Bonjour, goeiemiddag and (perhaps most importantly today) buenos dias!
It's Maïthé Chini with you today, still riding the high of Bad Bunny's concert in Brussels last night.
After a very long wait (tickets went on sale over a year ago), the Puerto Rican singer/rapper/hipshaker and 56,000 of his fans – including myself – descended on the Roi Baudouin Stadium for the last show of his Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour.
During the 2.5-hour spectacle, the artist only addressed the crowd in Spanish – which turned out to be no problem at all for the audience, which was full of Spanish speakers from all over the world.
Luckily for me and my meagre Spanish skills, they were all too happy to translate the artist's long monologues into English or French so everyone could follow along. Still, Bad Bunny showed that he understood what Brussels was all about, and treated us to a short musical interlude by Belgian icon Stromae.
However, I am sad to say that I did not follow the man's advice to take more photos. After 2.5 hours of dancing, my legs were tired, but my camera roll remained mostly empty.
But now, on to more important news. The Federal Parliament is on summer break and many ministers have gone on holiday, but right before they all left, they managed to strike an agreement on several important issues.
After the last meeting before the recess, the ministers announced a raft of measures and changes – from an import ban from the occupied Palestinian territories to the annualisation of working hours. Take a look at what you may have missed here.
Meanwhile, property tax in Brussels' municipalities is set to go up – in some of them more so than in others.
Every year, this tax is adjusted in line with the indexation of the taxable income, but on top of that, some municipalities have now also decided to increase their additional rates. Is your municipality affected?
Next up, social media bans. Children under 16 are finding themselves at the centre of political conversations, with countries such as Australia, the UK, France and several others attempting to wrangle Big Tech companies' hold on young people's attention.
In Belgium, however, the jury is still out on the matter, writes reporter Anas El Baye. He looked into what Belgium is doing, and how the country's different communities would go about having a uniform measure in place. Find out if something is moving here.
And lastly, with the weekend in sight, we also have our guide on what to do with your family in Brussels by our regular contributor Aoife White.
From the Foire du Midi to a Belgian cup final in the Grand Place and a bike race for the smallest cyclists, there's something for everyone.
And in case you have comments, tips, corrections or suggestions, you know what to do: email me at m.chini@brusselstimes.com.
Nos vemos!
Maïthé
Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your coffee break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:
1. Belgium’s summer agreement: Here is everything you missed
With these agreements in place, the ministers can go on holiday. But when they return, an even greater challenge awaits them: they must find €10 billion to balance the budget. Read more.
2. Property tax rise to be sharpest in eight Brussels municipalities
The Brussels-Capital Region has begun sending out property tax notices for 2026, with bills set to rise the highest in eight municipalities. Read more.
3. Brussels for kids: What to do with your family this weekend – 25 to 26 July
In Brussels, summer is never quiet, even in the three weeks between Belgian National Day and the 15 August holiday. Here are our favourite picks for family-centred fun! Read more.
4. How would Belgium enforce a social media ban on young people and is it working elsewhere?
France has approved a ban on social media for under-15s. As Belgium considers similar legislation, questions remain over how such a ban could be enforced. Read more.
5. Netherlands to forbid backpacks on train seats: Will Belgium follow?
The Dutch railway operator finds that seats occupied by bags are becoming an increasingly significant problem. Read more.
6. Brussels Fire Brigade strike intensifies as talks collapse
Thursday’s walkout is "the biggest since the start of the action", and Friday’s "may well" be even stronger. Read more.
7. Bad Bunny treats Brussels to Stromae classic on last show of world tour
For 2,5 hours, the Puerto Rican artist did not speak a word of English, but he did treat the fans to a little bit of Belgian culture. Read more.
