It's thought we may hear more today about progress in talks between the EU and UK over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Protocol has been a big sticking point between the two sides since the UK formally left the EU in 2020
The current deal allows goods to be transported across the Irish land border without the need for checks - a sensitive issue because of NI's troubled political history
But it means that goods arriving from Britain are checked when they arrive at Northern Irish ports
For this reason unionist parties like the DUP feel the protocol undermines NI's ties with the rest of the UK
The political impasse has also caused a shutdown of the government in Northern Ireland, with the DUP refusing to participate in power-sharing
But hopes of an breakthrough were raised after the prime minister met political leaders in Belfast last week, and a top EU official over the weekend
Let's take a breather while we await further, if any, updates on this story during the course of what's left of Sunday.
However, we will continue to update our news story with any developments as we get them.
BBC reporters in Belfast, London and Brussels are urgently tapping up their sources and speaking to contacts as they try to get a steer on what it is we're going to get today.
Our Brussels correspondent Jessica Parker mulls over whether it could just be an update on progress in the negotiations.
She does though believe what we're hearing today is being co-ordinated between the UK and European Union.
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Image source, Getty ImagesWhile we wait for news out of Downing Street and/or the European Union, let's step back a moment and take in what it is we're talking about.
These talks aimed at getting a new agreement follow the adoption of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is a trading arrangement negotiated during Brexit talks, that was brought into force at the start of 2021. It allows goods to be smoothly transported across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without checks.
Before Brexit happened, this was simple because both sides followed the same EU rules. However, after the UK left the EU, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland borders the Republic of Ireland, which remains part of the EU. This became the key sticking point of the Brexit negotiations between the UK and EU.
The EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods - such as milk and eggs - arrive from non-EU countries. A land border is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland’s troubled past and it was feared that cameras or border posts - as part of these checks - could cause fresh instability.
So, the UK and the EU signed the Protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement in order to protect the Northern Ireland peace deal - the Good Friday Agreement. It’s now part of international law.
Honestly? Not much right now other than the noise level in the Broadcasting House newsroom has increased dramatically in the last half-hour.
What we do know is that a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol has been expected for a few days now and our political correspondent Ione Wells is reporting that details of it are expected "imminently" with full details to come tomorrow.
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Stay with us, we'll bring you more updates as we get them.
At the moment it's not clear when we might hear something.
What we do know is that any agreement comes after months of negotiations because the UK government and the unionist parties in Northern Ireland were very unhappy with the Northern Ireland protocol - which we'll talk about more in a coming post.
Image source, PA MediaGood afternoon.
We’re hearing via our correspondents in London and Brussels that an announcement about a new deal between the EU and UK on Northern Ireland is imminent.
We have been expecting such an announcement for several days now, but it appears the government and European Commission are coming closer to a deal.