Veteran customs officer Pol Meuleneire was surprised to find the Easter treats were crafted not from the country’s famed chocolate, but enough MDMA to make 60,000 ecstasy pills. Belgium has become a hub for international cocaine trafficking, but is also becoming a key centre for mail-order synthetic narcotics. “It goes …
Read More »NATO allies embroiled in nuclear dispute – The Times
Belgium has reportedly refused to supply the UK with a crucial component needed to maintain its nuclear arsenal A rift has emerged between Britain and Belgium after Brussels blocked the export of a component critical for maintaining the UK’s nuclear arsenal, The Times reported on Friday. In response, the UK …
Read More »Belgium to phasing out all its nuclear plants by 2025
Belgium will shut all seven of its nuclear reactors by 2025 but will not close the door on new-generation nuclear technology, according to a deal reached by the coalition government yesterday. A government source said the all-night negotiations included an agreement of “investments of around 100 million euros (US$113 million) …
Read More »Protest against coronavirus restrictions turns violent in Brussels
Police fired teargas and used water cannons on Sunday to disperse protesters pelting officers with cobblestones and fireworks as a demonstration in Brussels over government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions turned violent. A few thousand protesters marched peacefully through the centre of the Belgian capital to the neighbourhood which hosts the headquarters of …
Read More »Belgium, UK agree to strengthen immigration cooperation amid Channel crisis
Belgium and Britain said on Tuesday they will cooperate more closely to fight illegal migration, days after France snubbed Britain and said it needed to get serious before talks on the matter could resume. France and Britain were already at loggerheads over immigration, post-Brexit trading rules and fishing rights and …
Read More »Man City’s De Bruyne tests positive for COVID-19
Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has tested positive for COVID-19 on international duty with Belgium, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday. De Bruyne, 30, played in Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday. He will miss City’s home matches against Everton in the Premier League on Sunday …
Read More »Suspect arrested after reports of armed teen send Belgian city of Waregem into lockdown
Police in the Belgian city of Waregem told some 12,000 locals to stay indoors, while schools and public buildings were put on lockdown as they search for an armed man. One person has been arrested, according to city officials. According to local reports, an armed 18-year-old man known to police …
Read More »Belgian customs arrest 45, seize million of counterfeit cigarettes
Belgian customs officers arrested 45 people on Wednesday as part of the country’s biggest operation into cigarette counterfeiting. The country has become a hub for cigarette trafficking to neighboring countries. Officers arrested 17 people of Ukrainian and Bulgarian nationality during a pre-dawn raid on a sweatshop in an industrial area …
Read More »Belgium devastated by flooding for second time in just over a week
In Dinant, in the Walloon region, heavy rainfall washed away cars, leaving them strewn across the town. Belgium has been hit by floods for the second time in just over a week. The provinces of Namur and Walloon Brabant southeast of the capital city Brussels were among the worst hit …
Read More »German cabinet approves around $472 mln in aid for flood damages
Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a roughly 400 million-euro ($472 million) package of immediate aid for victims of last week’s floods and vowed to get started quickly on rebuilding the devastated areas. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said that the package, financed half by the federal government and half by Germany’s …
Read More »Migrants’ hunger strike puts Belgian government in danger
Hundreds of undocumented immigrants, on hunger strike in Brussels for the last two months to demand residence rights, have begun refusing water, putting themselves close to death and the Belgian government in danger of collapse. Around 400 migrants, many of whom have been in Belgium for years, are already emaciated …
Read More »Belgium holds day of mourning after devastating floods
Sirens are set to wail before streets fall silent on Tuesday in Belgium as the country holds a day of mourning for the victims of the devastating floods that left nearly 200 dead in western Europe. Heavy rains last week sent torrents of floodwaters sweeping through towns and villages, mostly …
Read More »Flash floods batter Bavaria as European death toll rises to 184
Flash floods hit southern Germany on Sunday, killing at least one person, turning roads into rivers, and adding to the flooding devastation that has claimed the lives of more than 180 people across Europe in recent days. Some vehicles were swept away and swathes of land were buried under thick …
Read More »Death toll rises to 170 in Germany and Belgium floods (Videos)
The death toll in devastating flooding in western Germany and Belgium rose to at least 170 on Saturday after burst rivers and flash floods this week collapsed houses and ripped up roads and power lines. Some 143 people died in the flooding in Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than …
Read More »Iraq voices solidarity, condolences for flood victims in Germany and Belgium
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed solidarity with the German and Belgian government and people in the aftermath of the horrific floods that stroke the Rhineland. In a statement issued earlier today, Saturday, the Ministry said, “we express sentiments of sympathy for the scores of victims and missing civilians and …
Read More »Dutch remain on high alert for flooding of swollen rivers
Emergency services in the Netherlands remained on high alert on Saturday as overflowing rivers threatened towns and villages throughout the southern province of Limburg. Tens of thousands of residents in the region have been evacuated in the past two days, while soldiers, fire brigades, and volunteers worked frantically throughout Friday …
Read More »German floods kill at least 133, search for survivors continues
Rescue workers searched flood-ravaged parts of western Germany for survivors on Saturday as water levels remained high in many towns and houses continued to collapse in the country’s worst natural disaster in half a century. At least 133 people have died in the flooding, including some 90 people in the …
Read More »At least 126 dead in Europe floods, 1,300 still missing (Videos, Pictures)
At least 126 people have died in devastating floods across parts of western Germany and Belgium, officials said Friday, as search and rescue operations continued for hundreds more still unaccounted for or in danger. Authorities in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate said 60 people had died there, including 12 residents …
Read More »Iraq’s PM to EU Parliament Speaker: looking forward to enhancing ties with EU
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi affirmed, today, Thursday, during his meeting with European Parliament President David Sassoli, Iraq’s aspiration to build distinguished bilateral relations, while noting that the government is continuing to implement economic reforms and diversify investment. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said, “He met the …
Read More »Three workers dead, two missing under partially collapsed Belgium school
Three construction workers were confirmed dead and two still missing on Saturday, a day after a school construction site partially collapsed in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The city’s fire department tweeted that three bodies had been found under the rubble. “Despite this terrible toll, the rescue work continues unabated …
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