Today's Top Stories - August 22, 2012

Alcohol locks still not fitted after two years

Two years after the fitting of alcohol locks was approved as a sentence for inebriated drivers, not one Belgian vehicle has been fitted with the device. Officially known as an ignition interlock device, an alcohol lock is essentially a breathalyser on the dashboard of a vehicle that requires its driver to exhale into it to check their breath-alcohol concentration level. If the level is above the legal limit, the vehicle will not start. Since November 2010, courts have had the right to impose the fitting of the device as a sentence to motorists caught drink-driving.  But 21 months later, nothing has been done. Manufacturer Dräger was only approved as official supplier in October 2011. Dilbeek firm Krautli was the sole candidate to become the official installer, but this requires the written approval of both the manufacturer and the Federal Public Service for Mobility – something that hasn’t materialised yet.

Socialist figurehead dies aged 80

Guy Spitaels, arguably one of the most influential French-speaking Belgian politicians ever, has died of a brain tumour at the age of 80, his party announced on Tuesday. At federal level he was deputy prime minister from 1979 to 1980 then became the leader of the French-speaking Socialist Party. He was also mayor of Ath from 1977 to 1997. Under his leadership, the Socialist Party reached a historic score of 43 percent in Wallonia in the 1987 general election. Nicknamed ‘Dieu’ (God) for his monarchic leadership style, he went on to become minister-president of the Walloon region in 1992. He was also involved in a bribery scandal linked to the purchase of Italian helicopters for the Belgian air force, for which he received a two-year suspended sentence. He retired from politics in 2000.

SNCB’s debt could reach €4 billion in 2013

According to a confidential study presented to Belgium’s national railway company, SNCB, the group’s debt should reach €3,786m by the end of this year and pass €4 billion next year. At the end of last year, the group’s total debt was more than €3 billion, which means that in one year it will have racked up more than €700 million of debt. This black hole essentially comes from commercial activities, according to the francophone dailies Le Soir and La Libre. The report said the company’s largely autonomous cargo arm, SNCB Logistics, represented a clear danger for the company and a decision on its future needed to be taken quickly.

Homeless reception desk in Brussels underground station

A Brussels underground station will soon feature a reception desk for the homeless, FlandersNews reports. The desk will be at the Anneessens metro station and will be staffed by members of non-profit organisations for the homeless. Their main goal is provide information about social and medical services. An Van Hamme of Brussels public transport operator STIB/MIVB explains: “The aim is not to accommodate people permanently, but to refer them to specialised services offered by non-profit organisations. We will engage in a partnership with these organisations. I am thinking about street nursing, or the STIB/MIVB homeless department.” The location has been chosen in the light of upcoming works in the nearby Bourse tube station, where a lot of homeless people are seeking shelter. The Bourse station is being renovated next month and the homeless risk being driven away. Anneessens and Bourse stations, both on the busy north-south axis, will undergo renovation but will remain open throughout.

University seeks cannabis growers

Ghent University has launched an anonymous online survey for people aged over 18 who cultivate or have cultivated cannabis. The university’s drug research institute is calling for help in presenting an objective and detailed study backed by science for drug policy makers. Its objective is to explore the motivation of growers, beyond existing prejudices and stereotypes, to help politicians define and adapt strategies on drugs. The study is at the request of and financed by federal political science authority Belspo. It is part of a wider international study that is the first of its kind, claim the Belgian researchers who are also collaborating with Leuven university KUL.