– In behalf of the Kingdom of Belgium and its subjects, Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo conveys his sincerest condolences and sympathy to the family of  95-year old Nelson Mandela, first black President of South Africa & a Nobel Peace Prize winner. “Today, we bid goodbye to a man who brought hope for his country, a true hero who will continue to inspire us”, says Di Rupo.

–  Meanwhile, the crisis unit of the provincial government of West Flanders, Belgium headed by Governor Carl Decaluwe came together again to continue to monitor the storm and tide. According to the crisis unit, there are no serious problems have been reported. Currently, everything is under control in the coastal municipalities. The highlight of the “Santa Claus Storm” that draws on the kingdom was expected around 2 am today.

“The Civil Defence and the Army also distributed about 16,000 sandbags,” says Decaluwe. There are also a number of roads in the vicinity of the shoreline remain closed. That is particularly the case between Middelkerke and Ostend. The closing of roads also ensures that emergency services can get everywhere.

The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark are also bracing themselves. In the Netherlands, the peak of the storm is expected this afternoon. On weather coding: Belgium get yellow code, meaning weather conditions may be dangerous. Germany get code red, a very dangerous weather conditions likely to cause injury. Also parts of the Netherlands have red code: the provinces of North Holland, Friesland, Groningen, the Wadden Sea and the Ijsselmeer. South Holland and Flevoland get orange code, a warning of extreme weather. In the rest of the country, yellow code applies for dangerous weather.

– Due to heavy fogs last Wednesday at around 9:30 am between Ieper and Kortrijk, leaves 1 dead, 62 wounded and 132 cars, trucks and vans piled up and bumped each other up to 5 kilometers long. Emergency help arrived minutes after the accident was reported.

– King Philippe’s nephew, 27-year old Prince Amedeus of Belgium, announced that he has now a “girlfriend”, 26-year old Italian Lili Rosboch von Wolkenstein. The Prince lives in New York since 2005 where he met his Italian ladylove who works as a photo journalist for Bloomberg Press Office in the same city.

– 12-year old Crown Princess Elizabeth of Belgium received threats of kidnapping from an unsigned letter sender published in the newspaper La Dernière Heure. The Interior Ministry took the threats to royal children seriously. They doubled the bodyguards assigned for the Crown Princess and to her siblings Prince Gabriël, Princess Eléonore and Prince Emmanuel. Additional police forces were also posted in the gates of the school, Sint Jan Berchmancollege in Brussels. The Palace and the Interior Ministry are now conducting investigations on the threats to royal children.

– Ladies for Rizal, Brussels Chapter are continously selling lumpia (15 pieces for €5) where proceeds go to the Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda victims in the Philippines.

Wishing you all a very happy weekend. See you again on Monday. Take care everyone. I love you all!