Yesterday a repatriation flight with European citizens, among whom there were 12 Belgians, coming from the Wuhan region, landed in Brussels. Their repatriation was carried out via the military airport at Melsbroek. The military have their own infrastructure, situated next to Brussels Airport. The repatriated passengers are being looked after by a medical team…
Concern has been voiced about the impact on Taiwan of the coronavirus and serious questions have been asked about the country’s exclusion from taking part in international efforts to tackle the deadly disease. The virus has killed more than 210 people and more than 9,000 confirmed cases mainly in China. There have also been 9…
Ouarzazate in Morocco is known as the Hollywood of Africa, and famous for the filming of classics like David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. But in the modern era of climate change it has also gained fame and importance as the location of the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant and a centre of excellence…
The Church of Almighty God (CAG) released its 2019 Annual Report on the Chinese government’s persecution of the Church’s Christians today. The report provides statistics and details of the persecution both within China, and overseas by government agents. The CAG claims that in an intensified suppression campaign in 2019, 19 believers died as a result…
Morocco has a target of achieving 52% of its electricity requirements from renewable energy production by 2030. But according to Tarik Hamane the Executive Director and Head of Development of Masen, the country is on track to exceed this target sooner than expected. “I cannot forecast exactly the margin by which we shall exceed our…
Vyacheslav Nikonov an MP from President Putin’s “United Russia” party and member of the Russian State Duma has called the European Union “Hitler’s coalition”. Nikonov is the head of the State Duma Committee on Education and Science and chairman of the board of the Russkiy Mir Foundation. His remarks follow fast on the 75th anniversary…
Under the banner ‘Between public good and bad governance’ the European Parliament hosted a conference discussing the contemporary role of NGOs, writes Gary Cartwright. Delegates, from the worlds of politics, civil society, academia, and the press heard the argument that the lines between NGOs and lobbyists, and, indeed, purveyors of fake news, have become increasingly blurred. The…
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has launched an audit to examine whether the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has so far provided effective support to Member States in the implementation of European Integrated Border Management. Today, the auditors have published an audit preview on Frontex. Audit previews provide information on an ongoing…
What have Francois Hollande, Jean-Michel Jarre and Julio Eglesias in common? Struggling? Well, if it helps Richard Branson, Bruce Springsteen, Kody and Eddy Merckx have all done the same. The answer is that each have dined at L’Ecailler du Palais Royal, a lovely restaurant in the equally lovely Sablon quarter of Brussels. A quick glance at…
Health experts have thrown their weight behind calls for awareness-raising programmes and better product labelling for potentially hazardous material. The experts, meeting in Brussels for a high-level conference on lung cancer, highlight the “usefulness” of such campaigning in order to make the public better informed. Medical oncologist Ioannis Boukovinas, President of Hellenic Society of Medical…
