MH17 memorial dinner raises €650k for AIDS research

A total of 653 thousand euros was donated at Amsterdam Dinner's benefit dinner at the Heineken Music Hall on Saturday night, the organization announced on Sunday. The money will be donated to the aids research of the two scientists who died in the MH17 plane crash in July last year. Scientists Joep Lange and Jacqueline van Tongeren were on their way to an AIDS conference in Melbourne, Australia when the Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down. The donations at this year's dinner was 28 percent higher than last year. The dinner was attended by a number of prominent people, including Mayor Eberhard van der Laan and Princess Mabel. Princess Mabel gave a speech to commemorate the two scientists. "Their pioneering work will be continued. Therefore we must work together and join forces to make a difference. let us promise each other that we will do everything to make Joep and Jacqueline's dream - a world without AIDS - a reality." she said.