UK, EU make progress on N Ireland, but trade deal in doubt

LONDON (AP) — Britain and the European Union say the chance of a post-Brexit trade deal by a year-end deadline is slipping away, with just over three weeks to go. After months of negotiations, talks are stuck on several key issues. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will head to Brussels in the coming days for face-to-face talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, but officials are downplaying the chances of a breakthrough. There was progress on another thorny issue as the two sides announced they had reached agreement on how trade will work with Northern Ireland. As a result, Britain said it would scrap controversial plans to breach its legally binding divorce agreement with the bloc,