EPP EATS ITSELF: MEP Jüri Ratas, a former Estonian prime minister, posted a picture of a cake with his 187 fellow EPP lawmakers’ faces on it Now the European People’s Party can finally have its cake and eat it EXECUTIVE EMOJIS: The EU commissioners who served between 2014 and 2019 have their own WhatsApp group, a spy whispers to Playbook. The only former member of the College not in the chat? Jean-Claude Juncker, the former president famed for his use of a brick phone This is Eddy Wax clattering the Playbook keyboard and then get the latest on when commissioner hearings will take place VDL OFFERED AGRI ADVISER €150K FOR 6 MONTHS’ WORK: Ursula von der Leyen pushed the Commission’s rules to the max to pay a German academic the highest possible EU salary for a sensitive piece of work von der Leyen contracted Peter Strohschneider a German academic whose background is in medieval history to lead a so-called strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture She announced the initiative in her highly political 2023 State of the Union address where it became clear she was pivoting away from her Green Deal to a more farmer-focused **A message from G42: The future of AI is being shaped by a complex web of global data regulations. As countries localize their data governance strategies, international cooperation becomes crucial to create trusted AI ecosystems. Explore what’s next for AI in POLITICO Research & Analysis Division’s latest report Piepergate echoes: That was the same speech in which von der Leyen announced she would be naming an EU SME envoy. That position would later spiral into the scandal dubbed “Piepergate,” after then-center-right-MEP Markus Pieper from Germany, whom von der Leyen wanted — but failed — to install in the role Magic beans: Von der Leyen allocated close to €150,000 for Strohschneider’s work, a document seen by Playbook shows. That’s a “waste of public money,” reckons Christoph Demmke, a professor at Vaasa University in Finland who’s written a study on special advisers He said the selection of top advisers in the Berlaymont is “not merit-based.” The political context: As von der Leyen was contracting Strohschneider, mass farmers’ protests were spreading around Europe against the mounting EU environmental legislation Strohschneider’s consultation exercise helped take the sting out of this — amid attempts by von der Leyen’s EPP family to portray itself as the farmers’ champions in the lead-up to the June EU election Pitchforking out: As Playbook can reveal exclusively today, von der Leyen made sure the person leading this initiative was paid a top-whack EU salary. In fact, Strohschneider was offered 64 percent more than the normal daily rate given to European commissioners’ special advisers (That’s if they’re paid at all Special guy: Commission rules say special advisers should be paid a maximum of €594.22 per day in “duly substantiated exceptional cases” this can be bumped up Strohschneider’s getting €973.79 per day equivalent to the highest EU civil servant salary grade TBC: A Commission spokesperson confirmed €149,963.66 had been allocated in the budget for Strohschneider But they said this was an “indicative” amount with his actual paycheck dependent on how many days Strohschneider — whose contract runs until the end of September — ends up working Mario Draghi didn’t receive a centime for his report on Europe’s competitiveness meaning he didn’t get a very competitive salary Strohschneider has chaired a similar commission for his federal government What it also shows: “There’s loads of money in agriculture except for the small farmer,” said Irish MEP Luke “Ming” Flanagan, the Left group’s point man on farming.Read my full story here having won the most seats in the June EU election Naples is the new Brussels: EPP leader Manfred Weber boasted about having defense Commissioner-designate Andrius Kubilius among the group Several other Commission nominees and EPP heavyweights are also in Naples: Henna Virkkunen Ironic coda: MEPs were meant to meet in Brussels in the agriculture committee today to debate Strohschneider’s report on the strategic dialogue. But the EPP — yes, the same farmer-lovers whose lead candidate in the EU election splashed €150,000 of taxpayers’ money on this exercise — requested a delay because so many of its MEPs are in Naples “Disrespect”: “It’s a show of power and disrespect to the Parliament,” said Austrian Green Thomas Waitz pushed against the EPP’s postponement (which the other main groups backed) MEPs debated Strohschneider’s report in the Strasbourg plenary last week and EPP lawmaker Herbert Dorfmann said a “large majority” of coordinators agreed to postpone today’s meeting PLAYBOOK FACT CHECK: Weber boasted to journalists at a press briefing on Wednesday that only the EPP group had gained seats in the June election having swallowed up Italy’s 5Star Movement grew to 46 seats from 37 in the last Parliament ON COURSE FOR NOVEMBER HEARINGS: In Brussels So when will the Parliament start grilling new commissioners — and probably rejecting some of them Officials with the latest intel told Max Griera and me they’re edging ever-more steadily toward a Nov Not till Halloween: “My understanding is that the hearings … will be scheduled for the period 4 to 12 November,” a well-informed Socialists and Democrats source told Max “It is indeed the most likely scenario,” agreed a senior Parliament official who said that squeezing hearings into the only week in October that’s not penciled in for the plenary or constituency time is “very a Social Democrat MEP who chairs the powerful Committee of Committee Chairs said this timetable is not confirmed but is “likely.” Brussels it is: The Parliament decamps to Strasbourg for two whole weeks in October — but under no circumstances does it want to repeat the nightmare of holding hearings there. Remember last October, when Wopke Hoekstra was being grilled before taking over Frans Timmermans’ seat in the Commission? Hoekstra’s microphone kept failing and there were farcical scenes as bureaucrats desperately ferried furniture around when everyone suddenly had to change rooms Another senior Parliament official warned of a “dreadful” squabble between committee chairs over which committee gets to grill which commissioner — made even more tricky by the overlapping spheres of influence in the new College Group leaders will officially finalize a timetable on Oct And yet … senior Commission official Enrico Forti told diplomats this week that the Commission is still working toward the option of starting in mid-October MEPs PROBE COMMISSIONERS’ PAST CONDUCT: MEPs have written to the next cast of commissioners to demand they disclose any occasions when they broke the code of conduct of the governments or parliaments where they previously worked. The request — which isn’t legally binding — comes in a letter obtained by POLITICO and sent by two MEPs chairing an unofficial anti-corruption group the Greens’ Daniel Freund and EPP’s Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz have you respected all relevant transparency and integrity obligations … ?” they ask TOP COURT RULES ON CATALANS: The EU’s top court is set to rule today on whether the European Parliament’s former president broke the law when he refused to recognize two Catalan separatist MEPs as members of the Parliament The lawmakers — who were eventually admitted to the Parliament by Tajani’s successor David Sassoli — sued Odds favor the Catalans: Earlier this year, Court of Justice Advocate General Maciej Szpunar issued an opinion saying Tajani had breached EU law While the opinions issued by advocates-general aren’t binding their independent input aligns with around three-quarters of the court’s final decisions Why it matters: Comín was reelected to the Parliament in the June election and once again refused to take the required oath in Madrid; Spain subsequently left his name off of its list of official MEPs-elect European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has been waiting for the EU’s top court to issue its ruling before deciding what to do So today’s judgment will determine whether Comín can finally take his seat … or Comín to the Parliament TAKING THE SHINE OFF SHEIN AND TEMU: It’s time for Europe to crack down on big online platforms under its Digital Services Act — and that includes Chinese e-commerce giants such as Shein and Temu That’s the message from six EU countries (Germany the Netherlands and France) ahead of today’s Competitiveness Council in a letter obtained by Playbook’s Nick Vinocur The letter warns products sold “on certain online trading platforms” don’t comply with EU requirements and a failure to rigorously detect and punish infringements “will do harm to consumers.” It urges the Commission to “collect wide-ranging data on infringements” to pick up on systemic misconduct ICYMI: France is already leading a crackdown on fast-fashion websites like Shein and Temu via a law passed earlier this year The DSA has been online since November 2022 but has yet to serve up any headline-grabbing enforcement actions Reading between the lines of the six-nation letter part of the problem is a lack of means to detect systematic infringements We’ve had it: “Fair competition is in Europe’s DNA,” Sven Giegold Germany’s state secretary for the economy and climate “We can no longer accept a daily inflow of hundreds of thousands of parcels filled with products that do not respect EU law The EU Commission needs to ensure that EU law is effectively enforced.” the think tank that’s closely linked to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government declared free speech to be “under serious threat” after the hip Schuman bookstore/aperitivi bar PiolaLibri canceled its event booking The venue was reserved to host a launch party on Monday for MCC Brussels Executive Director Frank Furedi’s new book “The War Against the Past,” the think tank said but the offer was withdrawn after management learned more about the event The talking points write themselves: “It is deeply ironic that the bookstore cited a commitment to ‘inclusivity’ — whilst taking the decision to exclude certain viewpoints from consideration,” said Furedi in a statement.  Not the first time 1: PiolaLibri has canceled one-sided political events before owner Jacopo Panizza told Playbook in an email — it just doesn’t usually cause such a stir the cafe canceled “when we realized that it was not an office drink or celebration of some kind but a launch and promotion event for a political publication.” Not the first time 2: The MCC-backed National Conservative conference in Brussels changed venues multiple times earlier this year after several cancellations The hubbub only served to confirm the far-right group’s complaints about censorship and cancel culture — while drawing more attention to the conference MCC vowed to proceed with Monday’s event as planned with a location to be “revealed shortly.”  ZELENSKYY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the U.S. where he’s meeting with President Joe Biden today in a bid to secure more military aid and permission to use Western-supplied weapons in Russia It comes against the backdrop of Russia making progress on the battlefield Ukraine’s energy grid nearing the point of collapse and a hostile Republican Party under Donald Trump What’s coming: The Biden administration will shortly announce new funding for Ukraine but is unlikely to lift restrictions on striking deeper into Russia, our U.S. colleagues report in this must-read. Money matters: In slightly better news for Ukraine, Canada’s Deputy PM and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says money released from seized Russian assets will be arriving in Kyiv “in the coming months.” She made the comments on POLITICO’s Power Play podcast Now read this: Israel’s message to Hezbollah is falling on deaf ears, writes Jamie Dettmer. MASSACRE IN “TOTALANDIA”: A must-read POLITICO investigation uncovered atrocities carried out in 2021 on the premises of a giant natural gas plant under construction in Mozambique by French energy giant TotalEnergies.  Death toll: POLITICO interviewed survivors and witnesses and conducted a door-to-door survey of the victims’ villages Witnesses recounted how government soldiers rounded up villagers then crowded them into shipping containers by the entrance to the TotalEnergies compound The men were tortured; only 26 of the prisoners survived Low carbon future: News of the massacre adds to the gathering sense of catastrophe that now surrounds a project that was once heralded as the biggest private investment ever made in Africa. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné had intended the Mozambican mega-project to be the showpiece of his ambitions for a low-carbon future. Read the story by Alex Perry here SAVING CETA: Emmanuel Macron is waging a lonely battle to defend the EU-Canada trade deal known as CETA, report POLITICO’s Giorgio Leali and Kyle Duggan. — Competitiveness Council (internal market and industry) … Arrivals and doorsteps from 9 a.m. … press conference at 3:30 p.m. Agenda. Watch.  — U.N. General Assembly continues in New York. Commissioners Didier Reynders and Stella Kyriakides and Council President Charles Michel among those participating today. Watch Michel’s speech at 9 p.m. Subscribe to Global Playbook for updates.  — EU High Representative Josep Borrell in New York; participates at UNRWA’s ministerial meeting; participates in ministerial meeting on Palestine; co-chairs the Middle East Process ministerial event — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is in New York; will participate in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations — Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager in Montreal Canada; meets her Canadian counterpart Matthew Boswell; meets Pascale St-Onge — Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Madrid Spain; delivers a speech on the renewal of the EU at the closing session of Campus FAES 2024 — General Council meeting of the ECB (virtual) — The European Court of Human Rights issues ruling in the case of Missaoui and Akhandaf v regarding a ban on wearing burkinis in a public Antwerp swimming pool NEW ROUTE TO KYIV: FlixBus has launched a direct route between Kyiv and Brussels, its first connection from Ukraine to the EU capital. The first bus left Kyiv on Wednesday. “This is a significant and symbolic moment in the integration of Ukraine with the European Union,” the company’s Ukrainian branch announced on X.  POETRY FESTIVAL: The international Transpoesie festival returns with a focus on surrealism. It opens today at the Citizen’s Garden at 5 p.m. before moving on to Luxembourg’s embassy at 7 p.m. Program here. CONGRATULATIONS: POLITICO’s investigation of the Westminster honey trap scandal by Aggie Chambre and Dan Bloom was shortlisted for the Investigation of the Year prize at the Society of Editors Media Freedom Awards in November NEW JOB: Lili Bayer is joining Reuters as European security correspondent in October She was previously at the Guardian and POLITICO.  SPOTTED … At the farewell reception of European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly whose term expires later this year: Commission EVP Maroš Šefčovič; OLAF boss Ville Itälä; European Medicines Agency chief Emer Cooke; Irish perm rep Aingeal O’Donoghue; MEPs Katarina Barley Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Jana Toom; former MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld; the European Investment Bank’s Monique Koning; DG HOME’s Beate Gminder; Christian Linder from the Commission Secretariat-General; Gundi Gadesmann Markus Spoerer and Honor Mohony from the European Ombudsman’s office; SEC Newgate EU’s Victoria Main; Corporate Europe Observatory’s Vicky Cann; Smoke Free Partnership’s Lilia Olefir; commentator Shada Islam; Euronews’ Jack Schickler; EU Scream podcast host James Kantor; the FT’s Javier Espinoza; Follow the Money’s Simon Van Dorpe; POLITICO’s Elisa Braun and Sarah Wheaton As well as aspiring candidates to replace O’Reilly as European Ombudsman including Dutch Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen Frontex Fundamental Rights Officer Jonas Grimheden and Finnish Justice Chancellor Tuomas Pöysti.  JUMPING THE GUN: In Wednesday’s Playbook we reported EU ambassadors would hash out the topics for discussion at the October European Council summit during their meeting on Wednesday — but that’s not on the Coreper II agenda until next week BIRTHDAYS: Former MEP Thijs Berman; Eubelius’ Hans Plancke; European Commission’s Chantal Hughes; Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko; Google’s Karen Massin; Rud Pedersen Public Affairs’ Nicholas Lunt; academic David Livingstone Smith Barbara Moens; Playbook editor Alex Spence reporter Šejla Ahmatović and producer Dean Southwell Long a discussion in the Holy Cross community the renaming comes as the College pledges to be more intentionally anti-racist Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Board to oversee that work.In addition to the steps laid over in the summer Boroughs announced in late September that the College would observe the federal holiday of Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and also recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday “serve as a reminder of the enduring struggle for equality and respect by people of color as well as an opportunity to consider the work that we must continue to do together to make our community and our country a place where all people are respected and treated fairly.” 1 College StreetWorcester, MA 01610508-793-2011hcmag@holycross.edu The new bridge over the E40 Ostend-Brussels motorway in Drongen (Ghent) turns out not to be wide enough to allow a smooth traffic flow. The bends are also too sharp, sometimes forcing cars to reverse to give lorries enough space to contest the bridge. The roads authority recognises the problem: its solution is to put up road signs to indicate the narrowing of the road. Work on the bridge on Kloosterstraat in Baarle near Drongen took a year. It caused months of massive traffic disruption on the E40, as lanes had to be narrowed as motorists approached the construction site. The new bridge opened at the beginning of June, but ever since there have been problems with the flow of traffic. "The bridge is really much too narrow," says motorist Geert Van Damme, who drives over it every day. "Not only when two lorries want to pass each other, but also when an ordinary car passes. I have already had to reverse several times, because otherwise the truck could not take the bend”. At the roads and traffic agency, they are aware of the situation. "The old bridge was in very bad condition and had to be replaced quickly," says spokesman Jef Schoenmaekers. "We had to make do with the space that was available, as there was no time for long-running expropriation procedures. Moreover, we also had to provide for separate cycling and walking paths. As a result, the road itself turned out quite narrow." The bridge forms the link between the Baarle industrial zone and the Drongen slip road complex on the E40. "It is a provisional solution," says Jef Schoenmaekers. "A bigger project is in the pipeline involving the entire Drongen slip road complex being reconstructed. There are now six scenarios, but no firm decision will be taken until next year. It is not yet clear whether the new bridge will then remain or whether it will be given a new role." There is an internal server error on Cloudflare's network. Logout Gateway to the global feed industry This new plant will replace the current production sites in Drongen and Baasrode and thus represents a major simplification of the production logistics The plant will also double the current production capacity to more than 10,000 tons per month The new plant in Drongen will do more than provide the needed increase in production capacity – this ultra-modern infrastructure also makes it possible to produce Nuscience Belgium’s entire product portfolio at one location The process configuration and the silo park provide the flexibility to quickly respond to market demands and changing technologies within the ingredient and premix sector The Nuscience Group started construction of the new plant at the end of 2013 working with a select group of sub-contractors to build the plant on its own initiative Coming on the heels of the previous commissioning of the new plant in Tianjin this new plant in Drongen is an important step in further optimising the Group’s production The plant is also an important component in the Group’s active investment strategy for supporting its international expansion current CEO and architect of the international expansion and growth of the Nuscience Group the opening of this new plant is also the occasion to announce the appointment of Johan De Schepper as his successor Recycling the original bricks from the construction combined with a new cast for the upper level of the house offers an authentic and distinct appearance that recovers the spirit of the place Fully customizable for the residents’ current and future needs the project exemplifies the practice of adaptive design all images © Tim Van de Velde The OYO team has designed DeDe House as a bespoke home for a family of two parents and their three playful children who wanted a direct relationship with the natural environment laid on creating spaces that are inclusive and responsive to the diverse ways in which one interacts and uses them the two-story residence is defined by an X-shaped ground floor topped up with an extra level that maintains the original rectangular layout of the old barn ‘We overlaid the original rectangular footprint of the barn with an additional cross-section This shape offers private spaces in and around the house while framing views of the outdoors but one that has created a unique living environment,‘ says the studio.  the open living area offers panoramic views of the garden thanks to the large windows and sliding doors creating the feeling of being immersed in nature. On the upper floor a playful environment stimulates creativity and exploration through a vast and adaptable playground allowing the family’s three children to transform and personalize the space according to their needs and desires offers greater privacy and privileged views of the natural site.  transforming a 20th-century barn into a two-story house for a family with three playful children DeDe House is also distinguished by its attention to detail and use of materials like wood and exposed concrete eliminating any superfluous cladding and maintaining flexibility in the layout to highlight the natural atmosphere According to OYO’s project director Xander Denduyver ‘the materials create an interesting contrast between industrial and artisanal between austere and rustic.’ The project gently portrays how exploration and play can integrate into everyday life from the recycled materials to its adaptable and characterful design. OYO Architects is led by Ferran Massip the open living area offers panoramic views of the garden a sculptural wooden staircase adds character and warmth to the interior of DeDe House architecture: OYO Architects | @oyoarchitects project director & coordinator: Xander Denduyver construction manager: Immohuys Ingenieros Estructurales landscape: Buro Bossaert photographer: Tim Van de Velde | @tvdvphotography AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style “The driving range at Drongen was bought out two years ago, and the new owner decided he wanted to build a six hole academy course on an adjacent four hectare parcel of land,” van Hauwaert, of Diamond Golf Architects “We have used the parcel to build six par three holes the course is changed to one par three and two par fours which new golfers play in order to get the licence necessary to play golf in Belgium.” Drongen is the first course in Belgium to use synthetic turf on shaped greens and surrounds but the maintenance is much cheaper,” said van Hauwaert the total costs on this project will be equal and afterwards the owner will be saving money There is still maintenance to be done – synthetic greens require regular brushing to loosen the fibres and to loosen the sand so the green doesn’t get too hard You can change the speed of the greens by brushing “I was very impressed you could get so much spin on the ball,” he added “I was a little sceptical about the synthetic turf at first but now I see the grass growing around the synthetic areas I must admit that it is starting to look very nice the fescues will give the course a nice definition.” and Russia among them—its immediate importance lies in the previously unreported timeline it lays out “No one is above the law,” the suit begins Russia mounted a brazen attack on American Democracy.” The details of when and how that attack occurred are more clear than ever—and may indicate that Russia’s plan to interfere in the US election predated its DNC intrusion Between repairing and replacing equipment and hiring experts to manage the fallout the bill came out to over a million dollars The DNC wouldn’t notice the presence of either until April 28 at which point it called in security firm CrowdStrike to help analyze and mitigate the damage The suit details the necessary fixes; the DNC had to “decommission more than 140 servers and rebuild at least 11 servers.” Between repairing and replacing equipment and hiring experts to manage the fallout The DNC had been devastatingly compromised The Russians had gained access not only to email systems but also to backup servers They were prepared to make off with “several gigabytes of data,” the suit says a little over a week before the DNC even knew they were there The timeline from there has been a matter of public record. On June 14, the DNC first disclosed the hack. The following day, a persona going by Guccifer 2.0—only recently confirmed to be a Russian intelligence agent—claimed responsibility leaking a 237-page opposition research report on Donald Trump in the process releasing nearly 20,000 internal DNC emails multiple DNC employees received an email that said: “I hope your children get raped and murdered I hope your family knows nothing but suffering and a host of Russians as ingredients in a collusive soup But for close observers of Russia’s hacking efforts against the US in 2015 and beyond it’s the timeline that provides the most valuable information The timeline strongly implies that Russia’s aim was to disrupt the election from the start rather than a reconnaissance mission that rapidly escalated It’s unclear how likely the DNC lawsuit is to succeed, especially in its efforts to hold Russia accountable in a US court. But its revelations shed light on one of the most impactful hacks of recent memory—and maybe the intentions of the country behind it. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Plasteurope.com is a business information platform for the European plastics industry It is part of KI Kunststoff Information and PIE Plastics Information Europe one of the leading content providers for the European plastics industry We offer daily updated business news and reports polymer prices and other services for the international plastics industry News | Polymer Prices | Suppliers Guide | Jobs | Register | Advertising The Catalan accepted an invitation back in March to attend the competition in De Bruyne's hometown of Drongen with City's U15 side competing for the first time Tournament leader Jeroen Verhille said then: 'To our great surprise Mr Guardiola called us to let us know that he absolutely wants to be present Guardiola has indeed been true to his word and was pictured at the KDB Cup on Saturday morning chatting to City staff and players while also meeting and talking with De Bruyne's father Herwig Het Laatste Nieuws report that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss also visited Belgium's pre-World Cup training camp at the national centre in Tubize on Friday. City's youngsters began their KDB Cup Group D campaign earlier on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat by Besiktas and face Club Brugge later on as they seek to progress through to the next phase. Youth teams representing Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Anderlecht, Chelsea, AZ Alkmaar, Genk, Borussia Dortmund, Odense BK and Gent are also taking part in the two-day tournament. Kevin De Bruyne, currently preparing for the World Cup in Russia, is in action in a warm-up friendly against Portugal at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Saturday evening and is set to pay his own visit to the KDB Cup on Sunday. Guardiola in Belgium to watch City's youngsters in KDB Cup competitionCommenting on this article has endedNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}} In the coming three years, Nuscience Group will invest in Belgium and the Netherlands to build new state-of-the-art production facilities. These investments are part of a reorganisation of the production set-up in the Benelux to increase cost efficiency and to specialise the factories at the same time. Nuscience Group produces premixes and specialty ingredients on three locations in Belgium: Drongen, Baasrode and Willebroek (as Preconex), mainly for the Belgian and international markets. In Utrecht the production site is specialised in production of premixes, farm minerals and MervoBest. The new facility in Drongen will be built on the same location, next to the existing plant and offices.  Production at Baasrode and Willebroek will be closed. In Utrecht Nuscience has acquired the Agrifirm Feed plant next to the current premix production factory. The purpose is to construct on this site a new premix and protein concentrates factory focusing on maximum cost-efficiency. Drongen will become the expertise centre for producing piglet feeds, piglet concentrates and specialty ingredients and of course also anything that comes out of Nutrition Sciences, our innovation department. For Utrecht we keep the focus on large volumes of premixes, farm minerals, concentrates and protected proteins.’ ‘This investment plan has started and will probably be finalised by end 2015’, says Patrick Keereman, CEO Nuscience Group. ‘We will bring four production sites together on two sites in order to increase efficiency and to specialise production where it is appropriate. Police in Belgium have confirmed that five people have been arrested I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Belgian-based Manchester City fan is in a serious condition in hospital after being attacked following Tuesday’s Champions League match at Club Brugge. The Blue Moon Belgium supporters group posted a message on Wednesday stating one of its members, since named in Belgian media as Guido DP, was set upon in a car park. Police in Belgium have confirmed that five people have been arrested in relation to the incident. Reports say the man was rushed to intensive care at the AZ Maria Middelares hospital in Ghent following the incident, which occurred after the group stopped in Drongen on their journey home from Bruges. The post, written by one of the group’s officials, whose father was the victim, read: “My father was cowardly attacked for his City scarf at a stopover in Drongen. We hope the perpetrators are found and punished. “We were everywhere in England and the rest of Europe, never aggression. We come to Belgium once and you will be left for dead. Keep on fighting daddy. City love, Jurgen.” A statement from local police in Belgium read: “Last night around 10.40 pm an incident took place in the parking lot of the E40 Drongen towards Brussels. “A man wearing a Manchester City scarf had stopped his car at the highway parking in Drongen after the Club Brugge – Manchester City football match and had gone to the shop. According to the first findings of the investigation, his football scarf was taken in the shop by a suspect and he walked outside with it. “Subsequently, the victim came into confrontation with some suspects in the parking lot, and ended up on the ground after physical aggression. The emergency services arrived on the scene. The victim, a 63-year-old man from Ninove, was taken to hospital. He is in mortal danger. “There were a number of witnesses to the facts. Due to these facts, the police arrested five people during the night. They were arrested by order of the East Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation is in full swing.” A statement from Premier League champions City said: “Everyone at Manchester City is shocked and saddened to hear reports of an attack on one of our supporters after the Champions League game in Bruges last night. “We are currently working with our counterparts at Club Brugge as well as Belgian and Greater Manchester Police to establish more information. “Our thoughts and best wishes go out to the family and friends of the Belgian based supporter, who remains in hospital.” The Belgian club said in a statement : “Club Brugge was horrified to learn of the events at the E40 motorway parking lot in Drongen where a Manchester City supporter, who had previously been a guest at the Jan Breydel Stadium, was attacked. “Club Brugge strongly disapproves of all criminal behaviour, both inside and outside the stadium and puts tolerance first. Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the Manchester City supporter.” City beat the Belgian champions 5-1 in the Group A match in Bruges. govt and politics","score":0.782154},{"label":"/society/crime/personal offense","score":0.740043},{"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/assault","score":0.731833},{"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/homicide","score":0.707828},{"label":"/law Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace demand end to pollution from Schiphol Airport in the fight against climate change 5 November – Over 500 Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace activists occupied the private jet platform at the international airport Schiphol all afternoon They blocked parked private jets at the General Aviation Terminal on the east side of the airport and cycled across the parking area “We are immensely proud of everyone who took part in this peaceful action today against Schiphol Airport’s immense pollution and unnecessary luxury flights by private aircraft This protest shows that people are no longer willing to put up with the unbridled growth of the aviation industry The pollution caused by Schiphol Airport has to stop The first step is a substantial reduction of flight movements and a ban on short-haul flights and private flights,” says Greenpeace’s Dewi Zloch The activists arrived at the private jet terminal around 12:30 hours from different directions and made their way to the area where the private jets are parked They blocked the planes by cycling around the area and sitting on the ground around the aircraft Police officers eventually removed the activists from the area This took some time as some of the activists had chained themselves to each other under the parked aircraft The last activists were removed around 19.00 hours A large group is being held in custody in parked buses The Dutch government has recently decided to slightly reduce the maximum number of flights from 500,000 to 440,000 flights per year, but this cap does not include private jets. Recent research by CE Delft showed that more private flights took off and landed at Schiphol in the first 9 months of 2022 “Today’s action was about making an important statement As the climate crisis continues to spiral out of control and climate policies are affecting everyone aviation and Schiphol Airport are profiting from exemptions and benefits we will continue taking action,” says Tessel Hofstede of Extinction Rebellion The protest at Schiphol Airport precedes the annual international climate summit (COP27) which is taking place in Egypt over the next two weeks Greenpeace Netherlands and Extinction Rebellion are determined to see aviation included in international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Download hi-res photos here Extinction Rebellion en Greenpeace Nederland geloven in de kracht van mensen die zich verenigen om verandering teweeg te brengen We hebben samen een duidelijk doel voor ogen: vliegen is niet langer acceptabel Join and the incredible things he’s achieved as a midfielder in football Growing up in Belgium, De Bruyne displayed a natural affinity for football from an early age. He honed his skills in the streets of Drongen, playing with friends and dreaming of becoming a professional footballer. When Kevin De Bruyne was young, his parents saw how much he loved football and how determined he was to play it. So, they helped him and got him into a local football club called KVV Drongen. This is where he started to learn more about playing football. De Bruyne’s exceptional talent quickly became evident as he progressed through the ranks of youth football. Kevin went to the youth academy of KRC Genk, which is a famous club in Belgium. He showed everyone that he was really good at controlling the game from the midfield position. Because he played so well, he got a chance to play in Genk’s main team when he was only 17 years old, and that’s when he became a professional football player.  In 2012, De Bruyne’s burgeoning talent attracted the attention of Premier League giants Chelsea FC. He signed with Chelsea, marking the beginning of his international career.  But when he joined the London club Chelsea at first, he didn’t get to play much. So, he went to play for other teams on loan. First, he played for Werder Bremen, and later, he went to VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, which is a German football league.  It was in the Bundesliga that De Bruyne truly flourished. His time at VfL Wolfsburg saw him establish himself as one of the league’s premier midfielders. He showed everyone how great he was at passing the ball, coming up with new ideas, and scoring goals. Because of this, he got a lot of awards and people saw him as one of the best players in the league. In 2015, De Bruyne made a high-profile move to Manchester City, reuniting with former Chelsea coach Pep Guardiola. Under Guardiola’s guidance, De Bruyne’s game reached new heights. At Manchester City, he became the most important player in the midfield. He was like the conductor of an orchestra, making everything work with his amazing vision. He also scored important goals and helped his teammates score by giving them assists. De Bruyne played a big role in helping Manchester City win many important tournaments in their home country, like the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup. He was always very good at playing football and had a lot of knowledge about the game. Because of this, he won many awards, including the Premier League Player of the Season award. In the national team of Belgium, which is called the Red Devils, De Bruyne is a really important player. He helped Belgium do really well in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and was even named the second-best player in the whole tournament. His performances continue to be instrumental in Belgium’s quest for international success. People really admire De Bruyne for how he plays football. He’s really good at making precise passes, understanding the game, and seeing what others don’t. He can play in different positions in the midfield, and he’s incredibly smart when it comes to tactics and strategies. His contributions in both creating and scoring goals make him a complete midfielder. Kevin De Bruyne’s story is proof of how his talent, hard work, and never giving up made him go from playing in his neighborhood to becoming a top football player in the world. He’s now famous and respected in both his club and his national team, showing that he’s one of the best midfielders of his time. As he keeps amazing fans with his football skills, Kevin De Bruyne’s journey inspires young footballers and makes fans from all around the world proud of him. Zikoko amplifies African youth culture by curating and creating smart and joyful content for young Africans and the world. Subscribe to our newsletters and never miss any of the action Copyright © 2018 - 2025. All rights reserved. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Soccer Laduma (@soccer_laduma) Local International Off The Pitch Podcasts & Videos English-Premier-League With the final year of his current contract approaching, Kevin De Bruyne has made a surprise admission about a potential Manchester City exit in the near future.Check Out: PSG 'Furious' With Mbappe's Comments After Joining Real there have been many rumours about the 32-year-old being of particular interest to the top teams in the Saudi Pro League The likes of Al Nassr have been mooted as potential next landing spots for the decorated midfielder and while many top players have shied away from making the move to the oil-rich kingdom the Drongen native has stated that he is definitely pondering following in the footsteps of former Premier League stars who have traded England for the Middle East such as his former teammates Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez "You're talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career For all your exclusive football content and breaking news, join our WhatsApp Channel here! I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money Before that I had to play football for 15 years "Then you have to think about what that could mean next But at the moment I haven't had to think about that yet "These are conversations that we are increasingly having as a family.  "I still have one year left on my contract so I have to think about what could happen My eldest son is now eight years old and knows nothing but England Check Out: Man City Transfer News: 6 Out, 3 In? "He also asks how long I will play for City we will have to deal with it in a certain way." You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments Click here to register! 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton, Cape Town, 7441, South Africa This Page Has Washed AwayLooks like this page has disappeared with the tide — perhaps it’s buried in the sand at Vazon or drifting off Petit Port Purchasing a house in one of the five Flemish provincial capitals set you back 8.4% more on average last year According to figures from Belgium’s notaries price rises in provincial capitals are higher than the Flemish average of 7.6% The number of transactions in Flemish provincial capitals rose sharply last year” says notary Bart Van Opstal of the Fednot federation “All provincial capitals increased their pull” It’s above all people in their 30s and 40s who are buying in these locations “They are purchasing a home to live in but often also a property to let” says Van Opstal “They believe the rented accommodation market is more interesting in cities than in outlying areas” Leuven is most expensive with the average house now going for 445,864 euros Here prices too have risen fastest: up 10.7% House prices in Ghent rose 10.2% on average last year to 372,419 euros for the average house Compare this to Bruges or Hasselt where house prices rose by 5% In Antwerp prices rose 8.1% with the average home now going for 329,747 euros Purchasing a flat is still cheapest in Hasselt and most expensive in Ghent where the average flat now goes for just under 300,000 euros In the five provincial capitals flat prices rose 6.2% on average last year a rise that is also above the Flemish average of 5.7% The biggest increase was recorded in Antwerp where flat prices rose 7.8% last year and that had a major impact on the average In Antwerp Berchem and the City of Antwerp are the most expensive locations to buy property The price of a house in Berchem rose 14.3% last year to 430,030 euros In Ghent Drongen is the priciest suburb with the average house now costing just under half a million euros House prices in Drongen are up 32.5% on the year Link Copied!Kevin De Bruyne is a player whose name alone evokes images of skill The Belgian superstar has gained a lot of stardom for his extraordinary on-field exploits Intrigue mounts as many seek to uncover all the details about Kevin’s father, especially the amusing story behind Herwig’s notable confrontation with Jose Mourinho Herwig De Bruyne was born and brought up in Drongen Although his precise date of birth remains undisclosed it is believed that he was born in the early 1970s Herwig is primarily an entrepreneur and also looks at his son’s endeavors in the soccer realm the couple takes pride in being loving grandparents to three of Kevin’s sons which the Manchester City star shares with his wife Anna met Herwig in the 1980s while she worked as a petroleum engineer at one of Herwig’s oil factory jobs Herwig was only 18 when they tied the knot Herwig De Bruyne is no less than a mentor for Kevin when it comes to the Belgian’s soccer career It’s no secret how Kevin’s time at Chelsea unfolded after he arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2013 following a successful rise through the ranks of KRC Genk Jose Mourinho was quite critical of the midfielder However, this didn’t settle with Herwig, who, as per soccer biography reportedly sent a warning to the Portuguese tactician for undermining his son’s performance READ MORE: Who Is Julian Alvarez’s Girlfriend? Meet Emilia Ferrero Against Whom 20k+ Fans Signed Petition for Separation EssentiallySports is a digital-first sports media house that surfaces the best stories on America's favorite sports celebrities with a fan's perspective to 30+ M average monthly readers. Full Spectrum Services LLP © 2025 | All Rights Reserved