The shockwaves from Saturday’s riots in Liège continued to reverberate as the city’s mayor announced a relaunch plan on Sunday for businesses that suffered damage during the unrest while the police suggested the violence had been pre-planned. Between 200 and 300 rioters broke off from a Black Lives...

On 17 April 2020, just a few weeks after the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, my 63-year-old mother passed away in hospital, alone. I didn't let my mother die alone - because that decision was never up to me. Our policymakers had taken decisions to protect people from the virus, but these...

Shops and cafes that only accept cash could become a thing of the past, as Belgium’s finance minister wants to require all merchants to offer some form of electronic payment. Vincent Van Peteghem said: “Without excluding the possibility of paying in cash, the proposal amounts to obliging all...

Fast-food chain Quick has offered Belgian bars and cafes closed by the pandemic €500 each to rent their windows for advertising. The burger chain wanted to support bars in this difficult time while also advertising its new burger called Le Patron (the boss) which is made with a beer sauce. However...

Brussels public transport operator Stib has dismissed 11 employees for serious misconduct after they "knowingly and systematically bypassed the company's time clock system in order not to carry out their work". Alerted by reports in the press, the Stib launched an in-depth internal investigation...

Trade unions representing private-sector workers are planning a nationwide strike on 29 March. The "Group of 10" - which brings together management and unions - have been negotiating wages and working conditions in the private sector since January. The stumbling block has been how much wages are...

Many expats take to freelancing in Belgium, with Brussels also being a hub of consultancy work. Couple this with the digital revolution, and it's no surprise that the co-working sector is booming in the capital. A popular alternative to working from home, co-working spaces provide a flexible...

You might know an Ensor or Bruegel when you see it, but would you know a Raveel? “If you see a man with broad stripes along his body, that’s a Raveel. If you see a figure in a garden with a kind of Mondrian-like pattern on his head, that’s a Raveel.” Franz Wilhelm Kaiser certainly knows a Raveel...

Last year the Klara Festival was meant to launch on the same evening that the government announced the first lockdown. Little did any of us know that a year later events would still be staged online. But the Brussels festival celebrating classical and new music is looking to inject some hope into...

A Brussels lawyer who survived the suicide bombing at Maelbeek metro station on 22 March 2016 is suing the Belgian state, public transport operator Stib and insurance provider Ethias for gross negligence in the aftermath of the attacks. Nic Reynaert’s case is based on a huge file of irregularities...