Falling short of the analysts' estimations, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV fears a sloth in its growth in the first-half of the year.

Its pre-tax earnings surged to $3.11 billion from $2.81 billion during the previous year, in the fourth quarter of 2009.

After spending more than two decades in a coma, Rom Houben, a Belgian man in his mid-forties, was suddenly able to communicate, news reports posted last November.

KBC and Dexia, Belgian and Franco-Belgian establishments respectively, posted a substantial improvement in their third-quarter earnings, while expressing even more optimism about their restructuring plans which are presently under EU scrutiny and await approval from the organization.

An announcement made Wednesday by Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev claims that private-equity firm Blackstone Group is to acquire AB InBev’s theme parks business for a sum of up to $2.7 billion.

American drug producer Abbott Laboratories is reportedly close to an agreement to buy Belgium drugs conglomerate Solvay SA's pharmaceutical unit in a deal worth around $7 billion.

Under the deal, apart from acquiring exclusive rights to Trilipix, which is a new cholesterol cure, Abbott will obtain exclusive possession rights of the TriCor cholesterol pill.

Tom Harkin, the newly appointed Iowa senator, empowered to investigate health matters as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, promised to investigate deep into any connection between cellphone use and cancer.

In a projected move to augment its finances for the acquisition of US insurer Financial Security Assurance Holdings Ltd (FSAH), Assured Guaranty Ltd. has announced a public offering of $400 million of its common shares and nearly $150 million of its equity units.

A couple of days ahead of the ‘World No Tobacco Day’ on Sunday, the World Health Organization in Belgium has pushed for the governments’ contribution to the worldwide crusade against tobacco by ensuring that tobacco product packages carry the mandatory pictorial warnings conveying the adverse effects of its use. 

Brussels - Doubts deepened in Belgium on Wednesday over the chances of finding a quick way out of the political crisis gripping the country as key figures spoke out against the idea of early elections in June.

Anheuser-Busch InBev intends to layoff 1,400 salaried workers in its beer-related divisions, or around 6 percent of the company's U. S. work force.

According to an estimate, about 75% of the affected workers, or 1,050, are based in St. Louis or its Sunset Hills campus. Out of which most are engineers, information technology workers and hold other corporate positions.