:00:00. > :00:00.Look to the west for a clue at what is to come for the weekend. Not bad
:00:00. > :00:00.but it stays pretty unsettled. More details throughout the evening.
:00:00. > :00:32.Thank you very much. Good evening. The headlines in BBC
:00:33. > :00:37.Newsline. The trial begins of the man accused of trying to kill County
:00:38. > :00:41.Armagh woman Natasha McShane. We have the latest. After a week on the
:00:42. > :00:47.run, the man wanted in connection with the murder in Londonderry is
:00:48. > :00:51.caught. The Health Minister says the final abortion guidelines should be
:00:52. > :00:56.with the Executive within weeks. Professor Jim Dornan joins us live
:00:57. > :01:01.to discuss the issue. What can Irish league football learned from ice
:01:02. > :01:07.hockey? I have come to a game to find out. One win in ten World Cup
:01:08. > :01:15.qualifiers, should Michael O'Neill and get a new contract? Some wet
:01:16. > :01:24.spells this evening, but it will improve and tomorrow will be a
:01:25. > :01:28.better day. First night, in the United States the trial of a man
:01:29. > :01:34.accused of the attempted murder of a County Armagh student is underway.
:01:35. > :01:39.Natasha McShane was assaulted in Chicago in 2000 -- Michael 2010. She
:01:40. > :01:44.was on her way home with a friend when they were attacked. Natasha has
:01:45. > :01:52.been unable to walk or speak since. Her family are in Chicago for the
:01:53. > :01:57.trial. The family of Natasha McShane travel to the United States from
:01:58. > :02:02.Silverbridge for the trial. Her mother is expected to give evidence.
:02:03. > :02:06.The man accused of attacking Natasha McShane and Stacy Jurich is
:02:07. > :02:10.34-year-old Heriberto Viramontes. It is alleged he attacked the women
:02:11. > :02:16.with a baseball bat as they walked home after a night out. A woman who
:02:17. > :02:20.was with the accused is Marcy Cruz, she has already pleaded guilty to
:02:21. > :02:24.the attempted murder and will testify against the defendant as
:02:25. > :02:39.part of a plea deal. The family are being supported by members of the
:02:40. > :02:42.expat community. The Silverbridge woman who was 23 at the time of the
:02:43. > :02:45.attack is still unable to walk or speak. Jurors will see a video of
:02:46. > :02:47.Natasha attempting to walk. Police in Londonderry say a follow-up
:02:48. > :02:53.operation following the arrest of Kevan Smith has now ended. 40 homes
:02:54. > :02:57.in Ederowen Park had to be evacuated. The 58-year-old had been
:02:58. > :03:06.on the run since the murder of Barry McCrory last week -- Kevan Smith. He
:03:07. > :03:10.was found in Galliagh this morning. Forensic officers spent the morning
:03:11. > :03:14.carrying out a detailed follow-up search in and around the Galliagh
:03:15. > :03:18.estate following the arrest of Kieran McLaughlin. They used metal
:03:19. > :03:26.detectors in their search. Trains were subjected to a Ferrer search.
:03:27. > :03:34.He was detained here around 3am -- a Ferrer search. He was armed, but no
:03:35. > :03:38.shots were fired. The arrest operation was carried out by a
:03:39. > :03:44.specialist team from the PSNI. Earlier, members of the gardai who
:03:45. > :03:48.had been involved in the search operation were alerted to his
:03:49. > :03:52.presence in Donegal. They tracked Kieran McLaughlin until he crossed
:03:53. > :03:59.the border where the PSNI specialist unit moved in to carry out the
:04:00. > :04:02.arrest operation. I do not think it would be helpful to go into the
:04:03. > :04:08.specifics. I am prepared to say that we also recovered what we believe
:04:09. > :04:15.handgun type firearms and a shotgun. handgun type firearms and a shotgun.
:04:16. > :04:20.At one stage, police were examining two vehicles in different parts of
:04:21. > :04:25.the estate. During the alert, which lasted until this afternoon, around
:04:26. > :04:31.40 homes were evacuated and the area has now returned to normal. In the
:04:32. > :04:36.community, there is relief. People are glad it has come to a safe
:04:37. > :04:42.conclusion. People are glad that Kieran McLaughlin is in safety and
:04:43. > :04:47.the PSNI have him in custody and people are glad in the way that it
:04:48. > :04:55.has unfolded. Kieran McLaughlin is being questioned about the murder of
:04:56. > :04:59.Barry McCrory. The Health Minister Edwin Poots says he should have
:05:00. > :05:03.final guidance for doctors on when making carry out abortions with the
:05:04. > :05:07.Executive within weeks. Two families who have been told their babies have
:05:08. > :05:13.serious foetal abnormalities have called for a change in the law. In a
:05:14. > :05:17.moment we will hear from a senior obstetrician, but first we report on
:05:18. > :05:21.the background to the recent controversy. Sarah Ewart had to
:05:22. > :05:26.travel to London for a termination because she was told her baby had no
:05:27. > :05:30.chance of survival. The Health Minister met the other couple who
:05:31. > :05:35.are carrying twins with the same condition this week. The father, who
:05:36. > :05:42.wants to be known as Chris, says the law needs to be changed. For us, it
:05:43. > :05:49.it means that this terrible situation, is so emotionally
:05:50. > :05:57.draining, but the way the law stands at the minute is making things so
:05:58. > :06:01.much harder and is putting strain on me and my partner. The law states
:06:02. > :06:05.that abortion is only allowed in Northern Ireland with the long-term
:06:06. > :06:09.physical or mental health of the woman is affected. It would seem
:06:10. > :06:14.this controversy has arisen because some health trusts are more cautious
:06:15. > :06:18.about carrying out any terminations because of new temporary guidelines
:06:19. > :06:23.which were issued in March. One senior doctors said the risk of a
:06:24. > :06:27.possible jail sentence has made health service staff extremely
:06:28. > :06:35.nervous. We are dealing with the hugely sensitive issue. This is at a
:06:36. > :06:39.time when there is a lot of pain and grief and anxiety being expressed
:06:40. > :06:44.and I think that we have to reflect and respect those sensitivities and
:06:45. > :06:47.I have a course of work to do and that is the work that we are
:06:48. > :06:51.proceeding with and I trust that I can take that to the Executive at
:06:52. > :06:57.the earliest possible date to bring some finality and closure to this
:06:58. > :07:02.issue. Doctors and their colleagues alone with the families are now
:07:03. > :07:06.looking for urgent clarity around abortion in Northern Ireland --
:07:07. > :07:10.along with the families. With me now is Professor Jim Dornan who has many
:07:11. > :07:17.years experience working in the health service. First of all, what
:07:18. > :07:20.clarity is required? A few days ago the minister said he would ask the
:07:21. > :07:25.cramp at a tutor for clarity and that would be good. When you have an
:07:26. > :07:30.unambiguous statement who says that those who work under the 2009
:07:31. > :07:35.guidelines are unlikely to have a successful prosecution brought
:07:36. > :07:39.against them. Secondly, we need to at least temporarily, it is good to
:07:40. > :07:44.hear that another set of guidelines will be brought out, but in the
:07:45. > :07:52.meantime we need a return to the previous guidelines. That would be
:07:53. > :07:57.helpful. Thirdly, we would ask them Minister to go back to his
:07:58. > :08:00.department and say the areas that were pointed out about conscientious
:08:01. > :08:05.objection and postabortion care, tell me what your best is? Then we
:08:06. > :08:11.will have guidelines that we can all sign up to which we have used
:08:12. > :08:15.basically for the last 50 years. While this issue has come to light
:08:16. > :08:19.in the last couple of weeks, clinicians have been dealing with
:08:20. > :08:26.the matter quietly for a lot of years, so take a listen to what the
:08:27. > :08:32.Health Minister had to say. It has happened many times over the years.
:08:33. > :08:36.That is something that has been happening in Northern Ireland and
:08:37. > :08:41.this is very often cases where children have no prospect of life
:08:42. > :08:46.outside of the worm. More importantly, where the continuation
:08:47. > :08:51.of a pregnancy may cause a risk to the mother. Just to be clear, he was
:08:52. > :08:56.asked a question about termination in the case of foetal abnormality,
:08:57. > :09:00.what is your reaction? Over the last 50 years there has been no change of
:09:01. > :09:09.practice. All pregnancies, whether it is up problem for the mother, are
:09:10. > :09:13.dealt with sometimes by early delivery and that is if there is
:09:14. > :09:20.thought there could be a permanent long-term problem the mother. In no
:09:21. > :09:23.cases do I know were a pregnancy has the indication being foetal
:09:24. > :09:31.abnormality -- long-term problems for the mother. It is against
:09:32. > :09:35.European law. We could only carry out a termination where it is for
:09:36. > :09:38.the good of their mental health of the mother and sometimes for the
:09:39. > :09:44.physical health of the mother. I do not know of any cases where it has
:09:45. > :09:50.been done for foetal reasons. Given this controversy, have you been
:09:51. > :09:55.asked for your advice? No, I have not. I know that I am talking for
:09:56. > :09:59.many obstetricians and other midwives, paediatricians as well,
:10:00. > :10:05.that we would be only too willing to help. What advice would you give?
:10:06. > :10:13.They are are womenfolk and we should look after them and not send them
:10:14. > :10:19.away. Lots more to come. Could air passions of tax charges in the
:10:20. > :10:25.Republic affect tourism here? -- air passenger tax charges. The DUP MP
:10:26. > :10:29.Gregory Campbell has accused the Republican movement of setting up
:10:30. > :10:32.its own committee to deal with cases of sex abuse 13 years ago. The
:10:33. > :10:38.allegation made in the House of Commons today jarring questions to
:10:39. > :10:42.the Secretary of State has been rebuffed by Sinn Fein who say the
:10:43. > :10:49.claim is untrue -- during questions. The voluntary sector had
:10:50. > :10:53.an unfair burden. Will the Secretary of State comment on information I
:10:54. > :10:58.have received about a fixed committee which existed within the
:10:59. > :11:05.republican movement jeering 2000 which dealt with almost 100 sex
:11:06. > :11:09.abuse victims, -- during 2000. Will she join with me in calling for
:11:10. > :11:14.those people to come forward and help those many innocent victims
:11:15. > :11:20.deal with the nightmare that they are still dealing with 13 years
:11:21. > :11:23.later? His comments have been dismissed by the Deputy First
:11:24. > :11:29.Minister Martin McGuiness. I would not credit -- Michael credit
:11:30. > :11:34.anything he would say with an answer. A senior detective has
:11:35. > :11:39.denied claims he tried to sabotage the appeal of two men found guilty
:11:40. > :11:43.of murdering Constable Stephen Carroll. Richard Harkness said that
:11:44. > :11:49.police believe that a defence witness had been threatened at
:11:50. > :11:54.gunpoint. Constable Stephen Carroll was shot dead by dissident
:11:55. > :11:57.republicans in Craigavon in March 2009. Brendan McConville and John
:11:58. > :12:02.Paul Wootton were found guilty of the murder but they are appealing.
:12:03. > :12:06.At the original trial, a man known as Witness M said he had seen
:12:07. > :12:10.Brendan McConville near the scene of the crime, but his father told the
:12:11. > :12:16.appeal that he liked to make up stories and could not be believed.
:12:17. > :12:20.In April, his father was arrested after he made a sworn statement to
:12:21. > :12:26.defence solicitors. Today the police officer in charge of the
:12:27. > :12:30.investigation gave evidence. A prosecution barrister asked Richard
:12:31. > :12:36.Harkness what he thought of allegations made by the defence that
:12:37. > :12:41.he tried to sabotage the appeal by arresting Witness M's father. He
:12:42. > :12:45.replied that there was -- that those allegations were untrue. The
:12:46. > :12:48.detective told the court that he believed his father may have been
:12:49. > :12:52.held and threatened at gunpoint and is said that arresting him on
:12:53. > :12:56.suspicion of withholding evidence was a last resort. The detective
:12:57. > :12:59.told the court, I had reason to believe he was under immense
:13:00. > :13:03.pressure from people who would not have the interests of justice at
:13:04. > :13:07.heart and would not think twice about inflicting serious violence if
:13:08. > :13:16.they did not get their own way. A defence barrister put it to the
:13:17. > :13:18.detective, you had him arrested in order to pressure him to withdraw
:13:19. > :13:21.his statement. However, he rejected this, saying I acted properly, as
:13:22. > :13:25.responsibly as could be expected in a difficult situation. After almost
:13:26. > :13:29.two weeks of hearings, tomorrow is likely to be the last day of
:13:30. > :13:38.evidence in this appeal. The judges will then consider their verdict.
:13:39. > :13:43.The 20-year-old motorcyclist has died in a crash in Carrickfergus. It
:13:44. > :13:46.happened this morning on the New Line in the town. The police are
:13:47. > :13:50.appealing for witnesses to come forward.
:13:51. > :13:54.Unemployment has fallen in Northern Ireland for the eighth month in a
:13:55. > :14:00.row. September's figures show 600 fewer people claiming jobless
:14:01. > :14:05.benefit and it keeps the rates year at 7.3% which is below the UK
:14:06. > :14:09.average. The actions of a Chief Fire Officer and chairman of the Fire
:14:10. > :14:12.Service Board have been described as wrong and reprehensible.
:14:13. > :14:17.A report by Stormont's Public Accounts Committee also said a
:14:18. > :14:22.decision to suspend a whistle-blower cause the service reputational
:14:23. > :14:25.damage and financial loss. And for the first time the BBC can reveal
:14:26. > :14:29.the identity of a second whistle-blower.
:14:30. > :14:33.It is not the firefighters at the front line who are being criticised.
:14:34. > :14:50.It is the people managing them. The reporter scaling --... In 2011, Miss
:14:51. > :14:57.Ford accuse them of financial wrongdoing. His decision to suspend
:14:58. > :15:04.her was clearly wrong. It attempts to justify his decision were
:15:05. > :15:11.reprehensible. It has a long time in coming. They are disappointed that
:15:12. > :15:14.no one has been held to account. While she waived her right to
:15:15. > :15:20.anonymity, the BBC can reveal the other whistle-blower was the
:15:21. > :15:27.financial controller. Despite an independent investigator upholding
:15:28. > :15:39.the complaint, first three years he was forced to work elsewhere.
:15:40. > :15:49.Despite all the criticism, no one has been held to account. He took
:15:50. > :15:53.legal advice on it. Everyone studying the report could identify
:15:54. > :16:05.the people who contributed most to a damning report. The BBC's on
:16:06. > :16:09.investigations revealed details where people used funds for their
:16:10. > :16:14.own use. The response of the committee means that all conflicts
:16:15. > :16:18.of interest must be declared. Public bodies will be held to account, it
:16:19. > :16:23.is important to note that this case only came to light when the
:16:24. > :16:26.whistle-blowers came forward. It is therefore vital that those people
:16:27. > :16:31.are properly protected and not made to feel vulnerable when they decide
:16:32. > :16:37.to lift the lid on the places where they work.
:16:38. > :16:40.Business groups have raised concerns about the impact on tourism and
:16:41. > :16:45.airports after the Republic announced it is to completely phased
:16:46. > :16:50.out in Air Passenger Duty on short-haul flights next year. Here
:16:51. > :16:54.are the equivalent duty is ?13, but as Will Leitch now reports, cutting
:16:55. > :16:59.the rate would be no simple matter for the Executive.
:17:00. > :17:05.?13 tax for every passenger flying into Belfast from the UK airports.
:17:06. > :17:10.Long haul is considerably more. But as the prospect of paying less tax,
:17:11. > :17:18.3 euros for the Republic, enough to make essential visitors give us a
:17:19. > :17:31.mess? Tourism chiefs were at a meeting today. Despite the North's
:17:32. > :17:37.recent high profile successes, it is a big issue. Most of our business is
:17:38. > :17:42.short-stay business. They want to fly and directly. It is not
:17:43. > :17:49.competitive with the Republic. Most of ours are coming in from the
:17:50. > :17:53.United Kingdom. We are not competitive with the South. For one
:17:54. > :18:00.man with the Northern Ireland President Obama to their is less
:18:01. > :18:05.concern. The bottom line is the customer is looking for value and it
:18:06. > :18:15.is important we push our good value message. We need to promote the
:18:16. > :18:20.range of things to say and do here. These passengers flying into Belfast
:18:21. > :18:24.today have already paid duty and there is little prospect of its
:18:25. > :18:27.being abolished in the near future. The finance minister was to lobby
:18:28. > :18:33.Westminster for that. That approach is worrying some tour operators.
:18:34. > :18:43.Tourism is an important industry and we have got to wake up now, we have
:18:44. > :18:56.got to look at the tax, look at VAT and reassess that. To potatoes --
:18:57. > :19:00.tour operators will need to find 60 million to 90 million from
:19:01. > :19:03.Stormont's budget. These are testing times for football
:19:04. > :19:07.in Northern Ireland. A very disappointing World Cup qualifying
:19:08. > :19:12.campaign and worryingly low attendances in the Irish League.
:19:13. > :19:16.Indeed, at the weekend, the Belfast Giants ice hockey team got three
:19:17. > :19:21.times more spectators than any Irish League game. So good footballer and
:19:22. > :19:23.anything from ice hockey? Well in east Belfast Giants and
:19:24. > :19:28.near-neighbours Glentoran have swapping notes.
:19:29. > :19:31.The Iceman arrives at the Oval. The general manager of the Belfast
:19:32. > :19:37.Giants was a guest of Glentoran's director of football. The attendance
:19:38. > :19:43.at the game was just under 3000 spectators. There are things that we
:19:44. > :19:58.can do differently. There are things that you could do differently. 60%
:19:59. > :20:02.of your stadium is going home unhappy. We need to make it more
:20:03. > :20:05.about the experience. Football could learn from North American sports in
:20:06. > :20:20.general. It is entertaining. Todd Kelman seems to have enjoyed
:20:21. > :20:27.his night at the Oval. Next up across the road at the Odyssey. This
:20:28. > :20:32.time, Roy Coyle as the guest and he is impressed. Not just by the modern
:20:33. > :20:41.facilities, but the crowd of more than 4500 spectators. Every time
:20:42. > :20:51.there has been a break, there are supporters here. We have a half-time
:20:52. > :20:55.in the Irish League. All you see is Irish League players warming up,
:20:56. > :21:01.kicking a ball. If we can introduce something like that into our game,
:21:02. > :21:07.we can attract more people. Put some hamburgers on something. It all adds
:21:08. > :21:12.to it. The families and young ones in particular, you see all those
:21:13. > :21:23.kids here, young teenagers, that is the way forward. That is what they
:21:24. > :21:28.are trying to promote. You are a football man through and through,
:21:29. > :21:32.did you enjoy tonight? I did. I was a little concerned because I did not
:21:33. > :21:36.know the rules of the game. I still don't know what they are after
:21:37. > :21:40.watching it. They use their hands most of the time, it is not an
:21:41. > :21:45.ex-Mac but they have got better facilities and more families than
:21:46. > :21:52.football. Football is struggling to keep up.
:21:53. > :21:55.Northern Ireland's World Cup campaign ended with a respectable
:21:56. > :22:01.draw in Israel last night. Will the manager be staying on? Gavin is
:22:02. > :22:13.here. He is keen to stay in the job. But his campaign doesn't make pretty
:22:14. > :22:18.beat Ding. -- reading. Our reporter has been travelling with the squad.
:22:19. > :22:22.Turning performances into points has been the problem for the players for
:22:23. > :22:26.much of this campaign. Michael O'Neill had shuffled his back and a
:22:27. > :22:31.desire for fresh legs and since as vengeance led to a rethink. Just
:22:32. > :22:34.before have time, seemed like little had changed. Last night in the
:22:35. > :22:42.second half he got his captain had changed. Last night in the
:22:43. > :22:46.leading from the front. We have put so much hard work into this campaign
:22:47. > :22:53.with little reward will stop it is nice to finish off on a higher note.
:22:54. > :23:04.And a goal? Yes, that was night. -- nice.
:23:05. > :23:11.The keeper has made a good save when I swivelled one end. Push hard for
:23:12. > :23:16.the next campaign because I am looking forward to it. It is the
:23:17. > :23:21.biggest honour you can have playing for your country. For O'Neill, less
:23:22. > :23:26.points than he would have hoped for but plenty of reasons why he wants
:23:27. > :23:31.to stay. We have played ten games. After 75 minutes in every game, we
:23:32. > :23:36.have been ahead, we have been level, we have been behind by a goal. They
:23:37. > :23:41.need to be tougher in certain games mentally. This group of players
:23:42. > :23:51.going forward into the euros will continue to work hard and continue
:23:52. > :23:59.being committed to each other. Nice to get a goal on an away trip. Very
:24:00. > :24:07.positive in the second half. Hopeful for the future. Happy to see him on
:24:08. > :24:11.-- staying on? Very much so. This should make his renewal of his
:24:12. > :24:16.contract a formality. The Republic of Ireland defeated
:24:17. > :24:20.Kazakhstan 3-1 last night in their final World Cup qualifying game. The
:24:21. > :24:25.visitors took the lead before Robbie Keane led the comeback, meaning the
:24:26. > :24:31.Republic and a second seats the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. That could
:24:32. > :24:34.be worth a lot of money to the Association. It could be a
:24:35. > :24:42.qualification if things go through. That could be massive.
:24:43. > :24:46.Two grams and Rory McIlroy is offering to put off the course
:24:47. > :24:51.matters behind this week. He is back in turn at action at the Korea Open
:24:52. > :24:56.after a month off and has admitted that this season has been a
:24:57. > :25:01.struggle. I have not been able to live up to my expectations. That is
:25:02. > :25:06.coming off the back of good year and 2012. It was always good to be
:25:07. > :25:13.tough, but that is what I wanted to do. This year, on the whole, a
:25:14. > :25:19.little bit of a disappointment. I want to finish the season strongly
:25:20. > :25:26.and get prepared for 2014. We wish him well.
:25:27. > :25:38.It is a lot better in Korea than it is here. Horrible downpours here. It
:25:39. > :25:43.will get better after what was a bit of a wash-out at times today. For
:25:44. > :25:47.the majority of us, it really was quite miserable. Fairly persistent
:25:48. > :25:56.rain edging into the Republic of Ireland. Some bright spots on the
:25:57. > :26:00.radar, too. Up to an inch in around some areas. The cloud has been
:26:01. > :26:04.breaking up, somewhat milder conditions following. We are
:26:05. > :26:09.watching this narrower band of showery weather, it is already into
:26:10. > :26:12.the southern counties, and it will continue to track its way northwards
:26:13. > :26:20.through this evening. There could be local heavy downpours on this one.
:26:21. > :26:25.If you are on the roads, you will know it. There will be a lot of
:26:26. > :26:29.surface water on the roads as well. Showers lingering for part of the
:26:30. > :26:35.night. In other parts it will clean up. Mild air from the South, it is
:26:36. > :26:43.not too chilly tonight, temperatures are around seven or eight degrees.
:26:44. > :26:47.Tomorrow, it is a better day. Dry and much brighter than today. I
:26:48. > :26:52.think we can beat Aaron Tete a little bit of sunshine and the best
:26:53. > :26:55.of that is likely to be during the morning. In the afternoon we will
:26:56. > :27:04.see the clouds starting to fill in from the south. There may be the odd
:27:05. > :27:07.shower, but it is mainly dry. Mainly dry apart from the odd shower and
:27:08. > :27:13.temperatures better than today, 15 or 16 degrees. The clouds gather
:27:14. > :27:20.more for tomorrow night. We have some showery bursts later.
:27:21. > :27:25.Temperatures of around ten or 11 degrees. Into Friday with another
:27:26. > :27:29.wet spell. Windy as well, so not very pleasant for the second half of
:27:30. > :27:36.Friday. For the weekend, low pressure is in charge. Pretty mild
:27:37. > :27:45.and winds should be later. Hourly summary is at 10:25pm. We will have
:27:46. > :27:48.the latest of the trial in Chicago. That is it for now. You can keep in
:27:49. > :27:50.touch with the