Protest against coronavirus restrictions turns violent in Brussels

BRUSSELS — Police fired teargas and used water cannons on Sunday to disperse protesters pelting officers with cobblestones and fireworks as a demonstration in Brussels over government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions turned violent.

A few thousand protesters marched peacefully through the center of the Belgian capital to the neighborhood which hosts the headquarters of European Union institutions, where the demonstration reached its endpoint.

In the EU quarter, a group of protesters wearing black hoods and chanting "liberte" (freedom) started to throw stones at the police, who reacted with teargas and water cannons, according to footage and reports from Reuters journalists present.

Demonstrators were protesting rules imposed in October that oblige people to show COVID-19 passes to access bars and restaurants.

"I can't bear discrimination in any form, and now there's the vaccine pass which is discriminatory, sanctions for (unvaccinated) carers which are discriminatory too, there's mandatory vaccination which is heading our way," one protestor, martial arts teacher Alain Sienaort, said.

"That's all discrimination, so we have to fight it. We don't want a dictatorship."

The protest followed new measures announced on Friday to curb one of Europe's highest infection rates, including mandatory mask wearing for most primary school children and a lengthening of the school holidays.

In late November, a much larger number of demonstrators clashed violently with the police in Brussels. That led to dozens of arrests, injuries among police officers, and widespread property damage. 

(Reporting by John Cotton, Sean Carter, and Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Jan Harvey)

-reuters-

'I thought I would never wake up,' Belgian doctor says after surviving COVID-19

BRUSSELS - A Belgian urologist has spoken of his "incredible" experience, having survived COVID-19 and been discharged from intensive care after three weeks in a coma.

"I was seeing my end," Antoine Sassine said from his room at Brussels' Delta Chirec hospital, where he used to work. "I thought I was going to die and would never wake up."

The 58-year-old and his team were all diagnosed at the hospital and he was admitted to the intensive care unit when his symptoms worsened.

Sassine was placed in an induced coma, but says he was aware of his desire to fight the disease and that he also had visions of his late father.

Describing the experience as "incredible", Sassine, who was moved out of intensive care on Tuesday, said: "I saw my father, who died four years ago. I spoke with him."

"My greatest joy was when I woke up and saw the faces of my friends, it was indescribable."

Now he is looking forward to hugging his family, who he has not seen since he was diagnosed, and recuperating at home.

Belgium has reported 38,496 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 5,683 deaths. (Reporting by Yves Herman Writing by Marine Strauss Editing by David Goodman)

-reuters-

Belgium passes 2,000 coronavirus cases, deaths mount

BRUSSELS - The number of coronavirus disease cases recorded in Belgium surged past 2,000 on Friday and the number of deaths jumped by 16 to 37, authorities said.

According to the country's national crisis center, 462 new confirmed cases of the virus have been reported, bringing the total to 2,257 in a country of 11.4 million people.

Two-thirds of the new cases overnight were in Dutch-speaking Flanders, in northern Belgium.

Emmanuel Andre, a spokesman for the crisis center, said Belgium was better prepared than Italy had been when it became the focus of the European outbreak, but that hospitals would need more space for the most serious cases.

In the past 24 hours, another 203 people have been admitted to hospital in Belgium, and 164 of them will require intensive care, such as breathing assistance.

"The average age of those hospitalized is around 60," he said. "In Belgium, we have 1,900 beds equipped with ventilators, and places are being set up today to increase this number."

"We are expecting demand to increase in the coming days," Andre warned.

Europe is now the epicenter of the pandemic that emerged in China in December, with Italy now the hardest country.

Belgium is now one of several European countries to order a national lockdown, although one less sternly enforced than in neighboring France -- and with more exceptions.

Already, bars and restaurants are shut and many people have been asked to work from home and to avoid socializing and crowds, but officials expect the measures to tighten.

"Everyone should respect these measures, and in my opinion, exceptions to the rules will come to an end in the coming days," another crisis center spokesman Benoit Ramacker said. 

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Brussels show presents private side of screen icon Audrey Hepburn

BRUSSELS -- An exhibition tracing the private life of screen icon Audrey Hepburn through hundreds of photos and personal items opens in her hometown of Brussels this week to mark the 90th anniversary of her birth.

The "Intimate Audrey" show features nearly a thousand objects gathered by one of her two sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, born from her relationship with the US actor and producer Mel Ferrer.

Alongside the glamour of the star who shot dizzyingly to Hollywood fame -- winning an Oscar at just 25 for her role alongside Gregory Peck in "Roman Holiday" -- the exhibition focuses on Hepburn's life as a mother and as a UNICEF ambassador, a role she threw herself into during the five years leading up to her death in 1993.

"Fundamentally we don't learn anything new, but when we get to the end, we see that the girl that the world fell in love with... has blossomed into this woman. You see it, you feel it," Sean Hepburn Ferrer told AFP on the eve of the opening.

The show reveals a simpler side to the star whose appearance in a dazzling Givenchy gown in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" -- perhaps the most famous "little black dress" of all -- became one of the defining images of 20th century glamour.

"This woman who was a style icon basically lived in a little cotton dress all her life -- a simple life," Hepburn Ferrer said.

Hepburn was born Audrey Ruston on May 4, 1929 in the Brussels district of Ixelles, to a Dutch mother and a British father who was then working for a Belgian subsidiary of the Bank of England. 

The exhibition of around 800 photos, some previously unpublished, include black and white portraits that evoke the severity of Dutch aristocracy -- a world she knew as a child. 

Then come the first steps in London, where a teenaged Hepburn dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer -- only to have to give it up, her son said, after the traumas of war left her physically too weak for the rigours of professional dance.

That left acting "as a default choice."

A meeting with French writer Colette while shooting in Monte Carlo gave Hepburn her big break, with the author choosing her for the lead in a stage adaptation of her short story "Gigi."

"It was of course she (Colette) who brought her to New York in 1950-51," Ferrer Hepburn said. The move led to her role in the romantic comedy "Roman Holiday" and subsequent stardom.

A photo of the two women annotated in Colette's hand features in the exhibition, along with drawings, writings by the star, the dress she wore at her wedding to Ferrer and the second Oscar statuette she was awarded in 1993 in recognition of her humanitarian work.

The exhibition in Brussels runs until August 25, with profits going to the fight against rare diseases and cancer.

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Belgium students join climate change protest

BRUSSELS - Thousands of students on Saturday skipped classes and braved the bad weather to join the Global Strike for Future Belgium.

More than 30,000 people of all ages gathered in the main streets of Brussels to protest against climate change, which aims to pressure Belgium to implement a new climate policy along European institutions ahead of the next summit on March 21 and 22.

The march began at 1:30 in the afternoon at Brussels North Station and ended at the climate village at South Station. Other cities namely Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, and Leuven have also staged marches.

Previous similar demonstrations which were organized by Youth for Climate have successfully taken place in Brussels since January 10 this year.

The global action was inspired by a Swedish student, Greta Ernman Thunberg, who became prominent after staging the first school protest for climate outside the building of Swedish Parliament.

Thunberg skipped classes on Fridays stating that “the climate strike is the biggest lesson of all."

It was also Thunberg who inspired secondary students in Antwerp and in Brussels in organizing regular marches on Thursdays.

Students have asked all politicians to stop political gimmicks and should start acting now if they want to save the planet.

“Today we are already at 1.1 degrees and we cannot wait until the earth becomes even more warmer. What we want the government to do is to cut all 11 percent emissions, all the more economically developed countries, they have to cut 11 percent right now in order to reduce emissions," European school student Patricija Marjauskaite said.

The students insisted that it is very important to take actions while there is still time.

“We need the protests to keep happening around the world , a very pointed focus, with this number 11 percent so that politicians have no way of getting around ignoring these protests," said Jules Pye, another student.

Meanwhile, former beauty queen turned model, Pinay-Belgian Bernadette de Leener said everyone should take part in addressing the climate change problem even without joining the protest.

De Leener enumerated simple ways on how we can help address the climate change:

- Buy local,organic and seasonal food whenever possible
- Avoid products in non-recyclable containers
- Walk, cycle or use public transport instead of car
- Take train instead of plane for near holiday destinations
- Plant trees in your garden
- Try to use less water in the shower
- Refuse plastic bags when you shop, instead, take your own bag
- Buy less or only what is essential
- Use less electricity

She said it is important to remind people that climate change is in fact caused by human behavior and should be conscious about the fact that it will have a direct impact on us.

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Britain agrees Brexit divorce deal with EU

LONDON -- Britain struck a draft divorce deal with the European Union after more than a year of talks, thrusting Prime Minister Theresa May into a perilous battle over Brexit that could shape her country's prosperity for generations to come.

While Brussels choreographs the first withdrawal of a sovereign state from the EU, May, a far from secure leader hemmed in by opponents in government and her own Conservative party, must now try to get the deal approved by her cabinet and, in the toughest test of all, by parliament.

Brexiteers in May's party accused her of surrendering to the EU and said they would vote the deal down while the Northern Irish party which props up her minority government questioned whether she would be able to get parliamentary approval.

"These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications," said Arlene Foster, leader of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which keeps the government in power.

"The prime minister must win the support of the cabinet and the House of Commons. Every individual vote will count."

The British cabinet will meet at 1400 GMT on Wednesday (10 p.m. in Manila) to consider the draft withdrawal agreement, a Downing Street spokesman said after Irish and British media were leaked details of the agreement on the text.

Sterling, which has seesawed since reaching $1.50 just before Britain's 2016 referendum that saw a 52-48 percent margin for leaving the EU, surged on news of a deal but then erased some gains as opponents lined up to criticize May.

Brexit will pitch the world's fifth largest economy into the unknown and many fear it will serve to divide the West as it grapples with both the unconventional presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China.

Supporters of Brexit say that while the divorce might bring some short-term instability, in the longer term it will allow the United Kingdom to thrive and also enable deeper EU integration without such a powerful reluctant member.

SELLING BREXIT

A senior EU official confirmed that a draft text had been agreed. EU leaders could meet on Nov. 25 for a summit to seal the Brexit deal if May's cabinet approves the text, diplomatic sources said.

The EU and Britain need an agreement to keep trade flowing between the world's biggest trading bloc and the United Kingdom, home to the biggest international financial center.

But May, an initial opponent of Brexit who won the top job in the turmoil that followed the referendum, has struggled to untangle nearly 46 years of EU membership without damaging commerce or upsetting the lawmakers who will ultimately decide the fate of the divorce accord.

By seeking to leave the EU while preserving the closest possible ties, May's compromise plan has upset Brexiteers, pro-Europeans, Scottish nationalists, the Northern Irish party that props up her government, and some of her own ministers.

It is unclear when parliament might vote on a deal. To get the deal approved she needs the votes of about 320 lawmakers in the 650-seat parliament. She faces a deeply divided government, party, parliament and country.

BREXIT BETRAYAL?

Prominent Brexiteers such as Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said May had sold out the United Kingdom and that they would oppose it.

"It is a failure of the government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit, and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom," Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg said.

The opposition Labour Party, which has said it would oppose any agreement that does not retain "the exact same" economic benefits that it now has with the EU, said it was unlikely the announced deal was right for Britain.

"It is vassal state stuff," Johnson said, adding that he would vote against such an unacceptable accord. "Chuck it out."

Johnson's brother, Jo, a pro-European, resigned from May's government on Friday, calling for another referendum to avoid her Brexit plans unleashing Britain’s greatest crisis since World War Two.

IRELAND

May formally began Britain’s divorce in March 2017, ushering in tortuous negotiations on everything from space exploration and fishing territories to selling complex financial products and the future of the land border on the island of Ireland.

As deadlines passed, officials such as Britain's Olly Robbins and the Commission's Sabine Weyand, a German, raced to get a deal in late night sessions at the European Commission's modernist Berlaymont building in Brussels.

With less than 5 months until Britain leaves the EU, the so-called Northern Irish backstop was the main sticking point.

The backstop is an insurance policy to avoid a return to controls on the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member state Ireland if a future trading relationship is not agreed in time.

The British government supplied no immediate details on the Brexit deal text, which runs to hundreds of pages.

Three EU sources said the backstop would come in the form of a UK-wide customs arrangement, with specific provisions for Northern Ireland which go deeper on the issue of customs and alignment with the rules of the EU single market than for the rest of the United Kingdom.

It would include a review mechanism to bridge between EU demands that the insurance policy is permanently available and Britain's request to avoid being held in a customs alliance with the bloc perpetually.

The DUP has ruled out any deal that treats Northern Ireland differently. 

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EU investigates Ikea's Dutch tax deals

BRUSSELS - The EU on Monday opened an in-depth investigation into Swedish furniture giant Ikea's tax deals in the Netherlands, in the latest salvo by Brussels against the tax affairs of multinationals.

With the probe, the European Commission is taking a close look at the ways Ikea allegedly used a Dutch subsidiary to slash its tax bill on revenue from megastores around the world.

The case is the most ambitious one yet by Brussels against a multinational from Europe, and follows similar cases against US heavyweights Apple, Amazon and McDonald's.

They all come amid a wave of revelations such as the "Paradise Papers" and "LuxLeaks" that have turned the spotlight on how multinationals and the world's super rich use legal means to avoid paying tax.

"All companies, big or small, multinational or not, should pay their fair share of tax," the EU's anti-trust commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

"Member states cannot let selected companies pay less tax by allowing them to artificially shift their profits elsewhere," she said.

The commission put no figure on its latest allegations against Ikea, but a report by the Green party in European Parliament last year said Ikea avoided one billion euros ($1.2 billion) in EU taxes between 2009 to 2014.

Privately held since its creation in 1943, the Ikea group has a complex corporate structure and is run by various foundations that has allowed it to stay clear of Sweden's high taxes.

'BIGGEST TAX HAVENS'

The commission's probe concerns 2 tax agreements brokered between the Netherlands and Inter Ikea, a Dutch-based unit of the retail giant that receives franchise fees from Ikea shops worldwide.

In the first tax ruling, between 2006 and 2011, Inter Ikea was allowed by the Netherlands to pay a hefty license fee to another Ikea unit in Luxembourg, thereby shifting revenue to a jurisdiction where it remained untaxed.

In 2011, after Brussels forced a law change in Luxembourg, Inter Ikea arranged a second ruling with the Netherlands, this time involving a complex loan arrangement with an Ikea unit in Liechtenstein, and again the Swedish company successfully shifted taxable revenue to a low tax jurisdiction.

"The Netherlands fully supports the Commission's work," said a senior Dutch EU official, adding that the government would have to look at the details of the case.

The move against Ikea came at the urging of the Greens party in European Parliament which mounted a major campaign to put the spotlight on Ikea.

"This is a huge success for the Greens as it comes from our initial complaint. Europe works," MEP Sven Giegold told AFP.

"It is shocking that the Netherlands, a founding member of the EU, is one of the biggest tax havens in the world," he said.

'BRING CLARITY'

Ikea in a statement insisted that its tax deals in the Netherlands did not breach EU laws.

"It is good if the investigation can bring clarity and confirm that," the company added.

Many of the Brussels probes came in the wake of the "LuxLeaks" scandal which revealed details of tax breaks given by the wealthy duchy to dozens of major US firms.

The revelations came as a particular embarrassment for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was prime minister of Luxembourg at the time when the tax deals were made.

In a similar Dutch case, the EU decided against coffee-shop chain Starbucks in the Netherlands and ordered the latte and espresso-maker to pay roughly 30 million euros in back taxes.

In accordance with Vestager's blockbuster 2015 decision against Apple, Ireland said earlier this month it would begin collecting the 13 billion euros in back taxes owed by the US-based iPhone-maker.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Eiffel Tower lit with Belgium's colors after Brussels attacks

PARIS - The Eiffel Tower was lit up Tuesday evening with Belgium's national colors in solidarity with the victims of the Brussels attacks.

The iconic symbol of Paris was bathed in black, yellow and red lights as dusk fell to honour the victims, with the toll put at around 35.

"Paris and Brussels are united. The Eiffel Tower has been lit up in the Belgian colours," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo wrote on Twitter.

She will head to Brussels on Wednesday "to express the solidarity of Parisians with the people of Brussels," her office said in a separate statement.

"Toda, Europe is targeted at her heart," Hidalgo said earlier Tuesday. "Once more it is basic values that are attacked: freedom, humanism, tolerance and unshakeable commitment to democracy."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Brussels attacks a 'black day for Europe'

Belgium's European partners responded with shock and solidarity Tuesday after "terrorist attacks" at Brussels airport and a city metro station near the European Union's institutional heart left at least 21 people dead.

Russia and Turkey -- themselves targets of attacks in recent months -- condemned the blasts, saying they bore out the need to fight terrorism.

"Today is a black day for #Europe. The horrible events in #Brussels affect us all. We are steadfastly at the Belgians' side," German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter.

"Our Union's capital is under attack. We mourn the dead & pledge to conquer terror through democracy," the Greek foreign ministry said in a tweet.

It added in French,"Nous sommes tous Bruxellois," -- "We are all citizens of Brussels."

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven described the blasts as "an attack against democratic Europe. We will never accept that terrorists attack our open societies."

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said: "My heart and spirit in Brussels, Europe," while Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said "the Brussels attacks strike the heart of our Europe."

Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen denounced the blasts as a "despicable attack."

In other reactions:

-- Russian President Vladimir Putin: The "barbarous crimes... demonstrate once again that terrorism has no borders and threatens people around the world. Fighting this evil calls for the most active international cooperation."

-- Turkish Foreign Minister Volkan Bozkir: "Every effort must continue to fight terrorism without distinction and those who support terrorism."

-- Polish President Andrzej Duda: "The fight against terrorism is the duty of every one of us."

-- Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic: "The world is shocked by these terrorist attacks, which jeopardise all the values of civilisation that we strongly support."

-- The Syrian opposition, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said: "The people of Syria stand with the people of Belgium in solidarity... The world must stand united to defeat terrorism."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

London Gatwick airport steps up security after Brussels attacks

LONDON, United Kingdom – London's Gatwick airport stepped up security on Tuesday after a string of explosions in Brussels as British Prime Minister David Cameron prepared to hold an emergency cabinet meeting on the attacks.

"As a result of the terrible incidents in Brussels, we have increased our security presence and patrols around the airport," the airport said in a statement.

Cameron earlier said on Twitter he was "shocked and concerned" by the events in Brussels.

"I will be chairing a COBRA meeting on the events in Brussels later this morning," Cameron said.

COBRA meetings are held to discuss how the government responds to emergency situations and bring together ministers, police and intelligence officers.

A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people, according to media reports, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level.

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Brussels stays at top security alert over fears of Paris-style attack

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Brussels will remain at the highest possible alert level Monday, with schools, universities and metros closed over a "serious and imminent" threat of attacks similar to those that struck Paris, the Belgian prime minister said.

Belgian police said several operations were under way late Sunday as security forces continued to hunt for Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in last week's atrocities in the French capital.

Armed officers and troops have been patrolling the near deserted streets of the tense Belgian capital all weekend after the government raised the terror alert to the highest level of four in the city of more than a million that is also home to the NATO and European Union headquarters.

Premier Charles Michel said the metro system would remain shut and schools and universities would be closed over concerns that jihadists were planning a repeat of the Paris gun and suicide bombing attacks that claimed 130 lives on November 13.

"What we fear are similar attacks, with several individuals in several places," he told reporters.

"The threat is considered serious and imminent," he said, adding that the rest of the country would remain on security alert level three, meaning an attack is considered possible and the threat credible.

Officials will review the situation again on Monday.

The historic Grand Place in central Brussels, usually bustling, was virtually empty at the weekend, with business badly hit in the run-up to Christmas as anxious residents heeded warnings to stay home.

With a massive manhunt on for several suspects linked to the carnage in Paris, Belgian police urged the media not to show live footage of the police operations taking place Sunday evening.

The public prosecutor will hold a news conference "when it is all over", a spokesman told AFP.

Interior Minister Jan Jambon earlier said the authorities were looking for "several suspects" and not just for Abdeslam, who is thought to have slipped past French security forces after taking part in the Paris attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

French police meanwhile released a photo of the third of three men who blew themselves up outside France's national stadium during the rampage, which also targeted the Bataclan concert hall as well as a string of bars and restaurants.

The man in the picture passed through Greece with one of the other suicide bombers, carrying a Syrian passport in the name of Mohammad al-Mahmod, a source close to the investigation said.

- Obama: 'We're not afraid' -With the world on edge over the jihadist threat, US President Barack Obama said the most powerful tool in the fight against IS was to say "that we're not afraid".

He added that he would go ahead with a December visit to Paris for UN climate talks and called on other countries to show similar resolve.

French President Francois Hollande will embark on a diplomatic offensive in the coming days in a bid to forge a broad anti-IS coalition.

He will host Britain's David Cameron Monday before meeting Obama in Washington on Tuesday, holding talks with Germany's Angela Merkel in Paris Wednesday and Russia's Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.

The UN Security Council on Friday authorised "all necessary measures" to fight jihadist violence after a wave of deadly attacks, including the downing of a Russian aircraft in Egypt with the loss of 224 lives and the storming of a luxury hotel in Mali that left 19 dead.

- Hollande 'shocked but focused' -German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was at the stadium along with Hollande attending a France-Germany football friendly when the bombers blew themselves up outside, told the daily Bild he had thought the first blast was fireworks, but soon realised it was a terror attack.

Hollande "was shocked, but at the same time very focused and determined," he added.

The French leader was evacuated, but Steinmeier and his team were asked to stay in the hope of avoiding panic among the some 80,000 fans, he said.

Meanwhile, Eagles of Death Metal, the Californian band that was playing at the Bataclan where 89 people were massacred, spoke for the first time since the attacks, with singer Jesse Hughes saying that many fans died tyring to protect their friends.

"So many people put themselves in front of people," he said in an excerpt of an interview with Vice.com.

- The Belgian connection -The suspected ringleader of the November 13 attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, died in a massive police raid in Paris on Wednesday.

He was a notorious Belgian jihadist thought to be fighting in Syria, and his presence in Europe has raised troubling questions about a Europe-wide breakdown in intelligence and border security.

Questions remain too over the role played by Belgian-born Abdeslam -- who used to run a bar with his brother Brahim in Brussels.

Brahim blew himself up outside a Paris bar on November 13.

A third brother, Mohamed Abdeslam, told Belgian TV he believed Salah had at the last moment decided not go through with the attack.

He said the family wanted him to give himself up.

"That way he can give us the answers we seek, our family and the families of the victims," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

EU tries to look beyond Greece to deepen China ties

BRUSSELS - The European Union will briefly put aside worries about Greece to broaden its relations with China at a summit in Brussels on Monday, hoping for Chinese investment in Europe's new infrastructure fund and support for a global climate deal.

As China seeks to move Sino-European ties beyond trade and win a bigger role in international affairs, the European Union is relieved to find a more cooperative partner, agreeing to play down tensions that have bedevilled relations in the past.

"This meeting will send a positive signal that China and the EU can push growth through reform and innovation," said Chinese Deputy Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen before the first summit between China's premier, Li Keqiang, and the new heads of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the European Council of EU leaders, Donald Tusk.

An expected multi-billion euro pledge by Beijing to invest in European telecoms infrastructure, reported first by Reuters earlier this month, is the most concrete sign that trade disputes and issues about China's human rights are no longer dividing Brussels and Beijing at the highest level.

While the amount is still to be decided, the pledge will mark the latest step in China's efforts to shape global economic governance and follows decisions by major EU governments to join the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in defiance of Washington.

Underscoring the change in tone, China's Li may hold a news conference at the EU summit, diplomats said.

In the past, the unwillingness of senior Chinese officials to hold news conferences following high-level meetings in Brussels was a source of conflict because the European Union prides itself on its openness to the media.

Monday's summit is also expected to be the occasion for China to boost its environmental credentials and voice solidarity with the European Union's push for a new global deal on climate change at U.N. talks late this year hosted by France.

China, the world's biggest polluter, has shifted its stance since the U.N. summit of 2009, the last attempt to reach a climate deal, as it faces social unrest because of pollution.

Beijing had said it will submit its plans for emissions reduction to the United Nations in the first half of this year. People familiar with the issue in both China and the European Union say Monday could be the day Beijing chooses, although it is unclear if the announcement will be made in Brussels.

TRADE TENSIONS STILL LURK

China, responsible for around 25 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, has already said its emissions will peak "around 2030, with the intention to try to peak early". Diplomats have said China could also announce a new target for the carbon intensity of its economy for 2030.

Jos Delbeke, director general of the European Commission's
climate department, said the significance of a formal Chinese pledge to the United Nations would be that "we are going to see more than half of the emissions in the world covered".

There are still trade tensions, however, as many in Europe refuse to see China as anything but a state-led and subsidised economy. That sets up a dispute next year over Beijing's bid to win a different status at the World Trade Organisation that would make it harder for Europe to protect local industry.

The WTO recognised when Communist China joined the trade body in 2001 that its local prices are not set by market forces but expected that 15 years after the date of accession, Beijing would play less of a role in directing the economy.

"China is considered in the WTO setting as a developing country and at the same time, wants market economy status," said Italy's deputy economy minister Carlo Calenda, who is responsible for trade. "It is clear that it is not a market economy. So what are we debating?"

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Divided Belgium ushers in a new king

Albert II on Sunday abdicated in favor of his son Philippe, set to become the country's seventh king amid National Day celebrations marked by hopes the fragile nation can remain united.

After 20 years at the helm of the linguistically-split country at the heart of Europe, Albert, 79, signed the official act of abdication in a solemn ceremony held in the royal palace's grand chandelier-laden throne room.

Philippe, 53, is to be sworn in as sovereign at noon before parliament, after his father said he was stepping down due to old age and poor health.

In his last speech to the nation, Albert once more urged the country's leaders "to work tirelessly in favor of Belgium's cohesion".

His voice breaking with emotion he turned to his wife of 54 years, Queen Paola to say: "As for the queen who constantly supported me in my task I would simply like to tell her 'thank you.'

"A big kiss", he added as she shed a tear and the audience of political leaders and other dignitaries broke into a long round of applause.

Under sunny skies and a light summer breeze, flags fluttered across Brussels as the day of pageantry began with a thanksgiving mass in the cathedral and crowds lined outside shouted "Long Live the King".

The medieval cathedral of Saint Michael and Gudula was packed with the Belgian government and other dignitaries, but there were no foreign guests in attendance as Albert, dressed in full military uniform, slowly mounted the steps helped by Paola.

"It is a new page for the monarchy," said Maximilien De Wouters, a student of 24 draped in the black, yellow and red national flag.

But worries persist that the shy and often awkward prince Philippe may lack the political skills of his father to maintain unity in a nation deeply divided between its Flemish- and French-speaking halves.

Mathilde, an outgoing 40-year-old who will be Belgium's first home-grown queen, is seen as his best asset in the couple's campaign to win the hearts of their 11.5 million people.

"Philippe, you have the heart and the intelligence to serve our country very well," Albert said in his abdication speech. "You and your dear wife Mathilde have all our confidence."

The monarchy more often than not is viewed as a rare symbol of Belgium's unity -- along with its iconic fries and the national football team.

But while the French-speakers of the south remain largely royalist, Flemish-speaking Flanders, home to 60 percent of the population, has cooled. There, the powerful separatist N-VA party favors a republic, or at least a royal as figurehead only.

"I am a fan of the royal family," said Cindy van Merheulen, 34, from Limburg in Flanders. "I want to welcome Philippe. Nearly all Belgians love the king, the problem is that those who are against shout louder."

In the last decades, severe tensions across the linguistic divide in a country that hosts key global institutions such as the EU and NATO, have seen it morph progressively into a federal state that devolves increasing powers to its language-based regions.

During his two decades at the helm, Albert II helped steer the country through several crises and avoid break-up.

He played a key role to end its longest political crisis in 2010-2011 when the country went through a record-breaking 541 days without a government.

In his speech Saturday, he said his first wish as he stepped down was to see Belgium "retain its cohesion."

"I am convinced that maintaining the cohesion of our Federal state is vital, not only for our quality of life together, which requires dialogue, but also so as to preserve the well-being of all," he said.

Many fear that the separatist N-VA, the strongest party in Flanders, will make further gains in next May's general election.

With the country mindful of the need to tighten government spending due to Europe's economic crisis, Sunday's celebrations that take place on its National Day will be kept to around 600,000 euros ($788,000), on a par with the annual July 21 event.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com