Belgian authorities dismantled a secret cigarette factory producing six million counterfeits daily, highlighting how organised crime networks exploit tax hikes and vulnerable workers to supply illegal tobacco across Europe and increasingly within Belgium itself
Belgium’s drug commissioner warns that illegal vapes popular with teenagers are being laced with synthetic opioids, creating serious health risks and exposing how criminal organisations exploit flavoured products, vulnerable youth, and weak points in Europe’s chemical and logistics supply chains
Belgium’s Poison Control Centre reports a steep rise in overdoses involving Ozempic and Wegovy as their popularity for weight loss grows nationwide, prompting public health warnings
Brussels Environment has identified toxic cyanobacteria in four ponds across the city, warning residents to avoid contact as climate change and nutrient pollution fuel increasingly frequent and intense algae blooms
With nearly half of Belgians overweight, Wegovy’s arrival ignites public discussion on obesity treatment affordability, healthcare costs, and calls for official recognition of obesity as a biological disease
