• Polling takes place on 7 June

    To the polls, people

    19 May 2024 by Alan Hope
    The country goes to the polls on 7 June to decide who will sit in the regional and European parliaments. Over the next four weeks, Flanders Today looks in depth at the politicians, the parties and the issues that could lead to dramatic changes in the political map of the region. This week: the Flemish parties
  • 50,000 signed up for news of Kai-Mook's long-awaited birth

    It’s an 80 kilo girl!

    19 May 2024 by Alan Hope
    A beautiful bouncing baby girl, slightly hairy and weighing in at 80 kilograms, was born at 8.45 last Sunday to mother Phyo Phyo in the Antwerp Zoo. The country’s first elephant birth was followed closely by tens of thousands worldwide via the internet. Kai-Mook’s name was chosen from more than 8,000 submissions from members of the public.
  • Previous murder attempt by crèche killer

    12 May 2024 by
    Kim De Gelder, the young man who attacked a crèche full of children in Dendermonde last January, killing a nurse and a baby, may have tried to kill a few days before and failed only because of the vigilance of a family dog.
  • Driver who killed two children to sue bereaved parents

    12 May 2024 by
    A 77-year-old man who ran through a give-way sign and caused a road accident in which two children were killed plans to sue the parents of the victims because they were not belted in properly.
  • Peter Verhelst

    Verhelst and Cneut win Golden Owl prize

    12 May 2024 by
    This year’s Gouden Uil, or Golden Owl, prize for the best Children’s Literature has been awarded to writer Peter Verhelst and illustrator Carll Cneut for Het geheim van de keel van de nachtegaal (The Secret of the Nightengale’s throat), their new version of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairy tale The Nightingale. The prestigious Golden Owl is awarded every year to the best new Dutch-language book and children’s book.
  • News in Brief

    12 May 2024 by
    Belgian money might be made abroad from next year, if finance minister Didier Reynders decides to follow a recommendation from the board of the National Mint to send production overseas to a low-wage country. According to the opinion given by the board a year ago, the government has failed to invest in the mint, and both machinery and management are no longer up to date enough for the job. Staff last week held a silent protest during a visit by the king and queen calling for an end to the uncertainty.
  • New mosques get government seal of approval

    12 May 2024 by
    Eight new mosques received official recognition last week from Marino Keulen, Flanders’ minister for home affairs. That brings the total number recognised by the authorities to 15. Four applicants in this round were rejected, and in four more cases the decision was postponed.
  • Tom Boonen (Reuters)

    “A very foolish guy”

    12 May 2024 by
    Flemish pro cyclist Tom Boonen faces the possibility of missing another Tour de France after it was revealed at the weekend that he tested positive for cocaine at the end of last month. Police carried out a search of the cyclist’s home in Turnhout last Friday, with his cooperation. Magistrates at the Turnhout prosecutor’s office refused to say what if anything had been found.
  • Ronald Beerlings

    Wife asked to be shot, according to Antwerp jury

    5 May 2024 by
    A man who shot his estranged wife and her new lover four times was found not guilty of attempted murder last week by a court in Antwerp. Ronald Beerlings, was found guilty of the attempted manslaughter of Nancy Claes, after the jury found he had not acted with premeditation.
  • News in Brief

    5 May 2024 by
    A former bank manager in Bruges has been handed a three-year suspended sentence after being found guilty of plundering the accounts of rich customers to finance loans to people considered bad credit risks. Johan Verhaeghe, who managed a branch of Centea, took pity on people whose credit applications were refused by lending from his own pocket. When his secret “clients” defaulted, he was forced to use money from legitimate clients. In all, the would-be Robin Hood used up about €1 million of customer funds.

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