:00:00. > :00:00.locating the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, but now on BBC One,
:00:00. > :00:10.it's Hello and welcome to BBC Newsline.
:00:11. > :00:14.95 Republicans who received so called On the Run letters were
:00:15. > :00:17.linked to nearly 300 murders. The revelation was made at a meeting of
:00:18. > :00:19.the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster today. The
:00:20. > :00:23.Chief Constable Matt Baggott stressed that did not mean they are
:00:24. > :00:26.guilty and said they could still be prosecuted if new evidence emerges,
:00:27. > :00:28.or if they were sent a letter by mistake. Our Home Affairs
:00:29. > :00:38.Correspondent Vincent Kearney reports. The focus of the debate has
:00:39. > :00:42.until now been the number of Republicans sent letters telling
:00:43. > :00:48.them they were not wanted by the police. Today details of the number
:00:49. > :00:53.of the potential victims were revealed. The officer who leads the
:00:54. > :00:58.PSNI serious crime branch was asked if any of those would have been
:00:59. > :01:05.considered to be notorious. You look through all of these, the full 228
:01:06. > :01:12.names, there are people in that who are in your terms notorious. 95 of
:01:13. > :01:20.these individuals are linked in some way or another to 200 murder
:01:21. > :01:26.investigations. So that linkage may only be intelligence. That drew this
:01:27. > :01:29.response. I must say it breaks my heart today, as a citizen of
:01:30. > :01:35.Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom to know that 95 people are
:01:36. > :01:40.holding letters that excuse them for the murder of 200 people. But the
:01:41. > :01:44.Chief Constable stressed that did not mean there was evidence to prove
:01:45. > :01:50.those 95 individuals were guilty of murder. I wouldn't say you say say
:01:51. > :01:58.it has cleared people of murders. That is an extreme statement. Mr
:01:59. > :02:03.Harries did say they were links, but not there was evidence there. There
:02:04. > :02:09.may not be grounds to arrest. The PSNI issued a statement to clarify
:02:10. > :02:14.the position. It said the 95 has been linked to incidents involving
:02:15. > :02:18.295 murders and five of those sent letters are now being
:02:19. > :02:27.reinvestigated, because of new evidence provided by the Historical
:02:28. > :02:31.Enquiries Team. That is not clear. We have to go through a process and
:02:32. > :02:35.we have not presented the files to the PPS and it would be for the PPS
:02:36. > :02:41.to take a view on the way the evidence against those individuals
:02:42. > :02:46.and then pursue that, the issue of the status of their not wanted
:02:47. > :02:51.letter. The PSNI is re-examining letters sent to 292 Republicans
:02:52. > :02:54.telling him they were not wanted, to see if mistakes were made and if
:02:55. > :02:58.there is evidence that would change that position. The Chief Constable
:02:59. > :03:07.said letters would not prevent prosecutions if new evidence
:03:08. > :03:14.emerges. A team of 19 detective is reviewing the cases it will take
:03:15. > :03:17.three years. A 56-year-old man arrested earlier today in connection
:03:18. > :03:20.with the abduction and murder of Jean McConville in 1972 has been
:03:21. > :03:23.released. A report has been sent to the Public Prosecution Service. This
:03:24. > :03:26.lunchtime Mrs McConville's family released doves. They also planted a
:03:27. > :03:29.tree in her memory at the Wave Trauma Centre on what would have
:03:30. > :03:38.been the Belfast mother's 80th birthday. I think the tree is a good
:03:39. > :03:44.way of representing my granny, because it will nower in May when it
:03:45. > :03:51.is -- flower in May on her birthday. Students at Queen's University have
:03:52. > :03:54.tonight voted against a proposed ban on the sale of poppies in the
:03:55. > :03:58.Students' Union. 40 voted against banning their sale, while 15 voted
:03:59. > :04:04.in favour of it in a secret ballot. BBC Newsline canvassed opinion
:04:05. > :04:09.earlier today on the motion. I think that is a shame. You see things down
:04:10. > :04:12.in the republic, they are moving forward and the Irish Government are
:04:13. > :04:19.coming to Enniskillen and forward and the Irish Government are
:04:20. > :04:24.take part in remembrance Day and it is a shame. It is not the students'
:04:25. > :04:30.union saying you have to wear it R More and more young people are
:04:31. > :04:36.trying to move on. For someone to bring that up seems very childish in
:04:37. > :04:39.my opinion. An 18-year-old man has been charged with the attempted
:04:40. > :04:42.murder of a man in Lisburn almost two years ago. Scott Vineer was
:04:43. > :04:46.found unconscious by police at the rear of a disused furniture showroom
:04:47. > :04:51.on Laganback Road in September 2012. The man will appear at Lisburn
:04:52. > :04:54.Magistrates court on 2nd June. The Republic's Justice Minister Alan
:04:55. > :04:56.Shatter has resigned, after criticism in a report about Police
:04:57. > :05:08.whistle-blowers. The announcement was made in the Dail this afternoon.
:05:09. > :05:13.Will Leitch reports. I'm advising the president to accept the
:05:14. > :05:18.resignation of Alan Shatter. I have accepted his resignation with regret
:05:19. > :05:23.and would thank him for his service. With that announcement today, ended
:05:24. > :05:27.the career of an Irish Government minister rarely far from
:05:28. > :05:34.controversy. Alan Shatter became a Government minister three years ago
:05:35. > :05:39.in charge of justice and defence. Two bugging scandal, a row over
:05:40. > :05:43.drivers' penalty points and a failure to complete a breath test
:05:44. > :05:45.drivers' penalty points and a for the police kept him in the
:05:46. > :05:49.headlines. He was accused for the police kept him in the
:05:50. > :05:55.interfering with a tribunal looking into the 1989 murder of two RUC
:05:56. > :06:03.offices. The resignation after a report into allegations made by a
:06:04. > :06:10.police whistle blower. The Giro d'Italia cycle race starts in
:06:11. > :06:13.Belfast on Friday. With the professional riders hitting the
:06:14. > :06:16.roads for three days of racing, motorists will face disruption along
:06:17. > :06:17.the route. And in Belfast some schools will be closed. BBC
:06:18. > :06:25.Newsline's Mark Simpson reports. schools will be closed. BBC
:06:26. > :06:30.Right on the route of the Giro, one of the largest schools in east
:06:31. > :06:34.Belfast. With road closures in place in the morning and afternoon on
:06:35. > :06:39.Friday, these pupils have a problem. Specially getting home from school.
:06:40. > :06:46.The solution - most of them will be getting an unexpected day off. It is
:06:47. > :06:50.too much of a risk to ask the girls to come to school if they're not
:06:51. > :06:58.sitting a public exam. Those will come in and we will open up early
:06:59. > :07:05.and provide breakfast. Here is Friday's route.
:07:06. > :07:15.All of these roads will be closed from 9. 30am to 12. 30 and from hpm.
:07:16. > :07:19.Stay away from the route if you're not going see the vent. We have put
:07:20. > :07:23.up pink signs is. Pay attention to not going see the vent. We have put
:07:24. > :07:28.those and look at the leaflets and understand where the race will be.
:07:29. > :07:32.If you want to see the race, make your plans early, understand where
:07:33. > :07:36.you want to get to and it will take some time. Leave plenty of time and
:07:37. > :07:42.use public transport where you can or walk or ride your bike. Bear in
:07:43. > :07:47.mind you can't ride your bike on the route itself. Preparations are now
:07:48. > :07:52.almost complete. There is one thing that cannot guarantee and that is
:07:53. > :07:59.the weather. Fortunately organisers have ordered thousands of those -
:08:00. > :08:03.official waterproofs! Rain or no rain, the Tourist Board are hoping
:08:04. > :08:07.to show off the best sites of Northern Ireland with their latest
:08:08. > :08:12.promotional video. The advice from the Giro organisers is don't try
:08:13. > :08:18.this at home, but make sure you come and see the big race starting on
:08:19. > :08:29.Friday. Now with the weather forecast here's Cecilia Daly. Hello,
:08:30. > :08:33.the unsettled theme continues. We are surrounded by areas of low
:08:34. > :08:37.pressure. Although at the moment there is some dry weather around
:08:38. > :08:42.with some clear skies in the north and east. That won't last through
:08:43. > :08:47.the night as cloudier skies and patchy rain will edge northwards. It
:08:48. > :08:52.starts dry, but the rain will return quickly tomorrow morning. Initially
:08:53. > :08:57.patchy, but becoming more widespread as the morning goes on. Not as windy
:08:58. > :09:03.tomorrow, but there could be a few sharp bursts of rain. A wet start in
:09:04. > :09:08.the Republican of Ireland. That rain will move northward. Fairly cloudy
:09:09. > :09:14.over many parts of England and Wales with more rain than not. For the
:09:15. > :09:17.north of Scotland, brighter, but some heavy showers and thunder
:09:18. > :09:21.storms. For Northern Ireland still weather through early part of
:09:22. > :09:27.afternoon. But the rain edges east and it should become drier and
:09:28. > :09:35.brighter later in the day. Where the sun is out, 14 degrees and not as
:09:36. > :09:39.gusty. Some heavy showers on Thursday night and following that
:09:40. > :09:44.further showers on Friday. As the day goes on the showers will ease
:09:45. > :09:49.and many places will become dry on Friday evening. The rain continues
:09:50. > :09:54.to affect us through weekend. Especially on Saturday. That's it
:09:55. > :09:58.for now. You can keep up to date with News Online and follow this
:09:59. > :10:00.programme on Facebook and Twitter. From BBC Newsline goodnight.