Europe

    The European commission has launched an inquiry into Chinese subsidies for steel sold to the EU after European steelmakers warned that dumping was likely to increase. The inquiry is based on a submission from the European Steel Association (Eurofer), claiming that Chinese producers benefit from government subsidies such as preferential lending rates and low energy charges. The subsidies have allowed Chinese companies to export to the EU at prices that damage European steel producers, the association said. The European commission said Eurofer had also provided credible evidence that imports would increase soon as China diverts steel to the EU from the US and other countries that have clamped down on dumping. The inquiry is the first move announced by the commission sinc...

    The headteacher of the school in Montereau-Fault-Yonne told the 16-year-old that the length of her skirt meant that it was an “ostentatious religious symbol” – something forbidden in state schools in France since 2004. A meeting will be held at the school with the pupil’s parents to try to resolve the dispute, following a rash of similar incidents in other French schools last year. Long skirts if worn as a fashion statement are allowed in French schools. Long skirts worn as sign of allegiance to Islam or any other religion – may fall foul of the 2004 law which enforces the principle that state schools are secular. The council of state, the final arbiter of the meaning of French laws, has been asked to rule on the “long skirt” issue but has not yet done so. The girl has bee...

    A majority of people believe the country will vote to remain in the June referendum (Picture: [copyright]) The British public is split 50/50 on whether to leave the EU but a higher turnout among the Outers could tip the balance in favour of Brexit, according to an opinion poll for The Independent. Given a straight choice, 50 per cent of people said Britain should leave and 50 per cent that it should remain. But when the findings were weighted to take account of people’s likelihood to vote, the result changed to 51 per cent for Leave and 49 per cent for Remain. The online survey of 2,000 people by ORB, conducted between Wednesday and Friday (29), suggests that Barack Obama’s intervention in the debate has not been the game-changer the In camp was hoping for. Although 23 per...

    Open borders across Europe have allowed Isil to plant sleeper cells across the continent and in the UK, poised to launch Paris or Brussels-style massacres, America’s intelligence chief has warned. James Clapper, the US Director of National Intelligence, warned the free movement of citizens around the EU was “in conflict” with the need to protect security. He said there is evidence of fanatics from Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (Isil) in Britain, Germany and Italy secretly plotting outrages like those witnessed in France and Belgium . He warned some have taken advantage of the migrant crisis to slip in to Europe and called for better intelligence sharing between member states. The comments came a week after the Daily Telegraph launched a campaign to highlight weaknesses ...

    President Barack Obama hopes to build momentum during a two-day visit to Germany to help push a trans-Atlantic trade deal between the U.S. and Europe over the finish line. He knows a tough sell awaits him, particularly in Germany where the opposition is fierce. Other issues will be on the table when Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet Sunday for talks, chiefly efforts to counter the Islamic State group, improve cooperation on counterterrorism measures, and encourage countries to share law enforcement information. IS says it was responsible for attacks that killed 30 people in Brussels last month. Obama also wants to give Merkel a public pat on the back for her "courageous" handling of the migrant issue. Her decision to allow the resettlement in her country of hu...

    Poll puts Remain nearly 10 percentage points ahead of Brexit camp Support for a Remain vote in the referendum on the European Union is nearly 10 points ahead of Brexit, according to a new poll. The ORB survey for the Telegraph found that if the referendum was held now some 52 per cent of respondents would back remaining a member of the EU, with 43 per cent for leave, down five points on the previous poll. It appears that Remain voters are catching up with Leave supporters in terms of turnout. Some 70 per cent of Brexit supporters told pollsters they planned to vote, the same level as before, but the Remain turnout was up from 61 to 65 per cent. The overall turnout was up three points to 67 per cent. ORB also found that Leave supporters were slightly more likely to switch t...

    Majorca officers accuse the man - an unnamed suspect who was born in Morocco - of promoting terror attacks in Europe. He is also accused of having close links with leaders of the terrorist organisation ISIS who are based in Syria and Iraq. Officers raided a property in the holiday island’s capital Palma this morning to make the arrest. Spanish Interior Ministry officials said the police operation had permitted “the rapid neutralisation of a direct threat” and described the suspect as a “threat to national security.” The operation was coordinated by a judge at Spain’s national criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, in conjunction with state prosecutors. A statement released by the Interior Ministry, in which it referred to ISIS by its acronym Daesh , said: “The detainee, a...

    Several hundred migrants are believed to have died after four boats capsized in the Mediterranean. Italy's president, Sergio Mattarella, said there had been a migrant tragedy, as unconfirmed reports suggested the vast majority of those on board the vessels were Somalis, trying to cross the sea from Egypt to Europe. Speaking at a prizegiving ceremony in Rome, Mr Mattarella said Europe needed to reflect in the face of "yet another tragedy in the Mediterranean in which, it seems, several hundred people have died." He did not give any further details. The Italian coastguard said earlier they knew nothing about the reported disaster. It comes as a report by academics accused EU policymakers of "killing by neglect" by reducing search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean. It ...

    French President Francois Hollande, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are seen near burning bales of straw set on… The latest polls on Britain's referendum over whether the country should stay or leave the European Union show a vastly mixed picture of what the result could possibly be. This week, we've had one poll that showed support for a Brexit — Britain leaving the EU — is ahead of staying, while another poll showed that the remain vote is in poll position. However, polls are pretty pointless for predicting the outcome of the referendum, and are not a major pricing point when calculating the odds, Jamie Loughead, head of politics at the UK bookmaker Star Sports, told B...

    The Belgian transport minister has resigned over accusations she ignored lapses in security at Brussels airport before the attacks of 22 March. Opposition parties had been demanding Jacqueline Galant step down. They had leaked a confidential EU document, dating from 2015, which criticised security measures at Belgium's airports. Attacks on Zaventem airport and a Brussels metro station by so-called Islamic State left 32 people dead. Prime Minister Charles Michel had previously defended Ms Galant, and he had told parliament that her office had not seen the critical EU report. However on Friday morning, following the publication of further documents on Thursday evening, Michel said that "contrary to what was communicated to me" the report had been discussed, according to publ...