Fifty illegal aliens from India and Pakistan have been discovered so far this year in and around Ghent’s Sint-Pieters station, railway police said. Some 310 were recorded in for 2008, with 210 coming from India and Pakistan. Most were heading from Brussels to the coast with the aim of boarding a boat to Britain, police said.

Researchers at the Catholic University of Leuven, together with the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology, have discovered a gene that appears to stop the development of bowel cancer, according to a paper published in the journal PLoS Biology.

The federation of bakers has denied allegations that members fix prices among themselves, after consumer organisation Test-Aankoop filed an official complaint with the competition commission. Bread prices rose by 17% between 2004 and 2008 after price limits were abolished. At the same time, the consumer price index rose by only 12%, Test-Aankoop said. The federation said it was “logical” that prices would be similar in different outlets and denied local price-setting agreements.

Nato and the EU together generate 13-14% of the wealth and employment of the Brussels Region, according to the journal Brussels Studies. EU institutions employ up to 41,000 people, and Nato employs 4,000. The presence of the international bodies in the capital accounts for 20,000 lobbyists, 1,400 journalists and over 5,000 diplomats, as well as 4,500 international agencies and companies.

The federal food safety agency last week closed down the visitors’ cafeteria of the St Elisabeth hospital in Antwerp. The agency said the cafeteria failed to meet hygiene standards.

Prison authorities in Hasselt are investigating the death of a 29-year-old prisoner who died in his cell of a drug overdose. His cellmate was taken ill, possibly from the same cause, but is now stable in hospital. The two were inmates at a new prison in the Limburg city.

One in three journalists runs an increased risk of psychological burn-out, according to a study by researchers at the Arteveld University College in Ghent. Marleen Teugels and Elke Van Hoof questioned over 700 journalists, and found that 10% were already suffering from burn-out without even realising it, with another 21% at high risk and 7% who have already been diagnosed. Only two professions run a higher risk: caregivers to the handicapped and chronically ill and company doctors. “There is a time-bomb under our newsrooms,” the researchers concluded.

A man in Scherpenheuvel-Zichem has been ordered to remove an electric wire installed on the front of his house on the Markt square. The wire was intended to deter men from urinating against his wall.

Free mortgage insurance for Flanders

The Flemish government has agreed to reinstate free mortgage insurance for anyone who buys, builds or renovates their home, housing minister Marino Keulen announced last week. “Especially in difficult economic times, this could help people to overcome the psychological barriers to investing in their own homes,” he said.

The government-guaranteed insurance covers loans for house purchases over €50,000 or renovation over €25,000, for people who have worked for a minimum of 12 months at the time of the loan – whether as an employee or self-employed. If they should then lose their job at any point during the repayment period, the insurance would contribute to paying off the mortgage for three years.

In the first year, the maximum payout is €500 a month, in the second year 80% of the original payment and in the third year 60% of the original payment. The three years can also be split into two periods of 18 months, if the homeowner has worked for at least three months between the two periods.

Unlike a previous system that used to be in place, there is no earnings limit, although the homes of higher-income buyers have to respect stricter energy norms. And the value of the house is limited to €320,000 – except in certain expensive municipalities in Flemish Brabant (Kortenberg, Huldenberg, Bertem and Tervuren) where the ceiling is 15% higher.

The insurance scheme is coupled with increased attention to training and readiness to work. People insured under the scheme who lose their jobs will be interviewed by the Flemish training and employment agency VDAB more quickly than usual.

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