The academic halls of Harvard Kennedy School in Massachusetts welcomed a new face in 2024 - not just another high-achieving student but a future monarch.

Princess Elisabeth, who turned 23 on October 25, 2024, began a two-year master's programme in public policy last September. While she may not yet be a familiar name in the United States, she's a royal figure destined to shape history.

ndtv.com

Belgium could potentially have additional F-35 fighter jets manufactured in Italy instead of the United States, according to Defence Minister Theo Francken.

Belgium has already ordered 34 F-35 jets from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin, with production currently based in Texas. However, Francken plans for any additional jets to be produced at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Italy.

brusselstimes.com

Questions need to be recorded in video form; either in Dutch, French, or German.

• https://fragenandenkoenig.be/
• https://leroirepond.be/
• https://vraaghetaandekoning.be/

Despite a growing global demand for cybersecurity expertise, with 97 people falling victim to cybercrimes every minute globally, women are still significantly underrepresented in the cybersecurity field.

There is a huge demand for employees: over 800,000 new trained cybersecurity professionals are needed in Europe alone and there is a global shortage of nearly five million cybersecurity workers. Women will need to play a bigger role in this sector as life increasingly moves online and the real-world consequences of cybercrime become graver.

Currently, women occupy a slim share of the workforce in this emerging field, both in Europe and internationally. In the EU, 56% of organisations reported that none of their cybersecurity employees were women. According to the latest statistics, just 22% of the global cybersecurity workforce is made up of women.

Recognising this disparity, which is increasingly pressing against the backdrop of companies' growing hiring needs and a shortage of cy

This Saturday, people living in Belgium will be able to see a partial solar eclipse. The last solar eclipse visible in the country was in October 2022. Next year, people will be able to catch an almost complete eclipse.

If the weather cooperates, people in Belgium will be able to see a partial solar eclipse on Saturday 29 March. The moon will pass in front of the sun as seen from Earth. At 11:14 Belgian time, the first small bite will be taken out of the sun's surface, at the top.

"In Belgium, we will have to make do with a lesser eclipse: from just under 38% [of the diameter] in the far west of our country to 31% in the southeast," public observatory MIRA said. The spectacle will last one hour 48 minutes, ending at 13:04.

The Flemish Public Observatory Urania described the spectacle as a "giant Pac-Man in the sky".

No full eclipse

The moon is not exactly in line with the sun. This means that the solar eclipse will not be total anywhere in the world. Around a quarter of the surfac

The chess tournament Your Next Move will return to Antwerp on 21 October after more than a decade, allowing young and professional Flemish players to challenge former world champion Garry Kasparov.

Following preliminary rounds, 20 participants will have the opportunity to play against the grandmaster simultaneously.

The tournament was previously held from 2007 to 2011, initiated by Inge Geerdens, founder and CEO of the software company CVWarehouse. Geerdens now hopes Your Next Move will become a recurring event.

brusselstimes.com

For eight decades, Henri Mignon has viewed Americans as heroes. They twice liberated his tiny Belgian hometown, Houffalize, from German occupation — the second time, he said, when he was 8 years old, mere hours after shrapnel from shelling had killed his father.

The image of U.S. troops handing out gum to local children is a memory he has carried with him ever since. And he has dedicated more than 30 years to retelling the story of the war as a guide to tourists who flock to this corner of the Belgium-Luxembourg border, eager to learn about the last major German offensive on the Western Front.

But this month Mr. Mignon, 88, said he felt uncomfortable as he anticipated his Saturday morning Battle of the Bulge tour in Bastogne, just south of Houffalize.

nytimes.com

The Flemish public transport company De Lijn, the Brussels public transport company MIVB and the Belgian rail company NMBS jointly quit the social media platform X (the former Twitter) on Wednesday. The three public transport companies announced that they were leaving X in messages posted on the platform on Wednesday morning.

vrt.be

In response to the "alarming political interference" of the Trump administration in academic research in the United States, the Brussels VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) wants to bring American researchers to the Belgian capital.

The university is opening 12 postdoctoral positions for international researchers, with a specific focus on American scholars working in socially significant fields. These prestigious fellowships come with substantial funding (€2.5 million) as part of the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) programme.

Additionally, as part of the Brains for Brussels initiative, VUB aims to actively attract American professors looking to relocate. In collaboration with its Francophone sister university ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles), VUB is also providing 18 apartments for international researchers seeking temporary residence at the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies.

brusselstimes.com

Since the introduction of the NIS2 legislation last October, 2410 organizations from critical sectors have registered with the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB). The largest ever cyber security operation in the country is currently underway. During this period, reports of cyber incidents increased by 80%.

Cybercrime is set to explode in the coming years. The new European Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) aims to improve the cybersecurity and resilience of essential and key services in well-defined sectors in the EU.

Belgium was the first European member state to fully implement the new NIS2 directive. Belgian organizations covered by the NIS2 legislation have until tomorrow to register on the website atwork.safeonweb.be on a mandatory basis and are currently taking the necessary security measures such as protection against cyber attacks and data breaches.

news.belgium.be

Dutch food delivery service Takeaway.com will soon offer home delivery on medicines to Belgian consumers.

In cooperation with pharmaceutical retailer Phoenix group, Takeaway.com will deliver products from BENU (formerly Lloyds Pharmacy) to the doors of Belgian clients. Customers will be able to order painkillers, skin care products, feminine hygiene products and other essential goods from within the app.

brusselstimes.com

Radiance', the first Franco-Belgian event dedicated to 100% female esports, will be held on 15 March at La Tricoterie in Brussels, organisers announced on Thursday. The event is being organised to mark International Women's Day (8 March).

In the world of esports, women are underrepresented and face numerous obstacles in their professional pursuits, according to the French Embassy in Belgium and Belgian non-profit Gaming Factory, both of which are behind the initiative.

A 2020 study by the Syndicat des Editeurs de Logiciels Libres found that 47% of video game players are women, yet only 6% of them are represented on the esports scene. The organisers believe that a structured, responsible and inclusive esports environment must include women.

brusselstimes.com

Belgian police have raided several locations in the country as part of an investigation into corruption within the European Parliament.

Prosecutors said the alleged corruption was "under the guise of commercial lobbying", and that several people had been detained for questioning.

According to officials, an address in Portugal was also searched by local police in relation to the case.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir said the investigation was linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei and its activities in Brussels since 2021. The BBC has approached Huawei for comment.

bbc.com

Every person registered in Belgium will be able to request a digital copy of their physical identity card for their smartphone from November next year. The digital version, which will not be mandatory, will be as valid as the physical card.

From the age of 15, all people in Belgium are required to carry their identity card with them at all times. Failure to show an identity card is punishable by a fine of €26 to €500. However, people who grew up outside Belgium may not instinctively remember to carry theirs on them.

The digital identity card offers a solution to this problem. From November 2026, anyone who wants a digital ID will be able to apply for one free of charge, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) confirmed on VRT Radio 1. "We have so many things on our phones, including our payment cards. So it's also time for a digital identity card."

The digital document will have the same validity as the physical card, and can be used for identification and authentication. People will

The Saint Peter’s abbey in Ghent was the place to be for fans of the game Dungeons & Dragons last Saturday. Some 700 enthusiastic gamers gathered here to play the game, but also to dress up, buy accessories and attend workshops. ‘It is a form of escapism,’ explains organiser Thomas Goyvaerts.

The St Peter's Abbey is an appropriate setting for a festival organised around the game. ‘This is the 3rd edition of Day of Dungeons, but it's the first time it is staged in Ghent,’ says Thomas. ‘There are hundreds of thousands or even millions of players worldwide, but usually you only play with a small group of about 6 people. Today is one of the few times you can play with a very large group, which is really something unique.’

vrt.be

Caught between the weight of rising taxes and the winds of political unrest, the art world finds itself in the throes of crisis. Though policies threaten to suffocate its vibrancy, Belgium’s art community perseveres in various ways.

There is still much to learn and adapt to, yet despite mounting obstacles, it remains a champion of social and political dialogue — proving that its power to provoke is as strong as ever.

SOME THOUGHTS

A proposal to increase VAT on art to 21% in Belgium has raised concerns about the impact on its art market, which ranks 11th globally. The Royal Chamber of Art Dealers warns that the move could hurt Belgium's international standing and reduce long-term tax revenue.

Dealers fear it will drive businesses to countries with lower VAT, like France, diminishing Belgium's status. For artists, gallery workers, and art lovers alike, this could result in higher prices, fewer gigs, and more undervalued labor.

How to cultivate unfiltered, unapologetic conversation.

Two lions, Miron and Marek, that had been in a shelter in Ukraine arrived at the Natuurhulpcentrum (Nature Aid Centre) in Oudsbergen on Wednesday after a quarantine period in Poland. They were transferred to their new outdoor enclosure on Thursday morning.

"The animals were in a shelter near Kyiv, which they had to leave because of the war," said biologist Frederik Thoelen of the Natuurhulpcentrum. "They initially stayed in a zoo in Poznań (Poland) while waiting for a solution."

The Brussels Times with Belga

Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of continued support during their meeting in Brussels. Ahead of the European summit, he called US President Donald Trump "a real bully."

De Wever and Zelenskyy met in person for the first time on Thursday morning, after having already spoken over the phone at the end of February. The talks took place in the Prime Minister's office at Rue de la Loi 16, before the start of the extra European summit in Brussels.

"What Trump is doing is very un-European. He is also a real bully," said De Wever, after the events of the past few weeks.

However, he added that Belgium will not be cutting ties with the US. "The US remains historically our most important ally within NATO. That will not change with one president." Trump's policies therefore "does not mean that we have to tear up decades-old treaties. We are explicitly not going to do that," De Wever stressed.

Continuing support

Still, De Wever stres

A long-lost painting by Flemish Renaissance artist Abel Grimmer has resurfaced after nearly a century in obscurity.

The artwork, titled 'A Landscape with Peasants near a Lakeside Castle', was discovered in a private collection. It is set to be auctioned by UK-based auction house Woolley & Wallis on Wednesday 5 March, with an estimated value of £20,000 (€24,000).

His paintings are housed in institutions such as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, the Groeningemuseum in Bruges, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

The rediscovered painting is a quintessential example of Grimmer's small-scale landscapes, featuring charming scenes of rural life. Many of his works formed series, such as 'The Four Seasons' or 'The Twelve Months', and it is believed this painting was likely part of a pair depicting seasonal contrasts.

brusselstimes.com

The availability of critical medicines is under pressure within the European Union (EU) and globally. In recent years, shortages have become increasingly visible, partly because of geopolitical tensions and a heavy dependence on Asian countries for raw materials. To address this challenge, the Critical Medicines Alliance was established in April 2024 under the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council. This Alliance consists of stakeholders from healthcare, industry and civil society and works with representatives from European Member States to formulate sustainable solutions. The primary goal of the Alliance is to identify bottlenecks in the supply of medicines and formulate recommendations.

The result is impressive: the past year of intensive discussions with all stakeholders has led to the development of an ambitious strategic report. The report provides con