The 2008 car of the year, the Fiat 500, is failing Belgium's annual roadworthiness test because of lack of road grip, in 50 percent of cases. The pocket-size car with an attractive pricetag of €14-20,000 was launched at the end of 2007. Fiat says the problem exists only in Belgium and the test is at fault.

One of the balls of the Atomium is lopsided, according to a report in Eos magazine. Engineer Samuel Verbiese claims that you can see a distorted sphere when you look out of the restaurant window. But there is no reason to panic, says former Atomium association chairman Bruno De Lille. "I'd be surprised if the balls were all perfectly round," he said.

The Belgian entry in the world championships for solar-powered cars has crashed after just one day in the contest. The Umicore Inspire was hit by a strong side-wind which made the vehicle leave the road and roll over. It finally came to rest after hitting a tree.

The Galgenstraat in Schepdaal was voted "the most shocking road in Flanders", along with the adjoining Scheestraat in Lennik, according to the Flemish radio programme Peters & Pichal. The responsibility for road repairs is divided between the two municipalities, which lie to the west of Brussels. "It would be correct to say that the Scheestraat is in a very bad state," admitted Lennik mayor Willy De Waele, "but we would have to raise taxes to pay for repairs."

A couple was arrested in Maldegem, East Flanders, for stealing a single shoe from a store. The suspects, a man and woman both in their early 60s, allegedly stole a pair of shoes but left one behind. The couple only needed one shoe because the male suspect reportedly has only one leg.