Today's Top Stories - August 28, 2012

Di Rupo: No risk of winter black-outs 

Belgian prime minister Elio Di Rupo has guaranteed that the country will not suffer power cuts in the event of problems with its nuclear plants. His assurance followed a meeting of ministers yesterday. He said that according to experts, even if the reactors at Doel 3 and Tihange 2 nuclear plants were to remain closed, Belgium would not suffer from an energy shortage either this winter or next. Nevertheless, the government plans to speed up certain improvement projects agreed at the start of July to guarantee there will be no cuts.

One in four Villo! bikes stolen in 2011

Of the 2,041 bikes provided by bike hire scheme Villo! last year, 512 were stolen. The figures are actually down on the previous year, meaning that a high percentage of stolen bikes were reclaimed, returned or found. In 2010, one in three bikes were stolen. Seven out of 10 find their way back to JC Decaux, the company that operates the scheme.  “Thanks to the police, our users and Villo! staff, we get the majority of bikes back,” explained JC Decaux director Jérôme Blanchevoye, adding that they were “instantly recognisable”. 

Dance the lunch hour away

A Swedish concept involving dancing and eating healthily during your lunch hour is coming to Brussels, having proved successful in Antwerp earlier in the summer. Lunch Beat is billed as a disco-getaway for dance fans stuck in an office, and was devised in Stockholm by dance music fan Molly Ränge in 2010. Two years on it has taken Europe by storm, from Scandinavia to Italy via the UK. Lunch Beat reached Antwerp in June (where it took place on the roof of the MAS museum), and on Thursday it will make its Brussels debut in the Botanique’s Orangerie, where several hundred dance enthusiasts are expected to come and show some fancy footwork and enjoy healthy and tasty organic finger food between 12.00 and 13.00. For more information, visit the Lunch Beat Belgium Facebook page. 

Belgian golfer makes Ryder Cup history

Nicolas Colsaerts is to become the first Belgian to play in the Ryder Cup – and the only uncapped player in the European side, having been handed a wildcard by captain José María Olazábal. The Brussels-born player won the Volvo World Match Play title in Spain back in May. Before this year he had played in only two majors and missed the cut in both of them, but in coming seventh at the Open last month he started and finished with rounds of 65. An ecstatic Colsaerts said: “This is something I have wanted since I was a little kid, to be a part of such a big team with a captain with such great history. It is something I am very proud of. I am living proof that if you want something badly it is only a matter of time if you put the work in. It’s a bit of a fairy story.”

Fast-food icon undergoes energy-conscious revamp

The first ‘energy-conscious’ outlet of fast food giant Quick opens today in Flémalle, in Liège province. The country’s 88th outlet follows a design known as Qubic, which is characterised by a cube-like structure with low energy consumption. While the outside of the building features ample windows and charcoal coloured walls, the inside is a mixture of green, white and wood. Although now French-owned, Quick was founded in Belgium more than 40 years ago and has achieved iconic status in the country.