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Federal government negotiations enter “home stretch”

Talks on forming a federal coalition government, led by formateurs Kris Peeters of Flemish party CD&V and Charles Michel of the French-speaking party MR, are nearly done. In an interview with VRT news, Michel ( pictured ) said that the negotiators had entered the “home stretch”. Meetings were...

Belgians favour smoking ban in the car

Lighting up a cigarette in the car should be banned, according to 67% of Belgians who responded to a survey by the Foundation Against Cancer. "The support is there, but there is nothing happening at the political level," says Luk Joossens of the Foundation Against Cancer. The Foundation Against...

Pear sales up 30% in Belgium, but apples remain

Pear sales in Belgium have increased by about 30% compared to the same period last year, report De Tijd and Het Nieuwsblad . The sale of apples, by contrast, remains stable. "We have sold roughly 30% more pears in Belgium compared to last year," confirms Etienne Leclère, commercial director of the...

Wage watchers: How much does an electric voltage monitor earn?

We asked Karel Danau, 31, from Lede how he spends his €2,000 net per month. What do you for a living? We manage the metro and tram high and low voltage grids and co-ordinate technical interventions. When there are problems on the grid, we send people to fix them. The best part is the variety; you...

Belgian bishops to help mothers find their babies

Thirty years after the scandal in the old Tamar Catholic hospital in Lommel, Limburg province, a group of Belgian bishops are willing to help the mothers who gave birth there. A special ward was set up at Tamar in the 1970s where pregnant women, usually dealing with an unwanted pregnancy out of...

Belgium sends fighter pilots to Iraq

Six Belgian F16 fighter planes took off from Belgium last Friday to join the international military coalition tackling the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. A parliamentary vote was needed as the country is currently without a federal government. But the F16s took off for the Middle East before...

NMBS/SNCB and Infrabel named as suspects in 2010 crash

The rail authority NMBS/SNCB and its infrastructure partner, Infrabel, have been designated as official suspects in relation to the train crash at Buizingen in February of 2010 in which 19 people died and 162 were injured. The complaint by an investigating magistrate also concerns the driver of one...

Thousands protest in Brussels against unstunned slaughter

Around 7,500 people took part in a demonstration on Sunday in Brussels against the ritual slaughter of sheep without anaesthesia. Animal rights organisation Gaia was behind the demonstration. Gaia asks that the law be changed which allows the slaughter of animals without anaesthesia for religious...

Café De Muze calls it quits

De Muze in Antwerp, one of Belgium’s most famous bars, is closing its doors for good this month, coincidentally on its 50th anniversary. Owner Jan Van Den Braak told Knack that financial problems are the reason for the closure. Founded in 1964 by Walter Masselis and Tone Pauwels, De Muze soon...

Culture beat – September 26

If you’re a cinema fan, take advantage of the last few days of BNP Fortis Paribas Film Days . Until Saturday you can watch a movie for €4 in cinemas around the country. The programme of screenings includes premieres and newly-released films. After only two years, the Bozar Electronic Arts Festival...

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