Sick of the corruption?

One third of the scientists who recommended that the government purchase large quantities of H1N1 swine flu vaccine were found to have a conflict of interest with ties to the supplier GlaxoSmithKline. Of the 15 members of the Influenza Commission, five were found to either have been paid as consultants for GSK or relied on GSK funds for research.

Conversely, the fashion police is recruiting more men.

The drive to recruit more women police officers since the beginning of the year has been a success with one in three officers now women. The figure is up 7 percent from 27 percent in January. Two-thirds of civilians working in administration for the country’s forces are women.

What do you think is the purpose of this initiative?

Thank you, Facebook.

A woman in Koksijde, West Flanders, has been ordered to pay child support after her ex-husband argued that photos on her Facebook profile proved she was lying when she claimed to have no money. The photos showed her on a trip to Rome and in possession of a new laptop.

Will people eve learn Facebook is not always your friend?

Hey, teacher, leave those kids alone.

A professor at the University of Ghent has begun a crackdown on students who come late to class and do nothing but send text messages and check their Facebook pages during lectures. Professor Carl Devos has begun barring access to lectures to students who arrive late. “If repeated warnings don’t work, you have to take severe measures,” he commented.

How low can you go?

The state pension fund meant to guard against the cost of an aging population was compared to the Titanic in a report by the fund’s President Marc Boeykens. At the end of last year the fund stood at €16.9 billion, enough to keep pensions paid for six months. In 2005, a decision was made to only use surpluses in the state budget instead of regular payments to supplement the fund, but the surpluses have dried up with the financial crisis leaving only interest payments to keep it afloat.