:00:00. > :00:08.There has been another twist in the legal battle involving Ashers
:00:09. > :00:17.Just as an appeal hearing was about to get underway,
:00:18. > :00:19.the Attorney General intervened and the case has been put on hold
:00:20. > :00:27.Arriving back at court today for another legal battle -
:00:28. > :00:32.the bakers and the man whose cake they refused to make.
:00:33. > :00:33.Ashers does not discriminate against anyone.
:00:34. > :00:38.We took issue with the message on the cake and not the customer.
:00:39. > :00:43.A court ruled last year that Ashers should have agreed to bake it
:00:44. > :00:46.and by not doing so they discriminated against customer
:00:47. > :00:51.All sides were set for today's appeal hearing when a solicitor
:00:52. > :00:55.for the Attorney General intervened in court and questioned the legal
:00:56. > :01:12.A spokesperson for the Attorney General later explained: But why
:01:13. > :01:15.But why only intervene at the last minute?
:01:16. > :01:18.The Attorney General pointed out that in March last year at the start
:01:19. > :01:22.of the original court case, he raised the issue.
:01:23. > :01:25.Two days ago he raised it again, this time in a letter
:01:26. > :01:31.Then came today's intervention inside court.
:01:32. > :01:34.It all meant the long-awaited appeal hearing scheduled for the next two
:01:35. > :01:37.The disappointment is there is an individual involved,
:01:38. > :01:43.It will be a number of months before it is presented and he has to go
:01:44. > :01:48.We had really hoped to hear the arguement and present
:01:49. > :01:51.There is one thing both sides agree on -
:01:52. > :01:56.that it is an extremely complicated case.
:01:57. > :01:59.At one point, one of the lawyers said he was dipping into these
:02:00. > :02:03.difficult legal waters with some trepidation.
:02:04. > :02:06.The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, told him not
:02:07. > :02:11.to worry, he said, "We have all got life-jackets on."
:02:12. > :02:14.The case now focuses on two hearings, not one.
:02:15. > :02:17.The first will be next month, when the Attorney General's concerns
:02:18. > :02:20.are addressed and then a full appeal hearing is scheduled for May,
:02:21. > :02:32.almost exactly two years after this controversy over a cake first began.
:02:33. > :02:34.A 37-year-old man has been arrested in Dublin in connection
:02:35. > :02:37.with the murder of a mother-of-three in Belfast.
:02:38. > :02:40.Jennifer Dornan was found stabbed to death in her burning house
:02:41. > :02:44.in the Lagmore area of West Belfast last August.
:02:45. > :02:47.Raymond O'Neill was arrested in Dublin today on a European Arrest
:02:48. > :02:53.He appeared at an extradition hearing in the city and was remanded
:02:54. > :03:00.A referendum on the UK's membership of the EU should be delayed,
:03:01. > :03:03.according to the First and Deputy First Ministers.
:03:04. > :03:05.Along with their counterparts in Scotland and Wales,
:03:06. > :03:08.they've written to the Prime Minister asking for the poll to be
:03:09. > :03:16.Here's our political correspondent Gareth Gordon.
:03:17. > :03:22.Cutting Britain's ties with the EU more difficult.
:03:23. > :03:24.But Arlene Foster, opening a football pitch today,
:03:25. > :03:28.does not believe David Cameron's renegotiation of the terms
:03:29. > :03:37.We want to give the Prime Minister his place and wait until he comes
:03:38. > :03:40.forward, until he says this is a deal and then we can make
:03:41. > :03:45.Given where we are today, it looks as if we will be
:03:46. > :03:51.That view is not shared by the Sinn Fein
:03:52. > :03:59.But they do agree that June is the wrong time for a referendum,
:04:00. > :04:02.claiming it is too close to Assembly elections.
:04:03. > :04:04.We have co-signed a letter with the First Ministers of Scotland
:04:05. > :04:06.and Wales, to David Cameron, outlining the objection
:04:07. > :04:16.to the referendum being held in June.
:04:17. > :04:18.That effectively collides with the running of Assembly
:04:19. > :04:22.elections here and the Scottish and Welsh elections.
:04:23. > :04:26.From our perspective, there is the issue of the timing
:04:27. > :04:28.of the referendum, and we are totally opposed,
:04:29. > :04:30.from Sinn Fein's perspective, we are opposed to any
:04:31. > :04:36.On the 6th of May, people in Northern Ireland,
:04:37. > :04:37.Scotland and Wales, take part in devolved elections.
:04:38. > :04:40.Mr Cameron is believed to favour the 23rd of June
:04:41. > :04:48.I respect the electorates of Scotland, Wales and Northern
:04:49. > :04:53.On the basis that people are capable of making up their mind
:04:54. > :04:55.in a Scottish election, Welsh election, and then making
:04:56. > :05:08.up their mind all over again on the vital question of the EU.
:05:09. > :05:11.It seems June is the likely referendum date.
:05:12. > :05:13.David Cameron has promised to visit Northern Ireland beforehand to make
:05:14. > :05:27.the case for Britain remaining in the EU.
:05:28. > :05:30.A 53-year-old has been charged after a man was stabbed five times
:05:31. > :05:32.outside a supermarket in Newcastle last night.
:05:33. > :05:34.The victim was attacked on the Castlewellan Road.
:05:35. > :05:35.He's in a stable condition in hospital.
:05:36. > :05:38.A man has been charged with grievous bodily harm,
:05:39. > :05:39.threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon.
:05:40. > :05:47.Several hundred people have attended a rally in West Belfast
:05:48. > :05:50.to demonstrate their opposition to a spate of violent robberies.
:05:51. > :05:52.It took place in Albert Street, off the Falls Road, close
:05:53. > :05:56.to where a pensioner was attacked last Friday.
:05:57. > :05:57.76-year-old Maureen Shepherd suffered a broken jaw
:05:58. > :06:02.Organisers say this evening's rally was intended to reassure older
:06:03. > :06:05.people and inform the community about proposed 'pensioner kits',
:06:06. > :06:15.which could include panic alarms and front door chains.
:06:16. > :06:23.Edge issues that the supporters here. I would say there are 400 500
:06:24. > :06:29.people here tonight. There are people here from all over Belfast.
:06:30. > :06:32.We have some friends here from the Shankill Road. This is an issue for
:06:33. > :06:34.the whole of Belfast and other areas.
:06:35. > :06:38.The Republic is to hold a General Election on 26th February.
:06:39. > :06:40.A brief statement in the Dail by Taoiseach Enda Kenny launched
:06:41. > :06:42.what will be a very short election campaign.
:06:43. > :06:48.Our Dublin correspondent Shane Harrison reports.
:06:49. > :06:56.Dun Laoghaire, before the starting gun in election 2016 was fired. The
:06:57. > :07:00.area that once returned Unionist MPs to Westminster is one of the 40
:07:01. > :07:05.constituencies with the parties will be trying to rally their supporters
:07:06. > :07:08.and to appeal to the floating voters. Some of those seeking
:07:09. > :07:13.election already had posters up, but this morning the Taoiseach and night
:07:14. > :07:20.that he would be seeking a dissolution of the 31st Dail. I will
:07:21. > :07:32.inform the house that I will proceed towards advising the president to
:07:33. > :07:40.dissolve the Dail to meet at 10:30am on Thursday, the 10th of March 2,000
:07:41. > :07:45.16. As show of unity from the Taoiseach. President Higgins
:07:46. > :07:53.formally signed away the outgoing Doyle. With polling day Friday, 26
:07:54. > :07:59.February, the next week's of campaigning will be dominated by one
:08:00. > :08:04.issue in particular, the economy. But on the streets of Dublin it
:08:05. > :08:08.seems some of the electorate and some of their politicians are not
:08:09. > :08:12.exactly in tune with each other. I really don't know what to do. I feel
:08:13. > :08:20.effect votes independently kind of laser vote, if you know what I mean.
:08:21. > :08:23.But what to outvote? Who are you going to call, Ghostbusters? They
:08:24. > :08:36.are all Mafia as far as I'm concerned. They have proper, stable
:08:37. > :08:40.ideas that will work. I think the government have done well in making
:08:41. > :08:46.us again the fastest-growing country in Europe. I think stability is best
:08:47. > :08:52.we will stick with stability. So it is no mood mouth of the political
:08:53. > :08:55.parties. The manifestos will shortly follow the posters going up in this
:08:56. > :08:57.very short three-week campaign. The Sinn Fein MLA Phil Flanagan has
:08:58. > :09:01.been ordered to pay almost ?50,000 in damages to Ulster Unionist MP
:09:02. > :09:04.Tom Elliott over something Mr Flanagan posted this tweet two
:09:05. > :09:08.years ago after hearing Mr Elliott The judge described it
:09:09. > :09:14.as a most serious libel. It's not clear if taxpayer-funded
:09:15. > :09:16.insurance used by MLAs Plans for new student flats
:09:17. > :09:22.near Belfast city centre are being fought by residents who've
:09:23. > :09:25.called them a "high rise Holyland". Today, the developers publicly
:09:26. > :09:27.defended the project Shaftsbury Square is the gateway
:09:28. > :09:37.to South Belfast and a popular place Developers want to build an eight
:09:38. > :09:42.story student accommodation block But residents say
:09:43. > :09:49.they don't want it. You will have a development
:09:50. > :09:51.which will potentially be 24 hours coming and going,
:09:52. > :09:53.increased noise, students Locals say they fear it
:09:54. > :10:02.could attract scenes like these and increase community tensions
:10:03. > :10:04.if students from the nearby Holyland They call it the new
:10:05. > :10:17.Holyland in the sky. They will come down,
:10:18. > :10:29.going down to City Hall. If the students come down,
:10:30. > :10:31.what are these fellas You are in between
:10:32. > :10:42.two loyalist areas. In their first public interview,
:10:43. > :10:48.the developers have defended It is not a flashpoint area,
:10:49. > :10:53.it is a city centre site, a ?7 million regeneration
:10:54. > :10:56.scheme, a main arterial route into the city
:10:57. > :10:58.centre and we think it The planning application is expected
:10:59. > :11:05.to go before Belfast City Council Given recent approval for student
:11:06. > :11:12.blocks elsewhere in the city, councillors could be
:11:13. > :11:14.discussing just how many more developments like this
:11:15. > :11:23.the city can absorb. The Portaferry Hotel in County Down,
:11:24. > :11:25.which closed abruptly last October with the loss of 20
:11:26. > :11:29.jobs, is to re-open. It's been taken over by a couple
:11:30. > :11:32.whose family run other businesses They say they hope to attract
:11:33. > :11:36.visitors back to Portaferry, which has suffered with the closure
:11:37. > :11:41.of the Exploris aquarium. The weather outlook now
:11:42. > :11:53.with Angie Philips. Good evening. It has turned into a
:11:54. > :11:56.chilly, wept and breezy evening. Overnight the more persistent rain
:11:57. > :12:00.will slide away, but even then it will be cloudy with further pulses
:12:01. > :12:06.of rain and drizzle is virtually later in the night, especially in
:12:07. > :12:09.the north and west. Temperatures are rising. Tomorrow will be cloudy and
:12:10. > :12:14.breezy and still some rain around, especially in the morning. The rain
:12:15. > :12:17.will slide its way eastwards through the morning rush-hour. Most of it
:12:18. > :12:24.will be light and patchy. The rain is a bit more persistent as it edges
:12:25. > :12:28.into Scotland, northern England, tapering down to the East of
:12:29. > :12:32.England, as well. Across Scotland are to stay wept for a good part of
:12:33. > :12:36.the day. Dried towards the north-east but they are still in the
:12:37. > :12:39.chilly air. Further south, in England, Wales, the Republic of
:12:40. > :12:45.Ireland, the rain will be more patchy and showery, maybe Apache
:12:46. > :12:51.bright spells, but temperatures will be in the troubled -- double
:12:52. > :12:54.figures. In Northern Ireland for the afternoon it will be drier than it
:12:55. > :12:58.was first thing in the morning, generally cloudy, low cloud and
:12:59. > :13:02.missed all studied will be mild, temperatures getting up to ten or
:13:03. > :13:08.11. The winds will pick through tomorrow night. Heading into Friday,
:13:09. > :13:13.the isobars are packing an indication of the strengthening
:13:14. > :13:16.winds as weather from -- however weather front approaches. It will
:13:17. > :13:21.bring a wet spell. Breezy and cooler for the weekend, then for a time
:13:22. > :13:26.late Saturday into Saturday night, try either side of it.
:13:27. > :13:30.Our next BBC Newsline is at 6.25am during Breakfast here on BBC One.