Netherlands Opens for Tourists from 12 EU Countries from June 15 – Britons Not Included - SchengenVisaInfo.com

The Netherlands has decided to open its borders for the nationals ofseveral European countries starting from June 15, as the country easesentry restrictions introduced amid the Coronavirus outbreak in Europeback in March.

Tourists from 12 European countries that have lowerrates of COVID-19 will be eligible to holiday in the Netherlands as of June 15. Whereas sometime between June 15 to July 5, travellers from another 16 more countries will be eligible to enter the Netherlands.

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Netherlands Opens for Tourists from 12 EU Countries from June 15 – Britons Not Included - SchengenVisaInfo.com

The Netherlands: Dutch PM deems ′Black Pete′ tradition racist

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Friday that he no longerwants the Netherlands to celebrate the Saint Nicholas tradition of"Black Pete," whereby white people in blackface, afro wigs and exaggerated red lipsticks portray delinquent Moorish slaves from Spain.

Rutte described his new view point during a parliamentary debate on Thursday about anti-racism demonstrations in solidarity with US demonstrationsafter American George Floyd — an unarmed black man — died in policecustody in Minneapolis.

Rutte said his attitude towards "Black Pete," known in the Netherlands as "Zwarte Piet,"  had changed since 2013. At the time, the prime minister had said: "Black Pete is just black and I
can't do much about that." Rutte said he now hopes that the traditionwill disappear in the Netherlands.

Read more at:
Dutch PM deems ′Black Pete′ tradition racist | News | DW | 05.06.2020

Suriname: Washington, the Hague Should Not Sidestep Events in Suriname - by Even Ellis

On May 25, voters in Suriname decisively rejected the National Democratic Party (NDP) of incumbent President Desi Bouterse. Bouterse’s NDP declined from 26 seats in the 51 seat National Assembly to 16, behind the 20 won by Chandrikapersad Santokhi’s United Reform Party (VHP). Despite Bouterse’s occupation of the office since August 2010, Santokhi is now poised to replace him.

The VHP has formed an alliance with three other parties, the National Party of Suriname (NPS), the Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (ABOP) party, and Pertjajah Luhur, leaving it one seat short of the 34 to choose the president.

In a system characterized by shady deals, shifting alliances, and political intrigue, Bouterse has ample resources, and strong motivation to avoid ceding power.

A generation of business and military elites have their fates tied to him through past patronage. Leaving the presidency implies losing the immunity which has protected Bouterse 1999 narcotrafficking charges in the Netherlands, and his conviction in Suriname for the 1982 murder of 15 opponents.

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Washington, the Hague Should Not Sidestep Events in Suriname | Newsmax.com

US Economy; Complete disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street - by RM

Question, who or what is behind the major disconnect between Wall Street and reality, with stocks going up on the Dow for the past 4 days.Today by even more than 500 points, and this while economies are tanking all around the world, and while as many as 30% of the US workforce remains 
unemployed ?

Some companies obviously are making excessive profits as a result of the present emergency situation, but in no way is Wall Street a reflection of the state of the US economy, as President Trump likes to brag about.

The above is, however another clear indication of the great disparity between "the have and have nots" in the US and has to be remedied by an aggressive and progressive new Democratic government, before it destroys the USA from within.

EU-Digest

The Netherlands: Connectedness of the Dutch Economy Leads to Lower GDP Growth Forecast

 In this blog written for IMF Country Focus, the IMF’s mission  brief for the Netherlands, Alfredo Cuevas, explains that this economic integration could signal a slower recovery for the country from the crisis.

The GDP growth forecasts for the Netherlands issued by the IMF in its April 2020 World Economic Outlook (WEO) surprised many, not only for the large negative 2020 number itself, but for it being weaker than some other leading European economies. Let me make some general considerations about orecasting amid today’s immense uncertainties, and then look at the Dutch
economy.

Economists often conceptualize macroeconomic variables, such as real GDP growth, as the sum of a predictable or systematic component and an unpredictable shock. We develop and estimate statistical models of the predictable part and use them to make forecasts.

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Connectedness of the Dutch Economy Leads to Lower GDP Growth Forecast

EU: Lobbyist register to be tightened after Monsanto case - by Nikolaj Nielsen

Updated EU transparency rules set for the end of this year means lobbyists will have to declare much more accurate - and thus likely larger - figures on what they spend to influence EU decision-making.

The figures currently cited in the EU's joint transparency register are widely suspected of being under-reported.

The register is shared between the European Commission and the European Parliament, and lists thousands of companies, consultancies and NGOs that work to influence EU legislation.

The authority that oversees the register recently announced in a letter it would impose clearer rules to make sure lobbyists do not skirt their reporting obligations.

The issue came to a head when pro-transparency group Corporate Europe Observatory complained that the US giant Monsanto had failed to truly declare how much it spent in a campaign to steer the debate around its controversial weedkiller glyphosate.

Read more: Lobbyist register to be tightened after Monsanto case

Europeans don’t trust the US or Trump, poll says - by Annabelle Timsit

Donald Trump has damaged America’s standing in the world in his three years as president, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Europe.

A new report (pdf), published by the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR),  found that Europeans “no longer believe that the US can serve as the guarantor of their security.” They also overwhelmingly favor neutrality rather than siding with the US on global issues. The survey covered more than  60,000 people across 14 European Union member states, including France, Slovakia, Poland, and Spain.

Read more at: Europeans don’t trust the US or Trump, poll says — Quartz