Maïthé Chini

Brussels, Maasmechelen

Senior Reporter at The Brussels Times

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

Featured in: Favicon

brusselstimes.com

Articles

Belgium needs 'clear procedure' to determine Brussels Airport flight routes

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

The Federal Government has been ordered to adjust the flight routes above the municipalities around Brussels Airport in Zaventem (just outside the capital). In response, Belgium's new Mobility Minister, Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) has stressed that a "clear procedure for determining routes" is now needed. While Brussels Airport is located in Flanders, it falls under the competency of the Federal Government.
Oil boilers, service vouchers, consumer credits: What changes in Belgium on 1 June?

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Credit: BelgaAs is customary in Belgium, the start of a new month signifies a series of new rules. From 1 June, new measures and decisions will be implemented across the country. The most important changes and how they will impact people can be found here. The paper service vouchers (also called "titres-service") will disappear permanently from 1 June, and will only become available digitally. The previous Flemish Government decided in 2023 that the paper service vouchers would disappear from 2025.
What is Ascension Day, and what is open in Belgium today?

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Thursday's bank holiday marks the start of a long weekend for many Belgians, with many opting to also take the Friday off. This public holiday is an occasion to enjoy time away from work, but non-Christians may not realise that Ascension, sometimes called Holy Thursday, is a key celebration as part of the Easter cycle.
Belgian Crown Princess Elisabeth's academic future uncertain after US foreign student ban

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Belgium's Crown Princess Elisabeth. Credit: Royal PalaceBelgium's future queen Elisabeth has just finished the first year of her Master's degree at Harvard. However, with US President Donald Trump revoking universities' permission to admit international students, the future of the Crown Princess' education is now uncertain.
Brussels 30 km/h speed limit, five years on - Lower speeds, fewer accidents

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

The Brussels-Capital Region introduced the generalised 30 km/h speed limit in 2021. Five years on, the measure continues to have a positive effect on both speed, and the number and severity of accidents. One of Brussels' main objectives is 'Vision Zero' – having zero traffic deaths on its roads by 2030 – and the 30 km/h speed limit is one of the capital's "essential pillars" in the strategy to get there, according to Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).
'Taking fate into our own hands': MR launches declaration to 'save' Brussels

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Nearly a year after the elections, the Francophone liberal MR party presented an 80-page policy statement to make "Brussels take its fate into its own hands" at a press conference on Wednesday. The declaration was presented by party leader Georges-Louis Bouchez and David Leisterh, the leader of MR's Brussels chapter, who had been tasked with finding a regional government in June last year. "We are very confident that this text will lead to a new Brussels Government.
'Not a luxury': Flanders under fire for price rise of foreign language courses

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Flanders is re-shaping its adult education system to focus on activating people by making job-guaranteed training cheaper and raising the prices of courses not focused on work. As a result, language courses will go up considerably. Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) announced that the prices of so-called "hobby courses" offered in adult education centres in Flanders will rise, as they do not guarantee employment.
'Children as young as 12': Terrorism suspects getting younger and younger

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

Suspects in terrorism-related cases in Belgium are younger than ever, according to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office's annual report for 2024 that was released on Monday. The Belgian authorities recorded an exponential increase in the number of cases "involving minors suspected of acts qualifying as terrorism": while 16 cases were opened in 2022, that number rose to 24 in 2023, and in 2024 it more than doubled, to a total of 55 cases in total.
Trump's 50% tariffs for EU would have 'serious consequences' for Belgium

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

United States President Donald Trump's threat to impose 50% import tariffs on goods from the European Union would have "serious consequences" for the Flemish – and therefore Belgian – economy. Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on almost all EU imports from 1 June. However, in a post on his Truth Social platform, he confirmed a temporary pause after what he described as a "very nice call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Brussels municipality considers installing underground waste bins

1 week ago | brusselstimes.com | Maïthé Chini

The Brussels municipality of Ixelles is going to examine installing underground waste containers as an alternative to people putting their rubbish bags out on the streets, as part of its municipal cleanliness plan. Although cleanliness and waste collection are largely Regional compentences, many parties in Brussels took firm stances on the topics in the run-up to the local elections in October.