Rival’s request viewed as late bid to rally support with German chancellor widely expected to secure fourth term. Angela Merkel has flatly rejected an appeal by her Social Democrat rival, Martin Schulz, for a second prime-time TV debate just days before Germans go to the polls. With Merkel widely expected to secure a fourth term in office on 24 September, Schulz’s plea to the German chancellor is being viewed as little more than a last-minute bid to claw back support. In his written request to Merkel, Schulz said he had…
Read MoreDay: September 14, 2017
Belgian king paid tribute to the murdered mayor of Mouscron
King Philip went to Mouscron on Wednesday afternoon, where he gathered in front of the remains of Alfred Gadenne, the mayor of Mouscron, who was murdered Monday night in the cemetery of Luingne. The municipal college of Mouscron welcomed the king at the entrance of the funeral home, located in the center of the town. Many inhabitants in Mouscron applauded the sovereign on his arrival.
Read MoreBelgian government neglects budgetary obligations
The federal government is not respecting the European budgetary requirements, De Tijd and Echo reported on Wednesday (13 September). According to the newspapers, the Michel government will not be able to improve its structural balance by 0.6% of GDP per year, the European Commission’s minimum requirement. Instead of reducing the structural balance by € 2.6 billion in structural measures, the government will only realize € 1.1 billion. The balance of € 1.5 billion will not qualify as “structural”, as these are essentially technical corrections, one-off receipts and a more favorable…
Read MoreVilvorde mayor wants law requiring cafe owners to know Dutch
Vilvorde Mayor Hans Bonte wants the granting of licenses for cafés and gaming establishments to be conditioned on knowledge of Dutch by their would-be operators. Bonte was quoted as saying this by De Standaard daily and confirmed his statements to the Belga news agency.“The Canal Plan includes stricter monitoring of sectors that generate crime. For the moment, cafés and gaming establishments cannot be sufficiently monitored because, in a number of cases, the operators do not speak Dutch,” noted the mayor, who hails from the Flemish Social Democratic, SP.A, party. “It…
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