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Wilders' win sent a warning shot to mainstream parties across Europe ahead of European Parliament elections next June, which will likely be fought on the same issues as the Dutch election: immigration, cost of living and climate change. A fan of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Hungary's eurosceptic Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Wilders is openly anti-Islam, and anti-EU and said "the Netherlands will be returned to the Dutch." "I would be very happy to become the Dutch prime minister, of course," Wilders told party members who welcomed him with champagne and cake, adding that he was willing to negotiate. "But the first thing is a significant restriction on asylum and immigration," Wilders said. "The high level of support for anti-European forces in the Netherlands is bitter," Germany's EU Minister Anna Luehrmann said.

Persons: Wilders, eurosceptics, Geert Wilders, We've, Herman Borcher, Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Mark Rutte, Yves Herman Acquire, Rene Cuperus, It's, Cuperus, Anna Luehrmann, Muhsin Koktas, Bart Meijer, Charlotte van Campenhout, Anthony Deutsch, Johnny Cotton, Toby Sterling, Petra Wischgoll, Alvise Armellini, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Ingrid Melander, Bernadette Baum, Toby Chopra Organizations: Freedom Party, Labour, Green, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, Coalition, REUTERS, Statistics, Clingendael Institute, EU, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Europe, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Enschede, The Hague, Statistics Netherlands, Ukraine, Moroccan, Amsterdam

Voters choices could be critical to the country's immigration and climate change policies, and its relations with European Union partners. A poll published on the eve of the election showed anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) tied for the lead with the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, followed closely by a joint Labour/Green ticket. Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgoz, a Turkish immigrant tough on immigration, who took over from Rutte at the helm of VVD, is hoping to become the country's first woman prime minister. [1/10]Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party, Geert Wilders votes during the Dutch parliamentary elections, in The Hague, Netherlands November 22, 2023. "I hope I don't wake up tomorrow and we have Wilders as a prime minister.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Mark Rutte, It's, Wilders, Anne Frank, Van, Dilan Yesilgoz, Maria Tolman, Pieter Schilperoort, Yves Herman Acquire, Hungary's Victor Orban, Ria van der, That's, Arie van der, Pieter Omtzigt, We've, we'd, Rutte, Johnny Cotton, Toby Sterling, Bart Meijer, Stephanie van den Berg, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Toby Chopra, Angus MacSwan Organizations: European Union, Freedom Party, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, Labour, Green, Others, REUTERS, Amsterdam, Christian Democrats, NOS, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Van Gogh, Amsterdam, Turkish, Rutte, Yesilgoz, The Hague, Ukraine

[1/9] People cast their votes during the Dutch parliamentary elections in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 22 2023. Only one thing is certain: the Netherlands will get its first new prime minister in over a decade, after Rutte resigned in July as his fourth coalition government collapsed, ending a 13-year tenure. Restricting immigration - the issue that triggered the collapse of Rutte's last cabinet - has been a key issue in the campaign. Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgoz, a Turkish immigrant tough on immigration and Rutte's successor at the helm of the VVD, who is hoping to become the country's first woman prime minister, responded:"I don't think anyone believes Wilders would be a prime minister for all. The party that wins the most seats traditionally takes a lead in negotiations and provides the prime minister, but even that is not guaranteed under the Dutch system.

Persons: de Wouw, Geert Wilders, Mark Rutte, Rutte, It's, Wilders, Dilan Yesilgoz, Frans Timmermans, Pieter Omtzigt, Johnny Cotton, Toby Sterling, Bart Meijer, Stephanie van den Berg, Charlotte van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander, Sharon Singleton, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Freedom Party, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, Labour, Green, NOS, Christian Democrats, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM, Turkish, The Netherlands, North

They spoke after paying tribute to the victims of Monday's attack in the Belgian capital, home to the EU institutions, and condemning what they branded a brutal terrorist attack. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Europe's open-border Schengen zone would not survive unless the EU's external frontiers were better protected from unwanted immigration. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU also needed a more effective system of returning unauthorised immigrants. The 45-year-old gunman arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2011 and then lived in Sweden before claiming asylum in Belgium. EU migration ministers will discuss the plans in Brussels on Thursday, as will national leaders next week.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Alexander De Croo, Yves Herman Acquire, Margaritis Schinas, Abdesalem Al Guilani, RTBF, Abdesalem, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Johnny Cotton, Anna Ringstrom, Benoit van Overstraeten, Gabriela Baczynska, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Swedish, Belgian, REUTERS, Sweden's, EU, STV, European Commission, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Brussels, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Tunisia, Swedish, Belgian, Europe, Lampedusa, Israel

☆ Queen Camilla, Brigitte Macron play table tennis amid state visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

There were light moments too, with Queen Camilla and President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte, trying their hand at table tennis as French youngsters looked on. Here's the latest:* Camilla also tried her hand at weaving at French luxury house Chanel's 19M workshop, with Brigitte Macron and Chanel CEO Leena Nair watching. * Queen Camilla and French President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte played table tennis together at a sports centre outside of Paris - not that successfully. The royal couple and Brigitte Macron chatted with youngsters at the Saint-Denis sports centre. [1/9]Britain's Queen Camilla plays table tennis next to Britain's King Charles, Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron as they meet local youth sports associations in Saint-Denis near Paris, on the second day of their State visit to France, September 21, 2023.

Persons: King Charles, Queen Camilla, Emmanuel Macron's, Brigitte, Camilla, Brigitte Macron, Leena Nair, Charles, Germain, King Charles III ., Nasser Al, Khelaifi, Denis, Brigitte Macron chatted, Britain's King Charles, Emmanuel Macron, REUTER, Hannah McKay, Queen Elizabeth, France's, Macron, Dominique Vidalon, Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau, Michel Rose, Johnny Cotton, Michael Holden, Blandine, Sharon Singleton Organizations: French, Paris Saint, King Charles III . Club, Saint, Entente, Notre, Dame, Thomson Locations: Britain, France, Saint, Paris, British, Ukraine, entente, United Kingdom, Versailles

BRUSSELS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the alliance had seen signs China was considering supplying arms to Russia and warned Beijing against taking any such step. The announcement came days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China of consequences if it provided material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "We haven't seen any supplies of lethal aid from China to Russia, but we have seen signs that they are considering and may be planning for that," Stoltenberg told Reuters in an interview. There was no immediate comment from China, but its Foreign Ministry said earlier on Thursday any potential intelligence on arms transfer by China to Russia that the United States plans to release was just speculation. Stoltenberg said China was a member of the U.N. Security Council and that Russia's war against Ukraine violated the U.N. Charter.

[1/2] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attends a news conference on the day of NATO defence ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna GeronBRUSSELS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday he saw progress in stalled talks with Turkey on Sweden's membership bid and aimed to have both Sweden and Finland join the alliance by the time of its July summit. Ankara accuses Stockholm of harbouring what Turkey considers members of terrorist groups, and has demanded their extradition as a step towards giving Sweden's NATO membership its green light. "So it's inconceivable that Finland or Sweden will face any military threats from Russia without NATO reacting." He has repeatedly cited the post-Soviet enlargement of the NATO alliance eastwards toward his borders as a reason for what he called Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

BRUSSELS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - In dating, they say there are plenty more fish in the sea. For 1,363 speed daters meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, the bigger the sea, the better the chances of catching something. Organiser Dare to Date billed the Valentine's Day event as the world's biggest ever speed date, saying it smashed the previous record of 964 participants set in Dublin, Ireland, in 2019. "Speed dating is really cool because there are so many different people and they're maybe people we wouldn't have said 'yes' to on Tinder." Dare to Date event manager Jill de Graaf said it was time to reclaim Valentine's Day for singles.

☆ Ukrainian defence minister Reznikov says Zelenskiy asked him to stay in post
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, whose political future has been the subject of intense speculation, said on Wednesday President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had asked him to remain in his current post. Asked in a Reuters interview whether he expected to continue as defence minister in the months to come, he replied: "Yes, it was the decision of my president." A lawyer who became defence minister only a few months before Russia launched its invasion, he has been under pressure due to a corruption scandal linked to his ministry. Reznikov said Zelenskiy had asked him to remain as defence minister but also discussed a future role leading a legal battle to ensure Russian war crimes are punished. Reznikov said he hoped that role would come after the end of the war.

"We've been too naïve ... for far too long," a justice ministry spokesperson said, referring to what he called clandestine operations by foreign powers in Belgium. The other three suspects arrested and charged last week were meanwhile questioned, as planned, on Wednesday by a three-judge panel. Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, the secretary-general of a rule of law campaign group, will leave jail but wear an electronic ankle tag. The European Parliament on Tuesday voted to strip Kaili, a 44-year old Greek Socialist MEP, of her vice presidency role. Although no state was publicly named by prosecutors, a source with knowledge of the case said it was Qatar.

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