Mummies in Bruges, Secrets of Ancient Egypt

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Mummies in Bruges, Secrets of Ancient Egypt
“MUMMIES in BRUGES – Secrets of Ancient Egypt” \ Unique exhibition with mummies as of 31 March in Bruges!

The temporary exhibition “Mummies in Bruges – Secrets of Ancient Egypt” will be inaugurated on 31 March at the Oud Sint-Jan Exhibition Center in Bruges (Belgium, Europe).  This fascinating exhibition comprises 9 human and animal mummies from Ancient Egypt that are more than 2000 years old, plus more than 200 objects (likewise from Ancient Egypt), including some that have never been shown before. These objects and mummies belong to the collection of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden [National Museum of Antiquities] in Leiden (Netherlands), which boasts one of the 10 most important Egyptology collections in the world.  Large information panels and videos throughout the exhibition provide explanations on the remarkable rituals of the Ancient Egyptians concerning death and their unshakable belief in the afterlife.

This exhibition at the Xpo Center Bruges is intended for a broad public.  For children (8 to 12) in particular, there is a quest with Dummie the Mummy, known from the eponymous children’s book series. Dummie the Mummy guides the young public through this exhibition with the help of a coloring and activity book.

President Trendafilova declarations on the Departure of Specialist Prosecutor Schwendiman

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President Trendafilova declarations on the Departure of Specialist Prosecutor Schwendiman
Dr Ekaterina Trendafilova, President of Kosovo Specialist Chambers. Following the statement issued by the Specialist Prosecutor David Schwendiman announcing his departure from office, effective 31 March 2018, the President of the Kosovo Specialist Chamber, Dr. Ekatherina Trendafilova  declared the following: “Mr Schwendiman was appointed as Specialist Prosecutor on 1 September 2016. Since then he has worked relentlessly to establish the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in order to carry out the mandate of ensuring fair, efficient and independent investigations and prosecutions of alleged crimes within its jurisdiction, with a special regard to the protection of potential witnesses. As President of the Specialist Chambers, I had the privilege to know and work with the Specialist Prosecutor on matters of mutual concern to our institutions. On a personal level, I have been impressed by his professionalism, dedication, and intellect. I thank the Specialist Prosecutor for establishing a solid and independent institution. Both institutions, the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, will continue the fulfilment of their mandate without disruption. I am very grateful to the Specialist Prosecutor for his committed service and wish him all the best for his future endeavors.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Halbe Zijlstra resigns after four months

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Foreign Affairs Minister Halbe Zijlstra resigns after four months
Mr. Halbe Zijlstra, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands. Photography by Nia Palli. By Anton Lutter. Even before the debate in the Tweede Kamer (parliament) about his so-called meeting with President Putin 2006, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Halbe Zijlstra stepped down. In an emotional declaration during a special session in parliament Mr. Zijlstra – with Prime Minister, Mark Rutte sitting next to him – acknowledged he made a big mistake. A mistake revealed by the newspaper the Volkskrant last Monday.
President Vladimir Putin.
During a party congress of the VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy) in May 2016, Zijlstra claimed he was at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in 2006. President Putin supposed to have said that he wanted a “Greater Russia” suggestion expansive policies. “Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic States, and oh yes, Kazakhstan was ‘nice to have’,” Zijlstra said during the Congress, citing the Russian president. Royal Dutch Shell CEO Mr. Jeroen van der Veer, who had met Putin several times said that Putin was talking in the historical sense, had told this story to Zijlstra in 2014. After the story broke, and even when he acknowledged he never was present at the meeting, the Prime Minister and government parties still supported him. His position became untenable after a second article in the Volkskrant claimed that even the remarks attributed to Mr. Putin were not true. Tuesday Zijlstra concluded that “There is too much doubt about my functioning as Dutch Foreign Minister”.
Ms. Sigrid Kaag
Acting as Minister of Foreign Affairs will be Mrs. Sigrid Kaag the current Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation until a successor is found.

She Decides Dutch Fonds

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She Decides Dutch Fonds

She Decides funds for women in Ethiopia, Yemen, Mali, Bangladesh and Mozambique

The budget that the Dutch Government allocated last year for She Decides – to preserve family planning services – has benefited women in a number of countries, including Ethiopia, Yemen, Mali, Bangladesh and Mozambique. She Decides has also supported several programmes covering multiple countries, such as the West African region as a whole. The Netherlands is spending a total of €29 million on She Decides in 2017 and 2018.
In the words of Development Minister Sigrid Kaag, ‘She Decides has truly unleashed something in the field of women’s rights. It empowers women and girls to decide not only over their own bodies, but also over their own futures. The ability to choose whether to have children, and when and how many, also improves their chance of economic independence. It makes it easier for them to finish school and invest in a career. That’s good for them, of course, but it’s also good for the global society of which they’re a part.’ Ms Kaag’s predecessor as Development Minister, Lilianne Ploumen, launched She Decides exactly a year ago, in response to a presidential memorandum issued by US President Donald Trump. Mr Trump’s decision effectively ended many family planning programmes for women in developing countries if aid organisations mentioned or offered safe abortion. Enhancing women’s rights The current Dutch government is just as committed to She Decides as the previous one. It is also committed to a comprehensive package for the enhancement of women’s rights in the areas of education, work and politics as well as sexuality. ‘These connections are crucial for women’s opportunities worldwide,’ says Ms Kaag. ‘This is why this government is investing in giving women more say, particularly in conflict situations. ‘I’ll be making this point myself in the UN Security Council on International Women’s Day, when protecting women from sexual and other violence is a major concern. Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls – Sustainable Development Goal 5 – will be a high priority in my policy document on foreign trade and development cooperation.’ She Decides: now an international movement In the course of 2017, She Decides grew into a substantial, broad international movement including 60 countries, dozens of NGOs and private organisations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A total of €390 million has now been raised so that She Decides can support organisations that do not accept the US government’s new conditions for funding. This is keeping contraception, sex education, pregnancy care and safe abortion accessible for millions of women in many countries. ‘Of course it’s still an enormous challenge to make up for the American funds that have been cut,’ says the minister. ‘But we’re heartened by what we achieved last year. This proves that we can get results for all those millions of women in developing countries who we refuse to abandon.’  Where the Dutch contribution goes In the great majority of cases, Dutch contributions have gone to organisations that were directly affected by President Trump’s memorandum. These include the Yamaan Foundation and Marie Stopes International Yemen, which are receiving a total of €4 million. They are using this money to provide contraception, sex education and maternity care to 650,000 Yemeni women and girls. Another example is the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), which is active in 15 West African countries where the availability of contraception is limited. Dutch support is enabling WAHO to help an estimated 376,000 women each year. Dutch support is also providing the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with an additional €2 million, in additional to the Netherlands’ structural donation for the period 2015-2018. The additional €2 million will fund the procurement and distribution of contraceptives in 46 countries. The total Dutch contribution to She Decides of €29 million is helping more than a million women.

British Theater’s Talent Robert Icke Directs Oedipus

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British Theater’s Talent Robert Icke Directs Oedipus
King Oedipus is the perfect tragedy. In the wake of many before him, Robert Icke – one of the British theater’s most explosive talents – directs his own contemporary, free adaptation. Oedipus premieres on Sunday 8 April at the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam. The performance will be subtitled in English on 12 April, 8, 10 and 17 May. Sophocles’s most famous tragedy is the first story about crime and punishment. But just how guilty is Oedipus? Robert Icke: ‘Since the beginning, both audience and artists have been fascinated by Oedipus: the story of a man who, in his success, exceeded limits, only to find out that he had crossed the most fundamental of boundaries in doing so. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone deviates from the plan. But what do we do when our mistakes have been made before? What if our mistakes are the plan? What if those mistakes can no longer be undone? What is our fate? How can we see through ourselves enough to stop before it is too late? How can we ever know ourselves well enough?’ Oedipus’s quest is full of surprising twists. This turns the story into a chilling thriller. Oedipus is much more than the story of a man who has looked but not seen. The age-old attraction will always be how recognizable his fate is: the vulnerability of existence. And the fact that it is nearly impossible to control our lives and fortune.

Minister Kaag to visit New York and Washington

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Minister Kaag to visit New York and Washington
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Mrs. Sigrid Kaag will visit the US from Sunday to Tuesday for a series of meetings with representatives of the UN and the World Bank She will also meet with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Ms Kaag will first travel to New York for a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. An important point of discussion will be the reforms to UN development policy announced by Mr Guterres. ‘It’s now about putting his proposals into practice,’ said the minister. ‘The Secretary-General’s agenda deserves full support. It’s a way of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of less poverty, more peace and security, and a more liveable world.’ In New York the minister will also host a round-table meeting on effective conflict prevention. This is one theme on which the Netherlands wants to place a strong emphasis during its term on the UN Security Council this year. Here too, a greater focus on the SDGs plays an important role. “By making a concerted effort early on to improve living conditions and promote greater observance of human rights – with countries and regions working together with international organisations and institutions more effectively – conflicts, violence and, with them, a great deal of human suffering can be avoided. The round-table meeting will be attended by representatives of UN institutions, member states and conflict prevention experts. While in New York the Minister will also meet with the directors of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).” World Bank Ms Kaag will then travel to Washington, DC to meet with President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim and Philippe Le Houérou, Chief Executive Officer of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank institution that lends to the private sector in developing countries. The minister will stress the need for more IFC activities in fragile states, since this is exactly where extra efforts are needed to offer people the prospect of a better life. The minister will also seek to learn more about the World Bank’s capital increase proposals. ‘It may be important to have a bigger bank,’ she said. ‘But we will also make sure that the pledges to create a better bank are fulfilled.’ A meeting with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is also on the agenda. The meeting is an opportunity for Ms Kaag to hear from Mr Lighthizer in more detail about the US administration’s trade policy, and its vision on trade agreements and the multilateral trade system in particular. Ms Kaag will also use the meeting to stress that the Netherlands remains a strong proponent of multilateral trade agreements and a level playing field, with effective rules on food safety, the environment and working conditions. These factors increase the opportunities for growth in both the Dutch and international private sectors, and are therefore beneficial to businesses, employees and consumers.

Celebrating 39th anniversary of Iran’s glorious revolution

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Celebrating 39th anniversary of Iran’s glorious revolution

His Excellency Dr. Alireza Jahangiri, Ambassador of Iran to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

By Roy Lie Atjam.

Wassenaar 9 February 2018, H.E. Ambassador Alireza Jahangiri of Iran had invited colleagues, dignitaries and many others to join him in celebrating Iran’s 39th National Day. A hundreds-strong crowd thronged the reception venue to honor Dr Alirzea Jahangiri’s invitation.

Noteworthy was the presence of a former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Laurence Jan Brinkhorst.

For additional Kim Vermaat’s picture, please open the link below: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157665711340408
The Ambassador of Spain, H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, Ambassador Jahangiri and spouse Mrs. Maray Jahangiri, Mrs. Patricia van Oordt and Colonel Mojtaba Fassihi, Military Attache, Embassy of Iran.

Ambassador Jahangiri referred to the close cooperation between the Netherlands and Iran.The trade value has nearly tripled over the past two years.

Jahangiri went on, both countries signed a joint plan of action on expansion of bilateral economic ties for 2018, which entails cooperation in many fields such as energy, water management, agriculture, shipping, banking and technology.

Dr Alirzea Jahangiri’s full speech follows hereby.

“It is my sincere pleasure and honor to welcome you all to our National Day Celebration, to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the glorious revolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

At the last year’s reception, as you probably remember, I announced that the Year 2017 is the year of landmark elections in Europe (including the Netherlands) and in my country. In May 2017, 73 percent of Iranians participated in the presidential election, in which, by reelecting Dr. Rouhani, they reaffirmed the continuation of moderation and broad-based interaction with all States of the world.

H.E. Mr. Elyes Ghariani, Ambassador of Tunisia; Ambassador Jahangiri welcome His Excellency Muhammed bin Harub bin Abdullah  Al Said, Ambassador of Oman; also on the picture Mrs. Maray Jahangiri and the Military Attache Colonel Mojtaba Fassihi.
In line with this approach, Iran has fully implemented its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA over the last two years since the Implementation Day, which has been hailed by the international community. The nuclear deal is a rare triumph of diplomacy over confrontation. Undermining of this deal would be a mistake. For this reason, the European Union including the Netherlands has explicitly announced, on several occasions, its commitment to continue the full and effective implementation of all parts of the JCPOA. The EU has also underlined that the lifting of nuclear related sanctions has a positive impact on trade and economic relations with Iran.
H.E. Ms. Ngô Thi Hòa, Ambassador of Vietnam together with Ambassador Jahangiri, Mrs. Maray Jahangiri and Colonel Mojtaba Fassihi.
Despite limitation in banking relations between EU and Iran, the statistics indicate that Iran-EU trade in 2017 has been increased by more than 62 percent compared to 2016. Significant growth in trade between Iran and the Netherlands during the last two years shows that the trade value in such a period of time has been nearly tripled. This is a brilliant sign of close cooperation of our two countries.

Both countries signed a joint plan of action on expansion of bilateral economic ties for 2018, which entails cooperation in many fields such as energy, water management, agriculture, shipping, banking and technology.

I would like to point out that on the basis of our joint cooperation, we have all the reasons to look positively into the future when it comes to bilateral relations. Despite major challenges that the world is facing and the continuation of the unrest, conflict and terrorism in the Middle East, Iran as an important player in the West Asia region and the Netherlands as the member of the UN Security Council in 2018, can join their forces for realization of peace and security in the world.

Before concluding, I would like to thank all the staff of the Embassy and their families who have worked very hard to make today’s event a successful one.

At the end, I would like to announce a good news for music and art lovers. This year, in addition to the beautiful Iranian carpets exhibition, we have an exhibition of Persian Miniature paintings, which are the most outstanding paintings in the Middle East.

The creator of these artworks is Mr. Machiani, who is present here this evening. I recommend you to visit this exhibition before you leave. Mr. Machiani is also a musician. He has kindly accepted to perform some pieces of Iranian music today.

I hope you would enjoy the combination of spiritual art (music and miniature) and afterwards the material art, which is the delicious Iranian cuisine.”

It has been an evening full of Iranian hospitality.

Oldest human remains and oldest art from the North Sea

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Oldest human remains and oldest art from the North Sea
A fragment of a human skull from the collection of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) and a decorated bison bone, both from the North Sea bed, are rare finds from the end of the last Ice Age. After studying both finds, Dutch archaeologists have concluded that these finds are over 13,000 years old and, as such, form the earliest known modern human from the Netherlands and the oldest art from the North Sea. During the Ice Age, the North Sea was a vast plain and not a sea, so this discovery yields essential clues regarding the occupation of this enormous sunken landscape and the early cultural expressions of the last hunters of the Ice Age. Spectacular Ice Age discoveries from submerged prehistoric North Sea landscape The ‘oldest Dutchman’ is a fragment of a left parietal bone of a skull dating back over 13,000 years. It is the oldest find of a modern human from the North Sea and was found by fishermen near the Dutch coast, south of the dredged navigation channel known as the Eurogeul. Physical anthropological research indicates the fragment belonged to an adult person, who may have suffered and recovered from a condition such as anaemia. The chemical composition of the bone confirms that hunting was an important contribution to the daily diet of this individual. The fragment was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities by the North Sea Fossils group in 2013. Bison bone with zig-zag decoration The decorated bison bone is slightly older: 13,500 years. It was fished from the North Sea, south of the Brown Bank. It was given as a long-term loan to the National Museum of Antiquities by a private collector. The piece is a fragment of a metatarsal with a striking zig-zag decoration on five panels. It is the earliest piece of art to come from the North Sea. The artefact’s function remains unknown. Possibly it was a handle of a tool or a ritual object. There are three comparably decorated finds that were found at large distances from each other, in Wales, France and Poland.

Meet Hungary Business Annual Reception

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Meet Hungary Business Annual Reception

His Excellency, Mr. András Kocsis, Ambassador of Hungary during his welcome speech.

By Roy Lie Atjam.

The Ambassador of Hungary, H.E. Mr. András Kocsis organized a Meet Hungary Business Reception at his residence on February 8, 2018.

In his welcome speech, Ambassador András Kocsis applauded the increasing presence of Dutch investors in Hungary. Friesland Campina open their third shared services center in Hungary. Friesland Campina has a particular preference for Hungary.

Kocsis further praised the efforts made by the Hungarian Business Network HBN in strengthening the ties between Hungary and the Netherlands.
Ms. Cisca Ansem, Chair of the Board of the Hungarian Business Network.

Ms. Cisca Ansem, Chair of the Board of HBN, is pleased with the increase in the number of both businesses and private membership. Ansem hinted HBN, is envisaging hosting a wine and chocolate event in March. Further, upcoming events in the summer, September and November 2018.

The Chef de Cuisine of the Hungarian Embassy Mr János Klimay had prepared some exquisite Hungarian bites.

To mention a few, Chicken paprika, (Paprikás csirke), Smoked trout Bakonyi style, (Füstölt pisztráng bakonyi módon), Curd spread Liptauer style, (Kőrözött), Duck liver, (Kacsamáj zsírjában), Smoked goose breast, (Füstölt libamell), Garden sauce with crispy bacon and eggs, (Salátafőzelék tojással , szalonnával), Sour cream with ham flatbread -(Kenyérlángos tejföllel, sonkával), Hungarian Triffle, (Somlói galuska), Meringue and apricot cottage cheese cake, (Rákóci túrós), Cheese and potatoes Scones, (Sajtos burgonyás pogácsa).

The Embassy of Hungary and HBN could look back on a successful Business networking afternoon.

—————– Photography by the Embassy of Hungary.

Ambassador Hoekstra hosts Religious Leaders

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Ambassador Hoekstra hosts Religious Leaders
Ambassador Pete Hoekstra and his wife Diane, invited faith leaders and experts in the field of religious freedom in the Netherlands to a lunch on February 8, in honor of National Religious Freedom Day.  Leaders from various faiths discussed religious tolerance in the Netherlands and other relevant international religious freedom issues.  The dialogue provided a better understanding of challenges faced by various communities  often lead to support for educational programs Since 1993, U.S. Presidents have declared January 16 as National Religious Freedom Day.  The day is recognized as a way of underscoring the commitment of the United States to upholding and protecting religious freedom and diversity.  It is also an opportunity to promote accountability for religious-based violence and to urge others to adopt legal protections for religious minorities and religious practices. —————– Photography by US Embassy in The Hague. 
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