Bars, nightclubs and concert venues in the Brussels region will be subject to stricter noise limits by the end of 2018, after 15% of young people were found to suffer from some form of permanent hearing damage from exposure to loud music. A new decree signed by the region's environment minister...

Prime minister Charles Michel has expressed his government’s “disagreement” with the decision by US President Donald Trump to impose a temporary ban on accepting refugees from seven majority-Islamic countries. “Belgium will not be following the example and will be seeking further information via...

If ever you’re planning on moving some of your stuff, it’s a good idea to rope in some mates and save a bit of money. That’s what Ghent city council must have been thinking, faced with the chore of moving all those books from the municipal library on Woodrow Wilsonplein to the new premises on De...

Federal minister for consumer affairs Kris Peeters has proposed increasing the fines for retailers who offer fake discounts during sales periods. Fines currently run from €1,500 to €60,000. The law currently states that the official sales periods – in January and July – should be preceded by a 30-...

Military personnel will remain on the streets of Belgium until at least 2 March, the Belgian council of ministers decided on Friday. The decision made by the cabinet - chaired by prime minister Charles Michel - is based on the latest risk assessment by terror threat analysis body OCAM. Soldiers...

A road in Brussels' EU district collapsed on Saturday morning, swallowing a parked car and leaving a five-metre deep hole. A water leak was to blame for the road surface giving way on Rue Stevin, a few hundred metres from the Berlaymont. A Citroën C1 was damaged and had to be lifted out of the hole...

More than 3,500 people have signed a petition expressing concern about the future merger of Brussels' Royal Museum of the Armed Forces into a bigger new organisation later this year. The Citizen's Movement for the Safeguard of National Heritage, which is behind the petition, wants assurances that...

Organisers of the Formula E all-electric grand prix are seeking a new venue in Brussels after plans to host the motor race around Koekelberg and Ganshoren were rejected. The race, scheduled in the Formula E race calendar for 1 July, was due to take place on the roads surrounding Parc Elisabeth and...

Retailers at Westland Shopping Centre in Anderlecht have been told they will receive no compensation after a ceiling collapse forced all 140 stores to close for four days in the height of the January sales. The precinct reopened partially on Saturday and fully on Monday - and management have spent...

The governments of Flanders and Brussels have been unable to reach an agreement over the latter’s strict new limits on aircraft noise. Flanders argues the new limits simply push flights taking off from and landing at Brussels Airport over the Flemish periphery, while Brussels insists the limits are...