Belgium
Latest stories
Belgian Resorts Riled Over Gloomy Summer Forecasts

Belgium's seaside resorts are threatening to sue a top weather site they say is dissuading tourists with coastal forecasts of a gloomy summer, the Belgian press reported Friday.

The resorts slammed MeteoBelgique.be, one of Belgium's most consulted weather pages, for posting a general weather overview for the three summer months, when most sites only offer a ten-day forecast

W140 Full Story
Uganda Arrests Rwanda Genocide Suspect on Belgian Warrant

Uganda has arrested a Belgian citizen of Rwandan origin wanted by a court in his adopted homeland for involvement in the 1994 genocide, police said Friday.

Thaddee Kwitonda, 51, was detained in Kampala on Thursday after police tracked his movements for several months, police spokesman Asuman Mugenyi told AFP.

W140 Full Story
Suspected Islamist Stabs Two Policemen in Brussels Metro

A suspected Islamist stabbed two policemen Friday at an underground station in a Brussels neighborhood where scuffles broke out a week earlier, local media reported.

The two victims, a man and a woman who were attacked during a routine check, did not sustain life-threatening wounds, the reports said.

W140 Full Story
Belgium Bans Syrian Diplomats, Urges 'Military Presence'

Belgium declared the Syrian ambassador and two diplomats "persona non grata" Tuesday to protest the Houla massacre while raising the prospect of "a military presence" that was short of intervention.

Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said however that Syria's ambassador -- Mohammad Ayman Jameel Soussan -- could not be expelled immediately as he was also ambassador to the European Union.

W140 Full Story
Miqati from Belgium: Maintaining Stability Mustn’t Prevent us from Implementing Reform

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated on Friday that Lebanon has long stood as an example of tolerance and democracy in the region, adding that the country is serious in implementing political, economic, and social reform.

He said: “Maintaining stability must not prevent us from implementing all forms of necessary reform, regardless how painful they may be.”

W140 Full Story
Amnesty: Muslims in Europe Face Discrimination

European countries are discriminating against Muslims for demonstrating their faith, especially in the fields of education and employment, rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday.

In a report focusing on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, Amnesty urged European governments to do more to challenge negative stereotypes and prejudices against Islam.

W140 Full Story
U.S. to Exempt EU, Japan on Iran Sanctions

The United States said Tuesday it was exempting European Union members and Japan from tough new sanctions on Iran, praising them for reducing dependency on oil from the Islamic republic.

Under a new law aimed at pressing Iran over its nuclear program, the United States will penalize foreign financial institutions over transactions with Iran's central bank, which handles sales of the country's key export.

W140 Full Story
Belgium Mourns as Bus Crash Victims Flown Home

Belgians observed a minute of silence and church bells tolled across the grieving nation Friday as the bodies of 22 children and six adults killed in a Swiss bus crash were flown home.

In Heverlee and Lommel, the hometowns of the victims, children, parents and teachers assembled in the courtyards of their primary schools. The children released white balloons as some adults were seen sobbing in Heverlee.

W140 Full Story
28 People, including 22 Children, Die in Switzerland Bus Accident

The coach crash in Switzerland that killed 28 people, including 22 Belgian schoolchildren, is a national tragedy, Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said Wednesday.

"The prime minster learned with dismay of the horrible accident that happened in Switzerland," said a statement from his office.

W140 Full Story
Belgian FM Hails Miqati, Bilateral Relations with Lebanon

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders praised on Wednesday the Lebanese government for funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and hailed the Belgian-Lebanese bilateral relations.

“We are eager to continue our cooperation with the United Nations Security Council for the upcoming three years,” Reynders said after meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.

W140 Full Story