Europe Belgium After previous plans to build an outdoor swimming pool on the Béco Canal pier in the northern part of the city failed, a proposal was made to have the pool built by the private Finnish company Nordic Urban
Europe Belgium Mixed race people, children and grandchildren of unions between Europeans and Africans in colonialism are totally forgotten by Belgium's reparation policies, according to a report by the non-governmental organization African futures lab
Europe Belgium Google has started construction of a second data center in Belgium, in Farciennes, Hainaut province, with total investment of €1 billion, which will also use to expand its existing data center in the country
Europe Belgium Shrinking public funding for child benefits has prompted Parliament in Brussels to consider cost-cutting measures, but some lawmakers want to make sure the cuts do not increase the risk of child poverty
Europe Belgium Cocaine use in Belgium has risen sharply in recent years, according to a new report by the public health institute Sciensano; requests for cocaine treatment have increased from 2.500 in 2015 to 4.200 in 2022
Europe Belgium Brussels announced a €6,3 million budget to renovate the Jewish Museum and Forest Abbey; the works at Forest Abbey aim to renew and strengthen its role as a cultural centre by uniting several cultural institutions
Europe Belgium Chocolate giant Barry Callebaut has announced plans to cut hundreds of jobs at several sites, including the world's largest chocolate factory in Wieze, producing 270.000 tons a year
Europe Belgium In an attempt to tackle the challenge of decommissioning nuclear power plants and managing radioactive waste, Belgian researchers are developing a state-of-the-art metal melting furnace to reduce the radioactive waste content in metals
Europe Belgium Hundreds of farmers from all over Europe gathered in the capital Brussels to protest against the green deal on the occasion of extraordinary summit that is supposed to discuss how to respond to the protests
Europe Belgium The Belgian federal government is launching a new awareness-raising campaign to urge citizens to get a free box of iodine tablets to keep in their homes, especially those living within 20 kilometres of a nuclear plant
Europe Belgium Belgian prison staff went on a 24-hour strike starting at 10 p.m. on Thursday evening to protest against overcrowding and poor working conditions; Belgian prisons currently house around 12.000 people, exceeding the capacity by around 1.300 inmates
Europe Belgium Mobile data usage nearly doubled (+95%) on New Year's Eve compared to the previous year, operator Proximus announced, according to figures compiled between 20:00 on 31 December and 08:00 on 1 January
Europe Belgium As part of a national action plan to combat sepsis, the country is mobilising a specialised team; a recent Belgian TV programme on this potentially lethal disease caused a stir in parliament