- Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien On the Secretary’s Upcoming Travel to Belgium – United States Department of State Department of State
- NATO Leaders Try to Pin Down U.S. on Ukraine Aid as Republicans Waver The New York Times
- NATO hesitates over rapid NATO membership for Ukraine due to US and Germany’s positions Yahoo News
- NATO Chief Warns, ‘Don’t Underestimate Russia’; Confesses ‘Failure In Ukraine’ | Watch Hindustan Times
- Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg – United States Department of State Department of State
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Tag Archives: Belgium
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- International friendly: Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku on target as Belgium edge out Germany in five-goal thriller Eurosport COM
- Match Awards from Germany’s 2-3 defeat against Belgium in International Friendly Bavarian Football Works
- Kevin De Bruyne remains otherworldly! Man City midfielder leads Belgium past Germany while Leon Goretzka’s injury will give Thomas Tuchel trouble Goal.com
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Mysterious 12-sided Roman object found in Belgium may have been used for magical rituals
A metal detectorist in Belgium has unearthed a fragment of a mysterious bronze artifact known as a Roman dodecahedron that is thought to be more than 1,600 years old.
More than a hundred of the puzzling objects — hollow, 12-sided geometric shells of cast metal about the size of baseballs, with large holes in each face and studs at each corner — have been discovered in Northern Europe over the past 200 years. But no one knows why or how they were used.
“There have been several hypotheses for it — some kind of a calendar, an instrument for land measurement, a scepter, etcetera — but none of them is satisfying,” Guido Creemers (opens in new tab), a curator at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium, told Live Science in an email. “We rather think it has something to do with non-official activities like sorcery, fortune-telling and so on.”
Creemers and his colleagues at the Gallo-Roman Museum were given the fragment by its finder and identified it in December. It consists of only one corner of the object with a single corner stud, but it is unmistakably part of a dodecahedron that originally measured just over 2 inches (5 centimeters) across.
Metal detectorist and amateur archaeologist Patrick Schuermans had found the fragment months earlier in a plowed field near the small town of Kortessem, in Belgium’s northern Flanders region.
Related: Sacred chickens, witches and animal entrails: 7 unusual ancient Roman superstitions
Creemers said the Gallo-Roman Museum already displays a complete ancient bronze dodecahedron found in 1939 just outside Tongeren’s Roman city walls, and the new fragment will go on display next to it in February.
Mysterious dodecahedrons
The first Roman dodecahedron to be discovered in modern times was found in England in the 18th century, and roughly 120 have been found since then in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
It’s not possible to date the metal itself, but some dodecahedrons were found buried in layers of earth that date them to between the first and fifth centuries A.D.
The mystery doesn’t end there; archaeologists cannot explain the geometric artifact’s function, and no written record of the dodecahedrons has ever been found.
It’s possible they were used in secret for magical purposes, such as divination (telling the future), which was popular in Roman times but forbidden under Christianity, the religion of the later Roman Empire, Creemers said. “These activities were not allowed, and punishments were severe,” he explained. “That is possibly why we do not find any written sources.”
Several explanations for the mysterious artifacts have been suggested over the years. Initially, they were described as “mace heads” and were thought to be part of a weapon. Other ideas are that they were tools for determining the right time to plant grain (opens in new tab); that they were dice, or other objects for playing a game; and that they were instruments for measuring distance (opens in new tab), possibly for finding the right range for Roman artillery, such as ballistas.
A recent suggestion is that dodecahedrons were knitting patterns for Roman gloves (opens in new tab).
But most archaeologists think the objects were probably used in magical rituals. The dodecahedrons have no markings indicating how they were used, as might be expected for measuring instruments, and they all have different weights and sizes, ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 inches (4 to 11 centimeters) across.
Roman dodecahedrons are also found only in the Roman Empire’s northwestern areas, and many were unearthed at burial sites. These clues suggest that the cult or magical practice of using them was restricted to the “Gallo-Roman” regions — the parts of the later Roman Empire influenced by Gauls or Celts, according to Tibor Grüll (opens in new tab), a historian at the University of Pécs in Hungary who has reviewed the academic literature (opens in new tab) about dodecahedrons.
Related: The 5 craziest ways emperors gained the throne in ancient Rome
Ancient puzzle
Creemers said the dodecahedron fragment found near Kortessem could shed more light on these mysterious metal objects. Many other Roman dodecahedrons were first recognized for what they were in private or museum collections, so their archaeological context is unknown, he said.
But the location of the Kortessem fragment is well documented, he said; and subsequent archaeological investigations have revealed mural fragments at the site, indicating that it may have been a Roman villa.
A translated statement by the Flanders Heritage Agency (opens in new tab) said the fractured surfaces of the fragment indicate that the dodecahedron had been deliberately broken, possibly during a final ritual.
The location will now be monitored for further finds.
“Thanks to the correct working method of the metal detectorist, archaeologists know for the first time the exact location of a Roman dodecahedron in Flanders,” the statement said. “That opens the door for further research.”
Iran sentences Belgian aid worker to prison, lashes
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has sentenced a Belgian aid worker to a lengthy prison term and 74 lashes after convicting him of espionage in a closed-door trial, state media reported Tuesday.
The website of Iran’s judiciary said a Revolutionary Court sentenced 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele to 12.5 years in prison for espionage, 12.5 years for collaboration with hostile governments and 12.5 years for money laundering. He was also fined $1 million and sentenced to 2.5 years for currency smuggling.
Under Iranian law, Vandecasteele would be eligible for release after 12.5 years. The judiciary website said the verdicts can be appealed.
Iran has detained a number of foreigners and dual nationals over the years, accusing them of espionage or other state security offenses and sentencing them after secretive trials in which rights groups say they are denied due process.
Critics accuse Iran of using such prisoners as bargaining chips with the West, something Iranian officials deny. Vandecasteele’s conviction comes after an Iranian diplomat in Belgium received a 20-year prison sentence in 2021 over masterminding a thwarted bomb attack against an exiled Iranian opposition group in France.
Iran has not released any details about the charges against Vandecasteele. It is unclear if they are related to anti-government protests that have convulsed Iran for months or a long-running shadow war with Israel and the U.S. marked by covert attacks on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
The nationwide protests began after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict Islamic dress code. Rallying under the slogan “Women, life, freedom,” the protesters say they are fed up with decades of social and political repression. Iran has blamed the protests on foreign powers, without providing evidence.
Vandecasteele’s family said last month that he has been detained in an Iranian prison for months and has been on a hunger strike. They said he was deprived of access to a lawyer of his choice and is suffering from serious health problems.
Belgium has urged its nationals to leave Iran, warning that they face the risk of arbitrary arrest or unfair trial.
“Iran has provided no official information regarding the charges against Olivier Vandecasteele or his trial,” Belgium’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said in a statement. “We will summon the Iranian ambassador today, given the information that is circulating in the press.”
“Belgium continues to condemn this arbitrary detention and is doing everything possible to put an end to it and to improve the conditions of his detention,” she said.
The anti-government protests, which have continued for nearly four months with no sign of ending, are one of the biggest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution that brought it to power.
At least 520 protesters have been killed and more than 19,300 people have been arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the unrest. Iranian authorities have not provided official figures on deaths or arrests.
Iran has executed four people after convicting them of charges linked to the protests, including attacks on security forces. They were convicted in Revolutionary Courts, which do not allow those on trial to pick their own lawyers or see the evidence against them.
London-based Amnesty International has said such trials bear “no resemblance to a meaningful judicial proceeding.”
Norway and Denmark summoned Iranian ambassadors this week to protest the executions and Iran’s handling of the demonstrations.
“What is happening in Iran is completely unacceptable and must stop,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said. “We have strongly condemned the executions. … We have called on Iran to end the use of the death penalty and to respect human rights.”
In Denmark, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the executions “completely unacceptable” and said the European Union should impose additional sanctions on Iran.
Separately on Tuesday, the state-run IRNA news agency said Iran’s intelligence ministry arrested six teams of operatives linked to Mossad, Israel’s chief intelligence and secret-service agency.
Without providing evidence, the report said the spy teams planned to assassinate an unnamed high-ranking military official and had carried out several sabotage operations in the country’s big cities.
The report also said security forces identified 23 alleged members of these teams and had arrested 13 of them who were in the country.
European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili arrested by Belgian police in corruption probe
Belgian police on Friday (December 9) arrested Greek socialist leader and one of the vice-presidents of European Parliament Eva Kaili in Brussels, said AFP quoting sources. The reported arrest has taken place in connection with a corruption investigation involving FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar. Kaili’s arrest has come following detainment of four others.
Kaili, who is the partner of one of the four people arrested earlier, as detained for questioning by the police, reported AFP quoting sources.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor announced the earlier arrests after 600,000 euros in cash were discovered when police raided 16 addresses in the capital Brussels.
The prosecutors did not specify the identities of the suspects or name of the country involved, saying only that it was a “Gulf” state.
“Four people were arrested for questioning and may be brought before the investigating judge,” prosecutors said.
“Among those questioned was a former member of the European parliament.”
Belgian news outlets Le Soir amd Knack said that the ex-MEP who was detained was the Italian socialist and ex-MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri.
AFP said sources close to the case confirmed press reports that it was focused on suspected attempts by Qatar to bribe an Italian Socialist who was a member of the European parliament from 2004 to 2019.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Eva Kaili: European Parliament VP expelled by party amid corruption probe involving Gulf nation
CNN
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Eva Kaili, one of the European Parliament’s vice presidents, has been expelled by her political party in Greece amid a corruption probe.
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), one of Greece’s main opposition parties, said in a statement Friday: “Following the latest developments and the investigation by Belgian authorities into corruption of European officials, MEP Eva Kaili is expelled from PASOK-Movement of change by decision of President Nikos Androulakis.”
Kaili’s political group within the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, also announced on Friday they were suspending Kaili from the group with immediate effect “in response to the ongoing investigations.”
This comes as Belgium’s federal prosecutor confirmed to Belgian public service broadcaster RTBF on Friday that one of the parliament’s 14 vice presidents had been taken in for questioning as part of a probe into corruption involving the European Parliament and a country from the Persian Gulf.
In a statement, the prosecutor said that for two years, Belgian federal police inspectors “suspected a country from the Persian Gulf of influencing economic and political decisions of the European parliament,” according to RTBF.
The Belgian police suspect that the country transferred “consequential sums of money” or “important gifts” to significant actors within the European Parliament, according to RTBF.
The federal prosecutor did not identify the vice president but said they were one of four individuals taken in for questioning.
“Among the arrested persons (is) an elderly European parliamentarian,” the prosecutor said.
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all surround the Persian Gulf.
Searches carried out as part of the inquiry resulted in the seizure of roughly 600,000 Euros ($632,000) in cash, according to RTBF. Computer materials and phones were also seized as part of the sixteen searches which took place in the Belgian areas of Ixelles, Schaerbeek, Crainhem, Forest and Brussels.
Belgium knocked out of World Cup after goalless draw with Croatia
CNN
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Belgium was knocked out of the 2022 World Cup on Thursday after a goalless draw with Croatia left it third in Group F.
In what was a frustrating evening for the Red Devils, both Romelu Lukaku and Yannick Carrasco spurned good opportunities to score the goal which would have sent Belgium through.
As it was, the No. 2 ranked team in the world failed to make the breakthrough at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, meaning it won’t be featuring in the knockout phase of the tournament.
Morocco – which won its game against Canada on Thursday 2-1 – and Croatia qualified from the group, finishing first and second respectively.
For Belgium, it is another disappointing end to an international tournament and the Royal Belgian Football Association announced shortly afterward that manager Roberto Martínez had stepped down from his role as national team coach.
In his post-match interview, Martínez said that Belgium can go home with its “heads held high.”
“It’s not easy to win games in the World Cup. We weren’t ourselves in first game, we had a deserved defeat in the second game,” Martínez told the BBC.
“Today, we were ready, we created opportunities and, today, there is no regrets. We’re out, but we can leave with our heads held high.”
It was meant to be the last dance for the so-called ‘golden generation’ of Belgium.
With many of its squad approaching or in their mid-30s – including Dries Mertens, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld – the World Cup in Qatar was seen by many as a final opportunity to get over the hump and win an international football title.
But although the squad was packed full of top-level players, the age profile of the team led some to believe that Belgium’s window had passed.
In fact, Belgium’s star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said in an interview with the Guardian that his side had “no chance” to win the title because the players are “too old.”
And, needing a win in its final Group F game against Croatia to advance, Belgium’s weaknesses were clear to see in a slow-paced first half.
The team had a lot of possession without ever really breaking down an organized Croatia while also looking vulnerable on the break.
The biggest talking point of the half came midway through when Croatia thought it had a penalty – 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modrić had even placed the ball on the spot – only for referee Anthony Taylor to eventually rule out the spot kick for offside after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
After the break and following the introduction of Lukaku, Belgium increased the tempo as it pressed for a vital goal – the Inter Milan striker heading straight into the arms of Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković.
Seconds later though, it was Croatia who had a good chance; Mateo Kovačić’s curled effort tipped away by Thibaut Courtois.
Despite Belgium being the team needing all three points, it was Croatia who ramped up the pressure. Courtois, playing in his 100th game for Belgium, had to be at his best to deny both Modrić and Marcelo Brozović.
Belgium nearly got the all-important breakthrough on the hour mark when Carrasco was denied by heroic block from a defender before Lukaku hit the post when he likely should have scored.
ust minutes later, Lukaku missed another glorious opportunity as he headed over from close range – the ball looked to have gone out moments before De Bruyne crossed it so the effort likely would have been ruled out.
As time ticked away, Belgium had two massive opportunities to rescue a victory.
In added time, Lukaku – with the goal at his mercy – could not sort his feet out and his weak effort was eventually gathered by the goalkeeper near the goal line.
And in the final few seconds, when it looked like Belgium would have one final chance, a superb recovery tackle from 20-year-old Joško Gvardiol saved the day for the Croatians.
It huffed and puffed, but Belgium could not find the vital goal. Afterwards, Martínez was asked about if this marks the end for the country’s ‘golden generation’ and the Spaniard was philosophical.
“You see Youri Tielemans and other young players – the ‘golden generation’ is doing something that is bringing the next generation on,” he said. “It’s not what names are on the pitch, the legacy can be left in many ways.”
Martínez added when asked if the result was a disappointment: “We wanted to get through but I’m sure the other national teams wanted to get through and that’s the tournament.
“In the previous World Cup, we won three games in the group stage, we wanted to go all the way.”
Germany face day of destiny, Spain and Belgium in action, latest from England camp ahead of Senegal clash, Messi’s Argentina make it through
The 2022 World Cup group stage is nearly complete but first, we’ve got another bumper day of action.
Groups E and F will be decided today with plenty still on the line.
Germany are battling to stay in the World Cup and face Costa Rica today while Group E rivals Japan and Spain go head-to-head for top spot.
Meanwhile in Group F, Belgium must beat Croatia to stay in the tournament as Morocco and Canada also face off.
talkSPORT will have live coverage of EVERY match across our network during the World Cup. You can listen to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website HERE. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app.
And follow our live blog below for all the latest news, views and reaction from the showpiece tournament.
Today’s World Cup fixtures (UK time)
- 3pm: Croatia v Belgium – Group F – talkSPORT
- 3pm: Canada v Morocco – Group F – talkSPORT 2
- 7pm: Japan v Spain – Group E – talkSPORT 2
- 7pm: Costa Rica v Germany – Group E – talkSPORT
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Belgium World Cup stars Kevin De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen get heated
Belgium’s “Golden Generation” has devolved into the “Fighting Generation.”
Following the team’s shocking 2-0 World Cup loss to Morocco on Sunday, veteran stars Kevin De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Eden Hazard clashed in a heated locker room altercation, according to RTL Sport.
The incident became physical and teammate Romelu Lukaku had to separate them, according to the report.
Tension inside the Red Devils’ squad has been rising since the beginning of the tournament. Asked in the build-up to the match about the team’s chances to win the World Cup, De Bruyne curiously told The Guardian that Belgium has “no chance” because the team was “too old.”
“I think our chance was 2018,” De Bruyne said. “We have a good team, but it is aging.”
It was unclear if De Bruyne, a 31-year-old attacking midfielder, was specifically shading the team’s older defenders. The 35-year-old Vertonghen has started alongside the 33-year-old Toby Alderweireld at center back for both of Belgium’s World Cup matches.
After emerging as some of the best young talents all across Europe, De Bruyne, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Hazard and Lukaku along with Thibaut Courtois and Dries Mertens offered the nation ample hope to win long-coveted major international trophies.
Follow all the 2022 World Cup action with more from the New York Post
The core, however, has transitioned from tantalizing dark horses, to contenders and favorites, to underachieving disappointments. The current group has not won any major trophy, only getting as far as third place in the 2018 World Cup.
Following the loss to Morocco and prior to the blowup, an enraged Vertonghen appeared to hit back at De Bruyne while speaking with reporters.
“There’s so much going through my mind right now, things I shouldn’t say in the open air,” Vertonghen said. “Where did it go wrong? We probably also attack badly because we are too old, that must be it now, surely?”
Mertens’ wife, Kat Kerkhofs, revealed the there was still vitriol at a team barbecue hours later.
“That was really awkward,” Kerkhofs told the MIDMID MONDIAL podcast. “The players were logically still very disappointed.”
Belgium sits in third place in Group F heading into their final group-stage game against Croatia on Thursday. They are one point below Morocco, who faces already-eliminated Canada, for the group’s second spot in the knockout round.
Japan vs. Costa Rica, Belgium vs. Morocco, Germany vs. Spain, Croatia vs. Canada
Is Germany looking at a must-win game over Spain on Sunday?
One of the best games of the group stage got even more enticing after Germany lost to Japan to open the tournament. And it’s entirely plausible that Germany could be eliminated from World Cup contention with a loss to the Spaniards.
Can Germany get a result? Its World Cup hopes will likely depend on it. Here’s what you need to know to bet Sunday’s games.
Spain vs. Germany
2 p.m. ET Sunday, FS1
If Japan wins or ties Costa Rica earlier in the day, Germany will be out of the World Cup with a loss. We’re a little surprised the over is at -145 and the under is at +100. We think this could be an especially cagey affair given the attacking talent on both teams. Our bold bet of the weekend is a parlay of the tie at +250 with the under at +100 if you can find a sports book that will offer that.