EUROPE MOURNS AFTER THE DEVASTATING FLOOD

 

Rubbish cleared by residents in Germany, Credit:  AP Photo/Bram Janssen

Europe on Tuesday paid tribute to the 196 lives lost in devastating floods. Belgium honored its 31 dead with a minute of silence at midday as part of its day of "national mourning." All flags are flown at half-mast for the day.

King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander de Croo observed the minute of silence in Verviers, near Liege, where water from the torrential rain unleashed considerable damage after meeting with rescue workers and victims.

 

European Council President Charles Michel, a former Belgian prime minister, joined in silence with other European Union officials at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels.

 

"Our thoughts are with their (the victims') families and friends," he wrote on Twitter. "The European Union stands by you at this difficult time."

 

About 70 people are still unaccounted for across Belgium following the floods of July 14 and 15, according to the crisis center. The figure has gone down significantly over the past 48 hours as telephone lines have been restored.

The Vesdre valley, a tributary of the Meuse that burst its banks under the effect of the torrential rains and the saturation of a dam, is home to at least half of the victims, according to local politicians.

 

European Union environment ministers, who are meeting in Slovenia on Tuesday, will also observe the minute of silence.

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meanwhile visit North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday to talk to rescuers and meet with the region's Minister-President Armin Laschet.

 

Germany has borne the brunt of the flooding, with 165 fatalities recorded so far—117 in Rhineland-Palatinate, 47 in North Rhine-Westphalia, and one in Bavaria.

 

It comes a day after she promised to improve the country's disaster warning system, severely criticized since the floods.

 

A German government spokeswoman conceded that "the experiences we have had with this disaster show that we have to do more and better."

 

Civil protection president Armin Schuster called on public radio for "the return of the good old sirens" so as not to rely solely on digital tools, but the siren system, a legacy of the Cold War to warn in case of a nuclear attack in particular, proved ineffective in September 2020, when a major test at the national level turned into a fiasco.

 

Some of the sirens did not go off due to technical problems, and some municipalities removed them altogether, deeming them useless.

 

Nearly 750 people were also injured in Germany because of the floods. Nearly 200 are still missing.

 

Culled from Euronews.

THE COST OF TERROR IN BRUSSELS

Brussels

Article originally published in Global Risks Insight: Know Your World

Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, is experiencing some immediate economic effects resulting from recent terror threats in 2015. This city’s experience may prove to be a blueprint for other cities in 2016.

Following the deadly terrorist attacks that shocked France and the world on November 13^th, 2015, the global attention turned to Brussels as the majority of the Islamist militants that took part in the French massacre had links to the European capital.

In addition, in late November, Belgian authorities temporarily raised the terrorist threat level to its highest tier, given the presence of a reportedly imminent terrorist threat.

This led to substantial disruptions in the capital in what came to be defined as the “Brussels Lockdown”. The terrorist threat again came as an obstacle to the normal life of Brussels’ residents when authorities banned all public New Year’s Eve festivities on December 31^st because of a reported plan to attack the capital.

This prolonged state of insecurity has hurt the economic and social life of the capital. Since November 2015, Brussels, along with other European capitals, has been experiencing first-hand the cost of terror. 

The most overt statistics about touristic activities, social outings, and public gatherings show a general change in the perception of the city and overall evolution in the local mood.

Throughout the duration of the “Brussels Lockdown”, thousands of travelers planning to reach the capital canceled their flights. At the highest point of this trend, more than 2,000 flight cancellations were recorded on November 25^th. 

While this push to avoid Brussels slowly stopped after the terrorist threat level was lowered, there were, on average, 6,000 flights per day to Brussels in early December 2015, approximately 1,500 fewer than in the same period of 2014.

A similar trend has been verified for the overall occupation rate of hotels in the capital. In early December, approximately 55% of Brussels’ hotel rooms were occupied, against more than 73% during the same period of 2014.

Ubiquitous precautions

This situation had a direct impact on the economic and social life of the European capital throughout the Christmas and New Year’s festivities. The annual Christmas market, organized and held in the historical center of Brussels, has experienced a drop in attendance of more than 30%. 

In addition, New Year’s Eve saw a major drop in demand for restaurant bookings and, as such, at least one out of every two restaurants in the capital closed their doors on the last night of 2015.

The aforementioned statistics are only an initial effect of the impact that the emergence of a new terror threat is having on Western European economies. 

The Belgian example is noteworthy as local security and intelligence agencies have so far been successful in countering the threat posed by Islamist militants, and no major mass-casualty attack has occurred in the country.

However, the enhanced presence of military personnel in the streets of Brussels, as well as the ongoing discourse over the current will of

terrorist organizations targeting the capital led to a mood change among the local population. 

The fear of potential attacks is playing as a long-term obstacle to private expenditures, tourism, and participation in major public social events.

As such, beyond the immediate security concerns raised by the risk of terrorist attacks, public officials face the need to adapt the ongoing counter-terrorism strategy in order not to hinder the socio-economic life of Western European countries.

BELGIUM, A HAUNTED COUNTRY

Joel Savage

I don’t have a third eye, neither I am a soothsayer nor a clairvoyant, but I believe there are thousands of Belgians who would agree with me that Belgium is a divided country with a bleak future, without any hope for rescue and success but only fighting tirelessly to survive as a member of the European Union.

Belgium’s Political Crime in Africa

Adam Hochschild, the author of ‘King Leopold’s Ghost, A story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa’ writes “In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. 

Carrying out a genocidal plundering of the Congo, he looted its rubber, brutalized its people, and ultimately slashed its population by ten million--all the while shrewdly cultivating his reputation as a great humanitarian.

Heroic efforts to expose these crimes eventually led to the first great human rights movement of the twentieth century, in which everyone from Mark Twain to the Archbishop of Canterbury participated. King Leopold's Ghost is the haunting account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions, a man as cunning, charming, and cruel as any of the great Shakespearean villains. 

It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who fought Leopold: a brave handful of missionaries, travellers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure and unexpectedly found themselves witnesses to a holocaust.

In regard to the crime which was orchestrated by King Leopold, can one say is Belgium cursed? Are the ghosts of those massacred taking revenge on this country, which has led to the difficulty to unite its people? Is the blood they poured on the soil of Congo haunting them or simply is the restless soul of Patrice Lumumba whom the Belgians assassinated also taking its sweet revenge? 

Frankly speaking, Belgium pretend to be okay but they know the troubles they are facing in everything from the rich man to the common man on the street.

The Negative Attitude of Belgium’s Media

Like few European countries, Belgium including Britain and Holland colonized African countries, but Belgium is entirely a different country. The common things one sees in Britain, Holland, the United States of America, etc, are not commonly seen in Belgium. 

As an immigrant, it took me five years to see the first black bus driver in the city of Antwerp and seven years to see the first black policeman. It's a country for the past twelve years I haven't seen any black journalist working for the electronic or print media. 

As a black writer and author of six books, I am still unknown in Belgium, yet when a white Belgian writes a book, the news over that author is flooded in every newspaper in the country. 

It came as a surprise to me when I was featured online in a newspaper in Brussels after every media in Belgium failed to publish articles I sent. I sent a message of thanks to the editor who published “A Glance of Joel Savage’s Life and his Books.” 

This was her message "I appreciate your thanks but I'm sorry, I'm not a Belgian, I'm from Romania." What a shame to the Belgium media?

I have lived a very hard life in Belgium as an author, amidst discrimination, racism, and subject of ridicule, yet my seventh book is coming out soon. Without the support of Belgium’s media, I have excelled in my career as a writer, even though I work as a cleaner. I have received many invitations to attend conferences which I couldn’t participate in because of my work. 

King Leopold's book by Adam Hochschild

I have advice for anyone who has aim and objectives. Just be a conscious man, no matter the number of obstacles along the path; never allow anything to distract your attention. Be prepared to endure trials and tribulations. At the end of the dark tunnel, there is a bright light of success waiting for you.

"Little Boygium, Wonderful Experience" reveals how Joel endures nearly impossible challenges while simultaneously juggling a forklift driving course and writing books. He calls these tough moments "the wonderful experience." 

A brilliant book written by a writer, an adventurer, and a storyteller, "Little Boygium, Wonderful Experience" is an incredible book of inspiration and encouragement to anyone who may suddenly find themselves in an unfamiliar profession.

Joel Savage and The mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever

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