World News

Belgium hit with renewed flooding amid heavy rain

Belgium witnessed a new round of flooding on Saturday, as the country grappled with the impact of heavy rains and thunderstorms. The floods mostly impacted areas in the country's southern French-speaking region…

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Heavy rain forecast in Belgium for the weekend

The government of the Walloon region in Belgium has warned that vigilance is needed this weekend because of weather forecasts predicting potentially intense and stormy rainfall. “The Royal Meteorological Institute…

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Belgium raises flood death toll to 37, further six missing

Belgian authorities raised the death toll from last week's burst rivers and flash floods to 37, with a further six people missing. Belgium's crisis centre, which is coordinating the rescue…

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Photo Story: Belgium celebrates National Day

King Philippe (2-R) and Queen Mathilde (L) of Belgium attend the National Day Ceremony in front of the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium, 21 July 2021. The Belgian National Day…

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Belgium sets day of mourning as flood deaths hit 20

Belgium declared a national day of mourning next week as the death toll from burst rivers and flash floods in the south and east of the country rose to 20…

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Brussels Airport warns of long queues due to strict checks on travel documents

Brussels Airport is warning travellers that long queues could form during peak hours, as the authorities earlier this week announced stricter checks on passengers’ Passenger Locator Forms (PLF). On Wednesday,…

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UPDATED: Belgian woman infected with Alpha and Beta Covid variants at the same time

A 90-year-old Belgian woman who died from COVID-19 in March had contracted two variants of coronavirus at the same time, which is believed to be the first documented case of…

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Belgium to ban British visitors due Delta variant cases increase

Belgium has said it is banning visitors from Britain. The measure will come into force on Saturday and includes an exemption for Belgian nationals or residents. Belgium said listed the…

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Body found of armed Belgian anti-vaccine fugitive, suicide suspected

Belgian police found the body on Sunday of a fugitive soldier who went missing a month ago with a stash of weapons after threatening a virologist and his family, the…

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Five people have died after a school building site collapsed in Belgium

Belgium's King Philippe visited firefighters, police and paramedics workers near the rubbles of a building that partially collapsed, killing at least two persons in the 'Nieuw Zuid' quarter in Antwerp,…

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Photo Story: Dinosaurs in Brussels

A view of Dinos Alive exhibition at Tour et Taxi in Brussels, Belgium. The exhibition is held on the Tour et Taxi site in Brussels, more than 80 species are…

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UPDATED: At NATO, Biden says defence of Europe a “sacred obligation”

U.S. President Joe Biden told fellow NATO leaders on Monday the defence of Europe, Turkey and Canada was a "sacred obligation" for the United States, a marked shift from his…

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Decisions for NATO’s first summit with Biden

NATO leaders hold their first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday, aiming to repair transatlantic ties after his predecessor Donald Trump said the Western military alliance was "obsolete".…

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Belgium allows indoor dining from June 9 in lockdown easing

Belgium cleared the way for indoor dining and drinking next week as an acceleration of COVID-19 vaccinations reduced strain on hospitals and allowed a further easing of restrictions. Belgian Prime…

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UPDATED: Belgium says halts J&J COVID jab for under 41s after one dies

The Belgian government said on Wednesday it was suspending vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for people under the age of 41 following the death of a woman…

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Photo Story: The life of Napoleon Bonaparte with Playmobil

Photos from the exhibition 'The Empire in Playmobil’ by the French artists Laurent Lafont and Bob Borriello at the Wellington Museum in Waterloo, Belgium as part of the bicentenary of…

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Police break up Brussels anti-lockdown party

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Police fired water cannon and tear gas in a Brussels park on Saturday to break up an anti-lockdown party of several hundred people designed to defy coronavirus…

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EU approves ramp-up of Pfizer vaccine manufacturing site in Belgium

Europe's drug regulator on Friday approved an expansion in manufacturing capacity of the Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium, while recommending an approval for a new filling line at Moderna's site…

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Belgium pushes on with bar reopening as hospitals near saturation

Belgium pressed ahead with plans to allow restaurant and cafe terraces to reopen on May 8 despite warnings from health officials that hospital saturation was starting to resemble that of…

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Belgian hospitals battle third COVID-19 wave as curbs poised to be eased

Coronavirus infections are not dropping as fast as hoped in Belgium, pushing hospitals towards full capacity, health officials said on Friday, as government plans to ease a lockdown soon came…

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Belgium Restricts AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine

Belgium will stop giving the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to people under age 56 for the next four weeks amid blood clot concerns, national and regional health ministers agreed today. People aged…

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Four held, dozens injured at Brussels rave labelled ‘unacceptable’

Four people were arrested for rebellion, assault and battery against police officers and failure to comply with coronavirus measures following an illegal party in a Brussels' park. Water cannon and…

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In Pictures – Police disperse thousands at Belgian April Fool party

Police used teargas and water cannons on Thursday to disperse thousands of young people gathered in a Brussels park for a party in defiance of Belgium's COVID-19 lockdown, an event that…

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Belgium orders hospitals to save more beds for COVID-19 patients

Belgian hospitals have been ordered to reserve 60% of their intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients as a third wave of infections takes hold, doctors said. With the resurgent pandemic…

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Belgium imposes new lockdown to fight third COVID-19 wave

Belgium will close schools, non-food stores and hairdressers for four weeks from Saturday, in a sharp renewed lockdown designed to contain a rising third wave of COVID-19 infections. A year on from the first pandemic shutdown, Prime Minister…

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Photo Story: Commemoration of 5th anniversary of Brussels terrorist attacks

A message for the victims at Brussels Airport on the fifth anniversary of the Brussels terrorist attacks, in Brussels, Belgium, 22 March 2021. On the same day in 2016 a…

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Belgium tightens COVID-19 measures to avoid third wave

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium followed France on Friday by tightening measures to control the spread of the coronavirus to avoid a third wave of COVID-19 infections and preserve plans to…

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Brussels to rename tram, bus stops after famous women

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brussels' public transport operator marked International Women's Day on Monday by renaming 10 metro stations after famous women for one day, and pledging to permanently rename 17…

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Belgium sets out plan for easing, with bars to reopen on May 1

BRUSSELS, March 5 (Reuters) - Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo set out a roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions on Friday, even as COVID-19 infections rose, with restaurants, bars, gyms…

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Non-EU students will have one year to find work in Belgium

Non-European students studying abroad in Belgium will soon have one year to find work in the country following the competition of their studies. Currently, students must return to their home…

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Belgium plant denies blame for AstraZeneca vaccine cuts to EU

SENEFFE, Feb 10 (Reuters) - A plant in Belgium said to be the cause of big cuts in AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine supplies to the European Union said on Wednesday it…

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200 arrested during Covid-19 protests in Brussels

Brussels Times - Around 200 people have already been arrested in Brussels for participating coronavirus protests in the city, despite announcements from officials and police that the gatherings did not…

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Belgium bans foreign tourism to avoid third COVID-19 wave

BRUSSELS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Belgium is banning residents from taking vacations abroad until March to limit the spread of more infectious coronavirus variants and avoid a deadly third wave…

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Belgium fears surge of COVID-19 cases in coming weeks

Belgium could see an increase in daily cases of COVID-19 infections in coming weeks as more Belgians undergo tests on return from holidays, the government warned. Health ministry spokesman Yves…

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Belgium’s coronavirus deaths hit 20,000, still among world’s highest per capita

Belgium's death toll from coronavirus infections, one of the highest per capita in the world, has breached the 20,000 mark, according to official data published on Sunday. The country, home…

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Photo Story: Snow in Belgium

A Police officer close the road to the ski resort near the 'Baraque de Fraiture', in the Ardennes, Belgium. 'The Baraque de Fraiture' site and the 'Hautes Fagnes' are banned…

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Belgian authorities seize a record amount of cocaine in 2020

Customs employee during demonstration of of a mobile scanner for truck during presentation of the year results of drug seizure in port of Antwerp, Belgium. Belgian narcotics officers seized a…

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January a “grace period” to fine-tune post-Brexit procedures, Belgian port boss says

The head of a major European gateway for trade with Britain said yesterday that new customs clearance procedures would only be truly tested over the next fortnight as traffic returns to normal.…

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Cases in Belgium continue to drop

Belgium’s daily average new coronavirus infections continue to drop, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Saturday. Between 23 and 29 December, an average…

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Belgium tightens COVID-19 controls with tests for all travellers

Belgium has tightened its measures to restrict the spread of the coronavirus by requiring all people who have travelled abroad to undergo a COVID-19 test. The country of 11 million…

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Photo Story: Christmas decoration in Brussels

Photos from the Grand Place square in Brussels, Belgium, decorated for the Christmas season. A Christmas tree is reflected in a puddle at the Grand Place square in Brussels, Belgium.…

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Belgian minister tweets EU’s Covid vaccine price list to anger of manufacturers

A Belgian minister has blown the lid off a sensitive and commercial secret – the price that the EU has agreed to pay for the leading Covid vaccines. Belgium’s budget…

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Belgium tightens travel restrictions after Christmas

POLITICO - From Christmas, travelers arriving in Belgium will have to produce a negative coronavirus test in order to be allowed into the country, Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said Friday.…

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Belgian mail turns to sports stores to ease parcel overload

Belgium's post office has teamed up with the country's largest sports store chain as a shift to online purchases accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic has left it overloaded with packages.…

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Animal rights organisation welcomes fireworks ban on New Year’s Eve in Belgium

Animal rights organisation GAIA has welcomed the ban on fireworks announced by Belgium’s Consultative Committee. “It will help save animals from a great deal of suffering,” GAIA President Michel Vandenbosch…

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Belgium lets shops reopen, but keeps Christmas curbs to prevent third wave

Belgium will let shops reopen from Tuesday, but keep other coronavirus curbs over the festive period, including limits on gatherings over Christmas and a ban on fireworks at New Year,…

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Belgium accused of abandoning thousands of elderly to die from the coronavirus

Amnesty International said Belgium authorities “abandoned” thousands of elderly people who died in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic following an investigation published Monday that described the situation as “human…

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Belgian racing pigeon sells for world record 1.6 million euros

A two-year-old Belgian racing pigeon called New Kim set a world record of 1.6 million euros ($1.89 million) at an auction that ended on Sunday, the online auction house said.…

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Belgium launches COVID patient air-lifts to Germany

Belgium's surging second wave of COVID-19 cases has forced it to move some severely ill patients, many on ventilators, to neighbouring Germany, and air ambulances began flying Belgian patients further…

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Belgium goes into lockdown

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced a national “reinforced” lockdown starting Monday, with shops deemed non-essential to close and family visits outlawed, Politico reports. Belgium stopped short on Friday…

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Belgian ambulance crews say they risk being overwhelmed by COVID

Belgian ambulance crews say they are at risk of being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, running out of capacity to handle other calls. One ambulance company, NAAB Ambulance Services, said COVID…

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Belgium requires more blood plasma to continue testing

Belgian clinical studies to study the effectiveness of blood plasma for people recovering from COVID-19 are at risk of being suspended because of low plasma stocks, doctors said, prompting a…

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Belgium becomes EU nation with highest rate of COVID-19 infections

The Belgian government will convene on Friday to decide on a potential new national lockdown with the country now suffering the highest rate of coronavirus infections per 100,000 citizens, according…

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Covid-positive Belgian doctors asked to keep working if displaying no symptoms

A number doctors and nurses in the city of Liège, in Belgium ,who have tested positive for Covid-19 have been requested to keep working if they have no symptoms, the…

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Warning hospitals in Belgium could run out of beds in 15 days

Belgium could run out of beds in intensive care units within two weeks if the number of people in hospitals continue to increase at its current rate, an official said…

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Brussels edges towards lockdown

Sport and cultural facilities in Brussels must close and residents will face a longer curfew from Monday, the regional government said on Saturday, as COVID-19 infections in Belgium continued to…

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Belgium tightens coronavirus restrictions

Belgium, one of the European countries worst hit by the new coronavirus, tightened restrictions on social contacts on Friday by banning fans from sports matches, limiting the number of people…

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