kernelle

Lost in the woods, party boy Nathan encounters a troll under a bridge and embarks on a quest for a magical elixir that will forever change his life.

Written & Produced by Jacob Wysocki Directed & Edited by Tony Infante Co-produced by Gabriel Diaz & Tyler Phillips

Surgeons at Leuven University Hospital have transplanted four organs into a 2-year-old toddler during one single operation. It is the first time that all the abdominal organs of a toddler have been transplanted during a single operation in Belgium. The stomach, liver, pancreas and small intestine were all transplanted in the young patient in a single operation.

The two-year-old toddler had a genetic disorder that caused a nerve problem in the intestines. As a result, the child could not absorb food in the usual way but had to do so through a catheter. The prolonged use of the catheter in turn caused infections. On top of this, the baby had liver problems. All this meant that all abdominal organs had to be replaced. The operation was a success.

vrt.be

Scientists from the Centre for Brain and Disease Research at Leuven University and at VIB.AI have succeeded in creating synthetic DNA using artificial intelligence. The AI model was able to design 'enhancers', or 'switches', that can be used to activate specific genes. "Groundbreaking," the team says. The results of the research have been published in the renowned scientific journal Nature.

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The Flemish Peace Institute on Thursday launched a new online knowledge portal on gun violence in the European Union. Gunviolence.eu features an incident monitor that provides a global picture of firearm incidents in all member states.

The platform's incident monitor lists up-to-date information based on media reports from more than 350 local news sources. The tool will also generate a monthly trend report.

"Thanks to the sophisticated algorithm and self-learning nature of the AI technology used, this monitor will become a crucial tool for a more robust and effective approach to firearm violence by law enforcement," said director Nils Duquet.

belganewsagency.eu

Note: minority report anyone?

In the Antwerp town of Willebroek the decision has been taken to continue a project to reduce street lighting for the sake of nocturnal animals. Grid operator Fluvius and the Flemish Nature and Forestry Agency have joined forces to deploy "smart street lighting". It means the municipality can save up to 40 per cent on its energy bill but "on top of that, we expect several bat species to benefit too" says René Meeuwis of the Nature and Forestry Agency.

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An observatory in Zirkstraat in the centre of Antwerp is being completely renovated and officially reopened at the weekend. It has been in existence for a century but has not been used for the last 20 years. People’s Observatory Urania now wants to change that. The renovation will ensure that from 2024 onwards the general public will be able to look at the stars and planets here.

From next spring anyone in the centre of Antwerp wanting to look at the stars, moon and some of the planets will be able to do so in the renovated observatory in Zirkstraat. "It is more than a hundred years old, but has not been used for about 20 years," says the director of People’s Observatory Urania Marc Van den Broeck.

"We are now renovating the entire observatory, a renovation which includes two new classic telescopes. They are old models, but the quality of the images is fantastic."

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The European Parliament has adopted its position on new rules around packaging as it aims to combat the increase in waste and encourage recycling.

Packaging waste grew by more than 20 per cent between 2010 and 2020 in the EU, with almost 190 kg of packaging thrown away per person every year.

belganewsagency.eu

Belgium’s Centre for Cybersecurity, the CCB has already received more than 8,100,000 suspicious emails this year. The emails are forwarded to the CCB by worried members of the public. The figure is over 2,000,000 higher than last year. According to the CCB, that remarkably high figure is due to a combination of things: criminals becoming increasingly active and the greater awareness of the CCB’s address: verdacht@safeonweb.be.

vrt.be

While Belgium is not traditionally seen as a country of cheese makers, the fact that it is sandwiched between the two leading 'cheese nations' (the Netherlands and France) means it is hardly surprising that producers here have tried their hand at the craft.

brusselstimes.com

The Belgian Red Devils beat Azerbaijan 5-0 on Sunday evening at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on the final day of the Group F European Championship qualifiers.

Azerbaijan played with ten players for over an hour after midfielder Eddy Israfilov was sent off. Before half-time, Belgium's all-time top scorer, Romelu Lukaku, scored four goals in just 20 minutes. In the closing stages, Leandro Trossard scored a fifth goal for the Belgians.

belganewsageny.eu

The famous De Hoorn brewery, the birthplace of Stella Artois beer, celebrates its centenary this month, marking 100 years since it was rebuilt after the original site was destroyed during World War I.

Two years after the new brewery was built, De Hoorn launched a beer that would become world famous and would – until this day – be the world’s most consumed Belgian beer.

brusselstimes.com