Franco-Flemish Split Widens in Belgium

Still no compromise 3 months after election

(NEWSER) - It's been 3 months since Belgians went to the polls, and their binational kingdom still has no government. Yves Leterme, the winner of June's elections, has been unable to form a coalition in parliament. Now the king has been forced to step in, and the perennial question of whether Belgium will at last break up holds new urgency. More»

Wrong-way driver ignored repeated warnings

(NEWSER) - At least 20 people were killed at rush hour today in Belgium when two commuter trains crashed head on south of Brussels. Both train drivers and conductors were among the dead. One mangled train perched atop the other as rescuers used cranes to get to dozens of passengers and some 12 ambulances were packed with the injured, reports the Daily Mail. More»

(NEWSER) - A Belgium zoo webcast its first elephant birth to enthralled animal lovers yesterday as the newborn plopped out of mom Phyo Phyo after 38 hours of labor. The mother, sister and aunt scrambled in excitement in a circle around the newborn, trumpeting, until the baby responded with squeals of its own. The newborn female was up on its feet shortly after birth and is nursing well. More»

Cops aren't saying how he did it

(NEWSER) - An illegal immigrant was nabbed in England clinging to the outside of a Eurostar rail car, reports the Independent. The trains reach speeds of 186 mph. The train originated in Brussels and traveled through France. Police provided no details on how the man survived the risky journey. Immigrants sneaking into England are a continuing problem. Last week a French official vowed to destroy a squatter camp of people waiting for a chance to steal across the English Channel from northern France. More»

Huge police operation as European leaders arrive in Brussels

(NEWSER) - Belgian police have arrested 14 people with suspected links to al-Qaeda, including 3 who allegedly were planning an attack. The Guardian reports that the suspects may have been planning a suicide bombing at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, which opened today and is being attended by all the continent's heads of government. But it remained unclear whether the suspects were targeting the summit. More»