Het Laatste Nieuws (in
English The Latest News) is a
Dutch language newspaper based in
Brussels,
Belgium. It was founded by
Julius Hoste Sr. on
7 June 1888. It is now part of
De Persgroep, and has a circulation of 292,410 copies, making it the most popular newspaper in
Flanders and Belgium.
During World War II, The Adventures of Tintin was in the paper. Stories included Tintin in the Congo, Tintin in America, The Broken Ear, The Shooting Star, and The Secret of the Unicorn.
The liberal Julius Hoste Sr. founded the newspaper on 7 June 1888, five days before the Belgian elections. With his newspaper he wanted to support the Liberal Party in the upcoming elections and on the other side the Flemish movement in Brussels, a city which was dominated by francophone bourgeois (Franskiljons). The newspaper supported the cause of the Gelijkheidswet (E equality law between French and Flemish in Belgium), the rescue of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (KVS) (E Royal Flemish Theatre) in Brussels and the election of the first Flemish, liberal, Ghent municipal governing board in 1907.
Its liberal character, anti-francophone stance and support for the Flemish movement were essential characteristics of the new daily, just like its anti-clericalism. In 1897, Flor Burton founded the newspaper De Nieuwe Gazet in Antwerp, with a substantially similar editorial policy.
