Competing with the World Cup this weekend, to the relief of many, is Fête de la Musique . The annual solstice musical fiesta reflects artistic and musical diversity in Brussels and Wallonia with around 700 concerts and performances in the open air and all free! Celebrating its 30th edition, the...

Marcel Brühwiler, the head of UBS Belgium, was detained by Brussels police at his home on Thursday on suspicion of money laundering, serious tax fraud and membership of a criminal organisation. Brühwiler, a Swiss national, was held and questioned by the authorities for 12 hours. The Brussels...

Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur has announced tightened security in the capital during Belgium’s next World Cup match, following the death of a football supporter in central Brussels on Tuesday evening, reports La Dernière Heure . Mayeur told the paper: “We will deploy more stewards and we will place...

The federal public health ministry has warned of a new stricter enforcement of the smoking ban in bars. Owners who persist in ignoring the ban will now face fines of up to €6,000 – more than three times the previous amount. In addition, repeat offenders could find themselves in court facing a six-...

Organisers of the Battle of Waterloo bicentenary festivities unveiled their plans for June 2015 at a press conference on Thursday. The non-profit organisation Bataille de Waterloo 1815, which brings together the four municipalities where the battlefield is located as well as Wallonia and Walloon...

Furniture chain Ikea is working together with the charity shop Les Petits Riens in Brussels and the equivalent Kringwinkel across Flanders to encourage the re-purposing of old furniture, the company announced. Under the action Save the Furniture, members of the public can now bring unused pieces of...

The federal road policing unit and 195 local road policing units caught 118,609 people using their mobile phone while driving in 2013, reports Sudpresse. In August, the Belgian Institute for Road Safety, IBSR/BIVV, will run a campaign against mobile phone use while driving. Local police registered...

Red Devils supporters Evelien Jonckheere and Pieter Tijtgat named their newborn son Titus Marouane Dries Tijtgat in honour of the Belgian scorers at the Belgium-Algeria match in Brazil on Tuesday evening. The couple from Ghent had agreed in advance that they would give their child the first names...

The municipality of Brussels-City has extended the number of locations where street musicians and other street performers who “use sound” can legally operate, culture alderwoman Karin Lalieux announced. The number of locations is increased from 16 to 19. At the same time, street musicians will be...

Denis Knoops, CEO of supermarket chain Delhaize, failed to turn up for a meeting of the works council yesterday. The meeting was scheduled to discuss the company’s restructuring plan, in the wake of last week’s announcement that 14 stores would close and 2,500 workers made redundant. Earlier,...