The lower house of the federal parliament last week approved a law that gives an accused person the right to be represented by a lawyer from their first interview with police. The new law brings Belgium into line with the requirements of the European convention on human rights but was opposed by the two socialist parties who claim investigations could be endlessly delayed by procedural matters. The bill, which passed by 79 votes to 26 with 37 abstentions, now has to be approved by the Senate.

The US State Department is advising American tourists visiting Belgium to be vigilant to the presence of thieves in train and metro stations, some of whom spray their victims with shaving foam to create a distraction. The three main Brussels stations are, the warning says, rife with pickpockets.

Students sitting down to a wood technology exam in the Ghent University College last week were surprised to find their exam papers had already been filled in with the correct answers. The college authorities said the mistake was due to an error in the copy centre. The students were given a new paper which had been prepared for re-sits.

Work on the construction of a new bus station in Aalst, East Flanders, has been suspended for three months because a building due to be demolished has been colonised by 15 pairs of house sparrows, a protected species. The birds have built nests in the front and rear façades of the empty building, according to bird protection society Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen, which by law cannot be disturbed until after the breeding season. Work has been stopped until September, after which the society will work with the town council to create new nest sites for next year.

The trial began in Brussels last week of a man accused of taking part in the seizure of the stone-dumping vessel Pompei, owned by Aalst-based dredging company Jan De Nul. The pirate activity occurred off the coast of Somalia in April 2009. The crew of the ship were held hostage for more than 70 days and only released on payment of a ransom said to be around €2 million. The man, Omar Mohammed Abdiwahad, denies involvement. He faces a possible 10 years in prison. The verdict will be delivered on 29 June.

An Art Deco ashtray sold for €4 at a flea market has been returned to its rightful owner, after it was revealed that there was €25,000 stashed in the base. The ashtray was the property of an elderly woman in Hoboken, near Antwerp, whose daughter sold it at a street market to a young couple. Her mother later revealed it had been the cache for her life savings. Following press attention, the couple returned the ashtray with the savings intact.

The ideal garden in Flanders features a garden shed or a veranda, but gardens throughout Belgium are getting smaller, according to a survey carried out in April and May by the retail and services industry federation Comeos. Half of all respondents had a garden smaller than 500 square metres, and younger householders average less than 200 square metres.

The plaice has been named Fish of the Year by the Flemish Centre for Agriculture and Fisheries Marketing (VLAM). The flatfish (Pleuronectes platessa) is native to all European coasts and available all year round but best between June and October, when the flesh becomes firmer and more flavourful following the spawning season. Plaice, which contains only one gram of fat and 63 calories in 100g, was also named in 1990, 1998 and 2001. VLAM is organising various marketing events to bring the fish to the public’s attention.

www.vlam.be