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Craft corner: A guide to DIY in Belgium

Whether you’re trying to remodel a bathroom, decorate your bedroom or give some old furniture new life, if you're the do-it-yourself type, it's handy to know where to look for what you need. Let’s start with the basics. For almost any do-it-yourself project, you will probably need to take a trip to...

Train strike next Wednesday confirmed, as ACV joins up

Rail services across the country are expected to be severely disrupted next Wednesday, 22 April, as the socialist trade union ACOD Spoor has called a one-day strike. The action also has the backing of the Christian union ACV, though the union has not explicitly called its members out. The strike,...

Red Cross recommends no change to blood donation policy

There is as yet no convincing evidence that men who have sex with men pose a greater risk of transmitting HIV via blood donations, according to a report issued by Red Cross Flanders yesterday. However at the same time, more research is needed before a strong case can be made for removing the ban on...

Belgian institute to retrieve, utilise geothermal energy

The Flemish institute for technological research (Vito) is to start deep geothermal drilling operations later this year in the Belgian-Dutch border region. Vito intends to use the geothermal energy to heat its buildings. The institute has chosen a plot near Mol, Antwerp province, for the drilling...

Young Belgians fly the nest around age 25

Young women leave home on average two years earlier than men, according to figures from the European statistical office Eurostat. In Belgium, that occurs around the age of 24 on average, while men tend to wait until they are 26 years old. The average age for leaving the family home in the European...

Growing demand for city tours in Brussels

New figures from VisitBrussels show that the demand for guided tours in the city has increased by 20% in the past four years, writes Brussel Deze Week. About 14,000 guided tours of Brussels were recorded in 2011, a number that continues to rise every year. In 2014, about 17,200 tours took place in...

Belgian coast crowded, but swimming banned

The Belgian coast had its first taste of summer weather yesterday, but visitors to the beaches were surprised to find that swimming was not allowed. Lifeguards, it turns out, were not yet on duty. Due to cost-cutting measures by coastal municipalities, they are not due to arrive until later in the...

Federal police agree to stop using term “gypsy”

Belgium’s federal police have agreed to stop using the word “gypsy” on official reports in response to a complaint lodged by the Minorities Forum and the Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities. “The word gypsy stigmatises a group of people and so is unacceptable,” said Wouter Van Bellingen,...

One in three organ donors is older than 60

There are very few organ donors under the age of 20 in Belgium, and one in three donors is older than 60. In the last 25 years, the donor population has aged significantly , according to Ghent University Hospital (UZGent). The explanation lies in a positive evolution: a sharp decrease in the number...

Farmers and consumers increasingly open to using insects

Insects are slowly making their way into our food chain, according to a recent survey. Of the 415 farmers surveyed during the Agriflanders agricultural fair in January this year, only 17% objected to the idea of adding insects to animal feed as a source of protein, writes metrotime.be. The end...

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