STIB staff will learn self defence, police seize 22 animals from a Brussels studio and the eco-credentials of e-scooters come up for debate.
Here’s a recap of the news you should know in Belgium this morning:
1. Police seize 22 animals from Brussels studio
Police seized twenty-two animals found crammed inside a tiny studio in Brussels, including dogs, turtles, guinea pigs and dozens of malnourished kittens stashed inside a bag. Read more.
2. Paris attacks terrorist to stand trial for links to Brussels attacks
Salah Abdeslam is set to stand trial over his suspected links to the attackers behind the 2016 Brussels bombings. Read more.
3. Electric scooters less green than advertised, study shows
Shared electric scooter schemes are less environmentally friendly than originally advertised by operating companies, with a new study showing that an e-scooter trip is generally more polluting than one by electric moped or bike or even in a standard diesel-powered bus. Read more.
4. STIB employees to receive self-defence training
Public transport employees in Brussels will receive self-defence training and work in larger teams in order to counter aggressions on the network, with an additional measure which would equip them with pepper spray under study. Read more.
5. Brussels nightclub under investigation for customer intoxication
A nightclub in downtown Brussels has shut down and is under investigation after six of its customers had to hospitalised for reasons that remain so far unclear, with authorities saying drugs or alcohol may be involved. Read more.
6. Bus driver tells teen trapped between bus doors to ‘go back to her country’
A racist incident in Ghent has spurred an investigation after a bus driver refused to help a teenager stuck between the vehicle’s closing doors and instead told her to “go back to her own country." Read more.
7. Brussels fire service called to capture a ‘weird animal’
The Brussels fire service was called out on Sunday afternoon for an unusual appeal after a citizen had seen “a weird animal” in a park in Schaarbeek. Read more.
Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times
