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‘Possible link’ between AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots, says EMA: The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) safety committee (PRAC) concluded that there is a possible link between AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets. They advised this to be listed as a very rare side effect of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
Belgium will temporarily only give AstraZeneca vaccine to over-55s: Belgium will temporarily only administer AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for people over 55 years old, according to Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke.
Belgian law to be updated with gender-neutral language: Belgium’s civil code, which dates back to the Napoleonic era, is getting a modern update to switch to more gender-neutral language. Specifically, the “good house father” or “family man” principle will be replaced by the more gender-neutral “prudent and reasonable person.”
Belgian politicians don’t want privileges for the vaccinated: Several Belgian politicians spoke out against relaxed measures for the vaccinated. Their statements were a reaction to Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke's request for expert advice on the matter and a report by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention that grants more freedoms to vaccinated Americans.
Police for Brussels South see increase in lockdown parties: The Brussels South Police Zone has seen an increase in the number of lockdown parties being had, handing out 276 fines for such events in just the first three months of the year. Mayors of the three municipalities in the zone, Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Forest, have called for police reinforcement.
Leuven students want to remove n-word from fraternity cantus songs: The Leuven student umbrella organisation Loko is working on a new student codex from which students sing traditional songs at cantus parties. Their modern codex seeks to eliminate some of the more controversial cantus songs, including at least one that has the n-word.
Covid-19 brought attacks on human rights worldwide, says Amnesty: The Covid-19 pandemic has been felt more severely where inequality, neglect and abuse were most serious, according to the latest annual report from Amnesty International. Corrupt regimes have profited from the coronavirus to impose more infringements of liberty on people, in particular the poor, refugees or minority populations.
Record year for the super-rich: one new billionaire every 17 hours in 2020: Despite the coronavirus crisis, the world’s richest people became even wealthier, as the number of billionaires worldwide rose to 2,755 in 2020, up by 660 from the previous year, according to Forbes’ 35th annual billionaire’s list.
Today is International 406 Day, honouring the SOS: International 406 Day, raises awareness about the importance of emergency beacons and the satellites that transmit their SOS signals, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). The day takes its name from the radio frequency used by international Cospas-Sarsat beacons, and the US order of today’s date.
The Brussels Times
