It may have taken more than five years after he landed the job, but if the French press agency AFP’s sources have it right, US President Barack Obama will make his first visit to Belgium in March. The president is expected to be in Brussels March 26 for a EU-American summit and bilateral talks...

The EU’s foreign ministers have agreed to proceed with a military mission to the Central African Republic by sending roughly 500 soldiers into the quickly deteriorating situation in the country. The military support will provide help to both the French and African troops already on the ground...

Red Cross Flanders is faced with a dilemma: As the public becomes more aware of the possibilities of stem cell donations in treating certain kinds of illnesses, such as leukaemia, more and more people come forward as potential donors. However, every donation must be analysed for its suitability to...

De Lijn CEO Roger Kesteloot has called for a review of the availability of public transport in sparsely populated areas, while increasing investment in urban areas. He also called into question free travel for seniors, suggesting instead a set of “social tariffs” for anyone on a low income. The...

The one-way fee to Brussels Airport is set to jump to € 5.07 on February 1, marking a 14% increase from the current supplement of € 4.44, after the decision was officially adopted by the federal government Friday. The increased supplement, which is added to the price of a normal train ticket to...

Last year’s figures show a significant drop in the amount of stolen copper cable along Belgium’s rail system. Reports for 2013 indicate a drop of 40% over the 2012 numbers. Belgian Railways, the Federal Railway Police, and the Belgian rail infrastructure company Infrabel, say that the dramatic...

A new report has revealed the extent that some of Belgium’s wealthiest citizens have gone to avoid paying their taxes. A professor at the London School of Economics has crunched the numbers from the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and has found that Belgians have a cool €60 billion hidden away in Swiss...

The Flemish medical sector is circulating a petition against the plan of federal public health minister Laurette Onkelinx to abolish the limit on the number of new doctors by allowing students to apply for studies in general practice or one of the bottleneck specialist professions without taking an...

Flemish environment minister Joke Schauvliege has reached an agreement with the cinema sector on a new system to control noise levels during the screening of digital films. “The goal is to protect the cinema viewer – and in particular children,” she said. The government of Flanders has already...

What do you do? For about five years I’ve been working as a credit manager at a BMW garage. In concrete terms, that means I follow up on clients who can’t make their payments. Every month I send out a reminder. If they don’t contact me, I call them up the following week. No two work days are the...