Entertainment
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Croatian city named among top European autumn destinationsWhile many travelers choose to take their holidays in the summer, others find autumn to be the ideal season for exploring Europe. With fewer crowds, more affordable22 September 2024Read More...
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Antwerp to build new public heritage depot to house 800,000 cultural artifactsAntwerp will soon have a new heritage depot in the Zuid district, designed to house the city’s entire heritage collection of 800,000 items and make them accessible to20 September 2024Read More...
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Belgian beaches covered in litter after busy tropical summer dayThe tropical summer weather on Monday drew large crowds to the Belgian coast, resulting in plenty of beach fun and a vibrant atmosphere—but also a significant13 August 2024Read More...
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29 suspected drug dealers arrested at Tomorrowland festival, court hearings scheduledDuring the two weekends of the Tomorrowland festival in Boom, Antwerp province, authorities apprehended a total of 29 suspected drug dealers on and around the30 July 2024Read More...
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Cider Festival returns to Prague with over 100 varietiesAre you a fan of cider? Experience over 100 different varieties at the Cider Festival taking place on September 16 and 17.29 July 2024Read More...
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Tens of thousands celebrate at Rotterdam Summer CarnivalThe Summer Carnival in Rotterdam was celebrated with a joyful atmosphere, drawing tens of thousands of attendees to the city's center. The vibrant street parade,28 July 2024Read More...
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Lady Gaga, Céline Dion, Aya Nakamura: The Mystery Surrounding the Olympic Opening Ceremony ContinuesWith three days to go until the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, speculation is rampant about the participation of a world-renowned singer.23 July 2024Read More...
News
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Student numbers surge at Flemish university collegesFlemish university colleges are experiencing a substantial increase in student enrollment for the current academic year, with nearly 157,500 students enrolled—a 6% rise compared to last year.Read More...
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Over 4.2 million people received temporary protection in AugustAs of August 31, 2024, nearly 4.2 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine due to Russia's ongoing war of aggression were under temporary protection status in the European Union (EU).Read More...
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KU Leuven and UGent climb in Times Higher Education world university rankingsBelgium's two highest-ranked universities, KU Leuven and Ghent University (UGent), have both risen in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. KU Leuven movedRead More...
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Walckiers Park in Brussels reopens for the first time since the 1960sWalckiers Park in Brussels has reopened to the public for the first time since it closed in the 1960s. The park is noted for its exceptional biodiversity, particularly as a habitat forRead More...
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Sweden suggests Iran may be involved in attacks near Israeli embassiesSweden's security service, Sapo, has indicated that Iran may have been involved in recent explosions and gunfire near the Israeli embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen earlier this week.Read More...
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24 percent fewer asylum applications in Germany this yearAccording to EU data, the number of asylum applications in Germany has decreased more significantly than the European average. However, a sharp increase in refugees from one country mayRead More...
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Flemish government moves forward with road tax for foreign driversFlemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) announced on Tuesday that the government will begin work immediately on implementing a road tax for foreign drivers using Flemish roads.Read More...
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Nationals of Slovenia, Greece, Denmark, and Cyprus now eligible for visa-free travel to ChinaCitizens of Slovenia, Greece, Denmark, and Cyprus can now travel to China without needing a visa. In a recent decision, China has waived visa requirements forRead More...
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Swiss House of Representatives recognizes Holodomor famine as genocideThe Swiss House of Representatives has officially recognized the "Holodomor"—a famine orchestrated by Stalin's regime that led to the deaths of around four millionRead More...
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Business
Six suicide attacks in eight months and a spat with Russia have added to concerns for the Turkish economy as tourists flee, taking billions of dollars in spending elsewhere, and foreign investors skirt the troubled country.
Days after a suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist blew himself up on a top shopping street in Istanbul, hotels, restaurants and retailers in the city are counting their losses.
Shops and restaurants on Istiklal Street, the usually bustling two-kilometer-long pedestrian artery targeted in the March 19 attack, complain of a sharp drop in business since the bombing, which killed four foreigners and injured dozens.
The attack on Istiklal — the beating heart of Turkey’s biggest city — emphasized the security threat after three deadly suicide attacks in Ankara.
While financial markets have so far reacted with relative sangfroid to the terrorist wave, analysts say the bloodshed is putting strain on Turkey, which is already battling high inflation and mid-term economic uncertainty.
“There could be large economic costs from these attacks, particularly in terms of long investment and the tourism sector,” William Jackson, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics in London, told AFP.
Japan's top court will rule this week on a pair of 19th century family laws that critics blast as sexist and out of touch.
The Supreme Court will weigh in on the legality of a six-month ban on women remarrying after divorce and another law that requires spouses to have the same surname, in a highly anticipated decision set for Wednesday.
The court will decide whether to uphold, amend or strike down the controversial legislation, which dates back to an era of starkly different social mores.
The half-year remarriage ban is linked to complex rules over the timing of a child's birth after divorce -- designed to determine whether a child belonged to the ex-husband or the new spouse's family in an era before DNA testing.
The surname rule is a throwback to Japan's feudal family system, in which all women and children came under the control of the head of household -- traditionally a man.
"Even if the feudal family system is long gone, many people still have the image of a woman marrying into the husband's household," said Waseda University law professor Masayuki Tanamura.
That system was abolished in 1948, part of broad reforms pushed by the post-World War II US occupation, but Japan's civil code maintained the two articles -- which will go before the court this week.
Activists say the laws are a continued reflection of the country's male-dominated society more than a century after they came into effect.
- Judicial tango -
Mother and activist Masae Ido knows firsthand the implications of the half-year ban on remarriage.
"These laws mean a woman remains under a man's sexual control even after divorce," Ido, 50, told AFP.
She vividly recalls her frustration after the birth of a child with her second husband.
A municipal official said her ex-husband must be registered as the father of her baby -- who, under the rules, was born too soon after they divorced -- even though he was not biologically related to the child.
The East Asia Pacific region is ageing at a faster rate than any other place in history, the World Bank warned Wednesday, a demographic shift likely to cramp public services and economic growth.
The region, which spans from Myanmar and China's western borders as far east as Japan, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands, is now home to a third of the world's over 65s -- some 211 million people.
That lurch towards older populations will have a significant impact on economic growth in a area of the globe that has been financially booming for much of the last two decades, according to the study.
The report is titled "Live Long and Prosper: Aging in East Asia and Pacific" -- a reference to the so-called Vulcan salute from the Star Trek sci-fi series.
Sharp falls in birthrates and a rise in life expectancy will likely heap pressure on public services while economies will struggle to fill the shortfall of working-age employees.
The region "has undergone the most dramatic demographic transition we have ever seen", said Axel van Trotsenburg, regional vice president of the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Region.
Mark Zuckerberg has grown from a Harvard dropout who changed what it means to be social into a billionaire philanthropist bent on shaping a better world for his daughter.
Zuckerberg and his doctor wife, Priscilla Chan, set the Internet abuzz this week with news of the birth of their first child, a girl named Maxima.
Zuckerberg and Chan also pledged to give away their Facebook fortune to make the world a "better place" for baby daughter Maxima and others.
In a letter to Maxima posted on his Facebook page, the couple said they were going to give away 99 percent of their company shares -- estimated value $45 billion -- during their lives in an effort to make a happy and healthy world.
Zuckerberg cemented his fortune, and a place in Silicon Valley history, by leading Facebook to a historic Wall Street debut in 2012. Facebook shares on Wednesday were trading at nearly triple the initial public offering price of $38.
The $16 billion IPO was structured to keep control of Facebook in the hands of Zuckerberg, who has been Time's "Person of the Year" and cracked the Forbes list of 20 richest people in the world.
The hoodie-wearing 31-year-old, depicted in the Hollywood drama "The Social Network" as a socially challenged computer geek, has evolved into a confident chief executive presiding over an online community boasting more than 1.5 billion users monthly as of September.
Despite his massive wealth, Zuckerberg still favors t-shirts, jeans and sneakers, topped off by his trademark hooded sweatshirt and a mop of brown, curly hair.
He has donned suits, though, while meeting with high-profile figures such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama.
Zuckerberg is known for setting annual goals, which have included wearing ties every day; only eating meat of animals he kills himself; and learning to speak Chinese to be able to chat with members of his wife's family who speak that language.
He has grown more outspoken socially and politically. Zuckerberg has marched with hundreds of Facebook employees in San Francisco's grand Gay Pride Parade and publicly backed US immigration reform.
Quotes credited to Zuckerberg included "What would you do if you weren't afraid" and "Move fast and break things."
Zuckerberg is known for advocating a "hacker way" of boldly twisting software or systems in promising directions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Syria could be weeks away from a "big transition", following on from international talks in Vienna at the weekend.