Belgian news in brief, 30 May 2006

Flemish Interest changes election posters

The extreme-right Flemish Interest party has changed its election posters, removing a blonde-haired girl at the request of the parents of the murdered Luna. The party will now use a picture of an elderly woman on a bike and a young couple. The campaign posters were unveiled in Ghent on Tuesday. Two-year-old Luna was shot and killed in the Antwerp racist double murder and her parents have accused the Flemish Interest (Vlaams Belang) of creating a climate of racial hatred.

Belgium tops in treating foreigners

Belgium treats the highest number of foreign patients in Europe when it comes to planned procedures. Planned treatment involves patients who gain permission from their insurer or government in another country to undergo treatment abroad. In Belgium, foreign patients are primarily Britons and Dutch nationals, the European Parliament ‘Patient Mobility’ report indicated. In 2000, Belgium topped the European list by treating 14,061 foreigners via planned procedures. That figure rose to 22,477 in 2003.

75km in traffic jams around Antwerp

Traffic chaos was reported around Antwerp on Tuesday morning as a 15km traffic jam built up after a serious accident on the E19 Breda-Antwerp motorway at Brecht. The accident took place at about 8.40am as a truck collided with a car and caravan. Two victims in the passenger car were taken to hospital. Poor weather and the customary traffic caused problems on the E17 Antwerp-bound lanes and a minor accident occurred in the Thijsmans Tunnel at 7am. In total, there was 75km of traffic jams around Antwerp.

Subject: Belgian news