Latest news with #Nervo
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Belgium questions 2 Israelis at music festival over Gaza crime allegations
The burned main stage, rear, is seen as people listen to Nervo performing at the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, Belgium, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana) BRUSSELS — Belgian police questioned two members of the Israeli army who were attending a music festival in Belgium over allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Brussels said in a statement Monday. In a statement to The Associated Press, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said an Israeli citizen and an Israeli soldier who were on vacation in Belgium 'were taken in yesterday for interrogation and were released shortly afterward.' It said Israeli authorities 'dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two.' It was not immediately clear why the Israeli Foreign Ministry referred to one civilian and one soldier, while Belgian prosecutors spoke of two Israeli army members. The whereabouts of the two people who were questioned was not immediately clear. The case was hailed as a 'turning point in the global pursuit of accountability' by a Belgium-based group called the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has campaigned for the arrest of Israeli troops it accuses of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The group was named for a young girl who Palestinians say was killed early in the war by Israeli fire as she and her family fled Gaza City. It isn't the first time an Israeli has been targeted overseas for legal action. In January, Israel helped a former soldier leave Brazil after legal action was initiated against him by the group, which uses geolocation and social media posts to identify soldiers they accuse of war crimes. Since forming last year, the Hind Rajab Foundation has made dozens of complaints in more than 10 countries seeking the arrest of both low-level and high-ranking Israeli soldiers. It was not immediately clear if any soldiers have been arrested as a result of the group's actions. The group did not immediately respond to an email seeking details. 'We will continue to support the ongoing proceedings and call on Belgian authorities to pursue the investigation fully and independently,' the group said in its statement. 'Justice must not stop here — and we are committed to seeing it through.' Israel says its forces follow international law and try to avoid harming civilians, and that it investigates allegations of wrongdoing. In a written statement, the prosecutor's office said that the two army members — who were in Belgium for the Tomorrowland festival — were questioned after the office received legal complaints on Friday and Saturday from the Hind Rajab Foundation and another group. The prosecution office requested the questioning after an initial assessment of the complaints 'determined that it potentially had jurisdiction.' The Hind Rajab foundation said it filed its complaints along with the rights group Global Legal Action Network. The decision to question the two Israelis was based on an article in Belgium's Code of Criminal Procedure that went into force last year and grants Belgian courts jurisdiction over acts overseas that are potentially governed by an international treaty, in this case the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1984 United Nations convention against torture, the prosecution statement said. 'In light of this potential jurisdiction, the Federal Prosecutor's Office requested the police to locate and interrogate the two individuals named in the complaint. Following these interrogations, they were released,' the statement said, without elaborating. It said it was not providing any further information at this stage of its investigation. The European Jewish Association criticized Belgian authorities for acting on what it called a politically motivated complaint. 'These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defence of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,' the association said in a statement. The news in Belgium came as the UN food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory's Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. The death toll in war-ravaged Gaza has climbed to more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. ____ Melanie Lidman and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem and Molly Quell in The Hague contributed to this report. The Associated Press
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Metallica Helped Tomorrowland Bounce Back After Main Stage Fire By Loaning Out Parts of M72 Stage
The Tomorrowland dance festival managed to go off in Boom, Belgium this weekend despite the event's iconic main stage getting destroyed by a massive fire just two days before Friday's (July 18) kick-off. In a miracle from the beat gods, workers on site were able to clear out the piles of debris and construct a new stage to host the fest's headliners overnight, giving Nervo, Axwell, Martin Garrix, Alok and others a place to perform on night one. How'd they do it? With a little help from Metallica, believe it or not. More from Billboard Tomorrowland Goes on as Scheduled After New Mainstage Erected: Watch the Livestream Justin Bieber Charts 16 Songs on Hot 100 From 'Swag' - And Ties With This Legend for 10th-Most Top 10s Jane Eugene, Loose Ends Vocalist, Detained by ICE According to Belgian news outlet HLN, after devastated organizers scrambled for a replacement of the 147 foot-tall 524 foot-wide main stage — which was reduced to a pile of charred metal and soot after Wednesday's still unexplained blaze — they got a hand from an unexpected musical peer. Determined to open gates on time and give the people what they came for, organizers worked with regular festival partners Pixel Screen, Stageco and Prismax to rebuild the stage with help from Metallica, who offered up some elements from their M72 world tour stage that were being stored in Austria. The pieces were airlifted to Belgium overnight and fashioned into a new main stage to replace the massive one technicians had been toiling on for two weeks before Wednesday's fire. While at press time spokespeople for Metallica and Tomorrowland had not returned Billboard's request for comment, one of Friday's headliners, Garrix, weighed in on the kind gesture. 'I can not believe I'm actually typing this… but my set at Tomorrowland is still happening! 🙏massive love and a big shoutout to the incredible @tomorrowland team for pulling off miracles — and to @Metallica for coming through with the new stage parts 🤘❤️,' he wrote alongside a picture of himself with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. 'beyond excited to close the mainstage tonight. & this will hands down be the most unique Tomorrowland ever — and yes, I'll be streaming it too.' Metallica commented on the post with a black heart emoji. At press time Metallica did not appear to have commented on being Tomorrowland's stage saviors. According to HLN, while the temporary replacement stage was significantly smaller than the original — 'it's a third of the original stage, but certainly not less,' said the former CEO of Zillion, the company that pressed 200 people into action to rebuild the stage — it brought the artists closer to the audience, though local officials blocked the use of fireworks on it. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tomorrowland Goes on as Scheduled After New Mainstage Erected: Watch the Livestream
Tomorrowland 2025 opened the entirety of its site to attendees earlier Friday (July 18) in Boom, Belgium, just two days after a fire destroyed the dance festival's mainstage. The development occurred after the festival announced Thursday (July 17) that it might either sequester a portion of its day one attendees to a stage in the festival's camping area for sets by the Friday headliners, or open the entire site to all day one guests. More from Billboard Tomorrowland Mainstage Fire Eyewitness Describes 'Disbelief' as Blaze Erupted YURIYAN RETRIEVER Talks Debut Solo Single & Ambition to Become a Genre of Her Own Questlove to Be Honored With 'SummerStage Icon Award' at 2025 City Parks Foundation Benefit Workers on site at the event were able to clear the mainstage area and then construct a new stage setup to host the event's headlining acts, which on Friday included Nervo, Axwell, Martin Garrix, Alok, Artbat & Kolsch and Meduza. As seen in the stream and photos shared by the festival on social media, the quickly constructed new mainstage is built from a DJ booth and a wall of LED panels, behind which the remains of the massive structure that burned are visible, along with heavy machinery. The set-up can be seen in the event's livestream, which is being broadcast from several of the festival's roughly 16 stages. The mainstage lineup is available here and the rest of the performances are available here. No one was injured in the fire, and its cause has not yet been announced. The current situation at Tomorrowland is arguably the best possible outcome following the unprecedented fire. On Wednesday (July 16), the festival advised that there was a chance it might not open at all if the site was determined unsafe by the authorities, but that go-ahead came and the event managed to construct a new mainstage in time to open the entirety of the site. In the hours before the festival opened for its first day on Friday, organizers posted a statement announcing, 'Dear People of Tomorrow, WE ARE READY FOR YOU! Our teams are working day and night, with heart and soul, to turn the impossible into reality: Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 will open doors at 14:00. An alternative setup for the beloved Mainstage is planned to open at 16:00, pending any last-minute changes. All artists will perform as scheduled on all other stages as from 14:00. Tomorrowland will unite, stronger than ever!' The first weekend of Tomorrowland 2025 continues until Sunday (July 20), while its second weekend is happening July 25-27. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Tomorrowland music festival goes ahead after fire engulfs main stage
Revellers in Belgium have kicked off this year's Tomorrowland music festival after a fire destroyed the main stage days earlier. Organisers had revealed it was a 'race against time' to build a replacement stage after the main stage burnt down on Wednesday. Australian DJ duo Nervo were able to get the party started on Friday after a slight delay with some charred remains of the structure still visible behind them. An estimated 400,000 people are expected to file through the gates across the festival's two weekends.
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Tomorrowland Music Festival Opens after its Main Stage was Destroyed by Huge Fire
Fans roared in excitement and organizers sighed with relief as the Tomorrowland music festival kicked off Friday — just two days after a massive fire engulfed the main stage and threw one of Europe's biggest summer concert events into doubt. Workers labored around the clock to clear out the debris from the elaborate backdrop that was consumed in Wednesday's fire. Shouting ''We made it!'', the festival's opening performers, Australian electronic music group Nervo, were able to take to the main stage Friday after a last-minute scramble and slight delay. Some charred frames were still visible behind them. No one was hurt in the fire, organizers said. The causes are being investigated. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world attend Tomorrowland's annual multi-day festival outside the Belgian town of Boom. Some 38,000 people were camping at the festival site Friday, Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said. ''Maybe there are some few people that say, OK, we would like to have a refund, but it's only like a very small percentage because most of them are still coming to the festival,' she told AP. 'It is all about unity, and I think with a good vibe and a positive energy that our festival-goers give to each other and the music we offer, I think they will still have a good time,″ she said. ''We really tried our best.″ Australian fans Zak Hiscock and Brooke Antoniou — who traveled half the world to see the famed festival as part of a summer holiday in Europe — described hearing about the fire. 'We were sitting having dinner when we actually heard the news of the stage burning down. We were very devastated and shattered, quite upset because we travelled a long way,'' Hiscock said. Ukrainian visitor Oleksandr Beshkynskyi shared their joy that the festival went ahead as planned. ''It's not just about the one DJ or two DJs you're looking to see, but about all the mood and about the dream being alive," Beshkynskyi said.
