Flanders' first crop of genetically modified potatoes has been given the go-ahead by the government's advisory committee on bio safety. The potatoes are engineered to be resistant to potato blight, or Phytophthora infestans. Were they to become widespread, the use of anti-fungal products in potato growing could be cut by up to 80%, according to the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology. The final decision by environment minister Joke Schauvliege is expected by 7 March.

This year's fundraising campaign for the cancer research charity Kom Op Tegen Kanker (KOTK) will concentrate on leukaemia. The telethon will be broadcast on 26 February on channel één. The money will be used to improve the collection of stem-cell samples used for transplants, as well as to increase the number of umbilical cord blood samples, where blood from the cord is stored and used for bone marrow transplants. At present, Flemish blood banks have 12,000 samples stored at a cost of €1,000 each. The aim is to grow the stock to 20,000 samples. Last year's KOTK appeal raised €13.7 million.

A plan for the export of fresh water from Zeebrugge to Qatar, reported in January, has been postponed while authorities in the Gulf state decide whether the scheme can be made profitable. Flemish minister- president Kris Peeters was in Qatar last week, but the planned signature of the agreement did not take place. The water would have been shipped to Qatar in the tankers used by them to send oil to Europe.

Unions representing workers at the Brussels public transport authority MIVB are drawing up an anti- harassment charter following the sacking of two union delegates last week for an alleged campaign of bullying against at least one fellow employee. The man claimed to have been pushed into a rubbish container and thrown to the ground and sprayed with a fire extinguisher. The MIVB, announcing a policy of zero tolerance of bullying, has asked possible other victims to come forward.

This year's Novarock festival in Kortrijk will become the first Flemish festival to be awarded the Safe Party Zone label. All those attending will have their identity cards scanned and will be excluded if their names appear on a black list of troublemakers. The area's police explained that they have had problems with a group of young people who go to parties to cause trouble. The system is currently being tested in West Flanders, but already other municipalities have expressed an interest. Novarock takes place on 26 March.

The parents of a child who lost a finger in an accident on the rolling pavement at Brussels Airport are suing the airport company for €125,000 damages. The accident took place in June last year, when the child, aged 18 months, fell on the pavement and had his finger crushed in the mechanism. It was later amputated. Brussels Airport company promised compensation, the parents say, but so far have failed to pay anything.

More than 5,000 people took part in the bird census organised by Natuurpunt on 5 and 6 February (Flanders Today, 2 February). The average number of birds counted per garden was 44, with an average of more than 11 species per garden. Spotters in Antwerp were the largest group, totalling nearly one-third of all participants. The most common species in Flemish gardens is the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), followed by the great tit (Parus major) and the blackbird (Turdus merula).
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