Belgium

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO defense ministers are discussing the future of the alliance’s operation in Afghanistan and how best to use its military presence to support political talks aimed at ending the conflict.

Frustrated with America’s longest war, U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to pull out troops, raising doubts about NATO’s training operation in the strife-torn country.

Around 14,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, just over half with NATO and the rest doing counter-terror and combat operations.

12 Feb 2019; DW:  All flights in and out of Belgium have been canceled until Wednesday night as public transport workers went on a 24-hour strike.  All sectors, from public transport to rubbish collection, postal services, hospitals and commercial centers have been affected.

Belgium's air traffic control authority said on Tuesday it was forced to close the country's airspace between Tuesday 10 p.m. CET (2100 UTC) and the same time on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Mission of China to the European Union (EU) on Saturday denied groundless allegations about Chinese espionage in Brussels.

Responding to reports by Germany media that a large number of Chinese spies are active in Brussels, a spokesperson of the Chinese mission said the Chinese side is "deeply shocked by such unfounded reports."

"China always respects the sovereignty of all countries, and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries," the spokesperson said in a statement.

09 Feb 2019; DW: Overcoming differences between Paris and Berlin, EU diplomats reached a deal on the pipeline, placing stricter regulations on the project. France said it wanted to "ensure European control" of its own energy needs.

France and Germany have reached a compromise that will allow Berlin to remain the lead negotiator with Russia on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, European leaders confirmed on Friday.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May were constructive and robust, but the European Union (EU) will not reopen negotiations on the Brexit deal, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday in a joint statement.

May arrived in Brussels earlier Thursday to meet Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani for further talks on Brexit concessions despite the EU's repeated refusal to renegotiate.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- In one of the strongest public remarks ever, a senior representative of China's tech company Huawei on Thursday night rebutted fear-mongering against the company.

In a ballroom in Brussels packed with well over 100 guests, mostly Europeans, Huawei's envoy to the European Union institutions launched into a robust defense of the Chinese technology giant.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Italy on Monday blocked a joint European Union position to recognize Venezuela’s National Assembly head Juan Guaido as interim president, diplomatic sources said.

EU states have been debating for days how to address the Venezuela crisis, with ten countries recognizing the opposition leader after the expiry of a deadline for President Nicolas Maduro to call a new election.

Some EU members are nervous about setting a precedent of recognizing a self-proclaimed leader.

BRUSSELS, February 5. /TASS/. Defense ministers from NATO member states will start their upcoming meeting in Brussels by discussing the consequences of the US move to suspend its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), a NATO official told TASS on Tuesday.

BRUSSELS, February 5. /TASS/. The growing risk of an accidental nuclear war is the main threat stemming from the looming demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), a diplomat from one of the European countries’ missions to NATO told TASS on Tuesday.

"A new arms race is not the main consequence of the INF Treaty’s demise. The growing risk of an accidental nuclear war is the real threat," he said.

06 Feb 2019; AFP: The EU's powerful anti-trust sheriff, Margrethe Vestager, is set to veto the merger of the Siemens-Alstom rail businesses on Wednesday, in defiance of France and Germany.

The tie-up, announced to great fanfare last year, was hailed as the birth of a much needed European industrial champion, an Airbus for the railways to face down a formidable Chinese rival.