Six parties were due today to present a coalition to form the new Brussels government. They are, on the Flemish side, socialists SP.A, Christian-democrats CD&V and liberals Open VLD; on the French-speaking side socialists PS, Christians CDH and militant francophones FDF. According to Laurette...

Staff at the NMBS maintenance yard in Forest in Brussels this morning began an unannounced strike when half of the night shift downed tools. The morning shift beginning at 6.00 was expected to follow. The yard principally deals with maintenance of Thalys and Eurostar trains. The workers’ aim was to...

Belgian musicians score well in their own country, but fail to arouse interest outside its borders, according to the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), which represents the producers and distributors of music made in Belgium. In the past year, 36.6% of the best-selling albums in Belgium came...

Ruddy Callewaert, spokesman for Belgian police union Sypol.be, has been threatened with death by fellow officers who accuse him of filing the lawsuit on the pension plan with the Constitutional Court, report Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen and De Tijd. The ruling of the Constitutional Court...

As a reminder of the European directive that calls for all Flemish rivers and waterways to achieve a "good ecological status" by 2015, 2,127 people – including a number of politicians – jumped in the water yesterday at 28 locations across the Flemish region, reports nature organisation Natuurpunt...

Apart from the lingering damp weather, what’s not to like about Brosella Folk and Jazz this weekend? The totally free event is family-friendly and within city limits. Saturday’s programme is devoted to folk, Sunday’s jazz with Fabrice Allman, Omar Sousa Quarteto Afrocubano, Bert Cools, Jef Neve...

Axelle Despiegelaere, the 17-year-old Belgium World Cup fan who won a modelling contract with L'Oreal after being spotted cheering in the crowd, has been revealed as a fan of big-game hunting. Despiegelaere, whose family is from Izegem, but lives in the Tournai, was photographed cheering the Red...

Tomorrowland, the annual Boom-based electronic music festival, is pioneering a innovative bracelet for fans that will allow them to make Facebook connections with the click of a button. The idea is to skip the often fiddly step of swapping contact details in the midst of a busy festival. The...

Car use in and around Brussels fell by an average of 5.5% during a pilot scheme organized by Belgium’s three regions to measure the influence of road charging. The first report from the pilot scheme, which measured 1,000 motorists from the start of the year, revealed that they would cut back on car...

Jean-Marie Tinck, the man arrested in May on suspicion of being a member of the notorious Brabant Killers gang, has been released from prison but remains under suspicion, his lawyer said. According to lawyer Jean-Edmond Mairiaux, the court found no reason for the continued detention of Tinck, who...