The abbey school in Zevenkerken, where Crown Prince Filip and Prince Laurent once went to school, admits that pupils were sexually abused some 20 years ago.

25/09/10 - A heavy head-on collision in Overijse, in Flemish Brabant, made 5 victims. A 20-year-old man died in hospital, while 4 others were heavily injured. However, they are not in a life-threatening condition.

If Belgium should fall apart, Brussels residents would prefer the option of becoming an independent mini-state rather than becoming a part of Wallonia or Flanders.

At the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summit in New York, the Belgian Premier has pressed for a financial tax to combat poverty.

21/09/10 - In a coordinated action, 40 checks on buses and lorries were carried out on the E40 motorway. The joint effort by the Belgian customs, the police and vehicle inspection teams wants to leave no stone unturned to make sure that nobody is ignoring the rules.

Jo Lernout, one of the convicts in the Lernout & Hauspie trial, cannot live with the verdict of the Court of Appeal in Ghent.

The two key players in the preformation talks, Elio Di Rupo and Bart De Wever, have decided that the negotiations can continue. The reactions are positive, but hesitant.

21/09/10 - One day after the Lernout & Hauspie trial, the city of Ieper wakes up with a hangover. Local residents who invested their money in the West-Flemish speech technology company, realise that they won't see their money back. But at the same time, many have already turned the page.

The Court of Appeal in Ghent has found that the founders of the former speech technology company Lernout & Hauspie are guilty of financial fraud.

20/09/10 - At the UN conference on Pakistan in New York, Belgian Development Minister Charles Michel has announced that Belgium is donating another 4 million euros to help Pakistan recover from the devastating floods.

Investors react positively on the outcome of the Lernout & Hauspie trial, where the bank was cleared of the charges.

In tennis, Belgium maintained their place in the Davis Cup World Group after squeezing past Australia in a play-off match.

L'Université de Gand et le centre d'études Imec (Leuven) ont constitué la spin-off Caliopa. Cette PME dirigée par Martin De Prycker (ex-CEO de Barco) se spécialise dans les communications de données et téléphoniques, et démarre avec 2 millions d'euros de capital.  Les investisseurs sont Baekeland (Université de Gand), Fidimec (Imec), PMV-Vinnof, les fondateurs, et un investisseur privé.

 Caliopa est active dans les technologies de pointe, plus précisément les réseaux en fibre de verre qui permettent des transferts ultrarapides de données. L'extrémité d'un câble en fibre de verre se raccorde à des modules qui transforment les impulsions lumineuses transmises par le câble en signaux électriques destinée, par exemple, à un modem. En règle générale, les modules qui convertissent ces signaux se composent d'une multitude d'éléments, mais grâce à plusieurs années d'études effectuées à l'Université de Gand, Caliopa a pu remplacer ceux-ci par un unique microprocesseur optique, ce qui permet de créer des modules plus petits et moins énergivores. C'est le spécialiste louvaniste des nanotechnologies Imec qui fabriquera les puces. Caliopa espère avoir un premier module de test prêt mi-2011. Elle s'efforcera de le vendre aux producteurs d'équipement télécom comme Alcatel-Lucent et Cisco.

 

Début 2012, le produit devrait être prêt pour la commercialisation. Les 2 millions d'euros de capital de départ permettront à Caliopa de fonctionner jusqu'à la mise sur le marché, après quoi un second tour de financement sera nécessaire. Selon le directeur des opérations Karsten Verhaegen, le marché des modules vaut 1,9 milliard d'euros et croît chaque année de 13%.

Sur une proposition de la ministre de l'Energie Freya Vanden Bossche (SP.A) et du ministre du Bien-être Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V), le gouvernement flamand a décidé que chaque ménage se trouvant dans l'incapacité de payer son gaz l'hiver prochain pourrait bénéficier d'une livraison minimale. Selon Vanden Bossche, cette mesure aidera 14.000 familles à traverser l'hiver.

En l'occurrence, les ménages qui connaissent des problèmes de paiement et ne sont plus approvisionnés par leur fournisseur commercial peuvent s'adresser au gestionnaire du réseau de distribution (Eandis ou Infrax). Eandis représente l'ensemble des gestionnaires de réseau de distribution pour l'électricité et le gaz naturel, à savoir Gaselwest, IMEA, Imewo, Intergem, Iveka, Iverlek et Sibelgas). Soixante-dix pour cent des actions y sont aux mains des communes, le reste appartenant à l'électricien Electrabel. Infrax représente les gestionnaires de réseaux de distribution "purs", à savoir Interelectra, Ivec et WVEM, qui sont entièrement aux mains des communes. Eandis et Infrax agissent à titre de fournisseur social. Si, là encore, les ménages ne parviennent pas à payer leurs factures, un compteur à budget rechargeable est installé.

 

Mais il arrive que les ménages aient des problèmes financiers tels qu'ils ne parviennent pas à charger le compteur. Cela peut arriver lorsqu'une personne doit soudain payer une somme plus importante au premier pic hivernal. Ainsi, cet hiver, on estime que 14.000 ménages seraient victimes du froid parce qu'elles sont dans l'incapacité de recharger leurs compteurs. C'est pourquoi, en concertation avec les centres d'aide sociale de l'OCMW, un plan de remboursement sera établi.

 

The University of Ghent and the Louvain research centre Imec have launched their research spin-off Caliopa. With Martin De Prycker (ex-CEO of Barco) at the helm, the company – a forerunner in the field of fibre optic cable technology and data and telecommunications – started up with 2 million euros, invested by Baekeland (University of Ghent), Fidimec (Imec), PMV-Vinnof, the founders and a private investor.

Caliopa’s technological activities focus on fibre-optic networks for super-fast data transfer. These  fibre-optic cables transmit optic signals which are converted into electric signals by means of modules and are used in modems, for example. The modules used for the conversion are composed of a multitude of components which Caliopa, following years of research at the University of Ghent, have now managed to replace with an optic chip. This will lead to the manufacture of smaller, more energy-efficient modules. The Louvain nanotechnology specialist Imec will produce the chips. Caliopa intends to complete the first test module by mid 2011, which they hope to sell to producers of telecommunications equipment like Alcatel-Lucent and Cisco.

The product’s commercial launch is scheduled for early 2012 and the initial 2 million euro startup capital is set to carry the company until then. Thereafter they will need a renewed capital investment. According to operations director Karsten Verhaegen, the module market, which is currently 1.9 billion euros strong, enjoys an annual growth rate of 13 percent.

Following a proposal made by Minister of Energy, Freya Van den Bossche (SP.A) and Minister of Welfare Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V), the Flemish government has approved a minimum electricity delivery for families who are unable to pay their natural gas bill next winter. According to Van den Bossche, this new measure will keep 14,000 families warm through winter.

Families whose electricity has been cut off by their commercial energy supplier due to non- payment of gas bills, will now be able to approach their distribution network controller (Eandis or Infrax). Eandis represents the mixed Flemish electricity and natural gas distribution network controllers consortium of Gaselwest, IMEA, Imewo, Intergem, Iveka, Iverlek and Sibelgas. Seventy percent of these shares are owned by the municipalities and the remaining 30 percent by electricity producer Electrabel. Infrax represents the distribution network controllers Interelectra, Iveg and WVEM, which are fully owned by the local distribution networks. Eandis and Infrax act as social suppliers. Families who are even unable to pay their bills to these social suppliers, will have a chargeable budget meter installed.

Some families however cannot afford to recharge their meters if their usage increases at the start of winter and for this reason it is estimated that about 14,000 families will face a cold winter this year. Therefore an extended repayment plan will be proposed after careful consultancy with the municipal social assistance centres of the OCMW.

In football, Anderlecht move within two points of league leaders KRC Genk. Club Brugge and AA Gent also posted wins.

20/09/10 - The story of two West Flemish businessmen, Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie, sounds like a fairy tale. The two start their own speech technology company and next conquer Flanders, Belgium and the whole world. But then the dramatic fall starts, with rumours about fraud. Lernout & Hauspie, the pride of West Flanders, goes bankrupt and leaves a big deficit behind. Numerous small investors are left empty-handed. A trial soon gets underway.

Just before 1pm on Saturday two brothers aged 33 and 32 were shot in the street. The suspected killer was arrested late on Sunday.

The outspoken MP says that the disgraced Bishop should be “jailed and castrated”.