeated their historic handshake at a Northern Ireland-themed reception

at Windsor Castle. The event is being held on the penultimate day of

the Irish President's four-day state visit to the UK. The Queen and

Michael D Higgins are co-hosting the event, in order to celebrate British

and Irish people who have made a significant contribution to the

peace process, and to public life in Northern Ireland. Mr Higgins will

later attend an Irish-themed event at the Royal Albert Hall.

The First Minister and Deputy First Minister went -- welcomes the

announcement of 1000 new jobs. 1,000 new jobs are on their way in a major

investment at the Belfast operation of the US company Concentrix. The

posts will mostly pay below-average salaries. But the Northern Ireland

Executive says they offer an ideal foot in the door of the jobs market

for the young unemployed. Here's our business correspondent Julian

O'Neill. Concentrix bought a local call

centre three years ago, for back-up work serving companies like Amazon

and Microsoft. I am glad it is in the Belfast area, although there may

be different views about that. But, go around the desks and you will see

that the people from virtually every part of the continent, never mind

every part of the country. Many of the new posts will pay around

?15,000, well below the private sector average. It is part of a

broader approach to creating work in a sluggish economy. We will also

offer financial support to projects such as this one which offer an

opportunity to people on the unemployment register to get a first

step in to work. Jobs news like this also helps the effective send a

message to other overseas companies that Northern Ireland is a place to

do business. Successful companies that are reinvesting, it sends a

powerful message. That is the secrets of our success. These jobs

could have been created anywhere in the world, really. It is a credit to

the team in Northern Ireland that we were able to bring it here. The

company could soon be a new premises. It is interested in this

old leisure site. Speculation has increased after Belfast council

inadvertently published a plan of new offices on its website.

Concentrix would not comment on negotiations which are ongoing for

the purchase of this leisure centre. Irrespective of whether or not this

acquisition happens, the jobs will be created over the next three

years. Two brothers have been jailed for

four and nine years each, for the murder of a man in Comber two years

ago. Phillip Strickland died after being shot because of a dispute with

a local family. One of the brothers was given a shorter sentence for

testifying against his father, who will be sentenced for the murder

tomorrow. Kevin Sharkey reports from Belfast Crown Court.

An hour before he was killed, Philip Strickland, paying for petrol in

Comber. Murdered by a father-of-2 sons and his friends. Today, the

judge said he accepted that the brothers had a violent upbringing,

and the description of the man as an angry man. One man was sentenced to

nine and a half years. Philip Strickland was killed followed --

following a dispute. The dispute led to a meeting between Jimmy Seales

and his two sons and Philip Strickland at a farmyard on this

narrow country lane. It was January and it was dark. Philip Strickland

was shot in the leg. His attackers did not stop. He was bundled into

his car which he had bought the previous day, and driven onto this

road where he was shot again in the face. Jimmy Seales is due to be

sentenced tomorrow, but the mother of Philip Strickland described the

judge -- described the sentence as disgusting.

A woman has been arrested in connection with the abduction and

murder of Jean McConville in 1972. The 57-year-old was detained in west

Belfast this morning. Mrs McConville was taken from her home in the city

and shot by the IRA. The mother-of-ten's body was recovered

on a beach in County Louth in 2003. The Equality Commission has

criticised Newry and Mourne Council for retaining the name of a

children's play park called after an IRA hunger striker. It was

originally named after Raymond McCreesh in 2001, but the council

voted to retain the name in December 2012. The commission said the

decision went against the council's own equality scheme, and recommended

it be reviewed. Gordon Adair reports.

McCreesh has long been remembered in his home village, with very little

problem. It was the council decision to name this playpark in Newry after

him which would spark a bitter argument. Unionists demanded action

from the Equality Commission. Today, it issued a report which had

stinging criticism for the council. It said it had found little

consideration had been given by the council to the impact is decision

might have had on the broad Unionist community or the damage to good

relations. We welcome the decision, it confirms my consistent view that

the decision was always wrong, it was insulting, deeply offensive to

the vast majority here, not least the unionist population. The people

have every right to have a park named after a Republican, a

distinguished Republican, someone much admired in the area. I would

refute any effort to change that. Today, the DUP called for a

Westminster debate in light of the ruling.

A former night custody officer at Maghaberry Prison, who slept while a

suicidal prisoner took his own life, has been given a suspended jail

sentence. Mervyn Jess reports. Colin Bell took his own life while

serving a sentence for manslaughter in Maghaberry Prison in 2008. At the

time he was being held in a safe cell for vulnerable prisoners. Night

custody officer Daniel Barclay on the left who the court rules cannot

be identified for security reasons was given a 15 month prison sentence

suspended for three years, after admitting misconduct in public

office. The court heard how he had been making food, watching TV,

chatting to staff, rolling out a mattress, turning off the lights and

lying down, when he was meant to be monitoring CCTV of Colin Bell in the

safe cell. The 34-year-old father of three spoke to confirm he understood

the terms of the suspended sentence. The judge said Los Rojiblancos had

failed in his responsibilities as a night custody officer, but

observational failures were not confined to him. And others had not

carried out their duties properly and there was a systemic failure

within Maghaberry Prison. -- that Barclay had failed.

The funeral has taken place of angler Darryl Burke at St Colomba's

Church in Portadown. The 30-year-old drowned last month while out fishing

with two friends on Lough Ree in County Westmeath. Two other men also

fell into the water, one of whom died later in hospital. Mr Burke is

survived by three sons and his wife, who is due to give birth to a baby

daughter next month. Residents in Londonderry have

described scenes of panic during an early morning arson attack. 15

people had to flee their homes, after a car was set on fire. It

rolled down the hill, and the flames spread to other vehicles. No-one was

hurt. A motive for the attack is being investigated.

Now to North Belfast where building will finally begin to transform an

old army base into a new leisure complex. Already ?20 million has

been earmarked for the redevelopment of Girdwood barracks. More than half

of that is coming from European peace funds, to cover the cost of

the new community hub. Our political correspondent Martina Purdy has this

report. A playful big from the Lord Mayor to

the Minister. Our politicians in fine form. As they broke ground on a

multi-million pound development. In a year, this former barracks will be

transformed, with state-of-the-art leisure facilities designed to

encourage peace and prosperity in an area of Belfast still scarred by the

troubles. It means the rebirth of inner north Belfast. We can say we

are making magic here, here is a former military base which will

become a wonderful community hub for education, leisure and community

use. Exactly what we want. The new community hub will be built with ?11

million in European peace funding. The money eventually found after

years of debate. All of that was an attempt to fill every square inch of

this site with housing, but that does not deliver shared site, mixed

use site which was the agreed vision by all parties. For years, the

youths of North Belfast threw stones at one another and at the Army based

at this barracks. Now, there is a chance for them to play together,

with an integrated sports pitch which will accommodate rugby and

football. By contrast, those outside this community were unable to reach

agreement with regard to the Maze. This is something good, and it can

be developed even further. The next charity is the decaying Crumlin Road

courthouse currently in the hands of a private developer.

Still to come on the programme before 7pm: Pub owners call for the

minister to relax their Easter opening hours.

It's been a good news day for jobs in Belfast, as we heard earlier. But

is there any sign of recovery where you live? Well, we're taking the

economic temperature in several places. Tonight, Donna is in Newry.

Good evening. Near it -- Newry was the boom town of the last few years.

But has it been really transformed? There were rising house prices, jobs

aplenty and a sense of optimism. But as the financial crisis deepened, it

had a serious impact on shopping trade. Our economics and business

editor, John Campbell, has been looking at retail's revival.

Jack Murphy has been operating in Newry since 1972. His business is

all about big occasions and little treats. During the recession, he saw

a marked change in consumer behaviour. People who would come

into spend ?5,000 would spend ?500. There was an awareness people had to

look after their money more carefully.

With wages flat, customers are still careful about what they spend. Mr

Murphy says he can see the early signs of recovery. In the streets

around his business there were 30 empty shops recently but it is now

down to 21. Not far-away is the key shopping centre. It was the epitome

of boom town Newry. Shoppers flocked here in search of better value than

in the so-called rip-off republic. The owners say it could not be

immune. Like everyone else, we have come through a seven year double dip

recession. Anywhere west of Turkey and north of the Equator, the

Western world has been in deep recession.

With plans for a big expansion to the centre he is optimistic about

the economy. Having large international companies here raises

the bar for everyone. We have an exciting future ahead. If we get

corporation tax, which I hope we will, it will be really exciting.

That debate will be -- begin again in earnest in the autumn and if it

happens, it could be jobs rather than shoppers that come across the

border. With me here is Deborah Loughran

from the Chamber of Commerce and our economic and business editor. I

heard the word optimism in your report, but what are the challenges?

We have to be wary that retail didn't go through a deep recession

but is going through a big change in respect of the Internet. Others will

struggle to survive. Our biggest home-grown retailer has only one

physical shop. It is the biggest bike seller in the world but it does

virtually all of it online and that gives you an idea of the

opportunities that will exist for retailers in this new environment.

Deborah, Newry has always had difficulty with the currency value.

How can traders counter that? We have always experienced peaks and

troughs of being a border town and border region and we have dealt with

that by being an area with dual currency and good exchange rates. We

have a good and vibrant offering here and that encourages people to

come from as far as North County Dublin and as far as Lisp Bonn or

Belfast. I am sure people have voiced

concerns that out-of-town shopping centres are not doing anything for

the independent traders? We try to work together and tried to

support our retail, independent sector as well as the shopping

centres. That has helped us attract some of the big high street brands

as well as having niche shops here. We had about a 1000 jobs

announcement in Belfast in regard to call centre services. How difficult

is it that Neary is labelled a retail hub and nothing else?

We are proud to be known as a retail city, but we have so much more to

offer. Some of our biggest businesses and one has just bought

over more business, if you listen to the statistics, that is a really

good barometer of import and export and that shows a 12% growth, which

is fantastic. Thank you for joining us. Next week,

as we look at economic recovery, we will focus on property. For now,

back to the studio. It's just a week until Easter and

pub owners say they are frustrated that nothing has been done to extend

opening hours during the holiday period. During a public consultation

into the matter two years ago, the Social Development Minister, Nelson

McCausland, had proposed easing restrictions but so far nothing has

changed. Julie McCullough reports. If this bar owner had his way, there

would be no restrictions at all over Easter. Currently, though, he isn't

allowed to serve drinks before five o'clock on Good Friday and he has

two close early from the Thursday before right through to Easter

Sunday. This comes up every year. There is confusion with customers

and license owners. It impacts on business because customers are

confused. They don't know whether to come out or not and inevitably, a

lot of the time, they do not. There is a public consultation on the

issue and it says things will happen soon. Not everyone is happy to hear

that. I am still concerned about the use

and abuse of alcohol in our society. I welcome any restriction

on the sale of the product. It is a special time for many Bible

believing Christians and I am very conscience of the reference and

meditation a lot of people have on one of the most important events in

the Christian calendar. The same restrictions that apply to

pubs don't apply to supermarkets so you can come here on Good Friday

during the day and buy as much alcohol as you like. But come Easter

Sunday, although the rest of the shop is open for business, the

off-licences out of bounds. A priest has become a YouTube

sensation after singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at a wedding

last weekend. The bride and groom, who are from

Cookstown, were as surprised as their wedding guests when Father Ray

Kelly took to the mic. The parish priest, who's from Oldcastle in

County Meath, is currently working on his third album.

# And show them how much we all love them too, yeah.

# Hallelujah, # Hallelujah. You can see more of the singing

priest on our news website, bbc.co.uk/newsni.

Fantastic! G first major has finally arrived.

The Masters at Augusta and started today. Rory McIlroy has started as

tournament favourite in the absence of Tiger Woods and he has had some

special help this week in his preparations. Stephen Watson is in

the US. The traditional tee off is the past

three on the eve of the event and it is a chance for players to relax

with family and friends. Rory McIlroy switched caddies for the

afternoon. His fiancee, Little Mix, donned the final -- famous white

overalls. Caroline, you do know every female

in Northern Ireland got very excited when you tweeted the picture of the

engagement ring at the New Year. How could I say no way that ring? Can we

get a closer look for all the ladies in Northern Ireland? Was it a big

surprise? It was! How other wedding plans going? Have you had time to

think about it? We are working on it. Obviously we are very busy. We

are concentrating on other things. When the time is right we would get

around... Is it soon, the big date? You never know. I will be here

supporting all four days. No surprise that Caroline is backing

Rory. What of the world 's three golfing legends? When I caught up

with the great Gary Player, he was keen to discuss the championship to

one of his favourite courses, Royal Portrush. I love Royal Portrush. It

is one of the greatest golf rinks -- golf links in the world. It will be

a great thing to have the open championship, I think the greatest

tournament in the world, played at Royal Portrush and I sincerely hope

it happens. We have to think of the young people. We have to live for

today and think of the young people of Ireland. For now, the focus is

very much on this major to see if one of our golfers can deliver more

Northern Ireland golfing success. News just in, a man will appear in

court tomorrow charged with the murders of 29 people in the Omagh

bombing in August 1998. Seamus Daly will also be charged with another

attempted bombing that year. He was arrested by detectives from the

serious crime branch earlier this week. Our home affairs correspondent

reports. Seamus Daly was secretly filmed by

the BBC Panorama programme as part of an investigation into the Omagh

bombing. 29 people were killed and over 200 injured in what was the

worst atrocity of the Troubles. He was arrested in Newry on Monday and

is now charged in connection with the attack. No one has ever been

convicted of carrying out the bombing in a criminal court but

relatives of some victims brought a civil action against five-man -- men

they claimed were responsible, including Seamus Daly. The court

concluded him and three others were responsible and were ordered to pay

?1.5 million damages. He has always denied any involvement but has

previously previewed -- pleaded guilty to membership of the real

IRA. He is expected to appear in court here tomorrow.

Now for a weather forecast with Angie.

Good evening. We will have some drier weather over the next 24

hours. We had a weather front sinking southwards. The band of

cloud dragged its heels over the south and east but it has finally

moved out of the way. Clearer skies out to the West. For some of us, a

femoral -- fairly pleasant end to the day but with clear spells

overnight it will be cold. Some rural areas will get close to

freezing so we are expecting ground frost and one or two visibility

issues with patches of mist and fog. Tomorrow, not a bad day. A ridge of

high pressure will be over as so we can expect fine and right -- dry

weather. The best of the sunshine probably during the morning but we

will see the cloud bubbling up a bit during the day. Even so, it will

stay fairly bright, particularly in the south and east.

Later in the day you may find the sunshine becomes hazy in the north

and west with high cloud piling in but it will be mainly drive.

Tomorrow evening mainly dry as well. We have another weather front

pushing in from the North West. Hopefully this one will move through

more quickly than two days one did. Tomorrow night, the cloud will

thicken up, one or two showers and rain approaching the north-west by

the end of the night. Quite breezy but a mild night. Saturday will be

damp but it should brighten up in the afternoon. The rest of the

weekend looks mainly dry. The main story this evening: The

Queen and Martin McGuinness have again shaken hands, this time adding

Northern Ireland themed reception at Windsor Castle. The event is to

celebrate British and Irish people who have made a significant

contribution to the peace process and to public life in Northern

Ireland. Our late summary is that 10:25pm. You can also keep in

contact on Facebook and Twitter. From all of us here, have a very

good night.