Tag: Belgium

Parts of northern Europe clean up after floods

By Iris Maria Maurer, with Sam Reeves in Frankfurt KLEINBLITTERSDORF, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – German emergency workers on Saturday started a major clean-up after heavy rains triggered massive flooding, while parts of Belgium, the Netherlands and France were also affected. The southwestern German state of Saarland was the worst-hit region after a long downpour on Friday flooded buildings, left streets deep underwater and sparked evacuations, with boats carrying stranded residents to safety. Officials said […]

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NATO urged to ensure Ukraine arms flow as 100-bn-euro fund floated

By Max DELANY BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 3, 2024 (AFP) – NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday debated the creation of a 100-billion-euro fund for Ukraine, as alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg urged them to guarantee long-term arms supplies for Kyiv’s outgunned forces. Stoltenberg pitched the five-year fund for Kyiv and a plan to deepen NATO’s involvement in delivering weapons in a bid to shield support in the face of a potential return by Donald Trump to the […]

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France arrests three teens over links to Brussels jihadist suspects

PARIS, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – Police in France have detained three teenagers who were allegedly in contact with four people arrested in Belgium over the weekend on suspicions they were planning a jihadist attack, a source close to the case said Tuesday. The three minors, aged 15 to 17, are not thought to be implicated directly in what was considered a looming attack on a Brussels concert hall, but allegedly have espoused extremist Islamist […]

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EU launches ‘illegal content’ probe into Elon Musk’s X

BRUSSELS, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – The EU on Monday announced “formal infringement proceedings” against Elon Musk’s X platform under a law cracking down on illegal online content, after identifying disinformation related to Hamas’s October 7 attack in Israel. The action against the company formerly known as Twitter is the first against a major online platform since Brussels implemented the Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping piece of European Union legislation that strengthens online companies’ […]

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Belgium holds drug mega-trial after covert apps cracked

By Matthieu DEMEESTERE BRUSSELS, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – Belgium launched one of the biggest drug trafficking trials in its history, with more than 120 defendants in the dock, thanks in large part to investigators cracking encrypted messaging apps. Suspects from Belgium, Albania, Colombia and North Africa accused of involvement in a vast criminal operation face justice at the hearings in a high-security courtroom in the former headquarters of military alliance NATO in Brussels. “Your […]

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Two Swedish nationals shot dead in Brussels, Belgian prime minister labels attack as ‘terrorism’

By Matthieu DEMEESTERE BRUSSELS, Oct 17, 2023 (AFP) – Two Swedish nationals were shot dead in Brussels late Monday by a suspect who remains at large, in an attack the Belgian prime minister described as “terrorism”. The gunman fled on a scooter and Belgium’s security observatory raised its terror alert to level four or “very serious” — the highest — for Brussels, and level three nationally. Belgium’s premier, Alexander De Croo, said the shooting had […]

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Belgium canal city of Bruges hits ‘red line’ with tourist crowds

BRUGES, Belgium, Aug 5, 2023 (AFP) – Inhabitants of Belgium’s cobblestone-and-canal city of Bruges are clear: summertime tourism has hit capacity. “It’s really reached a red line now,” says one, 55-year-old architect Arnout Goegebuer, as he sits inside a cafe, peering out a window across a packed outside terrace. “We don’t need more tourists anymore, it’s enough — maybe a little bit less” is needed, he says. It’s a sentiment reiterated by other residents of […]

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Peru seizes cocaine bricks wrapped in Nazi insignia

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Anti-narcotics officers in Peru seized 58 kilograms of cocaine headed for Belgium in packages bearing Nazi symbols and the name Hitler, police said on Thursday. The drugs were hidden in 50 packages the size of bricks, each one bearing a Nazi swastika, according to pictures released by police. Some of the packages were open with the word Hitler written in high relief on the compacted white powder. The drugs were found […]

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Qatar EU bribery allegations ‘worrisome’: Borrell

Brussels, Belgium (AFP) The EU’s foreign policy chief said on Monday that allegations of bribery by World Cup host Qatar to burnish its image at the European Parliament were “worrisome”, after Belgian prosecutors charged four suspects with corruption. One of the European Parliament’s vice presidents, Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili, was the highest-profile target remanded in custody on Sunday after investigators found “bags of cash” at her home. The bribery claims have rocked the EU’s […]

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Athens freezes assets of corruption-accused Greek MEP

  Athens, Greece (AFP) Greek authorities froze assets of European Parliament vice president Eva Kaili on Monday, after the Greek MEP was arrested on corruption charges over her alleged involvement in a graft scandal linked to Qatar. The measure, which also applies to her relatives, includes “bank accounts, safes, companies and other financial assets”, said the Greek anti-money laundering authority president Haralambos Vourliotis. Greek banks and state services have already been informed of the decision, […]

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World Cup riots in Brussels after Morocco beat Belgium

Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Police used water cannon and teargas after coming under attack from football supporters who brought havoc to the centre of Brussels on Sunday following Morocco’s shock 2-0 World Cup win over Belgium in Qatar. Dozens of fans smashed shop windows, threw fireworks and torched vehicles. Police said that 11 people had been arrested with one remaining in custody. Even before the end of the match, “dozens of people, including some wearing hoodies, […]

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Poland blast was likely caused by Ukraine air defense: Belgian defence minister

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The explosion that killed two Polish civilians in a village near the Ukraine border was probably caused by Ukrainian air defence units firing at incoming Russian missiles, the Belgian defence minister said Wednesday. “The missile strikes in Poland last night are being fully investigated by our intelligence service, which is in close contact with NATO partner services,” Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement. “Based on the preliminary information available, the […]

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