Het Laatste Nieuws

Het Laatste Nieuws (; in English "The Latest News") is a Dutch-language newspaper.It is based in Antwerp, Belgium. It was founded by Julius Hoste Sr. on 7 June 1888. It is now part of DPG Media. The newspaper is the most popular newspaper in Flanders and Belgium.
Profile.
The liberal Julius Hoste Sr. founded the newspaper on 7 June 1888 five days before the Belgian elections. With the newspaper he wanted to support the Liberal Party in the elections. He also wanted to support 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.
The newspaper has liberal views. Generally it wants to support the Flemish movement, with a minimal focus on French speaking people. These characteristics were very important in 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.
When Julius Hoste Sr. died, his son, Julius Hoste Jr., took over the responsibility. He moderated the confrontational style favored by his father, but changed it to a softer, and more formal tone. He also included more regional news, and expanded the sports section to reach an even wider public.
When World War II broke out, Julius Hoste Jr. fled to the United Kingdom. His newspaper was still published under Nazi control. During this period "The Adventures of Tintin" was in the newspaper. Stories included "Tintin in the Congo", "Tintin in America", "The Broken Ear", "The Shooting Star", and "The Secret of the Unicorn".
After the war Julius Hoste Jr. again took control, but the business needed to be rebuilt. He shared day-to-day management with Albert Maertens, who would follow him, after Hoste suddenly died. His heirs wanted to create a foundation, to preserve the newspaper.
Circulation.
In the period of 1995-96 "Het Laatste Nieuws" had a circulation of 303,993 copies. The circulation of the paper was 287,000 copies in 2001. It was 341,257 copies in 2002. In 2003 its circulation was 294,000 copies, making it the best selling newspaper in Belgium.
In 2009 "Het Laatste Nieuws" had a circulation of 287,162 copies. The approximate circulation of the paper was 370,000 copies in 2010.