A classification procedure has been launched to protect rare mural paintings produced by Hergé, the world-known inventor of Tintin, when he was 15 years old and a member of a scout troop. In a small room, eight metres by three - a former garage on the grounds of the Institut Saint-Boniface in...

“Now, more than ever, our mental health matters.” That’s the message from Brussels-based NGO Mental Health Europe as it launches the second edition of its European Mental Health Week , from 10 to 16 May. Recognising the additional strain placed on people’s mental health by the pandemic and...

Parking.Brussels, which enforces parking policies in 10 of Brussels’ 19 municipalities, handed out a whopping 1.1 million fines last year. Schaerbeek was responsible for a full 30% of the parking fines. The figures come from Brussels mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) in answer to a...

Staff in the EU institutions have launched a fundraising drive for Europe Day 2021 on 9 May, urging colleagues to join them in supporting people across the continent hardest hit by the pandemic. Set up in 2020, the EU Staff COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund has resulted in more than 1,200 civil...

Brussels public transport service Stib must pay €51,000 in damages to a Muslim woman it refused to hire because she said she would need to wear her headscarf at work. The labour court in Brussels also told Stib to reform its hiring practices, which it says are discriminatory. In 2019, a Muslim...

After being forced to skip a year, the Royal Greenhouses in Laeken are back open to the public. The historical gardens and greenhouses of the royal domain are open for a few short weeks every year. While not every greenhouse can be open as social distancing cannot be guaranteed, the royal family is...

The redevelopment of the Schuman square at the heart of the European quarter in Brussels has taken a step closer to approval after a conciliation committee delivered a favourable opinion on the updated plans. The committee reviewed an adapted proposal which included more trees and benches after a...

Deputy prime minister and foreign minister Sophie Wilmès attended the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Wednesday, representing Belgium at the UN’s assessment of the human rights situation in its member states. Every year, three UPR sessions are held, each...

Nearly two-thirds of women have experienced misogyny and the same number have experienced racism working as a firefighter in Brussels. The figures come from an extensive audit carried out within the department. State secretary Pascal Smet (one.brussels), responsible for emergency medical and fire...

A farmer in Hainaut province moved the stone marker indicating the border between Belgium and France, making Belgium a couple of metres bigger. It appears that the pillar, in place for 200 years, was interfering with the farmer’s harvest. It is unclear when the farmer in Erquelinnes, southwest of...