:00:14. > :00:18.A Belfast firm is forced to lay off staff as a direct result
:00:19. > :00:32.A Day Centre in west Belfast is having to close tomorrow because of
:00:33. > :00:33.a bonfire. Message to the frustration of the people who use
:00:34. > :00:37.the centre. I could cry. A new initiative
:00:38. > :00:39.from the loyal Orders in Londonderry on people taking part in parades
:00:40. > :00:42.in the city is broadly welcomed. Why one of our most popular beaches
:00:43. > :00:46.is closed to the public today. It's nearing tee-time for
:00:47. > :00:54.Rory Mcilroy in Kentucky as golf's world number one
:00:55. > :00:57.endeavours to win back to back And the thundery downpours
:00:58. > :00:59.are back tomorrow. We have another heavy rain
:01:00. > :01:01.warning in the forecast. This evening we begin with
:01:02. > :01:17.the threat to jobs as a result One Minister is warning
:01:18. > :01:20.his department faces a shortfall We'll hear from David Ford
:01:21. > :01:23.in a moment. Yesterday the Roads Minister
:01:24. > :01:25.Danny Kennedy warned cuts would effect everything from pothole
:01:26. > :01:27.repairs to fixing street lights. Today a firm with
:01:28. > :01:30.the contract to empty roadside gullies across Northern Ireland,
:01:31. > :01:32.said work was stopping and they're Our Political Reporter Stephen
:01:33. > :01:47.Walker has the story. For 20 years, the Belfast company
:01:48. > :01:53.and have as have been emptying girlies across Northern Ireland. Its
:01:54. > :01:55.deal with government as part of a ?1 million contract and its
:01:56. > :02:08.cancellation means 11 staff will lose their job. -- gullies. We will
:02:09. > :02:13.have two lay them off temporarily until this is resolved. How many
:02:14. > :02:22.staff does this affect? It is somewhere in the region of ten or 11
:02:23. > :02:26.guys. But there could be another 30 families affected by this. In total,
:02:27. > :02:32.40 people will be affected. Absolutely. One of those who is to
:02:33. > :02:38.lose his job is 29-year-old Paul. He has two children and is unsure where
:02:39. > :02:43.he can find work. There is no work out there at the minute. Everywhere
:02:44. > :02:48.is the same. How long have you got left doing this? It could be two
:02:49. > :02:52.weeks of the most, I would say. And then you will be looking for a job.
:02:53. > :02:56.weeks of the most, I would say. And Yeah, that's me done. Today's news
:02:57. > :03:02.comes after Danny Kennedy announced that services like streetlight
:03:03. > :03:11.repair and roadworks were all being cut. MLS have government contracts
:03:12. > :03:15.to cut grass and spray weeds. . Those who represent contractors say
:03:16. > :03:21.they are not surprised by today's news. It is a sense of we told you
:03:22. > :03:24.so. We have been warning for a long time that they would be further job
:03:25. > :03:30.losses in the construction industry if these cuts went ahead. Just to
:03:31. > :03:34.remind listeners, the construction industry in Northern Ireland has
:03:35. > :03:37.lost some 26,000 jobs during this recession. At a time when we are
:03:38. > :03:40.beginning to see the economy recovering, we are beginning to play
:03:41. > :03:46.a very important part in that recovery. This is very bad news.
:03:47. > :03:49.Tonight, a spokesperson for the Department of regional developments
:03:50. > :03:54.and unfortunately this serves to demonstrate what Danny Kennedy has
:03:55. > :03:58.warned about. The spokesperson also said the impact of the shortfall
:03:59. > :04:08.will haven't impact upon the lives of real people. Away from the talk
:04:09. > :04:12.of budget cuts, this is the human face of departmental cuts. Just 24
:04:13. > :04:21.hours after Danny Kennedy's announcement, these workers are now
:04:22. > :04:25.looking for a new job. Justice Minister, David Ford, claims
:04:26. > :04:31.his department is also facing significant cuts. He is blaming Sinn
:04:32. > :04:36.Fein and the DGP's deadlock over welfare reform. Court delays could
:04:37. > :04:37.be among the area facing cutbacks although the final breakdown isn't
:04:38. > :04:40.due until later this month. Is it not better to have health
:04:41. > :05:16.and education protected? Sinn Fein had been obstructing us
:05:17. > :05:20.over reform, being... World comes down to it, if you feel that it is
:05:21. > :05:24.so dysfunctional that departments are being protected that don't need
:05:25. > :05:28.to be, why don't walk away? What I'm doing at the moment is looking at
:05:29. > :05:33.the exact effects on the of Justice. I had a meeting a fortnight
:05:34. > :05:37.ago with various bodies looking at prisons, probation, youth Justice,
:05:38. > :05:41.the courts and all the other bodies. People have been asked to report by
:05:42. > :05:45.the end of the weekends to the effect of cuts this year and next
:05:46. > :05:49.year. I made it clear that I would go back to the executive if I did
:05:50. > :05:52.not believe we can properly protect the people of Northern Ireland,
:05:53. > :05:55.whether it be supervision of offenders or police officers on the
:05:56. > :05:59.streets. The police did issue a statement this afternoon saying
:06:00. > :06:03.their immediate priority is to keep people safe. They seem confident
:06:04. > :06:07.that any country - budget cuts will not impact on safety. The police
:06:08. > :06:12.constable told the board at the beginning of July that cuts of 2.9%
:06:13. > :06:20.would seriously impact on keeping the public safe and the recruitment
:06:21. > :06:23.of new offices. We are currently facing 4.4% cuts by October,
:06:24. > :06:26.possibly worse, if there is more protection for health and education.
:06:27. > :06:31.What is the answer to all of this? We've had wrangling with Danny
:06:32. > :06:38.Kennedy. What is the solution? Danny Kennedy is losing the 2% cut, the
:06:39. > :06:40.same as other people, but is getting over ?30 million allocated in the
:06:41. > :06:50.spending round. I'm getting the biggest cut of all and ?500,000
:06:51. > :06:54.extra. There are big differences. Sinn Fein should accept reality and
:06:55. > :07:00.stop blocking welfare reform. That UUP should also stop pandering to
:07:01. > :07:02.their whims. When there is no justification for this proposal and
:07:03. > :07:40.then they vote for it, and we will then be looking closely
:07:41. > :07:44.at over the next weeks in the Department of Justice.
:07:45. > :07:47.A day centre for vulnerable adults in west Belfast is to close tomorrow
:07:48. > :07:49.due to safety concerns over a nearby bonfire.
:07:50. > :07:51.The anti-internment bonfire is in the Beechmount area.
:07:52. > :07:53.At a separate bonfire, in the lower Falls, two teenagers
:07:54. > :07:56.were arrested after a petrol bomb was thrown as contractors removed
:07:57. > :08:14.This is how close the bonfire is to the day centre. And fears for the
:08:15. > :08:22.safety of those using the building mean it is going to shut down
:08:23. > :08:26.tomorrow for the day. We have a disabled facility here. It is being
:08:27. > :08:32.used as a run through to being bonfire were dubbed the bonfire. It
:08:33. > :08:37.has been going on all summer long. Now we are being forced to close.
:08:38. > :08:40.I'm very angry. I'm angry because my daughter has to go through that
:08:41. > :08:45.every day, along with all the other people who are there. They are not
:08:46. > :08:50.able to do it. How does that make you feel personally? I am so
:08:51. > :08:54.frustrated I could cry. The centre helps some of the most vulnerable
:08:55. > :08:58.people living in this part of Belfast. Tomorrow's closure will
:08:59. > :09:03.cause disruption but the letters are sent to parents this week makes it
:09:04. > :09:08.clear. It will be for one day only. The MP for the area has been talking
:09:09. > :09:12.to young people about the bonfire and its impact on the local
:09:13. > :09:17.community. I would urge them to dismantle this. I would urge them to
:09:18. > :09:21.allow the services to come and clear this would away. I would urge them
:09:22. > :09:35.not to like this bonfire tomorrow night. Have a have been built in
:09:36. > :09:37.West Belfast. Minor trouble broke out this morning when contractors
:09:38. > :09:42.under police guard removed parts out this morning when contractors
:09:43. > :09:46.a bonfire here. A petrol bomb was thrown. A 19-year-old and a
:09:47. > :09:52.13-year-old were later arrested. They have since been released on
:09:53. > :09:56.police bail. Back at the day centre, the gates are now closed. But the
:09:57. > :10:01.bonfire is still there. It is due to be lit tomorrow night but the day
:10:02. > :10:01.centre should reopen on Monday, as long
:10:02. > :10:19.Why one of our most popular beaches was close to the public today. We
:10:20. > :10:23.are helping the economy. There are people who are maybe on a holiday,
:10:24. > :10:28.appear for a day and they cannot get onto the beach.
:10:29. > :10:30.A set of guidelines have been proposed
:10:31. > :10:35.The initiative from the loyal orders in Londonderry has been welcomed by
:10:36. > :10:38.unionist and nationalist politicians and the Parades Commission.
:10:39. > :10:40.Members of the loyal orders and bands are now being consulted
:10:41. > :10:56.The August parades to mark the 17th century siege of dairy is one of the
:10:57. > :11:07.most significant events of the season. -- Derry. The city is often
:11:08. > :11:12.held up as a model of how disputes can be resolved. Now, series of
:11:13. > :11:19.proposals have been published. They are calling it the maiden city
:11:20. > :11:23.accords. The document states that organisers must contact
:11:24. > :11:27.representatives from places of worship. It also says leaders should
:11:28. > :11:34.actively discourage the consumption of alcohol and that marchers should
:11:35. > :11:41.refrain from any swarm - form of antagonism. There are perceptions of
:11:42. > :11:55.parading which are not accurate. This is laid bare.
:11:56. > :12:00.So far, the marching season has passed off without any major
:12:01. > :12:01.incidents but there is still no agreement among political parties on
:12:02. > :12:07.a parading framework, agreement among political parties on
:12:08. > :12:10.last winter failed to produce a deal. The Orange
:12:11. > :12:11.last winter failed to produce a body says the accord isn't
:12:12. > :12:15.necessarily a blueprint for other body says the accord isn't
:12:16. > :12:18.areas but the grand Lodge says it will study the effects of the
:12:19. > :12:23.initiative and take on board any lessons. The DGP says there should
:12:24. > :12:35.not be a one size fits all approach. I think it is a good solution for
:12:36. > :12:40.the local area. I don't think it is necessarily a template that should
:12:41. > :12:43.simply be lifted and then rubber-stamped elsewhere. The
:12:44. > :12:48.Nationalist party say they hope the initiative will help to open up
:12:49. > :12:53.others. I particularly welcome the respectful way in which the accord
:12:54. > :12:59.says that Mannesmann and lodges should be respectful of church and
:13:00. > :13:03.chip properties and church services. I think that is a very
:13:04. > :13:10.important step forward. It is not a panacea. Everybody understands that
:13:11. > :13:14.this is about local agreements and this is an example of what a local
:13:15. > :13:19.agreement can do. I hope that we can expand that conversation. The
:13:20. > :13:24.parades commission has also welcomed the accord. In a statement, the
:13:25. > :13:36.commission has described it as an imaginative initiative. The former
:13:37. > :13:44.chief constable was taking part in a west Belfast Festival event and
:13:45. > :13:50.spoke about the ATT. It was my idea. I set it up because it was important
:13:51. > :13:54.to try and create an organisation that gave families some hope that we
:13:55. > :13:58.were determined to give them for more information than they had had
:13:59. > :14:03.before. What I learnt today, of course, was it would work for some
:14:04. > :14:04.people. It clearly wasn't the overall solution to deal with
:14:05. > :14:09.Northern Ireland's troubled history. Holiday makers in Portstewart have
:14:10. > :14:12.had more than ice cream and rock They have had
:14:13. > :14:16.the unique opportunity to spy on the making of the worldwide hit
:14:17. > :14:18.series, the Game of Thrones. On the downside,
:14:19. > :14:21.no one has been able to get onto Our arts correspondent,
:14:22. > :14:30.Maggie Taggart has been to see It is peak time for tourism here
:14:31. > :14:37.that if you have come to sample the sea and the sand, there is no
:14:38. > :14:39.chance. The National Trust has rented it out to the makers of the
:14:40. > :14:43.programme. They will not say how much they were paid, only that it
:14:44. > :14:50.will go into the budget for running the properties. The beach was closed
:14:51. > :14:53.yesterday and today. This path is normally the access to the beach but
:14:54. > :14:57.as you can see, they have put up a new fence which is blocking people
:14:58. > :15:01.from getting at it. You can quite clearly see through it. You can see
:15:02. > :15:11.the trucks, the generators and the horses. Pads nearby have been
:15:12. > :15:19.thronged with dog what girls and sightseers curious for a glimpse of
:15:20. > :15:24.the action. The bad side is that there are people on holiday pay for
:15:25. > :15:30.today you cannot get onto the beach. I suppose it is only for two days.
:15:31. > :15:36.If it had have been for longer, that would be different. Personally, I
:15:37. > :15:42.feel that people are paying for it. It is The National Trust and people
:15:43. > :15:47.are paying for it. They should have a chance to walk on it. Two years
:15:48. > :15:53.ago in the same Coleraine Council area, the beach was hired to fill
:15:54. > :16:01.these scenes in Game Of Thrones. The area is reaping the benefit now. It
:16:02. > :16:04.is now a far more renowned beach. And so the exposure we have got
:16:05. > :16:10.through the filming in the area has a significant tourism benefit which
:16:11. > :16:18.is beneficial locally. Tourism officials are delighted at the
:16:19. > :16:21.interest. This is the first time we have seen people coming to the
:16:22. > :16:25.ground is looking to do Game Of Thrones tools. We have more people
:16:26. > :16:28.on the website looking for it, we have a map which we have actively
:16:29. > :16:34.print because it is so popular. This is the first season we have had an
:16:35. > :16:39.idea of how impact full Game Of Thrones is. It is not quite possible
:16:40. > :16:46.to see exactly what is going on in the sand dunes. All will become
:16:47. > :16:48.clear when CDs five is screened. -- series five.
:16:49. > :16:51.Once they've filmed it, we need something to watch it on, and
:16:52. > :16:54.Modern tablet computers are everywhere,
:16:55. > :16:57.even though just a few years ago you'd hardly have seen one.
:16:58. > :16:59.Almost half of households in Northern Ireland now own one.
:17:00. > :17:03.Along with Wales, we have the highest levels
:17:04. > :17:07.The figures come in an annual report by the media regulator Ofcom,
:17:08. > :17:21.Any spare moment and the screens are out and focus of our attention. In
:17:22. > :17:24.any waiting room, you can see how the generations divide. It is the
:17:25. > :17:30.younger ones more likely to embrace a mobile lifestyle. Now Ofcom's
:17:31. > :17:36.report suggests we could be taking our love of tablet computers to
:17:37. > :17:41.extremes. Adults in the UK spend an average of over eight hours on media
:17:42. > :17:44.devices, longer than a night's sleep. Almost half of homes in
:17:45. > :17:49.Northern Ireland have a tablet computer. They are everywhere. I
:17:50. > :17:57.might have memorised that or I could have been reading it from my iPad of
:17:58. > :18:02.the camera there. One into households have some form of tablet
:18:03. > :18:07.computer. That is amazing because a couple of years ago that did not
:18:08. > :18:11.happen. Smartphones were not around until the last three or four years.
:18:12. > :18:15.55% of consumers have a smartphone and they are using it more and more
:18:16. > :18:22.to go online win on the move. People do not sit on a desk -- at a desk in
:18:23. > :18:25.the way they once did. Some youngsters have been at this camp,
:18:26. > :18:29.learning how to write programmes and learning to write a career -- to
:18:30. > :18:35.begin a career using this technology. We'll have gadgets,
:18:36. > :18:40.mobile phones and tablets. What this is about is to encourage young
:18:41. > :18:48.people to become creators of content and apps. That is well the jobs are
:18:49. > :18:52.in the industry. We have plans to employ another 20,000 in the next
:18:53. > :18:57.ten years. It is pretty exciting to put it on a tablet and see it and
:18:58. > :19:03.have to debug it and go through the whole programme and see he's an app
:19:04. > :19:08.is developed. This is the future and this is where the jobs are. It is
:19:09. > :19:13.helpful and good for socialising, medicine, everything. This is the
:19:14. > :19:18.future. For all that, we spend less time online in the UK average. About
:19:19. > :19:23.three hours a week less, but it has not stopped our love of gadgets.
:19:24. > :19:26.More mobile devices, more pay-TV, more internet connectivity. Whether
:19:27. > :19:32.it is simply part of our or a potential career opportunity,
:19:33. > :19:39.digital technology is playing an ever bigger part in the way we live.
:19:40. > :19:41.Ulster Bank is selling the loans attached to Belfast's high
:19:42. > :19:46.It doesn't mean the hotel is being sold but it will put its future
:19:47. > :19:51.It's part of a wider move by Ulster Bank to reduce its involvement
:19:52. > :19:55.With the details, here's our economics and
:19:56. > :20:07.The 5-star merchant plays an important part of Ireland's
:20:08. > :20:09.hospitality industry. It was key to the regeneration of the Cathedral
:20:10. > :20:15.Quarter and attracts high spending tourists. It was developed using
:20:16. > :20:16.Ulster Bank loans. As part of the bank's restructuring, it is
:20:17. > :20:20.retreating bank's restructuring, it is
:20:21. > :20:24.commercial property business, mainly by selling loans to other lenders.
:20:25. > :20:27.That is what is happening with him in action. It creates uncertainty
:20:28. > :20:35.but it is basically business as usual. It is important to be clear
:20:36. > :20:38.that the Merchant Hotel is not up for sale. What is happening is part
:20:39. > :20:44.of a much wider exercise by our banks to Die Welt which -- to remove
:20:45. > :20:56.themselves from the loans sector which we had during the bone -- boom
:20:57. > :21:02.period. Not all of the loans are being sold as there are borrowings
:21:03. > :21:06.with other banks. Once upon a time, Ulster Bank's headquarters were in
:21:07. > :21:12.this building, which is now the merchant. Ulster Bank's parent
:21:13. > :21:16.company, RBS, has said that challenging targets to get rid of
:21:17. > :21:22.all is boom time property lending is important. It has made good progress
:21:23. > :21:24.but is now beginning to pick up the pace.
:21:25. > :21:27.Day one of golf's final major of the year is under way
:21:28. > :21:30.and the world number one is just out on the course.
:21:31. > :21:32.Mark Sidebottom's here with this evening's sport.
:21:33. > :21:39.Rory McIlroy is the raging hot favourite for the
:21:40. > :21:42.US PGA, he's chasing back-to-back majors and he teed off just
:21:43. > :21:48.He will play alongside the two other major winners of 2014,
:21:49. > :21:58.The 25-year-old looked very relaxed as he practiced ahead of his round.
:21:59. > :22:01.This outstanding tee-shot from Padraig Harrington was
:22:02. > :22:07.He played alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
:22:08. > :22:19.He finished two over par. Graeme McDowell is too over late in his
:22:20. > :22:21.round. Darren Clarke tees off in about half an hour.
:22:22. > :22:24.Ulster's former Directory of Rugby David Humphreys has today broken
:22:25. > :22:26.his silence for the first time since his shock depature from Ravenhill
:22:27. > :22:32.A constant at Ravenhill for over two decades as
:22:33. > :22:34.a player and administrator, as Gavin Andrews reports, Humphreys felt the
:22:35. > :22:47.As a player, David Humphreys delivered when it mattered. To the
:22:48. > :22:54.new side of the field. Humphreys... delivered when it mattered. To the
:22:55. > :22:58.The European cup when our dedicated 22 years of his life to Ulster. His
:22:59. > :23:07.exit from Ravenhill, though, should not, as such a surprise. I was not
:23:08. > :23:10.looking to leave. But when I look back as a player, there were a
:23:11. > :23:15.number of opportunities to play elsewhere. It is not that I ever
:23:16. > :23:20.regret not leaving, but at this stage, I knew when I decided to
:23:21. > :23:22.remain a professional sport, that at some point in my future and my
:23:23. > :23:26.family and I would have to move away. This is a fast opportunity
:23:27. > :23:31.that has come along that I felt was a good fit for me and my family. It
:23:32. > :23:36.is a club I am excited to be part of. And our venue in King 's home
:23:37. > :23:44.that is not far out of his comfort zone. So much in Gloucester is the
:23:45. > :23:48.same as what I have come from. It is a club rooted in the community with
:23:49. > :23:54.a huge identity in the area. Those are things that are
:23:55. > :23:56.a huge identity in the area. Those quantify. The question Ulster fans
:23:57. > :24:06.will be asking, can the team he left behind do the same? David Humphreys
:24:07. > :24:07.breaks his silence. On a similar theme, all is quiet in County
:24:08. > :24:08.Armagh. The build up to
:24:09. > :24:10.Saturday?s All-Ireland football quarterfinal double header in
:24:11. > :24:12.Croke Park, which sees Armagh meet Donegal and Monaghan take on Dublin,
:24:13. > :24:14.has been low key. So low key in fact that no-one in
:24:15. > :24:18.the Armagh camp is saying anything. Thomas Niblock is live in the
:24:19. > :24:32.cathedral city with a lone voice. There has been a little bit of talk.
:24:33. > :24:36.Not from the Armagh manager or players. The media ban has been in
:24:37. > :24:40.place following that role in the Ulster Championship. There has been
:24:41. > :24:49.some chatting to local newspapers but very little, and that media ban
:24:50. > :24:57.remains in place. They have already won the league. Their manager is
:24:58. > :25:00.here and formerly played for Armagh. We're watching the team warm up
:25:01. > :25:05.before their match. Congratulations, they have won the league. But for
:25:06. > :25:09.Armagh, media ban, farcical situation when a press conference
:25:10. > :25:14.was called at Croke Park and then cancelled this week. As it almost
:25:15. > :25:20.become a distraction? May be. It served a purpose to begin with.
:25:21. > :25:25.There... The punishment maybe didn't fit the crime after the cover my
:25:26. > :25:29.game. -- the punishment. The situation we had in the week was
:25:30. > :25:34.farcical. Maybe now it is a bigger distraction that has ever been. It
:25:35. > :25:39.is almost take on -- taken on a life of its own. In some respects, could
:25:40. > :25:49.it be the classic smoke screen? I suppose it is. I don't think it was
:25:50. > :25:52.an accident. I think it was a smoke screen as far as Donegal were
:25:53. > :25:58.concerned. Taking the focus away from the game. Nobody is actually
:25:59. > :26:04.talking about the game. Donegal to win? Armagh to win? Donegal to edge
:26:05. > :26:10.it, but this Armagh team have progressed game by game. The big
:26:11. > :26:20.thing about Armagh is that they will not fair Donegal. If only I were a
:26:21. > :26:26.two trick pony! Time for the weather.
:26:27. > :26:28.More rain in the forecast but a lot of us had reasonably dry weather
:26:29. > :26:33.today. It was not perfect, some showers kicking about. One or two
:26:34. > :26:39.porky ones about at the moment. Not a bad evening, but it will stay dry
:26:40. > :26:43.for the first half of the night. In the early hours, rain moves up from
:26:44. > :26:46.the south and that is a thing start tomorrow morning. Initially, most of
:26:47. > :26:51.the rain in the east but we expect heavy showers just about anywhere
:26:52. > :26:57.tomorrow. A weather warning has been issued. That is from six o'clock
:26:58. > :27:01.tomorrow morning. It is in a number of areas. Plenty of rain in the rush
:27:02. > :27:07.hour tomorrow morning. Some of that torrential and fund only. It could
:27:08. > :27:11.lead to destruction with local flooding in places. If you're
:27:12. > :27:16.travelling tomorrow morning, it would be wise to give yourself extra
:27:17. > :27:19.time. The rain is probably more patchy and try across parts of the
:27:20. > :27:28.West and it is from the west we will see drier weather eventually moving
:27:29. > :27:31.in. It improves in the afternoon. Still some showers, but upright and
:27:32. > :27:37.try end to the day in many places. Friday night should be try. One to
:27:38. > :27:41.feel a sharp showers, but hopefully not too bad for the Festival of
:27:42. > :27:51.light, which is on this weekend in Newcastle. -- Festival of Flight.
:27:52. > :27:55.The most likely areas to be affected will be Southern and eastern areas
:27:56. > :28:00.of England. That is where heavy rain and unusually windy weather will be
:28:01. > :28:03.on Sunday. Northern Ireland, yes, sharp showers over the weekend but
:28:04. > :28:06.at least it will not be as bad as parts of southern Britain and will
:28:07. > :28:11.be dry and sunny gaps as well. Thank you. Join me for the late summary at
:28:12. > :28:13.10:25 p.m.. Enjoy your evening. Goodbye.