you mention the prominence of brussels and the molenbeek area there in brussels. it's an impoverished place and somewhere i've been for some time in the past. now, this area like many areas across europe has gone through different stages, ali. at one stage, early on, particularly during the syrian revolution and in the aftermath of that, a number of young people from there were recruited, did go there. s some of them, if you go to their parents and believe to fight for a freedom cause and then others getting tied up, getting recruited by more and more extremist causes. g jihadists including al qaeda and isis. again, if this is some kind of an attempted attack, we don't know where it's come from. so those people have traveled there. young people mostly to syria, some of them managed to come back and those are the kinds of people that we have seen carry out some of these deadly attacks across europe in recent years, but it's not necessarily that it could be somebody like that. it could be somebody on the internet and found some kind of inspiration there. it could qu

it is right in the central of brussels. it is a big station that caters not just for brussels. it is a big station that caters notjust for belgium but also for people travelling all over europe. these are the pictures coming into the bbc newsroom. lots of security presence. an area has been cordoned off. this is not an ongoing situation and the police says it is under control. you are at the scene, what can you see? the area has been completely cordoned. there is military personnel and plenty of police and military vehicles. the metro station, all the entrances have been closed. there are more vehicles arriving whilst we are more vehicles arriving whilst we are talking. and no one can get into the area which has been completely isolated. so far, little is known about the supposed attacker and the number of casualties. i spoke earlier, one hour ago, number of casualties. i spoke earlier, one hourago, to number of casualties. i spoke earlier, one hour ago, to belgian security services that said all that they knew was that one person had been neutralised. there was a small explosi

>> your read on all of this in brussels. >> brooke, i'm actually here in brussels right now. belgian authorities saying they're following some kind of explosion in the central station, that they had to neutralize one suspect. the fire started here in belgium, also saying the explosion did not create any victims. good news, it's an early stage in terms of the idea that nobody seems to have been killed or injured in whatever this incident was at the central station in brussels tonight. but i can tell you there is significant concern about this given the uptick in attacks throughout europe in recent days during the ramadan period. but no word yet on motivation here, who could be behind this. details are still coming in about what exactly happened just a little while ago in one of brussels' main train stations. >> you're in brussels, you're feeling it in europe. we talked a lot about what happened in paris and london. people are on edge. >> they are on edge. and the public is on edge, and i can tell you that the security and the police here in brussels are on edge here as well. i

this is brussels central station in the centre of the city. it has been evacuated and these are the pictures that we have coming in to the news room. from just outside the central station. you can see the area cordoned off. only a few police officers inside. let's bring in... in a minute we will bring in some more updates from oui’ will bring in some more updates from our colleagues in brussels. at the moment, the police are saying the situation is under control. one person who was at the centre of the incident has been neutralised, although we don't have a definition of neutralised from the police. they say the situation is under control. we believe this large train station has been evacuated. more tension in the syrian sky. a tweet saying: aircraft shoots down armed shaheed—129 pro—syrian #uav near #altanf #syria. that's an armed drone to you and me. the reason? "it displayed hostile intent and advanced on coalition forces." the coalition being referred to is the us and its allies. see all this in the context of the us shooting down a

it could be brussels the week after now this happening in brussels. thankfully as you so report, it appears this is something that did not inflict a lot of damage. obviously what officials are doing on the ground is checking to make sure there's not another terrorist somewhere else in the city or somewhere else near that train station trying to wreak havoc. that's why you're making a very important point a moment ago about new york city subways, transportation systems anywhere in the world. if everybody starts changing their routines and getting worried, changing summer travel plans, in your word, the terrorists win. why heard that after 9-11. you have to be careful. you have to make wise choices. doesn't mean you carry on as if this is not happening. but you're right. people realize you can't let the terrorists drive all of this. you have to be smart about your travel plans, you have to listen to officials who say see something, say something, which is still one of the best pieces of advice. if there's anything out of the ordinary a backpack on a sub

we will go live to brussels for more. coming up, russia's foreign minister accuses the united states of russia-phobi beyond ala beyond all bounds. christians and condemnation after the death of the 22-year-old american student otto warmbier. he died barely a week after being sent home from north korea. today, president trump imply barack obama -- impleied barack obama was responsible for the tragedy. ♪ >> item brent god. -- goff. it is good to have you with us tonight. police shot a man at brussels central station. there was also a small explosion causing panic inside the station, which has since been evacuated. the area around the station and the area around the city's main square have been quartered off. the situation is under control, police say. belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people on the brussels subway and at the airport last year. we are going to bring in our correspondent in brussels. good evening to you. what more can you tell us about what has apparently just happened? >> the c

again the perception of brussels is that the perception of brussels is that the uk does not know what it wants. it has so many contradictory aims, it wants to participate in regulated market without following the rules, she wasjust something market without following the rules, she was just something that market without following the rules, she wasjust something that is hard to get your head around. from brussels' perspective, they don't know how they can make the uk happy with the many things it seeks to have. but they don't care about making us happy, do they? at the end of the day the european union wants to keep itself together. this is one thing that brussels thinks that the uk does not get, because the idea that it uk does not get, because the idea thatitis uk does not get, because the idea that it is in brussels' interest to give the uk special deal, that is not something that european partners would agree with. they say the most important thing is to keep the european union together, and a way that you do that is by not giving any party special deal because then everyone will a

all right, more from adam flemings in brussels. what more can you tell us about the incident that took place at the brussels central station? the belgian authorities are treating this as a terrorist attack although they could not tell us whether the suspect was alive or dead. or the identity of the man at the heart of the incident. it seems to have started in the early evening. the station is in the centre of town, close to the ground seats near one of landmarks. and near one of brussels landmarks. people were out enjoying themselves. from piecing together eyewitness reports and information from the authorities, it seems he ended the station concourse, he may have been wearing some kind of explosive belt. he set off a small explosion. pictures of which have been circulating across social media and on front pages of newspapers across europe. people fled the station in panic. the man was neutralised by an armed unit of the belgian unit. we do not know if he was injured seriously or killed. the reason that was a unit patrolling the st

he's sure that in the end brussels will do a deal. this is the city of deals often at the 11th hour. you british invented the clubs and when you're in the club you have some privileges, and not being an eu member means you lose some privileges. you can't have the best of the two worlds, that's just impossible. if we would do so that it would encourage all members to leave. however hard the eu tries to market its tough—guy approach, make no mistake, it wants a deal with the uk. after all, if the uk economy nosedives, that has a big impact on the rest of europe. but brussels insists it won't do a deal at any price. when the eu thinks about brexit, it wants to do everything to protect the european single market. it's the biggest trade area in the whole world, right now made up of more than 500 million potential customers. thing is, it's notjust about goods and trade, it's about the free movement of people as well, so when uk politicians say they want full control of immigration but they want to retain the full benefits of the european

it is not far from the big central square in brussels and ona big central square in brussels and on a warm evening like this, they will be lots of people out. this happened in the nearby central station in the centre of brussels. police are apparently saying, according to local media, there was according to local media, there was a small blast at the station and the area has been cordoned off. we will bring more to you when we get it. more now on chancellor philip hammond's speech today at mansion house in central london saying he would put britain's future economic prosperity centre stage in any brexit deal. mr hammond called for a "jobs first" settlement and also wants immigration to be managed but not shut down altogether. the future of our economy is inexorably linked to the kingdom brexit deal that we reach with the eu over the next 20 odd months. i am confident we can do a brexit deal that puts jobs and prosperity first. that reassures employers that they will still be able to access the talent that they need. that keeps markets for goods and services and capital open. that chee

well raids are now taking place in the mall in back district of brussels and this attack on brussels central station comes just a day after another attack here in paris when a man driving a van full of petrol and arms drove into a police vehicle and caught fire again the suspect in that incident died at the scene but more details are emerging about that suspect he's been named as a thirty one year old called adam desirea and was apparently known to police now not only was he known to police he was actually on a wanted to watch list yet despite being on that wanted watch list he was actually allowed to have a gun permit and that's one of the reasons why he was able to be carrying those arms at the scene an investigation is still continuing into that and questions are being asked on the wanted watch list was able to have a gun permit while things are keeping across this story. reporting for us live from paris thank you. u.s. military. excuse me there an american at u.s. military a fiver i five years in afghanistan are finding themselves increasingly under fire from the their it people

the news review in just a moment with david eades in brussels. but let's first of all talk about this story. a growing number of young people are having as many procedures such as botox, as a result of social media pressure. that is a finding in this new report on bioethics. it says that committee should take more responsibility by companies and more education for young people about body image. dominic hughes has more. i young people turning to cosmetic procedures to look like their idols? the influence of those with millions of followers on social media is hard to gaze. but doctors who specialise in procedures like doublebill is and botox, said that fa ns doublebill is and botox, said that fans listen. a simple projecting guide to tens of millions of followers, and all of a sudden, it young girls and boys are looking at it, and they see is aspirational, as it, and they see is aspirational, as it is associated with success, with money, power, that is what they want. the cosmetic procedure industry is largely unregulated, so numbers are hard to co

we're live from the eu summit in brussels. there is still a hubbub here because many eu leaders remain in the building. theresa may has actually left but has made a proposal to those leaders saying eu citizens living in the uk for five years will have the right to remain in the uk when the point of brexit is reached. the economy is also a big issue, migration is a big issue, but so is security. just in the last week, there have been terror attacks in london, paris and brussels. on tuesday, a man set off a bomb at the central train station before being shot by security forces. the threat of islamist extremism and terrorism is front and centre in the minds of eu leaders. the leaders have talked about the progress they've made fighting islamic state and have already agreed to tougher checks on people arriving at the eu's external borders, to boost co—operation with countries in the middle east and africa, and to improve intelligence sharing on terror suspects. what impact will brexit have on that? there have been plenty of warn

that is a sense that we have here, in brussels and throughout the union. the economy is going up and migration appears under control. the eu now needs to show what it can do from citizens in practice. when you tell a migration being under control, one of the key issues that has caused much disturbance in recent years is the lack of clarity, a lack of decision—making, on how to deal with asylu m decision—making, on how to deal with asylum seekers, who should take responsibility. —— talk about migration. so we are still treading water and issues that should have been resolved by now. yes, that the keyissue been resolved by now. yes, that the key issue for the leaders of the union is that for the time being, the numbers are down. so there is a sense that we are in control. the control is more for appearances. but the time being, the issue goes down the time being, the issue goes down the political agenda, and that is key for angela merkel, for example, because she faced an election in her main opposition other populists, who are down for the voters. �

backfired forcing the prime minister to scramble for a coalition to brussels use the confusion to pull more. come to negotiations collapse into hard or even a new deal worse and what will that mean for both sides of the english. skep professor emeritus of international history at the london school of economics founder of the u.k. independence party and the new deal party here a skeptic welcome back to my show it's great to have you with us alan. hello thank you as the bracks it negotiations get on their way between the u.k. and the e.u. european politicians are saying that a door back into the union is open but that it will be a brand new door that the u.k. will still lose money if it wants back in why is russia has taken this position i mean does it also want the u.k. to leave or is it just making an example of the u.k. oh i think it's just playing games i mean this new prospects of the u.k. returning to the day specially if the conditions are that we would give up our rebate and we would also have to give up our own. i'm good at saying that reinforces the impression i have that the s

dead after an attempted attack in the central station of brussels. people heard him shout "allahu akbar" before that was a small explosion. brussels central station evacuated shortly after police say a man triggered a small explosion. eyewitnesses say they heard gunfire and multiple explosions. minutes later smoke. outside, people gathered together, making their way to safety. translation: i went down the desert to go back to the platform where i had to go and they are heard someone shouting and at one point he shouted "allahu akbar" "allahu akbar" and blew up the suitcase. i tried to evacuate as many people as possible. he wasjust behind me, two metres behind me and he still had the belt on. the country is already on high alert. units were within the scene within minutes and shot dead the suspect. this is being treated as a terrorist attack. at about 8:30, there has been a small explosion in the central station here in brussels. the suspect has been neutralised by the military that were present at the scene immediately after the explosion. there wer

the way hewkward presented that in brussels. it is embarrassing as an american. the words for it were spot on. i think his voters love it when he says that and people who do not like trump, they say he has got a .3 why does the united's pace a much of the defense for europe when they do not to pay for it -- he has got a point. why do the united states pays a much of the defense for europe? shet is interesting what has to say about this. she says the e.u. is not a military alliance and does not want to become one. >> but he is talking about nato. >> but angela merkel is saying that the europeans need to pull together. due respect, she does not know what she is talking about. of course, the e.u. is a military alliance. in the indianns ocean. have battle groups, e.u. battle groups which work together. french, german cooperation, and so on. that, ands not know she is supposed to be our coordinator for foreign policy in the e.u., you know, i feel like using one of your words. it is incredible. of course the e.u. is also a military alliance, and has been for at least 1

brexit negotiations start this week in brussels. business groups in the uk urged to put the economy first as she negotiates the formal exit. mid week we will also get the weekly us oil inventories date. the buildup last week and gas stocks lead to a a96 last week and gas stocks lead to a a% drop in crude oil prices as the global market is already struggling with a supply glut. and on thursday, new zealand central bank will announce its latest decision, will they or won't they raise or cut the cost of borrowing? it is currently ata cost of borrowing? it is currently at a record low of 1.75%. i spoke to michael mccarthy in sydney, as chief strategist, i asked michael mccarthy in sydney, as chief strategist, iasked him if michael mccarthy in sydney, as chief strategist, i asked him if investors are likely to respond to the brexit negotiations. there are concerns, still, about brexit. they are very much a european and specific. for global markets, the implications are not clear and maybe slighter than many people think. however, talk of

laura: what is the mood in brussels tonight. as you were mentioning, the city has been on high alert because of the recent attacks earlier on the airport and the metro. reporter: the mood before this event happened was, as you would expect, in a big bustling tourist city on a really hot summer's evening. the streets were backed with eating, drinking outside, enjoying the evening. the situation now feels quite different. the sound of sirens in the air, helicopters overhead. on my way to the studio this evening at the metro station, it was closed with armed police and soldiers he would not normally be they're telling people the metro was closed. the sad fact is people in brussels have gotten used to seeing people with guns on the street protecting them after an attack last year at the airport and metro station not far from here. of course, i'm speaking to you from the eu quarter where many institutions of the european union are based. all of them have military vehicles and military guarding them 24 hours a day. from the european p

laura kuenssberg in brussels. senior figures in the church of england helped to hide historical sexual abuse by a former bishop — that's the conclusion of an independent review. peter ball, who's now 85, was jailed in 2015 after admitting the offences. today's review criticises the former archbishop of canterbury, lord carey — and the current archbishop, justin welby, has asked lord carey to step down from his position as an honorary assistant bishop. here's our religious affairs correspondent, martin bashir. and what hurts us most... charismatic and ambitious, peter ball and his twin brother michael was a bishop in the church of england. thejoint was a bishop in the church of england. the joint achievement heralded on national television. making spiritual noises. in 1993 peter ball was forced to stand down as bishop of gloucester after accepting caution for gross indecency. despite his admission he continued to officiate in churches and at several public schools. a second police investigation led to him being

let's return our top story and that attack in brussels. earlier i spoke to an adviser of the european parliament who was in the area at the station in brussels when the situation unfolded. i had been out to dinner as most people had, and there were alerts on my phone. i had concerned children backin my phone. i had concerned children back in the united kingdom asking what had happened and where i stay is next door to the station so i came back to a cordon of police fear and they let me back in but i could not come back out again. so that situation we were in fairly recently the cordon seems to have been lifted recently but not before we saw, we will put back away from the window of the hotel i am in so the person could be taken away but, clearly, the authorities were taking away the person who was shot dead. that's what the journalists are saying. that was rather disturbing, to put it mildly. martin, were you aware of what was happening inside the railway station? only by the alerts that i received from iphone because i was half a mile awa

sarah: teri schultz there for us in brussels. world leaders and celebrities lining up to condemn the u.s.'s decision to pull out of the paris climate change accord. here's a look now at some reactions. >> man cannot destroy our partners. one man can't go back in time. only i i can do ththat. presidentt trump says he's pulling out of the paris climate agreements. as a a public servant, especialy as a president, your first and most important responsibility is to protect the people. >> this is about limiting the rise in temperature to under 2 degrees. somehow we don't feel like it's getting that much warmer. i read somewhere that we should thank president trump if it did. >> they say it snowed inin moscw today. if we work together constructively, i'm sure we can think of something. don't worry. be happy. >> the decision by the united states to leave the paris agreement is extremely regrettable. and that's an understatement. this decision cannot and will not stopop us. all of us who are committed to the protection of our earth. on th

can the highly complex negotiations damian grammaticas is in brussels for us. damian, in brussels for us. what are we expecting tomorrow? damian, what are we expecting tomorrow? 11am brussels time, on the seventh floor here, those talks will get underway. one of the early issues will be how to proceed. david davis wanted trade talks from the outset, and he has predicted a row over the summer over that, because the eu said it wants first exit issues dealt with, then a future relationship could be talked about. after initial contact between the two sides, we have heard the eu believes its preferred sequence will believes its preferred sequence will be followed. that is significant because it means david davis will have to satisfy the eu on issues you mentioned — citizens' rights, how they will calculate a final financial settlement before the eu will move on to discussing future relations. these are all tricky things, and on any one of them, the talks could falter. damien, thank you. a murder investigation has begun after the body of an 18—year—old woman, e

brent: what are you hearing in brussels? are eu negotiators changing their tactics now that they know theresa may will be coming in weaker? >> my impression talking to people here in brussels and through parts of the negotiating team is really that it is less about tactics. there is a huge curiosity. the commission president called it the eu is a desperate to start these talks because they want to know what the u.k. actually wants. what means soft brexit? what means [? what would a hard brexit look like? they have until march 2019 to get a deal done. otherwise, there is no deal. from a eu perspective no deal would be worse than a bad deal. that is why they are so keen to get a clear position. whether they will get that on monday is very much in doubt. brent: we will be covering that. a big day on for the eu and the monday u.k. reporting from brussels, thank you very much. here's a look now at some of the other stories making headlines. in eastern china, at least seven people have been killed, dozens injured after an explosio

theresa may in brussels today for the eu summit. her first brexit test since her poor results in the election at home. she will be outlining guarantees for european ex-pats in the u.k. emmanuel macron will also be there for his eu summit after his cabinet held the first police powersf up in the midst of the ongoing extremist threat to europe. destroyed byque the islamic state group. the iraqi prime minister says this destruction was the ultimate admission that they are losing the fight for the second biggest city in iraq. the american plane builder boeing trumps its rival airbus in the race for new order. first our top story live from paris. french president run is heading to russell's today for his first european summit. champione eu's biggest and has promised to try and help reason for into the block. theresa may will also be in today. started rights it talks on monday. inbh mcmahon is live brussels. not an easy summit for theresa may today. how much of this will be dedicated to brexit? >> very little. it is one of the most talked

authorities saying there is no links to the paris or brussels attacks. there was a raid in the overnight hours of the suspect's home, continuing into the morning. you may remember the area is a neighborhood tied to the paris and brussels attacks. it's where one of the paris attackers was arrested and found in a raid, but again, authorities saying at the moment this attack is not tied to the attacks that unfolded in brussels and paris. >> fortunately no one was hurt and the attempted attacker shot by police. thank you so much for that. >>> well, we'll talk some sports ahead. hall of famer says he's donating his brain to science, but not yet. needless to say the football great hoping to aid research on concussions and cde. andy has details in the bleacher report next. neutrogena® ultra sheer. no other sunscreen works better or feels so good. clinically proven helioplex® provides unbeatable uva/uvb protection to help prevent early skin aging and skin cancer all with a clean light feel. for unbeatable protection. it's the one. the best for your skin. ultra

brussels think it is not going to happen behind closed doors?” brussels think it is not going to happen behind closed doors? i think they thought that for a long time and over the last few months everybody believed it would. they could not see a scenario under which there might be a second referendum, where britain might change its mind. but based on these big elation coming out of certain people in westminster and london, they do think there is a possibility —— on the speculation. i think for most of them here they feel strongly now that the eu faces a lot of other challenges and they need to get on with those. they feel a bit revived, the franco german axis is used to be working with president macron doing well in france and there is a sense of optimism over all that they might be on of optimism over all that they might beona of optimism over all that they might be on a better path and that brexit is dragging them down. the primary feeling is, let's get this done one way or another. in a few minutes on outside source we will turn to the

at seven, we will be in brussels to join christian fraser for 100 seven, we will be in brussels to join christian fraserfor 100 days plus to join christian fraserfor100 days plus to get the latest of the first day of the brexit negotiations. later this evening, i will have a look at who they's headlines at the papers. i will bejoined look at who they's headlines at the papers. i will be joined this evening by the veteran political commentator lance price and alison little from the daily express. that is all ahead on bbc news. now it is time to cross to the bbc sports centre. hello there. the headlines kyle eastmond has lost his first—round at queens to dennis of canada. bad news for heather watson, she is also out of the eagle classic in birmingham after losing her opening verses of croatian lady. asbos big kicks off, a sport survey reveals that while men still earn more prize—money than women “— men still earn more prize—money than women —— as it kicks off,. warren gatland insists a place is still up for grabs as the british and irish prepare for their latest tour match.

belgian soldiers have shot a suspected suicide bomber in brussels central station. police said the man was wearing what appeared to be a bomb vest and triggered a small explosion. he was shot by soldiers at the scene. federal prosecutors say he is dead. no one else was injured. the incoming leader of hong kong has told the bbc she cannot guarantee that freedom of speech will protect those who call for independence. carrie lam is the chief executive—elect of the former british colony, which is about to mark twenty years since its handover to china. britain is heading for its longest heatwave since 1995,

brexit is grabbing headlines in brussels. how does the country feel about it today? a high price for peace. arab states give qatar a list of demands to end their blockade on the tiny gulf nation. they include closing the broadcaster -- al jazeera. sarah: i am sarah kelly. occam to the program. their message is clear. the franco german alliance is back. ready to lead and provide the eu with a post brexit run. angela merkel and emmanuel macron have given a joint press conference at the end of a two-day summit in brussels. the veteran politician and the newcomer looked like a well-established team. voicing agreement on every issue. >> europe's new power couple. angela merkel a and emmanuel macron held a jojoint press conference at the europepean summit. unity all over. especially when it came to one of the most contentious issues, the legal migration and the refugee crisis. the positions taken by chancellor merkel were brave decisions and i hope we don't have to repeat them. in any case, i will do anything to stand by you because of this common challenge. it requires co

thesecond and final day of eu summit in brussels. migration is the main focus area brexit still looms large. u.s. republicans unveil a new health care plan. some say it hurts the poor. paris goes for the gold on this olympic today. the city pulling out all of the stops for its bid for the 2024 olympic games. anchor: the eu summit continues in brussels this friday. globalization and migration the main focus of today's talks and likely step up backing for the libyan coast guard. the migration agency said some 70,000 people have arrived in italy from libya this year. and that time, almost 1900 people have died trying to cross the mediterranean. the two-day summit has been overshadowed by discussions of britain's departure from the bloc. to theresa may sought reconfirm people living in her country's future will be resecured. people in the uk's who made their lives and homes and the u.k., no one will have to leave you we will not see it torn apart. it is a fair and a serious offer and i want to give those citizens certainty about the futu

she attends her first meeting in brussels. she will run her leaders through eu approach towards nationals before publishing a detailed plan on monday. matt miller is in the belgian cup -- the belgian capital. they will talk about nationals and the fact she lost the election quite badly. a dinner to remember, talking about an election to remember. they will want to know why she is the right person, why this is the right administration they should negotiate. they want assurances her government can stay in power to see it through to march 2019. that will be difficult to deliver. that is before she has to deliver what is difficult to toe -- some kind of solution a free movement of people that the e.u. is demanding before it allows them access or full access to the single market. trouble pleasing the people home, proving that it is a brexit. she will have trouble proving to she will be able to deal with their citizens. she deal withwill eu nationals living in this country? matt: i have no idea. i am waiting with bated breath to see

belgian soldiers have shot a suspected suicide bomber in brussels central station. police said the man was wearing what appeared to be a bomb vest and triggered a small explosion. he died later. no one else was hurt. republican candidate karen handel has won the congressional election in georgia, in what many saw as a referendum on donald trump's presidency. with about 83% of votes counted, handel has a five point lead over democratic challengerjon 0ssoff. the incoming leader of hong kong has told the bbc she cannot guarantee that freedom of speech will protect those who call for independence. carrie lam is the chief executive—elect of the former

there's also a coldplay concert scheduled for brussels later in the evening. that will go ahead as well albeit with increased security. >> no doubt about that. thank you. >>> all right. after months of scandal the uber founder is out as ceo. a major disrupter. turns out he was too disruptive to keep running his own company. she's nationally recognized for her compassion and care. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first had to protect themselves. i have afib. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®... to help keep me protected. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... ...significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least 6 blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selecti

structural reform, more majority decisions on brussels level. we need to get the refugee crisis solved. more refugees are coming from africa and so on. in the last thing is investment. germany cannot say that before the election but we clearly need investments in europe. >> the european union in 2017 is in a better place then 2016. the british have succeeded in doing all kinds of other things but not succeeded in europe fine the european -- unifying the european union and we have seen support for the eu in plenty of country so we should be optimistic. >> thanks for tuning in. see you soon. ♪ michelle: hello, and welcome to "focus on europe." i'm michelle henery. to smoke or not to smoke is no longer the question as various countries around europe look to legalize marijuana. in shops popping up acrossss switzerland, marijuana, arranged by variety and composition, line the shelves of self-styled cannabis supermarkets. elsewhere in europe, such products tend to change hands in dark alleys. but in basel, for instance, consumers can purchase the dr

but in brussels, you find them on almost every corner. mr. helbich: this looks likes someone's stealing electricity. then i looked at the cable and realized it leads to the street lamp. that means the city did this. >> helbich has a collection of over 6,000 pictures of unusual solutions like these. some pictures are sent to him. others he takes himself. ♪ ingenuity or insanity? well, it all depends who you ask. we find out what the tourists think. >> no. you wouldn't see it in copenhagen for sure, no, not as much. >> you'd never see something like that in germany. >> in germany, people try to fix things properly, whereas here -- well, it's endearing. >> maybe these fixes are a result of the brussels mentality. it's typical for this region. it's belgian surrealism. >> it's improvisation, basically. when there's no other solution available, we improvise. >> we belgians are pragmatic. >> the same is true for belgian state institutions. the city of brussels, for instance, offers free graffiti removal of an unconventional sort. mr. helbich: ther

ardsley an explosion at a central train station in brussels belgium we bring you the latest on this breaking news story. the pentagon says a u.s. jet has shot down a syrian government drone raising questions about the u.s. role in the syrian conflict. but later in the show nasa scientists could be very close to finding life on other planets a former astronaut tells us more about these new discoveries. it's tuesday june twentieth five pm in washington d.c. i'm natasha sweets and you're watching r.t. america we begin with some breaking news out of brussels belgium the site of an explosion at that city's central train station and we have some images right here you can see the train station and neighboring historic buildings were evacuated this as police shot at a man who appeared to be wearing a belt with an explosive device artie's dubinsky brings us the details from paris france well we've just been made aware that the spokes person have said that there was an accident at the central station in brussels and that there was an explosion around a person and that person has been neutralized that'

here in brussels the view is the direct opposite. 0nly in brussels the view is the direct opposite. only the european court can be in charge. now that's only one row that we know is pretty much certain to happen. but there does seem to be an urgency on both sides will stop compared to so much of the brexit negotiations that is fraught with process, fraught with difficulty, this concern is how people live their lives. laura kuenssberg with the latest that the eu summit in brussels. in syria, there's a new offensive taking place to gain control of raqqa, the city which so—called islamic state regards as the capital of its declared caliphate. in the past few days fighting has intensified between syrian democratic forces — backed by the us — and the fighters of the islamic state group. 0ur correspondent gabriel gatehouse, producer peter emmerson and cameraman fred scott are the only british broadcasters to have ventured inside raqqa — a city engulfed in violence — and they sent this report. this has been a long and brutal road. we're inside raqqa now, driving towards the centr