06/10/2012 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon. The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt,

has said he's in favour of halving the time limit for abortions from

24weeks to 12. But in a newspaper interview, Mr Hunt stressed that

any change in the law was up to Parliament. Downing Street has said

there are no plans to change the law, which applies to England,

Wales and Scotland. Susanna Mendonca reports. It's a

controversial issue that divides opinion. When should the cut-off

point be for a woman to have an abortion? Now the Health Secretary

in post for a few weeks weighed in expressing his own opinion that the

limit should be halved. Jeremy Hunt said there was a

difficult question about the moment we deem life it start. Everyone

looks at the evidence and comes to a view about when the moment is.

His view is that 12 weeks is the right point for it.

At the moment abortion is legal in England and Wales and Wales up

until 24 weeks of prek Nancy. The figures show that there were just

over 190,000 abortions in England and Wales last year. Most are

carried out before 14 weeks. The Health Secretary said he based his

review on research, not on his beliefs as a Christian, but it is

said there is no evidence to back up his point of view. Those who do

have abortions after 12 weeks oft have been a good reason for it.

This are a small number of women, but no less deserving of care. It

is important that the Health Secretary recognises the reality

and the needs of women's lives. That women will need access to

later care. .Downing Street said Jeremy Hunt

was expressing a personal view. There are no plans to change the

law. Labour described the comments as an attack on science and the

rights that women have fought for, but are likely to play well with

some of the Tory faithful as they begin to gather in Birmingham ahead

of the party conference. The extremist Muslim cleric, Abu

Hamza, and four other men have arrived in the United States to

face terrorism charges. They were flown out of Britain late last

night, after the High Court rejected their final attempts to

halt extradition. Today the Home Secretary, Theresa May, said the

law should be changed to shorten the time it takes to extradite

suspected terrorists. Abu Hamza was expected to be in front of a judge

in America in hours. The radical preacher and two our suspects,

extradited to the US, were thought to be on board of this, the second

of two planes that left Mildenhall last night. The first plane flew to

Mildenhall -- flew from Mildenhall to Connecticut. The other two

suspects are expected to appear in court also. The five arrived at the

Mildenhall air base from Long Lartin in Worcestershire.

Abu Hamza battled against his extradition for eight years. The

others for up to 14 years. The Home Secretary says she is investigating

ways to shorten the process. This has been a deeply frustrating

process. These individuals have been, are said to have undertaken

very serious crimes. They are terrorist suspects. We should be

able to, and most would say, that we should see them being removed

from this country in a rather shorter process.

It is likely to be some time before Abu Hamza and the others face full

trials in the US. Under the terms of their extradition they must be

tried in civilian courts and procures cannot seek the death pa

pannality. Police in Mid Wales have resumed

their search for the missing five- year-old girl April Jones after it

was temporarily halted overnight. April was last seen getting into a

Land Rover near her family home in Machynlleth last Monday evening.

Detectives have until ten to 5pm this afternoon to charge or release

the murder suspect, 46 year old Mark Bridger. Jon Brain reports.

For the first time this week, the town in Machynlleth woke up without

a realistic prospect of finding April Jones alive. The friends

devoted to finding the activity, have seen the town replaced by a

quiet sadness. I have been out for about half an

hour. It seems sombre. There is nothing happening. It is on

everyone's minds. There is an air of devastation, really. We are

devastated. We really are. It is so sad. So sad.

Mark Bridger, the man accused of April Jones's murder is being

questioned by the detectives. They have until 5pm to either charge or

to release him. The specialist teams that were

stood down for the night have resumed the search for April's body

and for forensic evidence. Tomorrow residents are to march from the

estate where April was abducted to the church in the town. There will

be a special service for the little girl whose disappearance has so

moved her community. The Pope's former butler has been

found guilty of stealing secret documents from the Pope's private

office in the Vatican and sentenced to one and a half years in jail. In

his final statement at his trial, Paolo Gabriele defended his action,

saying he wanted to expose what he called evil and corruption at the

heart of the Roman Catholic Church. Pakistan's cricketer-turned