Northern Ireland's devolution deadline nears

Time is running out for Northern Ireland's political parties to reach agreement on the restoration of devolved government at Stormont.

Realistically, a breakthrough is needed today to allow time to nominate a First and Deputy First Minister before tomorrow's deadline.

It is almost six months since the late Martin McGuinness dramatically resigned as Deputy First Minister, collapsing the power-sharing administration.

DUP leader Arlene Foster had refused to stand aside as First Minister during an inquiry into a public finance scandal.

In a snap Stormont election, the Sinn Fein vote surged but parties failed to restore devolution in the six-week timeframe.

That should have triggered another election but Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire imposed a new "final and immovable" deadline.

Without agreement, there is the very real possibility of direct rule from Westminster for the first time in a decade.

Sinn Fein is no longer ruling out Mrs Foster's return to devolved government if other "substantive issues" can be addressed.

There are four sticking points: addressing the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict, the Irish language, gay marriage and Brexit.

While they are reported to have made progress on most of them, the two main parties remain divided on language.

Sinn Fein continues to demand a stand-alone Irish Language Act, rather than a hybrid that would also accommodate Ulster-Scots speakers.

The party wants Irish placed on a par with English, describing the issue as one of "equality" and "human rights".

Buoyed by their recent General Election success, Mrs Foster's Democratic Unionist Party may be less inclined to compromise at Stormont.

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But there is the incentive of the £1.5bn the party negotiated for propping-up Theresa May's minority government at Westminster.

If direct rule returns, it will be Conservative ministers instead of local ones who are administering the budget in Belfast.