The federal prosecutor’s office is carrying out an investigation into claims that one of the men visible on the latest video released by the terrorist organisation IS is a man from Vilvoorde. Belgium’s state security services spotted the 28-year-old on the video, in which several beheadings are...

Belgian Prime minister Charles Michel (MR) will meet with Pope Francis next Tuesday, November 25 in Strasbourg, in the framework of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of Europe. Since November 1, Belgium took over the six-month chairmanship of the Council of Europe. The Council brings together a...

Brussels Airlines this week launched a marketing campaign around its new b.gift, a holiday gift certificate good for a flight within Europe for up to four people. Each b.gift comes with a voucher worth €15 towards the cost of post-flight transport, to be used in conjuction with ride-share app Uber...

A major study on happiness carried out at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) demonstrates that tips on how to be happy actually have a positive effect on the average person’s level of happiness. The results are assembled and explained in the book Veel geluk (Good Luck). KU Leuven examined the...

An increasing number of Belgians suspect their neighbours of tax evasion, as evidenced by the fraud cases reported to the Federal Public Service Finance. In five years, the number of reports increased from 510 to 2,610 complaints in 2013. This year, already more than 2,000 new complaints have been...

While you might prefer to quietly sip your coffee in the wee hours of the last day of the work week, thousands of people in some 100 cities all over the world gather for CreativeMornings in their respective hometowns. Brussels recently joined the pack, and it is welcoming designer Alain Gilles at...

After Denmark, Belgium has the highest labour costs in the European Union, according to a study by the German Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK). The study shows that in 2013, the average private sector salary in Belgium was €41.2 per hour. The European Union average is less than €23.9 per hour...

A Brussels investigating magistrate has accused HSBC Bank of “serious and organised” tax fraud, money laundering, criminal conspiracy and illegally acting as a financial intermediary. The accusation falls short of actual criminal charges but is announced in order to give the suspect a chance to...

Flemish culture minister Sven Gatz wants to hold a round table discussion to improve cultural co-operation in Brussels. Normally culture in Brussels is sharply divided between the Dutch-language and French-language communities, with just a few organisations such as Bozar and Flagey successfully...