A female urinal is rolled out in time for the Gentse Feesten, the EU's GPS system comes back to life after being offline for over a week, and dangerous Donkey Kong drugs were found on the Belgian market.
Here’s a recap of the news you should know in Belgium this morning:
1. Brussels aims to be carbon neutral by 2050
Brussels' new government agreement includes goals to make the region more climate-friendly and to vehicle traffic. Plans to make the public transport network free for a wider group of users or to lower the driving speed limit were some of the main points in the agreement. Read more.
2. Feeling hot? Get ready for another heatwave next week
After a heatwave in June sent temperatures soaring and authorities scrambling to fight the effects of the heat, a new heatwave is expected to hit Belgium next week, with temperatures that could climb to 35 degrees Celcius. Read more.
3. Female urinal introduced to tackle bathroom queues during Ghent Festival
A mobile female urinal has been set up in Ghent as the city prepares for its annual music and arts Gentse Feesten, which is set to kick off on Friday. Created by the Ghent-based MissWizz, the urinal aims to offer an alternative for women at public events. Read more.
4. Donkey Kong, Tesla and FC Barcelona logo: Belgian institute warns of life-threatening ecstasy pills
A health warning has been issued after a number of colourful ecstasy pills currently in Belgium were found to contain 200 mg of MDMA or more, making them potentially lethal. Read more.
5. Belgian cycling team robbed in France
A thief stole about 45,000 euros worth of video and computer equipment from Belgium's Lotto Soudal cycling team just before 21:00 on Wednesday. It is understood that the robbery is being considered a premeditated. Read more
6. E-scooters, unicycles and hoverboards can soon be bought with eco vouchers
From 1 September, employees will also be able to buy electric-powered scooters, unicycles and hoverboards with their eco-vouchers, according to a press release from the National Labour Council. Read more.
7. Galileo, the ‘European GPS’, restarts after a six-day outage
Galileo, the European satellite navigation system, which has been silent since Friday, is back in service, the EU agency responsible for its implementation announced on Thursday, citing a “potential instability”. Read more.
Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times
