|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
NEWS & PUBLICATIONSBelgium Today October 2010KIM CLIJSTERS WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE U.S. OPEN In a match lasting less than an hour, Belgian tennis superstar Kim Clijsters beat Russian Vera Zvonareva to win her third U.S. Open championship. Clijsters won her first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2005. Last year, after two years in retirement – which included giving birth to her daughter, Jada – Clijsters obtained a “wild card” entry to the U.S. Open and became the ultimate victor in the women’s singles competition. On September 11, 2010 she was victorious for the third time at the U.S. Open, and for her efforts brought home $2.2 million. On September 22nd, Ambassador Matthysen hosted a round-table on transatlantic energy issues at the Belgian Residence. Titled "WIND OF CHANGE: RENEWABLES AND THE POWER GRIDS,” this event was attended by numerous high-level industry, government and academia representatives, including Mr. Daniel Dobbeni, President of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), Mr. Manik Roy, Vice President of Federal Government Outreach for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Dr. Christian Burgsmüller of the Delegation of the European Union. It was moderated by former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ms. Heather A. Conley, Europe Program Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Daniel Dobbeni, whose company recently acquired German TSO 50Hertz Transmission, presented an overview of Europe’s achievements, challenges and specificities in its efforts toward continent-wide grid interconnection over the next half-decade. Nikki Roy gave an entertaining account of the prehistory, history and latest developments of the energy bills currently being discussed in Congress, followed by a rather pessimistic assessment of the perspective of any legislation being passed very soon. Patrick Herman, Minister-Counselor at the Belgian Embassy, described the “smart, sustainable and inclusive” priorities of the Belgian Presidency in the field of energy, as evidenced by the agenda of the recent Informal EU Council Meeting hosted in Brussels by Ministers Paul Magnette and Freya Van den Bossche. Mentioning the ENERI 2010 and SET-PLAN conferences to be held in November, he particularly emphasized the "Sea’s the Power" event in Ostend on October 6th-7th, building upon the groundbreaking North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative. Also in attendance were Belgium’s representatives to the concurrently held Washington International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) Working-Level Workshop. ISGAN was launched earlier this year between the US, the EU Commission, Belgium and 13 other countries including China, India and Russia. EU (and Belgian) input were discussed at a July 20th meeting in Washington between DOE Secretary Steven Chu, EU Commissioner Guenther Oettinger and Belgian Energy Director General Marie-Pierre Fauconnier. BELGIUM DESTROYS CLUSTER AMMUNITION Since early August 2010, Belgium no longer has any cluster ammunition. Defense Minister Pieter De Crem announced in mid-September that the country’s entire stock had been destroyed, making Belgium one of the first signatory countries of the Oslo Convention to meet this obligation. Moreover, the elimination of the stockpile was executed well within the proposed timeframe of eight years. The Oslo Convention entered into force on August 1st of this year. The minister stated that "the Belgian Ministry of Defense demonstrates its strong commitment to the agreements made at the Oslo Convention". Belgium also plays an active role in the worldwide advocacy for this Convention. ERIK DE CLERCQ RECEIVES JANSSEN AWARD Dr. Erik De Clercq, Professor Emeritus at the Rega Institute for Medical Research of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, was honored on September 8 as co-recipient of the 2010 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. This prize, rewarding years of work in developing antiviral drugs against HIV-Aids and numerous other diseases, is shared with NIH’s own Dr. Anthony S. Fauci. In his congratulations to Dr. De Clercq after the Washington announcement of the laureates by Award organizer Johnson & Johnson, Ambassador of Belgium Jan Matthysen indicated that “[this] bestowal underlines the top-position that Belgium and Flanders are taking in the field of biomedical research. We are proud of it, and I will certainly not forget to attract attention to this perfect example of excellence.” Ambassador Matthysen also expressed his pleasure at seeing the memory of Dr. Paul Janssen (1926-2003) being so deservedly kept alive by this prestigious distinction. Beerse, Belgium-born Paul Janssen was recently voted runner-up by the public in the very popular “Greatest Belgian” television show in Flanders. Aside from arguably being Belgium’s most successful scientist of the modern era, “Dr. Paul” also founded one of the country’s most successful companies, the Janssen Pharmaceutica Corporation, now a part of US multinational Johnson & Johnson. LOTUS COFFEE SHOP IN SAN FRANCISCO The Belgian cookie manufacturer Lotus Bakeries is best known for its famous, crunchy brown, caramelized wafers, which are made of flour, butter, brown sugar and a mix of spices that include cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, powdered ginger, cardamom and white pepper. Early in July, together with a local partner, Lotus opened its first “Biscoff Coffee Corner” on Pier 39 in San Francisco. Biscoff, a neologism amalgamating the words “biscuit” and “coffee,” is the brand name under which Lotus markets its caramelized cookies in the United States. Although caramelized cookies from Belgium are nothing new in the USA, the concept of ‘coffee and a cookie’ is not yet established stateside, so the company’s present aim is to make sure that this popular Belgian tradition now takes hold on this side of the Atlantic, too. Lotus is also trying to make further inroads in the Asian market. Consequently, just like five years ago at the World Expo in Aichi (Japan), every visitor to the Belgian pavilion at the ongoing World Expo in Shanghai can sample a Lotus cookie.
|
|
Search | Site Map | Downloadable Forms | Legal Disclaimer | Comments |
|
Copyright © Embassy
of Belgium in Washington |