Lukas Taylor

This week in photos: Weird and Wonderful

Welcome to the first edition of The Brussels Times' Week in Weird and Wonderful, where we round up the five most striking images from Belgium.

Calls to extend nuclear reactors anger Belgian green parties

Federal Government infighting over nuclear power continued after liberal MPs crossed party lines to demand the extension of Belgian reactors.

Charles Michel to meet Xi Jinping as EU-China relations deteriorate

As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, the EU has been forced to rethink its ties with states whose values clash with its own.

Almost 90% of Belgian households have reduced their energy consumption

An international survey has also showed that 57% of Belgian respondents are saving on everyday expenses and 60% vowing to continue doing so in the next six months.

Union Saint-Gilloise club named 'Brusseleir of the Year'

Usually handed out to individuals, the Brusseleir of the Year prize for 2022 was given to the club for their impressive return to the top of Belgian football.

Japan complete late comeback to beat Germany 2-1

Japan scored two late goals within 10 minutes to humble four-time world champions Germany.

Jan Vertonghen upset at One Love ban despite starting against Canada

Martinez has indicated that he would be starting with several of Belgium's 'golden generation' such as Hazard, Axel Witsel, with Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen in defence.

Schaerbeek's #MeToo: Councillor suspended at his own request

For now, the mayor will assume the disgraced councillor's responsibilities, but De Herde will remain a member of the municipal council.

MR leader tries to diffuse tensions with Open VLD while remaining defensive

MR leader Bouchez stated that "it is not our job to defend the government" despite the fact that his own party is part of the ruling coalition.

Tensions and infighting in Belgium's liberal parties over new Budget Secretary

"Bertrand is perfectly bilingual, born in Antwerp, lives in Brussels. Is it still relevant to assign a multilingual person exclusively to one language community?"

Belgian State Secretary heading for government exit over budget mistake

State Secretary De Bleeker is reportedly on her way out of the government after having given more pessimistic figures for Belgium's budget deficit to the EU.

Schaerbeek's #MeToo: Councillor charged with attempted sexual assault

Police have charged Michel De Herde (DéFI) with sexual assault on a student, after had been previously accused of harassing a female colleague of his.

One third of Belgians prepared to not pay energy bills

The lack of government intervention to help with skyrocketing energy bills has led many Belgians to consider refusing to pay.

Vooruit leadership elections pushed forward to 2023, says Rousseau

Vooruit will hold elections for their party presidency in 2023, a year earlier than anticipated, current president Conner Rousseau announced on Monday evening.

Interior Minister steps up fight against football hooliganism

Harsher penalties will be handed out for offences such as racist or xenophobic chants and the use of flares and physical violence – a recurring problem.

Kremlin denies that Russian Foreign Minister is in hospital

In Indonesia for the G20 summit, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov was reportedly taken to hospital, which has been denied by the Kremlin.

Union Saint-Gilloise secure second place in Belgian league

Union are now 10 points behind league leaders Genk. Belgian football now takes a break for the FIFA World Cup.

Mayor of Schaerbeek reacts to Thursday murder of police officer

"It is appalling that we have to wait for the death of a young man for progress to be made," the mayor said, denouncing the lack of preventive action.

Less than 1% of businesses left Brussels in past decade, says survey

With recent reports wondering if Brussels will be facing a mass exodus of companies, a recent study shows that this was not the case over the previous decade.

Lukaku included in Red Devils squad for World Cup

The Red Devils' head coach Roberto Martinez announced the 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Thursday, set to start in less than 2 weeks time.

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