WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE BELGIUM BRUSSELS - The Brussels Times - THE RECAP - Thursday 9 January 2025

 

View this email in your browser THE RECAP Your daily catch up - great with a morning coffee. Sign up  here. 1. Snowfall arrives in Belgium as country braces for cold Snow will creep through the country, starting south and continuing to the centre and the north. The entire country except for the coast is on yellow alert.  Read More .   2. Qatargate: Three more people charged by Belgian court Three more people have been charged with accepting bribes as one of the biggest scandals in the history of the Brussels bubble continues.  Read More . 3. Belgian GP at Spa will no longer feature on Formula 1 calendar every year Formula 1 will continue to return to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the coming years, but not as an annual event anymore.  Read More .   4. Call your doctor first: Flu patients advised to avoid hospitals "Many people do not have a regular or official general doctor and so they prefer to go to the emergency room instead."  Read More . 5. Just under 50 million Belgian franc notes yet to be exchanged Although Belgian francs have not been accepted as currency since 2002, a significant number of old banknotes have still not been converted into euros.   Read More . 6. ‘This will benefit passengers’: Eurostar to pay less for UK high-speed line With a reduction of approximately 10% in charges for the operator, Eurostar stated that "this decision will benefit passengers."  Read More . 7. Belgian Government talks resume on day 212: Is this the final stretch? Talks will continue on Wednesday with the aim of finding an agreement before the end of the month.  Read More . 8. What’s the outlook for Belgium’s construction sector in 2025? "Over the next five years, 375,000 new homes will have to be built if Belgium is to avoid a widespread housing crisis like that seen in the Netherlands."  Read More . HIDDEN SECRET OF THE DAY 9. Hidden Belgium: Kim mural The work on the corner of Engelse Beurs and Grote Goddaard is crammed with portraits of famous Antwerp figures including Rubens, Panamarenko and Van Beirendonck.  Read More .