#belgium

#belgium

An explosion occurred in front of a synagogue in the eastern Belgian city of Liege on Monday, police say. No injuries were reported due to the blast but the explosion blew out the windows of the synagogue and those of the building across the street. Police cordoned off the area as counterterrorism police conduct a probe.

UK military personnel and equipment are being sent to Belgium to help it bolster its defences after drone incursions on its airspace, suspected of being carried out by Russia. The new head of the UK military, Sir Richard Knighton, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance earlier this week and that kit and personnel were on the way. Belgium's main airport Zavantem was forced to close temporarily on Thursday night after drones were spotted nearby.

Prevot also announced "tough sanctions" on the Israeli government. "Any form of antisemitism or the glorification of terrorism by Hamassupporters will also be strongly condemned," Prevot posted on his X account. According to Prevot, Belgium "had to take decisive decisions to increase the pressure on the Israeli government and the Hamas terrorists" in the face of the current situation in both the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The first alarm was raised at the end of July: several humanitarian and family planning NGOs denounced the Trump administration's intention to imminently destroy a major shipment of contraceptives. USAID, the U.S. aid agency, was storing them in Belgium, awaiting distribution to humanitarian missions, mostly in Africa. The operation, along with the contraceptives, was left in limbo when the U.S. government decided to dismantle its well-regarded development agency a move that, according to the scientific journal The Lancet, could lead to as many as 14 million preventable deaths by 2030.

The 2021 flood disaster in Belgium resulted in significant psychosocial impacts, particularly affecting individuals with low socio-economic status and high exposure to flooding.

Belgian authorities briefly held two Israeli citizens at an electronic music festival after pro-Palestinian groups accused them of war crimes, initiating an investigation.

Belgium's startup ecosystem is thriving with strong public-private partnerships and innovative deep tech, highlighted by AI-first startups positioning it on Europe's innovation map.

OYO Architects revitalized a former farmhouse in Belgium, introducing a triangular void that brings light and spatial clarity while retaining the original structure's modest exterior.