Free Republic

PARIS -- A terminally ill minor has been helped to die in Belgium for the first time since the country did away with age restrictions on euthanasia two years ago, according to the senator who wrote the law. Liberal Senator Jean-Jacques De Gucht confirmed the death of the sick juvenile to The Associated Press Saturday. He said the minor was from Belgium's Flemish region, but declined to provide any further details about the patient to protect the privacy of the grieving family.

A child suffering a fatal illness has become the first minor to be euthanized since age restrictions on mercy killings were lifted in the country. Mercy killings have become increasingly common in Benelux countries. The head of Belgium’s federal euthanasia commission gave no details of the child beyond saying the patient was an exceptional case of a young person with a terminal illness, the Het Nieuwsblad newspaper reported. […] Any request for euthanasia must be made by the child, approved by a panel of physicians, an independent psychiatrist or psychologist and have parental consent. But the case files — which...

One person has been killed after a powerful explosion went off at a sports centre in the Belgian town of Chimay, partially destroying the building. At least one person was killed and two were injured at the Plaine Chalon community centre, an emergency services spokesman told the Belga News Agency. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and it is not known if it is terrorism-related or whether it was a gas explosion.

Three people have been injured after a machete-wielding woman went on the rampage in Brussels, it has emerged. Police have shot and wounded the woman after she went on the attack on a bus in the Belgian capital. Sources close to the investigation say police do not believe the incident is politically motivated and the assailant is said to have mental health problems. Brussels has been on high alert since local ISIS militants carried out the attacks in Paris last November and suicide bombings in Brussels itself in March.

Stoyan Zaimov writes at Christian Post of a Muslim man, the 16-year-old son of Imam Sheikh Alami, a local radical cleric with Dutch and Moroccan citizenship, who had voiced some nice gentle thoughts while he marched around Verviers, Belgium:

Belgian police are desperately hunting a radicalised 15-year-old son of an imam who appeared in a video pleading for the 'annihilation of all Christians'. The chilling video shows the teenager, who has not been named, calling for Allah to 'destroy' Christians and 'kill them all'. He sang the alarming outburst which was filmed in Verviers, east Belgium, and police added that the boy has been recognised and is on a list on radicalised people. A source told the Daily Telegraph that the youngster is the son of a local radical imam - a leader of a mosque. The source added...

A Belgian woman who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics has become sick after racing on polluted Guanabara Bay, the first sailor to fall ill from the waters that were subject to great scrutiny leading to the Rio Games

Belgian police have launched a manhunt for a teenager after footage emerged of him calling for “the murder of all Christians”. The video shows the 15-year-old, who has not been named, in Verviers and, in Arabic, declaring, “Oh Allah, destroy the odious Christians. Oh Allah kill them all.” The boy is filmed on a French website saying, “Don’t spare any of them.” The film was shot in Verviers, the scene of a successful anti-terrorism operation last year. Police said the boy has been identified and is on a list of radicalised persons, but did not disclose his name. A source...

Update: When I posted this story Saturday there was still no claim of responsibility and authorities were not 100% certain it was terrorism, though they were definitely leaning that way. Today, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and authorities seem confident the attacker had a terrorist motive. From Reuters: Islamic State claimed responsibility on Sunday for an attack by a machete-wielding man in Belgium that left two female police officers seriously injured, the group’s Amaq news agency said on Twitter.Shortly before the claim, Belgian prosecutors had identified the assailant as a 33-year-old Algerian, K.B., who had lived in Belgium since...

A man slashed a policewoman's face with a machete and shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before her fellow officer gunned him down in a chilling 'terror' attack. The attacker reportedly walked up to two policewomen at the entrance of the police station in the Belgian city of Charleroi just before 4pm, pulled a machete from his bag and hacked at the officer. After slamming the machete into the face of one officer, he then turned to another and began swinging the massive blade at her. A third female officer raced to the front desk and then blasted the attacker in the chest...

Two police officers have been wounded in Belgium by a man wielding a machete who shouted "Allahu Akbar". The man was shot after the attack in Charleroi but is alive, the city's police said in a tweet. Sky's Mark White said: "This was an attack that unfolded at 4pm local time in Belgium outside the police station. "Two police officers were attacked according to police officials by a man wielding a machete and it was a male and female officer injured. "The female officer suffered moderate injuries to her face. "The other officer with her, a male officer, is not...

Two policewomen were attacked and wounded with a machete by an attacker who shouted “Allahu Akbar” outside a police station in the Belgian city of Charleroi on Saturday. The attacker, a man, was shot by a third officer, Charleroi police said on Twitter. He later died in hospital, according to Belgian national broadcaster RTBF. Police said the attacker shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Arabic) as he lunged at the officers outside a police station. One of the police officers suffered severe face wounds. Her colleague was only slightly injured.

Authorities are insisting that the attack was not terror-related, which they would probably be doing even if it were. What no one is considering, however, is that it is a manifestation of the very different culture of the migrants: one that considers non-Muslims obligated for the financial upkeep of Muslims (cf. Qur’an 9:29), and which sanctifies violence as a holy act (cf. Qur’an 2:191, 4:89, 9:5, 47:4, etc.). The consequences of admitting large numbers of people from such a culture into Europe could well be catastrophic, and spell the end of free societies in Europe and elsewhere. Jos-Vanderlee “Priest in...

Jos Vanderlee, 65, suffered injuries during a robbery in Lanaken, Belgium, at around 2.40pm local time this afternoon Priest in Belgium stabbed 'by asylum seeker in his own home after letting him in to use shower' Jos Vanderlee, 65, suffered injuries to his hands during a robbery in Lanaken, Belgium, at around 2.40pm local time this afternoon Jos VanderleeThe priest has been named locally as Jos Vanderlee, 65 A priest has been stabbed in his own home by an asylum seeker he allowed in to use his shower - according to local prosecutors. The priest - named locally as 65-year-old...

The French are paying the most taxes out of all of Europe’s workers, an annual report shows, but are they getting value for money? […] An annual study by the liberal think tank the Molinari Institute has concluded that French workers are the most taxed in Europe — above even the Belgians who have previously held the unfortunate title. […] Based on figures from EY (formerly Ernst and Young), French workers hand over some 57.5 percent of their salaries to the state in various kinds of taxes compared to 56.9 percent in Belgium. …

Republican White House nominee Donald Trump has said that France, Germany and other nations hit by recent terror attacks had only themselves to blame “because they allowed people to come into their territory.” Trump was asked in an interview airing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to expand on his proposal to suspend immigration from what he calls countries “compromised by terrorism” until vetting mechanisms are in place. “I’m going to be coming out over the next few weeks with a number of the places,” said Trump according to an excerpt of the interview. “We have problems in Germany, and...

"Police told me they had the man under control" @GavinLeeBBC reporting from central Brussels - BBC News

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a travel advisory on July 18 for Singaporeans travelling to, or living in, Belgium. It strongly advised Singaporeans to take all necessary precautions for their personal safety, by watching the local news and following instructions issued by the authorities in Belgium.

Vehicles ablaze in Brussels 'do not appear to be related to terrorism': police Updated yesterday at 9:15pm Police say explosions which were heard in Brussels do not appear to be related to terrorism. Local media and video shared from residents showed several cars ablaze in the Brussels business district of St Gilles. British news agency reports said that two explosions were heard that may have been caused by the burning cars. The fires have been doused and there are no reports of casualties. Belgium has been on high alert for months after terrorists linked to November's Paris attacks were traced...

AN EXPLOSION has rocked the Saint-Gilles area of the Belgian capital Brussels.