Ronald Janssen will go on trial on 23 September before a court in Tongeren, accused of the murders of 18-year-old Shana Appelmans and her boyfriend Kevin Paulus, 22, in January of last year. Janssen is also charged with the murder in 2007 of teenager Annick Van Uytsel as she cycled home after a party. During the investigation it was revealed that Janssen had been a suspect in the Van Uytsel case but was not seriously investigated. Janssen, a teacher at a local technical college, is accused of raping and torturing Appelmans before her death.

GPs and other doctors are prescribing the PSA blood test, used to diagnose prostate cancer, routinely and unnecessarily, at a cost to medical insurers of €4 million, the mutuality CM said. In 2009, 1.5 million men were tested with the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, although it is not considered a foolproof diagnostic test for prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer in men. CM called on doctors to restrict the test to high-risk patients.

A 71-year-old woman from Schilde, Antwerp province, is facing a sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of ␣44,000 for her role as "Godmother" of a drugs network that smuggled cocaine into Antwerp harbour in containers. Police investigating the case uncovered evidence of at least seven shipments of 80kg each and seized one load weighing 280kg. The woman denies being leader of the gang.

The hit Flemish TV show Benidorm Bastards, in which old people are shown getting into outrageous situations while a hidden camera records the reactions of onlookers, has been sold to the American network NBC. Its own version, Off Their Rockers, will be presented by Betty White, formerly of The Golden Girls. Benidorm Bastards, produced by the production house Shelter, recently won a Golden Rose, and the format has been sold to 20 countries.

The government is requesting that the January decision of the Brussels court of appeal regarding the bankruptcy of former national airline Sabena be overturned. The court ruled that new owner Swissair was responsible for driving Sabena to bankruptcy but awarded the government only a fraction of the damages sought - €300,000 instead of one billion. In addition, administrators of the assets of Sabena, who had asked for €2 billion, received only €18 million. If the ruling is overturned, the case would begin again.

Students from Ghent University will be joined by students from Antwerp and Leuven for this year's hitchhiking race to the south of Europe: destination Venice. Last year Ghent students raced to Barcelona, with the winner receiving a round-the- world trip. This year 300 students from each university will make their way to Venice using only their thumbs for the same prize, aswellasacupandapartyfor the winning city.

Around 100 taxis took part in a motorcade through Brussels last week to protest against new rules and against "unfair competition" from taxis in the Flemish areas around the capital, following a court ruling allowing them to pick up and drop off fares within the city. The drivers object to new rules forcing them to mark their cars with a distinctive yellow and black chequered stripe, which they have to pay for themselves. Brussels transport minister Brigitte Grouwels pointed out that the new system also involved an increase in fares to compensate drivers for the changes.