Stormont ministers in Washington to promote North
More than half of the ministers in the new Stormont Executive are in Washington today to promote the North as a tourism destination and a good place to do business.
The trip coincides with an exhibition on Northern culture at the Smithsonian Institute.
Seven ministers are attending, along with 160 artists, artisans and civil servants from the North.
The size of the group has attracted criticism, with some describing the event as a blatant junket.
However, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who is leading the delegation, says it is a further sign of Sinn Féin and the DUP working together to provide a better future for the people they represent.
Finance Minister Peter Robinson, meanwhile, says critics in the media are just disappointed that the two parties have been working with each other for two months without having a row.
