SEBASTIEN BOZON
The entire population of Belgium will be issued iodine pills as part of a new nuclear emergency plan, government officials announced Thursday. The decision follows reports of evidence that ISIS-linked militants had made plans to build a “dirty bomb” and collected surveillance on nuclear researchers, as well as information about the 2011 nuclear meltdown in Japan’s Fukushima. The tablets would help to limit health effects of radiation caused by nuclear weapons and will be given to all 11 million residents, Health Minister Maggie De Block told reporters. De Block said the move will enhance the radius of people given the pills from within 14 miles of the nuclear plans to within 62 miles. “It is not linked with the safety of our nuclear plants,” De Block said. “The recommendation came after Fukushima… because obviously after Fukushima, we have more information regarding nuclear risks.”