Belgiums government

BRUSSELS: Belgium's Brussels Airlines, a Lufthansa subsidiary, has extended its suspension of flights until at least May 15, it said on Monday. The Belgian carrier had previously grounded flights until Apr. 19 but said it was extending that by four weeks because of "low to no demand", owing to travel restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. The company, which has a workforce of 4,200, said it would prolong the temporary short-time work scheme under which wages are cut but topped up by the government to help companies to manage liquidity problems resulting from the crisis. Customers with bookings during the suspension have until August to rebook and will be able to push back travel dates as far as the end of April 2021. Airlines have been among the hardest-hit industries as the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory disease trigerred by the new coronavirus has brought travel to a grinding halt in many parts of the world. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; … [Read more...] about Lufthansa’s Belgian carrier suspends flights until mid-May

FRANKFURT: Swedish carmaker Volvo is suspending production at its factories in Sweden, the United States and Belgium, to curb the spread of the coronavirus, it said on Friday, even as it resumes manufacturing in China where the infection rate has slowed. Volvo's Swedish factories in Torslanda, Skovde, Olofstrom, and its U.S. plant in South Carolina will close between March 26 and April 14, the company said. Its plant in Ghent, Belgium has already been temporarily shut down. "Our primary concerns are the health of our employees and the future of our business," Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said. "I think for the economy, we need to do something drastic, rather then trying half-hearted measures that drag on forever." "We are seeing the effect from this coronavirus is increasing every day. We see problems in the logistics supply side," he told Reuters. "We have to help contributing to social distancing." Samuelsson said the financial impact of the shutdown would become … [Read more...] about Volvo cars to temporarily close plants in US and Sweden

BRUSSELS: Belgium's football association has ordered this weekend's soccer matches to be played without fans and postponed the final of the Belgian Cup as the coronavirus takes hold in the country. The order, which will also lead to the cancellation of all youth and amateur matches, will run until the end of March. The last round of regular-season matches in the top league will take place in empty stadiums on Sunday. There will also be no spectators at the second division's promotion and relegation playoffs and at women's super league games. The Belgian Cup final between Club Bruges and Antwerp, scheduled for March 22, has also been postponed. The following weekend, the Belgian national team will not now travel to Qatar for a friendly tournament involving Portugal and Switzerland. Belgium's government earlier this week barred indoor events with more than 1,000 people, but said that large outdoor events could go ahead. The Belgian football association and Pro League said … [Read more...] about Belgian matches to be played without fans, cup final postponed

MADRID: More than 40,000 people have been killed in the coronavirus pandemic as the disease barrels across the globe, with the US bracing for its darkest hours after its death toll surpassed China's on Tuesday (Mar 31). In a matter of months, the virus has infected more than 800,000 people in a crisis redrawing political powers, hammering the global economy and transforming the daily existence of some 3.6 billion people who have been asked to stay home under lockdowns. Deaths shot up again across Europe on Tuesday as Spain, France and Britain reported their deadliest days. READ: UK reports record 381 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours While there are hopeful signs that the spread of infections is slowing in hardest-hit Italy and Spain, more than 800 died overnight in both countries. With hospitals direly overstretched, lockdowns have been extended despite their crushing economic impact on the poorest. In Belgium a 12-year-old girl infected with the virus passed away in … [Read more...] about Global coronavirus deaths mount as US surpasses China’s official toll

In an interview with NewsGuard the day before Instagram removed his page for spreading dangerous misinformation, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discussed the COVID-19 vaccine and the coronavirus pandemic. Citing his experience in assessing related scientific issues he encountered in his career as an environmental lawyer, Kennedy has fashioned himself a crusader against Big Pharma and the government health apparatus that he says props it up. In addition to other assertions, Kennedy described Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as "an abject failure" who profits personally by promoting vaccines, and made the unsubstantiated claim that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are dangerous. NewsGuard's interview has been edited for length and clarity. The transcript below is annotated in italics, with fact checks responding to Kennedy's claims. NewsGuard: Now that the vaccine is out there and has been taken by tens of millions of people, what's your … [Read more...] about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Vaccines, COVID and Dr. Fauci: ‘I Read the Science’