Belgian news in brief, 29 August 2005

Belgian woman raped in India

An 18-year-old Belgian woman was raped on Saturday while travelling in the north of India. The Indian press agency Press Trust of India reported that the woman had been on holiday in Himachal Pradesh and was preparing to trek in the Himalayas. Her attacker threatened her with a weapon. A suspect has been arrested.

Fourteen Belgians were on board a bus which crashed in Turgutreis in Turkey on Saturday. Belgium’s Foreign Ministry said a total of 15 people were in the bus. Eight were taken to hospital and two were kept in overnight, one for observation and another who had suffered face injuries when the windscreen smashed.

More than 450 Belgian tourists were among hundreds who had to be evacuated from the Swiss Alps at the weekend as flooding continued to sweep through central Europe. Most of those were rescued from Wengen in the Berne Alps and taken to the valley areas, with around 30 among the 300 tourists evacuated from Engelberg in the centre of the country which has also been badly hit by flooding.

A total of 60 percent of Belgians admit to being aggressive while driving, with little difference between the behaviour of women and men. The figure emerged from a survey by the insurance scheme Mutualites Socialistes of 1,095 drivers in Antwerp, Mechelen and Lamine in Flanders. The same number also claimed to have been a victim of aggressive driving, such as being cut up by another car, though actual acts of violence were limited to two percent.

[Copyright Expatica News 2005]

Subject: Belgian news