Good afternoon. Katie Westwood back again with your daily dish of Belgian news in English.
Around this time last year, the news cycle in Brussels was dominated by the sad story of Fabian, a little boy who died after being knocked off his scooter during a police chase through a park in Ganshoren.
The case raised questions about the use of excessive speed during police pursuits in Belgium. Subsequent incidents – including the case of a child who was hit by a speeding police car in Antwerp this month – have underlined the severity of the problem.
The Federal Government has come up with a new set of guidelines for “high priority driving”. However, as our Political Editor Maïthé Chini explains, for road safety advocates, the rules do not go far enough. Maïthé spoke to road safety organisation Heroes for Zero to find out what more might be done to mitigate the problem and how Belgium differs from comparable countries in its approach. Read the full story here.
As the flaming hot weather persists across Belgium, a nice, refreshing dip in an outdoor pool sounds like sheer bliss. Alas, if you live in Brussels, you are out of luck on this score: the Belgian capital is the only European city with more than a million inhabitants to have no outdoor swimming pool.
But good things come to those who wait. By the end of the decade, an outdoor swimming pool the size of the Grand Place will be built on the roof of Manufakture, on the former Abattoir site in Anderlecht. The long-mooted project has finally been given the green light. Find out more here.
What else can you do to cool down in the heat? To use the technical term, I am a “summer crybaby”, and to escape the wretched temperatures over the weekend, I went to a multiplex cinema in central Brussels. Since I was expecting a blast of Arctic air from the air-conditioning unit, I took a woolly cardigan with me.
Quelle naïveté! Belgium, as better-informed readers will know, is largely resistant to AC – and with good reason. As reporter Kosmos Khoroshavin writes, AC is terrible for the environment, and the country’s historic buildings don’t lend themselves to its installation.
For now, we will have to grin and bear the heat – although as the planet warms up and summers in Belgium become increasingly uncomfortable (and even dangerous for vulnerable people), perhaps we will need a rethink.
I’ll leave you with a reminder to check out Aiofe White’s article on what to do with your kids this weekend in Brussels. There’s loads to choose from – including the fabulous Zinneke Parade on Saturday.
If you have any comments, tips or suggestions to improve our coverage (or if you simply want to kvetch about the heat), please feel free to drop me an email at k.westwood@brusselstimes.com.
Stay cool out there in the not-quite heatwave.
Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your coffee break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:
1. ‘Necessary, but insufficient’: Belgium reviews rules for police car chases
Following several tragic incidents of children being hit during police car chases, Belgium is considering new guidelines for "high-priority driving". Read more.
2. Brussels one step closer to new public open-air rooftop swimming pool
The open-air swimming pool is expected to have a surface area similar to that of Brussels' Grand Place. Read more.
3. Place De Brouckère’s iconic Coca-Cola billboard removed after 70 years
Unlike in previous makeovers, the emblematic advert has been officially removed for good by the Brussels authorities, saying it is "a thing of the past". Read more.
4. How to survive the heat in air conditioner-hating Belgium
Why Belgians are not very fond of air conditioners, and how they survive the summer heatwaves. Read more.
5. Brussels for kids: What to do with your family this weekend – 30 to 31 May
From parades and festivals to circus classes and urban farms visits, there are lots of fun activities for kids to enjoy in Brussels this weekend. Read more.
6. Belgian family tragedy in Moroccan village after grandfather killed in heated row
A tragedy unfolded in Morocco’s Rif region after a dispute within a Belgian-Moroccan family allegedly escalated into an intra-family killing now under investigation by local authorities. Read more.
7. TikTok Shop to launch in Belgium
However, a consumer organisation has called it "a disaster for those in financial difficulty." Read more.
