19/05/2016 BBC Newsline


19/05/2016

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Tonight's top story - major developments at Stormont

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as the SDLP say they will not be joining the Executive

:00:17.:00:22.

and the Alliance say their key demands have been rejected.

:00:23.:00:29.

The SDLP is tonight announcing that we will go into opposition to form a

:00:30.:00:37.

constructive opposition to the main party Executive. I'm not in a

:00:38.:00:41.

position to make a recommendation to the Alliance Party cancel this

:00:42.:00:43.

evening that we should nominate a Justice Minister.

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We'll be bringing you all the latest news and analysis.

:00:46.:00:49.

Why elderly residents may have to move 30 miles

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because of the closure of a church-run care home.

:00:53.:00:59.

I would be sorry if I was pushed away somewhere else.

:01:00.:01:03.

An arson attack on a Baptist church in County Down -

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the pastor says the community is stunned by the incident.

:01:07.:01:09.

How fears over security in France have halted a cross-community school

:01:10.:01:12.

A solid round at the K Club leaves tournament host Rory McIlroy

:01:13.:01:18.

very well placed after day one of the Irish Open.

:01:19.:01:22.

And the changing weather theme continues -

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I'll be back with the latest forecast.

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Stormont politics has been reshaped today as a second major party

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announced they would not be taking their seat at

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The SDLP expressed disappointment at the planned programme

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for government, but the First and Deputy First Ministers accused

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the party of slavishly following the Ulster Unionists to opposition.

:01:51.:01:55.

Then Alliance confirmed they aren't willing to take the Justice Ministry

:01:56.:01:58.

after their demands for reform were rejected.

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So could the DUP and Sinn Fein govern on their own?

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Or might the Secretary of State be forced to call a fresh election?

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Our Political Editor Mark Devenport is at Stormont.

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Quite the dramatic afternoon. Absolutely, it has had me scurrying

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around some of the reference books in the Assembly line library to try

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and find a precedent. We have the clock ticking down towards

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Wednesday, which is the last day we have to have a raft of ministers

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appointed, if we are not going to have the Secretary of State calling

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a fresh election. It has been clear for some time that the SDLP was as

:02:40.:02:45.

unhappy as the Ulster Unionist Party becoming junior partners in the

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power-sharing Executive but we have had deep unhappiness from the

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Alliance, who have put forward petitions are concerned about

:02:57.:02:59.

aspects of the Stormont system but seemed to get it all thrown back in

:03:00.:03:03.

their face, so we are looking at the real prospect of a 2-party

:03:04.:03:07.

coalition, even though it isn't entirely clear how the DUP and Sinn

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Fein will solve the problems surrounding the sensitive Justice

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portfolio. And the MacLaverty reports on a day which has included

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some unexpected twists and turns. It has been a high back or delete

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later day of high drama at Stormont. The SDLP is announcing that we will

:03:28.:03:33.

go into opposition to conform a constructive opposition to the

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Executive. The SDLP's decision to quit the Executive came after a day

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of hard talking at Stormont Castle. It had been clear over the last

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number of days that the party was getting ready to turn its back on

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government. That decision was rubber-stamped after a meeting with

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the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. We are very

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disappointed with the approach that has been adopted. We have tried time

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and again and have met as many departments and departmental

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officials as we possibly can. But that wasn't the only surprise as the

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first and Deputy First Minister tried to find a new Justice

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Minister. And the first candidate through the door was the Green party

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leader Stephen Agnew. We were invited to put forward our views on

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what we would like to see in a future programme if we were to

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consider taking up the Justice Ministry. Next up was the

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Independent Unionist MLA Claire Sugden. She stepped out without

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giving too much away. Then it was the turn of the Alliance delegation,

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led by former justice Minister David Forde. But they were in and out in

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less than ten minutes. But there was no sign of panic among those they

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left behind in the room. We are in control, we know exactly what we are

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doing, and we are very confident that come next Wednesday, the hunt

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will be run in the Assembly. Ministers will be appointed and the

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Executive will meet on Thursday. We are very clear that we both campaign

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to be in government, and others didn't campaign in such a clear way

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and we are seeing the fallout over that over the past few days. We are

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clear that we are going to be in government, there will be an

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Executive in place by the end of next Wednesday and we are also very

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clear that it will meet next Thursday. Arlene Foster and Martin

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McGuinness may be clear on what they expect to happen next, but they may

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have to plan for an Executive without the Alliance Party.

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Following the exchange of papers and in particular a brief meeting which

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we had with the First Minister and deputy First Minister this

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afternoon, I am not in a position to make a recommendation to the

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Alliance Party cancel this evening that we should nominate a Justice

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Minister. Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster are no closer this

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evening to finding a Justice Minister, but they do know who else

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will be joining them around the Executive table.

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Well, the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who made that

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announcement within the last hour, joins me now from Stormont.

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Mr Eastwood, what was the deal-breaker, why couldn't you go

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into government? Well, it is very clear that this is a very important

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day for the SDLP, but equally, it is a very important paper this process

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and our politics. We know what a big decision this was because

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nationalism, for decades, spent all that time in opposition, but we

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can't go into a government that continues with the old ways when we

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have such a new mandate, new ideas, new policies and new politics. We

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wanted to seek a programme for government, as we said throughout

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the election, that would reach those people left behind, reach those

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areas left behind and deal with all of the systemic problems we have in

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our economy. What were you looking for specifically that you didn't

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get? Well, we wanted to see investment in infrastructure,

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investment in higher education, investment in apprenticeships, in

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education, but also an attempt by this government to do things

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differently. It is absolutely clear that the DUP and Sinn Fein have no

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intention to do things differently, they don't want to put a programme

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of government to the people that will have actions, that will have

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implementation and thinks they can be held accountable to. We have no

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interest in putting out a programme for government that talks about a

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healthier society, more jobs, blue sky and greener grass, we want to

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see action. People told us very clearly, all of us, that they want

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to see change. We were proposing change and no one wanted to

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negotiate back. Is this not a case of the UUP putting you on the back

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foot and forcing your hand? No, the SDLP has a mandate from our own

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electorate. We told the electorate, we told the media, we would go in

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and negotiate hard for a programme for government and it is now very

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clear that we cannot achieve that. You only negotiated for a week, Mr

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Eastwood. The DUP and Sinn Fein today told us it was their process

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or no process. We are not signing up to a process that does not involve

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actions and interventions to economy and society that will turn this

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place around. We need to see a new type of politics. We have a new

:08:22.:08:24.

mandate with new people and new ideas and we are not prepared to be

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sucked into the old ways of doing business. That is clear that is what

:08:28.:08:32.

is going to happen. The DUP and Sinn Fein are offering the Justice

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Ministry to everyone they can find. We want to see different politics

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that ends the failure of the last nine years. Is this what your

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supporters wanted, to have all of the power go to the DUP and Sinn

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Fein? No, they wanted us to stand up and fight for them, to make a change

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of the type of politics we have seen here for far too long. That is why

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we went into this negotiation, we met with the head of the civil

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service a number of times, almost every department we could meet with,

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we put in papers, I don't see any other party doing that, to bring

:09:06.:09:09.

about a programming government with actions and implementations and

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thinks we can be held at count -- to account for. The DUP and Sinn Fein

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did not want to do that. We will former constructive, positive

:09:20.:09:23.

opposition. Just briefly, what does that mean, a constructive opposition

:09:24.:09:30.

mean? It means we won't oppose things for opposition's sake, we

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will put forward ideas and plans on some of those ideas will be based

:09:34.:09:36.

around how we make this Assembly work better because I think people

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have lost confidence in this Assembly. We want to see it more

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accountable, holding the Executive to account. That is what we will do,

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support the good things the Executive does but hold them to

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account when it does wrong and put forward positive ideas to change

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society because I think that is what people want to see happen. Thank you

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for joining us. And we will hear from Mark Davenport again before the

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end of the programme. Still to come...

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Nearly half of the people claiming unemployment benefits have been

:10:07.:10:09.

without a job for a year or more, but there are signs that things are

:10:10.:10:10.

looking up. Join me in Newton Abbey. Elderly residents at a Londonderry

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care home have called on the Presbyterian Church not

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to shut it down. The church wants to close it,

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along with another home in Portrush. They say both places were built

:10:25.:10:27.

in the 19th century and can't be updated, so they want to move almost

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40 residents More than 60 staff are

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affected by the proposal. Here's our north-west

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reporter, Keiron Tourish. Ard Cluan on Limavady Road has been

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operating since 1971 and, over that time, residents say it has

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been like a home from home. But the 13 elderly people who live

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there may be forced to move to a different home

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almost 30 miles away. The Presbyterian Church has proposed

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to close this facility and another home in Portrush,

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which has 26 residents, and transfer everyone

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to a refurbished 50-bedroom I'd be very disappointed if we had

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to leave and go away so far. I didn't realise what they were

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talking about. They were crying. I said, "What are you crying for?" I

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thought something had happened to them. But I realise now. You

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couldn't get any better anywhere. You can put that into smart words,

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if you like, but the staff are all lovely. And caring. You know, they

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are not ordinarily, they are caring staff. Our home in Londonderry and

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at home import rush are fast becoming untenable. For many years,

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they were first-class facilities but now we need to move to first-class

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facilities and the Garver home gives us that opportunity. I know there

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are only 30 miles separating them, but they are not 30 easy miles and

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in the winter, it will be difficult journeys for staff and relatives, so

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I am observing the impact it will have, it is heart-wrenching.

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Politicians and the trade unions have called for urgent meetings

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with the Presbyterian Church to try and get this decision reversed.

:12:44.:12:46.

They say any possible closure and relocation would cause massive

:12:47.:12:49.

A church in County Down says its congregation will have

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to meet elsewhere after an arson attack on its building.

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against Rathfriland Baptist Church last night.

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The church's pastor says the attack has stunned the local community

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and it will be weeks before they able to hold services

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The clear up work at this church will take weeks, but it could have

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been much worse, had a passer-by not noticed this fire last night and

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alerted the emergency services. These tyres were already in the

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church grounds and shortly after 11 o'clock last night, they were moved

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against the side of the building and set on fire. The church says the

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damage caused means the building won't be able to used -- be used for

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several weeks. The pastor says there is good community relations here and

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there has been very little anti-social behaviour in the past.

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It is a very peaceful community here, a lovely place to live, a

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great town and like I say, it is not something we expected at all. It is

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totally out of character and out of keeping in the area. It is an attack

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on the Lord and an attack on the Gospel. We are just here to preach

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the gospel and we will continue to do that in spite of the fire. It has

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taken the whole community by surprise, we are all shocked, but

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community will rally around the church, I popped in to see the

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pastor to show solidarity and I think that will happens in the weeks

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ahead. Despite the quick response from the fire service, church

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leaders say significant damage has been caused to this place of

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worship. A meeting due to take place here today was held in a

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neighbouring church and Sunday services are likely to be held at

:14:40.:14:42.

the local high school until the repair work is completed. Meanwhile,

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this morning, it was reported to police that Windows and an internal

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door have been damaged in an attack on Enniskillen Baptist Church.

:14:53.:14:55.

Police are appealing for information about both incidents.

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The majority of the 870 staff losing their jobs at the JTI

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in Ballymena are walking out through the factory gates

:15:03.:15:05.

If they are looking for another job, they will join almost

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There are signs, though, that the fate of people

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who are long-term unemployed may be improving.

:15:13.:15:14.

Donna Traynor was at Mallusk in Newtownabbey today to find out more.

:15:15.:15:24.

Long-term unemployment means people have been out of work for a year or

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more and that represents about 47% of the jobless total, although over

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the past year, there has been an improvement in that figure of 15%.

:15:37.:15:41.

Here at this facility in Newtownabbey, they train people in

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forklift truck driving and also manual handling in factories. One of

:15:45.:15:50.

those who benefited is John Ellis, who has got a job just yesterday,

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congratulations. What were your circumstances? I was out of work on

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and off for over a couple of years and it was difficult to find work,

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because having to go back and almost retrain and start from scratch

:16:05.:16:08.

again, from previous careers I had, it was just impossible, the jobs

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went out there. So I found myself having to start again and

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thankfully, people gave me support and encouragement and made me feel

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like a human being again. What was the significant change that made

:16:24.:16:27.

things work for you? I think it was just being given that confidence by

:16:28.:16:31.

the organisation, given that self belief. It is a very difficult thing

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when you are out of work, you can get out of it very easily and it is

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hard and you wonder where you start, in today's world it is very

:16:44.:16:47.

difficult to find out what you are good at, if you can't get the work

:16:48.:16:51.

in what you have been good at before. Thank you, John. Operations

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director here at People Plus is Andy O'Driscoll. What other sorts of

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people that your people help out with reskilling? We have a variety

:17:05.:17:09.

of people who come through the door and working partnerships across

:17:10.:17:12.

Northern Ireland. John is a great example of one of the customers who

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has come through from working in a different industry in the past. This

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week, many of the JTI workers in Ballymena will leave for the last

:17:21.:17:26.

time, the gates of the factory. Many well paid, highly skilled in that

:17:27.:17:31.

industry. What sort of expectations should they have if they are seeking

:17:32.:17:37.

a new job? The expectations, there are jobs out there, highly skilled

:17:38.:17:42.

jobs. We monitor the labour market information throughout Northern

:17:43.:17:44.

Ireland, so we know the industries that are up and coming and the

:17:45.:17:48.

industries within that area. We would work with those customers who

:17:49.:17:52.

have unfortunately been made redundant and highlight to them

:17:53.:17:55.

those industries that are recruiting at this moment in time. We tailor

:17:56.:18:01.

our academies to make sure they are linked into those industries that

:18:02.:18:05.

are in those regions and we would work with those customers to try and

:18:06.:18:08.

Rhys Gill them and retrain them. So there is always hope, many jobs out

:18:09.:18:18.

there, so it is about the retraining and learning skills. In the run-up

:18:19.:18:22.

to the Assembly election, but the DUP and Sinn Fein pledged they would

:18:23.:18:27.

create 50,000 new jobs. The specifics weren't very clear, but

:18:28.:18:30.

people who are training here and elsewhere will be hoping that that

:18:31.:18:34.

pledge comes to fruition. If you would like to share your experience

:18:35.:18:38.

of unemployment, check out our Facebook page.

:18:39.:18:41.

The European Championships are less than a month away and thousands

:18:42.:18:44.

of football fans here will be making the journey to France -

:18:45.:18:46.

but that won't include over 50 pupils and staff from two

:18:47.:18:49.

They've cancelled a planned trip to see games in Paris

:18:50.:18:55.

because of concerns over security, as our Education Correspondent

:18:56.:18:57.

France's set to host one of the biggest events in football. Northern

:18:58.:19:10.

Ireland and the Republic will be there, but these are year ten fans

:19:11.:19:15.

from St Mary's Grammar school in Gera felt will not be joining them.

:19:16.:19:22.

We had 50 pupils signing up between ourselves and the local high schools

:19:23.:19:26.

does go to the Euro 2016 Championships, five members of

:19:27.:19:29.

staff, and we were hoping to go for the full week, take in a couple of

:19:30.:19:33.

games around Paris. The trip had been planned for over a year and

:19:34.:19:37.

recent attacks in Paris and Brussels led to the decision to cancel, but

:19:38.:19:42.

was that an overreaction? We consulted widely with parents and

:19:43.:19:45.

staff and governors and, in fact, when we decided to make the decision

:19:46.:19:50.

to pull the trip, we wrote to them, we consulted with them and they were

:19:51.:19:53.

more than happy and they felt we made the right decision. Many of us

:19:54.:19:58.

have lived through the troubles in Northern Ireland, many would say

:19:59.:20:01.

suck it up and get on with it but when you are talking about young

:20:02.:20:04.

people and you are responsible for their well-being, you have to make

:20:05.:20:07.

these tough decisions. No pupils ended up out of pocket, because the

:20:08.:20:13.

schools cover the cost of cancelling, which ran into

:20:14.:20:15.

thousands, but watching the euros from home will still be tough. I'm

:20:16.:20:20.

still quite upset about it, I was looking forward to it. Safety is the

:20:21.:20:24.

number-1 thing they couldn't guarantee it, I completely

:20:25.:20:28.

understand. There is a state of emergency in France at the moment

:20:29.:20:31.

and security will be tight throughout the tournament. Schools

:20:32.:20:34.

here in Magherafelt have jointly taken schools to the Olympic Games

:20:35.:20:39.

and Rugby World Cup in the past but after cancelling this, they say

:20:40.:20:42.

future plans to big sporting events on hold.

:20:43.:20:48.

-- are on hold. Goal and the host has made a positive start at the

:20:49.:20:54.

Irish Open -- goal. Rory McIlory has never won his home event and has

:20:55.:20:59.

missed the cut in the last three years but an opening-round 60 75

:21:00.:21:02.

under par leaves him in second place as he chases a first tournament win

:21:03.:21:08.

of the season. From the K Club, Stephen Watson reports.

:21:09.:21:10.

Rory McIlory has struggled at the Irish Open in recent times, he

:21:11.:21:17.

missed the cut at Royal County Down last year and before that in Dublin

:21:18.:21:20.

and Cork, but today, the tournament host produced one of his best Irish

:21:21.:21:25.

Open displays. He found his touch on the K Club greens as well. And

:21:26.:21:32.

brilliant shots like this helped McIlroy to three birdies in the

:21:33.:21:36.

opening nine holes. And more followed on the back nine. It has

:21:37.:21:40.

been an excellent nine holes for Rory. This plot at the 13th gave him

:21:41.:21:46.

a share of the lead. And alongside him at that point at the top of the

:21:47.:21:50.

leaderboard, the Masters champion Danny Willett from England. Danny

:21:51.:21:57.

Willett goes to minus five. Graeme McDowell struggled early on,

:21:58.:22:01.

dropping shots to go 2-over par, but soon bounced back with a birdie at

:22:02.:22:05.

the 7th and an eagle at the 10th to move himself up the leaderboard.

:22:06.:22:10.

Coming over the water and he gets the top spin lovely, just what he

:22:11.:22:13.

needs. Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke had three front line birdies

:22:14.:22:17.

on a course which holds fond memories for him. Shane Lowry, who

:22:18.:22:21.

won this tournament as an amateur seven years ago, started with a

:22:22.:22:28.

round of 1-under par. While Paul Dunne also impressed, playing in his

:22:29.:22:30.

first Irish Open as a professional. If you were caught up

:22:31.:22:39.

in the gridlock on the M1 coming into Belfast this morning,

:22:40.:22:42.

you'll be pleased to know Three cows brought the city-bound

:22:43.:22:44.

lane to a standstill. But as BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson

:22:45.:22:47.

reports, the police quickly arrived on the scene and managed

:22:48.:22:50.

to moo-ve them. Cars in one lane, cows in the other,

:22:51.:22:58.

on one of the busiest roads into Belfast. And it could hardly have

:22:59.:23:02.

happened at a worse time. Around half past seven this morning. This

:23:03.:23:07.

is how BBC radio Ulster reported the traffic problems.

:23:08.:23:08.

We had three cows walking into Belfast in the fast

:23:09.:23:16.

Traffic is peeled back to junction eight.

:23:17.:23:19.

It will take a while to get them off the M1.

:23:20.:23:21.

It certainly did but by 8am, there was better news

:23:22.:23:24.

The three cows were moved into a field near a service

:23:25.:23:27.

The tailbacks heading into Belfast are still

:23:28.:23:31.

It is not the first time that cows have escaped onto the

:23:32.:23:38.

M1 and it probably will not be the last.

:23:39.:23:40.

The big problem this morning was that it happened at rush hour.

:23:41.:23:47.

And look where it happened. Only a few miles from Belfast city centre.

:23:48.:23:54.

The police were quickly on the scene

:23:55.:23:56.

and successfully managed to clear the road without any injury

:23:57.:23:58.

The cows were secured into a field, we found a field that we were able

:23:59.:24:07.

to herd them off into and secure them, so we are appealing to farmers

:24:08.:24:12.

in all contexts, not just farmers whose lands are above the motorway,

:24:13.:24:16.

but all roads, to check their fencing and make sure it is secure.

:24:17.:24:20.

Injuries and damage were avoided this morning because the police were

:24:21.:24:23.

in the right place at the right time Allsop unlike cows. -- unlike the

:24:24.:24:28.

cows. Add to the top story, and the SDLP

:24:29.:24:35.

announcing they will not take their seat at the Executive table. Mark

:24:36.:24:41.

Devonport, the Alliance's ruling Executive meets tonight but it is

:24:42.:24:45.

very clear they are not taking justice. Yes, we thought they might

:24:46.:24:50.

have a crunch decision at the Alliance ruling council, that will

:24:51.:24:54.

take place in an east Belfast hotel, but really there might be no

:24:55.:24:57.

decision to make because the leaders have decided that what is on offer

:24:58.:25:02.

from DUP and Sinn Fein in relation to issues like the petition of

:25:03.:25:05.

concern to Stormont is not enough, so I am expecting the same kind of

:25:06.:25:10.

holding pattern. I think Alliance, unlike the SDLP, is keeping a bit of

:25:11.:25:15.

chink of light open in the door. It is still thinking that if DUP and

:25:16.:25:20.

Sinn Fein comeback to them and re-engage with the party on its

:25:21.:25:23.

concerns, it could consider the justice portfolio but on this basis,

:25:24.:25:27.

tonight, we are not expecting that decision. And, mark, how would the

:25:28.:25:34.

opposition were? We don't know yet, we are in uncharted territory.

:25:35.:25:38.

Someone pointed out it is 18 years to the exact day that John Hume and

:25:39.:25:42.

David Trimble stood together at the theatre on the waterfront Hall

:25:43.:25:47.

selling the Good Friday agreement. I don't expect a a similar situation.

:25:48.:25:55.

They may work together on issues but otherwise plough their own

:25:56.:25:58.

particular furrows. Mark, we will leave it there, thanks very much.

:25:59.:26:02.

Time for the weather and Cecilia is here, a pretty mixed bag today.

:26:03.:26:08.

Yes, keeping an eye on the radar quite closely, especially the last

:26:09.:26:11.

couple of hours, some really lively showers and some thunderstorms over

:26:12.:26:15.

parts of County Antrim and towards the east coast. The worst of those

:26:16.:26:19.

are now moving away so it will dry up briefly this evening but some

:26:20.:26:25.

further showers for a wild, still the odd sharp one and by morning, a

:26:26.:26:29.

lot of places will have dried up. Not too chilly a night to come. We

:26:30.:26:34.

are expecting the drying up process to continue tomorrow morning, that

:26:35.:26:38.

will be the dry our half of the day because unfortunately, after a

:26:39.:26:41.

promising start with not too many showers, it will go downhill. So

:26:42.:26:46.

another day for the umbrella eventually, but there will be some

:26:47.:26:49.

fine sunny weather and bright weather around through the morning,

:26:50.:26:53.

it will be a nice journey to work or to school in many places, not too

:26:54.:26:59.

cold, ten or 11 degrees. Would you consider rain clouds gathering from

:27:00.:27:02.

the south-west, it will end up wet and some of the rain will be heavy

:27:03.:27:06.

and persistent and as a result, temperatures not much higher than 15

:27:07.:27:10.

degrees. It starts to drive from the south-west across Northern Ireland

:27:11.:27:13.

tomorrow evening but if you are heading to Dublin for the all-star

:27:14.:27:16.

Leinster match, it looks like there will be some rain close by. --

:27:17.:27:27.

Ulster Leinster match. The unsettled theme continues to the weekend, some

:27:28.:27:33.

heavy showers and perhaps thunder, so heavy showers are also affecting

:27:34.:27:35.

the Irish Open this weekend. You can also keep in contact with us

:27:36.:27:36.

via Facebook and Twitter.

:27:37.:27:43.

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