The Belgian fruit sector is being hard hit by the Russian import ban: due to a surplus of fruit on the European market, fruit farmers have seen the price of their apples and pears drop to half their normal price for this time of year, reports De Tijd . “Owing to the crisis with Russia, prices have...

European Commissioner for social affairs, Laszlo Andor, spoke at Ghent University yesterday about the problem of integrating Roma migrants in cities like Ghent. Ghent has been struggling for several years to deal with Roma migrants, who began to settle in the city after the EU opened its borders to...

The Flemish government’s spending cuts, soundly criticised by the opposition and cultural organisations this week, are urgently needed, according to Karel Van Eetvelt (pictured), director-general of Unizo, the organisation that represents the self-employed in Flanders. In fact, they don’t go far...

With all the hype surrounding the recent launch of Netflix , the internet video-on-demand streaming service, in Belgium you might be wondering: should I go ahead and sign up, or is it worth it to shop around? Here’s a quick guide to your main options for television and film streaming services in...

A 24-year-old Syrian was intercepted by customs officials at Charleroi Airport in Gosselies on Tuesday. Suspected of belonging to a terrorist group, he was placed under arrest by an examining magistrate on Thursday. The man, who had come from Greece and was on his way to Scandinavia, was in...

A Tintin fan in Brussels has uncovered an original plate from King Ottokar’s Sceptre after moving his furniture around at home, reports Le Figaro . The Tintin comic strip collector had forgotten of the work’s existence, which was drawn personally by Tintin’s creator Hergé in a mix of Indian ink and...

Staff at the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in Rixensart, Walloon Brabant, dumped 45 litres of liquid contaminated by live polio virus into the river Laan, the federal health ministry has revealed. The incident took place on 2 September but has only now been confirmed. A ministry statement...

More than 86,000 speeding tickets were issued in 2013 for drivers breaking the speed limit in 30 km/h zones. Across the country, in 2013, 86,442 drivers were caught on speed camera in 30 km/h zones, which is nearly 30% more than in 2012 (66,684 tickets) and 44% more than in 2011 (59,846 tickets)...

Belgium’s first student hostel with capsule beds opened this week in Antwerp. The Antwerp Student Hostel (ASH) provides the minimum of accommodation: the cheapest formula is a bed in the form of a capsule, long and wide enough to sleep in ( pictured ). Each capsule is soundproofed and air-...

Yesterday’s police strike was a great success, according to the liberal public service union VSOA Politie. “On average, 55% of police employees are on strike,” said chair Vincent Gilles. “In fact 65 to 75% of police are behind our action, though they cannot show it because they are required to work...