02/05/2014

Download Subtitles

Transcript

:00:10. > :00:14.Good evening. A judge has granted the police more time to detain Gerry

:00:15. > :00:21.Adams. They are questioning him about the murder of Jean McConville

:00:22. > :00:28.in 1972. Our reporter Helen Jones is there.

:00:29. > :00:33.It is understood Gerry Adams appeared in court by video link

:00:34. > :00:40.during a hearing which was held in private. The police could have asked

:00:41. > :00:45.for five more days to question him but the extension for 48 hours was

:00:46. > :00:50.granted by a judge. He voluntarily handed himself to police on

:00:51. > :01:01.Wednesday night. An hour ago, Gerry Adams spoke to the gathered media.

:01:02. > :01:06.There is a growing anger with every hour he spends here.

:01:07. > :01:16.An extension is cold for. I was canvassing last night and the

:01:17. > :01:21.tension is palpable. We cannot lose sight that behind

:01:22. > :01:26.this high-profile case is a family, the family of Jean McConville and

:01:27. > :01:30.they have ever wanted is justice but consistently, Gerry Adams has denied

:01:31. > :01:33.any involvement in her murder. The Deputy First Minister has hinted

:01:34. > :01:37.at a rethink of policing if the detention of Gerry Adams doesn't

:01:38. > :01:40.work out the way Sinn Fein think it should. Martin McGuinness said Sinn

:01:41. > :01:54.Fein will do that in the context of their commitment to peace.

:01:55. > :01:57.This is the image of Gerry Adams his party wants to portray, a peacemaker

:01:58. > :02:03.who has been victimised by what Sinn Fein claims is dark forces,

:02:04. > :02:09.anti-peace and anti-Sinn Fein. As a news conference today, Sinn Fein's

:02:10. > :02:17.most senior figure at Stormont ended his anger that Gerry Adams is facing

:02:18. > :02:21.a third night in police custody. There is a group in the PSNI who

:02:22. > :02:25.have a different agenda, and negative and destructive agenda, to

:02:26. > :02:33.both the peace process and to Sinn Fein. We, under the leadership of

:02:34. > :02:39.Gerry Adams, have no intention whatsoever of allowing these

:02:40. > :02:42.elements to succeed. While he stressed there are progressive

:02:43. > :02:46.elements in the police, Martin McGuinness ended Sinn Fein's support

:02:47. > :02:52.the policing could be affected if the outcome of the current situation

:02:53. > :02:57.was not resolved satisfactorily. We would have to review the situation

:02:58. > :03:01.and we would have to do that in the context of continuing with our very

:03:02. > :03:06.positive and constructive role within what is a vitally important

:03:07. > :03:10.peace process. Earlier the Secretary of State explained by the Prime

:03:11. > :03:12.Minister had telephoned with the First Minister and Deputy first

:03:13. > :03:21.ministers after Gerry Adams's arrest. He is keen to make sure that

:03:22. > :03:24.the reaction to this is a measured one and that Northern Ireland's

:03:25. > :03:28.political leaders continue to work together with the good of Northern

:03:29. > :03:32.Ireland. But the Prime Minister and I appreciate the sensitivity and

:03:33. > :03:39.seriousness of the situation. That is why he was engaging with the

:03:40. > :03:44.first and Debbie First Minister. When did you learn of his arrest? I

:03:45. > :03:49.was told on Monday that it was expected, that he would be

:03:50. > :03:55.questioned in relation to this. I was told by one of my officials who

:03:56. > :04:04.had been informed by the PSNI. What was your response to that? I noted

:04:05. > :04:09.it and obviously started to think through the potential consequences.

:04:10. > :04:12.I ministers may be far apart on policing and Gerry Adams's arrest

:04:13. > :04:17.but they did unite this evening, opening a new stand at Ravenhill.

:04:18. > :04:21.The Belfast mother's remains were found by chance 11 years ago at

:04:22. > :04:24.Shelling Hill Beach in County Louth. As a TD, Gerry Adams now represents

:04:25. > :04:27.that constituency. BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson visited the town of

:04:28. > :04:37.Dundalk today to gauge reaction to misty Adam's arrest.

:04:38. > :04:41.60 miles from the serious crime suite in Antrim, this is where Gerry

:04:42. > :04:47.Adams was supposed to be today, helping a party colleague canvass

:04:48. > :04:50.for this month's elections. A recent opinion poll suggested he was the

:04:51. > :04:55.most popular party leader in the South at the moment. Sinn Fein

:04:56. > :04:59.support here is growing, including amongst young people. Will the

:05:00. > :05:06.arrest of Gerry Adams this week damage the party in the Republic?

:05:07. > :05:09.Probably not that much because everybody and Gerry himself handed

:05:10. > :05:16.him self in so is not that big a deal. I am not sure, I know there is

:05:17. > :05:22.a Sinn Fein society here. More young people are swayed that way, they are

:05:23. > :05:28.not bothered by the past. The arrest of Gerry Adams on Wednesday came too

:05:29. > :05:34.late for the paper in Dundalk but is the story having a big impact on the

:05:35. > :05:38.town? People here have already made up their minds about Gerry Adams and

:05:39. > :05:45.you choose to believe whatever story you want. People have made up their

:05:46. > :05:48.minds. Ten miles from the centre of Dundalk, this is the beach where

:05:49. > :05:54.Jean McConville's body was secretly buried. What happened here on this

:05:55. > :06:00.quiet corner of the coastline more than 40 years ago is still relevant

:06:01. > :06:11.today. A reminder of how the past is casting a shadow on the present.

:06:12. > :06:15.A 47-year-old mild has been charged with possession of explosives with

:06:16. > :06:21.intent to danger life. He is due to appear before court tomorrow

:06:22. > :06:25.morning. It follows the discovery of a substantial amount of explosives

:06:26. > :06:31.in north Belfast yesterday will stop they were found during searches of a

:06:32. > :06:34.flat in the new Lodge area. Rugby now and Ulster have earned a

:06:35. > :06:38.place in the Pro12 play-offs in spite of losing to Leinster by 20-22

:06:39. > :06:42.at Ravenhill. Paddy Jackson opened the scoring for Ulster but were soon

:06:43. > :06:45.down to 14 men once again after Tom Court was given a red card. Earlier

:06:46. > :06:49.there were celebrations as Ravenhill's redeveloped grounds were

:06:50. > :06:52.officially opened. Almost ?17 million was provided by the

:06:53. > :07:03.Executive to build three new stands to increase capacity to 18,000.

:07:04. > :07:06.There are festivals for music, literature and drama but this week

:07:07. > :07:11.the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast rolls them all into one. Not only

:07:12. > :07:26.that, it runs alongside a festival of very foolish acts.

:07:27. > :07:31.On its 15th birthday, the festival which prides itself on having a

:07:32. > :07:38.little bit of anarchy is now fixed in the entertainment calendar. Among

:07:39. > :07:45.the 120 shows, this 70 for-year-old drummer and 72-year-old Martha

:07:46. > :07:49.Reeves are selling well. There is plenty of youthful energy as well

:07:50. > :07:53.like this comedian. She has sold out in the festival has reached its

:07:54. > :08:06.target per ticket sales on only the second day. I talk funny because I

:08:07. > :08:09.come from Canada! It is very affordable and we are in a great

:08:10. > :08:16.location, everybody can get to the city centre. The spread of the

:08:17. > :08:21.festival, it is slightly and kick and people like that. There is no

:08:22. > :08:25.excuse for not being entertained in Belfast whether it is watching acts

:08:26. > :08:31.from across the world in the Festival of fools, or more than 100

:08:32. > :08:42.shows, you are spoiled for choice. The weather is next.

:08:43. > :08:46.It is a bank holiday Monday so there is some ring around but it will not

:08:47. > :08:51.be raining all the time. You will to make the most of the dry gaps. It is

:08:52. > :09:01.dry tonight although generally quite cloudy. Should not drop below 56

:09:02. > :09:16.degrees. To begin with, it will be dry but some drizzle will edge in

:09:17. > :09:21.from the West as the day goes on. This is the area of rain coming in

:09:22. > :09:24.slowly from many parts of Ireland. There is some drier weather behind

:09:25. > :09:31.it so it will dry up again later in the day. Many parts of Britain will

:09:32. > :09:35.get away with a lot of dry weather tomorrow. Some sunshine to,

:09:36. > :09:41.especially in parts of the Midlands and the North of England. Tomorrow

:09:42. > :09:46.our temperatures will be slightly higher than today but not that

:09:47. > :09:49.pleasant but the region around. Some dry weather will come in from the

:09:50. > :09:54.west it tomorrow afternoon and through the evening. On Sunday,

:09:55. > :09:58.there will be some dampness to begin with but it will dry up in the

:09:59. > :10:04.afternoon. A dry start to mandate that some rain and strong winds are

:10:05. > :10:08.likely it in the day. If you are running in the marathon, most of the

:10:09. > :10:13.morning is staying dry with a risk of being in the afternoon.

:10:14. > :10:15.That's it for now. You can keep up-to-date with News Online and

:10:16. > :10:17.follow this programme on Facebook and