Tag: Belgium

Thousands Peacefully Protest COVID-19 Restrictions in Belgium, Small Group Clashes With Police

Tensions boiled over in the streets of Belgium’s capital Brussels on Dec. 5 as a minority of protesters clashed with riot police following an otherwise peaceful larger protest joined by thousands of people. Protesters marched to Place Schuman, where major European Union buildings are located, to voice their concerns over the government’s COVID-19 policies. Leading the…


Belgium Seeks to Curb Social Life to Fight 4th COVID-19 Wave

BRUSSELS—Belgium brought in new restrictions on Friday such as the closure of nightclubs and an earlier end for bars and restaurants to reduce social contact amid a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. The new measures, which enter force on Saturday for three weeks, come just a week after a previous package of coronavirus restrictions, including…


New CCP Virus Variant Confirmed in Belgium, First Case in Europe

Belgium confirmed that a new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus variant has been detected in the country, according to health officials. It is the first known case of the new variant in Europe. The variant—which was first detected in South Africa and has been named B.1.1.529—was identified in a tourist returning to Belgium from Egypt on…


Dozens Arrested as 35,000 People March in Brussels to Protest COVID-19 Rules

A large demonstration over government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions and vaccination measures on Nov. 21 in Brussels, Belgium, led to about 40 arrests and several injuries as police fired water cannons and used tear gas at people throwing rocks and smoke bombs. Police said about 35,000 people took to the streets, which started peacefully around 1 p.m. local…


Biden Nominates Ambassadors to Sweden, Belgium, and Dominican Republic

President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated ambassadors to Sweden, Belgium, and the Dominican Republic. Biden nominated Erik Ramanathan to serve as the ambassador to Sweden, Michael Adler to serve as the ambassador to Belgium, and Calvin Smyre to serve as the ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Ramanathan, an attorney and activist, chairs the board of Heluna Health, a…


Court Win for EU Regulators Over Crackdown on $825 Million Belgium Tax Scheme

LUXEMBOURG—EU competition regulators secured a big win on Thursday when Europe’s top court backed their crackdown on Belgium’s 700-million-euro ($825-million) tax scheme for Magnetrol, BP and more than 30 other multinationals. European competition chief Margrethe Vestager launched a fight against sweetheart tax deals nearly a decade ago. She has won three cases at a lower…


Belgium, Except for Brussels, to Scrap COVID Restrictions on Restaurants, Cafes

BRUSSELS—Belgium will scrap COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and cafes, allowing them to operate under their usual hours as part of the government’s reopening plan and as more than two-thirds of the population have been vaccinated. But the measures, which will take effect on Sept. 1, will not apply to Brussels, home to the European Commission,…


Belgium: Teenager Seeks to Break Women’s Solo Flight Record

KORTRIJK, Belgium—A Belgian-British teenager took to the skies Wednesday in her quest to become the youngest woman to fly around the world solo. With her parents looking on, 19-year-old Zara Rutherford took off from an airstrip in Kortrijk, western Belgium in gusty, overcast conditions. Rutherford is aiming to break the record set by American aviator…


Cars, Pavements Washed Away as Belgian Town Hit by Worst Floods in Decades

BRUSSELS—The southern Belgian town of Dinant was hit by the heaviest floods in decades on Saturday after a two-hour thunderstorm turned streets into torrential streams that washed away cars and pavements but did not kill anyone. Dinant was spared the deadly floods 10 days ago that killed 37 people in southeast Belgium and many more…


German, Belgian Flood Deaths Rise to 157 as Search Continues

WASSENBURG, Germany/BRUSSELS—Rescue workers searched flood-ravaged parts of Germany and Belgium for survivors on Saturday after burst rivers and flash floods this week collapsed houses and claimed at least 157 lives. Some 133 people have died in the flooding in western Germany, in the country’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century. That included…