Today is Koninginnedag, or Queen’s Day, here in the Netherlands. Queen Beatrix and her family visited the towns of Woudrichem and Den Bosch and took part in the festivities there. Princess Máxima did not travel with the royal party. She is still recovering from giving birth to her third daughter a few weeks ago. The […]

Almost half of Dutch workers say they would like to work somewhere outside of the Netherlands. That is fewer than in the UK, where 88 percent of workers say they would like to venture abroad for work.
Research bureau the Intelligence Group surveyed 21,000 workers in nine countries about their preferences and motivation in seeking […]

Dear Maastricht Colleagues and Friends,
Following several successful events to promote informal networking amongst Maastricht-based international institutes and individuals that are active in the broad area of globalization and development, we have the pleasure of inviting you to the UNU-MERIT/MUNDO-BORREL’ (drink) at 4.30 pm on Wednesday 30th May 2007.
The host - UNU-MERIT - is a joint […]

One of Maastricht’s most majestic groups of buildings, the Saint Servatius Basilica, became a stunning concert hall for Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Passion according to Saint Matthew” for two consecutive nights on the weekend before Easter. A review by Hector P. Alvarez for Crossroads. [continued…]

UNU-MERIT Conference in honour of Ramesh Thakur, Outgoing Vice Rector, UNU
Maastricht, the Netherlands
May 1st, 2007
Venue
Aula, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6
6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands
Source and more information: UNU-MERIT Maastricht
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Belgium and Germany need to open their own ‘coffee-shops’ and regulate the sale of cannabis drugs so that fewer ‘drugs-tourists’ will be forced to cross the border to the Netherlands, the Mayor of the Dutch city of Maastricht says.
In a one-on-one interview with EUX.TV, Gerd Leers also says he believes the regulating the […]

“Key moments in Shakespeare” by John Gilroy
With this intriguing title, Mr Gilroy shall bring Shakespeare and his works to life for the Limburg branch of the ‘Netherlands-England Society/ Genootschap Nederland-Engeland’.

Date : Monday, 7 May 2007.
Venue: Grand Hotel l’Empereur, Stationstr. 2, Maastricht (opp. the railway station
Time : […]

What can you do in Maastricht on the second day of Easter after you’ve been to church (for those who go), eaten all you can, caught up with the family and already travelled all around?

Well, there is still one thing which is really worth investigating further while living in the Netherlands. Why, I’m talking about beer of course! Surely everyone here indulges in more than a glass a week of that refreshing and tasty beverage, as a nice start into the evening… [continued…]

In preparation for the third annual Forum Maastricht conference: ‘Europe, the Big Absentee’ (9 - 11 May 2007), Crossroads’ writer Danya Chaikel meets with Dr Tannelie Blom, Professor of European Studies at the University of Maastricht and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences to talk about his role as Academic Advisor of Forum Maastricht. [continued…]

Where is Europe when world peace and political stability are threatened? Does Europe sufficiently use its power to achieve the Kyoto Treaty’s environmental objectives? How does Europe’s deal with the external immigration pressure? In other words: has Europe fulfilled its promise laid down in the Treaty of Maastricht fifteen years ago? These questions and more […]

A bitter diplomatic row has broken out between the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands over the location of Dutch shops that sell cannabis drugs within walking distance from Belgium, it emerged on Thursday. Belgium also wants the problem now to be discussed at a ministerial level in the European Union.
Belgian Prime Minister Guy […]

Hatha Yoga focuses on postures and breathing in order to balance energy flows in the body and enhance overall wellbeing. The class is aimed at those who have done some or no yoga previously. Instruction is provided in attaining correct postures and breathing techniques, and builds knowledge of these on a weekly basis. […]

An influx of Dutch citizens returning home and other European Union members attracted by the strong economy led to an increase last year in new residents in the Netherlands, the national statistics office said on Monday.
Statistics Netherlands said some 101,000 people immigrated to the Netherlands in 2006, almost 10,000 more than in 2005, and […]

The European Commission said on Friday it would prompt EU countries to establish a common test for English, French, German, Spanish and Italian - the most commonly taught languages in EU schools.
EU to boost multilingualism in the 27-nation blocSchool children aged 14 to 16 across the European Union will be tested for their foreign language […]

It’s spring time again – so what better way to spend our Sunday than on an excursion? That’s why my charming flatmate Joanna and I allow ourselves the pleasure - or set ourselves the task, as you like it – of dedicating our Sunday afternoon energy to such trips. [continued…]

A Dutch police station trying to help Muslim detainees face Mecca for their prayers painted arrows in cells pointing in the wrong direction.
The Segbroek police station in The Hague borrowed the idea of putting compass marks on ceilings from an Amsterdam hotel, the Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported on Friday.
Muslims pray five times a […]

Saturday was the earliest official day of summer temperatures and Sunday the hottest April day on record, weather bureau KNMI reported.
On Saturday April 14, temperatures reached over 25 degrees at the De Bilt weather station, one day earlier than the previous record set in 1904. And on Sunday, the thermometer in De Bilt hit […]

Bucharest. December 22, 1989. The Romanian people have risen. Communist dictator Ceausescu has fled. The Revolution is spreading through the streets. But chaos ensues… A review for Crossroads of “The Paper will be Blue”, Radu Muntean’s breathtaking film. [continued…]

Everyone in Maastricht has seen the Alexander Battalaan near the central train station or rode down the Franciscus Romanusweg on the eastern bank of the Maas river, but how much do we actually know about the people behind these street names? Crossroads presents a list of twenty five famous inhabitants of Maastricht over the course of history. [continued…]

For those of you who are desperate to know what I sound like, here’s the link to an interview that I gave on April 4 about Crossroads and my life as an expatriate in Maastricht for the website Maastricht Moet Je Horen. [continued…]

The best spot on the planet to tiptoe through the tulips is in full bloom this month at the Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands.
Some 7 million flowers — many of them tulips — turn this 80-acre field into a sea of color each spring. The gardens, outside the Dutch town of Lisse, are only […]

The Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam are entering into an alliance for the period 2007- 2012 under the title Rijksmuseum Maastricht . Rijksmuseum Maastricht is a unique alliance for the museum world and aims to provide a platform for painting and sculpture created prior to 1625 in the Southern Netherlands, focusing on research, publication […]

On April 25 at 7.30 pm in the Auditorium Maastricht University, Faculty of Economics, Tongersestraat 53, Maastricht.
Free entrance as of 7.00 pm
The debate will be on the Israel-Palestine conflict, where we aim to raise mutual understanding and empathy for the struggles of each side. With Avi Primor, former Israel Ambassador in Germany, currently Director […]

Princess Máxima has given birth to a baby girl, the state information service (RVD) announced on Tuesday evening. The baby is the third daughter for Maxima and crown prince Willem Alexander and the eighth grandchild for queen Beatrix.
Máxima was admitted to the Bronovo hospital in The Hague on Tuesday afternoon. The baby was born […]

Primary schools in the South Limburg border regions are to become bilingual. Eight primary schools will start with this experiment next year, the province of Limburg announced on Tuesday.
In the coming two years other primary schools may opt to voluntarily join the project, which will last 2.5 years to start. In the Maastricht region the […]

A report in the International Herald Tribune suggests that a growing number of Belgians are returning to the Middle Ages in their free time, taking part in historical re-enactments. The report quotes one man as saying that it has become a national passion, but things should be put into perspective.
Read full article: Flanders News, […]

The National Book Week Gift (Boekenweekgeschenk) will be rewritten for Turkish readers. “Mistakes” unintentionally crept into the text, the Collective Propaganda for the Dutch Book Foundation (CPNB) stated Friday.
Each year, an author writes a story or novella that the Dutch get for free when purchasing a book in the Dutch language during the Book Week. […]

Late August 2006, a number of Maastricht students set up ISAM, an international student association. Today, the association has a board of ten people, its website (www.isamaastricht.nl) has gone live, and a movie night and international dinner have been planned. The only things missing are members and a reputation. On Tuesday 17 April, ISAM is […]

The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Bureau (MNP) says that, in terms of global warming, the Netherlands has more to fear from its rivers than from the sea.
The agency says global warming means that the River Rhine will carry ever-greater amounts of glacial meltwater down from the Alps.
The eventual rise in the level of the North […]

This year the AIB has introduced an ad hoc Award for the best April Fool’s joke produced by a Member organisation. The inaugural Award has this year gone to Radio Netherlands Worldwide.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Radio Netherlands has demonstrated that it still innovates and creates conversations - it ran a story on […]