:00:00. > :00:08.Our abortion laws remain unchanged tonight, even though
:00:09. > :00:11.a High Court judge has declared the legislation is incompatible
:00:12. > :00:16.Last month the judge said he would consider if exemptions
:00:17. > :00:20.could be included in the present law for victims of sexual crime
:00:21. > :00:23.and cases of fatal foetal abnormality, but today he said
:00:24. > :00:28.It's now up to the Assembly to consider changing the law.
:00:29. > :00:34.The experience of this woman is a big part of the reason
:00:35. > :00:39.Sarah Ewart travelled to England to have an abortion
:00:40. > :00:44.Today a judge told Stormont it needs to act
:00:45. > :00:49.The judge said allowing abortion for victims of sexual crime
:00:50. > :00:55.and fatal foetal abnormality under the present law would be a step too
:00:56. > :01:01.far but he issued a declaration of incompatibility, telling Stormont
:01:02. > :01:09.After the ruling, Sarah Ewart had this message for politicians.
:01:10. > :01:14.I want to thank the judge for making his judgment.
:01:15. > :01:17.I don't want to go through the experience I went through,
:01:18. > :01:19.nor do I want any other woman to go through it
:01:20. > :01:24.and I urge our politicians to help women carry on having the families
:01:25. > :01:31.they want and give us the medical procedures we need in our hospitals.
:01:32. > :01:33.But there are different views on the likelihood of the Assembly
:01:34. > :01:40.Politicians will look at the judgment and I expect
:01:41. > :01:47.That is what Westminster have done when judges ruled about legislation
:01:48. > :01:51.being incompatible and the Scottish Parliament has done it in similar
:01:52. > :01:54.circumstances and I see no reason why the Assembly
:01:55. > :02:02.It is up to politicians to legislate for this.
:02:03. > :02:05.We have been waiting 13 years for guidance for health care
:02:06. > :02:10.professionals and if we have any hope of legislation
:02:11. > :02:17.We have said from the beginning that Stormont should make decisions
:02:18. > :02:22.to change laws on behalf of people here and for the last decades
:02:23. > :02:23.the people of Northern Ireland have been opposed to
:02:24. > :02:27.The Assembly is unlikely to take the legislation forward
:02:28. > :02:31.while there is still the prospect of appeal.
:02:32. > :02:37.From today there is six weeks in which to lodge one.
:02:38. > :02:40.Judgment has been reserved in the trial of Pastor James McConnell,
:02:41. > :02:44.the evangelical preacher accused of making "grossly offensive"
:02:45. > :02:47.remarks about Islam in a sermon last year.
:02:48. > :02:49.Pastor McConnell has defended the comments,
:02:50. > :02:51.on the final day of his three-day trial.
:02:52. > :02:55.BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson was in court.
:02:56. > :03:05.Inside court there were questions - a long list of questions
:03:06. > :03:10.about the sermon in which Pastor McConnell attacked Islam.
:03:11. > :03:15.He called it Satanic and heathen, and talked about
:03:16. > :03:21.Today he tried to clarify those remarks.
:03:22. > :03:43.Pastor McConnell was answering questions for an hour and a half.
:03:44. > :03:47.The 78-year-old preacher has suffered ill health in recent years.
:03:48. > :03:50.He was told if at any stage he wanted to take a break,
:03:51. > :03:56.he could, but he said no, he wanted it over.
:03:57. > :04:01.Among those supporting him was a Catholic priest.
:04:02. > :04:06.Father Patrick McCafferty said the pastor had never hated anyone
:04:07. > :04:11.and he had a deeply held faith but that was not the key issue
:04:12. > :04:14.in the case, according to the prosecutor.
:04:15. > :04:33.The trial ended late this afternoon but there was no verdict.
:04:34. > :04:37.The judgment will not be delivered until early in the New Year.
:04:38. > :04:46.I want to thank the Whitewell people for their wonderful support.
:04:47. > :04:57.The verdict is expected to be delivered on Tuesday January 5th.
:04:58. > :05:00.An appeal against a conviction for voyeurism by a former political
:05:01. > :05:04.advisor to a DUP MP has been rejected.
:05:05. > :05:06.The judge sitting at Craigavon Crown Court
:05:07. > :05:09.expressed his revulsion at the behaviour of 50-year-old
:05:10. > :05:12.David McConaghie of Cottage Hill in Dollingstown.
:05:13. > :05:15.The case centred on the placing of a camera by Mr McConaghie
:05:16. > :05:20.in the toilets of David Simpson's Upper Bann office.
:05:21. > :05:23.Our hospitals have again failed to meet waiting time targets
:05:24. > :05:29.Figures released by the Department of Health show that 288 people
:05:30. > :05:31.waited more than 12 hours for treatment, compared
:05:32. > :05:38.At Antrim Area Hospital, the figure jumped from 13 patients
:05:39. > :05:42.in November 2014 to 173 for November this year.
:05:43. > :05:45.At the Ulster's Emergency Department, the number of cases
:05:46. > :05:50.exceeding 12 hours went from three people to 93 for the same period.
:05:51. > :05:53.In comparison, however, waiting times in the Belfast Trust's
:05:54. > :05:57.hospitals showed a significant improvement.
:05:58. > :05:59.Big things we have seen are a reduction of admissions
:06:00. > :06:03.into our hospital, so we've moved from an admission rate
:06:04. > :06:09.in the high 20s, around 27-28%, to 18-20%.
:06:10. > :06:15.That means fewer patients are coming in each day and instead of
:06:16. > :06:19.having to sit on a ward and wait for things, they can see
:06:20. > :06:23.a specialist in a day or two and get the scans they need but remain
:06:24. > :06:29.Local Star Wars fans will get a chance to see the seventh film
:06:30. > :06:32.in the series in just over an hour and a half's time.
:06:33. > :06:35.The Force Awakens is being screened at many cinemas
:06:36. > :06:38.across Northern Ireland just after midnight.
:06:39. > :06:40.Let's go live to one of the cinemas here in Belfast
:06:41. > :06:56.Not long to go, the appointed hour, five past midnight and already fans
:06:57. > :07:01.are waiting here in Belfast and across Northern Ireland. Among the
:07:02. > :07:07.many waiting, Paul Black, what are you expecting most? Just do have
:07:08. > :07:14.Star Wars back, I'm expecting a lot of action and fun. Gerry, it's been
:07:15. > :07:18.a long wait. Seven years I think since the last one was released.
:07:19. > :07:25.What is the big moment you were looking for two? To see Han and
:07:26. > :07:30.chewy back after these years and what's happening with Lukes Guy
:07:31. > :07:36.Walker. Lots of expect Haitian in Belfast, Coleraine, Enniskillen, in
:07:37. > :07:42.the North West and in Newry, a lot of expectation, bands like he's
:07:43. > :07:44.waiting for the action to begin. Some colourful characters there.
:07:45. > :07:46.The boxer Michael Conlan has been named as BBC
:07:47. > :07:48.Northern Ireland's Sports Personality of the year 2015.
:07:49. > :07:50.The Belfast fighter recently became the only person
:07:51. > :07:52.from Northern Ireland to ever win gold at the World
:07:53. > :07:59.On tomorrow's Good Morning Ulster we'll be hearing from
:08:00. > :08:02.a former schoolteacher of the leader-in-waiting of the DUP,
:08:03. > :08:10.That's on BBC Radio Ulster starting at 6:30am.
:08:11. > :08:13.Let's get the weather forecast for the next few days
:08:14. > :08:26.We have an exceptionally mild night coming up. You may get to turn the
:08:27. > :08:30.heating down a little. There will be some rain and brisk winds in the
:08:31. > :08:36.early hours, some rain quite heavy, no rainfall warnings out at every
:08:37. > :08:40.work is in double figures. First thing tomorrow it is pretty wet
:08:41. > :08:44.especially in the East but it will brighten up and there will be dry
:08:45. > :08:50.weather for a time. Mid-morning morning onwards the rain will clear,
:08:51. > :08:54.bright and bright weather, still mild with temperatures that could
:08:55. > :09:01.hit 15 degrees in some spots and decent weather across the Republic.
:09:02. > :09:04.The rain slowly moves to Scotland, Northern England and western
:09:05. > :09:08.counties but it should stay dry in the south-east and temperatures here
:09:09. > :09:14.could reach 17. Later we will look to the West because a clump of
:09:15. > :09:19.showers will move in but the driest part of the day will be the middle
:09:20. > :09:24.before the showers moved in from the west in the late afternoon. It will
:09:25. > :09:30.cool off tomorrow night, still not cold for the time of year and a mild
:09:31. > :09:36.is back on Friday, lively wind and rain most persistent in the West. We
:09:37. > :09:42.will have to keep an eye on the rain in Fermanagh. Some further rain on
:09:43. > :09:47.Saturday, still mild and breezy but drier weather on Sunday. By that
:09:48. > :09:50.time the air will be cooling down a little bit. Not too bad.
:09:51. > :09:54.Our next BBC Newsline is at 6:25am during Breakfast here on BBC One.
:09:55. > :09:57.You can also keep updated with News Online.