myrmidex

cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/26831727

Belgian security agents bugged a corporate box at the RSC Anderlecht football stadium that was being used by Chinese tech giant Huawei to schmooze members of the European Parliament.

They also listened into other conversations involving one of Huawei’s leading lobbyists, including in his car. The surveillance operations, confirmed by three people with close knowledge of the investigation, formed part of a wide-ranging probe into allegations of corruption that was first revealed in March. They contributed to the Belgian prosecutor’s decision, reported by POLITICO on Monday, to request that a group of MEPs have their immunities lifted so they can be investigated.

The Flemish government is introducing stricter labour migration policies aimed at reducing the number of non-EU workers, particularly those with low qualifications. However, a recent OECD report warns that such restrictions could harm Flanders’ economy.

Employment minister Zuhal Demir announced that employers will be required to prioritise hiring from within Flanders before recruiting from outside the EU. While high-skilled migrants will still be welcomed, with faster administrative processing for non-EU work permit applications, the new policy will specifically exclude low-skilled non-EU workers from roles such as cleaners, fast-food staff, and dishwashers. EU workers and seasonal agricultural labourers will remain exempt.

The government thus wants to prioritise local workers to counter rising unemployment and recent collective redundancies. According to Demir, it is essential to “help our own people” before looking abroad. She further emphasised that while Flanders remains open to international top talent, the focus should be on training local workers and utilising the existing regional labour force.

However, the OECD points out that this approach disregards the reality of the Flemish labour market. The report, released in March 2025, highlights that Flanders faces one of the tightest labour markets in Europe and that the region deals with severe shortages across both skilled and unskilled sectors. Despite high employment rates, Flanders is struggling with a mismatch between available jobs and qualified workers, particularly in technical, care, and low-skilled service roles.

The OECD says that improving local employment is important, but stresses that a balanced migration policy is crucial to sustaining Flanders’ economic health. “Given the urgent nature of shortages in the labour market and considering that activation policies and measures encouraging labour mobility take time to have impact, labour migration is expected to become more important over the coming years.”

The OECD recommends that Flanders streamline its migration framework to make it more flexible and efficient, allowing for the faster integration of skilled and unskilled workers alike. Focusing solely on high-skilled migration overlooks the reality that many sectors, such as hospitality and care, continue to face persistent staff shortages and that local recruitment there has already proven insufficient.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/11547794

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/11547677

Start der neuen Tram heute in Lüttich!

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/35691280

Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – An unconventional Belgian prince will learn on Monday if he has the right to social security on top of his royal allowance after he sued for coverage -- the first time a royal has taken such action against the state in the country's nearly 200-year history.

The 61-year-old Prince Laurent, youngest of three children of the former king and queen, insists his work entitles his family to social security -- and that he is acting out of "principle" rather than for money.

Prince Laurent is no stranger to embarrassing the royal family. His long list of unwelcome antics includes likening his relatives to East Germany's Stasi secret police in 2015.

In 2018, his annual state allowance was cut by 15 percent because he met foreign dignitaries without the federal government's approval.

It was not his first faux pas, but the punishment was unprecedented.

Laurent -- who received 388,000 euros ($425,000) last year from state coffers and lives in his home rent-free -- insists he is not motivated by money.

"This is not about financial means but principle," he told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

"When a migrant comes here, he registers, he has a right to it. I may be a migrant too, but one whose family established the state in place," he added.

Laurent has pointed to medical costs and his concerns over his family's financial wellbeing since the royal allowance will be cut when he dies.

The prince has had an animal welfare foundation offering free veterinary care in clinics for the past 10 years.

He says the foundation work, alongside dozens of visits representing Belgium and participation on several boards, means he has a busy schedule.

The prince believes he is entitled to social security coverage for independent entrepreneurs.

He took legal action after his application was refused. A first hearing was held in November 2024.

The prince did not take legal action on a "whim", said his lawyer Olivier Rijckaert, in an article in Le Soir newspaper.

Social security is "a right granted by Belgian law to every resident, from the poorest to the biggest billionaire", the lawyer added.

Laurent only receives a salary worth 25 percent of his allowance, since the rest covers professional expenses including travel and wages for a staff member.

This comes to a monthly net wage for the prince of 5,000 euros ($5,480), which is comparable to the "average salary of a senior executive in Belgium", but without the usual "full social security coverage", Rijckaert said.

Laurent and his British wife, Claire, have three children now in their twenties.

Without this coverage, Laurent cannot claim reimbursement for certain medical expenses, or sick pay if he is unable to work.

He is not the only royal to have been unhappy about money.

When King Albert II abdicated in favour of his son Philippe after 20 years of reign in 2013, the ex-monarch found his 923,000 euros ($1.25 million) a year insufficient.

Laurent has lambasted what he calls an attempt to "control" him.

"I never asked for an allowance! I always wanted to work, but I was prevented from doing so," he said in 2023, noting his desire, at the age of 60, to "finally" be able to pursue independent projects.

The judgment will not be delivered in public but sent to the parties in the case on Monday.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.it/post/16080182

A collective of pedestrians living in the Brussels is fighting illegal parking by putting humorous stickers on the rear windows of cars parked on the pavement – hindering people wanting to walk or cycle safely.

The sticker read: "Don't be a Putin. Don't annex the pavement."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27050557

Just sharing another video, enjoy!

Last June, fans of Comedy Central – the long-running channel behind beloved programmes such as The Daily Show and South Park – received an unwelcome surprise. Paramount Global, Comedy Central’s parent company, unceremoniously purged the vast repository of video content on the channel’s website, which dated back to the late 1990s.

Every Daily Show episode since Jon Stewart took over as host in 1999? Disappeared. The historic remains of The Colbert Report? Disappeared. Presumably, one hopes, those materials remain archived internally somewhere, but for the general masses, they’re kaput. Instead, the links redirect visitors to Paramount+, a streaming service whose offerings pale in comparison. (The service offers recent seasons of the Daily Show to paying subscribers, but only a fraction of the prior archive.)

Such digital demolitions are becoming routine. For fans and scholars of pop culture, 2024 may go down as the year the internet shrank. Despite the immense archiving capabilities of the internet, we’re living through an age of mass deletion, a moment when entertainment and media corporations see themselves not as custodians of valuable cultural history, once freely available, but as ruthless maximisers of profit. Those of us who believe in the historical value of accessing media from the past are paying the price.

Caught this gem on the news the other day.

Surprise surprise. And of course, the usual casual dismissal of corruption:

"We take note of the audit," responded the cabinet of Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo). "We will read the additional report of the Court of Audit with great attention. Since 2018, many improvements have already been made in terms of procurement policy at Ypto."