News in brief
Belgium has slipped three places, from 18th to 21st, in the corruption rankings drawn up every year by think-tank Transparency International (TI). New Zealand heads the list as the least corrupt of the 180 nations studied, with 9.4 points of a possible 10, while Somalia is at the bottom. TI criticised Belgium for the lack of protection for whistle- blowers within the civil service and the complete absence of an investigative agency for them to report offences. Last week the International Chamber of Commerce issued a booklet called RESIST, aimed at helping businesses deal with solicitations to corruption. www.iccwbo.org
A man found guilty of robbing an ABN Amro bank in Antwerp’s diamond quarter was sentenced to five years in prison last week. Yehuda Mishali carried out the raid in March 2007, though the prosecutor said he had been planning the robbery for six years. Mishali was sentenced in his absence, as he is still a fugitive. No trace of the stolen diamonds, worth an estimated €21 million, has ever been found.
Dirk Brossé, the Ghent-born conductor who has composed many works including the musical Daens! is to take over as musical director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia from the start of the 2010-2011 season. Brossé, a former star trumpet player who has written works for brass band, was chosen by film-score composer John Williams to conduct during an extensive tour of the music of Star Wars, composed by Williams, which is still going on.
Five new companies have been awarded contracts to supply the royal household. The newcomers are shoemakers Ambiorix, Brussels Airlines, antique dealers Galerie Louis-Pierre, jeweller Wolfers and pest-control company Rentokil. Existing warrant-holders include Sony, Belgian Railways NMBS, Jules Destrooper, Canon, Godiva and Alken-Maes brewers.
Researchers at the University of Ghent last week revealed their newly developed “intelligent textile” – fabric in which electronics have been implanted. Among the possibilities, according to researcher Frederic Bossuyt, is a jacket made of LED lights to increase visibility on the roads, or leisurewear incorporating GPS functions. The Ghent group claims to be the farthest-advanced of several research teams working across the world on wearable technology. Intelligent textile garments could be in the shops within two years.
Ghent University Hospital has banned nursing staff from wearing Crocs, the plastic clogs originally designed for use in spas, because of an increased likelihood of falls. Hospital personnel lose about 500 working days a year due to injuries caused by falling, and a further 300 days because of injuries caused by dropping things on the feet. In future, all staff must wear shoes from a range of nine models considered to be safe, featuring anti-slip soles and, in two models, a steel toe-cap.
Researchers at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) have succeeded in growing embryonic stem cells into epithelial lung tissue, the first time this has ever been done. Epithelial tissue lines the lungs and makes possible the transfer of oxygen to the blood. Scientists have previously managed to grow individual lung cells in the laboratory, but this is the first time the exact mix of cells as found in the lungs has been created. The process has implications for the future of transplants, as well as other treatments, the VUB said.
