You no longer benefit.

The Flemish nationalist party and overall winners of the 2010 national elections N-VA tabled a motion which would see the federal government pay a bonus to the regions for each unemployed person whose benefits they manage to suspend. The constitution ensures unemployment benefits are handed out by each federal region. Other parties distanced themselves from what one called a “witch hunt”.

The Flemish Region fined 335 foreigners for not fulfilling their integration obligations last year. Two months into 2011, more than half had not paid the fine amounting to a total of €18,300, according to Flemish Interior Minister Geert Bourgeois. Foreigners who do not report to the integration service or who refuse to sign an integration contract are fined between €50 and €5,000.

Guns galore.

Police dished out 5,479 fines for possession of illegal arms, including knives and guns, during the first six months of 2010, a figure higher than for the whole of 2008. The police say the radical increase is due to the new gun law that came into effect in 2006, which made firearms permits mandatory for the first time in Belgian history.

Fourteen directors of various federal government departments have written a letter to acting Prime Minister Yves Leterme complaining that the non-existence of a legitimate government for nearly a year is untenable as they are unable to promote anyone to senior management. The country has been without a government since the elections on June 13 last year.

At least it's a reason for another public strip-show.

The Echo newspaper pointed out that Belgium has not broken the record of the longest time without a government, contrary to popular belief. Cambodia still holds the honour of 353 days without leadership between July 27 2003 and July 15 2004. Belgium is only just nearing the 300-day mark. When Cambodia finally did swear in a government it consisted of 207 ministers in order to accommodate everyone in the agreement.