Hallo iedereen and bonjour tout le monde!
It's Maïthé Chini on newsletter-writing duty today, making sure you are aware of the latest stories on The Brussels Times homepage.
Did you sleep well? If you live in Schaerbeek, the City of Brussels, Molenbeek, Koekelberg or Evere, the chances are that the answer is no. And if you have not figured out yet why you keep waking up at night, our lead story today will clue you in.
As our News Editor Ugo Realfonzo writes, noise nuisance from around Brussels Airport is reported more by people living in the capital than in the Flemish municipalities around Zaventem. The airport's name might imply otherwise, but it is technically located in Flanders.
Due to a new landing procedure for arrivals on Runway 07L, aircraft line up for the runway from a greater distance – thereby flying over Molenbeek and Koekelberg.
What makes this extra interesting is that the Flemish Region recently became a majority shareholder in the airport, while the Brussels-Capital Region is not a shareholder at all – feeding community tensions and accusations of "Dutch-speaking domination".
If you want to know more about the issue or about why the tensions between Belgium's Dutch speakers and French speakers are keeping you up at night, I recommend giving Ugo's piece a read.
Next up, now that Belgium's tax season has opened, our regular contributor Reza Farsi Madan took a deep dive into why taxes here are so high compared to many other countries.
When teaching civic integration courses, Reza is often asked why such a large share of people's salaries in Belgium goes to taxes and how they are calculated. Like most things here, it's complicated. Find out how your tax bill is calculated here.
On a completely different note, we have a new piece by health expert Kristina Chetcuti. This time, the advice on how to live a better life does not come from her, but from Poppy, her Jack Russell.
When Kristina was looking at her dog doing a biiiiiig stretch one morning, she realised that many humans have stopped doing this before getting out of bed.
She stresses that the importance of reaching your arms up and out, feeling that slow pull through your back and shoulders, and letting out a long, unhurried yawn cannot be overrated. Read all about it here.
If you have any comments, tips or suggestions to improve our coverage, drop me an email at m.chini@brusselstimes.com.
See you later!
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. Brussels more sleep deprived than Flanders over Zaventem airport’s noise pollution
Noise pollution at Brussels Airport predominantly affects the Belgian capital’s residents, which is angering Francophones and feeding community tensions. Read more.
2. Why are taxes so high in Belgium compared to other countries?
Belgium has the highest tax on labour in the OECD, at 52.6% for a single worker — well above the 34.9% average across member countries. Read more.
3. Life lessons from my dog: When was the last time you pandiculated?
How do we go back to listening to our body’s wake-up signals? Health expert Kristina Chetcuti thinks the best way is to zoom in on dogs’ behaviour and try to emulate it. Read more.
4. Molenbeek honours 40 young people for response to hooligans’ racist rampage
A group of young people organised a series of initiatives in response to a racially-motivated rampage through Molenbeek by Club Brugge fans one year ago. Read more.
5. Belgium’s human rights efforts under scrutiny from UN
As part of a planned review, the United Nations Human Rights Council will issue recommendations to Belgium on its human rights policies. Read more.
6. All flights to and from Charleroi airport cancelled on May 12
All flights to and from Charleroi Airport on 12 May will be cancelled due to a national demonstration against austerity measures. Read more.
7. Kanal-Centre Pompidou director announces departure before museum opens
Yves Goldstein has led the project since 2017. The museum is set to open on 28 November 2026. Read more.
