Michael Cousins Acting Managing Editor

Good afternoon from the News Letter

In the news today:

Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has described new proposals from the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol as a “starting point”.
European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic unveiled a series of proposals aimed at slashing the red tape burden on Irish Sea trade created by the post-Brexit settlement.

Disagreement appears to have halted the publication of a long-awaited report on flags, identity and culture.
It follows the setting up of a commission in 2016 to find a way forward on the issues which spark deep division in Northern Ireland.

Do you have an overdue library book sitting on the shelves? In a bid to have more than 87,000 overdue items returned to Northern Ireland’s libraries, an amnesty has been put in place with all fines being waivered. As of close of business on Monday, Libraries NI said there were 87,412 items registered on their system as being overdue.

* You can read all about the initiative here:


Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis failed to comply with his duties by not expeditiously providing full abortion services for women in the region, a High Court judge has ruled. 
But Mr Justice Colton declined to make any order compelling Mr Lewis to set out a timetable for the provision of the services.

A leading pig farmer says hundreds of colleagues across Northern Ireland are ‘at their wits’ end’ as the industry continues to be dragged down by a shortage of 300 migrant workers. 
Pig farmers across NI have been highlighting the severe pressures their industry is facing due to a serious shortage of staff in abattoirs and processing factories.

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