Healthy sums
Health minister Ab Klink has barely been in the job for a couple of months, and he is already coming up with schemes which must have the health insurance companies saying ‘oh no, not again’. More >
Saturday 13 August 2022
Health minister Ab Klink has barely been in the job for a couple of months, and he is already coming up with schemes which must have the health insurance companies saying ‘oh no, not again’. More >
For three years Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali galvanised the Dutch society with a frank account of her traumatic past and her conviction that Islam is a violent, misogynous religion. More >
The shareholders in British hedge fund TCI must be rubbing their hands with glee now that the prospect of a bidding war between Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland for ABN Amro is opening up. Barclays and ABN Amro announced this morning that they have reached agreement on a merger: a deal which pushed up ABN Amro shares to over €36. More >
Jaap Leenen, a 60-year old flower grower and the biggest daffodil breeder in the Netherlands, says seashells from the North Sea are the best thing that has ever happened to his daffodils. More >
Americanization clouds role of original settlers in our area. An undeniable aroma seeps out of the gymnasium and into the hallway at the East Palmyra Christian School. More >
Last night the police carried out another massive control on drink-driving at seven different locations. In total 6,000 cars were directed off the main road and their drivers breathalysed. But only 27 of them were cautioned having ‘one for the road’ too many drinks and just five had their licences confiscated. A grand haul indeed for such a major police effort. More >
After earning themselves the reputation of being the bad boys of Europe, the Dutch now seem to be on their way to re-inventing themselves as peacemakers. Yesterday’s endorsement of the Dutch stand on the EU constitution by the big-mouthed Brits is an important feather in Jan Peter Balkenende’s cap. More >
Four former and current Dutch directors of the Amsterdam-based European stock exchange Euronext have had their cars and houses vandalised by animal rights activists. Their email inboxes are also probably full of hate mail. More >
At last month’s European Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Arnoud Okken finally emerged out of the shadow of his good friend and training partner Bram Som. More >
At an antenatal class in south-east Amsterdam, Petra de Buins tries to persuade her students of the advantages of home birth. Home is more comfortable than hospital, where the tense atmosphere can prolong labour, she says. “It’s like finding yourself wanting to do a number two at a motorway service station but being put off until later because of the state of the toilets.” More >
Dutch central bank governor Nout Wellink said on Thursday that he spoke several times with Barclays Plc Chief Executive John Varley about the British bank’s merger talks with Dutch bank ABN AMRO. More >
