Trending News Belgium

No final exams in Brussels community education

The institutions involved will assess the students on the basis of a 'permanent evaluation'.



21:36
Jambon consults with Dutch Prime Minister
Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA) spoke with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday about the corona measures that Flanders and the Netherlands have taken. "The intention is that we keep each other informed of the steps that are being taken, so that we continue to know each other's problems," said the Jambon cabinet, without going into details.

Rutte previously had contact with Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès (MR). Important in the Belgian-Dutch relations is that the common border is closed to inhibit the spread of the coronavirus.

21:31
Why detection and testing in Belgium is delayed
Detecting and testing people who may have been infected is central to the fight against the virus. In our country, this approach is delayed. Belgian quarreling and privacy concerns are the cause of this.

21:01
Novartis may clinically test hydroxychloroquine
The Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis announced on Monday that it has received the green light from the US drug watchdog FDA to clinically test hydroxychloroquine in some 440 patients in various hospitals in the United States. Hydroxychloroquine is a decades-old malaria drug that is hoped to also help treat Covid-19 patients.

20:37
Measure for handymen becomes communication disaster
Colleague Wim De Preter analyzes how a well-intentioned measure, the green light for the opening of garden centers and DIY shops, became a communication failure.

20:33
US oil falls below zero dollars
The corona crisis is causing unseen conditions on the oil market.

The US reference, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), even fell below zero dollars . The extreme crash has a technical reason.

The crash relates to the May futures contract that will expire on Tuesday. Traders try to shift their positions to the junic contract. They want to avoid at all prices having to physically receive barrels of oil in May, as there is a good chance that there will be no place to store them by then.

Basically, the tumbling of both indicators is quickly explained. The sharp drop in demand as a result of the corona crisis and high production are causing an enormous oversupply. This high production is the result of a price war between Saudi Arabia, Russia and the US.

19:42
More than 20,000 French deaths
In France, 547 corona deaths were reported on Monday, bringing the death toll to 20,265. This makes France the fourth country in the world to have 20,000 deaths, after the United States, Italy and Spain.

The French government is working on the fact that the number of hospital admissions and patients in intensive care continues to decrease.

19:27
Corona creates Israeli emergency government
Under pressure from the corona crisis, the longest political standoff ever in Israel is coming to an end. The right-wing conservative Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the center-left block Blauw-Wit by Benny Gantz will form an emergency government.

In the past year, Israelis went to the polls no fewer than three times, but not once did either major party find a majority to form a government. After the most recent elections in March, Gantz took the initiative, but in his search for a large coalition his Blue-White did fall apart.

Netanyahu and Gantz have agreed on a rotating premiership. Netanyahu, who has been in power since 2009, will cover the first 18 months, after which Gantz will take over.

19:06
'No Oktoberfest this year'
Due to the corona crisis, the Oktoberfest in Munich is canceled this year. The Bavarian prime minister and the mayor of the Bavarian capital are said to announce the decision on Tuesday morning, German media report.

In Bavaria, the Oktoberfest is described as the largest folk festival in the world, which attracts over 7 million visitors every year and where about the same amount of beer is consumed. Although the lockdown measures in Germany are being eased cautiously on Monday, mass events do not seem to be the case yet.

Bavarian state prime minister Markus Söder has repeatedly expressed his skepticism about the two-week Oktoberfest going ahead, which should begin on September 19 this year. With a cancellation it would be the first time since 1948 that the party does not take place. There were a few cancellations since the first Oktoberfest in 1810: because of wars and twice because of a cholera epidemic.

18:26
Italian infections lowest in over a month
The corona crisis in Italy, which is the hardest-hit country worldwide after the United States, appears to have subsided further. 2,256 new infections were reported on Monday. That is the lowest daily number since March 10.

The number of corona deaths increased by 454, slightly more than Sunday, but more than half of the peak at the end of March. In total, 24,114 deaths have been reported in Italy due to the coronavirus.

18:17
Brussels community education cancels final exams
The 38 primary schools and 17 secondary schools that belong to the Brussels school group will not organize final exams this year. "We want to focus on teaching," says spokesperson Karin Struys, "and work as much as possible for our students. After all, we have very different levels and want to offer all our students equal opportunities. That's why we decided not to organize final exams. ”

That does not mean that the students will no longer be assessed: 'We will work on the basis of continuous evaluation. Students will be judged on the tasks they now have to do at home, but they will also look at the exams already taken in December and the daily work that was done in the weeks before the quarantine measures. That continuous evaluation is not so unusual for us either, as a number of schools are already working that way. '

18:11
Gasoline sales plummeting
The sale of petrol in our country has fallen by approximately 80 to 85 percent in the past month due to corona measures. That says Brafco, the Belgian federation of fuel traders. Diesel sales fell by only 25 to 30 percent. Trucks run on diesel, and the transport sector has remained largely active in the corona crisis.

The situation is nevertheless 'dramatic' for the pump holders, says Brafco. They still have a large stock, which they stocked at the beginning of March when prices were even higher. Official maximum prices have fallen sharply since then, leaving pump owners with almost nothing to sell. The major oil producing countries agreed to cut their production by around 10 million barrels a day to support prices. However, fuel traders had expected more.

16:45
Corona nearly halves Flemish traffic jams
As a result of the corona crisis, the Flemish roads are becoming increasingly empty. That was the case during the Easter holidays,  but also in March, according to figures from the Traffic Center.

The total length of the Flemish traffic jams last month averaged 88.35 kilometers per day, more than 40 percent less than in March 2019. We were together in traffic jams for more than 25,000 hours a day, half less than during the same month last year. Because we had to remain 'in our room' from mid-March, the number of kilometers traveled by car decreased by a quarter. As a result, the number of road accidents also plummeted.

16:07
You can now also apply for a pension by telephone
If you want to submit your pension application, you should not wait until the Pension Points reopen. You can apply for a pension or an IGO (income guarantee for the elderly) online and from now on by telephone via the free Pension line 1765. A pension expert goes through the entire process with the caller.

The federal pension service announced this on Monday. The Pension Points have been closed due to the corona crisis. Under normal circumstances it is one of the three places where citizens can go to apply for a pension. You can also do this online, via Pensioenaanvraag.be or mypension.be, or at the municipality of the place of residence.

15:57
Minister Muylle again wants full discounts in supermarkets
Economy Minister Nathalie Muylle (CD&V) wants supermarkets to again be able to offer plenty of discounts, such as for the corona crisis. After the announcement of strict measures against the spread of the coronavirus, discounts were banned more than a month ago. Since two weeks, discounts and promotions in supermarkets are allowed again, but only when it comes to actions that were already decided or were in progress before March 18.

The minister said she proposed to the National Security Council last week to allow supermarkets to give discounts again, but that a decision was postponed to the next session on Friday. "Allowing discounts and promotions must be part of the restart of businesses and the economy."

15:51
Amusement parks are adjusting for reopening
A concrete date for the reopening of the amusement parks is not yet in sight, but the operators of the Belgian amusement parks are already taking measures to make their installations corona proof.

Sector association Belgoparks has drawn up a list of measures to limit the number of visitors and to guarantee social distancing. These include lower maximum capacities, ticket sales by date, queue lengthening and disinfection of queues and attractions sharing. Prevention officers can also be deployed.

In an interview , Hans Bourlon, CEO of Studio 100, said on Saturday that he hoped that his Plopsa theme parks could reopen in the short term. He referred to the way Chinese parks reopened with special shifts and temperature control at the entrance. The parks can only reopen in our country after the green light from the National Security Council.

15:51
Two thirds less car traffic on highways
In the second week of the Easter holidays it was also very quiet on the Flemish highways. Car traffic dropped 64 percent on weekdays and 84 percent over the weekend compared to the first half of March, before the corona measures went into effect. Freight traffic also fell by 21 percent last week.

This is similar to the first Easter week, reports the Flemish Traffic Center. The limited highway traffic jams during the corona days are mainly situated in the Antwerp region and are due to border controls such as on the E19 near Meer, roadworks and traffic accidents.



15:50
Those who were temporarily unemployed in March will no longer have to submit a new application in April
Employees who were temporarily unemployed in March should not submit a new application for temporary unemployment to the Hulpkas or their union in April. The National Employment Service (RVA) reports this on Monday. The employer extends temporary unemployment with an electronic declaration.

If you have not yet received a benefit before March, it is best to check whether he or she has submitted a benefit application to the payment institution. The form C3.2-Werknemer-Corona can be used for this, which can be found on the website of the payment institution.

15:43
Electricity prices now also below zero on weekdays
Due to the lockdown, the Belgian electricity market is faced with an unseen oversupply. For the first time, electricity prices also drop below zero during the week . Electricity producers then have to pay to get rid of their surpluses. This upside-down world leads to significant losses in the energy sector .

15:07
Brussels and London resume Brexit talks
After six weeks of 'corona pause', the Brexit teams of the European Union and the United Kingdom will be negotiating the future trade relationship again by video link for a week by video link. EU chief negotiator Michael Barnier and his British counterpart David Frost kick off Monday afternoon and take stock on Friday afternoon.

The talks were temporarily suspended because Barnier had the coronavirus among the members and Frost went into self-isolation with mild symptoms. In addition to the trade relationship, this week also discusses services and matters such as fishing, energy, transport and cooperation in the field of justice. Two more rounds of negotiations are planned in the weeks of 11 May and 1 June.

By June, both sides want to make progress in many areas because the British have until 1 July to request an extension. Despite the corona crisis, the British government maintains that this cannot be the case.

The British left the EU on January 31, but are still bound by EU law this year. The transition period ends on 31 December. If there is no trade agreement and no agreements have been made about other policy areas, major problems are likely to arise in the mutual relationship.

14:53
Lowest Dutch death toll in weeks
In the Netherlands, 67 corona deaths were reported on Monday, the lowest daily number in April. The total death toll thus rises to 3,751.  In comparison, the coronavirus has already claimed 5,828 lives in Belgium.

The Netherlands only reports deaths of patients who were definitely infected with the virus, while in Belgium, certainly in residential care centers, not all deaths are tested with corona symptoms. The actual number of deaths is probably much higher in the Netherlands.

14:46
Bpost first processes new packages
Bpost applies the 'last in, first out' principle to deal with delays in parcel processing. This means that recently ordered packages can arrive faster than packages that were ordered some time ago.

Due to the high parcel volumes and the applicable security measures, there is a delay in the distribution of parcels, says Bpost. The company applies the principle of 'last in, first out' to prevent all packages from being continuously delayed.  " In addition to handling the new parcels, we always process part of the backlog of parcels that we were unable to treat the day (s) before."

Bpost is now looking for extra staff. Job advertisements for sorters appear on social media.

13:46
'Store opening policy is intolerable amateurism'
Retail specialist Jorg Snoeck, the publisher of the trade publication RetailDetail, is in an opinion piece hard on government policy on store openings . Since last weekend, it has allowed the opening of garden centers and do-it-yourself shops with a general range. Retailers across the country are angry at the arbitrariness of those criteria and their vague interpretation.

"The half-hearted attitude of experts and politicians towards reopening shops in Belgium hurts the eyes," writes Snoeck. "It was simply impossible to explain why some stores and others were not allowed to open."

Snoeck calls government policy 'pure improvisation' and 'intolerable amateurism'. "That policymakers continue to mess with the sector that is the second most important employer in the country is beyond any understanding," he writes.

The retail specialist asks to take an example from Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, where all kinds of shops can be open with respect for safety measures. "Those who do not obey the rules must close without mercy, for example for a month."

13:04
First online lesson day starts in a minor key
For the first time since the lockdown, schools are offering new material that will be repeated later in the class. In many schools - but by no means all - teachers use online lessons and digital platforms for this.

Monday morning, however, there were immediate problems with Smartschool and Bingel. Their systems may be overloaded.

Bingel publisher Van In unpacked Monday morning before the start of the school day with an extra investment of 100,000 euros in its learning platforms, 'to support the greatly increased level of activity'.

12:07
Denmark and the Netherlands are best prepared for the digital era
The Belgian business community is highly digitized, but is still behind a leading group with Denmark and the Netherlands. This is shown by an investigation by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The report  gives an idea of ​​which countries are best off when the economy in the post-corona era becomes much more digital, as many predict.

11:51
Corona break at Open VLD is over
Open VLD restart the presidential elections. The party members will vote digitally or by telephone.

By the end of May we will know who will succeed Gwendolyn Rutten as chairman of the Flemish liberals: Els Ampe, Egbert Lachaert, Stefaan Nuytten or Bart Tommelein.

11:41
Number of infections in Singapore increases by a fifth
In Singapore, the number of infections with the coronavirus increased by a fifth in one day. The Asian city-state reported 1,426 new cases on Monday, a record. This brings the number of infections to 8,004.

Most of the new victims are foreign workers, who live closely together in enormous dormitories. Only 16 of the new cases were registered with Singaporeans or people with a permanent residence permit.

Singapore has received praise in recent weeks for the firm approach to the epidemic. Like South Korea, it quickly took steps to block the spread of the virus, including a partial lockdown and the introduction of a tracking app.

11:14
McDonald's reopens drive-in
Little by little, companies are trying to get back on track after the corona shock. McDonald's will reopen its drive-ins on Tuesday.

The chain has 87 restaurants in our country, 68 of which have a drive-in that allows customers to collect fast food by car.

Employees wear a mask and gloves and work in a demarcated zone. The menu is simplified.

11:12
Slight downward trend in deaths
Over the past 24 hours, 168 new deaths from the coronavirus have been reported, bringing the total to 5,828. 62 people died in the hospital, 103 in residential care centers. The number of deaths in hospitals has been decreasing for a while, and deaths in nursing homes seem to be stabilizing. Although you should pay attention to the interpretation of the figures for a weekend effect, in which not all registrations have yet been processed.

In the last 24 hours, 232 people have been hospitalized for the coronavirus. This is evident from the daily update on the distribution in our country by the Public Health Service. The number of new admissions has been declining for days.

At the same time, 183 people have been released from the hospital, bringing the number of people admitted to 4,920. That is slightly more than Sunday, when the lowest figure was recorded since April 1. At the peak of the epidemic, more than 5,700 people were hospitalized with Covid-19.

Fewer patients (1,071) are also in intensive care. Less than half of the capacity on intensive is occupied.

There are 1,487 new Covid-19 infections. 800 were registered in hospitals and labs, 687 in residential care centers. The fact that so many infections are still being detected shows that the virus is still circulating. Although there is also more testing, 8,108 times on Sunday. The number of infections detected remains constant while the number of tests increases. That is a sign that the coronavirus is weakening.

11:05
Italian prime minister is asking for corona bonds again
In the run-up to the European summit on Thursday, the European heads of state and government are trying to claim the agenda.

In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte lashes out at the German resistance to European corona bonds.

They are so sensitive that Charles Michel, who chairs the European summit, did not want to use the word bonds or debts in a weekend interview with L'Echo. "What you call it is one thing," he said, "but what really matters is the technical modalities."

10:34
Russians hoard cash money en masse
Fears of a long-term lockdown, the Russians have hoarded massive cash in recent weeks. Since the beginning of March, they withdrew more than 1,000 billion rubles or about 12.4 billion euros from ATMs. That is more than in all of 2019, the banks reported.

The withdrawals peaked every time President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation on television. After long hesitation, the Russian authorities have taken drastic measures to stem the spread of the corona virus. For example, strict self-quarantine applies in the capital Moscow.

In Russia, 4,268 new infections were added on Monday. The total number of cases is 47,121. In the past 24 hours, 44 patients died from the coronavirus, the Russian crisis center said. This brings the total number of deaths to 405.

10:29
Comeos does not ask shops to reopen per sector
If the shops can open again, this must be done simultaneously for all sectors. That's what Dominique Michel, the CEO of the trade federation Comeos, asks.

That does not mean that all stores can open immediately, he explains. They must respect the corona safety rules. In cases where this does not work, the doors must remain closed. But he believes safety should be the only criterion, he says in a conversation with the French-speaking news channel LN24.

He does not think the sectoral choice that has now been made is a good idea. Those who like to garden or renovate can go to the store again this weekend. But if you like to read, you can't buy a book, he says.

Michel says that an economic disaster is taking place in the Belgian retail trade, although he does not set a date for the restart. He notes that most stores closed before the government forced them to. "But if the virologists give the green light to the reopening, it should be for everyone."

09:31
Belgians buy toilet paper, Americans buy weapons
While the Belgians hoard toilet paper at the start of the corona quarantine, the Americans stock up on ammunition and guns. "People are buying weapons like never before because of this epidemic," President Donald Trump said on Sunday.

Virginia Democratic Governor Ralph Northam therefore tightened up gun laws. Trump is against that decision. "We can't allow that," he said.

The online ammunition merchant Ammo.com reported a sales increase of 792 percent between February 23 and the end of March compared to 40 previous days.

09:23
Exit app in cloudy water
Checking through an app whether you have come into contact with infected persons, an idea turns out to be more difficult in practice than in theory.

A clumsy data breach in a Belgian app and arguing in a European partnership suggest the worst about the plans, writes colleague Pieter Haeck.

09:19
De Wever fears that Belgium will miss the corona exit
N-VA chairman Bart De Wever believes that Belgium should work quickly on an exit plan. He fears that Belgium will lag behind other countries and will lose market share as a result.

"The prosperity of the next decade will be decided in the coming months," he said on Radio 1. "There is a danger that we will let fear rule ."

09:03
One third fewer new vacancies
The corona crisis creates a serious shock on the labor market. Many companies have put their hiring plans in the fridge.

As a result, the number of newly registered vacancies in Flanders decreased by almost a third in March compared to a year earlier. Flemish Minister for Work Hilde Crevits (CD&V) announced this on Monday. A major exception is the sector of agriculture and vegetable and fruit cultivation.

The classic unemployment figures do not show a major break in the trend , because the shock is absorbed by the exceptional system of temporary unemployment.

08:39
Philips significantly increases production of ventilation equipment
That is what a - quite schizophrenic - first-quarter report of the Dutch giant in medical imaging
teaches. You can read more about it here .

07:16
Bolsonaro argues against quarantine
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro participated on Sunday in a demonstration in the capital Brasilia against the order of several governors to stay at home mainly because of the corona virus.

"I am here because I believe in you, and you are here because you believe in Brazil," the President told the crowd from the back of a pickup truck.

Bolsonaro has constantly criticized the quarantine measures taken by the governors of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, among others. On Friday, he fired his health minister for supporting the restrictions. Bolsonaro believes the measures are harming the economy.



07:06
Work starts early on E17
Monday morning works started on the E17 between Zwijndrecht and Kruibeke. The works were actually planned for this summer, but have been moved forward due to the corona crisis because they now cause less nuisance.

Traffic between Zwijndrecht and Kruibeke has to travel twice on two narrowed lanes. This is also the case at Sint-Niklaas, which means that there is some delayed traffic.

06:47
Entrepreneurs ring the alarm bell
An online petition, in which some entrepreneurs sound the alarm , has been signed more than 2,700 times.

The open letter asks that, in addition to virologists and politicians, sufficient entrepreneurs have their say in the media.

"The cash register is empty and once the economic fabric has been destroyed threatens poverty, frustration and depression for many," says the open letter.

06:39
Twenty prisoners released because of corona
Twenty inmates were released early from Hasselt prison last week due to the corona crisis. That writes the Interest of Limburg.

Justice Minister Koen Geens (CD&V) made that decision to ease the pressure on prisons. Earlier, the Central Prison Supervisory Board called for the early release of anyone who is eligible to do so, in order to minimize health risks.

06:35
Job mobility has never been so low
The corona crisis makes it exceptionally difficult to change jobs, according to research by HR services group Acerta among a thousand Belgians.

40 percent of the employees indicate that they do not seize a new job opportunity, should they present themselves. In a similar survey a year ago, it was only 25 percent. It was 10 percent five years ago.

At the same time, almost one in five fears losing his or her job.

06:32
One in seven students is difficult to reach
Now that the Easter holidays are over, 1.1 million students are virtually going back to school today. But 150,000 of them are difficult to reach, says education expert Martin Valcke in Het Nieuwsblad. That's one in seven.

This is because their parents are not sufficiently engaged in their upbringing or because they sometimes do not have a laptop. "We also note that there are not enough laptops," says Lieven Boeve, the top man of Catholic education.

For those who want to assist his or her daughter today: it is not necessary for parents to sit next to their child at the PC , psychologist Wouter Duyck explained this weekend.

06:27
Education ministers seek agreement on school restart
Good morning and welcome to this live blog where we continue to monitor the outbreak of the coronavirus.

More than five weeks after the announcement of the lockdown, much attention has been focused this week on education. Students in Flanders are starting a historical experiment in 'pre-teaching' today, in which they process new material at home.

The ministers of education of the Flemish and French Community, Ben Weyts (N-VA) and Pierre-Yves Jeholet (MR) are meeting this week to see when the schools can open the doors step by step.

tijd.

Bpost will prioritize the last packages received

Due to the high volume of packages and the security measures in place, delays have accumulated in their delivery.

Bpost is currently applying the principle of "last in, first out" to remedy delays in the processing of packages, said Monday the postal company. This means that recently ordered packages can arrive faster than those that were ordered some time ago.

Due to the high volume of packages and the security measures in place, delays have accumulated in their delivery, explains Bpost. In order to avoid them all arriving late at destination, the company now applies the principle of "last in, first out" exceptionally.

"Your packages are not lost"

“In addition to processing newly injected packages, we are still dealing with part of the backlog that we were unable to process on the previous day (s). So don't worry if your package hasn't arrived yet, it's not lost, ”reassures Bpost.

The postal company is looking for additional staff. Job offers for sorters have also been published on social networks "to help process all orders" stay at home "". Bpost adds, however, that it is constantly looking for new employees, "both temporarily, given the current pressure, and structurally."

lesoir