Netherlands Banking Industry - Dutch Banks even charge a fee when you put cash into your own account.

Whether it be out of laziness, ignorance, or on purpose, people and worst of all governments and politicians are not reacting to the fact that banks are ripping the public  off with charge's— and seem to forget that the seemingly insignificant charges can add up over time.

If you're using one of the traditional "big banks" you'll likely get hit with two fees if you don't use your own bank's teller machine: one  charge from the ATM for the privilege of withdrawing cash, and one from your own bank for going to another bank. It is rediculous, but no one does anything about it.

In the Netherlands, even when you go to your own bank and deposit cash at your own bank's teller machine (ATM) or over the counter, you will get charged a hefty fee after doing that 6 times. This is basically legalized "highway robbery" sanctioned by the government. When you dare to complain, however, to anyone at the your bank they will usually say: "those are our bank rules" en of story.

This is a situation which has gone completely out of hand. When will local governments or the EU finally establish some effective banking regulations, which serves the public and not only enrich the banking             industry ?

Insure-Digest

EU Migration Control Agreement: Juncker’s migration summit leads to 17-point plan - by Dan Alexe

After an exhausting leaders’ meeting on Sunday, just after midnight, Jean-Claude Juncker announced that the leaders agreed in Brussels on a 17-point plan of operational measures.

These start with a permanent exchange of information, including submitting joint needs assessments for EU support within 24 hours, going to increasing Greece’s reception capacity to 30,000 places by the end of the year, and to support UNHCR to provide rent subsidies and host family programmes for at least 20,000 more – a pre-condition to make the emergency relocation scheme work; Financial support for Greece and UNHCR is expected.

Attending the leaders’ meeting were the Heads of State or Government of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia.

The approved plan asks that Balkan and eastern European countries should stop allowing asylum seekers to pass through to other neighbouring countries without first securing agreement from those neighbours.

Countries should thus be asked to stop waving through migrants without the agreement of their neighbours. The question is how this could be done ensured on the ground, beyond the political declarations of good will and solidarity.

Some participants were very pessimistic. The EU will “start falling apart” if it fails to take concrete action to tackle the refugee crisis within the next few weeks, the Slovenian prime minister, Miro Cerar, warned. Slovenia, a country of 2 million people, has seen the arrival of more than 60,000 refugees in recent days.

At the press conference following the meeting, Jean-Claude Juncker and Angela Merkel did not give details how the transition, the flow of people, will be managed, and how will migrants be spread and divided among the EU member states “with dignity” and in a “humane manner”
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The final statement also reconfirmed the principle “that a country may refuse entry to third-country nationals who, when presenting themselves at border crossing points, do not confirm a wish to apply for international protection” — meaning that those who do not declare the intention to apply for the status of a refugee could be refused entry immediately at the border.

The EU has already dedicated four summits to migration since the summer but many member states are lagging behind on their promises.

Only around 80 asylum seekers from Italy out of a target total of 160,000 have so far been relocated. Greece has yet to dispatch any.

The President of the European Council, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also took part.

Read more: Juncker’s migration summit leads to 17-point plan

The Syrian Refugee Crises can only be solved through bi-lateral negotiations to include the Assad Government

The refugee crises Europe and other countries are facing can be directly attributed to the incapability and unwillingness of the major political powers to go sit around the table without any preset conditions.  

The Russian Foreign Minister called for full-scale negotiations between al-Assad and the "full spectrum" of the opposition, "both domestic and external, and with the active support of outside players."

Russian analysts see the talks as a measure of progress towards finding a solution for the Syrian crisis.

"It was clear that solutions will not be found during one meeting, but the differences are so great that even the fact that a meeting was held is a step forward,” says Yelena Suponina, head of the Center for Asia and Middle East at the Russian Strategic Studies Institute. “International players are indeed testing the waters for a prototype of a possible international coalition."

One of the main sticking points is still the political fate of the Syrian president.The most realistic option is to leave this topic out of the equation and focus on the fight against terrorism, Suponina says, adding that political will is required to solve “the problem of al-Asaad.”

Whether U.S. President Barack Obama has the political will or not, is a big question, especially since the United States has now entered the pre-election season, she added.

EU-Digest

Football: Netherlands to play England, France in friendlies

England will warm up for the European Championship in a friendly against the Netherlands, which failed to qualify for the tournament in France.

The Dutch football association announced Friday that Danny Blind’s team will take on England at Wembley on March 29. Four days earlier, the Dutch have a home friendly against France - a team they have been drawn with in a tough World Cup qualification group.

On Thursday, the Dutch announced friendlies next month against world champion Germany and Wales, both teams that are heading to Euro 2016.

The strong lineup of friendly opponents gives Blind an opportunity to start rebuilding and giving experience to his team that mixes many young players with veterans like Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder.

Read more: Netherlands to play England, France in friendlies - Washington Times

World Solar Challenge: Dutch university Delft wins race in Australia

A team from Delft University in the Netherlands has won a solar car race in the Australian outback.

The university's Nuon Solar Team was the first to arrive at the finish line in Adelaide and the 3,000km (1,800 mile) race took four days to complete.

In second place was a team from the University of Twente, also from the Netherlands; while Japan's Tokai University came in third.

The race, which happens once every two years, started on Sunday in Darwin.

Nearly 50 teams from universities and schools around the world took part. Delft University had also won the last challenge in 2013.

The World Solar Challenge is aimed at promoting research on solar-powered cars which could become a consumer product one day.

World Solar Challenge: Dutch university Delft wins race in Australia - BBC News

Postal Services: Swiss test postal drones for future deliveries

The Swiss postal service has begun testing parcel deliveries by unmanned drones.

Eventually for areas which are difficult to access such as mountanous regions this will be the postal service of the future.

Extensive tests will analyse the technical restrictions of the drones, including limited battery life.

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Swiss Post says it envisages using the drones for mainly emergency situations, which could involve bringing supplies to an area that has been cut off from the outside world following a storm.

Tests are going to run until the end of July although widespread use the flying postmen is not expected for another five years.

Read more: Swiss test postal drones for future deliveries | euronews, world news

The Netherlands: Refugees: "it is all about perception" - by RM

Het is verbazingwekkend hoe negatief sommige mensen in Europa (Nederland) reageren op de vluctelingenstroom uit het Midden Oosten o.a. Syria.

Als morgen Amsterdam en Rotterdam zouden worden gebombardeerd dan zou de rest van Nederland en Belgie ook overstroomd worden door Nederlandse vluchtelingen die een veilg onderkomen zochten.

De vluchtelingen uit het Midden Oosten komen met dat zelfde doel naar Noord Europa en vooral niet omdat ze het leuk vinden of voor het mooie weer..

Ze komen omdat ze uit hun huizen en banen zijn gedreven door een oorlog, die vanwege onze eigen kortzichtige buitenlandse politiek en apatische opstelling, zonder eigen mening en vooral omdat wij ons in deze als schoothondje gedragen van Amerika - samen met al de andere bondgenoten in de Nato.  Het Amerika dat na de tweede wereld-oorlog geen enkel sukes op militair gebied heeft geboekt.

Laat ze maar komen die vluchtelingen, hopenlijk worden wij hierdoor in Europa wat minder egoïstisch en meer verdraagzaam.


English Translation
It's amazing how negative some people in Europe (Netherlands ) respond to the stream of refugees coming from the Middle East and specifically Syria .

 If tomorrow Amsterdam and Rotterdam would be bombed than the rest of the Netherlands and Belgium would a;so be flooded by Dutch refugees who sought safe shelter.

These refugees from the Middle East come with that same objective to Northern Europe not because they like it, or for the good weather.

They come because they have been driven from their homes and jobs by a war as a result of Europe's apathy and its own myopic foreign policy, based on functioning as the lapdog of America - along with all the other allies in the NATO.  An America, which after the second world war has not concluded any succesful military campaign.

Let them come, these refugees, hopefully this will lead to a less selfish and more tolerant Europe

Almere-Digest