Northern Ireland news: NI Protocol deal looms and large turn out for Dublin anti-racism march

Eden Wilson has your headlines in Northern Ireland on Saturday 18 February.

PROTOCOL NEGOTIATIONS

The Prime Minister has said a deal with the EU on fixing issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol is "by no means done."

However, following a meeting with the President of the European Commission in Munich on Saturday, Rishi Sunak and Usrula von der Leyen agreed that there has been very good progress to find solutions.

It comes amid speculation that a deal could be announced early next week.

ANTI-RACISM RALLY

Thousands have turned out for an anti-racism march in Dublin.

More than 200 organisations, unions and political parties took part in Saturday's 'Ireland For All' demonstration.

Activists said they were standing up against, what they described as, "hatred and disinformation being spewed out by extremists".

It comes amid a wave of anti-immigration demonstrations across the Republic.

STOP AND SEARCH

A Zimbabwean man who lives in Northern Ireland has said the black community do not trust the PSNI, after feeling over-policed.

It comes as figures from the PSNI show minority ethnic groups were twice as likely to be stopped and searched here last year.

Amnesty International has said thousands of people, including children, have been unfairly targeted.

DERRY SECURITY ALERT

A security alert is ongoing in the waterside area of Londonderry.

It follows the discovery of a suspicious device close to a sportsground on Corrody Road on Saturday morning.

Police have linked the alert to an attempted hijacking in the city on Friday night. Three masked men, who are believed to have been armed, tried to hijack a delivery driver's car in the Hollymount Park area shortly after 9.30pm before running off in the Corrody Road direction.

Diversions are in place and members of the public have been asked to avoid the area.

GAA

In sport, a former Armagh captain has been elected as the next president of the GAA.

Jarlath Burns, who led the county to the 1999 Ulster Senior Football title, was voted in on the first count at the organisation's Annual Congress.

He received 158 of the 277 ballots cast.

FOOTBALL

And in football, Larne secured three points in Saturday afternoon's top of the table clash with Cliftonville.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Crusaders and Linfield.

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