Word: wallonia
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...they are itching to smash the Flemish grip on the top job. A victory by the leading French-speaking candidate, Elio di Rupo, would make history not only because of his language, but as Europe's first openly gay Prime Minister. As leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in Wallonia - and also the region's minister-president - Di Rupo, 55, is the heavyweight of Francophone politics. And the fact that his origins are Italian, Belgium's second-largest immigrant community after Moroccans, adds a third dimension to the identity challenge represented by his candidacy. But the dapper, bow-tied...
...reason why more moderate Flemish nationalists are ecstatic about the TV stunt. Frans Crols, managing editor of the Flemish business weekly Trends, was part of a high-profile group of Flemings that last year published a manifesto soberly laying out the case for Flemish independence. "People in Wallonia just put their head in the sand," he says. "It was never discussed in parliament or in French-speaking circles. As a journalist, I think the television show was unethical, but it gave our cause a major marketing boost. Now people in the heart of the Belgian system have to face...
...hasn't happened. The president of Wallonia has called the TV event an "unacceptable" breach of journalistic ethics, especially for a state-owned channel. "We didn't intend to create such an emotion, but rather to raise a real question that preoccupies citizens who are attached to Belgium," says Jean-Paul Philippot, the chief administrator of Belgian state television, after having been called on the carpet by the responsible minister. The citizens who are more interested in loosening the ties to Belgium - up to 80% of Flemings, depending on how the question is posed - will be watching to see whether...
...Brussels is sometimes resented for issuing directives to the rest of the European Union, but one decree from the Belgian capital earlier this year proved more palatable than most: 2005 would be the Year of Beer in Brussels and Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, to celebrate the country's 175th anniversary. So if you want to salute the tipple before year's end, Delirium Caf?, on Impasse de la Fid?lit?, just off the main restaurant drag of Rue Gr?try, is a great place to start. Serving over 900 of the nation's finest brews, revered for their strength...
...Take a Hike Destinations to restore your sense of wonder Brussels is sometimes resented for issuing directives to the rest of the European Union, but one decree from the Belgian capital earlier this year proved more palatable than most: 2005 would be the Year of Beer in Brussels and Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, to celebrate the country's 175th anniversary. So if you want to salute the tipple before year's end, Delirium Café, on Impasse de la Fidélité, just off the main restaurant drag of Rue Grétry, is a great...