Belgian & International news, with context.

Why is Van Bossuyt opposing Belgium’s evacuation of 13 students from Gaza?

Federal Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt publicly opposed evacuating 13 Palestinian scholarship students from Gaza on 6 September 2026, warning of wider…

Why are the FGTB and CSC calling a Brussels march over the federal budget?

Will CD&V’s company-car red line survive Belgium’s budget negotiations?

Can De Wever’s coalition turn its crowded rentrée agenda into decisions?

Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s federal coalition entered its September 2026 political rentrée with three unresolved tests demanding decisions: the planned sale of up to 20% of…

Can Bouchez challenge De Wever’s message without destabilising Belgium’s federal coalition?

Mouvement Réformateur president Georges-Louis Bouchez opened his party’s political season in Braine-l’Alleud on 6 September by ruling out new taxes and demanding deeper spending…

What did Belgium’s fiery party-leaders’ debate reveal about the political autumn?

Belgium recorded more strike action in 2025 than in any previous year

Who was Anne Thily, Belgium’s first female prosecutor-general?

Anne Thily, the first woman to serve as a prosecutor-general in Belgium and a central judicial figure during the Dutroux years, died in Liège on 19 August 2026 at the age of 88.

What does the White March still mean to Belgium 30 years later?

Hugues Jossa’s new Belgian documentary La Marche Blanche has returned Jean-Denis Lejeune and the vast 1996 demonstration in Brussels to the national conversation, three decades…

Did Belgium ignore warnings before the High Fens wildfire?

Belgian authorities contained the main fronts of the record High Fens wildfire after it burned roughly 3,000 hectares, but the disaster has revived warnings that fragmented…

What do inspection failings reveal about Brussels’ Dutch-speaking nurseries?

BRUZZ and Knack reported on 9 September that 23% of inspected, still-active Dutch-speaking Brussels nurseries had received an enforcement recommendation since 2022.

One person dies in Avenue Louise apartment fire in Brussels

One person died in an apartment-building fire on Brussels’ Avenue Louise on 9 September, the Brussels fire service confirmed through Belgian media. Firefighters extinguished the…

Does your Brussels crèche give children enough time outdoors?

Avenue Louise fire kills one person as residents face the aftermath

Brussels nursery findings highlight the need to check Dutch-language provision

Van den Brandt calls for tighter federal rules on private e-scooters

Police suspect deliberate blast after 30 residents evacuate Brussels apartment building

How many people are homeless in Brussels, and what will October’s count reveal?

Can Brussels curb rats in its pedestrian zone while food keeps reaching the street?

Will Philippe Close step aside from the Brussels casino procedure?

How did a fake €50 note in Mechelen lead to a wider Flemish investigation?

What do we know about the burglary and attempted break-in in Mechelen?

Police investigate boy’s zipline fall at Turnhout fire brigade open weekend

Must Brussels Ring signs be bilingual, and what should drivers expect?

How did a Flemish butcher’s rabbit sign become an award-winning Dutch joke?

Nine detained after crowd attacks police during Ostend street disorder

Police detained nine people after a reported fight in Ostend’s Nieuwe Stad district escalated into a confrontation in which officers were targeted with objects and fireworks and…

Must road signs on the Brussels Ring at Wemmel be bilingual?

Belgium’s language-control commission has concluded that Dutch-only road signs on the Brussels Ring in Wemmel should also carry French, rejecting the Flemish road authority’s…

Can Flanders fine subsidy fraudsters €800,000 without a criminal trial?

The Flemish Government approved a draft reform on 4 September that would create a general subsidy offence and allow administrative fines of up to €800,000 when prosecutors close a…

Why did Flanders retreat in its €12.1 million airport dispute?

Why is Antwerp restoring the pipelines of its first petroleum age?

Fresh Hautes Fagnes flare-ups keep nearly 150 responders mobilised

Can you still visit the Hautes Fagnes after the fire—and where must you stay away?

Can Charleroi’s ‘precarity fair’ turn social hardship into a political reckoning?

Where was parking free in central Charleroi during summer 2026?

Can Liège’s renewed human chain shift the course of Glatigny’s school reforms?

Teachers in Liège formed another human chain on Monday, 7 September, to protest reforms led by French Community Education Minister Valérie Glatigny, extending a year-long campaign…

Can Wallonia fill the 10,600 construction jobs employers plan to recruit for in 2026?

Scientists test wildfire prediction model during High Fens blaze

Scientists have tested a fire-prediction model against the wildfire in Belgium’s High Fens, with initial comparisons showing promising results, according to VRT NWS.

How does TEC Hainaut turn new recruits into bus drivers?

LeTEC strike halts Charleroi buses and cuts one in three Liège-Verviers journeys

A 48-hour LeTEC strike halted all buses in Charleroi and cancelled about one journey in three across Liège-Verviers on Thursday 27 August, with further disruption scheduled for…

Yellow rain alert brought heavy showers to Wallonia and Brussels

Saudi oil attacks widen regional conflict as Lebanon reports 12 killed in Israeli strikes

Houthi attacks set Saudi energy facilities ablaze and wounded 73 people on 8 September, according to Saudi authorities cited by Reuters and NOS. The escalation followed Israeli…

What do investigators know about the Miami cargo crash that killed five workers?

Antwerp joins Germany’s ICE network as direct Cologne trains begin

What do we know about the Belgian suspects in the deadly Overasselt shooting?

Russian strike kills two at Ukraine–Moldova crossing as Ukraine attacks Black Sea port

Russian drones killed two civilians at Ukraine’s Starokozache crossing with Moldova overnight on 8–9 September, Ukrainian authorities said. The crossing subsequently reopened,…

How does Charleroi fit into Europe’s bid for independence in space?

Wolf attack kills 64 sheep in France’s Vercors, farmer confirms

Nepal and Tibet flood death toll reaches 1,400, with 5,845 still missing

Nepal’s disaster authority raised its flood death toll on 8 September, bringing the combined total across Nepal and Tibet to 1,400 dead and 5,845 missing, according to AFP.

What does Daniel V.’s arrest mean for Germany’s power-grid sabotage investigation?

Cyprus ferry disaster: what is known as deaths rise to 14 and the search continues?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on 7 September that 14 people had died and 14 remained missing after the Filo Jet ferry sank off northern Cyprus. The European…

What do six-figure foal sales at the Brussels Stephex Masters reveal about Belgian show jumping?

Can Waregem’s Year of the Horse turn a European championship into a lasting legacy?

Flanders launched the Lotto Year of the Horse in Waregem on 25 August, beginning a region-wide public programme that will culminate in Belgium’s first senior FEI Jumping European…

Why are West Flanders’ football clubs turning to teenagers before the new season?

SK Roeselare, RFC Knokke and Jong Essevee added teenage players to their squads in early August, while William Dutoit left his coaching role at Thierry Ambrose’s FC Trust project.

What does the final Choc Wallon verdict mean for Standard and Charleroi?

Belgian football’s Disciplinary Council has ordered Standard Liège and Sporting Charleroi to play one home match each behind closed doors and fined both clubs €10,000 after…

Can Van De Geuchte and Madiani change the balance in West Flanders’ provincial league?

SV Wevelgem City signed defender Gauthier Van De Geuchte from neighbouring FC Gullegem on 20 August, while Sparta Heestert recruited former French professional Aristote Madiani…

Drammeh double gives Standard first win in lively Walloon derby

Standard de Liège beat RAAL La Louvière 2-0 at Sclessin after substitute Salieu Drammeh scored twice in six second-half minutes, securing the Liège club’s first Jupiler Pro League…

How did 540 KLJ members turn Groot Veerle into one vast summer camp?

Can Sporting Charleroi turn smart transfers and coaching continuity into lasting stability?

Sporting Charleroi have entered the 2026-27 season with Mario Kohnen permanently in charge after five wins in nine Europe Play-off matches, while a selective transfer campaign has…

What do Excelsior’s four European medallists reveal about Brussels athletics?

The City of Brussels scheduled a public reception at City Hall on 26 August for four Royal Excelsior athletes who won one silver and three bronze medals for Belgium at the…

Can Christophe Boeckx’s new Gentbrugge boxing gym bring more people into the ring?

Christophe Boeckx has moved Beats Per Minute Boxing from Destelbergen to a permanent gym in Gentbrugge, where the recreational club is preparing an open evening on 3 September…

What is known about the Brussels officer detained over €25,000 taken during a search?

Why was a Brussels detective arrested over €25,000 missing during a house search?

Why did Charleroi judges impose eight years for attacking an ex-partner and her mother?

The Charleroi Criminal Court sentenced a man to eight years in prison on 13 August for two attempted murders committed against his former partner and her mother in Carnières on…

Why is Belgium’s judiciary warning politicians after the Grégory Lenoci judgment?

Belgium’s College of Courts and Tribunals has urged political officeholders to act responsibly after judges in Namur received threats following Grégory Lenoci’s 17-year prison…

Why did a Liège court impose a one-year prison term for selling two heroin wraps?

The Liège criminal court sentenced a repeat offender to one year in prison and a €10,000 fine for selling two wraps of heroin in the city centre, a judgment that highlights…

What does the Liège partner-violence case mean for victims seeking help in Belgium?

Why has the Grégory Lenoci verdict divided Belgium over justice and vigilantism?

A Namur court sentenced Grégory Lenoci to 17 years in prison on 20 August for attempting to assassinate his neighbour, after supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse and…

Anne Thily, Belgium’s first woman prosecutor-general, dies in Liège

Anne Thily, the former Liège prosecutor-general who became the first woman to hold that rank in Belgium, died in Liège on 19 August 2026. Her tenure encompassed the institutional…

Is Flanders ready for Belgium’s new Criminal Code?

Belgian courts, prosecutors and lawyers in Flanders say they are substantially better prepared for the new Criminal Code to take effect on 1 September, although they warn that its…

What does Friday’s raadkamer hearing mean in the fatal Heusden-Zolder case?

A man described as a friend of the person killed in a fatal collision linked to Heusden-Zolder is due before the raadkamer on Friday after an investigating judge placed him under…

Sa vivacité d'esprit et son énergie impressionnent : Marcelle, co-doyenne de Bruxelles, vient de fêter ses 108

Marcelle, the co-doyenne of Brussels, celebrated her 108th birthday on September 12, 2026. Her remarkable longevity and continued engagement with community life highlight the…

Brussels Tests New Waste Collection Method: A Revolutionary Change in the Making?

Brussels is testing a new waste collection method that will see the end of door-to-door collections, signaling a significant shift in how residents manage their trash.

Anthropic researcher resigns and warns AI companies are outrunning safety

What does Fernand Obb’s financial restructuring mean for diners?

Why does Clarebout want to close Mouscron 1, and what happens to its 392 workers?

Can Brussels Airport make its first high-speed train in a decade pay off?

A Deutsche Bahn ICE reached Brussels Airport from Cologne at 08:29 on 7 September, restoring the airport’s direct place on the international high-speed rail network after more…

Has Belgium’s economy stalled just as the euro area starts moving again?

Belgium’s real GDP recorded 0.0% quarterly growth in the second quarter of 2026, the National Accounts Institute confirmed on 31 August, down from 0.2% in the first quarter and…

Can Bouchez close Belgium’s €10 billion budget gap without raising taxes?

MR president Georges-Louis Bouchez has ruled out a VAT increase and additional taxation of large fortunes as Belgium’s governing parties prepare to find €10 billion by 2029,…

What does Brussels-West’s €1 million cash seizure reveal about the illicit economy?

Sold-out Antwerp technorave faces neighbourhood protest over disruption and consultation

A petition signed by 453 people is challenging the sold-out Chaos in the City technorave, which is due to bring 14,000 visitors to the square outside Antwerp’s KMSKA on 5…

What should you know before seeing Chers Parents at Charleroi’s Poche Théâtre?

What should survive a lifetime? Charleroi exhibition opens a photographer’s family archive

Which six Brussels restaurants have earned the Brusselicious label?

What does the festival squeeze mean for a day out in Belgium?

Les Solidarités listed its Saturday tickets and three-day passes as sold out for its 4–6 September 2026 edition in Namur, complicating the picture of disappearing festival…

5 things families need to know after Brussels loses 1,000 emergency shelter places

Federal funding for 1,000 of the 2,000 Brussels Deal shelter places ended by 1 September 2026, leaving an already saturated homelessness network under greater pressure. Families…

Driving from Antwerp to Brussels this weekend? Here is what the E19 closure changes

How can you plan a birthday restaurant surprise in Belgium without spoiling it?

Antwerp keeps door open to another major event at KMSKA after Amelie Lens show

How can you make the most of Brussels Open Air Festival’s five dancefloors?

The City of Brussels and Brussels By Night will stage the third Brussels Open Air Festival across five central locations on Saturday 12 September 2026, with ten local collectives…

Belgian Beer Weekend draws about 73,000 visitors to central Brussels

The 26th Belgian Beer Weekend brought an estimated 73,000 visitors to Brussels’ Grand-Place from 4 to 6 September 2026, a 3% increase on last year, while a wider programme of…

What will Brussels’ suicide prevention plan change, and where can residents find help now?

What legacy does Frank Comhaire leave after the Ghent fertility pioneer’s death at 86?

Frank Comhaire, the Ghent fertility specialist associated with the creation of the city’s sperm bank, died on 1 September aged 86, according to his death notice and Belgian…

Can Leuven’s donor-tissue technique really end lifelong anti-rejection treatment?

Could a Brussels-backed study change how Belgium prevents migraine?

UZ Brussel neurologist Jan Versijpt has co-authored an international trial finding that atogepant prevented migraine more effectively and caused fewer treatment withdrawals than…

Did a swim in the Ourthe infect seven Flemish teenagers with salmonella?

Belgium faces vast care-building renovation gap as heatwaves intensify

Can Antwerp’s planned Oncopolis bring cancer research closer to patients?

The University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital plan to establish a cancer-research centre called Oncopolis on the UZA campus in Edegem, using a substantial private…

Can a Leuven café’s split terrace ease Belgium into its 2027 smoking ban?

Leuven eetcafé Kaminsky has divided its terrace into smoking and non-smoking sections ahead of Belgium’s planned federal ban on smoking and vaping on hospitality terraces from 1…

Why is Flanders still using a pneumococcal vaccine that misses the strain killing children?

Four young children in Flanders have died since 2025 from invasive pneumococcal infections caused by the emerging 12F serotype, according to figures confirmed by the Flemish…

What should patients know about Imelda Hospital’s campaign against aggression?