Today's Top Stories - September 3, 2012

European Parliament partially closed after cracks appear in ceiling

The European Parliament in Brussels has been partially closed after cracks were found in the building, including the plenary chamber, reports New Europe Online. Secretary General Klaus Welle emailed all staff this morning, their first day back at work after a six-week break, with the news. “In agreement with the president and the responsible vice-president, I have taken the decision to temporarily close Section A of the Paul-Henri Spaak Building,” his email reads. “This precautionary measure has become necessary after the discovery of cracks in three of the wooden beams carrying the roof of the plenary chamber, during checks made in the framework of our increased inspection and maintenance policy. The causes of the cracks could not be determined, which makes the temporary closure of the building necessary until the source of the problem can be identified.”

Read the full article on the New Europe Online website.

Brussels recognises its role in deportation of Jews 

The city of Brussels officially recognised its complicity in the deportation of Jews during World War Two in an official ceremony yesterday, attended by Israel’s ambassador, Belgian vice-prime minister Joelle Milquet and Brussels mayor Freddy Thielemans (pictured). Thielemans recognised the part the city had played in sending thousands of Jewish people to death camps, saying that 5,640 names had been taken in a census and that without this register, the arrests that led to the round-up in September 1942 would not have had such an impact in Brussels. Thielemans also said that the mayor of Brussels in 1942, Jules Coelst, had refused to distribute the Jewish star and had not allowed city police to participate in the round-up.

Belgium lags behind in fight against terrorism financing

The head of the unit that processes financial information (CTIF) has warned that Belgium urgently needs to review its information-gathering practices. President Jean-Claude Delepiere said Belgium was “nowhere” in the fight against the financing of terrorism and that the unit suffered from a lack of coordination between services, with no culture of exchanging information. He called on the government to aid cooperation between departments and stressed that it needed to be done quickly. “I do not want there to be a dramatic event that would draw attention to what could have been done,” he said.

Back to school: ministers promise to improve education in Belgium

Almost 2 million pupils return to school today across the country. In Flanders, primary and secondary students number 1.1 million, while the Wallonia-Brussels Federation has 862,000. As schools reopened, education ministers from both language communities launched various education reforms. French community minister Dominique Simonet outlined proposals to tackle the retaking of school years and the problem of students leaving school without a diploma after a professional education. She also backed a proposal to extend teacher training from three to five years. Flemish education minister Pascal Smet said it was time to take decisive action to strengthen education in the region. His priorities include the building of new schools and renovation of outdated schools. He said nursery and primary schools were concerned about finding 1,300 new teachers, but he could see no signs of this being a problem.

Police unions serve strike notice

Three leading police unions (SNPS, SLFP Police and CSC Police) are threatening to go on strike from September 13 to 17, according to De Morgen. The unions are demanding that the authorities take urgent measures aimed at curbing violence against police officers. Home secretary Joëlle Milquet had previously announced that she would be meeting police unions on September 6. With this strike notice, the unions intend to put pressure on the political leaders. Milquet claimed not to feel under pressure, and her office said in an official statement that the police used the threat of a strike too often for it to carry any weight.