Spanish and Belgian Prime Ministers Call for Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza at Rafah Crossing

Nov 24, 2023 | Spain and Belgium's prime ministers called for a 'permanent ceasefire' on Friday at the Rafah border crossing, welcoming a four-day truce that paused fighting between Israel and Hamas. 'It is absolutely necessary to establish a lasting humanitarian ceasefire to reverse the catastrophic situation that the people of the [Gaza] Strip are going through,' said Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez. Alexander De Croo, Belgium's prime minister, echoed Sánchez, saying: 'The destruction of Gaza is unacceptable. We cannot accept that a society is being destroyed the way it is being destroyed'

Brussels on High Alert as Two Swedes Killed in Shooting and Suspect Remains At Large

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Belgium’s prime minister suggests attack that left two dead is linked to terrorism

Brussels is on its highest level of security alert after two Swedes were shot dead in in the centre of the city, and Belgium’s prime minister suggested that the attack was linked to terrorism.

“I have just offered my sincere condolences to @SwedishPM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” Alexander De Croo tweeted. “As close partners, the fight against terrorism is a joint one.”

Police warned that the suspect remained on the loose.

The gunman, who was wearing a fluorescent orange jacket and using an automatic rifle, fled the scene after the incident, according to a video shared by the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.

Media reports aired amateur videos showing a man firing several shots near a station using a large weapon. Belgian broadcasters said the two victims were Swedes. A third shooting victim was reportedly wounded and receiving treatment in hospital. (+ video) » | Lisa O’Carroll in Brussels, and agencies | Monday, October 16, 2023

Belgian Transgender Deputy PM Urges Sunak Not to Join ‘the Real Bullies’

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Petra De Sutter responds to ‘hurtful’ remarks UK prime minister made at Tory conference

Petra De Sutter: ‘These words are fuelling transphobia and are endangering the lives of many people around the world.’ Photograph: Shutterstock
Belgium’s deputy prime minister, who ranks as one of Europe’s most senior transgender politicians, has urged Rishi Sunak not to join “the real bullies” after remarks made by the British prime minister at the Conservative party conference this week.

Sunak told the audience: “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be,” to cheers and loud applause. “They can’t. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. That’s just common sense.”

The prime minister’s comments came as it was revealed that the number of hate crimes committed against transgender people last year in England and Wales had climbed to a record high, with the Home Office suggesting in its report that the 11% rise may have been prompted by comments by politicians and media. » | Ashifa Kassam, European community affairs correspondent | Friday, October 6, 2023

This Is a Personal Letter I Received from God! | The Story of Belgian Revert

Jul 6, 2022

France Protests Spread to Switzerland

THE TELEGRAPH: Police say violence has begun following calls on social media as young people 'inspired by situation in France'

Days of unrest and rioting in France have spread overnight to neighbouring Switzerland, after spilling over into Belgium earlier in the week.

In the Swiss city of Lausanne, there were clashes between police and groups of protesters, most of them young – an echo of the profile of many of the rioters in France. Seven people were detained, most of them teenagers, after several shop windows in Lausanne were smashed.

Around 100 people gathered on Saturday night in the centre of the city, which is located in the mainly French-speaking western part of Switzerland. Young people threw paving stones and at least one Molotov cocktail at officers, police said in a statement.

“Echoing the events and riots raging in France, more than a hundred youths gathered in central Lausanne and damaged businesses,” the Lausanne police said in a statement. » | Nick Squires | Sunday, July 2, 2023

How to Make Authentic Fried Mussels | Moules frites

Apr 15, 2023 | Moules frites are quite a simple dish - but they make Belgian hearts beat faster. Along with waffles, chocolates, and beer, this dish is the embodiment of Belgian cuisine. We'll show you the basic recipe and most important steps, how fries are prepared in Belgium, and how to check the quality of fresh mussels. Bon appetit !

CREDITS:
Report: Rosie Birchard Camera: Adriaan De Loore
Edit: Adriaan De Loore
Supervising editor: Ruben Kalus

What Does the Case Say about the European Parliament At Large? | DW News

Dec 11, 2022 | Four people who have been arrested by Belgian police as part of a corruption investigation involving the EU Parliament have now been charged with criminal offenses. These include: participating in a criminal organization, corruption and money laundering. In total, six people have been arrested, including MEP Eva Kaili who was a Vice President of the Parliament.

The Economist: Why Belgium Is Now the Cocaine Capital of Europe

Nov 3, 2022 | With record seizures of cocaine at Belgian ports, the country has become Europe’s cocaine-trafficking capital. As the flow of drugs increases, local authorities are struggling with corruption and violence.

Sophie Wilmès: Belgian Foreign Minister Resigns to Care for Sick Husband

Ms Wilmès said her husband has been diagnosed with "aggressive cancer of the brain". | GETTY IMAGES
BBC: Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès says she will temporarily step down to care for her husband, who has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Ms Wilmès, who also serves as deputy prime minister, will take leave until "the end of the summer", when her family will reassess the situation.

She says she made the move "in perfect consultation with the prime minister".

In a statement, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Ms Wilmès's choice "commands the greatest respect".

Mr De Croo added that the minister would not officially resign from government and that her powers would, instead, be temporarily transferred to other ministers by "a royal decree".

Ms Wilmès, who served as prime minister between 2019 and 2020, married her Australian husband Chris Stone in 2009.

A former Australian Rules footballer with St Kilda, he has been the vice-president of the Belgian branch of Australian Business in Europe since 2012. » | Matt Murphy, BBC News | Thursday, April 21, 2022

Undocumented Lotto Winner Struggles to Claim Prize

BBC: An Algerian man who won €250,000 (£206,000; $270,000) on a €5 scratchcard in Belgium is struggling to claim his winnings because of his undocumented status.

The prize is too large to be paid in cash and the man does not have the papers he needs to open a bank account.

A friend who tried to claim the money for him was briefly detained on suspicion of theft. The winner says he wants to use the money to build a life in Belgium.

"When I get the money, I am going to buy a place to live in Brussels. And maybe a car," the man, whose identity has not been revealed, told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.

However, first he has to find a way to claim the money.

The 28-year-old man has no valid identity papers nor a permanent place to live, according to Belgian broadcaster VRT.

Because he cannot open a bank account, the lottery company will not make the payment, the man's lawyer, Alexander Verstraete, said. » | Friday, April 15, 2022

Floods in Europe Kill Nearly 200 with Over 1,000 Still Missing | DW News

Hundreds Missing and Scores Dead as Raging Floods Strike Western Europe

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Strong rains caused rivers to burst their banks and wash away buildings in Belgium and Germany, where at least 1,300 remained missing. Homes and streets in the Netherlands and Switzerland also flooded.

BERLIN — Following a day of frantic rescue efforts and orders to evacuate towns rapidly filling with water unloosed by violent storms, the German authorities said late Thursday that after confirming scores of deaths, they were unable to account for at least 1,300 people.

That staggering figure was announced after swift-moving water from swollen rivers surged through cities and villages in two western German states, where news outlets said more than 80 people were known to have died in the hardest-hit regions and other fatalities were expected.

With communication badly hampered, the authorities were hoping that the missing people were safe, if unreachable. But the storms and the floods have already proved deadly

. At least 11 more people were reported to have died in Belgium, according to authorities who also ordered inhabitants of downtown Liège to evacuate as the Meuse River, which flows through its center, overflowed its banks. » | Melissa Eddy | Published: Thursday, July 15, 2021; Updated: Friday, July 16, 2021

Belgian Ex-King’s Love Child Wins Right to Royal Title

TATLER: Delphine will now be addressed as ‘Her Royal Highness’ and her two children will also have the title Princess and Prince

Delphine Boël, the Belgian King’s love-child, has won the right to call herself a princess after a seven-year legal battle to prove the former King Albert II, 86, is her father.

Boël, 52, was told she could use the royal title as well as the surname of the former monarch in a ruling by the Brussels Court of Appeal on Thursday 1 October. Boël’s lawyers confirmed that the aristocrat would take King Albert II’s name and be known as Delphine Saxe-Cobourg and Princess of Belgium.

Ms Boël, who works as an artist, has been reported to be Albert's illegitimate daughter since 1997. She will now be addressed as ‘Her Royal Highness’, and her two children Joséphine and Oscar will also have the title Princess and Prince. » | Rebecca Cope | Friday, October 2, 2020

The Secret Princess: King's Love Child in Court Battle for Recognition | 60 Minutes Australia

60 MINUTES reporter Liam Bartlett used to consider the British Royal family to be the masters – and mistresses – of scandal. Now he thinks they may have to hand over their crown to the Belgian Royal family, who have sensationally been ordered to acknowledge and recognise a brand-new princess. However, this decree is not a reason for official celebration on the streets of Brussels because, rather embarrassingly, the new royal is the 52-year-old love child of the former King, Albert II. Back in the 1960s when he was a prince, the supposedly happily married and deeply religious Albert took a long-term lover. Delphine Boel was the surprise consequence of the illicit affair. For most of her life she dutifully kept mum about her lineage, until a bitter falling out with her father changed her mind.

Belgian King's Daughter Fights for Right to Call Herself a Princess

THE GUARDIAN: Delphine Boël, whose mother had affair with ex-king Albert II, also wants to take her father’s surname

A woman who successfully fought a seven-year legal battle to prove she was the daughter of the former king of Belgium, Albert II, will learn next month whether, against the wishes of her father, she will be able to use the titles Her Royal Highness and the Princess of Belgium.

Delphine Boël, 52, an artist and sculptor, whose mother had an extra-marital affair with Albert in the 1960s and 70s, argued in the Brussels court of appeal that she should also be able to use her biological father’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. The court will give its judgment on 29 October.

King Albert, 86, who abdicated from the Belgian throne in 2013, was forced to acknowledge he was Boël’s biological father after a court-ordered DNA test last January. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Friday, September 11, 2020

Coronavirus Outbreak in Belgium: "Brussels, a Very Quiet City"

Coronavirus in Belgium: FRANCE24's correspondent in Brussels Dave Keating tells us more about the situation of the pandemic in the country.

Saxe Appeal: King of Belgium Reintroduces German Lineage

THE GUARDIAN: Belgian royals, like the British, dropped the name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha after first world war

A century after emulating the British royals by removing vestiges of its German lineage in the wake of the first world war, the Belgian monarchy has reintroduced the shield of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a former surname, to its coat of arms.

The family name was changed in 1920 to van België, de Belgique or von Belgien (“of Belgium”) in the country’s three official languages as a response to fierce anti-German sentiment.

The German army had killed more than 6,000 Belgian citizens during its invasion and occupation in 1914, in what came to be known as the ”viol de la Belgique”, or rape of Belgium.

As well as ridding the Belgian monarchy of its German name – as did the British royal family, who replaced Saxe-Coburg-Gotha with Windsor in 1917 – Albert I removed the shield of his German ancestry from the royal coat of arms. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Friday, August 2, 2019

Why Lauren Southern Needed Security to Walk through Molenbeek, Belgium

Belgium Considers Its Own Exit After Brexit

Malzberg: Robert Spencer on the Belgium Terror Attacks & the Global Threat of Islamic Terrorism