Belgian news in brief, 9 September 2005

Telephone number for on-call doctor

A telephone number will soon be set up for the public to request medical help in the evening, overnight and on the weekend. Callers will be given the address or the family doctor or medical service on call, newspaper ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ reported on Friday. Such a number already exists for pharmacists, but Health Minister Rudy Demotte wants to reduce the burden on hospital emergency services.

Federal plan to get everyone online

A cheap package consisting of a computer and a 12-month broadband internet connection will be on sale in shops next year. Computerisation State Secretary Peter Vanvelthoven said the package will be about EUR 500 cheaper than separate offers, newspaper ‘De Tijd’ reported. The federal government aims to connect Belgians with no computer or internet connection to the world wide web. Vanvelthoven said the main reason some people are not online is the high cost. “We must prevent some people from missing the technological revolution,” he said.

Babysitter arrested for hitting baby

Police arrested on Wednesday night a 24-year-old babysitter from Bassenge, near Liège, for allegedly assaulting a 17-month-old baby. The woman regularly took care of four children. The mother came across the babysitter and her children at a bus stop on Wednesday and noticed the baby had been hit in the face. She took the child to hospital, where it was confirmed the baby had been beaten. Signs of previous abuse were also detected. The babysitter eventually confessed, explaining that the child had gott to her nerves, newspaper ‘Het Gazet van Antwerpen’ reported.

Subject: Belgian news