The treasurer of the Belgian Royal Chess Union has been accused of embezzling nearly €100,000 from the organisation’s funds, the balance of which now stands at no more than €530. The man has admitted the fraud, but the union sees little chance of being able to recuperate its money.

Next year will see the arrival of charging points for electric cars in the main Flemish cities, after innovation minister Ingrid Lieten last week set aside €400,000 for pilot projects. The minister also called on companies, universities and government agencies to work together to push forward the initiative. The development of greener cars could also play an important role in the survival of auto manufacturers like Opel Antwerp.

Police last week raided a house in Ganshoren and detained a 20-yearold man alleged to be the hacker who posted Belgacom client information on the Internet and threatened to post details of 285,000 accounts if download limits were not increased. The man, who calls himself Vendetta, is reported to have confessed to the offence.

The Muslim executive has accused animal rights organisation GAIA of creating a “media circus” around the slaughter of animals. Last week, GAIA released photos of shocking slaughterhouse practices, which the organisation said were linked to the production of halal meat – even though Muslim food laws were not being respected in the cases shown. Muslim executive vice-chair Isabelle Praile called for tighter controls on slaughterhouses.

Shop owners in Dunkirk have protested at a new campaign by their counterparts across the border in Adinkerke to lure “tobacco tourists” to West Flanders to buy cheap cigarettes. Last week the French government increased tobacco excise duties by 6%, leading Flemish tradesmen to start advertising their cheaper wares at the hypermarkets frequented by mainly British day-trippers who travel to Dunkirk for alcohol and cigarettes.

Kim De Gelder, accused of the murder of two babies and a careworker at a crèche in Dendermonde last January, has been transferred to the high-security wing of Bruges prison “for safety reasons”. The prison authority said that De Gelder’s medical condition was a cause for concern but denied that he was being treated as a suicide risk.

The federal Kringloopfonds, intended to finance the social economy, including sheltered workshops for the longterm unemployed, has reported a €25 million hole in its budget thanks to investments in CDOs – the controversial collateralised debt obligations that were blamed for bringing down the world financial system in 2008. The fund raised €75m from private individuals by offering them “ethical investments,” but instead put €25m of the money raised into junk obligations, the parliament’s social affairs committee heard last week.

The Flemish government has extended the deadline for applying for a premium for the installation of solar panels, after heavy demand left many installers without equipment. Applications for the premium, which nevertheless drops from €450 to €350, can be submitted up to 1 March.