2007 in Belgium

Events from the year 2007 in Belgium

Events

January

February

March

April

May

*May 1: Police arrest 30 alleged animal rights extremists in raids in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6610429.stm | title = Arrests in animal extremism raids | publisher = "BBC" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

*May 6: A former World No. 1 ranked tennis player from Belgium, Kim Clijsters, announces her retirement effective immediately. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/6629929.stm | title = Clijsters ends her tennis career | publisher = "BBC" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

June

*June 10: Belgium holds a general election. The Liberal Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt is expected to lose power to the Christian Democrats of Yves Leterme. [cite news | url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL109422520070610 | title = Flanders chief set to lead next Belgian government | publisher = "Reuters" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

July

*July 5: A Belgian court sentences former Rwandan army major Bernard Ntuyahaga to twenty years in jail for the murder of 10 Belgian Army peacekeepers and an undetermined number of civilians in the Rwandan genocide.

August

*August 13: Two Belgian tourists who went missing last week in Iran appear to have been kidnapped by a bandit who is demanding that his brother be freed from prison.

*August 14: Two Belgians kidnapped in Iran have been released. [cite news | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/15/2005221.htm | title = Kidnapped Belgians freed in Iran | publisher = "ABC News Australia" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

eptember

*September 4: Australian company Zinifex and Belgian company Umicore merge their zinc smelting operations to form Nyrstar, the largest zinc smelting company. [cite news | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Nyrstar-out-to-consolidate-zinc-industry/2007/09/04/1188783203621.html | title = Nyrstar out to consolidate zinc industry | publisher = "Sydney Morning Herald" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

*September 8: Justine Henin of Belgium wins the U.S. Open women's tennis singles championship defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-1 6-3 in the final.

*September 11: Belgian police arrest two leaders of the Vlaams Belang party, Frank Vanhecke and Filip Dewinter, as well as dozens of party supporters during a banned march in Brussels against the "Islamisation of Europe". [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6989581.stm | title = Arrests at Brussels Islam protest | publisher = "BBC" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

October

November

*November 6: 2007 Belgian government formation: Belgium sets a new national record for the longest period without a new government – 149 days have passed since the general election – as parties are still trying to bridge their opposing views on state reforms. [cite news | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/06/wbelgium106.xml | title = Belgians go 149 days without a government | publisher = "Daily Telegraph" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

*November 7: In Belgium, government formation discussions have gone on for a record 150 days as Flemish and Walloon politicians clash over Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. [cite news | url=http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10110979 | title = The BHV question | publisher = "Economist" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

*November 11: A majority of French citizens would support a union with the French-speaking Belgian region of Wallonia if Belgium were to cease to exist, according to a survey. [cite news | url=http://www.lejdd.fr/sondages/70.html | title = Sondage exclusif Ifop pour Le journal du Dimanche | publisher = "Journal du Dimanche" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

December

*December 1: 2007 Belgian government formation: Formateur Yves Leterme resigns. [cite news | url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=adfqr5Q2k44Y&refer=europe | title = Belgian Coalition Talks Collapse After Leterme Quits | publisher = "Bloomberg" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

*December 19: Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt forms a temporary coalition government comprising five Socialist and Christian Democrat parties from both main language communities. [cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7151570.stm | title = Belgium gets emergency government | publisher = "BBC" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

*December 21: Belgian authorities arrest 14 people the government calls Islamic extremists, who they say were plotting to free an al-Qaeda member from prison. [cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/world/europe/22belgium.html?_r=1&oref=slogin | title = Belgium Arrests 14 in Plan to Free Bomb Plotter | publisher = "The New York Times" | accessdate=2008-03-02]

Deaths

*March 5: Yvan Delporte, 78, editor-in-chief of "Spirou" magazine (1956–1968).
*April 27: Karel Dillen, 81, politician, founder of the Flemish Interest party.
*May 22: Jef Planckaert, 73, cyclist.
*June 14: Jacques Simonet, 43, politician and mayor of Anderlecht, heart attack.
*June 26: Liz Claiborne, 78, fashion designer, cancer.
*September 14: Benny Vansteelant, 30, world champion duathlete, bike accident.
*October 13: Andrée de Jongh, 90, Resistance member, organized the Comet Line POW escape network.
*December 23: Frank Swaelen, 77, politician, former President of the Senate and Minister of State.

References