All articles tagged with #belgium
Student protests over education funding have spread from France to Belgium, Italy, and other EU nations. While France faces violent clashes and thousands of arrests, Belgian students in Liège and Brussels are protesting specific tuition hikes and budget cuts. The unrest highlights a broader European tension between rising education costs and government fiscal constraints.
Team USA defeated France 97-79 in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup final to secure a fifth consecutive title (12th overall), with Breanna Stewart earning MVP honors. Belgium’s title bid ended when they were eliminated by Germany in the quarterfinals. Spain’s Iyana Martín emerged as the tournament’s rising star, while Trinity San Antonio delivered a breakout performance that could earn her a future WNBA opportunity. Australia’s Ezi Magbegor suffered a torn ACL, ending her World Cup run and likely sidelining her for the start of next season. The rest of the world showed progress, signaling tougher battles ahead in future events.
The piece argues that sanctions-created cash in European banks—centered on Euroclear in Belgium—are not Russia’s money but bank liabilities that would need to be paid back if sanctions end. The interest earned on these balances has funded Ukraine through EU steps like the ERA loan, with Belgium taxing the earnings and shaping policy to keep the funds flowing. A proposed “reparations loan” to borrow these bank balances to Ireland to support Ukraine was shelved after Belgium demanded guarantees, leaving the EU to rely on market borrowing (about €90B for 2026–27) while reserving the right to use frozen assets for repayment if reparations ever arrive. Lifting sanctions could deprive the EU of billions in potential repayments, and Russia would likely challenge the moves, but for now Belgium’s share — dubbed the “goose that lays the golden eggs” — underpins much of Europe’s Ukraine support as the bloc decides how best to finance it going forward.
Belgian authorities have detained a man born in Beijing on suspicion of industrial espionage; prosecutors have not disclosed charges as the investigation continues.
A 26-year-old Belgian car salesman, Clément Vandenkerckhove, was legally recognized as the son of Prince Laurent after a paternity DNA test. He becomes a prince with equal inheritance rights to Laurent’s private estate but will not receive a royal allowance or perform official duties, and he may choose to adopt the Laurent family name or keep his own as he joins the royal family.
Belgium’s Prince Laurent has legally recognized Clement Vandenkerckhove, a 26-year-old former Opel car salesman, as his secret son, giving him equal inheritance rights to Laurent’s private estate alongside his half-siblings but without any royal duties, throne rights, or a royal allowance; the revelation followed a TV documentary and echoes past Belgian royal paternity cases.
Melting ice on the Trift Glacier in Valais, Switzerland exposed the remains of two Belgian hikers who disappeared in 1992; DNA testing confirmed the men, aged 39 and 41 at the time, after a hiker spotted the remains on July 26 and authorities recovered them for forensic identification.
A Belgian car salesman named Clément learns he is the son of Prince Laurent after a DNA test (99.5% match), a revelation he only discovers in adolescence. The case echoes the country’s past paternity saga involving King Albert II and Delphine Boël, and it comes as Belgian law since 2013 restricts public allowances to a small group of royals.
Europe’s late-June heat wave caused about 16,000 excess deaths across the continent, with Wallonia in southern Belgium reporting a single-day total of 313 deaths and a 77% higher-than-expected death rate from mid‑June to early July as hospitals struggled and temps topped 100°F. Yet locals and officials resist widespread air conditioning, with only about 20% of European homes cooled—citing power-grid strain, costs, and environmental concerns—while authorities focus on cooling spaces and renovations and doctors warn that vulnerable populations still need AC.
A major wildfire in Belgium’s Hautes Fagnes region expanded toward the German border, burning about 30 square kilometers as cooler weather and rain temporarily eased conditions for hundreds of firefighters, aided by international air support; the King visited emergency crews and evacuations remained in place. In Greece, investigators probed a Salamina wildfire that killed two people, with arson and negligence arrests reported alongside a separate blaze near Athens that was contained. In France, the Landes blaze was brought under control after days of evacuations, with a 12‑million‑euro aid package pledged for the hardest‑hit Gironde/ Landes areas. The events underscore Europe’s blistering, drought‑driven heat—linked to climate change—and officials warned some peatlands and affected landscapes could take decades to recover.
Massive wildfires driven by a heatwave hit Europe, with about 12 square miles burned in Belgium’s High Fens prompting evacuations of roughly 600 residents as hundreds of emergency personnel and assistive EU support battled the blaze; on Salamina island near Athens, two people were killed while authorities evacuated beachgoers as around 260 firefighters, 15 ground teams, 10 aircraft and 8 helicopters fought a fast-spreading fire. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated, with aid from Sweden, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
Belgium’s High Fens nature reserve is facing the country’s largest wildfire on record, with over 250 firefighters on the scene and European air support arriving after two villages were evacuated; the blaze has scorched about 3,000 hectares and remains out of control.
Europe is battling wildfires driven by heat and drought, with Belgium reporting its largest blaze in recorded history in the Hautes Fagnes peatlands; the EU activated the Civil Protection Mechanism, deploying helicopters and water-bombing aircraft from Sweden, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while firefighters and residents confront blazes in Belgium, Germany, France, Croatia, Greece and Spain and evacuations continue.
Firefighters are battling large wildfires in Belgium’s High Fens and on a Greek island near Athens, with two deaths reported on the island as Europe contends with heat and dry conditions that fuel ongoing fire danger.
Firefighters are battling a major wildfire tearing through Belgium's High Fens nature reserve, evacuating two nearby villages as the blaze—described as the country's worst in recent history—threatens homes; water-bombing aircraft and EU civil protection reinforcements are assisting, but difficult boggy terrain and shifting winds are hampering efforts amid a wider European wildfire wave.