European police have arrested 26 in a crackdown on horsemeat trafficking. The EU’s judicial agency reports that the ring is accused of introducing parts of horses unfit for consumption into the commercial food chain.

An operation involving officers and the judiciaries of France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Britain has netted 26 subjects, Eurojust announced Saturday in The Hague.

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A nationwide strike in Belgium has brought air, rail and road transport to a standstill and forced many businesses to close.

Hundreds of flights to and from Belgium have been cancelled, as well as Eurostar services to Brussels.

The widespread industrial action is the latest in a series of strikes protesting against the new centre-right coalition’s austerity policies.

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The well-being of British children has improved in a number of areas in recent years but they still lag behind many of their European neighbours, Unicef says.

The charity ranks the UK 16th out of 29 developed countries, up from 21st – and last – place in a 2007 table.

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Belgium would beat Germany in the final and England would be knocked out in the last 16 if the World Cup was based on the gap between rich and poor in the 32 countries taking part, according to a report published by Oxfam.

The charity found that if the competition, which starts in Brazil on Thursday, was based on success in tackling inequality then many of the Latin American favourites would finish bottom of their groups.

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