A Brussels institution will reopen its doors in the summer, Uber's bike share system gets in trouble over false payments and plans to instal facial recognition cameras in Brussels Airport face legal concerns.
Here’s a recap of the news you should know in Belgium this morning:
1. Users face steep bill from Uber-bikes thanks to fault
Users in Brussels of the bike-share Jump, run by Uber, have complained of inflated bills caused by a fault in the system. Users who locked their bikes continued to be charged, and when the time came to contact customer service, nobody answered. Read more.
2. De Valera’s Irish pub to return to Place Flagey
De Valera’s on Place Flagey – which closed “for the last time” just before the world cup in 2018 – plans to reopen on an unspecified date in the summer. Read more.
3. Flemish nationalist pushes for reinstatement of asylum quotas
Former Federal Secretary for Migration Theo Francken on Tuesday piled the pressure on the Belgian parliament to reinstate the asylum quotas put in place during his tenure even though they were declared illegal by the supreme administrative court. Read more.
4. Two men attacked in gang-related incident in Matonge
Two men were beaten up on Sunday at the Porte de Namur in a gang-related event, according to local media. The reason is understood to have been due to their friendship with a man who was killed in Matonge earlier in the year. Read more.
5. Truck on fire halts traffic into Brussels
The trailer of a truck driving on the E19 motorway into Brussels caught fire on Wednesday morning, significantly impacting traffic into the capital, with local media reporting up to 8 kilometres of traffic jams. Read more
6. ‘Legality of facial scan cameras at Brussels airport called into question
The plan to install facial recognition cameras at airports lacks legal basis, a legal expert said on Wednesday after a federal police commissioner announced plans to install the devices at Brussels Zaventem airport. Read more.
7. Missing 18-year-old from Liege has been found safe and well
A teenager from Liège, reported missing since the start of the week, has been found in good health, according to reports. Gilles Hardenne, 18, disappeared on Monday at around 11:55 AM. His relatives issued a plea for information on social media after the teen’s disappearance. Read more.
Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times
