The Netherlands: Larges Dutch criminal investigation' finds corruption among Amsterdam police

The officer appeared on the radar of the investigative services through the analysis of intercepted messages from the Encrochat encryption service, whose computer server was seized in France on June 12, 2020. This happened after the investigation team had been following the communication between the officer and external parties since April 1, 2020.

This led to the largest Dutch criminal investigation ever. Murders

Read more at: https://nltimes.nl/2021/03/06/larges-dutch-criminal-investigation-finds-corruption-among-amsterdam-police

Womens Rights: Turkey exits European treaty designed to protect women from violence

Hundreds of women gather in Istanbul on Saturday to oppose a move by the Turkish government to exit the Istanbul Convention, a European treaty designed to protect women from violence. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Turkey withdrew early Saturday from a landmark European treaty protecting women from violence that it was the first to sign 10 years ago and that bears the name of its largest city.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's overnight decree annulling Turkey's ratification of the Istanbul Convention is a blow to women's rights advocates, who say the agreement is crucial to combating domestic violence.

Read more at: Turkey exits European treaty designed to protect women from violence | CBC News

Germany: Volkswagen to slash up to 5,000 jobs to fund electric vehicle drive

Carmaker Volkswagen will shed up to 5,000 jobs between now and the end of 2023 as part of cost-cutting to finance its transition to electric vehicles, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Up to 900 employees would opt for an early retirement scheme while others would leave the company as part of a gradual halting of their activities, it said.

It did not give a precise figure for those employees, saying only that it would be in the lower end of a “four-digit number”, an expression usually used to mean between 2,000 to 4,000.

Read more at: https://apiwp.thelocal.com/20210314/volkswagen-to-slash-up-to-5000-jobs-to-fund-electric-vehicle-drive/

EU - Vaccination Certificate: TravelFirst glimpse of new EU 'vaccine certificate' for summer-by Elena Sánchez Nicolás

The European Commission unveiled on Wednesday (17 March) its common approach to vaccine certificates to ease free travel within the bloc - amid concerns over the slow and unequal rollout of vaccines across member states.

The announcement comes after tourism-reliant member states, led by Greece, and industry players like the International Air Transport Association, urged the EU to establish a form of vaccination proof ahead of the summer holiday season. <

Read more at: First glimpse of new EU 'vaccine certificate' for summer

The Netherlands elections- PM Rutte wins for the 4th time: Party leaders react to Dutch election results; Left wing let down

Party leaders from across the political spectrum gave their reactions to the exit poll results after voting in the 2021 parliamentary elections wrapped up. Seventeen parties were projected to take at least one of the 150 seats in the Tweed e Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament. Below follows a round up of reactions from party leaders.

Not included are speeches covered in a separate article, like those from Mark Rutte, the leader of the apparent winner VVD, Sigrid Kaag, who led D66 to a second place finish, and Geert Wilders, whose PVV finished in third. Also missing is Thierry Baudet, leader of the FvD, who gave no reaction three hours after the polls closed despite an apparently strong election result based on exit poll data.

It was a "painful" defeat for the Greens, said GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver of his party's projected six-seat loss. "This result also means that colleagues will not come back, and that hurts."

Read more at: Party leaders react to Dutch election results; Left wing let down | NL Times

Netherlands election: Mark Rutte set to win big – but what next?

The outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, appears headed for a comprehensive victory and fourth successive term in office as the Dutch go to the polls in national elections on Monday, with voting spread over three days due to coronavirus restrictions.

Polls predict Rutte, who has headed three coalition governments of different political complexions since 2010, and his centre-right People’s party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) will win twice as many parliamentary seats as his nearest rival

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/15/netherlands-election-mark-rutte-set-to-win-big-but-what-next

EU -Vaccines - Oxford/AstraZeneca: Spain joins France, Germany and Italy in pausing Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine

France, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Cyprus announced they will stop administering the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine pending an assessment by the EU’s medicine regulator. Spain said it will stop using the AZ vaccine for at least two weeks.

The benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid outweigh the risks of side effects, the European Medicines Agency said in a statement. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said there is no proven link to blood clots and that people should not panic.

Read more at: Spain joins France, Germany and Italy in pausing Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – as it happened | World news | The Guardian