The Belgian navy ship BNS Godetia is back in the port of Zeebrugge following a successful humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean Sea. In nearly two months, the ship’s crew rescued 1,617 refugees from the sea, report various Belgian media. In addition to crowds of relatives, the crew was welcomed...

The Free University of Brussels (VUB) has signed an agreement with Chinese prime minister Li Keqiang to open a branch of the Confucius Institute. The two parties met when Li was in Brussels on a state visit earlier this month. The institute will provide lessons in Mandarin at academic and...

In a Brussels canal last week thousands of dead fish were found floating over a stretch of two kilometres between the Biestebroeck dock at Anderlecht and the Molenbeek lock, according to a report in La Libre Belgique confirmed by the Brussels Environment Agency (IBGE-BIM). The fish found are mainly...

More than 1,000 people have visited Ghent University’s botanical garden to admire a rare plant that has bloomed for the first time in 10 years. During its bloom, which lasts 48 hours, the flowers of the large titan arum open and it releases a strong, unpleasant smell, which is why it is known as...

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...