The number of Belgian troops in Afghanistan will gradually decline from the beginning of 2016, according to defence minister Steven Vandeput, report various Belgian media. "In autumn 2015, we will launch the operation Resolute Support and its plan for the gradual withdrawal of all Belgian troops...

Cheer on teams of travellers setting off on a charity roadtrip to Mongolia from Cinquantenaire Park on Saturday. The Mongolia Charity Rally is a 30-day, 15,000km journey to the ancient Mongol capital of Ulaanbaatar while the finishing line of the Roof of the World Charity Rally is Dushanbe...

House prices in Belgium went up in the first half of 2015, despite a reform of the mortgage tax relief system. The increase is most noticeable in Flanders. The cost of an apartment at the Belgian coast, meanwhile, has stabilised after years of falling prices, reports De Standaard . According to a...

Fire stations around the world held a minute’s silence on Thursday at 20.00 Belgian time, to mark the 30,000th Last Post ceremony taking place at that moment under the Menin Gate in Ypres. The worldwide commemoration of the fallen in the First World War was followed by a special edition of the...

Both branches of the Free University of Brussels – the Dutch-speaking VUB and the French-speaking ULB – have announced plans to bring both their science campuses together in a new, modern science park. The Science & Technology Park will be built on what both universities’ students like to call...

Last week’s sweltering heat had many a city dweller dreaming of diving into a cool pond. Unfortunately, Brussels doesn’t have much to offer by way of natural swimming spots. There are a few open-air pools in the region, such at the Oceade water park near the Atomium and the Huizingen provincial...

The City of Brussels has launched a photo contest around the theme of the new pedestrian zone, inviting amateur and professional photographers to send in their best shots of "life in central Brussels’ new pedestrian zone during the summer of 2015", writes brusselnieuws.be. A jury will nominate the...

When Muslims are mentioned in international news reports, it’s usually in the context of fundamentalism and extremism. A new English-language website launched by a pair of Antwerp students now wants to give a voice to the oft-overlooked group of tolerant, young and trendy Muslims around the world...

While lighting up a grill in public is allowed in other world cities such as Lyon, Antwerp and Amsterdam, in Brussels it is forbidden. With the exception of one public barbecue in the Sauvagère Park in Uccle, south of Brussels, barbecuing in public is prohibited across Brussels. And that’s not...

Brussels residents are the most active participants in Belgium’s share economy, according to a survey conducted by the bank ING. The survey looked at consumer behaviours in 13 European countries, the USA and Australia. In Belgium, 1,030 people were surveyed, including about 100 Brussels residents,...