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Sounds of Brussels. Why the city is a musical hotspot

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

From the biggest concert halls to your local bar, you’ll never starve for a musical interlude.By LEYLA AKSU and PAUL DALLISONin BrusselsIllustration by Nicole Chui for POLITICO“On n’a pas les tours de New YorkOn n’a pas de lumière du jour, 6 mois dans l’annéeOn n’a pas Beaubourg ni la SeineOn n’est pas la ville de l’amour, mais bon vous voyezEt sûrement que dès ce soir le ciel couvrira une tempêteMais après l’orage avec des bières, les gens feront la fête”— Opening lines of “Bruxelles je t’aime” by Angèle.“So, at the weekend, I stumbled across a little festival in a square, and there was some fantastic Senegalese folk music” is quite likely a sentence that’s been said in Brussels during the past few weeks.That’s because the city has a wonderful array of music, found everywhere from the biggest concert halls to your local bar. Jazz and hip-hop and all genres are plentiful, and the big acts come here too (though remember that the F...

Arrive at Gare du Midi, then run! How to navigate Brussels

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

From confusing and dangerous train stations to scooters dumped in a pile, Brussels has all your transport needs covered.By JOSHUA POSANERand HANNE COKELAEREin BrusselsIllustration by Lucas Burtin for POLITICOThis article is part of the Brussels guide special report.Welcome to Brussels, where getting around can be as mind-bending as the city’s famed surrealist art.While the EU capital is flush with trains, trams, buses, metros, and even the odd pre-metro (basically a tram masquerading as a subway), there are a few things fresh arrivals should know before boarding Brussels’ sprawling public transport network.First things first … don’t judge the city by its principal international train station, Gare du Midi.No, not the central station — believe us, many a befuddled first-time visitor makes that mistake. Brussels has a magnificent, if congested, Victor Horta-designed Central Station (located yards from the majestic Grand Place and all the chocolate, waffles and fries one could ev...

Bloody architects! The good, the bad and the ugly of Brussels

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

OPTICSLove it or hate it, Brussels architecture is anything but boring.By SARAH ANNE AARUP in BrusselsIllustration by Max Erwin for POLITICOThis article is part of the Brussels guide special report.In Brussels, the expression “schieven architect!” — or “twisted architect!” — was once a common insult.That’s because back in 1860, the young Belgian state bestowed upon architect Joseph Poelaert the task of designing the monstrously huge Palace of Justice to serve as its main courthouse. It was the largest building constructed in the world during the 19th century.A large swath of the Marolles quarter was torn down to erect the palace, thus giving rise to the Brusseleir insult “schieven architect.” It’s not just the Palace of Justice that has proven divisive. The city’s architectural landscape is both weird and wonderful — once defamed, the eclectic beauty of Brussels’ buildings is now being rediscovered.Unlike Paris’ strict beige Hausmanian unity, the EU capital’s architecture...

Walk this way: Touring Brussels on foot

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

A guide to some of the city’s hidden gems — and not a peeing boy in site.By KETRIN JOCHECOVÁin BrusselsIllustration by Flora Bai for POLITICOThis article is part of the Brussels guide special report.It’s hard to be a tourist in a city you know like the back of your hand.But one of the joys of Brussels is that it’s home to a lot of hidden gems. So we’ve come up with a walking tour of the city that takes in a few of them, some of which may be new to you even if you’ve lived here for years.And if you’re an actual tourist, or have just moved here, it’s a handy list of places to visit after you’ve ticked off the obvious sights such as the Grand Place and various peeing statues. Here’s a list of 10 go-to places in Brussels, ranked in an easy-to-follow manner, from central recommendations to the ones located a bit outside. We recommend taking public transport or a bike at some point.A few notes before you put on your sensible walking shoes: ...

Dwindling donations alarm Ukraine’s frontline hospitals

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

Kris Parker is a freelance journalist currently reporting on Ukraine. His work has appeared in outlets including the Nation, OpenDemocracy and the Euromaidan Press.ZAPORIZHZHIA— Every day brings new challenges for Mykhailo Danilyuk. The 34-year-old surgeon has been operating on wounded patients since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, splitting his time between three hospitals.“Today, we had only 10 soldiers and 20 civilians. Yesterday, we had 48 soldiers and 40 civilians. And I don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” he said during a cigarette break outside Zaporizhzhia’s Hospital Number Five.“The only reason we’re still alive is because volunteers help us with supplies.”Russia’s invasion sparked a large wave of international support for Ukraine, with governments, nonprofits and volunteers rushing to assist the embattled nation as Ukrainian society quickly mobilized to defend itself.Of course, as hospitals responded, a key challenge was to ensure they had necessary s...

Leading Egyptian opposition politician targeted with spyware, researchers find

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A leading Egyptian opposition politician was targeted with spyware multiple times after announcing a presidential bid — including with malware that automatically infects smartphones, security researchers have found. They say Egyptian authorities were likely behind the attempted hacks. Discovery of the malware last week by researchers at Citizen Lab and Google’s Threat Analysis Group prompted Apple to rush out operating system updates for iPhones, iPads, Mac computers and Apple Watches to patch the associated vulnerabilities.Citizen Lab said in a blog post that attempts beginning in August to hack former Egpytian lawmaker Ahmed Altantawy involved configuring his phone’s connection to the Vodaphone Egypt mobile network to automatically infect it with Predator spyware if he visited certain websites not using the secure HTTPS protocol. Citizen Lab said the effort likely failed because Altantawy had his phone in “lockdown mode,” which Apple recommends for iPhone users...

Donald Trump commits to Nevada caucus as state GOP approves rules rivals see as helping his campaign

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump ‘s campaign committed to running in Nevada’s caucus as the state party approved rules that rival campaigns say tilt the state’s nominating process in his favor.The provisions would bar any candidate from the Feb. 8 caucus if they participate in the state-run primary two days earlier. They would also restrict super PACs, like the one Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is relying on, from trying to bolster support for candidates in a caucus. Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald said Saturday evening that Trump will participate in the caucus after a closed-door meeting of its central committee. Earlier, a person involved with Trump’s campaign declined to confirm the campaign’s participation to The Associated Press but said “we’ll have an announcement to make at a later date, in the very, very near future.”Three people familiar with the matter confirmed the rules changes on Saturday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not ...

Ride-share driver attacked by passengers during attempted carjacking in Beach Park

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

BEACH PARK, Ill. — Authorities are investigating after three passengers attempted to carjack their ride-share driver in Beach Park overnight.According to detectives from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the scene in the 10100 block of West Talmadge Avenue just after 2 a.m. on Saturday morning. ‘He was a community man’: 86-year-old killed in shooting in Auburn Gresham Authorities say a preliminary investigation shows that the 40-year-old victim, a ride-share driver, was called to pick up three passengers in an unknown location. According to detectives, the driver picked them up and after arriving at their destination he was attacked by the three passengers who attempted to steal his car.Detectives say the victim fought back, began yelling and was honking the car's horn, but while attempting to fight back, the victim was hit in the head and the three offenders allegedly stole his phone. Following the attack, the three fled the scene on foot.Police say a cani...

No. 3 Texas blows out Baylor 38-6 in final Big 12 opener before next year's SEC move

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Baylor will have a long time to think about this loss before they play Texas again.The No. 3 Longhorns went into McLane Stadium and ran all over the Bears to win 38-6 in what's presumably the final meeting Saturday between the teams for the foreseeable future. Texas will jump to the Southeastern Conference next season.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersTexas piled up 503 total yards including 175 on the ground and four touchdowns to overwhelm the Baylor defense. On the other side of the ball, the Texas defense smothered the Baylor ground game to allow 60 yards on 31 attempts. Jonathon Brooks led the Longhorns with 106 rushing yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns while CJ Baxter and Quinn Ewers also scored on the ground. Through the air, Ewers was 18 of 23 for 293 yards with a touchdown. Ja'Tavion Sanders hauled in five catches for 110 yards.Live updates...

Loons’ home woes continue with loss to St. Louis

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

Minnesota United has struggled mightily at Allianz Field this season, with the league’s second-worst home record entering Saturday night’s game.After losing 2-1 to St. Louis City, the Loons’ second consecutive home loss and third overall, MNUFC might have to ask MLS if it can play its two remaining home games somewhere other than St. Paul.The loss left Minnesota outside the playoff spots for another week, with just four games to go in the season. The Loons have made the postseason four consecutive years, the only Western Conference team to do so – but after losing three times in eight days, that streak is hanging by a thread.MNUFC has taken just 17 points in 15 home games this season, but Saturday was the first time since the first two home games of the 2021 season that they’d lost consecutive home games.The loss felt even worse, given that it was the Loons that originally took the lead in the second half. St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki may be the best keeper in MLS so far this se...