stories
Army Reserve
The Belgian national army has seen a rise in civilians signing up to the army reserve. A ten day training that gives them a basic education such a combat tactics, first aid and survival. military officials cite the war in ukraine as one of the factors but also attribute part of the surge in new conscripts to young people feeling the need to give something back to their country. reservists aren’t generally called up for combat situations unless they explicitly sign up to receive more advanced training. most of the time reservists are expected to aid in matters of natural disasters, terror threats and such.
BRAINM
It looks like the hair dryer at the hair salon, but whoever sits under the 'helmet' in the new private clinic of top doctor Steven Laureys does not have a gossip magazine on their lap. These are patients who suffer from brain disorders such as depression, addictions, obsessive-compulsive disorders or severe stress. With this new technology they hope for a better life. Laureys showed us around his futuristic BRAINM clinic.
KIES ‘24
On election day in belgium I spent the day with Tom van grieken, head of the Flemish Far Right party ‘Vlaams belang’. A supposedly very spontaneous day that turned out to be rather curated, especially after the party’s disappointment when they ‘only’ became the second biggest in flanders.
V-Meeting
Vlaams belang, the flemist far right party has seen an astounding rise in popularity over the past few years. As part of a wider phenomenon across europe, more and more voters turn to these extremist parties. Surprisingly, they have been doing very well amongst young voters and even third and fourth generation immigrants.
What a drag
A new documentary series on Streamz that follows six drag queens on their journey through the entertainment landscape. Each with their own style, their own story and one even more colorful than the other.
As part of this, we visited Robin and Lorenzo as they transformed into Danity Grace and Lexi Storm.
Le Vernet
In the summer of 2023, Emile (2) went missing from his grandparents’ backyard in the high village of Haut vernet, deep in the French provence. A massive search was organised but to no avail.
in the spring of 2024, a hiker found a small skull, which was later confirmed to be the young boy. Questions about the search arose shortly after, as the skull was found in an area where police did not bring their bloodhounds to look for the missing child.
As a result, a perimeter was not sent around the village. roads were closed off for everyone except for residents and the press was kept away so as to avoid too much scrutiny and international attention. where residents wouldn’t be talkative at first, a lot of people now have voiced their opinion on the matter and investigation.
Ouderenzorg
How do you want to live and be cared for in your old age? The Flemish Council for the Elderly received 3,000 ideas from people over 65 through the 'Determine your own story' campaign. Living independently at home is the absolute favorite, but other situations are also possible, such as cohousing.
Rik Haegebaert (74) from Diegem opted for this. He renovated his oversized house and took in two young families. “The family of Yasmina (35) and Mohamed (39), with their children Younes (10), Qasim (8) and Rayhane (2), have a rental contract with unlimited housing security.”
MArianne & Kojo
Marianne suffers from Usher syndrome, a disease that affects her vision. She is helped by Kojo, a Ghanaian boy who came to Belgium a few years ago. In addition to his job at Katoennatie, he registered to do volunteer work for the CM so he could learn the language while helping people. Which is how he ended up as a companion for Marianne.
Havenpolitie
Currently, patrol work in the port is still done by 50 security officers who are normally stationed in Doel, but in the long term 70 brand new officers from the equally brand new force will take over that work. We were allowed to go on patrol for two nights. “If there has been a failed attempt by strikers, they are likely to strike again soon.
Salar Azimi
Carré enjoyed the spectacle. After midnight, the flamboyant self-made man washed his Rolex with Moët & Chandon champagne and bank notes were also shot into the air, fluttered to the ground and remained there. “When I feel like partying, I want to party,”
Azimi is currently accused of fraud in the Netherlands, but denies all allegations.
RED fang
"Time to kiss your ass goodbye!" shouted Aaron Beam during an epic evening at Trix! Red Fang from Portland set the room on fire with their hard-hitting riffs and humorous lyrics. Their debut album 'Red Fang' sounded better live than ever, with fans roaring along to hits like 'Prehistoric Dog' and 'Reverse Thunder'.
