A Flemish village plans to replace the cockerel weather vane sitting atop its church by a lion, the symbol of Flanders. Roesbrugge-Haringe in West Flanders has decided that the traditional cockerel sign, popular on churches since the 12^th century, is too Walloon. The management committee of Saint-Martin’s church said many villagers were proud to be Flemish and could no longer tolerate a francophone symbol on the top of its tower. “The lion is the king of the animal kingdom. A cockerel is only a male chicken,” said its president Paul Recour. An order has already been made for a new wind vane in the form of a lion.

The city of Brussels has been forced to abandon its pigeon sterilisation programme after animal rights organisation Gaia released a video showing birds being sterilised without anaesthetic. The birds were caught and transported to Paris for the surgical procedure before being returned to the capital. City authorities are now looking at alternative methods to tackle the problem of overpopulation.

But what about the German-speaking region?

The Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang party proposed replacing the B for Belgium on new European licence plates with a W for Wallonia and a VL for Flanders. Brussels should fall under Flanders as it is historically a Flemish territory with people feeling an identity with Flanders, according to the Vlaams Belang. The new licence plates should therefore fall under community legislation rather than regional, as would other transport matters.

Beware the Wooncode.

The Belgian report in response to criticism by the United Nations Humans Rights Council, submitted on May 2, omits mentioning the lack of minority rights legislation, the blocked nomination of burgomasters in ‘facility’ communes, and the Flemish Wooncode, which imposes local culture and language knowledge requirements on foreigners wishing to move into Flanders. The various federal institutions, regions and communities were unable to agree on these points.

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”.