11/07/2011 BBC Newsline

Good evening, this is BBC Newsline. The headlines: The Justice Minister

says the police have no reason to apologise for the way flags were

removed ahead of weekend trouble. The father and son saved after

being swept out to sea. The widow of an RUC officer killed in the

Chinook hopes a Report will clear the pilots. More dry than wet

weather over the next couple of days. The police have apologised

for their actions in the run-up to serious violence in Ballyclare at

the weekend. The trouble started when the police moved into remove

paramilitary and union flags close to a Catholic church. Police

officers were injured and vehicles set on fire in the disturbances

which spread to Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus. This report from our

district journalist, Ciara Riddell. The Grange estate on Saturday.

Residents describe it as something from a war zone. Police fired baton

rounds and used water Canon. Five police officers were injured after

a hi jacked bus was driven into a land rover. It started after

officer removed Union flags flying near the Catholic church. Today has

been about picking up the pieces. This local spent the day on

telephone to the insurance company while searching for his wife's car.

It was pushed out to the end of the street and apparently set on fire.

When we came down on Sunday, it was on the kerb completely burnt out.

It has been brought around here. It took me from 8am to now to find out

where the car was. The insurance company is not interested. Rioters

also ripped up anything they could use as missiles. They ripped these

and broke them off the wall to flow t -- throw at the police. They

thought that tree had them and sneaked around, they must have been

rubber bull ets in my backyard as well. It was the most terrifying

experience and I'm here from 1972 and I have never witnessed anything

like that. The trouble also stprod Newtonabbey and Carrick Fer gus --

Carrickfergus. The PSNI apologised for how it handled the flags issue.

With the eleventh night bonfire celebrations getting under way in a

few hours, police and those with influens -- influence are appealing

for calm. The police have launched an inquiry into how they handled

the removal of flags in Ballyclare. Community representatives have

accused the PSNI of breaching a long-standing local agreement.

Here's Vincent Kearney. A variety of flags are still flying in

Ballyclare today. It was the removal after number, including the

Union flag that led to rioting. Loyalists say the police were to

blame for the violent response. There are a number of agreements in

place across Northern Ireland for dealing with complaints about the

flying of flags. If there were complaints in a particular area,

such as close to a Catholic church, the police should talk to loyalist

representatives. There has been a local agreement in place here in

bally clir and Newtonabbey for three years. But a new police

commander moved in just three weeks ago. Loyalists say he breached the

term of they agreement when he ordered officer to remove flags.

Winston Irvine is a loyalist representative on the north and

west parades forum and has spoken to those involved in the trouble.

Our sons and daughters are prepared to go out into theatres such as

Afghanistan and in some circumstances, actually die on the

sands of Afghanistan and yet this part of United Kingdom is not

allowed to fly the Union Jack. That is intolerable and that is why

people are outraged and there is anger within the Protestant and

unionist community. The police have rejected allegations their action

were responsible, but apologised for way the flags were Rae moved.

There is a standard protocol in place. They reported to me they

didn't feel those arrangements had been handled in the same way as in

past. I Rex e express my honourable friend I retkwret -- I expressed my

regret that they had not dealt with it in way hay hoped. So you

apologise the way the flags were removed. I apologise for the way

the flags were removed. A flag of different colours was flying high

in east Belfast today. The Irish flag and the poster of the Sinn

Fein Lord mayor of Belfast were placed on a bonfire to be set on

fire tonight W tensions running high, the police have appealed for

calm. Thr is no need for violence - - There is no need for violence.

The police are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. With

hundreds of officers and a fleet of new Land Rovers rdy to deal with

any -- ready to deal with any trouble. The Justice Minister,

David Ford, has said it was correct to remove the flags in Ballyclare

and the police have nothing to apologise for. He told me earlier

that he had no knowledge of any local agreement not being honoured.

I have in knowledge of that. My understanding is the police

officers who had been in the district, that is a wider district

Lel and more locally for a numb be of years, were involved in --

number of year were involved in negotiations to remove flags.

Nothing happened as a result of discussion, although last year

there was progress. On that basis, the police took action. Are you

aware that there is in operation in some areas a local agreement?

all I can say is that the police officers who were involved in

discussions within district and locally would have been aware of

what the situation was in recent years and I can only presume they

acted in accordance with their normal arrangements. Do think there

should be different level of agreement? We need to be careful.

The suggestion that we would accept paramilitary flags as being

appropriate in some area and not others I would find difficult to

accept. We need to get a neutral environment where flags appropriate

to particular celebrations are put up for short period of time. But we

don't see areas dominated by people using flags in an abusive way.

you accept any kind of police apology sends out a mixed message.

I'm not sure there was a police apology. They were examining how it

was carried out. They did say if people felt they haven't received

the policing of standard they tried to deliver. Apology was used.

was in the context of way in which things were carried out. I don't

think there should be an awe poll ji, other than by those who --

apologise, other than those who caused the rioting. Were they

apologising for the way it was done, or the local agreement? I continue

know the circumstances and it is not -- don't know the circumstances

and what is clear to me is that there was significant violence in

Northern Ireland, of which Ballyclare was the worst. That was

created by those who close to go out and cause violence. We saw

sectarian and racially-motivated hatred and attack on two churches.

Is any police apology unhelpful? need to ensure that community

leaders ensure we move from these difficulty and the police enforce

the law and support the citizens who are seeking to live within the

law. Is a police apology unhelpful? If a police officer chooses to give

an apology for the way he carried out an operation, that is a matter

for the police, not the Minister of justice. Thank you. Other news now

and a father and son who were rescued off the County Antrim coast

have been paying tribute to those who came to help them. Damian

Macbride from Magherafelt and his 14-year-old son were carried off

shore on a notorious beach. Conor Macauley reports. Back on land

after their experience yesterday, Damian Macbride and his son, Ross,

know how lucky they have been. They were body boarded when Ross got

dragged out of his depth. It left his father with a difficult choice

to make. I knew I could make it to the shore swimming, but I didn't

fansy leaving the young fella. I tried to get in. They were taking

him four or five metres each time. But then we drifted out another 10

metres and we ended up 50 metres off the shore. That is when I

realised we were in trouble. alarm was raised by a family member.

Sisters Laura and Hayley Scher win who were on a day trip waded and

swam out. Hayley told the BBC how she had tried to help. I attempted

to try to pull them out of the sort of currents that they were in. They

were kicking and paddling when I was trying to pull. But there was

no way. They were left to wait for rescue boat which took them to

shore. I felt a lot better. And then after that her sister came

over, Laura and I felt really good. Then eventually the boats came over

and I knew we would be safe. coast guard has repeated warnings

about white Park bay where rip tides are notorious and can carry

people off shore quickly. Still to come on the programme: Why a plan

to build six new hotels in Londonderry is being criticised by

a local hotelier. And the young dancers from Newry who've swept the

board at the World Cup of Dance. The widow of a RUC officer who died

in the 1994 Chinook crash says she's hopeful that a new report

will bring comfort to the families of the two pilots who were blamed

for causing the accident. 29 people were killed when the helicopter

came down on the Mull of Kintyre. Here's our political reporter,

Stephen Walker. It was the RAF's worst peacetime accident. The

Chinook carrying 25 senior intelligence officer and four crew

were piloted by Jonathan Tapper and Richard Cook. The flight took off

on its way to Inverness where those on board were attending a security

conference. As it approached the Scottish coach, the aircraft began

to climb over the Mull of Kintyre, but crashed into the hillside.

Those on board included some of the most senior officers in Northern

Ireland's intelligence community. These were some of the most

experienced and talented people in this field in the UK these were

guys who have been working in this for 30 year and it was a huge gap

to replace them. One who died was Kevin McGhee, a member of RUC

Special Branch. His widow rarely speaks about the crash. Someone

told me a few day after the accident that that is how it would

pan out. That it would be pilot error. I could not believe it. But

that is what happened. I have been shocked ever since. Relatives like

Ann Magee have had a long wait and there have been a series of

informations N1995 a review found the -- in 19195, a review found the

pilots negligence. In 1996 a fatal accident inquiry left open the

blame. Another report said pilot error could not be proved. This new

inquiry was solt up to examine the evidence. Ann Magee hopes it will

conclude that the two pilots were wrongly blamed. If that is lifted,

it will be a huge relief. For me, not much difference at all in my

circumstances. Except I will be relieved for them and very happy

for them. It has been, I think they were physically feel the loss of

that burden on their shoulders. That they have carried for so long.

It will be wonderful. An MoD spokesman said it would be

inappropriate to comment, the local authority will -- the report will

be made public on Monday. Families of some of the 1,100 people in

Southern Cross residential homes are worried what will happen to

their relatives now that the company is to close. The English-

based firm has been losing millions of pounds for years. Jim

Fitzpatrick has more on this. What went wrong with the business?

Southern Cross was a company that couldn't make money out of caring

for people. When that is your core business, that is a problem. What

happened is the losses were in a sense disguised by money they made

out of property. They split their business into two. One seblly --

essentially the property, the other that cared for older people. They

sold their properties and offered generous terms to the landlords.

With ever-increasing rents, so they got a lot of money up front. But

the awe strty budget came in and they were no longer able to raise

money by selling property and their whole business model fell apart. It

is disconcerting for resident and we spoke so some relatives outside

Belfast. How did they get into this mess? Who allowed them to run so

long without somebody scrutinising what they were doing. It is

unfortunate it has had to happen. I hope that some one else now can

come and step in and take it over and that the care homes can still

stay open. We were shocked. Because this is a marvellous place. I don't

know what we would do without it. So you can see that relatives are

happy with the care their relatives are getting. So it notice the

actual management of the hopes, it was the whole business model.

Today's news isn't unexpected, it need not necessarily be all bad. I

have been told by people in the industry it is the first step to

reing things. What happens to each of the 26 homes that we have in

Northern Ireland? It could be a different story for each one. It is

down to who owns the properties. 26 hopes in Northern Ireland, I

understand that about 16 are owned by one landlord, that is NHP, that

owns hundreds of home. Its homes will be dealt with in one block.

The others could be taken over by other operators and it will all be

worked out in the months to come. Thank you. Plans have been

announced for six new hotels in Londonderry. The investments have

been prompted by the expected influx of visitors for the UK City

of Culture celebrations in 2013 But some hoteliers are concerned about

the effect on existing business. Here's Keiron Tourish. An artist's

impression of one of six new hotels planned. Several million pounds

will be spent transforming the site into a 114 bedroom hotel. The local

business family involved say now is the time to invest. Derry is a

beautiful place, people who come love it. Derry needs more hotel for

people to stay. When we had 2013 there are not enough. Since it was

named UK city of culture for 2013 there has been huge interest in the

region. Already 2,000 bed spaces are available. The walls were never

breached... That includes hotels, B & B and self catering. But are six

hotels not difficult balancing act? I think business people wouldn't be

putting the money in if they didn't think they could see light at the

end of the tunnel. There is a lot of exciting thing happening here

and it is a business decision that meem are -- people are making.

Hoteliers are concerned about the impact on economisting businesses.

-- existing businesses. Food for thougts for those planning for 2013

and beyond. I would be worried, based on my experience. We need

more. We need more bedrooms. But I'm not sure that we need six new

hotels. We're probably talking about 600 bedrooms. This site lies

vacant. But there are plans to build a 139 bedroom hotel. Any new

developments will need a substantial increase in visitor

numbers. Judging by those here already, like this ballet company

from the Philippines, the first impregnants are good. Despite the

weather. I can't believe this is summer for youfrplt this is very

cold and people have a big sense of humour. Everyone weather forecast

their guests with a big heart. is good? -- Everyone welcomes their

guests with a big heart. It makes us feel good. Those involved in

promoting the city will be hoping to capitalise on that. A team of

dancers from County Down has swept the boards at the World Cup of

Dance in Paris. Youngsters from Newry beat off competition from 24

countries to take home four top They did indeed hit the road Jack

and hoofed it from Newry to Disney land Paris. The youngest is eight

and the oldest 13. They won the best tap group prize. All the

training was worth it. It paid off so much. And we like knew when to

do this or when to do that. Because we practice so much. It might have

been hard, practicing like, complaining a lot, but it paid off.

It was fun. The same team also won the best prize for modern dance. Hi

kicking it to the tune Steam Heat, written years before they were born.

From the start to the end, it was the best experience we have had. It

was great this year to have a team of dancers going wo all their

parents. Especial think dads. They had a ball. Usually it is the mums

that come to all the festivals. But it was a blast from start to finish.

17-year-old Neil won the best solo tap and open dance prize. She is

also landed a bursary for a famous art school in London. All the

dancers are pack -- back home for a well-deserved break for d -- the

summer holidays. Such talent. Well done. A team of brothers

celebrating gold. No danger of any sibling rivalry in the Chambers

household as you can see. Coleraine rowers Richard and Peter Chambers

joined forces for Great Britain at the World Cup regatta in

Switzerland at the weekend. And they left the competition in their

wake. Nikki Gregg reports. As a champion, Richard Chambers is used

to being in the hunt for medals. But this was the first time his

brother, Peter was in the team. He called in two week ago and slotted

in like an old hand. What a triumph for Peter Chambers. He has had to

take two week of stick, sitting in front of me. But he has stepped up

and done a good job. I was whispering sweet nothingings. I'm

so proud of him. So come into a boat that expects to win gold, that

is a massive peckation. The fact that we together for Simon it is

fantastic. I'm really proud. events can often with a -- be a

lottery. Brotherly love. We have come away with a game and ehas

shown his maturity. It has been awesome to race with him. Peter is

now preparing for the under 23 world champ shies in Amsterdam with

the prospect of more medal glory, but most prized is he is in

contention to line up with his brother at the Olympics in London.

Well done to the boys. Derry Gaelic footballers are coming to terms

with being without their leading scorer for Sunday's Ulster final

against Donegal. Eoin Bradley sustained a serious knee injury in

training. Initial medical reports indicate he won't play again this

year. Austin O'Callaghan reports. Scoring goals like this has made

Eoin Bradley one of the most exciting forwards to watch. But

that could be his last game for some time A collision during

training at the weekend left him with a serious knee injury. He

underwent a scan today accompanied by his brother, who is out of

football with cruciate injury. is a massive blow. He was looking

forward to the final. There was a real buzz about his game. He was

hitting big scores and he took over the responsibility of me scoring.

It is a blow for him and for the club. BBC Newsline has learned the

scale of that blow, Bradley has damaged cruciate and medial

ligament and will play no more football in 2011. Golf and Graeme

McDowell's Open championship preparations went a little off

course at the Scottish Open yesterday. A nine on the twelfth

hole, after his ball found the gorse, ended his title bid in

Inverness. The Portrush man finished ten shots adrift of the

winner Luke Donald and has slipped to ninth in the world rankings.

Hopefully not an omen for Royal St George's on Thursday - Graeme's off

in the early afternoon with Jason Day and Bubba Watson. US Open

champion Rory McIlroy is out with Ernie Els and American Ricky Fowler

just before nine. And we'll hear from Rory on tomorrow's programme.

I love that name, bub what. What is wrong with a nine any way. That is

wrong with a nine any way. That is your normal. Now the weather. Well

this week for many is a holiday and it has not got off to a bad start.

Not particularly fantastic start, but it has been dry. But there was

a lot of cloud inland today. It has been the coastal fringes which have

seen the best of the sunshine. But we will find inland areas having a

brighter end to the day. A lot of dry weather. And we hold on to that

dry weather through the night. There will be patch of cloud, but

never threaten anything rain worth faubging about. Some clear spells

too. -- talking about. Not particularly chilly at nine to 11

degrees. Tomorrow, if you're heading out to the parades, it will

be a bright day with more sunny spell than today. Apart from a few

showers it is mainly dry. Light winds as well. So calm at Ballintoy

harbour. A dry start almost every where. As we head into the

afternoon we could see the easterly breeze bring in some showers into

Londonderry and Antrim and Down. Making it fresh on the coast. But

inland not all parts will catch the showers. If you do, they will be

light and scattered. As they drift west, they start the peter out and

parts of the west not catching any at all. That is where we will have

the best temperatures at 21 degrees. The showers shoulz fizzle away

tomorrow night. A few patches of mist inlapped. -- inland. But the

temperatures in double figures tomorrow night. That give us a

bright start on Wednesday. One or two showers to look out for. But

more dry than wet weather one sunshine and quite warm.

Temperatures fall through the rest of week and from Thursday there is

a risk of rain. Finally a reminder of the stories making the headlines.

The police have said sorry for the way removed flags. The Justice

Minister said they have no reason to apologise. A father and son were

rescued off White Park Bay on the north coast have paid tribute to

the people who came to help them. The BBC learns of an internal e-

mail suggesting the paper tried to buy their confidential phone

numbers from a Royal protection officer. There are allegations that

the form Esh Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was ar targeted -- targeted