Act I, scene1: Panic in the streets The board of Fortis in September denies rumours that the bank is facing liquidity problems. Worried shareholders withdraw €20 billion and the three Benelux countries step in with a cash injection totalling €11.2 billion. The move is intended to stop the share price crashing, but it fails.  Full story

And so Belgium ends the year without a government, having spent most of the year with one that barely functioned. As Flanders Today went to press the King was holding talks with various leading political figures, hoping to find someone who could pick up the pieces of Yves Leterme's shattered administration. Meanwhile, the country was faced with the uninspiring choice of being led again by Jean-Luc Dehaene or Guy Verhofstadt, both former prime ministers who now appear to be building new careers as saviours of the nation. Alan HopeFull story