:00:19. > :00:26.Good evening. The headlines: An appeal for a change to the law here
:00:26. > :00:32.by a woman forced to have an abortion in England after being told
:00:33. > :00:38.her baby would not survive. The baby I am carrying had no life. There is
:00:38. > :00:44.no brain and skull. What makes you an individual is not there. A
:00:44. > :00:49.damning assessment of the new victim service by the Victims
:00:49. > :00:54.Commissioner. We have the details. Fears over funding for this
:00:54. > :01:00.Londonderry Museum. As the IFA kicks off an edition --
:01:00. > :01:05.animist native to tackle mental health, we talk about it. And the
:01:05. > :01:14.autumn has arrived without cold wind today. Not quite as windy tomorrow
:01:14. > :01:20.but it will be feeling warmer. First, a fresh appeal for a change
:01:20. > :01:24.to our abortion legislation. It comes from Sarah Ewart who travelled
:01:24. > :01:27.to England for termination because she couldn't have one here. She has
:01:27. > :01:31.to England for termination because spoken to the Nolan Show and
:01:31. > :01:34.explained that doctors told her the baby she was carrying had an
:01:34. > :01:37.explained that doctors told her the abnormality and could not survive
:01:37. > :01:43.outside the womb. The legislation in Northern Ireland states faecal
:01:43. > :01:46.abnormality is not grounds for an abortion. In response, the health
:01:46. > :01:48.abnormality is not grounds for an Administration -- that health
:01:48. > :01:55.Minster has said he will look into it.
:01:55. > :02:01.By going public with her story, Sarah Ewart is addressed in one of
:02:01. > :02:07.the most contentious issues in Northern Ireland, appearing on
:02:07. > :02:09.tonight's the Nolan Show, she said her request for an abortion was
:02:09. > :02:14.tonight's the Nolan Show, she said refused after doctors told her her
:02:14. > :02:18.baby was boat does grow on whether Syria's abnormality. The baby I am
:02:19. > :02:24.growing has no life. There is no brain and skull. What makes you an
:02:24. > :02:31.individual is not there. This is just a body that can wriggle and
:02:31. > :02:39.moves because my heart rate makes its heartbeat. There isn't a baby.
:02:39. > :02:43.It is not a baby. The current legislation here states it is
:02:43. > :02:46.unlawful to perform a termination of pregnancy unless it is necessary to
:02:46. > :02:52.preserve the life of the pregnant woman. An abortion can be allowed if
:02:52. > :02:55.there is a risk of real and serious adverse effect on her physical or
:02:55. > :03:01.mental health which is either long-term or permanent. However
:03:01. > :03:04.faecal abnormality is not a ground for termination of pregnancy in
:03:04. > :03:09.Northern Ireland. -- feet tall abnormality. This academic says the
:03:09. > :03:15.issue needs to be addressed and abnormality. This academic says the
:03:15. > :03:20.resolved. The politicians are out of step with public opinion. If you
:03:20. > :03:25.look at the recent assembly debates surrounding abortion cases, you will
:03:25. > :03:33.see evidence of the majority of male politicians patronising,
:03:33. > :03:39.misogynistic views of women in Northern Ireland. They demonstrate
:03:39. > :03:45.note reality on these crises pregnancies. Sarah's case is not
:03:45. > :03:50.unique. They have received similar calls a week. We would see women a
:03:50. > :03:58.couple of times a week or hear from women who have had a similar
:03:58. > :04:02.diagnosis. We also hear from GPs. Earlier this year, the Health
:04:02. > :04:07.Minister issued draft guidelines for medics to work to implement --
:04:07. > :04:11.legislation is passed. That document needs to satisfy a range of people
:04:11. > :04:14.including medics, politicians and those that are pro-life. Once you
:04:14. > :04:19.are seen as your loan -- once you those that are pro-life. Once you
:04:20. > :04:25.are seen as your life is no longer living, we have to look at this.
:04:25. > :04:26.Sarah was married in June and early this week she travelled to England
:04:26. > :04:31.with her mother for the abortion. this week she travelled to England
:04:31. > :04:36.Desperate to start a family, she said her needs were never
:04:36. > :04:39.considered. Before I found out what this was come if you had said to me
:04:39. > :04:44.if I had thought of an abortion, I would have said, no way. There is
:04:44. > :04:48.people who do this because they have a girl and don't want a goal and
:04:48. > :04:58.wanted a boy or it was a one night stand. -- girl. This was medical. I
:04:58. > :05:01.have no choice. It personalises a issue that is normally bogged down
:05:01. > :05:06.in legal jargon but perhaps most issue that is normally bogged down
:05:06. > :05:09.importantly, it addresses the gap in the current guidelines which don't
:05:09. > :05:19.explain what should happen in the case where there is an abnormality.
:05:19. > :05:25.You can see a full interview on the Nolan Show at 10:35pm after our late
:05:25. > :05:31.news. The Health Minister Edwin Poots joins me from west Belfast.
:05:31. > :05:35.Sarah Ewart said you need to change the law. She says she feels let down
:05:35. > :05:42.by the legislation. What is your response? I think first of all
:05:42. > :05:49.anybody who wouldn't be touched by her story and the circumstances
:05:49. > :05:52.would be a hard individual indeed. I know personally that it is a
:05:52. > :06:02.touching story and something we need to respond to and listen to. I
:06:02. > :06:08.suppose hard cases don't necessarily make good law and it is difficult to
:06:08. > :06:13.devise a law which can meet and deal with every single case. I do think
:06:13. > :06:20.that as we look at this situation and as we look at the circumstances,
:06:20. > :06:22.it is difficult and we do need to give it thoughtful consideration
:06:22. > :06:29.over the course of the next number of weeks. We need to ensure we take
:06:29. > :06:36.account of what people like Sarah saying, who demonstrate -- and
:06:36. > :06:41.demonstrate that we care for their views. We care that they get the
:06:41. > :06:44.right and appropriate treatment and support in what has been a traumatic
:06:44. > :06:51.experience. Have you been in contact support in what has been a traumatic
:06:51. > :06:56.with Sarah? I am willing to be in contact and I will make that offer
:06:56. > :07:04.and that is something that I am very happy to do, to meet her and discuss
:07:04. > :07:08.her concerns. What would you say to Sarah? I think it is more important
:07:08. > :07:15.what she says to me and it is more important what I say to her. My
:07:15. > :07:19.response needs to be a considered response not a knee jerk reaction.
:07:19. > :07:23.We need to ensure we provide appropriate care for people in the
:07:23. > :07:28.circumstances and that is something that we will look at and stress. You
:07:28. > :07:33.have said that if lessons are to be learnt in this case or in other
:07:33. > :07:41.cases, that you want to know about it and you will rectify it. How do
:07:41. > :07:46.you plan to do that? I think it needs a lot of consideration. I am
:07:46. > :07:51.aware of previous cases. I know a young woman personally who has come
:07:51. > :07:56.through a similar case and she continued with her pregnancy and her
:07:56. > :08:00.baby died after two hours. That was very precious to her that she had
:08:00. > :08:07.done that. Others don't feel they can do that and how do we respond? I
:08:07. > :08:12.am not sure how we respond to it but we have to listen to them, take
:08:12. > :08:18.everything into consideration and see what actions can be taken. I am
:08:19. > :08:24.opposed to abortion on demand and abortion were in England there has
:08:24. > :08:30.been 7 million of them taking place since 1967 and it is now appropriate
:08:30. > :08:35.that you can get an abortion on the basis of gender in England. These
:08:35. > :08:40.are different and difficult circumstances and we will be failing
:08:40. > :08:42.were we not to listen to listen to the people who are facing the
:08:42. > :08:49.circumstances and see how we can the people who are facing the
:08:49. > :08:57.support and help them in what is traumatic circumstances. We do look
:08:57. > :09:02.at changing the legislation? -- will you look at changing the
:09:02. > :09:05.legislation? We will take into account all of these matters. There
:09:05. > :09:11.is some fears that sometimes you change legislation and courts can
:09:11. > :09:18.come in and open the door for abortion on demand and that is a
:09:18. > :09:23.concern. We can't ignore the voices that are speaking in respect of the
:09:23. > :09:31.pain, the trauma, the anxiety that everyone goes through. Edwin Poots,
:09:31. > :09:36.thank you for joining us. A service set up to help victims and
:09:36. > :09:40.survivors of the troubles has been defending itself after being accused
:09:40. > :09:45.of re-traumatising the people it is supposed to be helping. The
:09:45. > :09:49.criticism was made by the Victims Commissioner who told a Stormont
:09:49. > :09:56.Committee that the process was not fit for purpose. I am concerned that
:09:56. > :10:05.people are made to feel like beggars. In 2013, this should not be
:10:05. > :10:09.happening to people. The victims and survivors that I spend my time
:10:09. > :10:14.with, particularly those who don't have support from groups or agencies
:10:14. > :10:21.or organisations, are uniquely vulnerable people. They have
:10:22. > :10:27.suffered terribly and we should be doing all we can to remove obstacles
:10:27. > :10:32.to provide appropriate support. It became apparent that the commission
:10:32. > :10:36.staff did not understand the review process and they'll come in on
:10:36. > :10:40.Friday to be walked through it. I wanted to make those points in
:10:40. > :10:45.defence because the criticism has been grossly unfair. The staff in
:10:45. > :10:49.the service have stepped up to the challenge of the last six months. It
:10:49. > :10:54.is bumpy and change is difficult. We are mindful of the victims that we
:10:54. > :11:00.support. An elderly man has died in a flower
:11:00. > :11:03.-- in a fire in a flat in Tempo in County Fermanagh. The main street
:11:03. > :11:08.was closed while firefighters dealt with the blaze.
:11:08. > :11:11.The Court of Appeal has been hearing that the quality of forensic science
:11:11. > :11:17.used by the prosecution in the case of two men found guilty of murdering
:11:17. > :11:20.Constable Stephen Carroll was lamentable. 42-year-old Brenton
:11:20. > :11:27.McCarville and John Paul Wotton are trying to have their convictions
:11:28. > :11:37.overturned. -- Bredan McConville. These are the two men charged with
:11:37. > :11:43.the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll four years ago. It was the
:11:43. > :11:45.prosecution's case that John Paul Wootton was -- car was used to
:11:45. > :11:48.transport the killers to and from Wootton was -- car was used to
:11:48. > :11:54.the murder scene. In the Court of Appeal today a barrister said there
:11:54. > :11:59.was a total absence of evidence to connect the defendant to any
:11:59. > :12:02.specific act related to the murder of Constable Stephen Carroll. He
:12:02. > :12:06.went through what he described as the feelings of the forensic
:12:06. > :12:12.evidence in the case, specifically a code that had been found in the boot
:12:12. > :12:15.of the car with gun residue. Arthur Harvey QC told the court there was
:12:15. > :12:19.no proof in connection between the two shots fired that night and what
:12:19. > :12:24.had been detected on the coat and that it was hits -- his submission
:12:24. > :12:29.that the trial judge was obliged to re-examine the significance of the
:12:29. > :12:32.evidence. He claimed the quality of work from the forensic scientists
:12:32. > :12:40.representing the prosecution in this case was lamentable and stop the
:12:40. > :12:45.hearing continues. A museum in Londonderry says it is
:12:45. > :12:49.-- it's extension plans are in jeopardy because the Enterprise
:12:49. > :12:51.Minister has not signed off a tourist board grant. The Bloody
:12:51. > :12:55.Minister has not signed off a Sunday Trust which runs the Museum
:12:55. > :13:01.of Free Derry hopes to build a £2 million extension with £1.2 million,
:13:01. > :13:08.from the tourist board. The museum lies in the heart of the
:13:09. > :13:16.city's bogside and the story is told from a point of view of locals. What
:13:16. > :13:20.is known as living history, some of those touched by the events depicted
:13:20. > :13:22.in the museum are on hand to guide visitors and recounts their own
:13:23. > :13:28.experiences. It is a personal story visitors and recounts their own
:13:28. > :13:31.they are getting and that is what people appreciate. These stories
:13:31. > :13:40.should be told by the people most involved in them. Earlier they
:13:40. > :13:46.hosted a church of bishops. They are a growing number of visitors. I find
:13:46. > :13:53.the museum very interesting. It was very easy to walk around edit
:13:53. > :13:56.understand -- it helped me to understand the situation. It had a
:13:56. > :14:01.understand -- it helped me to very human element to it and great
:14:01. > :14:06.value for £3. It is a great way for the people who live here to tell
:14:06. > :14:11.their story. This is the new £2 million extension the trust wants to
:14:11. > :14:16.build. The museum had hoped to begin its expansion plan by now but it
:14:16. > :14:21.says its core funding application has been dogged by delays and not of
:14:21. > :14:37.the trust's making. In February the tourist board said:
:14:37. > :14:44.The organisers say £500,000 of lottery funding will be lost. It
:14:44. > :14:53.means the project is dead in the water. They will not release that
:14:53. > :14:59.funding. We can't get the tourist board to sign it off. The tourism
:14:59. > :15:07.minister said there was no reason behind the delay. I hope we will be
:15:07. > :15:10.able to give a final decision in behind the delay. I hope we will be
:15:10. > :15:16.relation to this matter in the near future. The Heritage lottery fund
:15:16. > :15:22.confirmed the £500,000 it promised is due to appear at the end of the
:15:22. > :15:27.positive decision can be made to prevent the money being lost.
:15:27. > :15:29.The local banks are taking a cautious approach to a
:15:30. > :15:34.government-backed scheme aimed at allowing house-hunters to get 95%
:15:34. > :15:38.mortgages. Help to Buy is a UK-wide initiative aimed at boosting the
:15:38. > :15:44.housing market. Our economics and business editor John Campbell is
:15:44. > :15:52.here. Reminders how this scheme actually works. Help to Buy is aimed
:15:52. > :15:56.at first-time buyers, some people struggling to put together a
:15:56. > :16:02.deposit. It will allow you to buy a house costing up to £600,000 with a
:16:02. > :16:05.deposit of just 5%. The government are saying to the banks, you make
:16:05. > :16:11.these loans, if it goes bad, we will are saying to the banks, you make
:16:11. > :16:16.cover the first 15% of your losses. But the banks have got to pay a fee
:16:16. > :16:23.to the government to take part. Which banks are signed up? The
:16:24. > :16:31.Halifax are definitely taking part. HSBC will announce details Leicester
:16:31. > :16:33.-- later. Ulster bank have said they will announce details of their
:16:33. > :16:37.participation in due course. When it will announce details of their
:16:37. > :16:46.comes to the other three, they have not said very much at all. Given
:16:46. > :16:51.that the housing market here is so depressed at the minute, why are the
:16:51. > :16:55.local banks so cautious? You would expect them to be chomping at the
:16:55. > :16:59.bit but I spoke to a senior figure today who said there are a number of
:16:59. > :17:04.reasons for this caution. There are already some government backed
:17:04. > :17:15.schemes in the market so the banks want to work out how Help to Buy
:17:15. > :17:19.will work out. And just because these products are available does
:17:19. > :17:21.not mean people will get them. The banks will look very closely at
:17:21. > :17:24.whether people can afford to repay banks will look very closely at
:17:24. > :17:27.these mortgages. On the eve of a major investment
:17:27. > :17:31.conference, the Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has announced new jobs
:17:31. > :17:34.in the manufacturing sector. Omagh Engineering firm Telestack is
:17:34. > :17:38.creating 40 posts in a £3.1 million expansion. The company designs and
:17:38. > :17:45.builds machinery such as conveyors and loading systems which
:17:45. > :17:56.company says it plans to extend the factory to meet increasing global
:17:56. > :18:04.demand for its products. The police ombudsman has announced
:18:04. > :18:09.an investigation. The brother of the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams was
:18:10. > :18:16.found guilty of raping his daughter. A complaint made by three senior DUP
:18:16. > :18:20.figures has now been passed on to an investigations team. It is
:18:20. > :18:24.understood the investigation is linked to Gerry Adams's evidence.
:18:24. > :18:26.Gerry Adams says he committed no offence.
:18:26. > :18:29.The Ulster Unionist peer, Lord Maginnis, has said he will not
:18:29. > :18:31.appeal his conviction for assaulting a man during a road rage incident
:18:31. > :18:34.appeal his conviction for assaulting last year. In August, Lord Maginnis
:18:34. > :18:36.was found guilty of assaulting Keith Kirk and had said he intended to
:18:36. > :18:40.was found guilty of assaulting Keith challenge the court's decision. The
:18:40. > :18:43.75-year-old also revealed that an anonymous benefactor had agreed to
:18:43. > :18:53.pay the £200 fine imposed by the court.
:18:53. > :18:56.Still to come. As Northern Ireland tackles
:18:56. > :18:58.Azerbaijan in Baku, here in Belfast, the IFA tackles the issue of mental
:18:58. > :19:15.health. Among the American presidents whose
:19:15. > :19:19.roots are traced back to these shores is Chester Alan Arthur, the
:19:19. > :19:22.21st president. His father was brought up in Cullbackey before the
:19:22. > :19:27.family emigrated in the early 19th century. Their cottage was destroyed
:19:27. > :19:29.by fire a few years ago but, as our North East reporter David Maxwell
:19:29. > :19:31.has been finding out, restoration work on the property is almost
:19:31. > :19:38.complete. work on the property is almost
:19:39. > :19:44.The accidental fire which broke out here in May 2011 destroyed
:19:44. > :19:48.everything. Wooden beams, antique furniture, this centuries-old
:19:48. > :19:54.fireplace. But since March, work has been going on to restore this
:19:54. > :20:01.presidential homestead. A new thatch roof has gone on, cables have been
:20:01. > :20:05.stitched, the walls have been lime wash and new windows and doors have
:20:05. > :20:11.been inserted. The architects have tried to be true to the original but
:20:11. > :20:14.the cottage will have a few home comforts such as electricity and
:20:14. > :20:19.underfloor heating. The project has largely been paid for by ensuring
:20:19. > :20:27.and both materials and crafts are local. The lady had the fire and it
:20:27. > :20:31.was smoking away, she had the griddle on and we had pancakes on
:20:31. > :20:39.the fire. That is an experience which would have been familiar to
:20:39. > :20:47.the President's father, William. He left ear when he was around 20 but
:20:47. > :20:50.the family ties remained. In 1882, family members came and visited yet
:20:50. > :20:57.so that connection was important to them. Tourists and schools will soon
:20:57. > :21:02.return here and councillors say it will inspire young people. Who knows
:21:02. > :21:09.return here and councillors say it what you can achieve? It is hoped
:21:09. > :21:12.the restoration work at the cottage will be complete within the next
:21:12. > :21:17.month and it should be open to the public next March.
:21:17. > :21:20.Motorcycling has welcomed the news that Stormont is to proceed with a
:21:20. > :21:25.bill that will create greater flexibility around weather-hit
:21:25. > :21:32.events. With that and the rest of the sport, we can join Mark
:21:32. > :21:36.Sidebottom, who's in West Belfast. I'm at the Farset Centre, where the
:21:36. > :21:42.Irish FA is backing a mental health awareness campaign. We'll have more
:21:42. > :21:43.on that shortly but, first, to that confirmation that the government is
:21:43. > :21:46.to push through a bill facilitating confirmation that the government is
:21:46. > :22:03.greater flexibility around road racing events which have been wiped
:22:03. > :22:08.out by the weather. It has taken many meetings and many
:22:08. > :22:14.miles. In recent years, the weather has routinely wiped out events. Only
:22:14. > :22:22.a few days ago, many feared for the very future of road racing here. How
:22:22. > :22:27.is it this year? A lot of effort, time and money goes into this. For
:22:27. > :22:33.the future, it has got to be changed. It is essential that the
:22:33. > :22:38.government give us the backing and the financial support. We lost in
:22:38. > :22:47.the region of £100,000 on the event itself this year. It is crucial that
:22:47. > :22:50.we get the support. That support came today with the minister
:22:50. > :22:53.confirming he is to overhaul existing legislation which will
:22:53. > :23:01.allow event organisers to reschedule race days. It is anticipated the new
:23:01. > :23:07.legislation will be ready for road testing in 2014.
:23:07. > :23:11.In last night's local League Cup football, it took a little luck and
:23:11. > :23:15.penalties for Linfield to see of Glentoran and Crusaders needed extra
:23:15. > :23:20.time to see of Colerain. Thomas Niblock reports.
:23:20. > :23:26.It is really dull when Linfield and Glentoran meet all stop Richard
:23:26. > :23:37.Clarke came close during the first half. It was close, but not close
:23:37. > :23:43.enough. So it went to penalties. Jordan Hughes hit this effort. That
:23:43. > :23:50.gave the Linfield captain the opportunity to win the match. One
:23:50. > :23:56.that he took. It was a great feeling. I have never hit a penalty
:23:56. > :24:13.before. Luckily enough, it was the deciding penalty. I am decided to --
:24:13. > :24:19.delighted. The only team news we have for you before the game against
:24:19. > :24:22.Azerbaijan. Niall McGinn is Northern Ireland's
:24:22. > :24:25.only injury concern ahead of their penultimate World Cup qualifier
:24:25. > :24:28.against Azerbaijan. The team trained today in the capital Baku with
:24:28. > :24:43.McGinn forced to sit out the session as a precaution. The manager gave
:24:43. > :24:47.this update. We apologise about that. It does not
:24:47. > :24:52.seem to be there. The update is that he is likely to play on Friday. This
:24:52. > :25:01.is all about promoting mental health. It is something which is
:25:01. > :25:11.close to your heart. Tell us what this initiative is all about. It is
:25:11. > :25:18.tackling mental health and creating a positive message through football.
:25:18. > :25:24.Along with others, I am involved in this. You did lose a brother through
:25:24. > :25:37.suicide. Is this about giving something back? Of course it is. My
:25:37. > :25:41.brother tragically died through suicide so it has been close to both
:25:41. > :25:56.myself and my family and it is something I want to speak about.
:25:56. > :26:00.Thank you very much for joining us. The temperatures felt like they
:26:00. > :26:07.absolutely plummeted today. Let's get the weather forecast.
:26:07. > :26:18.It was quite bracing out there today, particularly around the
:26:18. > :26:23.coast. We did have a cold front moving through earlier today, being
:26:23. > :26:29.driven along by those brisk winds and plunging that cold air across
:26:29. > :26:31.many parts. Behind that, plenty of showers, particularly across
:26:31. > :26:37.Scotland, but also for Northern Ireland as well. We had some pretty
:26:37. > :26:43.sharp ones. Tonight, we are still going to have that brisk wind. I
:26:43. > :26:51.think we will continue to see a few showers coming in as well. Inland,
:26:51. > :26:59.the further south you are, it is dry with clearer skies and quite close
:26:59. > :27:05.-- cold. Tomorrow, the breeze does ease down but it will still feel
:27:05. > :27:08.chilly. Some sunshine around. Maybe a few light showers in the North
:27:08. > :27:17.first thing in the morning but they will die down. With lighter winds,
:27:17. > :27:21.perhaps not feeling quite as raw as it did in places today but, with
:27:21. > :27:26.that breeze from the North, the temperatures are still struggling.
:27:26. > :27:30.As we head into tomorrow night, the clear skies and lighter winds, we
:27:30. > :27:35.could get a touch of Frost in places. We stay quite chilly into
:27:35. > :27:45.the weekend. can also keep in contact with us via
:27:45. > :27:46.Facebook and Twitter. From