After Brexit deal crumbles, Britain's May to speak to Northern Irish party

 Prime Minister Theresa May and other British officials will speak to Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party on Tuesday after a tentative deal on Brexit with the European Union over the border with Ireland was dashed at the last minute.

An official at her Number 10 official residence said the British leader may return to Brussels as early as Wednesday to try to save a deal to open the way for talks on future trade after Britain leaves the EU that involved accepting "regulatory alignment" on the island of Ireland to avoid a hard border. 

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said he was confident the EU and Britain could still reach a Brexit deal in talks this week.

"We're very confident that we will be able to move this forward," Hammond said on arrival at a meeting of EU finance ministers. "Discussions are going on right now and will go on throughout the day."