Teachers are slightly more satisfied with their jobs than the average worker, according to a survey carried out for the education ministry, details of which were leaked last week. Research by the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and Antwerp University also showed that a teacher's household income is higher than average, partly because the hours make it easier to arrange daycare while both partners work.Full story
A man has been arrested and charged with extortion after he allegedly attempted to get Mijn Restaurant competitors Claudio Dell'Anno and Gaëlle Six to pay €35,000, in return for which he said he would manipulate the public vote to their advantage. The couple last week won the reality-show competition.
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A most-wanted criminal suspected of having been a member of the Brabant Killers in the 1980s has been returned to Belgium from Serbia. He was tracked down to Belgrade by the Fugitive and Active Search Team (FAST) of the federal police. Full story
An antiquarian books dealer in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, has unearthed a prayer book apparently dating from 1460, containing two poems by the Bruges poet Anthonius de Roovere (1430-1482). If authentic, the book will be the oldest surviving example of de Roovere's work. He was the first-ever city poet in the Netherlands, and received an annual salary from the city of Bruges, as well as the income from his poems; he was also among the first to see his work published, and his books sold well during his lifetime. The prayer book, which may have been made for a close friend of the poet, also contains two works copied from the Gruuthuse manuscript, and two anonymous works.
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Inward investment in Europe stayed stable last year - but not in Belgium. According to the latest report from accountancy giant Ernst & Young, the number of new investment projects in this country fell by nearly 20% last year, thanks largely to the lack of political stability. Full story
Every election brings a surprise, as former Belgian prime minister Wilfried Martens used to say. Sunday's election brought two: N-VA's victory was much larger than expected and Open VLD lost much more than was predicted. There is no longer such a thing as a large party in Flanders. The political landscape now exists of a set of medium-sized parties. Last Sunday's regional election has two clear winners, CD&V and N-VA, and two major losers, Vlaams Belang and Open VLD. Bart Somers resigned as president of the latter on election night. Full story
Telecoms giant Belgacom last week suffered its second major blow in a week, with the announcement that the Competition Council is to carry out an "informal" investigation of a demand sent by the company to its suppliers calling for price cuts of at least 20%. Earlier in the week, daughter company Proximus, the mobile phone operator, had received the biggest fine ever handed out in a competition case. The company will appeal the €66.3 million fine, given by the Council as a result of abuse of a dominant market position. Full story
Antwerp-based designer Veronique Branquinho is to close down her label James after ten years. The designer blamed falling orders, as well as a number of customers who defaulted on payment. Full story
Antwerp has been named as the European Youth Capital for 2011, following on from Rotterdam this year and Turin in 2010. Nearly 30% of the Antwerp population is under 25, with that proportion rising by the year. "Young people have to be given the chance to show what they can achieve," said council youth policy adviser Jeff Van Poppel. Antwerp has led the way in youth participation, he said, seeking young people's advice in town planning, for instance, as well as the establishment of the first youth press agency Stamp Media. Full story
A Blankenberge man who sent 132 emails to the city council over a period of more than four years has been sentenced to one year in prison and fined €1,100 by a court in Bruges. The judge ruled that the correspondence was tantamount to stalking. He also made new law by ruling that a body such as the council - a legal person - could be considered equivalent to a natural person, and thus be eligible to be stalked.Full story
