The number of reports of animal cruelty received by Flanders’ animal welfare service hotline (02.524.74.11) continues to rise. In 2014, there were 956 reports of animal abuse, or nearly 87% on a total of 1,102 calls, reports De Zondag based on figures from the environmental administration of the...

Brussels’ public transportation network is severely disrupted today as trade unions carry out a demonstration in Brussels and Flemish Brabant. In Brussels, only about half of the metros and trams are running normally, as many of the employees of transport company STIB take part in the regional...

In 2014, the employment rate for people over the age of 55 in Belgium was 42.7%, an increase of 1% compared with the previous year, and an increase of 5.4% compared with a decade ago, according to figures from the FPS Economy. Despite the increase, Belgium continues to lag behind the European...

A court in Hasselt has dropped charges against the city’s mayor, former police chief and municipal secretary in a case brought against them on the evidence of a whistle-blower. The three were accused of falsifying documents. The court found that mayor Hilde Claes, police chief Michel Beckers and...

Flanders’ environment and agriculture minister, Joke Schauvliege, has launched a healthy eating campaign aimed at encouraging people to cultivate vegetables in their own gardens. Healthy in Your Own Garden campaign provides advice on the right soil to grow vegetables, as well as tips on raising...

Have you ever had a brilliant business idea but didn’t know how to make it happen? Maybe you’re tired of your employer and dream of establishing your own company in Belgium. Or are you already running a business but struggling to keep afloat on the tide of paperwork? If you answered yes to any of...

Celebrating the bite-sized: Festival XS is a circus, dance and performance feast at Théâtre National until Saturday. Each evening, some 100 artists – both seasoned and up-and-coming - deliver 20 short shows from 18.00. Each performance is between five and 25 minutes; you can purchase a pass on the...

People often struggle to suggest hotels in their own cities – after all, we don’t stay in them and visitors usually stay with us. But with all the traffic Brussels receives for meetings and conferences and tourism, there are many options of places to stay, from the grand hotel chains to the tiny...

A series of pension reforms have been approved by the parliamentary committee for social affairs. The changes to the law, which still have to be voted on in parliament, include the scrapping of the provision that civil servants could include study years in calculating their retirement age. The new...

The organisers of Sunday’s Hart Boven Hard (HbH) demonstration in Brussels against the government’s cost-cutting policies are expecting as many as 20,000 participants and onlookers to turn out, a spokesperson said. The Grand Parade will begin at North station at 13.00. Rather than the usual...