:00:21. > :00:26.Mrs Newsline. The headlines, the social housing scheme that has
:00:26. > :00:32.ended up as a car-park. Questions about what happened to �10 million
:00:32. > :00:37.of public money. Eight IRA men killed almost 25 years ago. A
:00:37. > :00:42.leaked report -- a leaked report says they fired first. Why this
:00:42. > :00:48.cultural icon will be shut for the start of Londonderry's City of
:00:48. > :00:53.Culture year. What to do when a bogus caller comes to your door? We
:00:53. > :01:01.will show you where you can get help. Defending our coastlines, the
:01:01. > :01:10.engineers fight back. The Republic of Ireland have been drawn against
:01:10. > :01:17.Italy at next year's Euro 2012 finals. Forced we ended the week on
:01:17. > :01:20.a damp and chilly start -- we end the week on a damp and chilly note.
:01:21. > :01:27.We begin tonight with an update on an exclusive investigation be
:01:27. > :01:33.brought here last night. After the purchase of land for social housing,
:01:33. > :01:43.nothing has been built. A local MLA urged the Social Development
:01:43. > :01:45.
:01:45. > :01:48.Minister to find out what is going on. The site near the M3 cost �10
:01:48. > :01:55.million. Once sought-after for building, now
:01:55. > :02:00.the subject of a government report. The Helm Housing Association bought
:02:00. > :02:07.it three years ago. They wanted to build a block of 200 homes, a major
:02:07. > :02:13.social housing projects. They got money from the government. The Sinn
:02:13. > :02:17.Fein MLA wants to know why nothing has been built. An opportunity has
:02:17. > :02:24.been missed. They have the responsibility to deliver social
:02:24. > :02:27.housing with our money. A did not happen. They need to explain why
:02:28. > :02:33.that has happened, and what they are going to ensure that people on
:02:33. > :02:40.the housing list are not going to be missed. Earlier this year the
:02:40. > :02:46.Helm Housing Association had its funding suspended. The Department
:02:46. > :02:52.for Social Development a decline to be interviewed -- declined to be
:02:52. > :03:00.interviewed, they did issue a written statement. They point out
:03:00. > :03:06.that all housing associations go through a process. There were once
:03:06. > :03:12.high hopes for this site, as well as the big purchase price. It is a
:03:12. > :03:21.car park fun now, it may be part of a major road-widening scheme. He
:03:21. > :03:26.away, a chorus of questions about his future have to be asked.
:03:26. > :03:30.A County Armagh man has been found guilty of murdering his wife.
:03:30. > :03:34.Christopher Hart admitted stuck -- stabbing his wife Suzanne. He
:03:34. > :03:42.claimed that the killing was not premeditated, and that he snapped
:03:42. > :03:46.at during a row. It was on 20th August last year that Christopher
:03:46. > :03:50.Harper, aged 44, walked into this police station, sobbing
:03:50. > :03:56.uncontrollably. He told the officers that he had done a bad
:03:56. > :04:02.thing. He had stabbed his 40-year- old wife, Suzanne, once in the neck
:04:02. > :04:07.with a kitchen knife. A short time later the officers found her dead.
:04:07. > :04:14.There was never any doubt about who killed her comedy has never denied
:04:14. > :04:18.that it was him. His defence that he had been at a broken man, he had
:04:18. > :04:26.snapped when he made a disparaging reference to abuse he had suffered
:04:27. > :04:31.as a child. The jury rejected this, and the greed of the prosecution,
:04:31. > :04:35.that he had intended to kill his wife end of act of murder,
:04:36. > :04:41.motivated by jealousy, and what they said were his inadequacies as
:04:41. > :04:51.a person. It took the jury just over five hours, over today's, to
:04:51. > :04:51.
:04:51. > :04:59.reach a majority of 10-2. Suzanne told him that she was leaving him
:04:59. > :05:09.free another man. The judge told Christopher Harper that the only
:05:09. > :05:13.possible sentence was life. It was one of the most
:05:13. > :05:18.controversial episodes of the Troubles. Eight heavily armed IRA
:05:18. > :05:24.men shot dead as they launched a gun and bomb attack on Loughgall
:05:24. > :05:30.police station. The republican said it was part of a shoot-to-kill
:05:30. > :05:35.policy. A lead to report a settles the questions on the events of that
:05:35. > :05:42.night, who fired first? It was considered one of the
:05:42. > :05:50.biggest setbacks for the IRA. Eight members of the East Brigade were
:05:50. > :05:56.shot dead by the SAS. A civilian, on his way home from work, was also
:05:56. > :06:03.killed. For republicans it was evidence of a shoot-to-kill policy.
:06:03. > :06:10.For Unionists it was a hammer blow to the IRA campaign. A report
:06:10. > :06:15.appears to settle questions about the incident. According to a leaked
:06:16. > :06:21.report in the Belfast Telegraph, it was the IRA who started firing. The
:06:21. > :06:25.report concludes that the gunmen could not have been safely arrested.
:06:25. > :06:34.They also found that the SAS had been within their rights to open
:06:34. > :06:38.fire. This man is married to the sister of one of the dead IRA men.
:06:38. > :06:43.If it was a war, then the British government are wrong. They have
:06:43. > :06:48.said all along they were bound by the laws of democracy. If that is
:06:48. > :06:52.the case, they should have attempted to arrest them. We had no
:06:52. > :07:02.other choice but to defend the property, and defend other
:07:02. > :07:04.
:07:04. > :07:14.civilians in the area. The weapons were -- - were recovered, will
:07:14. > :07:15.
:07:15. > :07:21.linked to seven other incidents. -- were linked. I would go no further
:07:21. > :07:28.than say that they fired first. If those weapons were not to kill
:07:28. > :07:36.people, what were they for? It will be several weeks until the report
:07:36. > :07:41.is released to the families. There will be investigation into who
:07:41. > :07:47.leaked it. At a county Antrim businessman has
:07:47. > :07:51.been found guilty of an international property scam. 52-
:07:51. > :07:58.year-old Kevin O'Kane was on trial for a GP in the seven people into
:07:58. > :08:02.thinking they were buying luxury villas in Gumbet, Turkey. He
:08:02. > :08:06.claimed he had been a victim of a corner by his business partners in
:08:06. > :08:11.Turkey. He will be back in court on Monday.
:08:11. > :08:15.It is an unfortunate case of bad timing, Newsline has learned that
:08:15. > :08:25.the Guildhall in Londonderry will be closed for the start of the
:08:25. > :08:25.
:08:25. > :08:31.city's City of Culture. Renovations will take more than one year.
:08:31. > :08:39.It is not quite the Last Dance For the Guildhall, this Christmas party
:08:39. > :08:47.will return. That will happen in two years' time. This a revamp of
:08:47. > :08:54.the Guild Hall will be both inside and out. When the work inside is
:08:54. > :09:02.completed in early 2030 in, this most iconic the buildings will be
:09:02. > :09:07.the first port of call for tourists to the city. That is provided that
:09:07. > :09:11.they do not arrive in the first few months of the City of Culture year.
:09:11. > :09:19.The most iconic building in the City will be closed for the first
:09:19. > :09:25.demands of the City of Culture? have made people aware of that.
:09:26. > :09:32.There is no negativity coming back. The City of Culture promoters
:09:32. > :09:37.declined to comment on the closure. They simply said they were
:09:37. > :09:43.delighted that it was getting a facelift. How important is it to
:09:43. > :09:46.tourism? We have three major tourist attraction than the City.
:09:46. > :09:53.We have one of the most complete set of balls in Europe. The
:09:53. > :10:03.cathedral dates back to 1628, but our Guild Hall, that is the next
:10:03. > :10:06.
:10:06. > :10:16.most historic building. It will open in 20th March 13. -- Maj 2013.
:10:16. > :10:16.
:10:16. > :10:24.Many rooms will be totally revamped. Members of the clergy will use its.
:10:24. > :10:31.-- used it. A police officer came here with a chainsaw to cut the
:10:31. > :10:40.chair in half. This was an antique chair. Councillors say the reason
:10:40. > :10:46.for the renovations is simple, to keep in step with changing times.
:10:46. > :10:50.You are watching BBC Newsline. Still to come, if you wind fear of
:10:50. > :10:56.bogus callers, we are behind the scenes at a centre where you can
:10:56. > :11:02.get help. The superstar Mark Allen talks frankly about his battle with
:11:03. > :11:07.depression. There has been a significant
:11:07. > :11:11.increase in the number of children living in poverty in the region.
:11:11. > :11:18.The report published by the Department for Social Development
:11:18. > :11:23.says there is a 33% increase in cases of people falling into child
:11:23. > :11:30.poverty. I am here at the East Belfast
:11:30. > :11:35.Mission, they offer help to families who are struggling here.
:11:35. > :11:45.With me is a single mum of three. Tell me about how much of a stress
:11:45. > :11:53.it is for you? Benefits are not going up. Prices are. There are
:11:53. > :11:59.certain times of the day at cannot put the heating on. It is your
:11:59. > :12:04.electric, your food. It is a big struggle, really, really hard.
:12:04. > :12:14.Thank you very much. Also with us is Fergus from Save
:12:14. > :12:17.
:12:17. > :12:23.the children. There is a 33% increase in the year on year child
:12:23. > :12:30.poverty figures. That is since 2010. That is historic. All of the
:12:30. > :12:37.indicators are going in the wrong direction. There are low income
:12:37. > :12:42.families, inflation, a real Spike in cost in the home. We have a lot
:12:42. > :12:47.of children who are within a �50 of falling into poverty. Thank you
:12:47. > :12:53.very much. A stark warning there. These figures could just be the tip
:12:53. > :12:56.of the iceberg. Would you know what to do if he
:12:56. > :13:00.suspected a bogus caller was at your front door? There is a
:13:00. > :13:03.freephone number where you can check whether the person is genuine.
:13:03. > :13:11.The BBC has been given exclusive access to a call centre where the
:13:11. > :13:18.checks are done. 64-year-old pensioner Elizabeth
:13:18. > :13:20.McGuinness was home alone when to strangers not at their door. They
:13:20. > :13:25.told the they were from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
:13:25. > :13:34.She was suspicious from the start. I said have yet any identification.
:13:34. > :13:40.They said no. I said I'm not going to let you win. I close the door,
:13:40. > :13:48.he put his shoulder in the door. I got it closed. I locked it. I rang
:13:48. > :13:57.the neighbours to say -- to see if they have called. I rang the police.
:13:57. > :14:07.The police gave the number to ring. So I rang the number. They rang,
:14:07. > :14:10.
:14:10. > :14:15.and so did know, there is nobody Audrey is one of a team of six that
:14:15. > :14:23.can give you peace of mind. If you suspect a bogus caller at your
:14:23. > :14:31.front door. Three will ask you if the person at the door, which
:14:31. > :14:36.company they are claiming to be from. We will have their name, a
:14:36. > :14:40.first name, a surname, their ID number and on occasions we might
:14:40. > :14:44.also have a car registration number so we have information to check
:14:44. > :14:50.they are genuine. If you have a call on your doorstep who said they
:14:50. > :14:54.need to check your meter, most people will be genuine but
:14:54. > :14:59.unfortunately there are people who will use stories like that to steal
:14:59. > :15:05.from vulnerable people. What we will ask people de do is if you
:15:05. > :15:13.have a call on your doorstep, keep them there. They will not mind
:15:13. > :15:17.waiting and call us. The number you can use his 0800...
:15:17. > :15:24.The a quick check scheme is an initiative and several initiatives
:15:24. > :15:28.-- police forces in Britain have decided to adopt it also.
:15:28. > :15:33.The engineer strikes back - a few days ago we had from a marine
:15:33. > :15:38.expert he was critical about how engineers handle the fortification
:15:38. > :15:42.of coast. He accused them of destroying coast on a global scale.
:15:42. > :15:44.They were not too pleased about that so Our Environment
:15:44. > :15:49.correspondent offered a right of reply.
:15:49. > :15:55.This is the man who made the comments - Andrew Cooper, and this
:15:55. > :16:00.is the thing he is referring to. The mires of concrete and rocker
:16:00. > :16:04.arm ring that keep the sea out. He told us: the minute they raised
:16:04. > :16:09.land at risk, people get concerned about it and always on hand is an
:16:09. > :16:15.engineer who will say, I will build you a wall and solve that problem.
:16:15. > :16:20.You have destroyed a naturally functioning ecosystem. Engineer see
:16:20. > :16:24.it from a different perspective. Roads like this only survive
:16:24. > :16:32.because of the coastal engineering that protects them. This may be
:16:32. > :16:35.cemented and crude but it keeps existing structures in place.
:16:36. > :16:40.of the coastal infrastructure is actually there because of the
:16:40. > :16:45.decisions of our forefathers. They chose where to place the towns and
:16:45. > :16:50.cities and settlements, and what we have seen is the development of
:16:50. > :16:55.those with new infrastructures such as ports and harbours, such as
:16:55. > :17:01.airports and they -- significant road and rail links. Those features
:17:01. > :17:05.that the defences protect. Is it time to stop putting up endless
:17:05. > :17:09.defences and repairing them at huge costs? In some cases it has been
:17:09. > :17:14.decided to carry out what is known as managed retreat, or simply
:17:14. > :17:18.giving up land to the sea. It is a balanced approach that we need but
:17:18. > :17:23.it is not just cost. We need to look at the benefits, the
:17:23. > :17:27.infrastructure that is behind that, people's houses and property and
:17:27. > :17:31.businesses and vital infrastructure links. Much of the coastal
:17:31. > :17:35.engineering today was created by our forefathers in the last century.
:17:35. > :17:41.It seems unlikely that much will be added to it in the future, which is
:17:41. > :17:47.always good news for the environment.
:17:47. > :17:50.What do you think? Should we allow BC to claim back the land? You can
:17:50. > :17:54.join in the conversation on our face book page.
:17:54. > :17:59.The Republic of Ireland's footballers know their opponents at
:17:59. > :18:06.the Euro 2012 tournament. Ulster are back in action tonight at
:18:06. > :18:10.Ravenhill. We will go to the Republic Ireland
:18:10. > :18:17.draw in a second but a lot of the big guns are back tonight. One
:18:17. > :18:24.sadly who is not, Paddy Wallace. You are wearing the wounds of war.
:18:24. > :18:29.Little finger dislocated. When will you be back? Hopefully some time in
:18:29. > :18:37.January. Training and then moving into the last two cup matches.
:18:38. > :18:44.of the big guns back tonight. On the bench, will you see they've run
:18:44. > :18:49.out from ruin? 0 would say so. The Heineken Cup game is coming up.
:18:49. > :18:55.Having said that, Paul Marshall has done a splendid job replacing him
:18:55. > :19:00.in the last two games. It is good competition in the squad. You have
:19:00. > :19:06.hinted it is a massive December. Some very important winning
:19:06. > :19:11.momentum returns. It is typical in both competitions. You want to see
:19:11. > :19:21.us climb the League table and build some momentum. There is a lot to
:19:21. > :19:22.
:19:22. > :19:27.play.. Go get that hand one. Thank you. The Euro 2012 qualifiers store
:19:27. > :19:33.has been made and as they it has decreed, a native of Italy, manager
:19:33. > :19:37.of the Republic of Ireland has been drawn with the group Italy.
:19:37. > :19:41.The last time the Republic of Ireland reached a major finals it
:19:41. > :19:45.was the World Cup back into fears and and two, where they lost a
:19:45. > :19:49.penalty shoot-out with Spain. Since then, the Spanish have won the
:19:49. > :19:59.World Cup and are now the defending European champions. The Spaniards
:19:59. > :20:09.were drawn in Group C, a long way at the... Island. The Republic of
:20:09. > :20:10.
:20:10. > :20:18.Ireland. Back in 1994, the Republic of Ireland deputed Italy. The Irish
:20:18. > :20:28.not managed by an Italian crew... Italy. I think we have to play
:20:28. > :20:31.
:20:31. > :20:35.against Italy, Spain. Does Spain frighten you? The World Cup...
:20:35. > :20:43.Croatia are the final team in the Republic's group and all of
:20:43. > :20:48.Ireland's group games will be in Poland not the Ukraine.
:20:48. > :20:52.Depression is one of those subjects which are still largely taboo
:20:52. > :20:56.amongst sportsmen and women, but local snooker star Mark Allen has
:20:56. > :21:02.been speaking out against it. He has also been high letting that he
:21:02. > :21:04.is winning his battle. He will be in action next week that the UK
:21:04. > :21:09.Championships and he has been speaking to us.
:21:09. > :21:14.Marke Allen says 2011 has been one of the most difficult years in his
:21:14. > :21:18.life. But confronting his Elmer's has been one of the best decisions
:21:18. > :21:23.he has ever made. Things are going well for me away from snooker and
:21:23. > :21:29.it is helping me on the table. My private life is better and things
:21:29. > :21:33.are going better for me financially. Everything is coming into place.
:21:33. > :21:39.Still have to watch for signs of it creeping up again, but I think I
:21:39. > :21:44.know what to look for now. I am I a lot happier now so it was a good
:21:44. > :21:47.thing I came out publicly. Allen was diagnosed with depression
:21:47. > :21:53.shortly before the World Snooker Championships last April. But with
:21:53. > :21:58.the help of his family, friends and his doctor, the 25-year-old says he
:21:58. > :22:02.has rediscovered his passion for the game. It is in complete
:22:02. > :22:08.contrast to six months ago and I did not want to look at a snooker
:22:08. > :22:12.table. I am enjoying practising and my form is coming back. I want to
:22:12. > :22:18.enjoy it as much as they can and does much as when I was younger.
:22:18. > :22:24.The other half of the battle happens next Monday when he plays
:22:24. > :22:27.his first match of the major season, the UK championship.
:22:28. > :22:31.Graeme McDowell meets the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa. Rory
:22:31. > :22:36.McIlroy shares the lead in Hong Kong but today it has been another
:22:36. > :22:42.local man who has had occasion to celebrate.
:22:42. > :22:47.It has been a difficult season for Gareth may burn. He has struggled
:22:47. > :22:55.for form and is still at risk of losing his Tour card. But this hole
:22:55. > :23:03.in one at the 192 yards brightened up his day and his caddie's. And it
:23:03. > :23:11.won him a �50,000 watch. This was one of the -- four Rory McIlroy
:23:11. > :23:16.birdies. But late bogeys dropped him back into a shared lead. Never
:23:16. > :23:25.move. Graeme McDowell slice through the field in Sun City, climbing to
:23:25. > :23:31.the top of the leaderboard thanks Three in a row I have pulled today.
:23:31. > :23:39.Unbelievable. A his round included seven birdies to leave him one shot
:23:39. > :23:46.ahead of the 12 man field. A few loose ends to be tied up in
:23:46. > :23:56.the Stadium of Light, but we have a new manager for Sunderland. Here is
:23:56. > :23:58.
:23:58. > :24:03.Weather in a moment. D Lambert the Catalina flying boat that has been
:24:03. > :24:07.stranded? It has finally taken off. The second world war veteran was
:24:07. > :24:13.damaged in an accident in the Fermanagh seaplane festival. Delays
:24:13. > :24:17.kept it landed at the former RAF base camp at Killadeas but it was
:24:17. > :24:22.all systems go for take-off this week. The French pilot who stayed
:24:22. > :24:32.in Fermanagh to look after his 70- year-old charge has flown it back
:24:32. > :24:34.
:24:34. > :24:40.to Paris. Let's find out what the weather
:24:40. > :24:43.will be like this weekend. It will not be as chilly as last night. We
:24:43. > :24:53.not be as chilly as last night. We do still have a few isobars out on
:24:53. > :24:54.
:24:54. > :25:01.the east coast. Compared with the past 111 autumns, it is the second
:25:01. > :25:10.warmest November on average. It also is the second wettest autumn
:25:10. > :25:15.since 1910. As the go through this evening, we continue to see a few
:25:15. > :25:23.showers piling in from the West because of the breast winds. More
:25:23. > :25:27.cloud around tonight so it will not be as a chilly. Five and 6 degrees.
:25:27. > :25:32.Tomorrow we get off to a brighter stuff. We will continue to have a
:25:32. > :25:36.few showers throughout Saturday but over all it will be a dry a picture.
:25:36. > :25:41.Showers can find two parts of the north and west. First thing, if he
:25:41. > :25:51.breaks in the showers to allow brighter spells of sunshine.
:25:51. > :25:55.Staying cloudy through parts of Tyrone and Fermanagh. Temperatures
:25:55. > :26:03.tomorrow around 7 or 8 degrees but feeling cool because of the brisk
:26:03. > :26:06.winds. In the second part of the day, not much will change. Towards
:26:06. > :26:12.the North, rather cloudy and damp with strong winds continuing to
:26:12. > :26:16.feed their showers. That will continue overnight into Sunday. 2-3
:26:16. > :26:23.degrees and some of the showers could well be fawning as wintry
:26:23. > :26:26.weather over the hills. That will stay throughout Sunday.
:26:26. > :26:30.Temperatures ranging between four and seven degrees but into next
:26:30. > :26:35.week, things will settle down although the winds will stay fresh
:26:35. > :26:39.from the West. from the West.
:26:39. > :26:43.It is not perhaps the best weather for ice-cream, but let's talk about
:26:43. > :26:46.it because one of our best known ice-cream families, Morellis, have
:26:46. > :26:53.found out they have broken the world record for the biggest number
:26:53. > :26:57.of people to eat ice-cream at one time. Let's take a look, 2728
:26:57. > :27:01.people helped them get into the Guinness Book of Records. They
:27:01. > :27:05.packed out the grounds of a local college on a hot summer's day in
:27:05. > :27:10.July, forming a chain and apparently you had to feed the
:27:10. > :27:16.person on your right and then eat the ice cream continuously for one
:27:16. > :27:21.minute. It all got a bit messy. There is not much to do in
:27:21. > :27:24.Portstewart! Hundreds of thousands of congratulations! A reminder of
:27:24. > :27:29.the stories that are making our headlines: questions have been
:27:29. > :27:33.asked today about how the site for a social housing scheme in Belfast
:27:33. > :27:37.ended up as a car park. 0 report from the historical
:27:37. > :27:44.inquiries team is expected to have to say that eight IRA men killed by
:27:44. > :27:50.the SAS at 25 years ago opened fired first.