King heads large Belgian delegation to China

20/06/2015 • 15:59

King Filip and Queen Mathilde have left for a state visit to China. They are heading a large Belgian delegation of politicians, CEO's and academics, that also includes the premiers of the 3 regions. The agenda will be busy, with stops in 5 cities: Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Shenzhen. The Belgian mission comes one year after the Chinese president Xi Jinping and his wife visited Belgium.

Complicated Belgian tax forms: 37% more questions

20/06/2015 • 16:27

The Second Battle of Waterloo

20/06/2015 • 11:27

"The new national football stadium will be built!"

20/06/2015 • 15:41

"Government is not interested in battling fraud"

20/06/2015 • 11:55

Hospital insurance prices to go up

20/06/2015 • 15:50

20/06/15 - Taking out a hospital insurance will become more expensive. Private insurers and public funds will be allowed to raise their prices as from next year. This is according to a proposal launched by Economy Minister Kris Peeters.

Baby elephant ventures out in open air

20/06/2015 • 12:43

20/06/15 - The newly-born elephant Qiyo has come out for the first time in the Mechelen animal park Planckendael. Qiyo was born last Tuesday. It was the first time visitors could see the baby elephant. The first walk outside started a little uncomforatble, but things soon improved. The birth was excellent news for Planckendael after another elephant calf, "Baby Q", had passed away earlier on. (Dutch quotes)

20/06King heads large Belgian delegation to China

20/06Complicated Belgian tax forms: 37% more questions

20/06Five die in dramatic blaze

31/05Painful scenes as Lim Ji Young wins Queen Elisabeth Competition

17/06French giants invade Antwerp city centre

20/06"Government is not interested in battling fraud"

Five die in dramatic blaze

20/06/2015 • 11:41

A house fire killed a whole family in Trazegnies, near the city of Charleroi. Two parents and three children died, a fourth child is in hospital in a life-threatening condition. The victims died because of suffocation.

"Of course I made a little dance"

19/06/2015 • 16:15

5 suspects facing charges of drugs trafficking have been cleared on technical grounds. This was despite police having discovered 210 kilograms of cocaine in a container. This could not be used be used as evidence though. The defendants' lawyers were pleased with the judge's decision.

Forget Belgacom, it's Proximus now

19/06/2015 • 16:00

19/06/15 - The Belgian publicly-owned telecommunications giant Belgacom has changed its name into Proximus. CEO Dominique Leroy advised the Belgian government, the major stakeholder with over 50 per cent of the shares, not to sell its stake just yet. It would be bad timing, and the government also has a return on investment.

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Grandma has woken up!

19/06/2015 • 15:51

19/06/15 - The giants in the city of Antwerp have come to life. While Grandma Giant was waking up, a Small Giant was taking breakfast. The giants will be in the metropolis until Sunday, wandering around. It will be a surprise for many to discover where they will actually come. The giants' event marks the start of the "Summer of Antwerp", a major street theatre festival.

Belgians drinking less beer!

19/06/2015 • 10:55

Beer consumption in Belgium continues to fall. Consumption figures for the first five months of 2015 fell 5 per cent on the year, the sharpest drop in 15 years. The good news is that export figures for Belgian beers continue to rise, especially to countries outside the EU. China has now overtaken Japan as the biggest importer of Belgian beer brands.

Belgium and Britain join efforts to ease Chinese visa effort

19/06/2015 • 12:04

Belgium and Great Britain have joined efforts to make visa applications for Chinese visitors - tourists or businessmen - less complicated. Brussels and London are hoping to attract more Chinese visitors. Belgium is already enjoying a boost in Chinese tourism thanks to direct connection flights between various Chinese cities and Liège Airport.

Gold and silver for Belgium at European Games

19/06/2015 • 12:28

The Belgian trio Julie Van Gelder (21), Ineke Van Schoor (19) and Kaat Dumarey (15) have taken the gold medal in the women's all-round Acrobatics Gymnastics routines. It's Belgium's first gold medal at the 2015 Baku European Games. Yana Vastavel (15) and Solano Cassamajor (19) grabbed the silver in the mixed doubles competition. While Belgium beat Russia into second place for the gold, Russia advanced Belgium for the silver in the mixed doubles.

11,000 at colourful Waterloo light show

19/06/2015 • 10:20

Some 11,000 people attended a light show at Waterloo in a series of commemoration events for the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. The light show, a creation of Belgium's Luc Petit, was a success, although one actor got burned in the face. Another incident had taken place in the afternoon, when someone died due to a heart failure during the re-enactment.

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Waterloo light show in video

Waterloo light show in video

19/06/2015 • 14:43

19/06/15 - The Waterloo light show included some spectacular fire acts and fireworks. In between the performances, there was room for a moment of rest with some poetry, as an actor brought a poem by the French writer Victor Hugo.