Belgium’s headlines yesterday ranged from political and education developments to football, crime investigations and a new heat record in Uccle. Abroad, a long-contained wildfire in Gironde and a cargo ship stranded by low water levels also drew attention.
The political paths of provincial executive Jinnih Beels and Vooruit are diverging. The split comes as no surprise, but looks set to lead to a bitter confrontation. The history between the two parties makes clear that the conflict could still escalate. Who will ultimately emerge victorious therefore remains uncertain.
The Young Devils face Wales in Westerlo after their narrow win over Belarus. In their penultimate qualifier, Belgium’s U21s aim to take a major step toward the European Championship. Vermant and Bassette are being put forward as the players expected to provide the goals. A possible Euro ticket is at stake.
Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) has started a teacher-training course at PXL University of Applied Sciences in Hasselt. The institution and her cabinet have confirmed her enrollment. Demir, who is from Genk, is due to attend her third class tonight at the PXL Education campus on Vildersstraat, if negotiations on the Flemish budget allow.
Dutch police arrested a 24-year-old man in Amsterdam as part of an investigation into the hacking group ShinyHunters. In recent years, the group claimed to have stolen the data of hundreds of millions of customers, including at Ticketmaster, Pornhub and the education platform Canvas. There may also have been victims in Belgium; the suspect is alleged to have ordered two murders.
In Gironde, a megafire that burned across 42,000 hectares was declared extinguished two months after it started. The announcement marks the end of the period of fires reported in the department. Monitoring of fires and heatwaves continues, with the latest information on these events and their development.
A 135-metre cargo ship carrying Mercedes vans has been stranded near the port of Düsseldorf in western Germany. Police said Tuesday that low water levels prevented it from reaching the Rhine. The vessel is therefore immobilized, awaiting sufficient water levels to resume its journey.
The temperature reached 27.6°C in Uccle on Tuesday, setting a new heat record for 29 September. David Dehenauw, a meteorologist at the Royal Meteorological Institute, confirmed the figure. The previous record, 27.3°C, was set in 2011, making this the highest temperature ever recorded on this date.
The body of a 39-year-old man was found in a car park near Arlon station on Sunday. Luxembourg’s public prosecutor’s office said the investigating judge detained two people on Monday. They are suspected of manslaughter in connection with the discovery. The judicial investigation into the circumstances and the suspects’ involvement is ongoing.
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