@ccarolan01 profile picture
Ciara Carolan @ccarolan01

journalist @afp

Joined October 2022
  • Tweets 85
  • Following 664
  • Followers 84
9 Photos and videos
Belgium's latest migration measures aim to crack down on 'asylum shopping' by refusing IP to people who have already applied in another EU Member State. But what does 'asylum shopping' actually mean? Interview with @VluchtwerkVl: brusselstimes.com/belgium/16…

Myth-busting: What is 'asylum shopping'?

Belgium is no longer granting asylum to people whose applications were accepted or refused in other EU Member States as a way to stop 'asylum shopping'. What does the term mean?

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Ciara Carolan retweeted
DEACTIVATED@thrasherxy
21 Jul 2025
The other was a deep @theintercept investigation into hunger in Gaza—and how the US defunding UNWRA & USAID has led to the violent famine—which I was honored to co-write w @AfeefNess, who spent 9 weeks in Gaza theintercept.com/2025/07/21/…

Our Reporter Got Into Gaza. He Witnessed a Famine of Israel’s Making.

The people of Gaza face starvation under the joint U.S.-Israeli food distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

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1,000 Stop Arming Israel activists disrupted activities at two companies in Belgium on Monday. The activists are calling on Belgium to implement a "genuine" arms embargo and demand the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. newarab.com/news/1000-belgia…

1,000 Belgian activists blockade Israeli-linked arms companies

Around 1,000 Belgian activists blockaded two companies linked to Israel’s arms trade, demanding an end to European complicity in the Gaza genocide

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Mohammed Khatib was arrested at a protest in Brussels last week. He also faces losing his refugee status for his political views. Rights groups and lawyers have warned of a “chilling effect” on the right to freedom of expression if this goes ahead. aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/1/…

Pro-Palestine activist arrested in Belgium after attending protest

Mohammed Khatib, who advocates for Palestinian prisoners, believes his detention was meant to silence him.

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There are over 12,000 court rulings declaring that Belgium has violated national and international law Amnesty International's latest report condemns this "systematic violation of human rights" brusselstimes.com/belgium/15…

'We should be afraid' - Amnesty International's damning report on human rights in Belgium

"Persistent" human rights violations in Belgium are the result of deliberate governmental policies, Amnesty International has warned.

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"Stop criticising each other and give us a solution!" A look into local efforts to make a difference in Anderlecht in the midst of unrelenting drug violence. Some residents are rejecting mainstream politics while others prefer to focus on solidarity. brusselstimes.com/brussels-2…

'Stop criticising each other and give us a solution!' - Anderlecht locals lose faith in politics

Locals in the Cureghem district of Anderlecht are at their wit's end with drug violence and social neglect. How are different groups responding?

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"Move NATO somewhere else." As the transatlantic relationship sours, Jeffrey Sachs says now is the time for European autonomy. brusselstimes.com/eu-affairs…

'Europe needs a real foreign policy' - Jeffrey Sachs slates EU reliance on US

Move NATO somewhere else. As Trump and Putin negotiate Ukraine's future and the transatlantic relationship sours, a leading US economist says now is the time for European autonomy.

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Almost all of last week's shootings took place at officially designated 'hotspots', but has the label made any difference to Brussels' handle on drug violence?: brusselstimes.com/brussels/1…

Brussels drug violence: Is the 'hotspot' strategy failing?

A spate of shootings last year led to the creation of the 'hotspot' strategy. Has the measure made a difference to security in Brussels?

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NEW: The gunmen who fled into a metro tunnel on Wednesday were "extremely prepared" ahead of time brusselstimes.com/belgium/14…

Escaped gunmen knew the metro system 'perfectly' - Public Prosecutor

Two men armed with Kalashnikovs escaped the police via a metro tunnel on Wednesday. They were "extremely prepared" ahead of time, it has emerged.

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"When you make a deal with a country accused over and over again of violating Congolese sovereignty, destabilising the region and plundering raw materials, you are complicit in what happens afterwards." brusselstimes.com/1428074/th…

'The complicity needs to end': The EU's hand in violence in DR Congo

"Rwanda kills, Congo bleeds", but this is "more than a quarrel between two countries".

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Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary says he has "absolutely no qualms whatsoever" about his airline's environmental impact, wants the EU to do away with aviation tax brusselstimes.com/belgium/14…

Ryanair CEO criticises Zaventem for 'hopelessly uncompetitive' approach

The low-cost Irish airline will launch four new flights this summer.

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"A huge number, but a sad number" - this is what @ThomasWilleken1 said about the Legal Helpdesk's 10,000th case. Bittersweet because it started as a "temporary" measure in 2022. Read more: brusselstimes.com/brussels-2…

10,000 and counting: Legal Helpdesk for refugees hits bittersweet milestone

"We still believe Belgium has the capacity to show warmth and solidarity with migrants and refugees."

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"Russia's current leadership is not interested in a strong, stable neighbourhood. It is doing whatever it can to drive a wedge between EU unity." My interview with Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukrainian Ambassador to the EU: brusselstimes.com/1396747/i-…

'I hope they get this right' - Ukrainian Ambassador on Trump's bid for peace

The Ukrainian Ambassador to the EU reflects on the war against Russia as Trump enters the White House and global politics undergoes enormous shifts.

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"If young people cause trouble in Uccle, we call it a crisis of adolescence. But if young people cause trouble in Marolles, we call it delinquency." brusselstimes.com/brussels/1…

The working class youths who defied stereotypes on New Year's Eve

"If young people cause trouble in Uccle, we call it a crisis of adolescence. But if young people cause trouble in Marolles, we call it delinquency."

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The Pacheco evacuation is considered "just another cycle" of displacement suffered by migrants in Brussels. Since 30 October this group has dispersed across the city with no signposting about what to do next. brusselstimes.com/brussels-2…

Who is responsible for the migrants evacuated from Pacheco?

Some 30 people were evacuated from the site and are difficult to trace. The majority of relevant government agencies have shunned responsibility for the group.

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Have moved over to Blueksy: bsky.app/profile/ciaracarola…
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Went on patrol with the Brussels police unit dedicated to looking out for homeless people. "The police are seen as a symbol of authority and oppression. We try to be the other side of that." brusselstimes.com/belgium/13…

Who are the Brussels police helping the homeless?

"The police are seen as a symbol of authority and oppression. We try to be the other side of that."

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Belgium says further steps needed before Netanyahu ICC warrant viable brusselstimes.com/belgium/13…

Belgium says further steps needed before it would act on Netanyahu ICC warrant

The procedure is held up by a formality that is required to translate the arrest warrant from international to national law.

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Ciara Carolan retweeted
The Brussels Times
@BrusselsTimes
25 Nov 2024
Several artists were left empty handed months after the event despite sponsorships from public Belgian and EU institutions. brusselstimes.com/brussels-2…

'Sculptura' festival: National Lottery withholds funds amid complaints

Several artists were left empty handed months after the event despite sponsorships from public Belgian and EU institutions.

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'Legally speaking, everything is in place'- but would Belgium arrest Netanyahu? brusselstimes.com/belgium/13…

'Legally speaking, everything is in place'- but would Belgium arrest Netanyahu?

The Israeli Prime Minister is unlikely to come to Belgium in the wake of the ICC arrest warrant, but is there a procedure to carry out his arrest in the event?

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