Britain, European Union reach Brexit deal, Boris Johnson hails 'great new deal'

Britain and the European Union said Thursday that they have struck an outline Brexit deal after days of intense see-saw negotiations, though it must still be formally approved by the bloc and ratified by the European and U.K. Parliaments. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that the two sides had struck a "great new deal" and urged U.K. lawmakers to ratify it in a special session on Saturday. The breakthrough came just hours after Johnson's Northern Irish government allies threw a spanner in the works by saying they couldn't support the draft agreement because of provisions for the Irish border.