Today's Top Stories - July 5, 2012

Car Free Sunday will take place on September 16

The date is set: Brussels’ annual Car Free Sunday will this year take place on September 16, as a curtain-raiser for Mobility Week. From 9.00 until 19.00, car traffic will be prohibited in the entire Brussels Region, including the city centre. The only exceptions are urgent services (police, fire brigade and ambulances), vehicles of public interest and vehicles with a special pass. Passes have to be applied for at local municipalities before September 12, and will only be delivered if the reason for the dispensation is deemed valid. As announced last month, Boulevard Anspach – which runs through the centre of Brussels – will be closed to traffic every Sunday afternoon between noon and 14.00 for the duration of the summer.

Football vandals to be punished by their clubs

From next season, Belgian football clubs will have the possibility to force supporters caught committing acts of vandalism to repair the damage they caused rather than report them to the police. The Parliamentary Commission for Home Affairs approved the proposal on Wednesday after consulting the clubs. On top of repairing the damage caused, football vandals could be made to do other chores, such as cleaning the floor of the canteen, painting the goalposts or sweeping the terraces. These new measures will not, however, be compulsory – it is up to the clubs to see whether they want to implement them. They retain the right to get the police involved at any point.

Police forced to turn to private security firms

Local and federal police forces in Belgium are severely understaffed. Every year, 1,000 new recruits join the police while 1,400 leave the forces. As this personnel deficit grows, more and more police forces turn to private security firms. But since private security guards have no powers to arrest or apprehend suspects, their remit is limited. This, according to police unions, will lull citizens into a false sense of security. “At best, they can report a suspicious-looking vehicle,” says Gert Cocks from the SNSP union, adding that “most of the time burglars use stolen vehicles or false number plates, making it impossible to identify them. You need to intercept them immediately, and that is a matter for the police alone.”

New record for savings accounts

The long-standing love affair between Belgians and their savings accounts sees no sign of abating. In May, a total of €226.16 billion was paid into savings accounts – an increase of €1.5 billion on the previous month – according to statistics released by the National Bank of Belgium. This is in spite of low interest rates, and is best explained by the security that savings accounts inspire in the context of the ongoing uncertainties about the euro. According to economics and business newspaper De Tijd, customers of the ‘big four’ (BNP Paribas Fortis, ING, Belfius and KBC) topped up their savings accounts by 3 to 7 percent in the first half of 2012.

Morrissey in rehearsal, incognito… in Antwerp

Where has Morrissey been for the past 10 days? Why, in Antwerp, of course. The notoriously reclusive singer, who kicks off his European tour tonight in Liège (headlining the first night of the Les Ardentes festival), has been busy rehearsing with his band at alternative rock venue Trix in Borgerhout, and staying in a hotel in the city centre. Surprisingly, Morrissey’s presence in Antwerp has gone largely unnoticed by his particularly passionate fan base. The man himself was seen regularly watching Euro 2012 games in Bar Déco on Torfbrug, no doubt to the surprise of locals. An avid record collector, Mozzer also enjoyed the city’s specialist secondhand shops, where rare 45s by his beloved Timi Yuro are presumably easier to find than in Los Angeles.