According to study by De Tijd the downfall of Lehman Brothers cost Belgium €1.18 billion.

12/09/09 - The building was the Belgian pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. It was donated to Virginia Union University in Richmond in 1941. The gem of Art Nouveau architecture is in drastic need of renovation.

Vincent Doumier faces charges including forgery and the unlawful use of insider's knowledge.

Neellie Kroes, European Commissioner for Competition, says, "I will intervene if something was done against the rules."

11/09/09 - Kim Clijsters plays Serena Williams in the semi-finals of the US Open. In the other semi-final Belgium's Yannina Wickmayer plays against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

The Council of State earlier said that individual schools cannot ban the headscarf; the umbrella of community schools decided on a general ban in all the schools of the network.

The morning shift at the Opel plant in Antwerp was given the news of the sale of Opel to Magna. The reaction: anger, frustration and resignation. The lot of the Antwerp plant is still up in the air.

The United States and the European Union have had problems with forged Belgian passports.

Both the Flemish and federal governments have questions regarding how the German government handled the Opel deal.

Ellen Depoorter is part of the New Island Festival commemorating the 400th anniversary of the exploration of the Hudson river.

11/09/09 - Yannina Wickmayer is suddenly the centre of attention. She has a heart-rendering personal story which started with her mother's death 10 years ago. At her request she and her father moved to the United States a week later.

Former tennis champion Justine Henin kicks off new UNICEF campaign in Brussels.

Dries Van Noten received the 2009 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion from the prestigious FIT.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that the Canadian-Austrian auto parts group is gaining a majority stake in Opel, General Motors' European division.

10/09/09 - On Friday Kim Clijsters meets Serena Williams in the semi-final of the US Open. Her opponent, Serena Williams, has been watching Kim's progress keenly.

10/09/09 - Convicted paedophile Marc Dutroux was let out of gaol to visit his house in Marcinelle on Thursday. The property is being expropriated and the owner has the right to attend the procedure.

Franky Vercauteren has offered his resignation following the humiliating 2-1 defeat against Armenia in a World Cup qualifier.

Only weeks into her comeback Kim Clijsters won the US Open, beating Caroline Wozniacki in 2 sets of 7-5, 6-3. She also won the grand slam tournament in 2005. Clijsters is making a comeback after taking 2 years off in which she got married and had daughter Jada.

Kim Clijsters, the comeback mom, won the US Open just weeks after she started her second tennis career. She is the proud mother of Jada, who stole the show at the victory ceremony.

10/09/09 - On Thursday the civil protection service started the transport of 170,000 antivirals. The drugs are being taken to 40 drug distribution centres across the country.