Belgium

Belgian F-16 crashes in France

A Belgian Air Force F-16 fighter plane has crashed in France, officials say, leaving one pilot caught on a high-voltage electricity line. Both pilots ejected from the plane near Lorient…

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F2 driver Juan Manuel Correa moved to intensive care in UK

Formula 2 driver Juan Manuel Correa - injured in the accident that killed French driver Anthoine Hubert last Saturday - has been moved to intensive care in Britain. Correa, 20…

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Photo Story: Color Run in Brussels

Participants during the Color Run in Brussels, Belgium on August 31 2019. The 5km run sees runners get covered in colored powder from head to toe. Photos: EPA-EFE/ARIS OIKONOMOU

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Photo Story: Flowertime 2019 in Brussels

A floral structures on display at the City Hall for the floral event 'Flowertime' in Brussels, Belgium. Every other summer, in alternation with the Flower Carpet, the City Hall of…

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Over 3,000 Britons have obtained Belgian citizenship since the Brexit referendum

Since voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in a referendum held in June 2016 3,454 British nationals living in Belgium have obtained Belgian citizenship. The…

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13 arrested in Lithuania in €1 million car parts theft ring

An organised crime network originating from Lithuania and specialised in the theft of car parts has been dismantled this week by the German Police of Heilbronn, together with the support…

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Photo Story Extremely rare birth of twin baby giant pandas

The "extremely rare" birth of twin baby giant pandas has been announced at a Belgian zoo. The Pairi Daiza zoo said the safe delivery of the twins, one male and…

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Flights leave without luggage at Brussels Airport on the busiest day of the year

Brussels Airport is currently experiencing technical problems with the baggage-handling system this Saturday morning, on what is expected to be the airport’s busiest day of the year. According to the…

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Various parts of Europe hit by severe storms

After an intense heatwave, various parts of Europe were hit by severe storms. In Poland, rough weather conditions effected large parts of the country as Poland’s Met Office (IMGW) issued…

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Power cut in French capital effects Eurostar service, passengers advised not to travel

Eurostar services to and from the French capital are severely disrupted on Friday with the company advising passengers not to travel due to power cut in Paris. Four services —…

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Heatwave prompts Belgium’s railways to take special measures

As Europe once more is in the grip of another heatwave, Belgium’s railway authorities are taking no chances: the current heatwave has prompted both Infrabel and the SNCB to take…

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Belgium’s National Day

Queen Mathilde of Belgium and King Philippe of Belgium arrive to attend the 'Te Deum' mass at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula as they were attending the…

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Arthur is Belgium’s most popular boy’s name

It’s an annual tradition that the Belgian statistics office releases the figures of the most popular given names in Belgium. Last year 565 boys were named Arthur. It’s the most…

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Location of US nuclear weapons in Europe accidentally revealed

A recently released - and subsequently deleted - document published by a NATO-affiliated body confirmed a long-held open secret: U.S. nuclear weapons are being stored in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the…

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Explosives found in house as Tour de France started in the Belgian capital

Police discovered explosives in a house in the Brussels borough of Anderlecht as the Tour de France started in the Belgian capital this weekend. They say that at the minute…

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Bosnian man arrested in Germany over Paris 2015 terrorist attacks

German security forces have arrested a Bosnian man wanted in connection with the 2015 Paris attacks and are preparing his extradition to Belgium. The man has only been identified as…

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Photo Story: Brussels procession of Ommegang

Performers in medieval costumes take part in the procession of 'Ommegang', at the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, in the evening of the 26th June 2019. Ommegang is Brussels' traditional…

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Bruges takes steps to stem mass tourism

After similar steps in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands and Barcelona, in Spain, the Belgian city of Bruges announced that the municipality would no longer advertise or promote day trips…

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Huge search in Australia for missing Belgian backpacker

Australian police so far have no clue as to what happened to Theo Hayez, a 18-year-old Belgian backpacker who disappeared two weeks ago in Byron Bay in New South Wales.…

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EU-wide operation against counterfeit products, Law enforcement agencies in Malta involved in the operation

More than 4.7 million counterfeit products seized, over 16 400 social media accounts suspended and 3 300 websites closed in the EU-wide operation Aphrodite II against trafficking of counterfeit goods.…

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Belgian tax authorities to give special attention to foreign bank account holders

The Belgian tax authorities have announced plans to pay special attention to the tax returns of residents who have bank accounts abroad. The measure is one of a set…

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Brussels Airport encouraged to reduce night flights

French experts at the French consultancy Envisa recommended that Brussels Zaventem Airport stops or at least reduces night flights and takes more responsibility in noise management. The report also highlights…

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Ireland in top rankings of large families

Ireland is the top country in the European Union for families with three or more children, according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency The top three are Belgium, 18% of…

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Former Belgian king undergoes paternity test

The former Belgian king Albert II has provided a DNA sample following allegations as to whether he is the father of sculptor Delphine Boel. The former Belgian king bowed to…

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Europe Votes: Belgium, Far-right makes huge gains

The far-right Vlaams Belang made a huge win in Belgium, offsetting losses by parties in Prime Minister Charles Michel's outgoing government coalition. In the northern, Dutch-speaking Flanders region, provisional…

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Europe Votes: Belgium, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s and FT projections of the voting today in Belgium: Belgium – The Projections If turnout of 89.64% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts the…

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Brussels demands 2.1 million euros compensation for nuisance caused by air traffic

Céline Fremault, the Brussels Minister for Environment, has made a request for 2.14 million euros of penalty payments for the noise nuisance in Brussels in April because of the airport…

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Measles on the rise in Belgium

There is concern in Belgium after a sharp increase in the cases of measles in the region of Wallonia. So far two hospitals in Wallonia have reported at least…

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Corporate Dispatch Friday Morning Briefing – Friday 17th May 2019

Good morning, Theresa May seems set for departure, Malta qualifies for the Eurovision final, Australia goes to the polls, Angela Merkel's political future are some of today's selection of headlines…

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Former Belgian King Albert must pay daily €5,000 fine

Following a ruling delivered by a Brussels court, former Belgian king Albert must undergo a court-ordered paternity test. In the absence of this, the court imposed a daily €5,000…

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Slideshow: ‘Intimate Audrey’ exhibition in Brussels

Photos from the exhibition 'Intimate Audrey' at Espace Vanderborght Museum in Brussels, Belgium, 10 May 2019. 'Intimate Audrey' is an exhibition about the life of Audrey Hepburn created by…

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Slideshow: Dinosaur ‘Arkhane’ on show in Brussels

A view of 'Arkhane', the skeleton of a 155,000,000 years old Allosaurus dinosaur, on the first day of its exhibition at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels,…

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing, May 9th 2019

Good morning, Your morning briefing for today, reviews the main news from Malta, Europe and the World. Start your day informed. Cover Story On Europe Day, European Union leaders meet…

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Huge Belgian police operation against car theft gang

Belgian police launched what has been described as the largest operation of it's kind in Belgium in the last 20 years. This week some 1,200 police in locations in Flanders,…

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Eight European countries with ambitious strategy to tackle climate change

Eight European countries - France, Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden - have called for an ambitious strategy to tackle climate change – and to spend a…

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Slideshow: “Duc de Praslin Belgium” gears up for Easter

Photos from the preperation by Filip Blondeel, chocolatier, for Easter at "Duc de Praslin Belgium" chocolate manufacture in Linkebeek near Brussels, Belgium. (Photos: EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ)

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Godiva to move beyond chocolate

The Belgian confectioner Godiva will be rolling out 2,000 cafes over the next six years. They will serve a complete menu of items including an expanded list of coffees and…

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Another night of disruption at Brussels Airport

Once more, on Friday night the airspace above Belgium was closed again, for at least three hours, because of a lack of air traffic controllers. Airspace has been closed several…

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Rwanda mourns the dead on the 25th anniversary of the genocide that shocked the world

Rwanda on Sunday begins one hundred days of mourning for over 800,000 people slaughtered in a genocide that shocked the world, a quarter of a century on from the day…

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Joint European police action against Albanian drugs traffickers

Police in five European countries carried out a huge strike against a gang of Albanian drugs traffickers, making 67 arrests. A total of about 650 police officers in Belgium, the…

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Substantial delays predicted throughout Europe for Easter vacations

Touring, the main motoring organisation providing roadside assistance in Belgium, issued a warning that roads look set to be congested on the Easter weekend throughout Europe. What is known…

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Pigeon sells for record €1.25 million

Armando, Belgium's champion long-distance racing pigeon, was sold to a Chinese aficionado for the record price of €1.25 million smashing a previous record of €376,000 ($425,000) for a pigeon.…

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Five cars damaged in an explosion in Antwerp

Five cars were damaged in Antwerp, Belgium in the early hours of Monday morning after a device exploded under car.The blast took place on De Pretstraat near Spoor Noord Park…

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All flights in and out of Belgium have been cancelled for a day due to strike action

A national strike has been called by three major trade union federations. Air traffic agency Skeyes said that there was "no certainty about the number of staff in a limited…

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Belgian football clubs investigated on alleged fraud in transferring players

Several of Belgium's top football clubs have been raided as part of a police investigation into alleged fraud involving the transfer of players. Agents, referees and officials from top clubs…

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Belgium to sue Google for not complying on sensitive military sites images

The Belgian defense ministry will sue Google for not complying with its requests to blur satellite images of sensitive military sites, a ministry spokeswoman said on Friday. Citing national security,…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning Your morning briefing with the latest news from around the globe, a newspaper review from Malta and a headline digest of the main news chosen in the past…

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Belgium might be running out of small coins

The country is running out of small coins of 1c and 2c, which have already been abolished in neighbouring countries like the Netherlands. The European Central Bank has already taken…

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Drier weather means smaller ‘Belgian’ traditional potato ‘frites’

Belgium's traditional potato "frites" will be 3cm (1.1in) smaller than normal, due to drier conditions. Pierre Lebrun, head of the Walloon Potato Growers' Association, said lower levels of rainfall had…

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EU Commission against Belgian decision of charging journalists to attend EU summits

Politico reports that a Belgian decision to charge journalists €100 per year to attend summits of EU leaders was criticized by unions and the European Commission. Journalists were informed this week…

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Sunday Morning Briefing

Good morning Wishing everyone a good Sunday. Here's our morning briefing. In an official statement, the government of Malta said that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat pledged to participate in…

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Belgium beats England 2 – 0 to finish third in World Cup

FIFA: Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard struck at either end of their Match for Third Place with England to secure bronze at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - their best-ever…

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France midfielder Paul Pogba dedicates semi-final win to rescued Thai boys

Reuters: France midfielder Paul Pogba dedicated his side’s World Cup 1-0 semi-final win over Belgium to the 12 Thai boys who were rescued from a flooded cave along with their coach…

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The Wednesday Morning Briefing

Good morning The successful rescue operation in Thailand ended successfully, highlighting a number of 'human traits' that at times are overshadowed by the dullness of other happenings around us. This…

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World Cup : France first finalists after beating Belgium

FIFA.COM : Samuel Umtiti's headed winner has returned France to the FIFA World Cup™ Final for the third time in 20 years, sealing a 1-0 win over Belgium in Saint Petersburg.…

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Who’s the kits’ winner?

Only 4 teams are left. No one seem to put in dispute their position as top 4 teams of the World Cup. What about their shirts? Which one do you…

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World Cup – Belgium v Brazil

Fifa.com Belgium beat Brazil 2-1 in Kazan to set the first semi-final of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ in stone, and booking their return to the final four for the first…

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