Roger Vangheluwe is to be questioned by detectives within the next few days.

Just before 1pm on Saturday two brothers aged 33 and 32 two were shot in the street.

Les socialistes francophones du PS et les nationalistes flamands de la N-VA se réclament mutuellement des marques de confiance susceptibles de créer une percée, car l'impasse dans laquelle les négociations concernant la réforme de l'Etat ont abouti n'est toujours pas résolue. Dans les circonstances actuelles, il est extrêmement difficile de relancer les négociations gouvernementales aujourd'hui, comme prévu.

 Le PS veut que la N-VA prouve qu'elle souhaite réellement un accord. Le ministre fédéral de l'Energie Paul Magnette (PS) a expliqué hier dans l'émission politique de la VRT "De Zevende Dag" pourquoi la N-VA s'est montrée un partenaire peu fiable aux yeux des socialistes : il était prévu de ne pas parler de la loi de financement durant la préformation et de ne travailler qu'oralement, mais De Wever est passé outre. De plus, il est allé manger dans un restaurant chic avec Didier Reynders, le président du MR (grand rival du PS) à un des moments les plus difficiles des négociations. Magnette laisse aussi entendre que dans le dossier du contournement d'Anvers (la fameuse liaison d'Oosterweel), De Wever finasse avec le gouvernement flamand. Les socialistes flamands (SP.A) avaient déjà reproché à la N-VA de vouloir exporter la crise des négociations gouvernementales fédérales vers les négociations sur la liaison d'Oosterweel dans le gouvernement flamand, et de vouloir instiguer un changement de gouvernement où les socialistes seraient supplantés par les libéraux qui partagent l'option du pont Lange Wapper avec le N-VA. Jan Peumans (N-VA), qui préside le parlement flamand, par contre, a démenti hier le reproche selon lequel la N-VA chercherait à modifier la coalition au sein du gouvernement du Nord du pays.

 En dépit de leurs critiques acerbes, les socialistes francophones restent pour l'instant disposés à participer aux négociations fédérales. Selon Magnette, De Wever doit maintenant montrer qu'il est disposé à poursuivre les pourparlers. Magnette constate aussi que le CD&V a dit aux médiateurs royaux qu'il était prêt à négocier. Selon lui, la N-VA est donc la seule formation qui ne veut pas rester à la table des négociations.

 La N-VA campe sur ses positions, et n'approuvera la méthode travail consistant à "tout lier avec tout" que si elle obtient au préalable des garanties de plus d'autonomie fiscale pour les entités fédérées. En outre, selon De Standaard, il faut encore savoir si la pression des partis francophones ne va pas précisément avoir l'effet inverse. "Nous prenons aussi acte du fait que le PS estime manifestement nécessaire d'humilier un partenaire de coalition potentiel et de l'accuser de rompre sa parole. Ce n'est pas ainsi que l'on fait de la politique", a réagi la N-VA.

Selon Peter Vanden Bergh de Deme Blue Energy, l'énergie du ressac pourrait bientôt connaître une percée aussi rapide que celle de l'éolien voici dix ans. Deme Blue Energy est le département du groupe de dragage DEME qui étudie la possibilité d'exploiter l'énergie des vagues et des marées. Vanden Bergh a auparavant participé à la construction de parcs d'éoliennes par GeoSea, autre filiale de DEME. Le groupe fait à présent partie du consortium qui rassemble aussi Electrawinds, le port d'Ostende et les PME spécialisées Cloostermans-Huwaert, Spiromatic et Contec, et dont la raison d'être consiste à étudier la rentabilité poteneielle de l'énergie des océans.

 

Concrètement l'Université de Gand, soutenue par l'Europe, a émis l'idée d'installer au large d'Ostende, mi-2012, une bouée spéciale produisant de l'électricité à partir du ressac. Le consortium soutiendra le projet pendant deux ans. Le gouvernement flamand a injecté 2,4 millions dans l'opération. En été 2012, une bouée de 5m de diamètre et de 3 m de haut sera installée au large du port d'Ostende. Un treuil permettra au dispositif de convertir les mouvements verticaux de chaque vague en une rotation qui actionnera un générateur. Vanden Bergh envisage d'immenses possibilités d'exploitation, par exemple dans les parcs éoliens offshore où le trafic maritime est de toute manière interdit. Après avoir été testée pendant un an devant Ostende, l'idée devrait être commercialisable dans les cinq ans.

The PS and the N-VA are demanding confidence-building measures of each other that could force a breakthrough, given that the talks on state reform are still deadlocked. As things presently stand, it will be extremely difficult to relaunch government formation talks, as was originally planned.

 

The French-speaking socialists have demanded that the Flemish nationalists demonstrate that they want an agreement. Federal minister of Energy, Paul Magnette (PS), set out on the VRT talkshow De Zevende Dag yesterday why he believed that the N-VA had turned out to be an unreliable partner. It had been agreed that the financing act would not be discussed during the so-called preformation and that all matters would only be dealt with orally, he said, and De Wever had ignored these agreements. Moreover, at one of the most difficult moments of the negotiations, he dined in a fancy restaurant with MR leader Didier Reynders, the PS’ biggest rival. Magnette also hinted that De Wever was playing political games within the Flemish government with regard to the Oosterweel question concerning the ring road around Antwerp. The Flemish socialist SP.A had already accused the N-VA of wanting to export the crisis from the federal government negotiations to the ongoing talks on the Oosterweel Link within the Flemish government, and that the party is aiming at replacing the socialists by the  liberals, because it shares the bridge option with the liberals. The accusation that the N-VA is seeking to change the Flemish coalition was however denied yesterday by Flemish parliamentary leader Jan Peumans (N-VA).

 

Despite their criticism, the PS is still willing to continue talks on state reform. Magnette said that De Wever must now demonstrate that he is prepared to continue negotiations. Magnette also said that the CD&V had told the royal mediators it was prepared to negotiate, which he said would leave the N-VA as the only party not willing to continue.

 

The N-VA is sticking to its position that it will only consent to the approach of linking all the separate issues if it receives guarantees in advance on, amongst other things, fiscal autonomy for the regions. Furthermore, De Standaard newspaper writes, the question remains whether the pressure from the French-speaking parties will not backfire. “We have also noted that the PS seems to consider it necessary to insult a potential coalition partner and to accuse it of breaking its word,” the N-VA responded. “That is no way of conducting politics.”

Wave power is set to make just as rapid a breakthrough as wind power has in the last decade, says Peter Van den Bergh of Deme Blue Energy. Deme Blue Energy is the division set up by the dredging company DEME that is researching the potential for power generated by waves and tides. Van den Bergh was previously involved in the construction of wind farms through another DEME subsidiary, GeoSea. DEME has this time partnered with Electrawinds, the port of Ostend and the specialist SME’s Cloostermans-Huwaert, Spiromatic and Contec to form a consortium to see whether sea generated power could be profitable.

 

In real terms the University of Ghent has used European funding to work out the design for installing a special buoy off the coast of Ostend in mid-2012 that will generate electricity from the waves. The consortium is set to develop the project during two years, with the Flemish authorities providing 2.4 million Euros in support. A buoy with five meters in diameter and three meters high will be installed off the port of Ostend in the summer of 2012. Using a winch the buoy will convert the up and down motion of individual waves into gyrations, which will in turn run a generator. Van den Bergh believes there are widespread possibilities for application, including offshore windmill areas, where shipping is already prohibited.After a year of tests off Ostend, the concept should be commercialised within five years.

The Walloon Brabant municipality of Braine l’Alleud is in shock after a four-year-old’s body was found by joggers on waste ground

An undercover report by VRT TV’s consumer programme ‘Volt’ revealed widespread racial discrimination.

An angry Walloon lashed out at Jan Peumans in the normally peaceful town of Visé.

The Belgian-French banking and insurance conglomerate Dexia has announced 665 new job losses. The lion's share of the job losses will occur in Belgium.

The Belgian Defence Minister, Pieter De Crem, has confirmed that Belgium has destroyed all its cluster bombs in accordance with the Oslo Treaty dating from 2008.

15/09/10 – Anti-Fraud Secretary Carl Devlies says that the OECD has overestimated the size of the illegal economy and that we will be lucky if 2 billion euros can be raised by combating fiscal and social fraud by 2014.

The Belgian Defence Ministry has started a pilot project that will allow soldiers who have served in Afghanistan some time out before they return to their families and their loved ones.

The leaders of the country's two largest political parties, the Flemish nationalist N-VA's Bart De Wever and the Francophone socialists' Elio Di Rupo are meeting for a first time since seven-party talks on a new package of state reforms broke down.

15/09/10 – The Flemish tennis diva who won the US Open arrived at Brussels Airport early on Wednesday. She was mobbed by well-wishers. Her first priority seemed to be restocking her fridge.

Guy Harpigny , the Bishop of Tournai, has said that Pope Benedict should offer an apology for the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy in Belgium.

Revenue from ticket sales at the 14 Brussels metro stations that introduced ticket barriers are up 70%.

The Belgian Budget Minister, Guy Vanhengel, has said that the federal budget deficit is not as big as initially feared. The Federal Government is now counting on a deficit of 4.5% for this year.

14/09/10 - Our VRT crew is exploring Kunduz today. In the city centre they encounter a small secure area, but in the countryside the Taliban reign supreme. Thoughts about the presence of the international force are divided.

The four-year-old was found with his throat cut by joggers in Braine l'Alleud on Wednesday evening.