Excerpt:
A political crisis in Belgium was set to prevent a much-anticipated parliamentary vote Thursday on banning the wearing of the Islamic burqa in public, amid fierce opposition from rights groups.
Prime Minister Yves Leterme offered to quit over an unrelated intercommunal issue, throwing the country's political institutions into turmoil.
With Belgian King Albert II withholding his decision on whether to accept the resignation, the vote on the first such ban in Europe appeared to be an early casualty of the political turmoil.
"We don't know if there will be a parliamentary session this evening," a spokesman for the federal parliament told AFP.