:00:09. > :00:13.The First Minister, Arlene Foster, says new surveys were carried out
:00:14. > :00:15.which supported the decision to end the ban on blood donations
:00:16. > :00:19.Previous DUP health ministers had refused to remove the ban,
:00:20. > :00:23.but yesterday it was scrapped by the new Sinn Fein
:00:24. > :00:28.As our Political Correspondent Stephen Walker reports,
:00:29. > :00:31.it comes in a week when Peter Weir visited an Irish-language school,
:00:32. > :00:39.and Martin McGuinness went to the Somme.
:00:40. > :00:47.Arlene Foster spent part of today at a food business in Downpatrick. She
:00:48. > :00:53.was there to open a new processing facility. Her trip bought the -- and
:00:54. > :00:57.end a busy political week. Yesterday her colleague Peter Weir became the
:00:58. > :01:01.first DUP education minister to visit an Irish language school, then
:01:02. > :01:06.Sinn Fein health Minister Michelle O'Neill overturned the ban on gay
:01:07. > :01:11.and bisexual men giving blood. So did the DUP support that move? We
:01:12. > :01:17.always said such a decision should be based on science and medical
:01:18. > :01:21.evidence, and that medical evidence was there. Michelle came with the
:01:22. > :01:26.evidence to worse and I was quite happy to endorse the decision sheet
:01:27. > :01:32.is just did. But the evidence she used was not the same evidence
:01:33. > :01:37.presented to a DUP health minister. No, there were new surveys carried
:01:38. > :01:40.out which came to the Department of Health, as I understand, just
:01:41. > :01:44.before, therefore she had new evidence before her and was able to
:01:45. > :01:50.bring that to the executive, and I was able to endorse her decision and
:01:51. > :01:54.was happy to do so. Said at this signify the new executive is working
:01:55. > :02:05.differently? We indicated we wanted to get on with the job of governing,
:02:06. > :02:09.and I think we are confident enough to do that, and I hope this week has
:02:10. > :02:11.shown that we are confident in our decisions, we are making those
:02:12. > :02:16.decisions and moving forward. This week also saw Deputy First Minister
:02:17. > :02:21.Martin McGuinness visit Great War battlefields at the Somme. This
:02:22. > :02:25.signifies that since the agreement in November of last year there is a
:02:26. > :02:30.recognition both within the DUP and Sinn Fein that we have to work
:02:31. > :02:34.together and be seen to be giving leadership to everybody in society.
:02:35. > :02:38.We have to show people things will be different from the last term, and
:02:39. > :02:42.I think we are beginning to see that taking shape. So the executive is
:02:43. > :02:46.making decisions, generating headlines, and it is clear there is
:02:47. > :02:50.a degree of goodwill towards those now in office. But the new ministers
:02:51. > :02:57.know their honeymoon period won't last forever. In the coming weeks
:02:58. > :02:59.they will face scrutiny from the smaller parties as they get used to
:03:00. > :03:00.their new role in opposition. A mother says she feared
:03:01. > :03:03.for her daughters' lives after an arson attack
:03:04. > :03:05.at her home in Larne. The children, aged nine
:03:06. > :03:07.months and four years old, were led to safety after a fire
:03:08. > :03:23.was started in a pigeon The burnt out pigeon loft. It was
:03:24. > :03:28.set on fire shortly after 2am this morning. Inside the House was a
:03:29. > :03:32.family including two girls, a baby and a four-year-old. Their mother
:03:33. > :03:37.was too shaken to appear on camera. I just woke up and saw the blaze at
:03:38. > :03:41.the window and knew the shed was on fire. We had to run out and wake the
:03:42. > :03:46.neighbours and ring the fire brigade and try to get the two kids out of
:03:47. > :03:57.the House. I was running about the street
:03:58. > :04:01.with a nine-month-old not knowing what to do. She says she is too
:04:02. > :04:04.afraid to remain in the house. I feel like I'm homeless, I don't know
:04:05. > :04:07.what we are going to do. I wish whoever it was would stop or give us
:04:08. > :04:10.a reason why because we don't know what we've done. This in the first
:04:11. > :04:14.time this has happened? It is the second time pigeons have been
:04:15. > :04:20.killed. There have been four fires now in a year. I don't know if it
:04:21. > :04:24.will happen. Her husband needed treatment for breathing smoke. The
:04:25. > :04:29.couple say they don't know why they have been targeted. As you can see,
:04:30. > :04:33.this pigeon loft has been devastated by the fire and it spread to the
:04:34. > :04:35.eaves of the house. This blaze has left this family fearing for their
:04:36. > :04:39.safety in their own home. The Police Federation say PSNI
:04:40. > :04:41.officers took more than 35,000 days of sick last year
:04:42. > :04:43.because of post-traumatic stress The federation says it's
:04:44. > :04:50.so concerned about the problem that it's setting up
:04:51. > :04:54.a fund to help them. Our Home Affairs Correspondent
:04:55. > :05:08.Vincent Kearney has The Police Federation last year
:05:09. > :05:14.produced three short movies to demonstrate the kind of work
:05:15. > :05:18.officers do. Suspect package in vehicle... The message was that they
:05:19. > :05:22.are no different from the people they serve. This actual officer has
:05:23. > :05:27.over 20 years of experience and says the fictional story is an accurate
:05:28. > :05:32.reflection of real life pressures. She doesn't want to be identified so
:05:33. > :05:36.we are calling her arm. She has been off work with stress for five months
:05:37. > :05:41.after being traumatised by the death of someone she knew. She says there
:05:42. > :05:44.is still a match choke out. There is a stigma, it is likeable yourself
:05:45. > :05:59.together attitude in the police. We do feel
:06:00. > :06:01.isolated. You don't want to speak to your superiors in case you are
:06:02. > :06:03.thought of less. The Police Federation says officers have to
:06:04. > :06:06.wait too long to see a doctor or counsellor. This officer, who we
:06:07. > :06:08.call Matthew, was involved in a serious accident on duty.
:06:09. > :06:12.Post-traumatic stress is a very debilitating illness, but it is not
:06:13. > :06:16.like having flu, you don't have it and get over it and carry on, it is
:06:17. > :06:24.something that keeps going and needs to continue to be managed. The
:06:25. > :06:29.Police Federation says action is needing it because of the number of
:06:30. > :06:33.officers with PTSD and psychological illnesses is growing. It has been
:06:34. > :06:37.obvious to us for some time that the resources required to alleviate this
:06:38. > :06:42.problem and assist officers have not been made available. We feel
:06:43. > :06:45.something has to be done immediately as we are approaching crisis point
:06:46. > :06:49.in the service. Details of the initiative will be announced at the
:06:50. > :06:53.Police Federation's conference next week. The Chief Constable and new
:06:54. > :06:57.Justice Minister will be in the audience and will be told this is a
:06:58. > :06:59.problem they need to do more to address.
:07:00. > :07:01.US presidential hopeful Donald Trump is to visit the west
:07:02. > :07:05.He said he's planning to visit his hotel and golf course
:07:06. > :07:09.at Doonbeg in County Clare around the 24th or 25th of June.
:07:10. > :07:12.The New York businessman will be in the country at the same time
:07:13. > :07:22.as a visit by US vice president Joe Biden.
:07:23. > :07:34.Northern Ireland claimed their second win of the wafer women's Euro
:07:35. > :07:35.2017 qualifying, with a win over Georgia.
:07:36. > :07:42.Let's get a check on the weekend weather now with Cecilia.
:07:43. > :07:48.Hello. We have had a fantastic week of weather. The warm weather will
:07:49. > :07:52.continue through the wake end and into next week but more clout
:07:53. > :07:56.particularly tomorrow. The cloud gradually increases from the eastern
:07:57. > :08:01.night, so in general temperature is not as low as recent nights. Some
:08:02. > :08:06.early sunshine in the West tomorrow, otherwise cloudy day, but still warm
:08:07. > :08:09.with dry weather to come. That cloud gradually increasing further west
:08:10. > :08:20.through the morning, maybe some showers, but generally lots of dry
:08:21. > :08:22.weather, a couple of showers over parts of Britain, but generally
:08:23. > :08:25.warmer across central and eastern England compared to recent days. The
:08:26. > :08:27.sunshine returns to the North and East of Scotland later and a
:08:28. > :08:29.gorgeous day over the Republic with temperatures in the low 20s. It
:08:30. > :08:33.should brighten up in Northern Ireland tomorrow afternoon, mostly
:08:34. > :08:37.dry, just the odd shower and late sunshine likely. Temperatures could
:08:38. > :08:42.get up to 20 degrees before the day is finished. On Sunday, early cloud
:08:43. > :08:45.but brightening, sunnier skies developing, warmer as well,
:08:46. > :08:49.temperatures in the low 20s, possibly some showers in the West
:08:50. > :08:58.before the days finish. If you are taking part in the Derry Marathon,
:08:59. > :09:01.it may be cloudy to start but will get warm and sunny before the races
:09:02. > :09:07.finished, and likewise, not to warm start for the cycling, but will be
:09:08. > :09:10.warm and sunny during Sunday. So we have more sunshine during the new
:09:11. > :09:12.week, warm, but the risk of showers, some could be thundery. Have a great
:09:13. > :09:14.weekend.