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Belgium

October

As Brussels booms, an old bogeyman returns

Are new developments making the city more livable, or do they herald a return to the bad old days of chaotic development?

  • Feargus O'Sullivan

September

A record field of 25,000 runners started the Sydney Marathon on Sunday.

Here’s what happens to your heart when you run a marathon

When Brimin Misoi broke the Sydney Marathon record on Sunday, his heart would have temporarily swollen by about 15 per cent. Getting too big might be a problem.

  • Euan Black

February

Biscoff-related recipes range from expresso martinis to cakes and even a bear by Queensland’s Aether Brewing.

The sweet rise of a Belgian coffee biscuit to global TikTok obsession

‘Not just a hype’: How the 92-year-old snackmaker behind Biscoff captivated Gen Z

  • Amanda Chu

December 2023

The Saverglass factory in Arques. Orora spent $2.2 billion buying the French group earlier this year.

Hennessy bottle maker tips a no growth year

The newly acquired French spirit bottle maker will deliver flat earnings in 2023-24 because of soft demand, in a blow for Orora investors.

  • Simon Evans

August 2023

A gas pumping station at the Belgium port of Zeebrugge.

EU imports ‘absurd’ amounts of LNG from Russia

Belgium and Spain are the world’s second and third-biggest importers of Russian LNG this year.

  • Alice Hancock and Shotaro Tani
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December 2022

The five “supermajors” – Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total and BP – report a combined global net profit of more than $87.3 billion in the second quarter of this calendar year alone.

Big oil hit with new climate activist campaign

Follow This has filed shareholder resolutions demanding the four companies cut emissions more aggressively.

  • Myles McCormick and Tom Wilson
Eva Kaili, European parliament vice-president, has been stripped of her duties.

The European Parliament, suitcases of cash, and a question

Bribes are actually a macabre sort of compliment. Obviously, somebody, somewhere considers members of the European Parliament worth corrupting.

  • Andreas Kluth

May 2022

Wind turbine expansion plan in North Sea to ease gas reliance

Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands plan to build four artificial islands with wind farms, that will create as much energy as 30 nuclear reactors.

  • Leslie Hook

February 2022

A view of the Belgian city of Leuven. Belgium’s rate of employment is substantially lower than in neighbouring countries.

Belgian workers win the right to a four-day week

Belgium has given workers the right to work four days without losing any salary in a bid to boost the country’s labour market.

  • John Martens and Lyubov Pronina

April 2021

The Patania II.

Mining robot stranded on Pacific Ocean floor

The robot, nicknamed Patania II, was trapped more than 4 kilometres below the surface as it took part in a trial of deep-sea mining.

  • Helen Reid

October 2020

Paris at sunset ... and masked.

France tightens curfews as it passes one million cases

Nearly two thirds of intensive care beds are occupied by coronavirus patients in the Paris area.

  • David Chazan and Daniel Wighton
Surging cases in Europe underscore Australia's success, but the global battle is not over yet.

Lessons from Europe as it faces second-wave setbacks

Europe let its guard down and now infection rates are once again breaking records - but as countries go back into lockdown, there is rigorous debate about whether they work.

  • Hans van Leeuwen
Yves Barruet protests new COVID-19 restrictions outside his closed bar in Paris.

Bars and cafes close as European cities brace against another wave

Paris was first to partially shut down, with authorities imposing from Tuesday night a 10pm curfew on bars and cafes, along with distancing rules, but these have rarely been followed to the letter.

  • Henry Samuel and James Crisp

July 2020

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was overconfident about his nation's ability to withstand the virus.

Europe said it was pandemic-ready but pride was its downfall

European nations, initially keen to advise others, are going through a painful reality check on their own lack of preparation to face the pandemic.

  • David D. Kirkpatrick, Matt Apuzzo and Selam Gebrekidan

October 2019

The Museum aan de Stroom features red brick volumes interspersed with undulating glass panels.

Antwerp flaunts its creative edge

The Belgian city may have retained its old-world elegance but there’s a revolution under way in architecture and design.

  • Stephen Todd

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/belgium-6ts