Maïthé Chini

Brussels, Maasmechelen

Senior Reporter at The Brussels Times

Aspiring grown-up. She/her. Reporter @BrusselsTimes Email: [email protected]

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Articles

'Only five seats left'? Ryanair taken to court for 'misleading' booking process

20 hours ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is being sued for violating consumers' rights with "sneaky pricing tricks" and false claims when booking a trip. As three previous complaints filed with the Economic Inspectorate yielded no results, Belgian consumers' rights organisation Testachats (with the support of its umbrella organisation Euroconsumers) is now taking the company to court.
Belgium's public sector strike on Tuesday: What we know so far

21 hours ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Daily life will be disrupted by another strike in Belgium on Tuesday (20 May), as workers in all public services will protest against the Federal Government's plans for austerity. What disruptions are expected? The socialist trade union CGSP/ACOD is taking to the streets to denounce the 'Arizona' government's planned cuts in the public sector, including the phasing out of civil servants' pensions and civil servants' status, as well as the erosion of social security.
Brussels universities build 'literal bridge' to overcome language barrier

1 day ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

LIC from the outside. Credit: Greetje Van BuggenhoutThe Brussels universities on both sides of Belgium's linguistic border – the Dutch-speaking VUB and the Francophone ULB – have literally and figuratively built a bridge between them by opening a shared Learning & Innovation Centre (LIC) to connect their campuses in Ixelles. For years, the two universities worked side-by-side. However, despite their campuses being nearby, they never really overcame the language divide.
Belgians earn substantially less on savings than most of Eurozone

1 day ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Savings accounts with Belgian banks have a much lower interest rate than in most other Eurozone countries, according to new data from the European Central Bank (ECB). In Belgium, the average interest rate paid by banks on savings deposits stood at 0.89% in March – much lower than in most neighbouring countries: the average rate was 1.4% in the Netherlands, 2.1% in France and even 2.2% in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Belgium rises to second place for LGBTQ+ rights in Europe

1 day ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Belgium climbed to second place in the European ranking for LGBTQ+ rights by the ILGA-Europe advocacy group on Wednesday – overtaking Iceland on the list. Belgium achieves a score of 85.31% – well above the European average of 51.13%. Overtaking Iceland on the list, Belgium is now in second place behind Malta, which has been the leader for several years, according to an annual analysis of LGBTQ+ rights in European countries.
Brussels communes with high crime see boom in business activity - study

2 days ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Belgian municipalities with high crime rates experience a paradoxical boom in business activity, according to new economic research. The three top municipalities are all located in the Brussels-Capital Region. Brussels has increasingly been rocked by rising crime rates – with a spate of drug-related shootings last month.
Bomb threat at Charleroi Airport - all flights suspended

3 days ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Illustration image of a Ryanair plane. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck A bomb threat was declared at Charleroi Airport on Tuesday morning. There was reportedly a bomb on a plane coming from Porto. All arriving and departing flights have been suspended for the time being. Just before 11:00, a bomb threat was reported on board a Ryanair plane from Porto (Portugal) that had arrived at Charleroi Airport shortly before. For the time being, no flights are departing or arriving from the airport.
All Brussels metro lines disrupted by spontaneous staff action

3 days ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Credit: The Brussels TimesAll metro traffic in the Brussels-Capital Region is currently at a standstill due to a spontaneous staff action by metro drivers of public transport operator STIB/MIVB. After a brief interruption of metro lines 2 and 6 on Tuesday morning, all metro traffic is now at a complete standstill. Metro drivers spontaneously refused to work on Tuesday morning, STIB/MIVB confirmed to The Brussels Times.
New American Pope could still be subject to 'absurd' US tax system

3 days ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Despite taking up residence in the Vatican, the new pope Leo XIV – an American citizen – could theoretically still be subjected to US taxes under the intergovernmental FATCA agreement, just like millions of 'Accidental Americans'. The Pope's situation is "highly symbolic" of the issue with the United States tax policy, according to the Tax Fairness for Americans Abroad organisation.
Belgium in Brief: Minister 'Atomic boy'

4 days ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Today, we have an exclusive interview with Belgium's Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet (MR), often dubbed "Atomic Boy." He has emerged as the country's most vocal defender of nuclear energy. "This isn't just a technical matter – it's a moral reckoning," he says. The nickname "Atomic Boy" came as a joke but stuck as a brand. "Better than having my name attached to a corruption scandal or a tax," he winks. This, and more, on our website today.