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© 2026 DailyDropNo. 7
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, SUN., OCT. 11, 2026No. 7 · Morning, 6:00 a.m. CEST6 a.m. CEST
BEL 205,454.74▲1.02%10/9EUR/USD1.1206▲0.18%10/9S&P 5007,811.54▲0.59%10/9WTI$91.85▲0.39%10/9Gold$4,216.30▲1.43%10/9
Society · Public orderPress ✓ 2 outlets · counts provisional, police and union differ

After the Brussels demonstration: more than 100 arrests, about a thousand rioters and an MIVB bus on fire

Friday’s provisional toll is heavier than the first count. There is no agreement on turnout: police count about 30,000 demonstrators, the ABVV 50,000.

At the national demonstration in Brussels on Friday, October 9, police counted, according to a provisional toll, 80 administrative arrests and about thirty judicial detentions, RTBF reports; its headline speaks of more than 100 arrests, about a thousand rioters and tens of thousands of demonstrators. The first count on Friday evening still spoke of some twenty arrests. Police say an MIVB bus was set on fire and that three other buses and a De Lijn bus were damaged (RTBF, The Brussels Times). That day the MIVB ran far fewer metros, trams and buses than normal.

In the night from Friday to Saturday, two police cars burned out in Haren, in Brussels, one of them electric, and part of a police building was damaged. Nobody was injured. The cause is unclear; experts must determine whether a defect played a part (The Brussels Times). A link with the demonstration has not been established. What is new compared with our previous issue? The number of arrests rose from about twenty to more than a hundred, and the total damage is greater than first reported. DailyDrop has no final figures from the public prosecutor’s office.

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By the numbers
30,000–50,000demonstrators according to police and ABVV
80 + ±30administrative arrests and judicial detentions, provisional
±1,000rioters according to RTBF’s headline
Society · MobilityPress ✓ 3 outlets · NMBS and MIVB service according to their own announcements

Public-sector strike on Monday: NMBS runs fewer trains from Sunday evening, 3 in 10 IC trains and 4 in 10 De Lijn buses and trams cancelled

A strike in the public services on Monday, October 12 follows Friday’s national demonstration, report Paris Match Belgique, Déplacements Pros and VRT NWS. NMBS runs fewer trains from Sunday, October 11 at 10 p.m. until the end of service on Monday, with an alternative timetable depending on the number of train conductors available. According to VRT NWS, 3 in 10 IC trains are cancelled.

The MIVB expects disruption in Brussels, and the Walloon transport company Letec says its entire network is disrupted on October 9 and 12. At De Lijn, according to the VRT, 4 in 10 buses and trams do not run. The VRT itself also broadcasts only a few news programmes on Monday, with minimal staffing. DailyDrop advises consulting the operators’ journey planners.

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Word of the day
IC trainMobility

InterCity: a fast train between major cities that stops at only a few stations.

Politics · MediaPress ✓ 2 outlets · with quotes from Knack and Het Laatste Nieuws

Aide in the Weyts cabinet wrote fake opinion piece under a false identity: “just plain stupid”

An employee of a Flemish ministry, the cabinet of Flemish minister Ben Weyts, posed in an opinion piece as a gay Muslim, The Brussels Times reports. He told Knack that he acted on his own initiative and wanted to prove that conservative voices get no room in Flemish media. He sent the piece to five newsrooms; De Wereld Morgen published it and left it online for about twelve hours before it was recognised as fake. Weyts called the plan “just plain stupid” to Het Laatste Nieuws and announces a one-on-one talk.

On October 10 the VRT described how the employee was unmasked as the author. De Wereld Morgen says it will improve its checks on the authors of opinion pieces. The employee says it was a personal initiative, separate from the ministry. DailyDrop saw no statement on possible sanctions, and the employee’s identity has not been made public.

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World · YemenPress ✓ 5 outlets · figures according to the Saudi authorities

Missile attack on Riyadh airport: at least twelve dead and more than three hundred injured, after three dead on Thursday

In two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday, October 8, three Saudi civilians were killed, including a Saudia pilot, the Saudi civil aviation authority reports. Several people of other nationalities were injured (ABC News/AP, ITV, Al Jazeera, Ynetnews). The first missile hit airport facilities, the second a Saudia aircraft; there were no passengers on board. The Houthis claimed the attack. The airport was operating normally again at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and the Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed three launch platforms. Earlier attacks on airports in Abha and Riyadh killed three people and wounded 36, according to the same authority.

On Saturday, October 10, a new missile attack hit Riyadh airport: according to the Saudi authorities, at least twelve people were killed and more than three hundred wounded (NU.nl, The New York Times, Financial Times). Operations at the airport were halted. The Houthis claimed the attack.

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Region · InfrastructurePress · one outlet · times according to VRT NWS

4,000-tonne arch bridge over the E40 in Bertem: hundreds look on, motorway closed until Sunday afternoon

The E40 at Bertem has been fully closed since Saturday evening at 8 p.m. for the placement of a new arch bridge, VRT NWS reports. The bridge of about 4,000 tonnes is being moved “step by step” over the motorway, which drew hundreds of spectators. The road is due to reopen on Sunday afternoon. The exact time depends on how the placement goes.

Anyone who needs to be in the area should follow the traffic information and the diversions. DailyDrop has no second source and no information on the cost or the client of the bridge.

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In brief
  • S&P 500 7,811.54 (+0.59%), WTI $91.85 (+0.39%), gold $4,216.3 (+1.43%) on Fridaymarket data
  • ECB reference rate of the euro: $1.1206 on Friday, against 1.1186 a day earlierECB
  • Zelensky wrote on Telegram that Russia “thanked” the American easing of diesel sanctions with guided bombs on homes in ZaporizhzhiaTelegram (Zelensky)
  • Trump wrote on Truth Social that he ended eight wars, in an outburst about the Nobel Peace PrizeTruth Social (Trump)
  • NMBS: fewer trains from Sunday 10 p.m. until the end of service on MondayParis Match Belgique
  • Letec: the entire network is disrupted on October 9 and 12Paris Match Belgique
Seven minutes every morning, one front page

Unverified — what we could not confirm

“50,000 people took part in the demonstration.” That is what the ABVV says. Police count about 30,000 (The Brussels Times, RTBF). Both figures are estimates; there is no independent count.
“About twenty people were arrested at the demonstration.” That was the first count on Friday. The police’s provisional toll is 80 administrative arrests and about thirty judicial detentions (RTBF).

Influencer watch

  • Donald Trump, US President Truth Social · 10/10Trump posted that he settled eight wars, in a rant about not winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Telegram · 10/10Zelenskyy wrote that Russia 'thanked' the US for easing diesel sanctions by dropping guided bombs on homes in Zaporizhzhia.

Statements as posted, not fact-checked.

Glossary · dotted words — economics, law, security and science terms explained in the context of the story. The list grows every day.
INSIDEAfter the Brussels demonstration: more than 100 arrests, about a thousand rioters and an MIVB bus on fireSociety · Public orderPublic-sector strike on Monday: NMBS runs fewer trains from Sunday evening, 3 in 10 IC trains and 4 in 10 De Lijn buses and trams cancelledSociety · MobilityAide in the Weyts cabinet wrote fake opinion piece under a false identity: “just plain stupid”Politics · MediaMissile attack on Riyadh airport: at least twelve dead and more than three hundred injured, after three dead on ThursdayWorld · Yemen4,000-tonne arch bridge over the E40 in Bertem: hundreds look on, motorway closed until Sunday afternoonRegion · Infrastructure