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☆ Spanish PM floats peace conference idea in meeting with Israel's Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo pose during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, November 23, 2023. "Today, more than ever, we need to bring back a serious and credible prospect for peace," Sanchez said after talks with Netanyahu. Sanchez said he and unspecified colleagues had proposed holding an international peace conference with the parties as soon as possible. "It is in Israel's interest to work for peace, and today, peace means the establishment of a viable Palestinian state that includes the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, according to the U.N. resolutions," he said. U.S. officials have said the time is not right to try to resume peace talks given the protracted intransigence of both sides.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Alexander de Croo, Benjamin Netanyahu, Borja Puig de la, Sanchez, Isaac Herzog, Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu, Alexander De Croo, De Croo, David Latona, Marine Strauss, Aislinn Laing, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Spanish, Belgian, Israeli, Reuters Acquire, Rights, Hamas, West Bank, European Union, Arab League, Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, West, of, Union, Palestinian Authority, Jerusalem, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Moncloa, Handout, Rights MADRID, U.S, Israel, Palestinian, Ramallah, Egypt, West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Barcelona, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Madrid, Oslo, Brussels

☆ How well-off Brits still buy Ozempic online for weight loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

NHS diabetes patients – including Gradwell, who went for weeks without full medication – pay nothing for their medication. The shortage persists even after Ozempic's manufacturer Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) launched Wegovy, a semaglutide drug solely for weight loss, in September. Rightangled told Reuters it is within its rights to continue to prescribe Ozempic for weight loss. Two had stopped offering it for weight loss by October, but Rightangled continued to make it available as of Nov. 17, Reuters found. He said his oncologist said that while he could not prescribe Ozempic, it would be good for his health if he took it for weight loss.

Persons: Kim Gradwell, –, John, it's, Rightangled, Gradwell, Penny Ward, I've, Abdullah Sabyah, Ward, Juniper, Ben, Doctors, Novo, Ozempic, semaglutide, prescribers, Rightangled's Sabyah, Tyne wasn't, Gradwell's, Yaasir Mamoojee, We've, Maggie Fick, Marine Strauss, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Chad Terhune, Sara Ledwith, Josephine Mason Organizations: Diabetes, National Health Service, Novo Nordisk, King's College, Department of Health, Social Care, John, Reuters, Oxford University ., NHS, Alliance Healthcare, Alliance, Diabetes UK, NICE, semaglutide, Oxford University, General Pharmaceutical Council, Tyne, Thomson Locations: Dudley , North Tyneside, Britain, Novo, United States, London, U.S, England, Europe, Ozempic, Newcastle, Brussels, Los Angeles

☆ Explainer: What’s behind the scramble for semaglutide?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Semaglutide, developed by Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) over decades, is the active ingredient in type 2 diabetes treatments Ozempic and Rybelsus, as well as Wegovy, which is used for weight loss only. Semaglutide in injected form was first approved for use in the U.S. as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2017. Booming demand for both drugs has propelled Novo Nordisk to its highest-ever profits. People taking part in clinical trials for drugs based on semaglutide may also continue to take it. The curbs will be in force until August 2024, but may end sooner if supplies improve, a spokesperson for the health ministry said.

Persons: Maggie Fick, Marine Strauss, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Josephine Mason, Sara Ledwith Organizations: Novo Nordisk, World Health Organization, International Diabetes Foundation, Supply, BMI, Thomson Locations: Britain, Germany, Belgium, United States, U.S, Denmark, Brussels

☆ Belgium bans use of Ozempic for weight loss until summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Boxes of Ozempic, a semaglutide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes made by Novo Nordisk, is seen at a Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S. March 29, 2023. Ozempic is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes but has increasingly been prescribed "off-label" to treat weight loss because it has the same active ingredient as Novo's hugely popular - and scarce - anti-obesity drug Wegovy. In Britain, doctors and prescribers, including private online pharmacies, have been ordered to stop prescribing Ozempic to people who don't have type 2 diabetes as soon as possible. They are also banned from starting new patients with type 2 diabetes on the medicine for as long as the shortage lasts. Last month, Belgium's federal medicine agency recommended doctors and pharmacists only prescribe Ozempic to diabetic patients due to the surge in demand.

Persons: George Frey, Ozempic, Marine Strauss, Mark Potter Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Marine, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Belgium, Britain

☆ Not clear Big Tech need pay for 5G, broadband rollout, Belgian regulator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An advertising board shows a 5G logo at the International Airport in Zaventem, Belgium May 4, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBrussels, Nov 13 - There is no clear need to make technological giants help to pay for 5G and broadband rollout, Belgium's telecoms regulator IBPT-BIPT said on Monday. Telecom operators, including Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), have called for what they describe as "fair share funding," which the Big Tech companies have said would amount to an internet tax. "IBPT-BIPT considers that the need to oblige internet platforms to pay network operators is not sufficiently demonstrated," Belgian industry regulator IBPT-BIPT said in a report on Monday. "IBPT-BIPT considers that the need to introduce a fee based on the volume of Internet traffic for the Belgian market has not been demonstrated," it added.

Persons: Yves Herman, BIPT, Thierry Breton, Marine Strauss, Barbara Lewis Organizations: International, REUTERS, Rights, 5G, Microsoft, European Commission, Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Big Tech, Belgian, EU, Thomson Locations: Zaventem, Belgium, Rights Brussels, Belgian

If accepted, EU officials expect formal accession talks with Kyiv to start next year. A top aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Budapest would not support Ukraine's EU integration unless Kyiv changes its laws on minorities, in particular as regards education. "Moldova is firmly on the path for EU membership and we will continue working relentlessly towards this goal," the country's president, Maia Sandu, said in welcoming the move. The Commission said the EU should also begin membership talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina once a long list of extensive conditions are met. In 2020, Britain was the first country to ever leave the EU, a major setback for European integration following World War Two.

Persons: Yves Herman, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Viktor Orban, Maia Sandu, von der Leyen, enlargements, Andrew Gray, Yuliia, Olena, Alexander Tanas, Gabriela Baczynska, Nick Macfie, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, European Commission, EU, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Moldova, Bosnia, Georgia, BRUSSELS, KYIV, Hungary, Kyiv, Hungarian, Budapest, EU, Moscow, Tbilisi, Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Netherlands, Britain

☆ Belgium wants sanctions against Israel for Gaza bombings - deputy PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Sderot in southern Israel, November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Belgium's deputy prime minister called on the Belgian government on Wednesday to adopt sanctions against Israel and investigate the bombings of hospitals and refugee camps in Gaza. “It is time for sanctions against Israel. Israel struck at Gaza in response to a Hamas raid on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which gunmen killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Terror costs money and there must be sanctions on the companies and people who provide Hamas with money," De Sutter said.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Petra De Sutter, ”, Israel, De Sutter, Marine Strauss, Chizu Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Belgian, Israel, Nieuwsblad, European Union, EU, International Criminal, UN, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Sderot, Rights BRUSSELS, European, Belgium, The Hague

☆ EU executive proposes to grant Georgia EU candidate status
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive recommended on Wednesday that the bloc grants formal candidate status to Georgia, if and when it fulfils remaining conditions. "The Commission recommends that the (European) Council grants Georgia the status of a candidate country on the understanding that certain reforms that steps are taken," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The outstanding conditions include Georgia aligning itself with the EU's foreign policy sanctions, pushing back against disinformation and political polarisation, as well as ensuring a free and fair 2024 election. Reporting by Marine Strauss, Gabriela Baczynska, Andrew GrayOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Marine Strauss, Gabriela Baczynska, Andrew Gray Organizations: European, Council, Georgia, Andrew Gray Our, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Georgia

☆ Renault had 'friendly' discussions with Chinese investment bank - spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Renault is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Oct 31 (Reuters) - French carmaker Renault (RENA.PA) had "friendly" discussions with Chinese investment bank CICC about potential cooperation, but nothing has been signed or decided so far, a company spokesperson said, confirming media reports. "A meeting took place between CICC and Renault Group for friendly discussions about China's market," a spokeswoman told Reuters. Chinese media outlet Cailianshe reported on Friday that Renault and CICC had reached a preliminary intention agreement to jointly invest to establish an investment fund to focus on the NEV industry chain, citing people familiar with the matter. Cailianshe added that Renault CEO Luca de Meo was in China for a week long visit.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, carmaker, CICC, Luca de Meo, Gilles Guillaume, Brenda Goh, Roxanne Liu, Tassilo Hummel, Marine Strauss, Louise Heavens Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, carmaker Renault, Renault Group, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, CICC, China, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Hitachi wins EU okay for $1.8 bln Thales deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Hitachi is seen at an office building in Zurich, Switzerland September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Hitachi Ltd FollowThales SA FollowBRUSSELS, Oct 30 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators said on Monday they cleared Hitachi's (6501.T) 1.7-billion-euro ($1.80 billion) bid for Thales' (TCFP.PA) GTS railway signalling business on condition the Japanese company sells assets in France and Germany, as it offered to do so. Reuters reported two weeks ago the European Commission was about to clear the deal. ($1 = 0.9434 euros)Reporting by Marine Strauss and Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Arnd, Marine Strauss, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: Hitachi, REUTERS, Companies Hitachi Ltd, Thales, Follow BRUSSELS, Reuters, Commission, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Hitachi's, France, Germany

Overall EU support for Ukraine has totalled almost 83 billion euros since Russia invaded in February 2022, the Brussels-based executive European Commission said this week. Slovakia's Robert Fico, attending his first EU summit since being appointed for his fourth term as prime minister on Wednesday, adopted a similar line. Orban has also said he would not endorse in its current form the proposed EU budget revision, which includes the 50 billion in new aid for Kyiv. Fico said there was endemic corruption in Ukraine and demanded that any new EU aid include guarantees that the funds not be misappropriated, according to a statement from his office. "The questions are, what type of aid and how it is used, how we are sure, the European Union is sure, that this aid is used efficiently," he said.

Persons: Fico, Orban, Olaf Scholz, Slovakia's Robert Fico, Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Denkov, Jan Strupczewski, Phil Blenkinsop, Bart Meijer, Tassilo Hummel, Marine Strauss, Krisztina, Jason Hovet, Miranda Murray, Gabriela Baczynska, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Ukraine New, Union, EU, Ukraine, European Commission, Russia, Kyiv, European Union, European, Bulgarian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukraine New Slovak, Ukraine BRUSSELS, Russian, Hungary, Slovakia, Brussels, Russia, SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY Hungary, Budapest, Bratislava, European Union

☆ 'Positions Not Matching Yet' as EU Leaders Fight for Slice of Budget Pie
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The bloc's executive proposed that member states chip in more to the shared coffers to provide 50 billion euros to Ukraine and spend another 15 billion on migration. Budgetary decisions require unanimity and divisions were on display on Thursday as the bloc's 27 national leaders arrived for a summit in Brussels. On the bloc's eastern flank, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that - beyond supporting Ukraine - joint spending should grow for improving EU defence capabilities. Lithuania said 50 billion euros for Ukraine was not enough. Orban's comments come as his government is trying to unlock billions in aid envisaged for Hungary in the EU budget but blocked by the European Commission over rule of law concerns.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, Alexander de Croo, Kaja Kallas, Kyriakos, Hungary's Viktor Orban, Orban, that's, Ireland's Leo Varadkar, Olaf Scholz, Marine Strauss, Krisztina, Tassilo Hummel, Rene Maltezou, Jan Strupczewski, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: European Union, EU, Belgian, European Commission, Diplomats Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Brussels, Estonian, Lithuania, Greece, East, Africa, Budapest, Hungary, Austria, Western Balkans, Germany

☆ Hungary's Orban Says Is 'Proud' of Putin Meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that he was "proud" of his contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he met in China this month despite European Union efforts to isolate Moscow for waging a war against Ukraine. Orban spoke on arriving to a summit of the EU's 27 national leaders in Brussels. He drew criticism for his talks with Putin, which had been organised with great pomp. Therefore we keep open all the communication lines to the Russians, otherwise there will be no chance for peace. This is a strategy, we are proud of it," Orban told reporters.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin, Orban, Putin, Gabriela Baczynska, Marine Strauss, Jan Strupczewski Organizations: European Union, Ukraine Locations: BRUSSELS, Hungarian, China, Moscow, Brussels, Europe

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

French police stand guard in front of the Chateau de Versailles (Palace of Versailles) as tourists enter again after the Palace was evacuated for security reasons, in Versailles, near Paris, France, October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Clotaire Achi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Eight French airports faced security alerts on Wednesday and several were evacuated for checks, the DGAC aviation authority said, and the Palace of Versailles closed again due to its third security scare in five days. Lille airport was evacuated due to a bomb scare, the airport had said earlier in the day on social media platform X. The Palace of Versailles, one of France's main tourist attractions, said it was again evacuating visitors for security reasons. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Marine Strauss; editing by Bernadette Baum and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chateau, Clotaire, Dominique Vidalon, Marine Strauss, Bernadette Baum, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Louvre, Gare de Lyon, Thomson Locations: Versailles, Paris, France, Toulouse, Biarritz, Pau, Nice, Lyon, Lille, Rennes, Nantes

☆ Macron says 'Islamist terrorism' rising in Europe, all states at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TIRANA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Europe is seeing a rise of "Islamist terrorism" and all states are threatened, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday during a visit to Albania, after Islamist killings of a teacher in France and two Swedish football fans in Belgium. Macron spoke a day after a 45-year-old attacker, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed responsibility in a video posted online, killed the two Swedes fans in Brussels. All European states are vulnerable, and there is indeed a resurgence of Islamist terrorism," Macron said after talks with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana. "Here, we reiterate our solidarity with our Belgian friends," Macron said. "Israel's security, the fight against all terrorist groups, as well as the peace process and the political solution, are all interconnected," he said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Florian Goga, Fatos, Hedy Beloucif, Marine Strauss, Ivana Sekularac, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Islamic, Albanian, Edi Rama, Thomson Locations: TIRANA, Europe, Albania, France, Belgium, Islamic State, Brussels, Paris, French, Arras, Tirana, Israel, Pristina

He lost his case in October 2020 and, the following March, was issued an order to leave Belgium. With at least three EU countries involved, the case points up the challenges the EU faces tracking people across the bloc's Schengen open-travel zone that is mostly free of border checks. Proponents of the EU's new migration pact - which has been tentatively agreed by most EU countries and is now being further negotiated with the European Parliament - say it would support returns by shortening time for migration and asylum procedures. "Those who are not allowed to stay in the EU must leave Europe. "This is a wake-up call for those who are not ready to accept ... the migration pact."

Persons: Alexander de Croo, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Manfred Weber, Marine Strauss, Bart Meijer, Angelo Amante, Gabriela Baczynska, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Belgium Case, EU, Immigration, Belgian, Frontex, Eurostat, Reuters, European People's Party, Thomson Locations: Italy, Sweden, Belgium, BRUSSELS, ROME, Tunisia, Europe, Israel, Germany, Brussels, Tunis, ITALY, SWEDEN, BELGIUM, Lampedusa, Poland, Hungary, East, Africa, Rome

☆ Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels, Belgium raises terror alert to top level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The suspected assailant fled the scene after the shooting as a football match between Belgium and Sweden was about to start, triggering a massive manhunt and prompting Belgium to raise its terror alert to the highest level. The federal prosecutor said the third victim, who was wounded but not in life-threatening condition, was a taxi driver. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish. "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," de Croo said on X. France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.

Persons: Abdesalem Al Guilani, Alexander de Croo, de Croo, Gunnar Strommer, Ulf Kristersson, King, Yves Herman Acquire, King Baudouin, Emmanuel Macron, Allahu Akbar, Al Guilani, hamdoulelah, Salam Aleykoum, Philip Blenkinsop, Marine Strauss, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Richard Lough, John Cotton, Jan Strupczewski, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis Organizations: State, Palestinian, European Commission, Belgian, PM, Sweden's, Reuters, Government, Swedish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, Belgian, Israel, jihadists, Swedish, France, Islamic State

☆ Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels; Belgium raises terror alert to top level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The likely motive for the attack was the Swedish nationality of the victims, the prosecutor said. The suspected assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the victims were Swedish. "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," de Croo said on X. France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.

Persons: Abdesalem Al Guilani, Alexander de Croo, de Croo, Gunnar Strommer, King, Yves Herman Acquire, Ulf Kristersson, Emmanuel Macron, Allahu Akbar, Al Guilani, hamdoulelah, Salam Aleykoum, Philip Blenkinsop, Marine Strauss, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Richard Lough, John Cotton, Gabriela Baczynska, Stephanie Lecocq, Tassilo Hummel, Benoit van Overstraeten, Tommy Lund, Jan Strupczewski, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Islamic State, Palestinian, European Commission, Belgian, Twitter, PM, Sweden's, Reuters, Swedish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, Belgian, Israel, Swedish, France, Islamic State

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy is paying a visit to Belgium
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg walk on the day of a NATO Defence Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Zelenskiy is in Belgium this Wednesday, Belgian media reported, where a meeting of NATO defence ministers is taking place. After Spain, Belgium will hold the European Union's rotating presidency for six months starting Jan 1 2024. Zelenskiy came to Brussels after a visit to Romania, where he called for steps to ensure Russia does not turn the Black Sea into a "dead zone" for shipping after Moscow quit a deal allowing safe Ukrainian grain exports. Reporting by Marine Strauss, Andrew Gray; Editing by Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Johanna Geron, Rustem Umerov, Yoav Gallant, Jens Stoltenberg, Lloyd Austin, Charles Q, Brown, Zelenskiy, Marine Strauss, Andrew Gray, Benoit Van Overstraeten Organizations: NATO, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, Rights, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Israeli, Contact, Diplomats, Lloyd Austin and Air Force, U.S, U.S . Congress, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Belgian, Ukraine, Vilnius, Finland, Estonia, Israel, Spain, Washington, Kyiv, Romania, Russia

[1/4] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg walk on the day of a NATO Defence Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 11, 2023. On his first visit to NATO HQ since Russia's full-scale invasion in February last year, Zelenskiy said the coming cold months would be one of Ukraine's biggest challenges. Standing alongside Zelenskiy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "preparing once again to use winter as a weapon of war" by attacking energy infrastructure in Ukraine. "We need to prevent that, with more advanced and increased capabilities for air defence, we can make a big difference," Stoltenberg said. NATO defence ministers were to sit down with their Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in the NATO-Ukraine Council, established at the alliance's Vilnius summit in July.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Johanna Geron, Putin, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin, Stoltenberg, Lloyd Austin, Charles Q, Brown, Alexander De Croo, Rustem, Yoav Gallant, Marine Strauss, Andrew Gray, Idrees Ali, Sabine Siebold, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: NATO, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, Ukraine Defense Contact, Zelenskiy, Diplomats, Lloyd Austin and Air Force, U.S, U.S . Congress, Belgian, Ukraine Council, Israeli, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Ukraine, U.S, Washington, Kyiv, NATO, Vilnius, Finland, Estonia

☆ Springboks still on track to win World Cup - coach Nienaber
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's lack of accuracy close to the Ireland tryline and off the kicking tee were major contributors to their epic 13-8 loss in a Rugby World Cup Pool B showdown on Saturday but the belief that they can win the World Cup still burns bright. By contrast, South Africa had numerous entries into the Ireland 22 but a mixture of excellent defence and their own inaccuracy proved costly as they slipped to a first World Cup defeat in nine games. "Hats off to Ireland, we missed a couple of points off the tee but I won't say it's only goal-kicking (that was the problem)," coach Jacques Nienaber said. "We lost two balls close to the Ireland tryline and we had another opportunity late on in the game. Nienaber said the defeat did not in any way diminish their belief that they could retain their World Cup crown.

Persons: Manie Libbok, scrumhalf Faf, Klerk, Jacques Nienaber, Nienaber, Siya Kolisi, haven't, Kolisi, Nick Said, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Marine Strauss, Clare Fallon Organizations: Ireland, Rugby, Springbok, Thomson Locations: Ireland, South Africa, Tonga, Marseille

☆ Belgian court hands down 20 year to life sentences for 2016 bombings, Belga reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Lawyers attend the courtroom before reading the sentences in the trial of eight men found guilty of participation or complicity in the March 2016 attacks, at the Brussels-Capital Assizes Court in Justitia building in Brussels, on September 15, 2023. On March 22 2016, 32 people were killed and 324 Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreBRUSSELS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A Belgian court on Friday sentenced eight defendants in the country's largest ever trial involving the 2016 Islamist bombings in Brussels that killed 32 people, Belga news agency said. Among those convicted was Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the trial over the Paris attacks that killed 130 people. The court considered that the French sentence of life in prison for his role in the 2015 Paris attack and his 20 year prison sentence over a Brussels shooting was enough and he did not receive a further sentence. On the run after fleeing the French capital, he was seized in Brussels four days before the Belgian attacks.

Persons: Salah Abdeslam, Marine Strauss, Dominique Vidalon Organizations: Belgian, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Justitia, BRUSSELS, Belgian

☆ Belgian Court Hands Down 20 Year to Life Sentences for 2016 Bombings - Belga
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -A Belgian court on Friday sentenced eight defendants in the country's largest ever trial involving the 2016 Islamist bombings in Brussels that killed 32 people, Belga news agency said. Six men, who were found guilty of murder and attempted murder for their part in the twin bombings at Brussels airport and third bomb on the city's metro on March 22, 2016, were handed sentences ranging from 20 years to life in jail. Among those convicted was Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the trial over the Paris attacks that killed 130 people. The court considered that the French sentence of life in prison for his role in the 2015 Paris attack and his 20 year prison sentence over a Brussels shooting was enough and he did not receive a further sentence. On the run after fleeing the French capital, he was seized in Brussels four days before the Belgian attacks.

Persons: Salah Abdeslam, Marine Strauss, Dominique Vidalon Organizations: Belgian Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgian

☆ Belgian Education Minister Condemns School Arson Attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian education minister Caroline Desir has condemned a series of arson attacks on schools in recent days in protest against a new mandatory sex education course, saying the attacks were acts of "extreme brutality". "They are attacking our teaching, our freedom of education. These are acts of extreme barbarity, these are acts of terrorism", Desir told Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday while visiting a targeted school near the southern city of Charleroi. The government is investigating the attacks but said it would not give details for security reasons. The anti-EVRAS movement plans a protest in Brussels on Sunday.

Persons: Caroline Desir, Desir, Marine Strauss, David Holmes Organizations: Education, RTBF Locations: BRUSSELS, Belgian, Charleroi, Brussels, Walloon, EVRAS

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