Postcards Special: Carnival around the world
See a photo gallery of images from around the world as carnival is celebrated around the world…
Tens of thousands in Belgium protest over pension reforms, halting air traffic
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Tens of thousands of Belgians took to the streets on Thursday in protest over the new government’s planned pension reforms, during the first day of a multi-day strike that halted all air traffic in the country. Local police reported on social media platform X that 60,000 people had joined the strike in […]
Belgium’s new PM plans tougher migration, nuclear revival, and defence boost
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Belgium’s new Prime Minister Bart De Wever presented his government’s focus to parliament on Tuesday, highlighting stricter migration policies, reversing the nuclear phase-out law, and increasing defence spending to meet NATO targets. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever walks as members of the parliament applaud, at the Belgian Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, […]
France, Germany, others urge EU Commission to protect elections in Europe from foreign interference
Brussels, Belgium Reuters France, Germany and 10 other European Union countries want the European Commission to use its powers under the Digital Services Act to protect the integrity of European elections from foreign interference, a letter signed by the 12 countries showed. In the letter, European affairs ministers from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus, […]
Belgian state held accountable for colonial-era abduction of mixed-race children
Brussels, Belgium Reuters The Brussels Court of Appeal on Monday held the state accountable for the systematic abduction of “metis” children, those of mixed European and African heritage, from their mothers during the colonial era in Belgian Congo. A large Belgium’s flag is unfolded during a parade on Belgian national day in Brussels, Belgium, on […]
On plane home, Pope Francis, asked about Israeli strikes, slams attacks that go “beyond morality”; says Belgian clergy abuse victims deserve more compensation
Aboard the papal flight Reuters Pope Francis, asked on Sunday about Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as well as non-combatants, criticised military attacks that he said go “beyond morality”. On the flight back to Rome from Belgium, the pontiff said countries cannot go “over the top” in using their […]
Pope Francis, after Belgian criticism, says church has “no place for abuse”
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Pope Francis on Sunday wrapped up a weekend trip to Belgium, where he faced some of the strongest criticism yet levied during one of his foreign trips. The 87-year-old pontiff was pressed by high-profile figures at three of the five major events on his three-day visit in unusual and sometimes fierce language […]
Belgian Catholic university denounces visiting Pope’s views on women after he digs in on their role
Brussels, Belgium AP Pope Francis’ burdensome trip through Belgium reached new lows on Saturday when defiant Catholic university women demanded to his face a “paradigm change” on women’s issues in the church and then expressed deep disappointment when Francis dug in. The Catholic University of Louvain, the Francophone campus of Belgium’s storied Catholic university, issued a […]
In pictures: Papal trip to Luxembourg and Belgium
Pope Francis visited Luxembourg and Belgium this week. Here is a collection of images of the occasion…
Pope gets an earful from Belgian King, PM and abuse victims over scandals and failures to respond
Updated: 8:20am, 29th September (AEST) Brussels, Belgium AP On a brutal day for the frail and aging Pope Francis, the King of Belgium, its prime minister and the rector of the Catholic university that invited him here all ripped into the institution he heads for a spectrum of sins: for covering up cases of clergy sex […]