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Brussels Sewers Museum reopens its doors to the public

The Sewers Museum in Brussels will reopen its doors to the general public on 19 November, after a lack of resources forced the museum to close last year , only opening for pre-arranged groups since October, 2014. The museum highlights the nearly 400 km-long sewer network located under the city,...

Belgium ranks 17th for English language proficiency

Belgium ranks 17 th in the EF English Proficiency Index 2015, the world's largest ranking of countries by English skills. Flemings have a stronger knowledge of English than Walloons, according to the index. Sweden and the Netherlands rank 1 st and 2 nd in the list, respectively. The report...

Number of bankruptcies down drastically in October

The number of bankruptcies in Belgium fell in October for the fourth month in a row, to 870, or 17.85% fewer than the same month last year. The number of job losses as a result was down 10%. Broken up by region, the number of bankruptcies in Flanders last month was down by 18%, and in Brussels by...

Goedele Liekens: former Miss Belgium on a campaign for better sex education

Belgium's Goedele Liekens has made waves in Britain with a TV show about improving sex education. She says it’s time for our neighbours to get past the smirks and sniggers and have a meaningful conversation on the subject. Goedele Liekens has a reputation. As a sexologist, she’s already assumed to...

Atomium ad campaign cheekily takes credit for highest toilet in Brussels

Where is the highest toilet in Brussels? It’s a question you’ve probably never asked yourself, but the answer, according to the Atomium, is in the uppermost sphere of that celebrated monument. In the toilets of Brussels Airport you can find posters boasting: “The city’s highest toilets [95m] are in...

Speed demons from outside Belgium rarely fined

Drivers with foreign licence plates in Belgium caught by speed cameras almost never receive a fine in the mailbox. The prosecutor's office in Halle-Vilvoorde sees 'no point' in enforcing the fines, according to autofans.be. The prosecutor's office last year acknowledged that it could not process...

Nemo 33 to expand with outdoor pool, windmill, hotel

The Brussels municipality of Uccle has granted an environmental permit to diving centre Nemo 33. The multi-purpose indoor diving facility is to expand with the addition of an open-air diving pit designed to look like a water-filled quarry, a windmill, a hotel with 35 rooms and parking for about 100...

Brussels minister leads first official mission to Cuba in eight years

Brussels state secretary for foreign trade Cécile Jodogne ( pictured ) this week leads Belgium's first official mission to Cuba in eight years. The last official mission dates back to 2007, when federal minister Jaak Gabriëls visited the country. "The Cuban economy has opened its doors, and we...

Fireworks law gets a rethink after 50 years

Federal minister for consumer affairs Kris Peeters is reviewing the law on the use of fireworks by members of the public for the first time in 50 years. The review aims, he said, to improve safety for the user in the light of technical changes that have taken place, as well as providing legal...

VUB university turns to the stock market to raise funds

The Free University of Brussels (VUB) was launched on the Brussels stock exchange Alternext last Friday. The university has issued bonds and raised about €61 million. A bond is a debt investment in which an investor loans money to an entity, which borrows the funds at an interest rate for a defined...

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