Belgian news in brief, 15 November 2005

Monarch honoured on King’s Day

Hundreds of people attended the special religious service held at the St Michael and St Godelieve Cathedral in Brussels to mark King’s Day celebrations. King Albert II and Queen Paola were joined several members of the royal family, including Crown Prince Filip, Prince Laurent, Princess Astrid and her husband Prince Lorenz. Leading politicians and representatives of other denominations and religions also attended the service. The annual celebration of the monarchy is no longer a public holiday for Belgian workers.

Women annoyed by household inequality

Women are often frustrated by the unequal division of tasks between the male and female adult family members. Especially young, working women with small children are annoyed by the division of chores. The findings were unveiled by Comeva, which primarily questioned women between May-October 2005 for thoughts about the differences between the sexes

No margin of error in speed checks

Ghent Court ruled on Tuesday that police no longer have to take into account a margin of error during speed checks in and around the Flemish city. Up until now, police only fined motorists if they were driving 6kmh or 6 percent above the speed limit. However, the court said the margin of error no longer need apply. It placed two conditions on the ruling: the speed camera must be correctly calibrated and the police officer must have undergone adequate training.

Subject: Belgian news