FLANDERSNEWS.BE

"290,000 euros is not enough for top managers"

2012-05-25T12:37:00.000+02:00

The Minister responsible for Publicly-Owned Companies, Paul Magnette, has proposed to put a maximum of 290,000 euros on the wage that a manager of a public company can earn, triggering a whole discussion.

"No school funding by Greater Brussels Region"

2012-05-25T11:54:00.000+02:00

The Greater Brussels Region is not allowed to provide cash to Brussels schools. This was decided by the Constitutional Court, which ruled that education is an area that belongs to the powers of the language communities.

Bill Gates earmarks 3 million dollars for Flemish researchers

2012-05-25T09:51:00.000+02:00

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is donating 3 million dollars to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. The cash will be used to further finetune malaria research.

[VIDEO] - Turning things around: how Indians look at Europe

2012-05-25T16:51:49.000+02:00

25/05/12 - The Mukha Museum in Antwerp boasts an exhibition of the American artist Jimmie Durham, who has a Cherokee background. He criticises the image that the West created of Indians and looks at Europe through the eyes of an Indian. The exhibition runs until November.

Prison sentence for Zele street racer

2012-05-25T17:21:00.000+02:00

A 19-year-old was found guilty of street racing. During the race, the other car crashed into a tree leaving two people dead. The young man, who was also guilty of a hit-and-run, received a one-year prison sentence and a 10-year driving ban.

[VIDEO] - Belgian interest rate for government bonds cut by half

2012-05-25T16:33:38.000+02:00

25/05/12 - In six months' time, the interest rate Belgium has to pay when collecting cash on the financial markets, has been reduced by half, from almost 6 percent at the end of November to just below 3 percent nowadays.

[VIDEO] - Oostende voor Anker: visit old steamships!

2012-05-25T16:44:55.000+02:00

25/05/12 - The Ostend Ship Festival highlights steamships this year. It's your chance to discover some of Europe's oldest steamships in the Ostend harbour. It turns out that Belgians are developing a liking for old ships, says organiser Gerard Rubens.

Oldest Belgian dies at 111 years of age

2012-05-24T16:54:00.000+02:00

Germaine Degueldre passed away on 11 May, in the old people's home Clerfayt in Waudrez, in Hainaut Province. The oldest Belgian is now believed to be Fanny Godin-Pardon who lives in Huy.

Brussels urges residents to grow their own vegetables

2012-05-24T13:47:00.000+02:00

The Greater Brussels Region is starting a campaign to encourage Brussels residents to start growing their own vegetables. "Almost everyone can do it", a spokesman says.

[VIDEO] - Bouchkov writes new page in family history

2012-05-24T16:30:18.000+02:00

24/05/12 - Marc Bouchkov is the only Belgian who made it to the final stage of the Queen Elizabeth Contest, which centres on violin this year. The Belgian made a good impression in the packed Brussels Bozar Theatre, which also welcomed the Belgian Crown Prince Filip and Princess Mathilde. Bouchkov continues a long family tradition.

Brussels 20k run attracts over 110 different nationalities

2012-05-24T11:18:00.000+02:00

The 33rd edition of the "Brussels 20 kilometres" takes place next Sunday and will boast some 30,000 runners from 72 different countries, including 112 nationalities. This was announced by organisers who are talking of "a new record" being set.

[VIDEO] - Famous Flemish publisher has passed away

2012-05-24T16:47:13.000+02:00

24/05/12 - Godfried Lannoo, the son of the man who founded the Flemish publishing company Lannoo, has died. Godfried Lannoo took over the company in 1959 with his brother and sister. In 1996, he was raised to peerage due to his exceptional merits.

[VIDEO] - Flemish government finally agrees "Flemish charter"

2012-05-24T15:59:42.000+02:00

24/05/12 - The Flemish government has finally agreed on a final text for the so-called Flemish charter, a kind of Flemish constitution. The document outlines how the Flemish democratic system works, and what the rights and duties of every Fleming are. The opposition was kept out of the talks and is not amused.

Van Rompuy: "I hope reasonableness will prevail in Greece"

2012-05-24T10:26:00.000+02:00

"The 27 euro zone countries have brought a positive message for Greece", the European president Herman Van Rompuy told reporters after the European summit on Wednesday night.

26 inmates escaped from Belgian prisons last year

2012-05-24T12:22:00.000+02:00

Last year, 26 prisoners managed to escape. This is more than in other years, but perhaps more striking is the fact that 1 in 2 prison breaks are violent, with prison guards often being the victim.

"Flemish babies don’t crawl anymore”

2012-05-23T14:30:00.000+02:00

More and more Flemish babies are skipping the crawling phase and starting to walk upright as soon as they become mobile.

Missing girl was strangled

2012-05-23T11:55:00.000+02:00

The four-year-old's mother strangled her daughter before cutting up her remains and putting them into a deep freezer.

No final place for Iris

2012-05-23T10:42:00.000+02:00

The Belgian Eurovision entry “Would you” won’t feature in Saturday evening’s final.

[VIDEO] - Somali pirate extradited

2012-05-23T17:45:47.000+02:00

A Somali pirate who was involved in the high jacking of the Belgian ship De Pompeï in 2009 has been extradited to Belgium from the Seychelles.

“It was raining cats and dogs”

2012-05-23T11:23:00.000+02:00

Storms hit parts of Limburg and Antwerp provinces on Tuesday evening. Tessenderlo, Beringen, Lepoldsburg (all Limburg) and Mol (Antwerp province) were all hit by flooding.

Fraudulently obtained benefits recovered

2012-05-23T13:00:00.000+02:00

Over the past year, the Social Security Inspectorate has recovered 111.6 million Euro in fraudulently obtained unemployment and social security payments.

Ghent’s STAM museum scoops Museum Prize

2012-05-23T16:51:00.000+02:00

The Ghent museum STAM, The Horta Museum in Brussels and the International Carnival and Mark Museum in the Walloon town of Binche were the winners at this year’s Museum Prizes.

[VIDEO] - Dutch appeal against wind farm

2012-05-23T17:43:39.000+02:00

The Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment has lodged appealed against the construction of the Norther wind farm off the coast of Zeebrugge.

[VIDEO] - Non-branded medicine more popular

2012-05-23T17:39:11.000+02:00

A survey carried out by the Christian Mutual Health Insurance Fund has revealed that non-branded medicines are growing in popularity.

"There is room for 7 million Flemings, but we need a plan"

2012-05-22T10:19:00.000+02:00

At present, 25% of the total surface in Flanders consists of buildings, gardens or paved surfaces. This area grows every day with the equivalent of 12 football pitches. The Flemish government wants us to reflect about how we are living today.

OECD advises Belgium to adapt automatic wage indexation system

2012-05-22T16:23:00.000+02:00

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has a piece of advice for Belgium. The automatic wage indexation is affecting the competitiveness of Belgian companies and should be adapted, the OECD suggests.

Child missing in Charleroi, mother apprehended

2012-05-22T12:41:00.000+02:00

In Gerpinnes, near Charleroi, a four-year-old girl has been missing for more than 24 hours. The mother of the girl has been taken in for questioning by police, as she changed her declaration.

Vanackere: "Reduce the tax burden on labour"

2012-05-22T11:38:00.000+02:00

Belgium's Finance Minister Steven Vanackere agrees that the tax burden on labour costs in Belgium should be reduced. "As soon as our budget allows this, the government will take action", the deputy PM told the VRT.

Kim Clijsters: "The curtain falls after the US Open"

2012-05-22T16:59:00.000+02:00

The Flemish tennis ace Kim Clijsters, a multiple Grand Slam winner, has confirmed that she will retire at the end of the summer. The US Open will be her last tournament, she told a press conference in Paal (Limburg province).

[VIDEO] - Towards a new defence alliance in Europe, says PM

2012-05-22T19:30:38.000+02:00

22/05/12 - At the NATO summit in Chicago, the American president Barack Obama has asked Europe to make a bigger financial contribution. PM Elio Di Rupo agrees that something will change: "We will have to do more with less cash." Working together in Europe to save money is an option, the PM says.