:00:00. > 3:59:59three of her children are found dead at their home
:00:00. > :00:19.Good evening, the headlines on BBC Newsline.
:00:20. > :00:22.A former IRA member says Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness ordered him to
:00:23. > :00:27.transport explosives to Britain in 1980.
:00:28. > :00:31.Three people appear in court charged over an attack on a loyalist protest
:00:32. > :00:33.camp. And there may be a rumble or two of
:00:34. > :00:42.thunder just 17 days to go until the start
:00:43. > :00:49.of the duo. How will the traffic cope?
:00:50. > :00:52.And there may be a rumble or two of thunder mixed in with the sunset
:00:53. > :01:02.this evening. I'll have a full forecast later in the programme.
:01:03. > :01:06.Gerry Adams' denial that he was in the IRA and Martin McGuinness' sworn
:01:07. > :01:09.testimony that he left in 1974 have always been controversial, and have
:01:10. > :01:15.been met with disbelief by many people. Today, for the first time, a
:01:16. > :01:21.living former IRA member goes on camera to say the two men are
:01:22. > :01:24.telling lies. Peter Rogers, who was convicted of murdering a Garda in
:01:25. > :01:27.County Wexford, has told the BBC that Gerry Adams and Martin
:01:28. > :01:34.McGuinness ordered him to transport explosives to Britain for a bombing
:01:35. > :01:36.campaign in 1980. The Sinn Fein leaders say his recollection is
:01:37. > :01:45.untrue. Our Dublin correspondent Shane
:01:46. > :01:50.Harrison has more. For Peter Rogers, it's a long way to
:01:51. > :01:57.Wexford. Some of the key moments in his life are a long way off. At one
:01:58. > :02:03.time he was regarded as a local hero -- and IRA hero after he escaped
:02:04. > :02:08.from the Maidstone Prison Ship. He alleges that in 1980, around the
:02:09. > :02:14.time of the first tiger stripes, he was summoned to a meeting with Gerry
:02:15. > :02:18.Adams and Martin McGuinness. The reason was that he claims he was
:02:19. > :02:23.reluctant to move explosives to Britain for a bombing campaign. The
:02:24. > :02:28.liquid substance which gave off a strong spell of marzipan posed a
:02:29. > :02:37.risk to the bombers and their security.
:02:38. > :02:46.Gerry wanted to know what the delay was. I told him it was because of
:02:47. > :02:59.the explosives. He and Martin stood back out of earshot and Harry talks.
:03:00. > :03:03.Gerry said look, we can fix replaced that explosives. You will have to go
:03:04. > :03:09.with what you have. -- we can't replace the explosives.
:03:10. > :03:14.I had to go with this very unstable explosive.
:03:15. > :03:19.Gerry Adams said he was never in the IRA and Martin McGuinness says he
:03:20. > :03:28.left the IRA in 1974. He swore an oath to that effect.
:03:29. > :03:33.That maybe so. I know that over the years there have been that many lies
:03:34. > :03:37.told in order to get to where we are at the present day in the peace
:03:38. > :03:41.process. If the men said they had no
:03:42. > :03:47.recollection of this what Trevor, what would you say?
:03:48. > :03:56.I would say they are suffering from Alzheimer's. They definitely worthy.
:03:57. > :04:02.Peter Rogers says he has every reason to remember the meeting. A
:04:03. > :04:05.short time after, his van with the explosives was stopped by
:04:06. > :04:10.detectives. There was a gun battle and he murdered a police officer.
:04:11. > :04:16.Peter Rogers was initially sentenced to death but then given a 40 year
:04:17. > :04:21.sentence for capital murder. Nine years into his sentence, he
:04:22. > :04:26.left the Republic and moved after writing to the family of the police
:04:27. > :04:29.officer, apologising for what he had done. He was released under the
:04:30. > :04:38.terms of the Good Friday Agreement. His polished -- his apologies were
:04:39. > :04:47.not accepted. The quiet family were very unhappy.
:04:48. > :04:53.They had a plaque temporarily removed for the duration of the
:04:54. > :04:55.conference. When asked about it by local reporters, Martin McGuinness
:04:56. > :05:03.said he was prepared to meet the Quaid family. He said the police
:05:04. > :05:04.officer was an innocent man. It is absolutely appropriate that
:05:05. > :05:10.Republicans should apologise for what happened to him. The Quaid
:05:11. > :05:14.family did not accept that apology either. Peter Rogers was also
:05:15. > :05:21.unimpressed with the offer of a meeting.
:05:22. > :05:33.I'm telling the truth. We were the ones to give them explosives. Tell
:05:34. > :05:39.them about the part that they played in this person's death.
:05:40. > :05:42.Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness declined to be interviewed for this
:05:43. > :05:47.report. Sinn Fein released a statement saying there is no proof
:05:48. > :05:51.to the allegations and that Gerry Adams has already publicly refuted
:05:52. > :05:58.them. The allegation made by Peter Robinson shows that, in the wake of
:05:59. > :06:02.the cast talks failure, the past is still murky and unclear that still
:06:03. > :06:16.has the power to raise issues. -- the Haass talks.
:06:17. > :06:19.Two men and a woman have been in court after flags and banners were
:06:20. > :06:23.damaged at the loyalist protest camp in north Belfast. The three accused
:06:24. > :06:24.were all remanded in custody. Our reporter Mervyn Jess was in the
:06:25. > :06:29.court. The charges arose from an incident
:06:30. > :06:33.early yesterday morning. At the city's Magistrates' Courts, the
:06:34. > :06:39.three defendants appeared separately in the dock. Kerry O'Hara, 20, was
:06:40. > :06:45.charged with damaging banners and flags. She waved and Irish flag with
:06:46. > :06:52.intent to provoke a breach of the peace. Patrick Anthony Quinn, 22
:06:53. > :07:02.years old, was charged with damaging a flag, waving a tricolour and
:07:03. > :07:05.stealing a flag. Sean Highlands was charged with damaging banners,
:07:06. > :07:18.removing flags and banners and waving a tricolour. Bail was opposed
:07:19. > :07:23.for Sean Highlands. This was not a no-go area for police but it was
:07:24. > :07:26.still highly volatile. The district judge told the defender that he
:07:27. > :07:32.should seek accommodation in another hostel, and that he should stay away
:07:33. > :07:35.from the protest camp. The other two defendants were remanded in custody
:07:36. > :07:41.to appear in a week's time. Both lanes of the A1 dual
:07:42. > :07:43.carriageway have been closed between Dromore and Lisburn because of a
:07:44. > :07:54.serious crash involving three vehicles. There are no further
:07:55. > :07:58.details at the moment. One lane of the southbound
:07:59. > :08:01.carriageway is open at the moment. A heart defibrillator has been
:08:02. > :08:04.stolen from an ambulance parked at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry.
:08:05. > :08:08.The Police say the vehicle, which is privately owned, has now been put
:08:09. > :08:12.off the road. Last night its owner reported that two mobile phones and
:08:13. > :08:16.a Sat Nav had also been taken, and there was damage to the driver's
:08:17. > :08:20.window. You're watching BBC Newsline, still
:08:21. > :08:30.to come on the programme: We ask if Flybe's new London route will offer
:08:31. > :08:33.a boost for local business. Preparations began today for road
:08:34. > :08:40.closures for The Giro d'Italia cycle race. Signs have started going up
:08:41. > :08:44.warning motorists of disruption across more than 200 miles of road.
:08:45. > :08:48.The only other time we have seen traffic management on such a large
:08:49. > :08:50.scale was during the G8 summit last year.
:08:51. > :08:53.As BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports, the starting stages of this
:08:54. > :09:04.world renowned event promises to be a challenge for the cyclists and
:09:05. > :09:12.motorists. 17 days to go. The first of 1,700
:09:13. > :09:18.road signs go up. For the Road Service, it is not their usual
:09:19. > :09:23.colour but it is not every day that the Giro d'Italia comes to town.
:09:24. > :09:26.We normally wouldn't put up signs for an event like this but we accept
:09:27. > :09:33.that the public need to be fully informed. We are putting up 1,700 of
:09:34. > :09:39.these posters over the next ten days to give the public plenty of time.
:09:40. > :09:44.Along with last year's G8 summit, this will be the biggest events we
:09:45. > :09:49.have ever had to deal with in Northern Ireland.
:09:50. > :09:58.Day one of the race is from Belfast city centre. Day three is from
:09:59. > :10:03.Armagh to Dublin. For cycling fans, it really is the
:10:04. > :10:07.chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to see some of the best
:10:08. > :10:12.riders in the world. That's what about people who want to avoid it? A
:10:13. > :10:18.road closures are going to be spread over three days. For 200 miles of
:10:19. > :10:23.racing there will be a lot of traffic disruption.
:10:24. > :10:27.You should inform yourselves of the routes if you do not want to see the
:10:28. > :10:33.cycling. Try to give that is wide a birth as possible. But be reassured
:10:34. > :10:43.that emergency services will continue as usual.
:10:44. > :10:49.It is a huge event organised with more than 100,000 spectators
:10:50. > :10:56.expected. The Giro d'Italia of -- always produces some thrills and
:10:57. > :11:05.spills. This is going to be trebled the size
:11:06. > :11:10.of the MTV awards. It promises to be a colourful
:11:11. > :11:23.weekend. But getting around in a car could be an uphill to ask.
:11:24. > :11:27.-- an uphill task. To find out exactly which roads are
:11:28. > :11:30.affected - you can check out the website Trafficwatchni.com. It has a
:11:31. > :11:32.Giro d'Italia section with a full list of road closures, and the times
:11:33. > :11:36.they're shut. Yesterday, we had a report on war
:11:37. > :11:39.graves and a memorial being vandalised at the City Cemetery in
:11:40. > :11:41.Belfast. But it wasn't a one-off attack. Other families whose
:11:42. > :11:44.relatives are buried there say vandalism is a continuing problem
:11:45. > :11:58.with all the graves. Louise Cullen reports.
:11:59. > :12:04.This is my mother-in-law's grave. I went to keep it tidy. You can see
:12:05. > :12:08.the burnt area and where it has been smashed.
:12:09. > :12:19.It is more than 30 years since Victoria Brown varied grandfather.
:12:20. > :12:24.He was buried at the heart of the Troubles.
:12:25. > :12:29.She and her husband have several family members buried at Belfast
:12:30. > :12:34.cemetery. But the graves have been a Peterlee vandalised.
:12:35. > :12:45.We go there to keep the graves tidied. Every time we go there is
:12:46. > :12:48.damage to the graves. I believe that the dead is the dead
:12:49. > :12:54.and they should be left alone and was acted. It is sacred ground. I
:12:55. > :13:02.have had this conversation is 15 years ago, ten years ago, five years
:13:03. > :13:08.ago, last year. I have spoken to all the political parties involved.
:13:09. > :13:13.Nothing has changed. In the last week, war graves and
:13:14. > :13:17.memorials have been vandalised. That is just the latest in a long history
:13:18. > :13:22.of vandalism here at the cemetery. It is thought that most of it is
:13:23. > :13:27.done by young people using the cemetery as a drinking den. The
:13:28. > :13:28.council says that the graves that have been vandalised have not been
:13:29. > :13:46.vandalised before. Cemeteries are very special places.
:13:47. > :13:53.They are places of dignity. When a grave is desecrated it runs against
:13:54. > :13:56.that idea. Communities around the area will be distraught at the idea
:13:57. > :14:01.of any graves being desecrated or vandalised.
:14:02. > :14:09.Graves can be repaired but the family members simply want them to
:14:10. > :14:13.be able to rest in peace. Still ahead on the programme before
:14:14. > :14:18.seven: Why has cafe culture bucked the trend during the economic
:14:19. > :14:21.downturn? Flybe is to resume flights from
:14:22. > :14:27.Belfast City Airport to London this October after signing a five-year
:14:28. > :14:30.deal with London City Airport. Earlier this year, Flybe ended its
:14:31. > :14:42.flight between Belfast city and Gatwick. Our Business and Economics
:14:43. > :14:46.Editor John Campbell reports. Flybe has been an airline
:14:47. > :14:51.experiencing turbulence in recent years. It has had to cut costs,
:14:52. > :14:58.cooker roots and cut jobs, including more than 50 in Belfast. Now it is
:14:59. > :15:01.attempting to revive its fortunes, signing a five-year deal with London
:15:02. > :15:08.City Airport, meaning three flights every day from here. The boss says
:15:09. > :15:13.it is part of a broader strategy. The big idea is boosting regional
:15:14. > :15:18.connectivity, so providing access to the capital for customers in
:15:19. > :15:22.Edinburgh, Belfast, Inverness, Exeter and Dublin. But with
:15:23. > :15:27.competition on the routes to London, how sustainable will it be?
:15:28. > :15:31.When we serve our customers, it is always in one of the top three
:15:32. > :15:35.destinations they wish to see starting, so I am convinced it will
:15:36. > :15:41.be successful. It is a great point-to-point airport. London City
:15:42. > :15:45.Airport is in great proximity to the centre of London. So this route is
:15:46. > :15:51.likely to be attractive to business customers. The airport is in
:15:52. > :15:53.London's financial district and could mean less hassle than an
:15:54. > :16:00.increasingly crowded Heathrow airport. Today's announcement is
:16:01. > :16:06.welcome news for Flybe and Belfast City Airport, but they are facing
:16:07. > :16:10.intense competition from Dublin, which is adding new routes all the
:16:11. > :16:19.time. Flybe will also be flying from Dublin to London City Airport.
:16:20. > :16:23.Seamus Heaney is being celebrated this evening in Dublin. Resident
:16:24. > :16:28.Michael Higgins and international singing star Paul Simon are amongst
:16:29. > :16:33.the guests commemorating the poet at the National concert Hall. A Dublin
:16:34. > :16:38.airport tapestry was unveiled earlier for the poet who died in
:16:39. > :16:46.August last year. It was paid for by a group of the poet's admirers.
:16:47. > :16:50.Now, there's something brewing on our High Streets. You've probably
:16:51. > :16:54.noticed there are more coffee shops than ever. Money may be tight, but
:16:55. > :16:55.the cafe culture has been flourishing. Chris Page has been
:16:56. > :17:19.finding out why. Our caffeinated cravings and know no
:17:20. > :17:23.bounds. Economic hard times might have hit the bridge and Baker, but
:17:24. > :17:28.not the cappuccino maker. Coffee shops have been a growth industry in
:17:29. > :17:32.recent years. Clements is about to open its 13th branch. It was founded
:17:33. > :17:35.by this man 15 years ago and he says there has been a lifestyle
:17:36. > :17:41.revolution, as cafe culture has taken hold. We have taken the place
:17:42. > :17:45.of the licensed premises. Traditionally people will have gone
:17:46. > :17:53.to the pub to meet friends. People now have business meetings in coffee
:17:54. > :18:00.shops, or on dates. It really is a different place for many different
:18:01. > :18:08.people. This street shows just how cafe culture has grown so
:18:09. > :18:11.massively. Let me show you how many coffee shops there are within 100
:18:12. > :18:20.yards of this branch of Clements. There is a Starbucks, cafe rent
:18:21. > :18:25.while, and outlet of Cinnamon, and others. They all seem pretty busy,
:18:26. > :18:30.but is the demand strong enough to sustain this number of shops? A
:18:31. > :18:32.retail expert believes the market is limited, but there is a reason that
:18:33. > :18:39.coffee shops have been proofed against recession. What was
:18:40. > :18:42.interesting is that the survey says there was a low percentage of
:18:43. > :18:51.respondents saying that the recession spending at Mac affected
:18:52. > :18:54.their spending in coffee shops. They might not be buying big investments
:18:55. > :19:00.like a sofa or a holiday, but they do value the smaller things. So our
:19:01. > :19:03.caffeine fuelled lives are fuelling new businesses. Research has shown
:19:04. > :19:07.that compared with the rest of the UK, more people in Northern Ireland
:19:08. > :19:11.were further independent coffee shops to international chains. The
:19:12. > :19:18.owner of this cafe in Belfast are planning to open their second shop.
:19:19. > :19:22.There are markets that we find are not well catered for. We turned
:19:23. > :19:30.business away every day. The larger companies, Starbucks and Nero might
:19:31. > :19:34.have driven the way forward, but once people have got to know all the
:19:35. > :19:40.speciality coffee that is available, they are coming out to look in their
:19:41. > :19:45.own independent areas. From city centres to suburbs, the relentless
:19:46. > :19:47.march of the coffee shop has been a 21st-century phenomenon. It is a
:19:48. > :19:54.good time to be a coffee connoisseur.
:19:55. > :19:58.Wake up and smell the coffee! In this afternoon's sunshine, it would
:19:59. > :20:03.have been lovely to take a walk along a beach, that is if you had
:20:04. > :20:08.access to one. A stretch of coastline in County Down that is
:20:09. > :20:12.always popular is Cranfield Beach, but months after the winter storms,
:20:13. > :20:15.people are angry at the State of it. There is only restricted access,
:20:16. > :20:23.because sections damaged by bad weather had not been Jones reports.
:20:24. > :20:30.We all like to be the height -- beside the seaside. This is Northern
:20:31. > :20:36.Ireland's only South facing beach. But access is restricted at
:20:37. > :20:41.different points. Why? Winter storms and tidal surges. But that happened
:20:42. > :20:47.back in January. We need to get this sorted. We have asked for it to be
:20:48. > :20:50.sorted, and nothing has been done. I expected that it would have been
:20:51. > :20:56.started, but all I know is that a meeting has been called on Monday
:20:57. > :21:03.next Monday coming. Local councillors will be discussing the
:21:04. > :21:06.plan. I understand the position of the caravanners and the people that
:21:07. > :21:13.come here from the general area who come out here for the beach. It has
:21:14. > :21:19.got to be sorted out 30 soon. It is down to funding. You cannot widget
:21:20. > :21:23.for natural erosion, but this is the area's Julian McCrann, and
:21:24. > :21:26.caravanners are not happy. It is dangerous for children. I would like
:21:27. > :21:37.to see this fixed before the summer. You don't have to comb the
:21:38. > :21:41.beach for too long to see the damage caused by the high tide. This ramp
:21:42. > :21:48.is cut in two. There is a hole in the middle. The sea defences took a
:21:49. > :21:54.battering. Bits of wire, this is dangerous. Cranfield is like a
:21:55. > :22:00.village, and it just keeps growing. In the vicinity, you are looking at
:22:01. > :22:04.possibly 1000 caravans, so that is a lot of families and a lot of people
:22:05. > :22:09.coming into the area. It is an important economic driver for our
:22:10. > :22:14.local economy and our local businesses depend on caravan people
:22:15. > :22:19.coming to the area for their survival. The tourist board here is
:22:20. > :22:27.keen to promote Northern Ireland as a place for holidays. The council
:22:28. > :22:36.has its work cut out, with the summer season just a few months
:22:37. > :22:43.away. I think the weather is still a bit
:22:44. > :22:46.cold for a dip in the sea! The weather confused me today. I left
:22:47. > :22:47.the house thinking it was going to be cold and wet, and where big
:22:48. > :22:56.sunshine come from? It was a miserable start, and then
:22:57. > :22:58.the temperature jumped up when the sun came out. But those high
:22:59. > :23:03.temperatures have sparked off a few showers in the last couple of hours,
:23:04. > :23:06.and there have been some thunderstorms as well. If you are
:23:07. > :23:09.thinking about having a barbecue this evening, Steve and I on the
:23:10. > :23:13.clouds, because if you see a dark one coming your way, it could
:23:14. > :23:18.indicate quite a significant downpour. This is how the radar
:23:19. > :23:24.looked a short time ago. We have a cluster of heavy showers in the
:23:25. > :23:29.manner and Tyrone. This narrow line between Dungannon and Armagh is
:23:30. > :23:34.quite intense. The whole lot should gradually drift eastwards, and maybe
:23:35. > :23:39.a little bit towards the North in the next few hours, but otherwise
:23:40. > :23:48.there will be some nice sunsets this evening. Outside the sunsets, there
:23:49. > :23:53.will be some heavy showers, which will drift northwards tonight. The
:23:54. > :23:59.second half of the night will be try and clear. It might be a bit misty
:24:00. > :24:02.in places and quite chilly, especially in rural areas,
:24:03. > :24:08.temperatures dip into three Celsius, so possibly even some frost on the
:24:09. > :24:13.grassed. If you are still on your Easter holidays, you are lucky,
:24:14. > :24:18.otherwise, at 8am tomorrow morning, any missed should have gone and the
:24:19. > :24:22.sun will be shining strongly. You will need the sunglasses in the
:24:23. > :24:26.morning for the drive to work. A good part of Thursday is looking to
:24:27. > :24:35.write Mac and bright with a lot of sunshine around. Temperatures will
:24:36. > :24:39.be similar to today with the odd shower around, but they will be few
:24:40. > :24:43.and far between. And I stay to come tomorrow, and Friday is not looking
:24:44. > :24:50.bad either, so you should be able to get out and enjoy the countryside.
:24:51. > :24:57.Things are going to change. Tomorrow night should stay dry and Friday
:24:58. > :25:05.will be largely dry at least until the afternoon, then in the Atlantic
:25:06. > :25:08.we have an area of low pressure that is coming our way for part of the
:25:09. > :25:15.weekend. Not great news, I know, because it will mean some rain and
:25:16. > :25:20.blustery winds, especially for Saturday. On Saturday, temperature
:25:21. > :25:26.is cool with temperatures dropping to 12 Celsius, and there is a brisk
:25:27. > :25:30.easterly wind for most of us. Sunday will bring some drier weather and a
:25:31. > :25:35.bit of brightness as well. Enjoy the sunshine tomorrow.
:25:36. > :25:42.The headlines: A former IRA member has said that Gerry Adams and Martin
:25:43. > :25:47.McGuinness ordered him to transport explosives to Britain in 1980.
:25:48. > :25:49.Three people have appeared in court charged over an attack on the
:25:50. > :25:54.Loyalist protest camp in North Belfast.
:25:55. > :25:57.And motorists have been warned to expect serious traffic disruption
:25:58. > :26:03.during next month's d'Italia cycle race.
:26:04. > :26:07.Our late summary is at 10:25pm when we will have the latest on the
:26:08. > :26:09.vehicle crash that has closed part of the A1 carriageway between
:26:10. > :26:19.Dromore and Lisbon. We're always keen to get your views
:26:20. > :26:23.on our stories and hear about any issues you would like us to
:26:24. > :26:26.investigate. That is all from BBC Newsline. Thank you for watching and
:26:27. > :26:31.enjoy the rest your evening. Goodbye.