Belgian news in brief, 16 May 2006

Price cuts for mobile phone calls

Telephone calls to mobile phones will become considerably cheaper from summer onwards. Telecoms watchdog BIPT agreed on Monday to cut prices by up to 30 percent for calls from a landline to a mobile phone. Economy Minister Marc Verwilghen hopes consumers will feel the effect of the price cuts, to be introduced in phases, from 1 August. Calls between mobile phones from different operators will also become cheaper. The extent of those price cuts is not yet known.

Family kidnapping ends peacefully

Hasselt police said at 1.30am on Tuesday that a family kidnapping had ended peacefully. A man kidnapped his wife and child on Monday night in Runkst, when the woman returned from a battered woman’s refuge to collect some personal effects from the family home. The man forced the woman and child into his car, but released the woman at about 8pm. He then drove off with his 13-month-old son to Herk-De-Stad, but negotiations by police secured a peaceful end to the drama.

Mums win Mother’s Day lottery

Three mothers have won the EUR 7 million Mama’s Super Lotto. Two mothers from the Antwerp province and a mother from Namen picked the six winning numbers and will each earn EUR 2.33 million. The lottery was staged on the occasion of Mother’s day.

Subject: Belgian news