Good afternoon.
Our lead story today is a worrying report about young people involved in terror offences and investigations in Belgium. The most worrying thing is that they are getting younger.
According to the Belgian authorities, they recorded an exponential increase in the number of cases "involving minors suspected of acts qualifying as terrorism": while 16 cases were opened in 2022, that number rose to 24 in 2023, and in 2024 it more than doubled, to 55 cases in total.
One of the key drivers of this trend? You guessed it – the internet, and the amount of time younger and younger children are spending online. Young people can drift into radicalisation in isolation, in their own bedrooms, before anyone has even noticed. And terror groups and organisations know this – so they are becoming experts at luring youngsters in with "game-like" activities to get them hooked. As usual, the authorities are always playing catch-up.
But it shouldn't just be about the authorities, should it? Parents, adults, family, friends, all of us in society have a duty to pay more attention and be less afraid to call out or confront worrying behaviour, without fear of doing the wrong thing or being seen as interfering.
The challenge of how we get our young people away from their screens, off their computers, and to start interacting on a human, social, real person to real person level again is one of the greatest and most consequential of our times. As humans, when it comes to technological developments, we forever seem to rush towards the newest innovations without pausing to think; just because we can, does it mean we should?
These developments happen so fast that by the time we have recognised the consequences, it's usually too late to put the genie back in the bottle. And usually, the genie is not a benevolent wish-granter. It's a force with real far-reaching consequences for us all.
As with all genies – be careful what you wish for.
Belgium in Brief
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1. ‘Children as young as 12’: Terrorism suspects getting younger and younger
"Most of it happens behind a screen in a closed bedroom. As a result, a very quick drift can occur without many people noticing. Until it is too late." Read more.
2. Trump’s 50% tariffs for EU would have ‘serious consequences’ for Belgium
Flanders exported €26 billion to the US in 2024. A 50% tariff would make those much more expensive in one fell swoop – with a possible extra cost of €13 billion. Read more.
3. Mother-of-two, 36, killed in an apartment in Etterbeek
The victim’s partner is being held in police custody in connection with her murder. Read more.
4. Belgian companies investigate floating nuclear power plant
Such a power plant would also be resistant to earthquakes or tsunamis, and could provide energy whenever and wherever it is needed. Read more.
5. Senior Vlaams Belang MP under fire for posting SS motto
In a social media post with a fascist flag, Filip Dewinter wrote "Onze eer is trouw," a direct reference to the motto of the SS under Nazi Germany. Read more.
6. Ghent appeals to EU for help with its housing crisis
Ghent is among 15 European cities where rents have increased by an average of 60% over the past decade. Read more.
7. Almost half of Belgians do nothing to prepare for old age
About 46% of Flanders-based respondents in a survey among 18-to-55-year-olds had a pension savings plan, compared to 30% in Wallonia and 19% in Brussels. Read more.
