Belgium

"No alternative" to two-state solution, Blair tells Israel

"No alternative" to two-state solution, Blair tells Israel Brussels - There can be no alternative to a two-state solution for the Middle East, said Quartet envoy Tony Blair in Brussels on Wednesday, a day after the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in.

"There is no alternative to a two-state solution, except the one-state solution. And if there is a one-state solution, there's going to be a big fight," Blair said after a meeting with European Union officials in Brussels.

EU drops antitrust case against MasterCard

EU drops antitrust case against MasterCard Brussels  - The European Commission on Wednesday decided to drop its antitrust charges against MasterCard after the payments card company agreed to reduce the fees it charges for international transactions.

MasterCard had already bowed to EU pressure in June by temporarily repealing its multilateral interchange fees (MIFs), which had been found to breach the bloc's competition rules.

Exotic Antwerp has retained the feel of a bygone era

Antwerp, Belgium  - The setting sun bathes Antwerp's diamond district in ruby-red light. Standing outside a diamond exchange are black-clad Hasidic Jews wearing high hats, some fur-trimmed, and sporting side locks curled like corkscrews. They are discussing business in Yiddish.

"Jerusalem on the Scheldt" is one of the many nicknames for the city, which shows visitors a different face in every district.

Only London, Paris and Naples were more populous than Antwerp in the 16th century, which then had more than 100,000 inhabitants. The Welsers and Fuggers, German merchant and banking dynasties, controlled their businesses from the Flemish metropolis.

NATO to launch You Tube adverts aimed at Western youth

NATO to launch You Tube adverts aimed at Western youth Brussels - NATO is reaching out to young audiences in the West by posting three unconventional advertisement videos on the popular You Tube website, alliance officials said Monday.

The videos, which last about 45 seconds each, are designed to raise awareness about the trans-Atlantic alliance's role in the world by arguing that security should not be taken for granted, even in developed countries.

EU's diplomatic commissioner to visit China for summit planning

EU's diplomatic commissioner to visit China for summit planningBrussels - The European Union's foreign- ffairs commissioner is to visit China on Sunday ahead of a series of European and global summits, officials in Brussels said Friday.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner will visit Beijing to discuss "issues of common interest and concern," such as a forthcoming summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies in London on Thursday and an EU-China summit planned for May, a statement from her office said.

Israel coalition should drop warlike rhetoric, Turkey's Gul says

Israel coalition should drop warlike rhetoric, Turkey's Gul says Brussels  - All the members of Israel's future government should drop the hawkish rhetoric they used while in opposition, otherwise the entire Middle East peace process will suffer, Turkey's President Abdullah Gul warned on Friday.

"We expect to see a change from the rhetoric they used in opposition. If those statements were repeated and became government policy, I have to warn that things would take a turn for the worse and would make for more suffering," Gul told reporters in Brussels.

Pages