A growing number of asylum seekers in Belgium cite their homosexuality as the reason for applying, saying they fled their country because of homophobia and the violence that accompanies it, reports Het Laatste Nieuws. In 2011, 823 such applications were made, compared to 116 in 2006. Of the 522...

Belgium risks being fined for missing its 2012 budget target and needs a convincing plan to rein in its deficit this year and next without relying on one-off measures, the Economic Times quotes an EU official as saying yesterday. Belgium’s government had aimed to reduce the public sector deficit to...

The fault that shut down the Interconnector UK-Belgium gas pipeline today has been found, but the line will remain closed while the problem is rectified, the operator said. “The fault [the failure of a water/glycol pump in the Bacton boiler house] has been identified and we are seeking to rectify...

Bars and nightclubs are behaving stubbornly when it comes to the smoking ban, reports De Standaard. Spot-checks last year showed that one in four pubs was in breach of the law, while almost half of nightclubs were flouting the ban. Health ministry inspectors conducted 4,700 daytime and 900 evening...

With cheap spaces, a friendly scene and a thoughtful audience, Brussels’ arts scene is making some noise, writes the New York Times’ Jim Lewis . “The Belgian system is more flexible than the French,” says Almine Rech-Picasso, who moved from Paris in 2006, bringing with her a branch of her deluxe...

The top 50 American companies in Belgium contributed €1.7 billion in taxes and social security payments to the state coffers in 2012. This finding, and many others, is contained in the recently released report The Importance of US Companies in Belgium, published by the American Chamber of Commerce...

The Belgian army is unable to remove its 16 Salafist recruits, or even to prevent them from being promoted, La Libre reports today. The legal impasse was confirmed in a session of the Defence Committee, held behind closed doors in the houses of parliament. Two of the 16 Salafists have attained the...

Brussels Expo is about to get even busier with the opening of the Brussels National Arena in June, writes Venues Today’s Linda Deckard . The renovation of the Palais 12 exhibition hall into a 15,000-seat arena is on budget (€20 million) and on time (with a four-month construction turnaround). Now...

Criminals who take advantage of the border between France and Belgium to evade police pursuit have been targeted under an agreement between the two countries, reports the UPI agency . French Interior Minister Manuel Valls and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Joelle Milquet, meeting Monday in the...

New Zealand cyclist Jack Bauer was left lying motionless on the road after a crash during a one-day race in Belgium, reports 3 News . The 27-year-old Garmin-Sharp rider fell 58km from the finish of the 199.7km Dwars door Vlaanderen race in Flanders. Television footage showed him lying face down...