Belgian news in brief, 26 August 2005

Man taken hostage in car-jacking

A man in Wallonia was taken hostage on Friday morning by armed men who robbed his BMW. The victim was driving in Vaux-sous-Chevremont at about 8am when hooded men, armed with guns, forced him to stop and get out of his car and to get in the boot. The raiders drove off, but the victim managed to escape from the car’s boot when they stopped at Rue Jean Jaures in Jupille. The police are looking to trace the car which was a grey BMW 525 with the registration CQF294.

Brussels crossroads reopens in tram extension

Drivers in Brussels can look forward to the reopening of the busy Souverain-Hermann-Debroux crossroads by 2 September at the latest. The section has been closed during roadworks to extend the 94 tram line. The work, which is the biggest ever extension of a tramline in the city, is aiming to connect the route to a new metro station at Hermann-Debroux by September 2006.

Belgium’s blacklist of dodgy airlines

Belgium is to join the US, Switzerland, the UK and France in publishing a blacklist of airlines who don’t meet all international safety standards. Mobility Minister Renaat Landuyt said the details would be available on the internet from Monday. A European list is also planned.

Breadcrumbs to blame for factory fire

A fire earlier this week which destroyed part of a biscuit factory in West Flanders was due to breadcrumbs left in a hot oven. An investigation at Destrooper in LoReninge, near Ostend, concluded that the blaze on Tuesday was an accident. The company said employees would be working extra shifts to ensure biscuit supply.

Subject: Belgian news