Crown Princess Mary of Denmark – Picture by VisitCopenhagen through Wikipedia Commons.
21 January 2018, Aarhus, Kingdom of Denmark: Mayor of Aarhus, Jacob Bundsgaard, and Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, opened the “Aarhus 2018 – European Volunteering Capital” at Aarhus City Hall.
The title as European Volunteering Capital goes yearly to a European city or town, which has been particularly noted by promoting volunteering amongst its citizens. Celebrations are held to highlight the importance of volunteering in civil society but likewise to thank and show appreciation for the volunteers.
CE Carrie Lam and Dr Edwin Feulner, Founder of the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom Report – Picture by Government of Hong Kong.
The 2018 Index of Economic Freedom Report, released by the Heritage Foundation located in Washington D.C. on 2 February 2018 ranked Hong Kong as the world’s freest economy, indeed for the 24th consecutive year. Hong Kong’s overall score of 90.2 is well above the global average of 61.1 across the 180 economies surveyed.
Hong Kong achieved high ratings in eight of the 12 criteria measured. The city received top scores in Fiscal Health, Business Freedom, Trade Freedom and Financial Freedom. The foundation likewise recognised the high quality of Hong Kong’s legal framework, low corruption, high degree of government transparency, efficient regulatory framework and openness to global commerce.For further information:https://www.heritage.org/index/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201802/02/P2018020200484.htm?fontSize=1
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, European Union, Brussels (Director Shirley Lam): www.hongkong-eu.org
HK Representative Office in Germany (Director Betty Ho): http://www.hketoberlin.gov.hk
Empress Michiko – Picture by State Department photo by William Ng.
Her Imperial Majesty The Empress of Japan has written 50 waka poems for a book of her own poetry that was recently published in Germany
The Empress wrote poetry following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and when the German publishing house Herder learned of their existence, they approached the Imperial Household Agency in case the Empress would consider publishing them.
The book, entitled “Nur eine kleine Maulbeere. Aber sie wog schwer” (English: “Just a little mulberry, but it weighs heavily”), was published in January 2018, and launched at the Nipponse Embassy in Germany on Tuesday, 16 January, by H.E. Ambassador Takeshi Yagi in the framework of a lecture by Prof. Dr Peter Pantzer of the Bonn University, Faculty of Japanology.
The poems were translated into German, but the book contains the original Japanese text written out by a professional calligrapher named Hakko Ishitobi. The book also contains an explanation for each poem.
One of the poems is entitled “Kono Toshi no Haru” (English: This Spring), about the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. In Japanese it reads:
“Kusamura ni/ Shiroki juji no/ Hana sakite/ Tsuminaku hitono/ Shinishi Haru yuku.”
The Imperial Household provided an English translation, which reads: “White cross-shaped flowers/ Blooming amid the dense grass/ Signalling the end/ Of spring when we mourn the loss/ The death of the guiltless.”
Waka poetry is a form of traditional Japanese poetry, and was so named to differentiate between Japanese poetry and Chinese poetry in ancient times. There are several types of waka poetry, including chōka, which is long form, and sedōka, also known as “head repeated poetry”.
Empress Michiko has written waka poetry on several occasions and presented them to the public. At the New Year Poetry Reading Ceremony this past January in the Imperial Palace, she recited a poem she wrote about her husband, Emperor Akihito’s upcoming abdication, the English translation reading: “On your shoulders/ Pours the early spring sunlight/ Softly and gently/ O, such a heavy burden/ You bore, saying so little.”
For further information:
Imperial Household Agency: http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-culture/utakai-h30.html
Embassy of Japan to Germany (HE Ambassador Takeshi Yagi): http://www.de.emb-japan.go.jp
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Empress Michiko – Picture by State Department photo by William Ng, Public domain through Wikipedia Commons
Leo Varadkar – Picture by Annika Haas.
Friday, 16 February 2018, Dublin, Republic of Ireland: The Irish Government presented to the public the framework to guide how Ireland develops over the next two decades
The launch is comprised of two distinct plans , that is, the “National Planning Framework” as well as the “National Development Plan”. Put together they form “Project Ireland 2040”, namely the government’s vision for how to develop the country over the coming decades.
The measures include:
A huge investment in climate change including plans to ban all non-zero emissions cars by 2030 and changing bus fleets to hybrids.
€500 million to stimulate people to become more climate friendly – upgrading their homes and cars.
Social housing for 112,000 households over the next decade.
A plan to see 75% of the growth to 2040 happen outside of Dublin.
An urban regeneration fund to the tune of €2bn to fund projects in Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway.
Rural development fund of €1bn will be aimed at towns and villages.
More than €8bn being put towards developing the roads network, including motorway upgrades and a dedicated Atlantic corridor to run from Donegal down to Waterford.
The plan aims to provide 200,000 new or replacement school places through a €8.4bn investment, and a €420 million digital strategy for schools.
An average of 50 large-scale school projects annually.
€1bn for Ireland’s cultural institutions.
A €2bn urban regeneration fund for the cities and a €1bn investment for smaller towns.
A new runway for Dublin Airport, and investment in Cork & Shannon Airports, Ireland West Airport Knock and smaller airports.
A goal of 2,600 extra acute hospital beds and 4,500 residential beds in community nursing homes.
Planning to extend the LUAS to Bray, Finglas, Lucan, Poolbeg; completion of Metro Link by 2027, running from Sandyford to Swords via Dublin Airport; and a DART extension to towns such as Drogheda and Maynooth.
Bus Connects programme for Dublin, Cork and Galway with new corridors and ticketing plans.
Chef Reinier Suarez Rivera, the Ambassador of Cuba H.E Ms. Soraya E. Álvarez Nuñez and Sous Chef, Claudia Gonzalez Vades.By Michael Bonté. After a major storm earlier in the day the sun certainly shone in the Crown Plaza-Promenade Hotel where a new edition of the year long International Food Festival was about to kick off. Guests where already impatiently buzzing about in front of the entrance to the restaurant. Patrick Aarsman, the General Manager finally opened the proceedings with the words:’ The hotel is very proud in hosting this year long event in cooperation with Diplomat Magazine and in this case the Cuban Embassy’.’ It gives the hotel guests and the citizens of The Hague the opportunity to sample cuisines which they rarely have the chance to sample’.For additional pictures by Roy Strik, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157689649480112The Ambassador of Cuba together with Patrick Aarsman Crowne Plaza General Manager.After these words the speaker introduced the Ambassador of Cuba H.E Ms. Soraya E. Álvarez Nuñez who said that: ” …the Cuban Embassy is very pleased to participate for the first time in the Food Festival. The Cuban gastronomy is the result of the mix of Spanish, African, Aboriginal, Yucateca and even Asian traditions. Typical Cuban dishes are the Ajiaco, Tamales, Tostones, roasted pork and the Congrí.”Jhr Mr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland, Judge in the Court of Appeal, Ambassador Álvarez and Russia Charge d’affaires, Minister Counsellor Mr. Boris Zhilko.The moment had come to cut the ribbon and the invitees were greeted with Mojito’s and Cuba Libre’s. All this accompanied with Cuban music which was presented by Jorge Martinez Galan, Galan Biz Musica Cubana, an excellent duo interpreting songs in a Buena Vista Social Club style. Among the guests the Ambassador of Iran, H. E. Dr Alireza Jahangiri, the Ambassador of Yemen, H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem, the Ambassador of Pakistan H. E. Mr. Shujjat Ali Rathore, the head of Palestinian Mission, Ms Rawan Sulaiman, the Ambassador of Macedonia, H.E. Mr. Igor Popov, the Ambassador of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Amgad Ghaffar, Russia Charge d’affaires, Minister Counsellor Mr. Boris Zhilko, Venezuela Charge d’affaires, Mr Alvaro Sanchez Cordero.Mr. Thomas Friis- Fontz, Ambassador Álvarez and the Ambassador of Yemen, H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem.Once guests were seated the servers presented us with three starters: Mashed Fried Plantain (Tostones), Malanga Fritters (Fritura de Malanga) and Pot Tamal (Tamal en Cazuela). When the dishes were cleared we were invited to help ourselves to the mains at the buffet. The options were two pork dishes, one beef and one fish dish. Accompanied with several side dishes in which yucca and plantain among others were featured. Especially popular was a classic Cuban dish called ‘Ropa Vieja’ which means literary translated ‘old clothes’. This stew consists of shredded beef, garlic, onions, bay leaf and tomato paste.Galan Biz Musica Cubana.The especially flown in Chef Reinier Suarez Rivera who is one of the top young chefs and has won several awards in Young Chef competitions said: “I am very proud to present our national dishes to a wider International audience in The Hague” . Together with his Sous Chef, Claudia Gonzalez Vades, they certainly were cooking up a storm.For those craving sugar the servers brought out a trio of deserts which consisted of: Flan, Arroz con Leche and Torrejas (crêpes). All very in the fine Latin American cuisine tradition dishes.Yet another successful edition of the Food Festival. Cuisines you can expect to be presented in future editions range from Georgian to Tunisian, from Hungarian to Mexican. So contact the Crown Plaza to book your seat at the table. Reservations: info@crowneplazadenhaag.nl Information about Cuba:www.cubadiplomatica.cu/holanda
Paris, 2018: Rightly fêting the arrival of the Spring/Summer 2018 collection in store, Givenchy has designed a unique and intimate living space to showcase the designs of Creative Director Clare Waight Keller, providing thereby an luxurious and welcoming shopping space inspired by the designer’s own abode, with a lattice-work entrance, a signature of the couture house founded in the 1950s by Count Hubert Taffin de Givenchy.
In the interior, it is all about contrast with white marble, ethnic rugs and lush green details. All the pieces on offer are exclusively available ahead of time, and shall not be on sale at the regular stores till 5 March 2018. The ultimate destination for a one-of-a kind Givenchy shopping experience.
Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan is traveling to Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Latvia, and Belgium from February 15-24.
The Deputy Secretary will arrive in Munich on February 16 to lead the State Department delegation to the Munich Security Conference. He will participate in a nuclear security and arms control panel discussion with foreign government officials and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to global nuclear security. While in Munich, he will also hold bilateral meetings with officials from Germany and other countries.
The Deputy Secretary will then travel to Rome from February 18-20, where he will meet with senior Italian officials to discuss cooperation on priorities in Ukraine, Libya, the fight to defeat ISIS, the Sahel, and human rights and religious freedom. He will also deliver remarks and engage with foreign policy experts, students, and members of the press at the American Studies Center to discuss the U.S.-Italian relationship and our cooperation on security issues around the world.
He will visit Kyiv on February 21 to meet with President Poroshenko, Prime Minister Groysman, and Foreign Minister Klimkin. The Deputy Secretary will stress the importance of Ukraine expeditiously implementing credible economic and anti-corruption reforms and will underscore U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
On February 22, Deputy Secretary Sullivan will travel to Riga where he will meet with senior Latvian officials to reaffirm NATO’s Article 5 commitment and discuss various other economic, investment issues, and bilateral priorities.
Finally, on February 23, he will visit Brussels to participate in the G5 Sahel Donors Conference and discuss continued support for development, security, and political issues in the Sahel.
During his trip, the Deputy Secretary will also engage with U.S. Embassy staff in each of the countries, as well as representatives from the business community and civil society.
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For further information:
Thursday, 16 February 2018, Munich, Free State of Bavaria, Federal Republic of Germany: Former XXIV Danish Prime Minister, XII NATO Secretary General and Founder as well as CEO of Rasmussen Global, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, spoke at the Munich Security Conference on how Artificial Intelligence could affect warfare in the future.
In his utterances “I believe human beings should always be kept ‘in the loop’ on life & death decisions and we need to begin discussing a non-proliferation treaty for truly autonomous weapons”.
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For further information:
Munich Security Conference: https://www.securityconference.de/en/activities/munich-security-conference/msc-2018/
Rasmussen Global: https://rasmussenglobal.comAnders Fogh Rasmussen at the Munich Security Conference 2018 – Picture by Rasmussen Global.
OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria Continues Investigations into Allegations of Chemical Weapons Use
The Hague, Netherlands – 17 February 2018 – Recent allegations about the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Aran Republic continue to be of grave concern to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), whose mandate is “to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals … for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic”, is investigating all credible allegations and provides regular reports for consideration by States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). A rigorous methodology is employed for conducting an investigation of alleged use of chemical weapons. The FFM report will take into account corroboration between interviewee testimonies; open-source research; medical reports and other relevant documentation as well as the characteristics of any samples obtained by the FFM. The FFM works closely with States Parties including the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
The FFM’s mandate is to determine whether chemical weapons or toxic chemicals as weapons have been used in Syria; it does not include identifying who is responsible for alleged attacks.
OPCW Director General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü reiterated: “Any use of chemical weapons is a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the hard won international norm prohibiting these weapons. Those responsible for their use must be held accountable. These abhorrent weapons have no place in the world today.”
The Ambassador of Vietnam, H.E. Ms. Ngo Thi Hoa.
Its new year in Asia; a dozen or so countries in the region celebrate the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Vietnam is one of them.
It’s on this occasion that H.E. Ambassador Ngo Thi Hoa of Vietnam, in keeping with an old Vietnamese tradition invited colleagues and friends to come and celebrate Vietnam new year with her at the Chancellery in The Hague on February 14, 2018.
The Ambassador of Japan, H.E. Mr. HIroshi Inomata, Mr. Peter Bouman, Director of the Asia-Pacific Department at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Ambassador of Bangladesh.
A Vietnamese duo consisting of the artists Bui To Nga and Bui Thanh Hung performed folk melodies from the North, Central and South of Viet Nam. Chef de Cuisine Quyen prepared a variety of delightful Vietnamese dishes.
For additional Kim Vermaat’s pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157663757408587The Ambassador of Korea, H.E. Mr. Yun Young Lee, Ambassador Hoa and H.E. Dimitris Iliopolus, Ambassador of the European Union to the International Organizations.
Ambassador Ngo Thi Hoa welcome delivery now follows.
“I’m honored to welcome you all to our New Year Reception this evening. When the traditional New Year comes around, Vietnamese people tend to gather with close friends to reflect on the past year and celebrate the new one that’s coming. Therefore, I’m very glad that we have the chance to gather here on this fine evening to share this very special moment, true to Vietnamese tradition.2017 was quite a memorable year for us as the Vietnam – Netherlands relations flourished incredibly, proceeding towards our 45th year anniversary; as well as our increasingly active contributions to multilateral relationships.Without a doubt, these accomplishments couldn’t have been achieved without all of your assistance and cooperation; which is why we’d like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I hope that you’ll continue to assist us in the upcoming year to achieve even greater results together and to strengthen our relations even more.Some of you may not know this but, 2018 is the year of the Dog, according to the 12-zodiac cycle. The animal is perceived as a man’s best friend. Well, in Vietnamese culture, it’s regarded as an even more special and auspicious creature that can bring good fortune and prosperity to human beings. This is why I believe that 2018 will be a great year for us all.In the spirit of friendship, we would like to invite you to celebrate the New Year with us.”
Yet another successful edition of the Food Festival. Cuisines you can expect to be presented in future editions range from Georgian to Tunisian, from Hungarian to Mexican. So contact the Crown Plaza to book your seat at the table.
Reservations: info@crowneplazadenhaag.nl
Information about Cuba:
www.cubadiplomatica.cu/holanda
Yet another successful edition of the Food Festival. Cuisines you can expect to be presented in future editions range from Georgian to Tunisian, from Hungarian to Mexican. So contact the Crown Plaza to book your seat at the table.
Reservations: info@crowneplazadenhaag.nl
Information about Cuba:
www.cubadiplomatica.cu/holanda
Without a doubt, these accomplishments couldn’t have been achieved without all of your assistance and cooperation; which is why we’d like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I hope that you’ll continue to assist us in the upcoming year to achieve even greater results together and to strengthen our relations even more.
Some of you may not know this but, 2018 is the year of the Dog, according to the 12-zodiac cycle. The animal is perceived as a man’s best friend. Well, in Vietnamese culture, it’s regarded as an even more special and auspicious creature that can bring good fortune and prosperity to human beings. This is why I believe that 2018 will be a great year for us all.
In the spirit of friendship, we would like to invite you to celebrate the New Year with us.” 
Without a doubt, these accomplishments couldn’t have been achieved without all of your assistance and cooperation; which is why we’d like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I hope that you’ll continue to assist us in the upcoming year to achieve even greater results together and to strengthen our relations even more.
Some of you may not know this but, 2018 is the year of the Dog, according to the 12-zodiac cycle. The animal is perceived as a man’s best friend. Well, in Vietnamese culture, it’s regarded as an even more special and auspicious creature that can bring good fortune and prosperity to human beings. This is why I believe that 2018 will be a great year for us all.
In the spirit of friendship, we would like to invite you to celebrate the New Year with us.”