The University of Maastricht may give a medical doctor training to 40 students from Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Education has given its approval for the project. During their first year in Maastricht, the Saudi students will study Dutch. Afterwards they will follow the medical doctor training at the Faculty of Health.
Saudi Arabia is sending […]

Most of us are taller than our parents, who probably are taller than their parents. But in the Netherlands, the progression has reached new heights.
In the past 150 years, the Dutch have become the tallest people on Earth - and experts say they’re still getting bigger. It is a tale of a nation’s health […]

For centuries, Dutch windmills have pumped water out of the low-lying country, and old-fashioned wooden mills are as closely linked with the Netherlands’ international image as its dikes and bikes.
But in the face of a large and growing lobby against the windmill’s modern electricity-generating counterpart _ the wind turbine _ the country has started moving […]

The proposed European Institute of Technology (EIT) has been given the thumbs up by leaders of Europe’s digital technology sector.
In the second of three papers published in the year following the June 2005 launch of the European Commission’s ‘12010 initiative’ for jobs and growth, EICTA, the European information and communication technologies association, said that […]

Social Affairs State Secretary Henk van Hoof has lifted the ‘labour market criterion’ in sixteen sectors for workers from the countries that joined the EU in 2004. This means it is easier for them to obtain work permits in these sectors.
Dutch companies in the sixteen sectors that wish to hire personnel from Poland, Estonia, Hungary, […]

This religious and spiritually tinted festival - this year around the theme of ‘hermits and monastics’ - consists of a number of concerts, theatre performances, lectures and films.
Source: Observant, 14 September 2006
More information and programme (in Dutch): Musica Sacra Maastricht

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A majority in parliament has rejected a proposal to ban political parties whose purpose is to destroy the legal system or whose manifestos run counter to it. The proposal, put forward by the Christian Democrats, suggested banning parties such as those wishing to introduce Sharia law or to legalise paedophilia.
During an emergency debate, the majority […]

The Dutch chemical firm DSM has announced that it will invest tens of millions of euros in a polymer factory in Jiangsu province in China. DSM hopes to double its Chinese turnover to around a billion euros by 2010.
On Wednesday, the Dutch Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis reported that trade between the Netherlands and […]

Google Earth received a major database update at the end of last week, introducing 15-centimetre resolution for the first time to areas such as the Netherlands and Japan. People can now see the clearest and most detailed aerial imagery of the Netherlands yet.

So here is the latest view of Maastricht via Google Earth. The old fortified city walls can clearly be identified at the bottom right corner of the picture. [continued…]

More than 10,000 dissertations have gone online in the Netherlands.
Professor Kees Blom, Vice-Chancellor of Radboud University Nijmegen, launched the national dissertation website on Wednesday. All universities in the Netherlands are taking part in the project.
Read full article: Expatica Netherlands, 14 September 2006
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Australian expats living in Belgium had reason to celebrate this week with the news that Belgian authorities had finally agreed to recognise their Australian driving licences.
[…] The new regulation actually came into effect on 1 September 2006. It allows Australian residents in Belgium to exchange their driving licences for Belgian licences at their local commune, […]

Children born to a Dutch mother and a foreign father before 1985 should still be eligible for Dutch citizenship, parliament is set to tell Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk.
Read full article: Expatica Netherlands, 14 September 2006
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Dutch students will soon be able to study anywhere in the world and still receive a student grant from the Dutch government, just like domestic students. This was recently announced by the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science, Mr Bruno Bruins. He noted that this plan has the support of the entire Dutch government.
In […]

The public would punish crimes much more severely than professional judges do, according to a report published yesterday. It is based on research carried out for the Council for the Administration of Justice (Raad van de Rechtspraak).
The researchers questioned both judges and members of the public about three different cases, involving serious assault, minor assault […]

Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner believes that if, some time in the future, two-thirds of Dutch citizens believe that Sharia, Islamic law, should be introduced in the Netherlands, then it must be allowed. That, says the minister, is the ultimate consequence of democracy.
Mr Donner is a distinguished jurist, the product of a long line […]

The company responsible for advertising billboards in the City of Brussels, JCDecaux is branching out into cycle hire. 250 bikes will be available for hire from sites throughout the city.
Read full article: VRT News, 13 September 2006
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As of September 1st, 2006 the Faculty of Arts and Culture has a new name: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS). The Dutch name will be ‘Faculteit der Cultuur- en Maatschappijwetenschappen (FdCMW)’.
A reason for changing the faculty’s name is the introduction of the bachelor and master programs in European Studies. This led to […]

People can now see the clearest and most detailed aerial imagery of The Netherlands yet.
Last February Aerodata announced the finalisation of its new digital orthophoto mosaic of The Netherlands.
This dataset is now on display at Google Earth.
Read press release: Directions Magazine, 11 September 2006
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Religious leaders of the five great religious movements in Europe and Asia will hold a summit in Amsterdam in 2008 to strengthen mutual dialogue and understanding. The meeting is primarily intended to strengthen the links between Christianity and Islam, said Foreign Minister Ben Bot yesterday at the European and Asian countries summit in the Finnish […]

The Netherlands is still tolerant towards homosexuality. Although foreigners hold a more negative attitude towards homosexuals than indigenous Dutch people, it cannot be said that tolerance among the population as a whole has diminished, the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) concludes in a study presented Friday.
SCP observes that only one in ten people in […]

Home Affairs Minister Johan Remkes knows of “six or seven” locations in the Netherlands where terrorist acts are glorified. Moreover, some ten to twenty terrorist factions are currently active in the country.
In a Lower House debate, most parties expressed their concern over the increasing radicalisation among Muslims in the Netherlands. Radical currents are rapidly acquiring […]

It is impossible to introduce the new integration law by 1 January next year as Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk wants, the association of local authorities (VNG) warned on Friday.
The VNG urged Verdonk to decide on a new “realistic” date.
Read full article: Expatica Netherlands, 8 September 2006
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Serious doubts have been raised about the legality of a second piece of legislation championed by Immigration and Naturalisation Minister Rita Verdonk.
The Council of State (Raad van State) has concluded Verdonk’s draft law to force young Antilleans and Arubans who are jobless or in trouble with the law to leave the Netherlands is in conflict […]

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has called for more sexual education at secondary schools around the world in a bid to prevent the spread of AIDS.
The Dutch prime minister launched his appeal in the Finnish capital Helsinki during a two-day EU-Asia summit.
Mr Balkenende said studies show that better counselling leads to more […]

On September 11, the Maastricht School of Management annual Graduation Ceremony will take place. Over 120 graduates, originating from 37 countries and territories are expected in Maastricht to receive their degree of Master of Management in International Business (MM), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Philosophy (Mphil) or Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). [read press release]

Insteresting feature article in Deutsche Welle:
Nowhere did the post-Sept. 11 debate about the compatibility of Islam with western values have a bigger impact than in the Netherlands, which has long prided itself on its liberal values and consensual politics.
Full article: Deutsche Welle, 3 September 2006
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The Labour Party branch in Amsterdam has backed away from a proposal to ban the use of the term ‘Allochtoon’ (immigrant, alien, foreigner) by the city council.
As councillors were equally split on whether to ditch or keep the term, Labour leader Manon van der Garde decided not to put the issue to a vote.
Full […]

The Engeland-Nederland Genootschap presents:
Let’s Hear It For Harold!
Helen Hollick’s counterblast to the Norman propaganda machine, based upon the research for her novel Harold the King.
Synopsis of lecture
I wrote Harold the King because I was dissatisfied with the idea that English history started in 1066 - we have a rich and wonderful Saxon culture, and William […]

Free entrance to museums, historical buildings, exhibitions etc throughout the city.
This will also be the last opportunity to visit the Sphinx factory on Boschstraat…
For some of the activities, visitors will first need to pick up a free ticket at the Maastricht Tourist office.
More information (in Dutch): Maastricht Uitburo
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Het Parcours will this year officially start on Saturday 9 September at 7.45 pm at the Theater aan het Vrijthof. There will be several shows and performances by (semi-)professional artists and groups throughout the evening.
On Sunday 10 September, around 150 artists from Maastricht, Limburg and the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion will perform on more than 50 indoor […]