The world’s first fully electric, emission-free and potentially crewless container barges are to operate from the ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam from this summer. The vessels, designed to fit beneath bridges as they transport their goods around the inland waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands, are expected to vastly reduce the use of diesel-powered trucks for moving freight.

A wild wolf has been found in the northern Belgian region of Flanders for the first time in more than a century, an environmental group said Saturday. The female wolf known as Naya came from eastern Germany after being fitted with a tracking device in Dresden. "Our country was the only one in continental Europe to have not been visited by a wolf," since the animal began recolonising the continent, Landschap said.

A blast has brought down a residential building in the Belgian city of Antwerp, injuring several people. The origin of the explosion on the central street of Paardenmarkt is not clear. But police said they did not believe it was related to terrorism. Three people have been removed from the rubble, including a child, police say. Three other buildings were also damaged in Monday evening's explosion.

A scandal-prone Belgian prince has said the government’s proposal to cut his £264,000 allowance is a ‘violation of human rights’. Prince Laurent, the younger brother to King Philippe, caused a huge diplomatic incident when he made an appearance at a Chinese state celebration of the Red Army’s 90th anniversary earlier this year.

Man chained to block of marble had to be cut free after he failed to liberate himself by chiselling away at the stone

We learned last week that Belgium's gambling authority was investigating loot crates in Star Wars Battlefront II over concerns that they constitute gambling. Now, the decision is in, and the answer is a resounding yes, according to Dutch-language publication VTM Nieuws. The commission claims that purchasable add-on boxes, the contents of which are randomized, mix "money and addiction" and thus are a form of gambling.

Donald Trump called Belgium a “beautiful city.” One British prime minister said that it was “not even a country.” By Matthew Engel.

Catalonia's deposed leader Carles Puigdemont and four former advisers have turned themselves in to Belgian police, says a prosecutors' spokesman. He said an investigating judge would decide by Monday morning whether to execute an EU arrest warrant issued by a Spanish judge on Friday. Mr Puigdemont fled to Belgium after Madrid imposed direct rule on Catalonia following an independence referendum.

Catalonia’s ousted president, Carles Puigdemont, has said he came to Belgium to act “in freedom and safety”, but not to seek political asylum. Speaking at packed press conference in Brussels, Puigdemont said he would return home immediately if a fair judicial process was guaranteed. On Monday, Spain’s attorney general called for charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds to be brought against him and 13 other separatist leaders. That request showed “a desire, not for justice, but for vengeance”, Puigdemont said.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has left Spain and travelled to Brussels, Spanish government officials have said. Mr Puigdemont is facing sedition charges from the Spanish government after Catalonia declared independence under his leadership. The move comes after Belgium's asylum and migration affairs minister Theo Francken said the former president could seek asylum in the country.

Heart surgeon Alaaddin Yilmaz has developed a technique for performing valve replacement surgery using tiny incisions, a world premiere. The procedure offers not only a major savings in costs associated with open heart surgery but also vastly improves the recovery period and the risk of complications.

Authorities in Flanders called it the "best preserved" find from the era. The bodies of all 23 crew members were found aboard the vessel, in a watery grave on the floor of the North Sea. Belgian authorities announced on Tuesday that they had discovered the remarkably well-preserved wreck of a World War I German submarine, commonly called a U-boat, off the coast of West Flanders.

Animal Rights Belgium has been conducting an undercover investigation inside a bovine abattoir. The footage reveals shocking animal suffering.

The city of Aachen issues free iodine pills because of nearby Belgium's ageing nuclear reactors.

The Crystal Ship, a contemporary art festival which encouraged artists to adorn the walls of this town.

Eight princesses from the UAE have been convicted of human trafficking and degrading treatment of their servants by a Brussels court. They were given 15-month suspended jail terms and ordered to pay €165,000 (£145,000; $185,000) each, with half the sum suspended. They were accused of holding more than 20 servants they brought with them on a 2008 visit in near slavery. But they were acquitted of the more serious charge of inhumane treatment.

Donald Trump offered an insight into his approach to political life during his 30 hours in Belgium while munching “lots of” Belgian chocolates, it has been reported. Le Soir, a Belgian daily newspaper, reported that the US president acclaimed the chocolates, which were a gift from the Belgian government, during a meeting with the country’s prime minister, Charles Michel.

Welcome to Gateways To Drinkery, where The A.V. Club offers an entry-level course on our favorite libations, and some suggestions on where to start drinking them.Flanders redThe lowdown: Regarded as the most wine-like style of beer, this approachable Belgian is a great entryway into the world of sou

Princess Shekha Alnehayan and her seven daughters traveled to Brussels regularly. In 2008 they rented their usual luxury suite in the Conrad Hotel for several months. And they brought along at least 20 servants, who had to attend to every wish 24 hours a day, without enough food, without a bed – and without a visa, let alone a work permit for Brussels.