The Netherlands: Heineken brewed with green energy in The Netherlands

Heineken goes green in its use of energy to brew its beer in the Netherlands. In doing so it contributes to a cleaner environment.

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Heineken brewed with green energy in The Netherlands

Facebook Addiction: 9 Signs and Treatment Tips

Ever close Facebook and tell yourself you’re done for today, only to catch yourself automatically scrolling through your feed just 5 minutes later?

Maybe you have a Facebook window open on your computer and pick up your phone to open Facebook without really thinking about what you’re doing.
 
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Facebook Addiction: 9 Signs and Treatment Tips

The Netherlands: Dutch police arrest over 20 people after overnight rioting in The Hague

Police in the Netherlands have arrested more than 20 people after the second night of riots in The Hague.

Police say that rioters on rooftops and in the streets caused "serious nuisance" and threw eggs, stones and "heavy fireworks" at officers.

There were no immediate reports of injuries but windows on two police vehicles were severely damaged. A garbage container was also set on fire.

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Dutch police arrest over 20 people after overnight rioting in The Hague | Euronews

Netherlands: COVID-19 Entry Requirements Travelers Need To Know

The Netherlands is one of the most visited countries in the world  receiving over 17 million annual visitors prior to the pandemic.

The country is now looking to revitalize its tourism sector after being decimated by the coronavirus.

Below,  see link below ,are all the latest COVID-19 entry requirements for the Netherlands and everything you need to know before booking your trip. 

Note Almere Digest: Arriving after 6 pm at Schiphol airport means you can not use or go to the Coronavirus test center, because it is closed from 6pm to 8am. Also wearing face masks, which is obligatory in Public transport, is not required in stores, shops, supermarkets, and restaurants. One local Albert Heijn supermarket we visited  did not even have sanitary disinfectants dispensers, or wipes available for the shoppers entering the supermarket. All by all it seems the Dutch do not have a solid well defined Coronavirus protection system in place.
 

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Netherlands: COVID-19 Entry Requirements Travelers Need To Know - Travel Off Path

China - Netherlands Relations: Free trade and cooperation top Chinese FM Wang Yi's Netherlands visit

Chinese State Council and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on the Netherlands to jointly defend multilateralism and free trade.Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague.

Wang said China and the Netherlands enjoy a mutual bilateral relationship on the basis of mutual respect, mutual understanding, openness and mutual trust.

As the coronavirus pandemic is normalized in both countries, China is willing to work with the Dutch government to resume the flow of goods and people so as to make their contribution to global economic recovery.

Faced with the rising challenge of unilateralism, China would like to work the Dutch side to defend multilateralism and free trade and build a community with a shared future for mankind, he added.

Rutte said the Netherlands values the ties with China and is willing to expand cooperation in different areas.

He praised China's efforts in fighting against COVID-19, saying the Dutch side is willing to work with China in respective areas.

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Free trade and cooperation top Chinese FM Wang Yi's Netherlands visit - CGTN

The Netherlands: How the Netherlands got universal health insurance with a private market - "but polls show citizens still find healthcare too costly for the average citizen"

Critics argue that the Netherlands made a mistake in handing over so much of its health care to the private market.

Dutch patients face higher financial barriers to care than their peers in more socialized systems, like Germany, Britain, Spain, and spending has accelerated in recent years, trends the critics blame on the privatized market. average cost to a Dutch citizen for health insurance is about 1,400 euros, or $1,615, annually.People with lower incomes get additional government assistance to reduce their payments. 

The government also collects contributions from employers to help fund the insurance scheme and covers the cost for children; revenues are spread among the insurers based on the health status of their customers. Public financing covers about 75 percent of the system’s costs; the insurers have also generally operated as nonprofits.< The benefits are designed to encourage cost-efficient use of medical care by patients. Dutch patients can visit a primary care doctor for free. For a visit to the hospital, they will need to pay toward their deductible.  

The annual deductible is today capped at €385 ($429), although people can choose to pay a lower monthly premium in exchange for a higher deductible — up to €885 ($980). That is still well below the typical deductible in America (more than $1,600 on average for workers on their employer’s plan, and many people have a higher deductible than that). 

The system has more or less delivered universal coverage. More than 99 percent of Dutch people have insurance; people with conscientious objections are exempted from the mandate to buy insurance. The system is designed to funnel people with minor problems to a general practitioner to free up the ER for more emergencies. But Dutch patients weren’t thrilled with the idea of the co-ops when they first started nearly 20 years ago, wary about seeing somebody other than their normal physician. 

 Read more at: How the Netherlands got universal health insurance with a private market - Vox

US Presidential elections: Foreign observers can flag unethical voting practices - by Markos Kounalakis

Authoritarian nations, semi-legitimated dictatorships and dying democracies are regularly subjected to international observers whom they grudgingly allow into their countries to monitor elections. The United States sends teams of former government officials and private-sector volunteers around the world to certify —and sometimes condemn — electionpractices and results. They bear witness to vote tampering, citizen intimidation, ballot stuffing, polling place irregularities and outright
stolen elections. They also often get to watch inspiring people power and real democracy at work.

It’s now America’s turn.

his year, the global democratic community needs to gear up and step in to oversee, monitor and judge the fairness of November’s U.S. presidential election. Germany, Sweden,Japan, India, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Israel, and other nations all need to up their game. They should immediately train and send new volunteers to conduct sweeping election monitoring across America, mostly in tough battleground states.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) already has a 500-person delegation slated to monitor America’s process. It should crank up those numbers significantly, especially since OSCE recently raised concerns around November’s “most challenging” election.

Read more at:https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article245309125.html?fbclid=IwAR3Nxc7YDGeEPKftVEKi5N4wmm4BvUh-YktK2UEB7LcZR7S0yXpwxJfRF88

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