New figures reveal that an increasing number of Belgians are being forced to stay home from work due to illness. On an average workday, up to 6% of workers in the private sector are calling in sick. The figures show that illnesses have increased by one-third over the last decade. The increase is...

EU institutions located in Brussels have agreed to add Dutch street names to their websites and correspondence. Up until now, the institutions have provided only the French names of streets, although Brussels is officially a bilingual city. But soon the EU headquarters’ famous address Rue de la Loi...

Security was tight at the Brussels criminal court Monday as 19 Belgians facing terrorism-related charges began their trial. The 15 men and four women were allegedly part of a jihadist recruitment network and face charges of either fighting with known jihadists in Somalia, making efforts to go to...

As a sign that the country’s economy continues to stabilise, the American credit agency Moody’s has changed its outlook to stable from its previous negative rating. The agency says that Belgium’s stabilising banking sector has been able to reduce its risks, which led to the decision to lift the...

The mild winter has had a positive side-effect for nature: with only one day where the temperatures dropped below zero, the roads and traffic agency AWV did not need to salt the roads. While salt melts snow and ice, helping to prevent car accidents, it is damaging for plants and small animals, as...

A two-year-old Belgian Shepherd named Brin has been called upon by South African conservationists to join efforts in tracking the country’s endangered land-based tortoise. This is the first time that a dog has been enlisted to help with tracking in South Africa. Brin began working late last year to...

Not hypothermia, but cold shock is the leading cause of drowning, according to a study released by professor Jan Bourgois of Ghent University’s department of movement and sports sciences. Bourgois found that the body reacts to sudden immersion in cold water with a shock effect on blood circulation...

America’s newest ambassador for Belgium, Denise Bauer, will not be at her post when President Obama visits later this month. Bauer has been away since January when she underwent surgery in California to remove a benign tumor. Although her doctors expect her to fully recover, the ambassador will not...