Qatar blockade: Iran sends five planeloads of food

Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Qataris have been ordered to leave some of the blockading nations, but Qatar has said it will not follow suit.
A spokesman for Iran Air, Shahrokh Noushabadi, told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Sunday: "So far five planes carrying perishable food items such as fruit and vegetables have been sent to Qatar, each carrying around 90 tonnes of cargo, while another plane will be sent today."
It is unclear whether the food is an aid delivery or a commercial transaction.
Iran Air posted a tweet of a shipment being loaded at Shiraz airport.
Mr Noushabadi said deliveries would continue "as long as there is demand".
AFP also quoted the Tasnim news agency as reporting that three ships with 350 tonnes of food were also set to leave for Qatar.
Iran has also opened its airspace to Qatari flights, following airspace closures by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.


Analysts say Qatar's positive relations with Shia-led Iran - Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia's arch-rival for influence in the region - were one of the causes of the latest rift, and the latest shipments are unlikely to ease the tension.
Meanwhile Qatar said it would not retaliate after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE last week ordered all Qatari citizens to leave within 14 days.
Some 11,000 people from the three nations are believed to be in Qatar.
In other developments on Sunday:
  • Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have set up hotlines to help families in their countries that have Qatari members. It is the first significant move to lessen the humanitarian impact of the blockade and followed a call on Friday by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for measures to be eased
  • Qatar has hired former US attorney general John Ashcroft to fight its corner in the international arena
  • Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, said he was confident the "region will return to a normal situation" and the current crisis would not affect the staging of football's World Cup in Qatar in 2022
  • Qatar's overseer of charities. the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities, denied any involvement in funding militants, saying it "deplores the accusation that Qatari humanitarian organisations support terrorism"
  • BBC NEWS

The last hours of a Christian sanitary worker in Pakistan

Irfan Masih was clearing a blocked sewer in Pakistan's Sindh Province when he was overcome by toxic fumes. The 30-year-old, who is Christian, died in hospital. His family say that doctors initially refused to treat him and allege he is a victim of growing discrimination from the Muslim majority. The BBC's Riaz Sohail in Umarkot and M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad report.
When Irfan Masih was sent with two colleagues to clear a sewer that had been blocked for four months on Chhor road in Umarkot town, he could not have foreseen that his life was about to end.
His cousin Pervez, a sanitary worker like Irfan, said he was heading to work on 1 June when he heard about the incident.
"I rushed straight to the spot where some people were gathered. They had already pulled out Shaukat Masih, who was unconscious. I helped bring out Yaqoob and Irfan."
Shaukat Masih had been sent down to rescue the two. Irfan was deepest down the sewer well.
"Irfan was breathing, sometimes choking a bit. I lifted him on my shoulder and started running towards the hospital when an auto rickshaw pulled over to help me carry him. 



The Taluka Headquarters Hospital in Umarkot is a small one, with only one emergency room where all three were taken. Six doctors deal with 600 outpatient and emergency cases every day.
One doctor came in, looked at Irfan and told the ward boy to clean him, Pervez Masih said. "I pleaded with him that Irfan was seriously ill and he must examine him right away. But he said he was fasting [for Ramadan], and that Irfan was covered in sewage filth. He went away."
After some time, the hospital's chief doctor arrived, he says, followed a while later by another. Neither doctor tended to the injured sanitary worker, although Pervez Masih says the second doctor told the ward boy to put him on oxygen.
"The ward boy did not wash Irfan as he was told. He continued to try to insert a cannula in Irfan's wrist but couldn't find a vein.
"All this while, I was fretting and pleading with one member of staff after another to attend to Irfan. Then I cleaned his face a bit and put my mouth on his mouth and nose and blew in to revive him.
"All this time, Irfan was breathing. Occasionally a shiver would run down his body, like someone having an epileptic fit.
"We must have been there for half an hour before he died. The last time I breathed into his mouth and nose, he pulled in a deep breath and choked a little."
It was only then that the ward boy brought the oxygen and put the mask on his mouth, he said, but there did not appear to be any oxygen in the cylinder. Minutes later a fourth doctor, Hanif Aresar, came in.
"He didn't mind the filth, just went down and embraced him and turned him on his stomach, and back on his back, and tried to resuscitate him manually. Then he said it was no use. Irfan was gone. "
Image copyright Pervez Masih
 
 Irfan was Christian, like most sanitary workers in Pakistan. Some low-caste Hindus also do the job, but Muslims avoid this work because they see it as beneath them.
Christians also face discrimination in this Muslim-majority nation. So too do Hindus, but in Umarkot there is a Hindu population of half a million, making them an influential group. There are only a small number of Christians, however, and they have no meaningful representation in the local government.

Who are Pakistan's Christians?

 

  • Make up 1.6% of Pakistan's predominantly Muslim population
  • Majority are descendents of those who converted from Hinduism under the British Raj
  • Most converted to escape their low-caste status and many are among the poorest in Pakistan
  • Targeting of Christians fuelled by strong anti-blasphemy laws and anger over US-led war in Afghanistan

Dr Jam Kumbhar, the chief of the hospital, denies allegations that doctors refused to touch the three workers unless they were washed or that one said he was fasting (with the possible implication that he was short-tempered as a result).
He says Irfan Masih "was already dead when they brought him in," despite his cousin Pervez's detailed account of the man's last moments.
"I am a Muslim and a doctor, and part of our training is to understand that all patients are equal and we must not entertain prejudice against anyone," Dr Kumbhar told the BBC.
"I did not utter these words, nor did I hear any other doctor say that he was fasting and that he would touch the patient only after the patient was given a bath."
The BBC asked to see the entry register which lists each patient brought in to the emergency room and their medical condition. Dr Kumbhar said they couldn't find it because it had been taken away by local Christians.
Local journalist Nahid Hussain Khatak, who reached the hospital about 10 minutes after Irfan Masih, corroborates much of Pervez Masih's account.
 
 
 He had been seen by the doctors. If they thought he was dead, why would they put a cannula in his arm or give him oxygen?" A picture taken by Pervez Masih appears to show his brother with a cannula in his arm.
Dr Kumbhar accused the Christians of turning violent.
"They were armed with sticks and were also carrying acid in bottles. They broke things at the hospital. The lives of the doctors were in danger."
The hospital administration has made a formal request to the authorities to lodge a case of terrorism against 13 members of the Christian community.
Nahid Hussain Khatak says the violence alleged "wasn't even a fraction of what the hospital administration have said".
"Someone opened the fridge in the emergency room and found it stocked with fruit (for doctors and paramedics to eat after their fast) instead of medicine, and pulled it to the ground. They smashed up a couple of tables but it was over in minutes as everybody stormed out to hold a protest."
Far from going after the Christian protesters, police are investigating the three doctors at the hospital who are accused of negligence and involuntary homicide. Dr Kumbhar was arrested and released on bail.
Pressure for a police complaint mounted when the Christian community staged their demonstration, attracting media attention.
  Image copyright Pervez Masih 




Pervez Masih does admit he and others were angry.
"I lost my mind. Shaukat and Yaqoob were also in a serious state. So there was mayhem in the emergency room. Someone pulled down a refrigerator, a table or two were overturned, some windowpanes were broken."
But he says they left with Irfan Mashi's body when police told them to calm down.
"We took the dead body straight to the town square where we staged a sit-in for seven hours, and left only after the district administration high-ups assured us that justice would be done."
It was this anger, he believes, that convinced police to lodge a complaint against the three doctors, and that convinced the hospital staff to immediately arrange to transfer the two other Christian men to hospitals in Hyderabad and then Karachi.
"Shaukat has revived, but Yaqoob is still in a serious condition," Pervez says.
Locals say at least two other Christian sanitary workers lost their lives cleaning the same sewer three years ago.
Mir Hasan Aresar, a columnist and social worker, says there have been examples of intolerance towards minorities in this area. "Tolerance is diminishing, and it's worrying," he said.
Image copyright Pervez Masih
 
 
The government has announced compensation of a million rupees ($15,000, £12,200) to the family of Irfan Masih, but his mother, Arshad Bibi, is not content.
"I want justice. I want the doctors to be punished so that this doesn't happen to another poor family."
His father, Nazeer, said the first doctor did discriminate against Irfan and the others.
"He said he was fasting, and the patients were dirty. His clothes would get soiled, he said. He asked us to wash the patients before he could treat them.
"They hate us. They don't allow us to sit next to them because we are sweepers. The politicians came here because the case was highlighted in the media. Otherwise, no-one bothers."

BBC NEWS

Gaddafi's son Saif freed in Libya

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, second son of the late deposed Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, is said to have been freed under an amnesty, in a move which could fuel further instability.
His father's preferred successor, he had been held by a militia in the town of Zintan for the past six years.
The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said he had been released on Friday but he has not been shown in public.
A source has told the BBC he is in the Tobruk area of eastern Libya.
His lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, also said he had been released but would not say which city Saif al-Islam had travelled to for security reasons.
The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said it was acting on a request from the "interim government".
That government - based in the east of the country - had already offered amnesty to Saif al-Islam.
However, he has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Tripoli, the west of the country, where control is in the hands of the rival, UN-backed Government of National Accord.
Previous reports of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's release proved to be false.
He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during his father's unsuccessful attempts to put down the rebellion.

Another unpredictable element: analysis by Orla Guerin, BBC News, Tripoli

If confirmed, the release of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi would add another unpredictable element to Libya's unstable mix.
He was detained in the desert in November 2011 trying to flee to Niger, and later appeared missing several fingers.
The former playboy often appeared in the West as the public face of the Gaddafi regime and was his father's heir-apparent.
While reviled by many - at home and abroad - he retains some support in Libya and could try to re-enter the political fray here.

The 44-year-old Saif al-Islam - who was controversially granted a PhD by the London School of Economics in 2008 - was captured in November 2011 after three months on the run following the end of Muammar Gaddafi's decades-long rule.
Image copyright Reuters
 
 He was previously known for playing a key role in building relations with the West after 2000, and had been considered the reformist face of his father's regime.
But after the 2011 uprising, he found himself accused of incitement to violence and murdering protesters.
Four years later, he was sentenced to death by firing squad following a trial involving 30 of Gaddafi's close associates.

Saif al-Islam: Heir to prisoner

  • June 1972: Born in Tripoli, Libya, second son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
  • February 2011: Uprising against Gaddafi government begins
  • June 2011: International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam for crimes against humanity
  • August 2011: Leaves the capital after Tripoli falls to anti-government forces; flees to Bani Walid
  • October 2011: Father and younger brother killed
  • 19 November 2011: Captured by militia as he tries to flee south to Niger. Imprisoned in Zintan 
  • July 2015: Sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in absentia
  • June 2017: Reportedly released after being granted amnesty by one of Libya's two competing governments
  •  
  • BBC NEWS

Ivory Coast jail sentences for chimpanzee traffickers

Two men have been sentenced to six months in prison in the first case of wildlife trafficking brought in Ivory Coast.
An Ivorian government lawyer said the judgement "sends a signal" that animal trafficking is being taken seriously.
The men were arrested while trying to sell an infant chimp to a BBC reporter posing as the representative of a wealthy Asian buyer.
Chimpanzees are in such sharp decline they are listed as endangered.
Those in West Africa are judged to be critically endangered.
Since Ibrahima and Mohamed Traore have remained in prison since their detention last December, they are deemed to have already served their sentences and are therefore free. 


Infant chimpanzees are in huge demand as pets in homes and commercial zoos in the Gulf states and China.
The dealers were arrested in a dramatic raid staged by Ivorian detectives working with international police organisation Interpol, acting on information shared by BBC News.
During the operation, a baby chimpanzee later named Nemley junior was freed and taken into the care of wildlife officials.
After becoming used to the keepers at the zoo in Abidjan the baby chimpanzee showed signs of recovery.
However he has since become unwell with wildlife experts raising concerns for his future.
According to a local charity, although Nemley junior is feeding, he remains thin.
One major concern is that he is too small to join older chimps at the zoo but becomes stressed if kept on his own.
In the wild, baby chimpanzees usually stick close to their mothers for four to five years. 


The secret trade in baby chimps

A secret network of wildlife traffickers selling baby chimpanzees was exposed by a year-long BBC News investigation.

Nemley junior was seized by poachers who would have killed his parents and other members of his family.
During our investigation, Ibrahima Traore sent us videos of baby chimpanzees for sale, some were only a few months old.
He boasted of his ability to evade international export controls.
One technique, which he demonstrated in a video, was to hide a chimp in a secret compartment in a shipping case with other less rare animals, which can be legally exported, placed above it.
Another smuggling method that he outlined to us was to obtain forged or fake copies of international export permits.
These are issued under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) and are only supposed to be used for legitimate transfers between registered institutions.
During our investigation, Ibrahima sold us one of these permits, apparently issued by the National Parks department of Liberia.
"We are delighted that the first ever wildlife crime prosecution in Ivory Coast has resulted in a conviction, a custodial sentence and a fine," Cites secretary-general John Scanlon told the BBC.
He also commended the authorities in the Ivory Coast for pursuing the prosecution of the criminals, thereby sending an important message to the community that wildlife trafficking was a criminal offence.


Currently under Ivorian law, the maximum penalty for wildlife crime is one year in prison. A new law with tougher penalties is being prepared.
The lawyer acting for the Ivory Coast government, Mohamed Lamine Faye, said:
"Even if we would have liked a harsher sentence, we can only function within the limits of our laws on the protection of endangered animals, which date back to 1965."
He also pointed out that chimps were kept as pets by thousands of Ivorians, and the national and international trade is lucrative.
"In court the Traorés admitted they could receive $1,400 (£1,100) for a chimp. If they sell 10 in a year, that is more than enough to have a comfortable life," Mr Faye pointed out.

You might also like to read:


During our investigation, we reported on the lack of funding for Interpol to act against people trafficking chimpanzees - their main priority now is fighting the trade in ivory and rhino horn.
Since our reports, which were picked up around the world, Interpol is now in addition focusing on chimp smuggling and recently brought together detectives and wildlife officials from half a dozen countries to share information and coordinate action. 

BBC NEWS

Democrats say Dodd-Frank repeal is 'wrong choice'

Democrats are slamming a Republican bid to dismantle financial rules put in place after the 2008 crisis as the "wrong choice" for the country.
House Republicans approved a sweeping measure on Thursday that would ease rules on banks, weaken consumer protection and scrap federal bailouts for major financial institutions.
"Growth!" US President Donald Trump cheered in a tweet Friday morning.
But Democrats vowed to fight the bill, which few expect to advance further.
"It's fitting that @realDonaldTrump is celebrating a bill that will harm service members, seniors, and families #WrongChoiceAct," Nancy Pelosi, the leader of Democrats in the House, tweeted in reply.
Supporters say the bill, dubbed the Financial CHOICE Act, provides a simpler alternative to the oversight measures known as the Dodd-Frank Act, which passed in the wake of the financial crisis.
Among the major changes, the bill allows banks that maintain a certain level of financial surplus to opt-out of those rules and abolishes the bailout process established for major financial institutions.
It also rolls back a wide range of other rules, touching on issues from payday lending to shareholder proposals.
Republicans take aim at Dodd-Frank financial rules
Trump orders review that could relax Dodd-Frank bank rules
Congressman Jeb Hensarling, the sponsor of the bill, called it a "better, smarter way".
"It's called the Financial CHOICE Act. It stands for economic growth for all, but bank bailouts for none," he said.
Financial stocks soared after the vote, which some say could push Republicans in the Senate to pursue more aggressive reform.
Senator Sherrod Brown, the Democrat who heads the banking committee in the Senate, has said he is open to loosening rules for smaller community banks.
But he lambasted the House measure, calling it "partisan, dangerous legislation [that] would once again leave families, seniors and service members at the mercy of predatory lenders, and put taxpayers back on the hook to pay for Wall Street's greed and recklessness.
"Democrats have shown we're willing to work with Republicans to tailor the rules where it makes sense, but not if it means killing the reforms that have made the financial system safer and fairer," he said in a statement earlier this week.
No Democrats voted for the House bill on Thursday, which was overshadowed by the testimony from fired FBI director James Comey about the Russia investigation and his interaction with US President Donald Trump.
Many Democrats in the Senate have stayed quiet on the issue.
In an interview with the BBC, former congressman Barney Frank, the architect of the original bill, dismissed the vote as "theatre".
"The very conservative Republicans in the House... this is their show," he said.

E3 2017: Gamers head to LA to play


Gamers from around the globe are heading to Los Angeles for the E3 video games showcase, which lays out what players can expect in the year ahead.
E3 is traditionally an industry-only event, but in recent years some studios have held their own showcases and broadcast them to fans online.
This year, for the first time in its 24-year history, 15,000 video game fans will be allowed to attend too.
One analyst said it was a sign of E3 adapting for modern times.
"E3 originally was a retail conference, about connecting buyers with the publishers," said Piers Harding-Rolls of the consultancy IHS Markit.
"The industry has changed significantly since then, so E3 has to move with the times.
"It's a process to make it much more publicly available, and it's a good move - it keeps it relevant."
E3 begins on Tuesday 13 July - but many games studios including Microsoft and Sony hold their own events a little earlier.

Microsoft aims ultra-high

Image copyright Getty Images
 
 Last year, Microsoft announced it was working on "the most powerful console ever", code-named Project Scorpio.
The company has already described the computing power of the device, which it says will be capable of playing ultra-high definition 4K games - but this could be the first time we see the device and hear what it will be called.
"This will re-establish their credentials with the gamers who want the highest graphical capability," said Mr Harding-Rolls.
"I'm expecting it to be more expensive than the PS4 Pro, so it's probably not going to sell as strongly - but will give Microsoft a boost towards the end of the year."

Nintendo expands its offer

 

Nintendo says its new Switch console is off to a promising start, with about three million sold, making it the company's fastest-selling device.
The launch was buoyed by the highly-anticipated Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, which Nintendo dedicated its entire E3 exhibition to in 2016.
To keep momentum, the Japanese games-maker will be showing off multiplayer games such as Splatoon 2, Arms and Pokken Tournament DX.
However, many players are still hopeful that Nintendo will announce some surprises - such as the first full Pokemon game for the Switch.

Virtual reality 

 

Sony says sales of its virtual reality kit for the PlayStation 4 have exceeded expectations, with more than a million people picking up a PS VR headset.
But the challenge for all headset developers is to show off compelling games that will encourage more people to invest in the costly kit.
"It's a key focus for Sony, because it's different from what Microsoft is offering with Xbox," Mr Harding-Rolls told the BBC.
"There have been some good launch titles, such as the VR mode on Resident Evil which was very well received.
"Is spread by word of mouth because it was so impressive and frankly scary - we need more of that, big brands and big titles."

Where to watch the big announcements

Saturday 10 June
Electronic Arts - 20:00 BST (19:00 GMT, 12:00 PDT)
Sunday 11 June
Microsoft - 22:00 BST (21:00 GMT, 14:00 PDT)
Monday 12 June
Bethesda - 05:00 BST (04:00 GMT, Sunday 11 June 21:00 PDT)
PC Gaming Show - 18:00 BST (17:00 GMT, 10:00 PDT)
Ubisoft- 21:00 BST (20:00 GMT, 13:00 PDT)
Tuesday 13 June
Sony - 02:00 BST (01:00 GMT, Monday 18:00 PDT)
Nintendo - 17:00 BST (16:00 GMT, 09:00 PDT)

BBC NEWS

Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill quit No 10 after election criticism

Theresa May's two closest advisers have quit after the Conservatives' failure to win the general election.
The BBC understands the PM had been warned she faced a leadership challenge on Monday unless she sacked Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill.
Mr Timothy said he was taking responsibility for his role in the "disappointing" election result.
He said he regretted not including a pledge to cap social care costs in the party's widely criticised manifesto.
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said the pair's departure bought the PM some "breathing space" following 24 hours of recriminations after the Conservatives lost their overall majority.
He said the two were so close to the PM that critical MPs believed that, unless they made way, she would not be able to change her leadership style to adopt a more "outgoing, inclusive, responsive, empathetic approach".
Mrs May has said she intends to stay as prime minister and is seeking support for the Democratic Unionists to form a government. Chief Whip Gavin Williamson is in Belfast to begin formal talks on a deal.
Mr Timothy and Ms Hill both stepped down amid mounting pressure on Mrs May to overhaul the way No 10 worked and broaden her circle of advisers.
Announcing his resignation on the Conservative Home website, Mr Timothy urged Tory MPs to "get behind" Mrs May but said nothing should be allowed to get in the way of the process of forming a government and beginning Brexit talks.
He said the Conservatives' failure to win was not due to a lack of support for Theresa May and the Conservatives but due to an "unexpected surge" of support for Labour.
He conceded his party had failed to communicate a sufficiently "positive" message to voters and address their concerns over years of austerity and inter-generational divisions, including over Brexit.
"We were not talking to the people who decided to vote for Labour," he said.
He defended the party's "honest and strong" manifesto, saying controversial proposals on social care had been discussed in government for months and were not his own personal "pet project".
But he added he took "responsibility for my part in this election campaign, which was the oversight of our policy programme" and "I regret the decision not to include in the manifesto a ceiling as well as a floor in our proposal to help meet the increasing cost of social care". 


Norman Smith said he understood that senior Conservatives had warned the PM they would instigate a leadership contest at a meeting of backbenchers early next week if the pair did not leave, and were confident they could get the required 48 signatures to trigger a contest.
One former minister, Anna Soubry, welcomed the clearout, saying it was the "right thing to do" and saying the PM must "build a consensus" on Brexit and other issues.
But Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson said the PM's advisers had "taken the fall" for her but tweeted the PM was "responsible for her own defeat".
Earlier, Mrs May's director of communications until the election was announced, Katie Perrior, called the campaign "pretty dysfunctional", telling the BBC she "needed to broaden her circle of advisers and have a few grey hairs in there who been around a bit and could say 'don't do that'".
As the Conservative leadership begins formal negotiations with the DUP, disquiet is being expressed in some quarters about the move.
Charles Tannock, a Conservative member of the European Parliament, said the DUP was a "hardline, populist, protectionist" party and a "poor fit" as a partner for the Conservatives.
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, tweeted a link to a speech she had made about same-sex marriage - something the DUP opposes.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage is not legal.


Ms Davidson, who is gay, plans to marry her partner in the near future and said she had been "straightforward" with Mrs May about her concerns.
"I told her that there were a number of things that count to me more than the party," she told the BBC. "One of them is country, one of the others is LGBTI rights.
"I asked for a categoric assurance that if any deal or scoping deal was done with the DUP, there would be absolutely no rescission of LGBTI rights in the rest of the UK, in Great Britain, and that we would use any influence that we had to advance LGBTI rights in Northern Ireland."
By winning 12 additional seats in Scotland, Ruth Davidson played a significant part in helping Theresa May to stay in Downing Street, BBC Scotland editor Sarah Smith says.
Speaking on Friday, the prime minister said the parties had a "strong relationship" and that she intended to form a government which could "provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country".
Analysis by political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue
The clock is ticking for Theresa May. She needs to conclude a deal with the DUP in the next week or so ahead of the Queen's Speech, which will set out the new government's agenda.
That takes place on Monday 19 June - the same day Brexit negotiations are due to start.
The DUP and its 10 MPs are in a very strong position. It's all their Christmases rolled into one and they will make sure they leverage as much as they can from their advantage.
Money for Northern Ireland will undoubtedly be part of their demands, and Mrs May will expect that. But trickier will be any demands they have about the implementation of Brexit in Northern Ireland - in particular the DUP's determination to maintain a soft border with the south.
Another potential problem is the planned restart of negotiations for power-sharing in the province.
Typically the British government tries to act as an honest broker between Republicans and Unionists. But if Mrs May is doing a deal with the DUP, that could make it harder to reach an agreement with Sinn Fein.
DUP leader Arlene Foster confirmed she had spoken to Mrs May and that they would speak further to "explore how it may be possible to bring stability to this nation at this time of great challenge".
Mrs May is expected to continue assembling her top team later after she decided to keep key figures - including Chancellor Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris and Home Secretary Amber Rudd - in their current roles.


David Davis will also stay on as Brexit secretary and Sir Michael Fallon will keep his role as defence secretary.
There could be changes elsewhere in the cabinet while nine middle-ranking and junior ministers, including Ben Gummer and Jane Ellison, lost their seats at the general election and will need to be replaced.
Jeremy Corbyn has said Mrs May should "make way" for a government that would be "truly representative of the people of this country".
The Labour leader, who is expected to announce his shadow cabinet on Sunday, said his party was ready to form a minority government of its own, but stressed he would not enter into any "pacts or deals" with other parties.

BBC NEWS

Apple to scan iPhones for child sex abuse images

  Apple has announced details of a system to find child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on customers' devices. Before an image is stored on...