Brussels has cancelled a traditional New Year fireworks display for security reasons. A state of alert was declared in the Belgian capital after police uncovered what they say was a plot to help an Al-Qaeda suspect escape from jail.

Elsewhere in Belgium, however, seasonal festivities are in full swing and are set to go ahead as normal.
 
Sculptors from every corner of the globe have teamed up in the north-west of the country to saw, scrape, and chisel a whole winter landscape out of snow and ice.
 
In a country where the temperature seldom drops below freezing, a magical winter wonderland has been created.
 
But it’s not just the magic of the festive season that’s preventing this icy kingdom from melting; it’s actually down to something a little more practical – the whole thing is housed in a giant freezer.
 
The Bruges Snow and Ice Sculpture festival is the oldest in Europe.
 
Forty international ice sculptors worked for four weeks to create the exhibition.
 
Seven hundred tonnes of the cold stuff was used and it’s all kept at a frosty minus 6 degrees to keep the thaw at bay.
 
The festival has something for everyone: beautiful art to look at, an adventure playground for kids, and if you look carefully, you may even spot the Belgian Father Frost.
 
And while the children play, parents can even enjoy a stiff drink – on the rocks, naturally.