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Chancellor Merkel enters 'Germans only' food bank furore German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the latest politician to criticise a major food bank's decision to bar foreigners from receiving free food. The charity Essener Tafel called it a temporary restriction necessary because the share of foreigners using the food bank had soared to 75% in recent years. The charity says it helps about 16,000 poor people in Essen, a city in the western industrial Ruhr region. Vandals have sprayed "Nazis" on the charity's delivery vans. Mrs Merkel spoke out against Essener Tafel's new rule requiring visitors to show a German passport in order to receive food. "One shouldn't run services on the basis of such categorisations. That's not good. But it also shows the amount of pressure there is, and how many people are needy. That's why I hope they can find good solutions which do not exclude groups," she told the broadcaster RTL. Migrant i...

Downing Street insists UK will leave customs union Downing Street has insisted Britain will leave the EU customs union after Brexit amid claims of Tory disunity over the UK-EU future relationship. Theresa May has faced calls to spell out what she wants from the talks ahead of the UK's departure in March 2019. In a customs union the UK would have tariff-free trade within the EU, but would lose the ability to strike its own deals with other countries. It comes ahead of a meeting with the EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier. The prime minister and Brexit Secretary David Davis will meet Mr Barnier ahead of the next round of negotiations getting under way. Later, talks between officials will focus for the first time on the transitional period planned for after Brexit. Potential sticking points include citizens' rights, with the UK insisting EU nationals arriving during this time should not have the same rights as those who arrived before Brexit day. Mr Davis and Mr...