What happened
The European Union has unveiled plans to slash its steel import quotas by nearly half and impose a 50% tariff on shipments exceeding the new limits in a move the UK industry says could trigger its “biggest crisis yet”. The bloc remains Britain’s largest steel export market, accounting for almost £3 billion annually. The proposal comes as the EU seeks to shield its producers from a flood of cheap imports, particularly from China and Turkey.

Who said what
European Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné said the measures were a response to “global overcapacity, unfair competition, state aid and undercutting in prices”. But the Community Trade Union branded the move an “existential threat”.

The announcement is “another blow to the UK steel industry”, said Ollie Smith on the BBC, with several firms “already in dire financial straits”. The proposal is the latest protectionist trade policy to be introduced as the “Trump effect ripples around the world”, said Jeanna Smialek in The New York Times.

What next?
The tariff, due to be imposed from early next year, must still be approved by the European Parliament and member states. The UK government has requested urgent clarification and will meet industry representatives tomorrow.

What happened
Police are investigating a report of an ableist and homophobic attack involving comic Rosie Jones and a friend. Jones (pictured above) and fellow comedian Lee Peart were on a train when they were allegedly subjected to abuse from a group of passengers and had a plastic wine bottle thrown at them.

Who said what
“They mocked our voices, shouted slurs at us and even threw a wine bottle (plastic, thankfully),” said Jones, who has cerebral palsy. In an Instagram post, she said the incident “was a stark reminder that my CP makes me stand out, and is often used as a weapon against me”.

Peart, who reported the abuse to the British Transport Police, said they had been targeted by “awful individuals”. “Where is this country going? It’s getting so much worse,” he said.

What next?
Officers confirmed that they had received a report of a group “abusing and assaulting other passengers” on a train from Brighton to London Victoria. The investigation is ongoing.

A new way of getting high is “tearing the roof off” Fiji’s HIV infection rate, according to The Fiji Times. “Bluetoothing” sees intravenous drug users “plunging a syringe” of methamphetamine into a vein, then withdrawing some of their drug-rich blood and injecting it into a second person, who does the same for a third – and so on.

Multiple people sharing a “hit” and a syringe like this saves money, but, by sharing blood, users are greatly increasing their risk of HIV infection. And in the past 10 years Fiji has seen “an elevenfold leap” in the number of people living with HIV – up from 500 to 5,900. An assistant health minister last week warned that the tiny Pacific island could record more than 3,000 new cases by the end of this year.

With nearly 50% of the people diagnosed with HIV in Fiji avoiding further treatment, bluetoothing is only going to get riskier, said the Fiji Sun – not to mention that the island nation is also grappling with “simultaneous outbreaks” of illness caused by two other bloodborne viruses, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

There is “no quick fix” to this “perfect storm” of addiction, HIV and a struggling health system, said Massey University research associate Dr Apisalome Movono on The Conversation. But “empowering local  communities” will engender “more sustainable and culturally appropriate solutions”, particularly when it comes to “reducing the stigma and discrimination”. Other Pacific nations “will be looking to Fiji to tackle the issue head on and prevent the crisis spreading”.