​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishGENERAL5,000-year-old agricultural settlement uncovered in Maaseik13 August 2024 Archaeologists have uncovered a Late Neolithic agricultural settlement in Maaseik Previous finds in Flanders from that era have never been as complete It is rare to find settlements from the Late Neolithic in Flanders so the discovery in Maaseik sheds new light on the societies that lived in the region 5,000 years ago The archaeological evidence will help to better understand the spread of agriculture and the development of early communities in northwestern Europe "This is an exceptional site for Flanders," says Petra Driesen of the Aron archaeological office "We have found traces that point to a settlement that originated in the Late Neolithic This is a period we knew little about in Flanders especially compared to the surrounding regions where such settlements are more common." The discoveries will nowbe further investigated and documented to get a better picture of life in the Late Neolithic in the region The archaeological team plans to use radiocarbon dating #FlandersNewsService | Tools from the Neolithic period on display in the Prehistomuseum in Flemalle © BELGA PHOTO LAURENT CAVENATI Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu TEHRAN – Iran international wing spiker Amirhossein Esfandiar arrived in Maaseik on Saturday to join Belgian volleyball club Greenyard Maaseik who was a member of Iranian club Kalleh Mazandaran over the past five years penned a contract with Greenyard Maaseik in May but he could not join the team due to the flight restriction caused by coronavirus pandemic has not yet traveled to Belgium due to visa issues Greenyard Maaseik will play at the CEV Champions League next season Karimi and Esfandiar will be the first Iranian players to play in Liga Heren (men's volleyball in Belgium) Greenyard Maaseik are a volleyball club from Maaseik They play their home games in the Lotto Dôme Maaseik Medievalists.net One of the most exceptional illuminated manuscripts from the 8th century has been digitized and is now available online a Gospel Book from the treasury of Saint Catherine’s church in Maaseik is the oldest preserved “book” produced in the Low Countries This early Carolingian Codex was produced around the year 760 during the early stages of Christianization in the region It is presumed that this Gospel Book was written in the scriptorium of the Abbey of Echternach and that it was brought to the Abbey of Aldeneik by Saint Willibrord himself There it was preserved and worshipped in the context of the adoration of Saint Harlindis and Saint Relindis In the year 1571 the Codex Eyckensis was moved from the Abbey of Aldeneik to the crypt of Saint Catherine’s church in Maaseik where it has been kept and preserved ever since Under the leadership of Professor Lieve Watteeuw and in cooperation with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Imaging Lab (Bruno Vandermeulen) and with the KU Leuven Illuminare – Centre for the study of Medieval Art the Codex Eyckensis was accurately digitised at very high resolution A mobile digitisation lab was set up at the church treasury to enable the manuscript to be examined and photographed on site and in optimal circumstances Click here to view the manuscript online In addition to the Codex Eyckensis, there is another, lesser-known 10th-century Gospel Book held in the depository of the Maaseik Museums. This manuscript has been digitised and made available – click here to access it To extend this improved availability to the international level, access to the digitised Codex Eyckensis will be provided via the portals of Europeana and Erfgoedplus, and through www.museamaaseik.be Roxanne Wyns from KU Leuven – LIBIS presents on three digital library projects We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast and remove the advertising on our platforms This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce Member Login Bonne Chance Farm's Ilex jumps under McLain Ward with a stellar performance from Bonne Chance Farm's Ilex 2 in the team show jumping competition behind gold medal winner Great Britain at the Paris Olympics part of a three-horse team representing the United States is an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood for Gilberto Sayão Da Silva's Bonne Chance Farm a prominent racing and breeding operation in Central Kentucky Bonne Chance's burgeoning show jumping division ROLLINS: Bonne Chance Pursues Olympics With Ilex Co-owner McLain Ward was aboard Ilex for a penalty-free run and he collected his fifth Olympic medal in this team event Karl Cook aboard Carcole De La Roque and Laura Kraut on Baloutinue were others involved in the U.S Their achievement was a bright spot for the U.S was unable to earn a medal in the eventing competition and did not qualify for either the team or individual dressage finals Sign up for BloodHorse Daily Ilex gets another chance to compete for an Olympic medal Aug 5 in the individual show jumping qualifier Jos Verstappen is still the Netherlands most successful Formula 1 driver This season he shares his opinions regarding the sport via a column in Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraaf the Belgian Grand Prix is the favourite race of year Published on 21 August 2015 by Niels Hendrix it's Max' home race as it's only 45 minutes from our home in Maaseik by car And because of the heightened enthusiasm after Max' fourth place in Hungary last month That's why Max is even more motivated to claim a great result Spa is a typical 'power circuit'; it's all about engine power That's exactly what the Toro Rossos of Max and Carlos Sainz lack I'm looking ahead to Sunday's race with mixed feelings as we need to remain realistic Personally I had several memorable moments at Spa One the one hand a podium finish in 1994 after Michael Schumacher was disqualified but also a severe crash in 1996 even more so this year with an extra grid of kerb stones at the top Basically every driver will take Eau Rouge flat but you have to have a good line at the exit you can't judge the height difference sitting in the car television does not capture the steep incline you can feel walking up Eau Rouge in your legs It's the first race after the summer break so many teams will bring updates along Apparently McLaren will take to the track with a vastly improved Honda engine Sauber will be able to use an updated Ferrari engine whereas the Toro Rosso boys have to use the same Renault engine their first power-unit upgrade is scheduled for the Russian GP in Sotsji in October That's why I think Max could have a difficult second half of the season mainly considering the track lay-outs of several upcoming Grands Prix it's something Max has to learn to deal and cope with Sometimes you can hear the frustration when he reacts a bit emotional but I think it shows his drive and will to always preform well Click here to participate in a contest, for the Begian GP, and win Verstappen-goodies! Follow Max on social media and keep informed When Maureen's husband told her he was traveling abroad to help a friend They wanted him in connection with the 2004 Madrid bombings the 24-year-old tells how she fell for the wrong man pounding on the front door of Maureen's home in the sleepy picturesque market town of Maaseik in northeastern Belgium she jumped out of bed and hurried to open the door he's in Syria." The men pushed her into the kitchen and searched her home "I didn't understand what was happening," says Maureen "I was in shock." Once the police were satisfied that she was alone they started grilling her about her husband—and about his ties to terrorists Maureen was well aware that just a week earlier bombers had blown up four commuter trains in Madrid The atrocity was one of Europe's deadliest attacks And it hadn't taken long for investigators to establish that the perpetrators—members of a terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda—had a wide array of international connections including colleagues who had provided them with safe houses and support in Belgium Maureen didn't want to believe that her husband could be involved with such an attack she knew he had been running with an increasingly radical crowd Thus marked the beginning of a terrifying journey that would leave the young wife questioning her faith and her future—and eventually fighting for her freedom is hardly the kind of person you'd expect to be married to a terrorist she looks a little like the soulful young woman in Vermeer's famous painting Girl With a Pearl Earring. When I meet her on a recent afternoon at her home in Belgium she greets me with a polite but tentative "Bonjour." Soon we're sitting across from each other at a dining table in her living room and she's recalling how she first met her husband back in 2002—in the most unexpected of places and she was partying at a bar in Maastricht a clubbing mecca just across the Dutch border from her home the handsome young Arab man she'd spotted on previous visits to the bar The way he stared at her left her feeling a bit unsettled he approached and asked for her phone number "Because it's my birthday," she told him with a smile There was nothing remotely radical about the guy was very much a local boy; his Muslim parents like hundreds of other Maaseik inhabitants preferring to spend his time playing soccer or clubbing even if he never drank—his one concession to his religious upbringing Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends unsure what to do now that she'd finished high school She'd moved to Maaseik two years earlier to live with her mother following an argument with her Spanish-born father a strict disciplinarian who had raised her in the Belgian town of Liège after divorcing her mom I could do whatever I wanted," Maureen says Maureen was spending a lot of time with Rachid and the pair hit the clubs with a vengeance "All my friends were in Liège," she says glancing out the window at the fields surrounding her house things won't turn out well,'" Maureen says she began to quiz Rachid about his religion 'Why are you not allowed to eat pork?' and that sort of thing," she recalls Like many young women with few career prospects Maureen was in search of a sense of purpose She had grown up in Catholicism but says she wanted a clearer code by which to live "I started looking more and more into Islam You're not allowed to do everything—you're not allowed to date two guys at the same time," she adds hinting at her freewheeling life before Rachid Maureen went to the mosque one day - without telling Rachid—and ended up saying her shahadah, the simple profession of faith that results in immediate conversion to Islam Her enthusiasm spurred him to learn more about his faith as well and practicing the religion became a bonding experience it was a case of discovering Islam together," she says a man of Moroccan descent who worked as a pastry baker Khalid espoused a radical and fundamentalist interpretation of Islam; he had trained in a terrorist camp in Afghanistan he was secretly part of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group Rachid increasingly hung out with Khalid and his circle presumably impressed by their religious zeal wearing the hijab—the headscarf that covers the head and shoulders—married Rachid at the local mosque bathing the Flemish landscape in the golden light magically captured by Maaseik's famous son Maureen tells me about the life she chose to lead Maureen raised the subject with the wife of Rachid's new best friend She told Maureen that wearing the burka would be the ultimate show of faith She tells me all this very matter-of-factly as if it's not unusual for a young Western woman to swap her miniskirts for the burka But she felt the garb gave her a certain power but they don't see you; men don't know if you're pretty or not—they don't see anything at all," she explains "But some people think you're dangerous or crazy." who stopped speaking to her immediately after she married they grudgingly agreed to attend their daughter's civil ceremony (necessary under Belgian law to legalize a marriage) "My own mother was scared of me when I arrived at the town hall in my burka," says Maureen Why?' It was very hard for me and for Rachid." Maureen's social universe very quickly became restricted to the wives of Rachid's new circle—and only the wives because the group believed in segregation of the sexes But she didn't miss the company of men much in our 20s." She particularly appreciated the tight-knit group's support structure [pullquote align='C']It's strange at first the wives would stream into the adjoining medieval market square but everybody was scared of us," she recalls the town started a controversial fine of 120 euros (about $180) for women caught wearing the burka—a symptom of fear of Islamic extremism after 9/11 The feeling of being under siege only deepened Maureen's sense of separation from society she now sits across the room from us while we speak Rachid had told Maureen that he needed to go abroad to help a friend he was undertaking his first assignment for the Maaseik terrorist cell [pullquote align='C'] "He forced me to close all the curtains so nobody could see me inside." [/pullquote] His mission: to travel to Istanbul to smuggle a member of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group into Belgium The man he'd been called upon to help was Lahoussine el Haski He was on the run from the Saudi Arabian government because he was suspected of helping to organize recent bomb attacks that had shaken Casablanca and Riyadh Rachid met the man in Istanbul and handed over his Moroccan passport with a doctored photo Rachid then went to the Moroccan consulate so he slipped across the border into Syria paranoid about what the townspeople thought of her providing for her with unemployment checks from the government Her relationship with Rachid dwindled to phone calls Maureen insists she was unaware of any terrorist activity on the part of her husband or of his friends Holding onto the belief that Rachid was innocent Maureen felt an urgent need to get to Syria to see if she could help him She made clandestine arrangements to be picked up at a Damascus airport Rachid's contacts met her and whisked her away to his hideout; Belgian authorities didn't appear to be watching Gone was the hopeful young man she'd met at the bar back home Now he was too frightened to go outside without a disguise He told me that all he'd done was give his papers to someone," she says she went to the Belgian consulate in Damascus and said Rachid would give himself up in return for safe passage to Belgium fearful of what the Syrian authorities might do if they caught him Rachid managed to sneak back into Belgium himself preferring to take his chances in his own country shortly after returning to the family home Rachid and 12 others charged with membership in the terrorist cell went on trial in the Palais de Justice in Brussels; it was one of Belgium's biggest terrorism trials who had since taken a factory job to make ends meet was in the courtroom every day—wearing Western clothes She'd shed the burka when she started her new job because it simply wasn't practical on the assembly line The first time she ventured out without it she was struck by the cool air on her face; it gave her a sense of "shame." news emerged that a young Belgian woman named Muriel Degauque had become the first-ever Western female suicide bomber She'd driven an explosives-laden car into an American convoy north of Baghdad it meant an entire new wave of worries: Soon news reports began saying that she was considering a suicide attack in Europe in retaliation for her husband's imprisonment The accusations came from a member of her husband's radical circle a Belgian-Moroccan man named Mohammed Reha "He said that Muriel was the first and that I would be the second—and that I had phoned him to ask for explosives because I wanted to blow myself up," Maureen says dispassionately across the dining table It was her mother who alerted her to the news Maureen met with a lawyer in a waiting room of the Palais de Justice And because I wasn't in the courtroom like usual they thought it was a bomb left by me." Frightened and alone at the center of the media storm she phoned her father but got little sympathy "He told me I was not his daughter anymore." The conversation left her in tears she denied any intentions of becoming a suicide bomber "How could I do such a thing when I have a young girl?" she asks [pullquote align='C']"I told him I didn't do anything He told me I was not his daughter."[/pullquote] I thought I'd never get out of this," she says "I thought that I'd go to jail for the rest of my life It was incredibly frightening." Very much alone and in fear for her safety she moved to the outskirts of Maaseik with her daughter and cut ties with the other wives in her circle Rachid was sentenced to three years in prison for aiding the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (which would mean less than a year behind bars because of time served and other factors); the ringleaders were sentenced to longer terms Court records showed that the group had provided safe houses and support to the Madrid bombers in Belgium Maureen had been distancing herself from Rachid but I wasn't prepared to live that life anymore doing everything by myself for my little girl," she says The defining moment had come in Syria: "I knew that if I could handle that "I said I didn't want to wear the burka anymore," she says Maureen befriended a young man named Ayoub and hardworking—and he was moderate in his Muslim views Their friendship quickly developed into a relationship which had an unexpected benefit: It gave police a hint that Maureen didn't have a motive to blow herself up; she had hope in her life "It took us several weeks before we realized she wasn't a danger," says Alain Grignard Belgium's top counterterrorism police officer Maureen's growing feelings for Ayoub gave her the resolve to escape her marriage But she had no illusions about how easy it would be to split from a convicted terrorist she visited Rachid in prison and told him she'd fallen in love with someone else but I was afraid he would do something crazy." Arriving at the house that Maureen now shared with Ayoub Rachid hurled furious accusations at his wife and hit Ayoub Only when police warned him that he could be sent back to jail did he stop Rachid managed to calm down in an effort to maintain ties with his daughter He and Maureen have not yet legally divorced several months after first meeting Maureen a kid racing down the street on a scooter loses control and thumps into the back of a car that's pulling into a parking space along the curb Clearly some form of normality has returned to her life Maureen has removed herself from her previous circle and has reconciled with her parents "I hope my life will stay like this." She's enjoying eating out and going to parties She still finds it difficult to accept that her husband and his circle were really part of a terrorist group that helped support the Madrid bombers he'll pay for his mistakes." She also refuses to describe her years wearing the burka as a mistake but now I know there is another way to practice Islam." "There are still people with radical ideas around here," he says "They're angry about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and they're being influenced by the wrong sort of people." Maureen seems to have found a way out of that extremist world Paul Cruickshank is a Research Fellow at the NYU Center on Law and Security His reporting on al Qaeda has appeared in the Washington Post and the New Republic, and on CNN TEHRAN – Iran international wing spiker Amirhossein Esfandiar has joined Belgian volleyball club Greenyard Maaseik Esfandiar has joined his compatriot Javad Karimi in the team on a two-year contract The 21-year-old was a member of Iranian club Kalleh Mazandaran over the past five years Esfandiar was named as the Most Valuable Player at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball U19 World Championship the 2018 Asian U20 Championship and the 2019 World Cup U21 Esfandiar was part of the team who won the AVC Men’s Tokyo Volleyball Qualification tournament in January in China (CNN) -- The latest round in the battle of the burqa kicks off Thursday in Belgium which could become the first country in Europe to ban face coverings worn by observant Muslim women Lawmakers are considering a ban in all public places on niqabs which cover the face and everything else from head to toe They're motivated both by security and morality "We think all people in public places must show their face," says Denis Ducarme "We must defend our values in the question of the freedom and the dignity of the woman." His liberal Reformist Movement drafted the legislation Ducarme denies that Islam requires women to wear burqas or niqabs "The majority of Muslims in Belgium and Europe don't accept the burqa It's only 10 percent who are radical," he says blaming trends from Pakistan and Afghanistan for encouraging facial covering And he rejects the suggestion that the proposed ban smacks of intolerance saying it is the burqa -- and the Islamist movement -- that are truly intolerant and dangerous He estimates that 300 to 400 women in the country wear the niqab or the burqa the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates That would make the country about 3 percent Muslim warns that the legislation could have an effect exactly opposite from what it intends thousands will wear it as an angry reaction He dismisses the idea that the law is designed to protect women's rights One town in Belgium banned the burqa six years ago the mayor of the tiny picture-postcard city of Maaseik says it was no problem to enforce the ban: "I had always the support of the Moroccan community here in Maaseik." The bill before the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday would impose a fine of 15-25 euros ($20-33) or imprisonment of one to seven days Amnesty International warned Wednesday that the bill would break international law "A general ban on the wearing of full face veils would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who choose to express their identity or beliefs in this way," said Claudio Cordone Amnesty International's interim secretary general "Women must not be compelled to wear a headscarf or veil either by the state or by individuals; and it is wrong for them to be prohibited by law from wearing it," Cordone said in a written statement If the Chamber of Deputies approves the law it will go to the upper house of the legislature for a vote Belgium is not the only country considering banning the burqa France said Tuesday that it would shortly be putting a similar draft law before Parliament "Face-covering veils must be totally forbidden in the whole public space because women's dignity is not divisible," said Luc Chatel everything must be done so that no one feels stigmatized because of one's faith and religion The president of the republic and the prime minister have asked the members of government to work hard on this point." He said the government will seek to avoid a partisan approach to the legislation and will consult with all political groups "and of course A panel of French lawmakers recommended a ban in January France denied citizenship to a man a week later because he made his wife wear a veil and denied a woman citizenship in 2008 because she wore a burqa The country's constitution fiercely guards the secularity of the state Switzerland passed a ban on building minarets Belgium has only "moderate" government restrictions on religion But Europe as a region is more restrictive than the Americas or sub-Saharan Africa CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson in Brussels Bonne Chance Farm's Ilex is one of a three-horse team representing the United States to qualify for the show jumping final Aug Ilex is the first Olympic contender for Gilberto Sayão Da Silva's Bonne Chance Farm a prominent racing and breeding operation near Lexington Ilex is managed by Bonne Chance's burgeoning show jumping division ROLLINS: Bonne Chance on the Quest for Olympic Gold With Ilex Ilex and rider and co-owner McLain Ward competed in the Olympic show jumping qualifier in Paris Aug Laura Kraut and Baloutinue and Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque Team USA ended the day with a final score of six faults which leaves them in second in the standings heading into the final behind Germany Tomorrow’s Olympic jumping team final runs from 2–4 p.m Ilex will get another chance to compete for an Olympic medal Aug Complete results and replays from the show jumping qualifier can be viewed here. ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishCULTURECarnival in Belgium: a tradition dating back to the 14th century10 February 2024 Over the next few days various carnival parades will take place in Belgian towns and cities the most famous of which are in Aalst and Binche dating back to the 14th century in Burgundy Monday and Tuesday before the 40 days of Lent begin The Dutch and Germans also celebrate carnival it’s mainly celebrated in the south and parts of the east the predominantly Catholic Rhineland celebrates carnival extravagantly The first traces of carnival in Belgium date back to the 14th century the Burgundian carnival was celebrated in Hainaut But the prosperous towns of the Duchy of Brabant and the County of Flanders also celebrated during the period of the Burgundian Netherlands These festivities were fancy-dress parties where people made fun of each other Due to the great poverty that prevailed in Brabant from the end of the Eighty Years' War – the period during which the region that now makes up most of Belgium and the Netherlands rebelled against the Spanish occupiers – until after the Second World War the traditional festival was characterised by seemingly simple costumes Carnival parades began in the middle of the 19th century the first carnival parade took place through the streets of Aalst it was not recognised because it was not an officially organised parade It was not until 1923 that an organised parade was held in Aalst The oldest official modern carnival parade in Flanders is the Half-Fast Parade of Maaseik in Limburg the carnival in Aalst remains the largest carnival event in Flanders More than 70 local groups participate in the parade on Sunday each year there is a Voil-Jeanetten parade: men dressed in women's clothes with prams and broken umbrellas dominate the streets In 2010, the Aalst Carnival was added to the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. However, following a controversy over a float featuring stereotypes of Jewish people, the event was removed from the list in 2019. In Wallonia, Binche is the city of the carnival The Gilles and their traditional white feathered costumes are world-famous they were included in the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity If you want to see one of the famous carnival parades Because from Sunday 11 to Tuesday 13 February Illustration picture shows the Zondagstoet of the 93rd edition of Aalst carnival ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishSOCIETYExcavation of former hospital graveyard sheds new light on Brussels' social history10 April 2025 Dozens of human skeletons have been found in what was once a 13th-century hospital graveyard during work to install new water pipes and tram tracks in Brussels The remains of at least 30 people were found during the excavation by water company Vivaqua and public transport operator STIB in the Sablon area of the capital An archaeological investigation has started and the bones are being exhumed “A piece of our city’s history is coming to light under the historic cobblestones of Rue de la Régence and the Petit Sablon,” secretary of state Ans Persoons said “These archaeological remains remind us that this place was the cemetery of the former Saint-Jean hospital for almost 400 years.” located just outside the medieval city walls and initially used mainly for the poorest citizens It was only in the course of the centuries that wealthier residents began to be buried there with the expansion of the city and the transformation of the area into an affluent urban neighbourhood After wealthier locals complained about the inconvenience the city eventually decided to move the cemetery in 1704 to Rue de Montserrat and Rue de la Prévoyance The excavations provide detailed knowledge about a part of the city's population and the way they lived and give an insight into the social structure of that period according to urban planning service urban.brussels which allows us to study a part of the population and a specific way of burying the dead,” a spokesperson said The excavation could also yield important discoveries about the evolution of topography KU Leuven archaeology students are involved in the excavations but more keep turning up,” said student Maya Bollaerts “It’s unique for such a large number of skeletons to have been found in the middle of a city and it’s also a unique opportunity for us." Archaeologists work on the site in central Brussels © BELGA PHOTO / VIDEO TIMON RAMBOER A fisherman caught a giant catfish in the River Maas in Maaseik (Limburg) on Tuesday The fish measures about 2 metres and is estimated to weigh 70 kilograms It was quite a job to hoist it on board a dinghy says harbourmaster Rik Schroyen: "A group of friends fought for half an hour to land the fish." Together with a group of friends the harbourmaster of Heerenlaak Rik Schroyen helped a fisherman to haul a giant catfish on board in Maaseik on Tuesday night "We saw the fisherman in his dinghy bobbing on the Maas," Schroyen told VRT "He was bent over holding on to his fishing line with all his might It was clear he had a bite from a big fish." When the fisher called for help the group of friends immediately set to work "We put our boat next to his and then stepped over to his," says Schroyen The fisherman put his hand in the catfish's mouth and pulled it on board Immediately it became clear that the fishermen were dealing with a gigantic beast "I have never seen anything like it myself," says Schroyen but if we had been able to stretch it out it would have been about 2 metres." The harbour master estimates that the fish weighed about 70 kilograms "The fisher was immensely proud of his catch That is why we took photos and videos for posterity," says a grinning Schroyen the group of friends removed the hook from the catfish's mouth and the fish was thrown back into the water and is now again happily swimming around in the River Maas Martin Perin in action for Belgium against Estonia last year Photo: Elena Vizzoca/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Belgian volleyball international Martin Perin was in stable condition today after he collapsed with a heart issue during a match for the second time in less than two years The 21-year-old libero has an implantable defibrillator (ICD) in his body since suffering cardiac arrest in October 2022 during a volleyball game the device apparently proved crucial when he collapsed during a Belgian league match between his team Maaseik and Waremme “The defibrillator saved his life,” Maaseik general manager Dieter Leenders said in a phone interview Perin quickly recovered and was speaking when he was transferred to a hospital for checks adding that he had since spoken with the player's father “They are waiting for the results to see exactly what happened," the manager said Perin received a round of applause when he left the sporting venue for the hospital “One hour after the accident he told his teammates he was sorry he left but was happy with the result He did not lose his sense of humor,” Leenders said After his first heart collapse during a friendly match Perin spent 13 days in hospital and had a defibrillator implanted He was able to return to competition less than three months later I’ll be protected,” Perin told L'Avenir newspaper in an interview last year “I try to waste as little time as possible in the morning, so I stick to a jar of yoghurt. And coffee. I really do drink a lot of coffee in a day. Fortunately, my stomach tolerates that well.” Nolmans will soon be moving to Halen, where he will renovate a house in the centre. Today, he is still living in Bekkevoort, where the story of the enterprising Nolmans family – Koen is the eldest of three brothers – once began with his father, Edmond. Thirty-five years later, those toys are still Nolmans’ great passion. Anyone who enters his modest office in Genk is welcomed by a life-size and bright red Sith trooper from Star Wars, a bonsai tree made of Lego and an assortment of cars. “At that time, you only had some local stores and the supermarkets that sold toys around the festival of St. Nicholas. I started to find my own way. Where am I going to buy Barbies? Little did I know what Mattel was. Where am I going to buy MB? Little did I know what Hasbro was. Lego, they didn’t want to deliver in the beginning, because they thought I was a fantasist. (laughs) I once even literally sat on the doorstep at Lego in Brussels until the Sales Director came out.” “We had entered into a non-competition agreement at the time of the sale. We were not allowed to do anything with toys in Belgium for three years. And that’s how we started ToyChamp in the Netherlands.” “Almost. Everything will be in place on 1 October.” “Yes, but not a huge one. What plays into it, of course, is that DreamLand also operates in Wallonia. Wallonia has a different offering than Flanders. Simply because many toys are media-related. A good example is Miraculous, a Disney series. That has been very successful in the south for years. Whereas with us, it never got off the ground. On the other hand, in Wallonia, Bumba or Plop don’t mean anything.” “Until the end of this year. But this is a decision they themselves had already made. It was one of the last stores they still had open, along with Quartier Bleu. And that – to put it mildly – is not Hasselt’s greatest success, after all. So that one was running in the red.” “Wim is responsible for purchasing all the products that are not toys. And Frank comes from logistics. He is now responsible for finding new stores and renovating our existing stores.” “I’m also working today to enhance our management team. I definitely still want to be active in five years, but then I want to start passing on the torch quietly. That’s why I’m now looking for someone who can become my right-hand man – a kind of CFO-COO.” “There is definitely still some potential in the Netherlands. We’ve always said we want a ToyChamp in every city of more than 100,000 inhabitants there. There are about 30 of those cities in the Netherlands. And in the very large cities, there may be room for two stores. But to answer your question: candidate is a big word, but I’m always look at what’s happening in our market. Intertoys, of course, is of a different calibre. We have 24 stores in the Netherlands – they have 220.” “I don’t play any sports, which is a big shortcoming. Mainly due to lack of time. Let’s just say I’m interested in cars, but that’s where it ends. It’s not like I have a garage with ten cars. And I’m a huge Star Wars fan. When a new film hits the screens, I’m the first to go and see it.” As a child, what were your favourite toys? “Lego. That really does promote creativity enormously. My son Stan always got that from St Nicholas, too, and then used my old Lego to supplement his plans.” Do you have a favourite holiday destination? “I try to attach a few days of holiday to my professional travels sometimes. That’s how I’ve seen some beautiful parts of Asia anyway: China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia.” “South America I’ve never seen, so Machu Picchu and Argentina I still want to visit. Just like Oceania.” “With our Dutch stores, we support Kika, the Cancer-Free Children fund. That ranges from selling panda bears to my brother Wim getting sponsored to cycle up the Stelvio Pass. With DreamLand, we’re going to see what we can do in Belgium.” “Of course. We’ve also had to close some stores because they weren’t performing. For example, Tongeren was our best opening ever in 2015. But two months later, DreamLand opened right over us at the T-Forum. And that market was too small.” “Because I’ve always done my job with great dedication, I’ve not been there enough for my son. Now he’s studying in Leuven and I’m trying to overcompensate, perhaps. Which actually isn’t that great either, because you can’t make up for the time anyway. My father’s death also affected me deeply. We really were a strong tandem. From 2000, he was actually no longer active in the business. Yet he still came to Genk every morning. By the way, his desk is still here the way he left it.” Company: ToyChamp Holding Company. Owner of 33 ToyChamp toy stores (9 in Belgium and 24 in the Netherlands) and, from 1 October 2024, also of 48 DreamLand stores Number of employees: 400 at ToyChamp and 600 at DreamLand Family composition: divorced, now happily together with Kim. Father of Stan (20) PremiumHij zat er rustig bij, maar rechtbankvoorzitter had harde woorden voor Tom Waes: “U beseft dat dit neigt naar moorddadig gedrag?”Tom Waes (56) gaf toe dat hij wellicht geen reflexen meer had toen hij die bewuste nacht dronken achter het stuur kroop. De rechtbank sprak hem streng toe en herinnerde hem eraan dat drinken en rijden niet samengaan. Waes werd twintig jaar geleden al betrapt op rijden onder invloed. Eerste blik op act van Red Sebastian op het Songfestival: Dansende dubbelgangersRed Sebastian (25) stond zondag voor het eerst op het podium in Bazel. Zijn outfit kregen we al te zien, nu deelt Eurovision de eerste beelden van de act. En die lichten toch al een tipje van de sluier op. Verjaardagsfeestje David Beckham stilgelegd na klachten geluidsoverlastEen vijftigste verjaardag kan je niet zomaar laten passeren, vindt David Beckham (50). Hij vierde zijn geboortedag met een luxueus feest, dat uiteindelijk werd stilgelegd na klachten van geluidsoverlast. “Hoe langer het duurde, hoe luider de muziek leek te worden.” Nicolas Ghesquière creëert nieuwe it-bag voor Louis VuittonVoor de tweede keer in zijn carrière laat designer Nicolas Ghesquière zich inspireren door het klassieke bikerjack voor het ontwerp van een handtas. Het resultaat? De LV Biker. Warmer feet, less noise from neighbours and cheaper: insulation made from waste in Genk While his friends were enjoying life, young twenty-something Sam Chartouni was experimenting in a lab he had slung together himself. His dream was to make the best organic insulation material in the world. Alken brewery expands and gets new access road, relieving the centre of Alken The deputation from the province of Limburg has granted an environmental permit to Alken-Maes brewery for the construction of a new access road and the construction of a new warehouse at the site in Alken. This should significantly reduce lorry and car traffic in the centre. Heukelom water tower gets work by Bilzen metal artist Kevin Oyen The Heukelom water tower, which will soon become a B&B with a meditation centre, will get a work of art by Bilzen metal artist Kevin Oyen. He will also be responsible for part of the interior design. PremiumDiepenbeekse steenkapper verbaasd over gravering op graftombe Paus Franciscus: “Hoe is zoiets toch mogelijk?”“Staan die letters niet wat vreemd?” Sinds de begrafenis van paus Franciscus is er ophef en ongeloof over de gravering op zijn graftombe. Ook bij letterkappers in ons land. “Hoe is zoiets toch mogelijk?”, vraagt de Diepenbeekse letterkapper Jos Geusens zich af. Premium“Ik haal volgende zomer niet, maar praat er niet over. We eten gewoon wortelstoemp”: Rika Ponnet over de troost van routineEr komt geen kerst meer dit jaar, geen verjaardag. Ze zal nooit ouder zijn dan ze recent werd, de eindstreep, die veel te vroeg komt, is in zicht. En toch gaat ze gewoon verder met de orde van de dag: wortels schrapen, aardappelen schillen, een was insteken. Want hoe doe je dat, leven in dit soort tijd? Hoe pak je dat aan? PremiumVan kraaknet naar kraakpand: zo verloederde de plek van de Hasseltse horrormoordHoe konden twee Hasseltse woningen, vlak bij de Grote Ring, in die mate verloederen dat er een gruwelmoord op een kraker kon plaatsvinden? Een aanslepend conflict tussen de twee eigenaars ligt aan de basis, zo blijkt. Voormalig huishoudster Britse koninklijke familie klapt uit de biecht: “Dit vind je nooit meer in de badkamer van koning Charles”In haar meer dan tien jaar dienst had Anne Simmons, ex-huishoudster in Buckingham Palace, genoeg tijd om alle 78 badkamers te leren kennen. In een interview verklapt zij welk item voorgoed werd verbannen bij de Windsors: “Het zorgde voor te veel problemen.” Bianca Censori toont halfnaakt nieuwe ‘look’ op InstagramGehurkt, met een visnetjurkje en lang haar. Zo staat Bianca Censori, die in 2022 trouwde met Kanye (Ye) West, op haar nieuwe Instagramverhaal. Haar volgers reageren al langer vol ongeloof op haar sociale media: “Meid, ren toch van je man weg.” Hoeveel verdien je in telecom, ICT & internet?De sector van telecom, ICT & internet is zeer breed en uiterst divers. Dankzij het Jobat Salariskompas hebben we toch een mooie kijk gekregen op de gemiddelde lonen én extralegale voordelen die er gangbaar zijn. Een overzicht… Hoe is het om te wonen in Lier? Lier heeft 2 bijnamen: ‘Lierke Plezierke’ en ‘Schoon Lier’. Eigenlijk zegt dat al genoeg. En of het er plezant is: Lierse vlaaien, verschillende Lierse biertjes,.. de inwoners zelf zijn duidelijk erg trots op hun woonplaats. Wij stellen deze stad dan ook graag aan je voor!   27 levens per veroverde kilometer: Rusland leed vorig jaar recordverliezen in Oekraïne2024 was het dodelijkste jaar voor Russische troepen sinds het begin van de oorlog in Oekraïne. Minstens 45.287 mensen kwamen om het leven, zo becijferde de BBC. Brusselse politie pakt 63 personen op bij incidenten omtrent bekerfinaleDe Brusselse politie heeft 63 mensen opgepakt bij incidenten naar aanleiding van de bekerfinale van afgelopen zondag. Dat meldt de VRT en de politie bevestigt het cijfer. Het gaat om 61 administratieve arrestaties en twee gerechtelijke arrestaties. Belgische toeriste en zoon omgekomen bij overstromingen in Jordanië: twee andere kinderen van vrouw levend teruggevondenEen Belgische toeriste en haar zoon zijn omgekomen bij overstromingen in het zuiden van Jordanië. Dat melden de lokale autoriteiten en wordt bevestigd door de FOD Buitenlandse Zaken. De twee andere kinderen van de vrouw zijn wel levend en in goede gezondheid teruggevonden. Levenloos lichaam aangetroffen in Drongen: politie onderzoekt verdacht overlijdenIn de Avennesdreef in Drongen wordt momenteel een verdacht overlijden onderzocht. De politie is ter plaatse. De Belgische volleybalinternational werd ter plekke gereanimeerd in het ziekenhuis werd zijn toestand gestabiliseerd Daar liet Perin al snel weten: "Ik ben in goeie handen Ik hoop snel weer terug bij jullie te zijn Onderzoeken moeten nu aantonen wat er zich precies in het hart van Perin Het incident doet wat denken aan de instorting van Christian Eriksen tijdens het vorige EK voetbal Die kan nu met een defibrillator toch weer voetballen VRT NWS has installed an interactive tool on pictures from the stricken area in eastern Belgium which allows you to compare the normal situation to the present one and to see how big the devastation actually is Click on the white circle in the middle of the picture to drag to the left or right Both Antwerp Province and Limburg were affected by torrential rain and flooding yesterday A cloudburst yesterday in the late afternoon flooded several streets and basements in the centres of Hoogstraten and Wortel-Dorp borugh in Antwerp Province It was around 4.30 pm that water started pouring down from the heavens in Hoogstraten Sewers couldn't cope with the amount of water and streets and basements were flooded "The fire brigade pulled out all the stops pumping away excess water," said Hoogstraten Mayor Marc Van Aperen "It is very unpleasant for the people who have been affected The water rose to half a metre in Moerstraat for a while." Diane Van Den Langenbergh's daughter filmed the flooding from a bus Lightning struck homes in the Limburg towns of Maaseik and Genk 3 times in a matter of minutes Fire also broke out in two of the three locations The fire brigade received dozens of calls about flooding in Bilzen and elsewhere after a heavy thunderstorm swept across the provinces of Limburg and Antwerp yesterday evening Our video shows images from the eastern town of Maaseik Forgot your Password? TimesLIVE© are registered trademarks of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions and privacy policy Faharas News is an AI-driven news aggregator that provides real-time updates from a variety of sources We do not take responsibility for the content or the external links provided We use cookies to personalize content and ads , to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic...Learn More