:00:00. > :00:21.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline. The shake-up that will
:00:22. > :00:25.make it harder for out of town shopping centres to get planning Two
:00:26. > :00:28.men are jailed over the death of this police officer in a car crash.
:00:29. > :00:32.Two men are jailed over the death of this police officer in a car crash.
:00:33. > :00:35.A petrol bomb attack near the former Quinn headquarters cuts off phone
:00:36. > :00:38.and internet services for hundreds of people. Also on the programme: We
:00:39. > :00:49.look at how local newspapers are facing up to the challenges of the
:00:50. > :00:56.digital age. As Six Nations silverware comes to Lisburn, we ask
:00:57. > :01:03.a lion if they can do three in a row? And the next batch of wet and
:01:04. > :01:10.windy weather is set to hit the shores tonight. I will be back with
:01:11. > :01:13.a weather forecast. Major changes to the planning system are likely to
:01:14. > :01:17.make it harder for out-of-town shopping developments to get
:01:18. > :01:20.approval. A new policy by the Department of Environment will be
:01:21. > :01:23.welcome news for town centres that have seen a big drain in business
:01:24. > :01:27.over many years. This move and others are part of a shake-up which
:01:28. > :01:30.will see local councils take control of most planning powers next year.
:01:31. > :01:44.With the details here's John Campbell.
:01:45. > :01:48.Town centres have suffered years. Figures suggest Carrickfergus has
:01:49. > :01:51.suffered more than most. Research with the Department of the
:01:52. > :01:57.Environment suggests one in five shops here are. The recession would
:01:58. > :02:02.have played a part, and internet shopping. What about the decision by
:02:03. > :02:06.Tesco to move further out-of-town? And the huge Abbey Centre is minutes
:02:07. > :02:18.away. A retailer is bucking the trend. He has a new shop but is
:02:19. > :02:22.aware of problems. This new policy aims to help shopkeepers like this
:02:23. > :02:25.in places in Carrickfergus to make it tougher for big developments
:02:26. > :02:29.out-of-town to get planning permission. The policy can be summed
:02:30. > :02:50.up as town centres first. It says... Does this mean a blanket ban on
:02:51. > :02:56.out-of-town development? It is not putting a moratorium on out-of-town
:02:57. > :03:00.development from here on but it is important policy should look at how
:03:01. > :03:05.we can revitalise city and town centres, which are suffering badly.
:03:06. > :03:10.The policy was welcomed by the body that represents independent
:03:11. > :03:13.retailers. But with some supermarket chains implying they have the big
:03:14. > :03:20.stores they need already, is this too late? We have campaigned for
:03:21. > :03:23.this for a dozen years. It will give new protection to town and city
:03:24. > :03:30.centres and encourage large retailers to locate in the centres
:03:31. > :03:36.where they will add to the vibrancy of the centres. This move could
:03:37. > :03:41.throw big plans into doubt. A proposal to bring John Lewis to an
:03:42. > :03:45.out-of-town site at Sprucefield is now more unlikely. Last year the
:03:46. > :03:49.chain withdrew plans and has shown no rush to come up with a new
:03:50. > :03:54.proposal. The intention to protect town and city centres rings planning
:03:55. > :03:58.policies into line more with England. They have had this policy
:03:59. > :04:03.for more than a year. There are questions that -- about whether
:04:04. > :04:13.councils have applied the policy properly. The focus will soon be on
:04:14. > :04:17.their decisions, also. The jury in the trial of three men
:04:18. > :04:20.accused of a catalogue of sex offences against children will begin
:04:21. > :04:23.considering its verdict tomorrow. The alleged victims are a brother
:04:24. > :04:27.and sister who say they were abused by their father, uncle and a family
:04:28. > :04:30.friend during the 1990s. Today the court in Coleraine heard the closing
:04:31. > :04:33.speeches of defence barristers for two of the accused. The judge then
:04:34. > :04:36.gave legal direction to the jury. The men face 56 charges which
:04:37. > :04:45.include rape, indecent assault, gross indecency and cruelty. Two men
:04:46. > :04:49.who had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs were today jailed for
:04:50. > :04:52.their part in the death of a police officer almost a year ago. Constable
:04:53. > :04:58.Philippa Reynolds was killed when her Police car was hit by a stolen
:04:59. > :05:01.vehicle. Members of her family heard the judge describe the defendants as
:05:02. > :05:09.cowards who'd been engaged in an act of serious recklessness. Here's
:05:10. > :05:13.Keiron Tourish. Philippa Reynolds was described as
:05:14. > :05:18.popular and friendly, committed to serving the community. Her car was
:05:19. > :05:27.hit by a stolen vehicle on the 9th of February last year. 26-year-old
:05:28. > :05:37.Shane Christopher Frane admitted charges including manslaughter.
:05:38. > :05:41.Conor Tyrone Clarence Admitted aggravated vehicle taking causing
:05:42. > :05:44.death. They had been drinking heavily and had consumed a large
:05:45. > :05:48.amount of drugs. The judge said nothing he could say today could
:05:49. > :05:53.take away from what he described as the terrible loss suffered by the
:05:54. > :05:58.family of Philippa Reynolds. He said the two had been involved in grave
:05:59. > :06:02.offending. And they had cared not a jot that the implications of what
:06:03. > :06:15.they have been doing. Involved in a daylong range of drink and drugs.
:06:16. > :06:18.Frane Was driving as -- at 80 mph, which the judge said was reckless.
:06:19. > :06:27.He said they had behaved like cowards. The driver was given an
:06:28. > :06:30.indeterminate sentence. Clarence was given a three and a half year
:06:31. > :06:35.sentence and half of that will be spent in prison. The family of
:06:36. > :06:40.Philippa Reynolds, back included her parents, and her sisters, sat
:06:41. > :06:45.quietly in the public gallery as the judge handed down sentences. After,
:06:46. > :06:50.a senior officer paid tribute to Philippa Reynolds. It is a tragic
:06:51. > :06:57.loss. She was a vivacious young lady. She was very good at her job
:06:58. > :07:02.and she is missed on a daily basis by those people in her section and
:07:03. > :07:07.by the wider police community. I have rarely heard so many positive
:07:08. > :07:11.comments about an individual, from the community and the police. The
:07:12. > :07:20.family thank everybody for their support. There is plenty to come on
:07:21. > :07:29.the programme, including what the future holds for local newspapers in
:07:30. > :07:32.this internet age. Telephone and broadband services in County
:07:33. > :07:34.Fermanagh have been affected by a petrol-bomb attack near the
:07:35. > :07:40.headquarters of the former Quinn Group. Two BT cabinets in Derrylin
:07:41. > :07:50.were destroyed. Julian Fowler has the story.
:07:51. > :07:54.Another attack, apparently aimed at the communications network of the
:07:55. > :08:02.event 's group. These BT cabinets opposite the company headquarters --
:08:03. > :08:08.Aventus. Men were seen at 9:15pm last night. It appears boxers were
:08:09. > :08:12.pushed over before petrol bombs were thrown. BT said there was
:08:13. > :08:16.significant damage. The people who carried this out may have wanted to
:08:17. > :08:22.attack the company, but, once again, the consequences of their
:08:23. > :08:27.actions were felt in the wider community. Several hundred customers
:08:28. > :08:32.lost telephone and broadband. It is the latest in a series of attacks on
:08:33. > :08:38.properties formerly owned by the Quinn family, whose business empire
:08:39. > :08:43.collapsed in 2011. The company is not commenting on the incident. The
:08:44. > :08:51.attacks have been condemned. The first minister, Peter Robinson,
:08:52. > :08:55.has said Protestants are free to learn any language they choose
:08:56. > :08:58.including Irish. At the weekend, a senior Orangeman - George Chittick -
:08:59. > :09:00.said Protestants who learn Irish are playing into, what he called, a
:09:01. > :09:11.Republican agenda. playing into, what he called, a
:09:12. > :09:15.whatever language they wish and to practice whatever language they
:09:16. > :09:20.wish, and no one should attempt to indicate they are right or wrong in
:09:21. > :09:24.doing it. It is a perfectly legitimate right for people to
:09:25. > :09:32.uphold. Do you disagree with the comment? I would agree with the
:09:33. > :09:38.official statement. Still to come.
:09:39. > :09:43.How concerned should rugby fans be that captain Paul O'Connell sat out
:09:44. > :09:52.the training session? We will be live in Lisburn. A Japanese car
:09:53. > :09:55.parts firm, Ryobi, has announced an expansion in the workforce at its
:09:56. > :10:04.factory in Carrickfergus. The ?32 million investment will mean an
:10:05. > :10:10.extra 100 jobs. Ryobi Aluminium Castings, based just
:10:11. > :10:14.outside Carrickfergus. They manufacture special car parts of the
:10:15. > :10:20.European market. Most of the ?32 million comes from the company, with
:10:21. > :10:27.investor Northern Ireland giving just over 2 million. The money will
:10:28. > :10:33.be spent on the she -- machinery, to allow the expansion of its product
:10:34. > :10:39.range. We will increase output by 25%, a big step in one year, and we
:10:40. > :10:45.will see to increase in next five years. Our volume is increasing over
:10:46. > :10:50.the next five years. It is a turnaround for the company. Eight
:10:51. > :10:57.years ago, they were announcing job losses. These new jobs will bring
:10:58. > :11:01.the workforce to over 300. -- 350. A lot of the jobs will be on the shop
:11:02. > :11:05.floor and they will include engineering posts. The head of the
:11:06. > :11:10.group came from Japan for the announcement and had a parting
:11:11. > :11:16.message for the politicians and invest Northern Ireland. One not
:11:17. > :11:28.good thing is that we need more money for investment. Please
:11:29. > :11:31.understand. A former solicitor has admitted
:11:32. > :11:36.stealing over ?800,000 from clients at his Belfast law firm. 50-year-old
:11:37. > :11:39.Damien Murray, from Upper Dunmurry Lane, admitted a single charge of
:11:40. > :11:42.stealing from clients of Damien Murray and Company Solicitors on
:11:43. > :11:48.Botanic Avenue over a four-year period. A defence barrister told the
:11:49. > :11:51.court the case was not straightforward and that he would be
:11:52. > :11:54.providing medical evidence. Damien Murray, who was struck off as a
:11:55. > :12:02.lawyer in 2011, was released on bail.
:12:03. > :12:04.A judge has dismissed legal challenges to Chief Constable's
:12:05. > :12:13.decisions to rehire retired RUC officers and hundreds of civilians
:12:14. > :12:16.on temporary contracts. The largest public sector union and the mother
:12:17. > :12:23.of a loyalist murder victim had claimed Matt Baggott acted
:12:24. > :12:28.unlawfully. Members gathered at Belfast City
:12:29. > :12:32.Hall to protest about pay. A short distance away the High Court, a
:12:33. > :12:39.judge delivered his verdict on a legal action by the union. It claims
:12:40. > :12:43.the Chief Constable acted unlawfully by awarding a contract to a private
:12:44. > :12:53.company to hire more than 1000 temporary staff. The judge said it
:12:54. > :12:56.was wrong. The judge said it was clear from the relevant legislation
:12:57. > :13:02.the Chief Constable have the power to enter into the contract and was
:13:03. > :13:16.authorised. Another legal action was taken against the Chief Constable by
:13:17. > :13:20.a mother of a man killed. Legal teams in both cases had argued that
:13:21. > :13:23.the policing board should have had the final say in the recruitment
:13:24. > :13:29.policies. The judge said the role of the policing board was to have a
:13:30. > :13:34.high level role in negotiating the police budget and holding the police
:13:35. > :13:38.service to account, not to control spending decisions or the day-to-day
:13:39. > :13:41.management of that budget. After, those who mounted the legal
:13:42. > :13:47.challenges signalled it might not be the end of the issue. The policing
:13:48. > :13:51.board will want to consider the outcome. We will have a legal
:13:52. > :13:57.briefing with solicitors to decide on a course of action. I suspect it
:13:58. > :14:06.is not the end of this and I imagine after consulting the client we will
:14:07. > :14:11.be in a position to consider filing. They could have been a staffing
:14:12. > :14:36.crisis if the judge had said Tempest are had been hired unlawfully. The
:14:37. > :14:41.assembly's Justice committee is to write to the executive demanding no
:14:42. > :14:49.change to the criteria for selecting a new Chief Constable. Controversy
:14:50. > :14:59.was caused when it was said new criteria would you set for the post.
:15:00. > :15:05.My responsibility in terms of setting the minimum criteria is
:15:06. > :15:11.clear in that huge. If I were trying to tell the board which criteria
:15:12. > :15:16.they should apply would be interference. My remit is for the
:15:17. > :15:23.board to be setting the actual criteria. The Internet has changed
:15:24. > :15:29.the way we live and how we spend our money. There are winners and losers
:15:30. > :15:35.in business. Over the next couple of nights we will be focusing on them.
:15:36. > :15:41.We want to get an idea of how much digital technology has taken over
:15:42. > :15:46.what we do. Eight out of ten households now have access to the
:15:47. > :15:52.Internet. Three in ten homes have a tablet computer. That figure has
:15:53. > :15:58.trebled in a year. At the same time nearly half of mobile phone users
:15:59. > :16:05.have a smartphone. More than half of us use social media and six out of
:16:06. > :16:09.ten the online to shop, especially for close, shoes and holidays.
:16:10. > :16:15.Tomorrow we look at how that change has effect did travel agencies. This
:16:16. > :16:21.evening David Maxwell checks out how newspapers are basing up to the
:16:22. > :16:25.challenges of the digital economy. Deliveries are still made to this
:16:26. > :16:28.office, but there is no one to receive them. It is one of two
:16:29. > :16:35.weekly newspapers that closed in January. The exact reasons are not
:16:36. > :16:40.clear, that it is likely a four in the number of readers is the
:16:41. > :16:45.problem. It is a problem faced by the newspaper industry as a whole.
:16:46. > :16:52.The question is how to stop the rot? Is digital the road to ruin. A lot
:16:53. > :16:55.of them are not engaging digitally because they don't see why they
:16:56. > :17:01.should give their content away for free. There is a certain logic to
:17:02. > :17:04.that argument. Why should you? If you give your content away for
:17:05. > :17:11.free, you cannot make a profit. If you cannot make a profit, you cannot
:17:12. > :17:18.run your business. And making newspapers is a big business. Paper,
:17:19. > :17:20.printing and transport costs are increasing. Some newspapers are
:17:21. > :17:24.moving away from traditional offices. That is not happening
:17:25. > :17:28.here, but there is not happening here, but those in charge believe
:17:29. > :17:35.that cutting back on a paper product would not be good for business.
:17:36. > :17:38.There is an intrinsic pleasure that you get from holding a newspaper
:17:39. > :17:47.that you cannot get from a digital screen. The area is growing, but I
:17:48. > :17:52.see the newspaper as very much the engine driver in all of this. But
:17:53. > :17:59.one paper that is embracing the digital platform says doing so has
:18:00. > :18:08.reverse the decline. In recent years we have used the Internet to market
:18:09. > :18:11.our products. It is beneficial to the newspaper. Our circulation has
:18:12. > :18:16.been pleasingly consistent and I think that is a ramification of
:18:17. > :18:23.people responding to the local news that is being delivered locally to
:18:24. > :18:26.them by a trusted source. Circulation figures have dropped
:18:27. > :18:30.across the board over the last five years and advertising revenues are
:18:31. > :18:37.also falling. Many papers complain about cuts in spending by government
:18:38. > :18:44.departments, but Northern Ireland still has over 50 weekly titles.
:18:45. > :18:48.Newspapers will have two learn to adapt their print version two
:18:49. > :18:52.digital and crucially get people to pay for it at the same time. Already
:18:53. > :19:00.this is starting to happen with tablets. If you have a Kindle or
:19:01. > :19:07.another kind of tablets, you will pay to download certain
:19:08. > :19:12.publications. I don't see why newspapers cannot plug into that
:19:13. > :19:15.market. At some point this will have to switch to this. The question is,
:19:16. > :19:22.who will make a success of that journey?
:19:23. > :19:29.Now the sport, and Mark Sidebottom is with a rather important piece of
:19:30. > :19:33.rugby silverware tonight. I'm at Lisburn Rugby Club where the
:19:34. > :19:43.Six Nations Trophy has stopped off on tour tonight. And in a moment I
:19:44. > :19:46.will be speaking to a star of Ulster and Ireland about the prospects of
:19:47. > :19:49.both his province and country winning silverware this year. But
:19:50. > :19:56.first, another vital cog in the Ravenhill machine, Ruan Pienaar, who
:19:57. > :19:59.has been speaking exclusively The South African now committed to
:20:00. > :20:02.another three years with Ulster and scored all of his side's points in
:20:03. > :20:08.that stiring Heineken Cup victory at Leicester last monght. He is the man
:20:09. > :20:20.that looks at home since he first set foot in Belfast. His next goal
:20:21. > :20:29.is to conquer Europe. To be in the quarterfinal for beer in a row shows
:20:30. > :20:32.how far we have come as a team. There is a lot of hard work still to
:20:33. > :20:41.do, but we will give it our best shot. Almost four years after
:20:42. > :20:50.joining, the Springbok feels the current Ulster squad is a perfect
:20:51. > :20:57.mix of import it and home players. There is strength in the squad. If
:20:58. > :21:09.you look at the youngsters that are coming through, they are great. Also
:21:10. > :21:15.getting players with international experience strengthens the team. As
:21:16. > :21:22.a squad it can only make it to. But Ulster's transformation of the field
:21:23. > :21:27.has been even more staggering. I drove up to Ravenhill and I could
:21:28. > :21:35.not believe it. My wife asked if that is where I was playing. It is
:21:36. > :21:39.different to some of the arena is back home. However, Ravenhill has
:21:40. > :21:49.developed over the last couple of months. The facilities are amazing.
:21:50. > :22:01.It has been a massive step up since I was there last. I really am happy
:22:02. > :22:09.to stay for a couple of years longer. With Ruan Pienaar on the
:22:10. > :22:26.pitch, Ulster fans are getting used to expecting the unexpected. What an
:22:27. > :22:32.asset to have. He is a world-class player and it is great to have him
:22:33. > :22:46.here. To have him sign on for another three years is fantastic.
:22:47. > :22:52.With regards to the six Nations, the captain did not train today. Is
:22:53. > :23:07.there a course for concern? There isn't. The team is pretty blessed.
:23:08. > :23:13.Andrew Trimble really put his hands up. He did. There is no better man
:23:14. > :23:27.than Andrew Trimble to have on the wing. He scored a good try. No sign
:23:28. > :23:35.of any cotton wool - how is the rehab going? It is great. I have
:23:36. > :23:46.been back on the pitch for the last couple of weeks. The next three or
:23:47. > :23:54.four weeks are big for me. I will be doing a lot more running. Hopefully
:23:55. > :24:03.I will not be far away complain. So, how significant is it for major
:24:04. > :24:13.players to stay here and not be used abroad? I thought they were going to
:24:14. > :24:21.stay in Ireland. The majority of people thought that as well. It is
:24:22. > :24:25.great to have our best players on board, especially with the World Cup
:24:26. > :24:31.around the corner. Jimmy is playing week in, week out, like he always
:24:32. > :24:40.has. He is captain of Ireland at the moment. He is misleading something
:24:41. > :24:49.right. In a word, Ireland or Wells on Saturday? Of course it will be
:24:50. > :25:08.Ireland. We will be staying in Lisbon for the rest of the sport.
:25:09. > :25:14.Let's cross to Tommy Breslin. We have done really well to get within
:25:15. > :25:27.touching distance. However, we just have not killed it off. Please give
:25:28. > :25:30.us a wave. We'll have the result and tonights
:25:31. > :25:34.other match between Coleraine and Ballianmallard on the later
:25:35. > :25:39.bulletin. That's the sport tonight. We had a good day weather-wise. It
:25:40. > :25:48.was bitty calm. The sun was out. But by the look at your -- of your
:25:49. > :25:51.crystal ball, it is already going downhill? That is right. The rain
:25:52. > :25:57.has already moved into Northern Ireland. The Met office have already
:25:58. > :26:01.issued a wind warning. It is yet another area of low pressure that is
:26:02. > :26:07.brewing to the south west of Ireland. It will bring high winds,
:26:08. > :26:11.heavy rain and a high tide which will mean flooding across parts of
:26:12. > :26:19.the Republic of Ireland. Also a risk of flooding across eastern counties
:26:20. > :26:22.of Northern Ireland. You can see that wet weather makes its way
:26:23. > :26:27.across Northern Ireland. An inch of rain falling in some parts. It will
:26:28. > :26:32.probably ease off by the time most of us are up and about tomorrow, but
:26:33. > :26:37.it will still be damp. Coastal hazards tonight. The high tide will
:26:38. > :26:43.arrive tween two o'clock and three o'clock in the morning. There is a
:26:44. > :26:47.risk of flooding. Probably not as bad as Monday because it will be
:26:48. > :26:50.happening in the early hours. Tomorrow morning will still be
:26:51. > :26:58.unpleasant with heavy rain not far-away as we leave for work. It
:26:59. > :27:03.will become increasingly wet across many parts as the morning goes on.
:27:04. > :27:10.It is going to be another nasty day. Nothing compared to today. The gales
:27:11. > :27:15.will ease during the second half of the afternoon and it will continue
:27:16. > :27:20.to quieten down on Wednesday. Most places will become dry. Some showers
:27:21. > :27:29.through Thursday, but also a bit of sunshine. Not too bad on Friday, but
:27:30. > :27:33.still quite cheaply. This is because of a ridge of high pressure, but
:27:34. > :27:37.another area of low pressure will come in for the weekend. We will
:27:38. > :27:46.have more wet, windy and unsettled conditions for the weekend. Pretty
:27:47. > :27:47.nasty tomorrow, but nicer on Friday. Thank you for watching. That is it