Worldcrunch
BROTHERS IDENTIFIED AS BRUSSELS BOMBERS Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/ZUMA Two of the bombers who carried out yesterday’s deadly attacks in Brussels have been identified as brothers with criminal records and links to the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, according to Belgian media. Brussels daily Le Soir reports that the brothers were identified as 27-year-old Khalid […]
-Editorial- PARIS — This time, it’s Brussels, the heart of Europe, that was hit by Islamist terrorists. They targeted this free city, where humor, impertinence, a Belgian way of not taking yourself too seriously, is the opposite of what these barbarians have in mind: cheap certainties, hatred towards others, the violence of the “pure.” The […]
Most of the world’s front pages Wednesday are dedicated to the terrorist attacks in Brussels, the day after a series of explosions attacks killed at least 34 and wounded hundreds. BELGIUM “The day everyone feared” — De Standaard “Right in our heart” — De Tijd “Our darkest day” — Het Belang Van Limburg “Hold strong” […]
Coming four months after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, the series of explosions Tuesday in Brussels show that terrorist networks in Europe are one step ahead of authorities, who struggle with the Schengen border loopholes and collaboration between nationa
TERROR BLASTS HIT BRUSSELS AIRPORT, METRO Photo: Ye Pingfan/Xinhua/ZUMA Several blasts hit the Brussels airport and a Metro station this morning in what are being investigated as terror attacks that claimed at least 28 lives (13 at the Zaventem airport and 15 at the Maelbeek Metro station). The death toll is likely to rise, and […]
Le Soir, March 16, 2016 “Deadly search in Forest,” writes Brussels-based daily Le Soir on its front page Wednesday, a day after Belgian and French police killed a gunman linked to the terror attacks in Paris, in a raid on an apartment in a Brussels suburb. At press conference in Brussels early Wednesday, a spokesperson […]
BRUSSELS — With Belgium already on high alert after several of its citizens took part in November’s attacks in Paris, authorities in Brussels are raising new concerns about potential jihadist threats to nuclear safety. The Belgian daily L’Echo reports Thursday that authorities have confirmed that the brother-in-law of a jihadist, who himself had extremist Islamic […]
Even as Belgium has emerged as a hub of Islamic terror networks, a Belgian Muslim is the theatrical toast of the town as he tackles jihad, racism and culture wars with humor.
SAUDI ARABIA CUTS DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN In a development that global leaders warn is particularly troublesome for the future of the Mideast, Saudi Arabia has cut diplomatic ties with Iran after its embassy in Tehran was attacked yesterday by Iranian protesters upset by the Saudi execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Iran is accusing […]
TURKEY SHOOTS DOWN RUSSIAN JET Two Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane this morning near the Syrian border after the Turkish military repeated warnings about airspace violations. This is the first time the armed forces of a NATO member shot down a Russian or Soviet aircraft since the 1950s, Reuters reports. The Turkish military […]
PARIS — As investigators follow possible leads from Syria to Greece and Belgium, Friday’s deadly and meticulously coordinated assault in Paris was no doubt very much a European attack. Governments across the continent are busy taking measures to enhance security against a growing threat of similar coordinated terror assaults. FRANCE French authorities carried out anti-terror […]
Le Soir, Nov. 16, 2015 “Brussels, Jihadist Hub,” writes Belgian daily Le Soir on its Monday front page, as details about a Belgian connection to the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris are starting to emerge. The suspected mastermind of the attacks that left at least 129 killed and 352 wounded is a 27-year-old Belgian […]
Yassine S. presented himself in Brussels as a Harvard-educated psychologist. Business was booming until his “mental manipulations” caught the attention of colleagues.
De Tijd, Oct. 14, 2015 “Belgians remain in control of big beer,” and “The biggest pint in the world is Belgian,” Flemish-language business daily De Tijd proudly writes on the front page of its Wednesday edition, a day after the world’s second-largest brewer SABMiller accepted a takeover proposal from Belgium-based No.1 beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev. […]
BRUSSELS — Moved by the dramatic situation of the Christian population in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, a group of Belgian activists, with support from the government, orchestrated a remarkable rescue operation to save nearly 250 Syrian Christians. In Aleppo, the Christians were under continuous assault by ISIS, the al-Qaeda-aligned al-Nusra front and the Assad regime. […]
Le Soir, June 29, 2015 The European and Greek flags billow beside each other under the headline “Disunion” on the front page of today’s Le Soir, a Brussels-based daily. Negotiations between Athens and its European creditors collapsed over the weekend, plunging the continent into a new depth of uncertainty and crisis. After European officials rejected […]
Some landmarks are baffling. Why has the statue of a naked little boy urinating into a fountain’s basin become so popular? More than the Manneken Pis, I remember Brussels for the only sauerkraut with champagne I’ve eaten in my life. Now that is a landmark.
ISIS TAKES FULL CONTROL OF SYRIA-IRAQ BORDER CROSSINGS Terrorist group ISIS continues to gain territory, and its latest victory against the Syrian army on the Syria-Iraq border puts its militants in complete control of the border crossings between the two countries, and more than half of Syrian territory, The Independent reports, citing The Syrian Observatory […]
Financial Times, April 15, 2015 The European Union announced plans Wednesday to charge Google with violating antitrust laws by using its dominant position in the search engine market to favor its own services over those of its rivals. The Financial Times had details of the expected action in its Wednesday edition, noting the EU’s move […]
Belgium’s most notable performances at the Eurovision were 13-year-old Sandra Kim’s victory at the 1986 edition, and Urban Trad’s second place in 2003, when they sang in an invented language with lyrics such as “Kenatu narilé, lakenatu narilé. Pasema niamo ture saro, delamaoré.” Beautiful. This year, 18-year-old Loïc Nottet singer will run for Belgium. He […]
ANTI-TERROR SWEEP ACROSS EUROPESuspected terrorists were arrested in France, Belgium and Germany in a series of dawn operations aimed at preventing future attacks. According to Le Figaro, 12 people were arrested in several outlying towns around the French capital, with some of the suspects believed to have provided weapons, hideouts and cars to to Said […]
Greece native Ioannis Ikonomou learned English at age five, German at seven and Italian at barely 10. He hasn’t stopped since, and is currently mastering Albanian.
BRUSSELS — The Ukraine crisis and Russia’s aggressive behavior have hit NATO right between the eyes. Utterly caught off guard, the defense alliance has begun asking itself how it must react, both in the short-term actions, as well as bigger questions about NATO’s role for the future. The pressure to be decisive has a firm […]
BERLIN — When the European parliament meets, each delegate gets a 304-euro daily stipend for participating. In Germany, this is unheard of in both federal and state parliaments. And Green delegate Sven Giegold believes that the European Parliament should dispense with the payments. “A per diem of 304 euros is absurd,” the German delegate says. […]
GHENT — When the Volvo factory in the Belgian city of Ghent hosted China President Xi Jinping last week, along with the Belgian king and queen, the facility was covered in red Chinese knotting, a decorative Chinese folk art. It was a festive touch meant both to welcome the Chinese leader and to celebrate the […]
PARIS – Between 2004 and 2005, Zheyun Ye knocked on the door of almost every professional soccer club in Belgium. By introducing himself as a timely investor, this Chinese expat managed to convince the board of the penniless Lierse SK club to accept a check worth 370,000 euros ($500,000). Except that Zheyun Ye was not […]
THE LOCAL (Germany), LES ECHOS (France) Worldcrunch BRUSSELS – Data released Wednesday showed the economies of Germany and France grew faster than expected between April and the end of June, raising hopes for a recovery across Europe. The new figures show that Germany enjoyed its fastest growth in more than a year in the second […]
The European Union has plenty to fear from the revelations of Edward Snowden, but may be caught between the costs and benefits of America’s vast network of data collection.
Authorities worry for the safety of the mostly young sign-ups, but also the risk that they return home radicalized — and set on striking targets in Europe.
AFP, AP, THE INDEPENDENT (UK) Worldcrunch BRUSSELS – Belgium police on Tuesday were looking for eight armed robbers who pulled off a spectacular heist at Brussels airport, making off with tens of millions of euros worth of diamonds. The men cut a whole in a perimeter security fence, drove onto the tarmac and attacked a […]
SANTIAGO – The recent decision of the U.S. Justice department to block the acquisition of Mexican beer giant Grupo Modelo by the Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev came as a surprise. The $20 billion acquisition was announced last June, and what’s surprising is that neither company involved is technically an American company. Belgium-based multinational AB InBev is […]
LE MONDE, EUROPE 1 (France) Worldcrunch MOSCOW- The Kremlin has issued a press release stating that Vladimir Putin had signed a decree on Thursday granting French movie legend Gerard Depardieu Russian citizenship if he ever needed it. The actor confirmed it to his friends in a Parisian restaurant Tuesday: “Putin has already sent me a […]
Women are just sex objects! Making a classic male sexist comment like that has long been taboo in Western societies. Yet two studies, one Belgian, the other American, actually go a long way in proving that women really are perceived that way. A team working with psychologist Philippe Bernard at the Université Libre in Brussels […]
LE SOIR, RTBF (Belgium), LE FIGARO (France) Worldcrunch BRUSSELS – Insulting someone on the streets of Brussels is now a civil offense that is punishable by a fine of up to 250 euros. City authorities will now be able to impose fines of between 75 and 250 euros for insults, petty theft or other forms […]
GUARDIAN, TWITTER WORLDWIDE Worldcrunch In a bitter defeat for large media and pharmaceutical companies, the European Parliament on Wednesday roundly rejected the global ACTA anti-counterfeiting accord. The Guardian reports that the US and Japan are likely to proceed with approval of the international accord, and it remains to be seen whether European supporters try to […]
Worldcrunch IL SOLE 24 ORE (Italy), DIE WELT (Germany) BBC NEWS (UK), LE MONDE (France) BRUSSELS – Spain and Italy…Spain and Italy. Sports junkies know by now the lineup for the finals of the 2012 European Soccer Championship, after Italy defeated the favored Germans 2-1 in Warsaw on Thursday night, following Spain’s semifinal win over […]
LE SOIR (Belgium) MONS – Rock stars aren’t the only ones with groupies – bow-tied prime ministers have some too. During local celebrations last Friday, Belgium Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo was targeted by just such a super-fan. While the professorial PM was posing with Socialist Party supporters, a young woman pounced on him and […]
At the University Hospital in Liège, Belgium, a group of scientists is making great progress in determining the true conscious state of supposed comatose patients. It gives new hopes to loved ones, though won’t make decisions about life support a
Elio Di Rupo’s arrival as Prime Minister ends more than 500 days of political gridlock in Belgium, which saw threats of the country splitting in two. But Di Rupo, the last of seven children of poor Italian immigrants, has his own dramatic story to tell.