Mechelen animal park Planckendael could be welcoming the arrival of a new baby elephant as early as this weekend, the park’s management has announced. Females Phyo Phyo ( shown here with baby Kai Mook in 2009 ) and her daughter May Tagu were both reported to be pregnant back in October, when May...

Marrying in Belgium can be a fairly straightforward affair – and probably one of the nicer reasons to spend time at your local city hall. For the most part, it’s about getting the paperwork in order and showing up in front of the magistrate on the right day. But for international couples, the...

Rail authority NMBS should make it easier for passengers to request compensation for late or cancelled trains resulting from strike action, according to a new campaign by consumer organisation Test-Aankoop and public transport users’ groups TreinTramBus and Navetteurs.be. The groups launched the...

Antwerp city council has announced plans to take action against the growth of night shops because of their negative impact on the image of the city and its commerce. Starting next month, anyone who wants to open a night shop in the city will have to pay a one-time fee of €6,000, followed by an...

For the first time since 2010, the legendary Irish rock band U2 will return to Belgium. As part of their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour, the band have announced two concert dates at Antwerp’s Sportpaleis on October 13 and 14. It will be U2’s 25th appearance in Belgium, exactly 35 years since the first...

Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken (N-VA) ( pictured ) wants foreigners to pay €225 up-front to cover the costs of the administrative processing of their residence application. The new measure would mainly apply to those coming to Belgium in the context of family...

Politicians from the previous Belgian government under Elio Di Rupo last year partook in two round-trip flights to Brazil on the occasion of the World Cup. The flights cost Belgian taxpayers a total of €500,000, according to figures from Defence Minister Steven Vandeput, as requested by Flemish...

Brussels has a hundreds of pocket parks tucked away in its nooks and crannies. Through unmarked doorways, or behind high walls. Small spaces of respite, perfect for reading a book on a park bench or a picnic with some friends. You could walk right past one and never even know it’s there, but when...

The new headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), currently under construction in Brussels, could see its costs run as high as €1 billion, the Court of Auditors has warned. The original budget for the complex was €457.6 million. According to the report, the cost has already...

A group of 11 Belgian scientists, artists and business leaders has threatened to bring a legal action against the country’s four governments – three regional and one federal – for “climate crimes”. The group ( pictured ), which includes filmmaker Nic Balthazar, artist Koen Vanmechelen, climate...