07/09/2016 BBC Newsline

There have been calls for a cross-border public inquiry

into allegations of corruption at Nama, the Republic's

That comes in the wake of a BBC Spotlight investigation

which revealed that, Frank Cushnahan, a senior Nama

advisor in Northern Ireland, accepted a ?40,000 cash payment

The money was handed over by a property developer

Here's our economics and business editor John Campbell.

Frank Cushnahan is at the centre of this story.

An experienced businessman and former banker, he

was praised by the DUP this during Stormont

committee meetings last year.

They nominated him to NAMA, the so-called bad bank.

NAMA was set up to manage the bad property loans

The job was to advise NAMA on the 1 billion

Those loans were owed to the Irish state by major developers.

Spotlight obtained a recording of Frank

Cushnahan doing his own cash deal with one of those

In return for his ?40,000, John Miskelly was hoping Frank Cushnahan

He wanted to refinance his loans, get out of NAMA

and retake control of his properties.

This would represent a serious conflict of interest

He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement, John Miskelly said...

By this stage, NAMA has sold its entire

Northern Ireland portfolio to an American investment fund.

But questions are being asked about Frank Cushnahan's role in that seal

Spotlight broadcast tapes of another meeting in which

Frank Cushnahan encourages John Miskelly to lie

if the police should ask him about payments.

NAMA was again on the agenda at Stormont today.

The Finance committee members want more answers.

There must be no hiding place for anyone, no matter

who they are or what position they held or still hold.

A public enquiry on either side of the

border seems unlikely while criminal investigations continue into NAMA

We may soon get some fresh information.

The Republic's spending watchdog has completed an enquiry into whether

NAMA Northern Ireland's loan seal achieved value for money.

That report is expected to be published

in the coming weeks. John Campbell, BBC newsline.

And there's another chance to see that Spotlight investigation

It's also available on the BBC iPlayer.

The Education Minister Peter Weir has reversed Department of Education

Guidance issued to principals and school governors today means

that primary schools will now be free to help pupils prepare

for the test, as our education correspondent

A new school year for primary seven pupils in Belfast has just begun.

In the past, their teachers couldn't openly help them prepare but from

today, primary schools will be able to supply pupils with practice

tests, teachers can carry out practice tests with pupils

in class and they can teach towards the tests,

We'll be able to sit down and discuss with parents

how we will practically implement what a primary seven year

If we need to do a test on a Monday afternoon,

we can teach from over the next day or two, we have the

For other principles, making selection more

straightforward, it's a backward step.

It's short term and it solves a minor problem.

We all know parents want the best for their children,

everybody wants the best for their children but the best

is that their children are getting an education

with a shared future for everybody so that you don't have a system

Unsurprisingly, the minister who visited Victoria

Transfer tests are based around the curriculum.

This is not a major divergence on this basis.

There has always been the option of parents to either opt

in or opt out and that is something that will be respected in that

This is providing a degree of freedom.

Peter Weir isn't bring back a state run 11 plus

system as that would be an unwinnable battle for hearts and

What he's done today will mean that schools

and parents will have to

decide again on where they stand with academic selection.

An asylum seeker who was chased down Botanic Avenue in Belfast

and stabbed to death by his friend was the victim of a barbaric attack

of particular savagery according to a prosecution lawyer.

Ahmed Noor who is originally from Somalia but who was living

at Agincourt Avenue described himself as "Allah's assassin"

after stabbing Mohsin Bhatti repeatedly in the chest,

The paranoid schizophrenic told the police it was

He said "Allah had sent him to kill the man and his mission

was complete and he should be locked away forever."

Noor admitted manslaughter on the grounds of

diminished responsibility. He's due to be sentenced next week.

The world premiere of a film about the relationship

between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness has taken

BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson was there.

Who said Northern Ireland politics were dull? The ruled out the red

carpet for an unlikely film about an unlikely friendship, the one which

developed between the Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness.

A fictional drama based on the

real-life relationship that these two former enemies somehow forged.

I'll tell you why we are here in this godforsaken church.

The film tries to recreate the surprise

there was when Sinn Fein and the DUP finally came together.

How can we even contemplate doing that?

That's the first time you've said we.

The actors playing Ian Paisley and Martin

McGuinness didn't need to be experts in the peace process but they did

need to look the part. How did they do it?

I said to my wife, what do you think of the chin?

Obviously, they made me taller. All of those little snippets.

You try and build a big picture from within

rather than something that is a preconceived idea.

There was less work involved to try to recreate

I don't think it was quite necessary but they thought

I was familiar with him as a political figure.

The main characters are played by a Dublin

and a Londoner but the writer was local, novelist Colin Bateman.

What has the reaction been so far at the Venice Film Festival?

We've heard the reviews from the London nationals

weren't very good and we felt really down and

then Variety came through, which is the biggest

review of all, and it was an absolute...

The mood is very buoyant and I think we will be

breaking open a vintage bottle of Buckfast tonight.

Tonight 's world premiere was more of the champagne occasion for all

those involved in the movie that everyone else will have to wait to

see it. It may not be released in the cinema until early next year.

The Paralympics Opening ceremony is currently

Nigel Ringland has been to meet some of the local athletes taking part.

The transformation from Olympic to Paralympic city is complete and

despite financial problems in the build-up, and the pre-game

ticket sales, Rio will once again play host

to the world and while there are no local Olympic medals to cheer, there

are plenty of reasons to believe the Paralympics

Jason Smyth is double double Olympic champion from Beijing and London.

This time, reclassification means he can only go for glory for

Paralympics Ireland in the 100 metres.

There's always that extra pressure to go out and perform as

the previous champion and hopefully do the same again.

Jason Smyth's middle-distance runner partner Michael McKillop has

three gold medals to his name and Michael McKillop has cerebral palsy

and has only one opportunity to add to his collection in the

Claire Taggar has taken part in her first games

and will make a Team GB debut.

I'm thrilled to be the first person from Northern Ireland to be

representing the sport at the Paralympics.

I'm just thrilled and hopeful that in the years to come,

people will follow me in the GB pathway and

they can experience the

success like I have and just lived like this.

The first to hope for a

local medal will come in the swimming pool when 2012 gold

medallist Bethany Firth hopes to defend her title.

The 20-year-old will compete for Paralympics GB and is

It was an amazing feeling to have that gold

medal around my neck and I really want to do

it again and hopefully in Rio will have more

And the weather now. Here's Geoff Maskell.

After if you mild and muggy days there is a bit of a change in our

weather. We go into the next few days with a much more mixed weather

ahead of us with some potent weather heading in our direction. Lots of

activity in the Atlantic and on Friday there is this area of low

pressure dampening things down across Northern Ireland. The change

begins overnight tonight. This band of rain will work its way down from

west to east with them inch of rain in some spots overnight tonight. We

are into some cooler fresher conditions and tomorrow will be a

mix of sunshine and some brighter spells. Everything moving in quite

quickly driven on by this south-westerly breeze. A marked

reduction in the temperatures on today's values. Down by 6 degrees in

some places. Highs of 1718 Celsius. In much pressure -- fresher feeling

day. These wind arrows are driving these showers and across south-east

part of England. They are getting progressively cooler as we head

towards the systems. Overnight, the showers continue but by Dawn on

Friday morning, actually not a bad picture, dry and break to begin with

but don't be fooled or venture out without a coat because by the end of

the day, it will be a very wet Friday evening. The weekend,

Saturday is certainly looking like the better day.