Netherlands-Suriname Relations: The Netherlands: Surinamese president to address Dutch parliament

Surinamese president Chan Santokhi will address the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, during his visit to the Netherlands next month. An address to parliament is a rarely awarded diplomatic honor in the Netherlands and marks the restoration of good ties with Suriname, Trouw reports.

Santokhi and part of his government will visit The Hague and Prime Minister Mark Rutte on September 8 and 9.

The relationship between the Netherlands and Suriname was under pressure for some time because of the presidency of Desi Bouterse, who was convicted of cocaine trafficking in the Netherlands. Restoration of this relationship between the Netherlands and one of its former colonies started when Santokhi won the election in May last year and got sworn in as president in

Read more at: Surinamese president to address Dutch parliament | NL Times

Fake COVID-19 certificate sales rise as health passes become mandatory

With COVID-19 certificates becoming mandatory around the world, some people are turning to social platforms like Telegram to buy fake health passes, at a cost of around €100.

In just a few months, accounts selling photoshopped certificates that are being delivered via email have grown in number in Europe and around the world, triggering an increase in cyber-crime, experts at the cybersecurity company Check Point have said.

Read more at: Fake COVID-19 certificate sales rise as health passes become mandatory | Euronews

EU Travel Restrictions: The Netherlands to stay red on European coronavirus risk map for one more week

The Netherlands will likely remain red on the European coronavirus map for one week longer, AD reported. This means that restrictions against travelers from the Netherlands will continue to apply in a number of countries, including Germany, France and Norway.

Read more at: The Netherlands to stay red on European coronavirus risk map for one more week | NL Times

The Netherlands gains three new UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Every nation that has ratified UNESCO’s “Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage” treaty can establish its own tentative list of potential sites that they feel is worthy of the honour of UNESCO World Heritage status. A site can only be granted this status if it is first featured on a country’s tentative list.

This week, for the first time since 2014, the Netherlands saw three spots granted World Heritage status by the World Heritage Committee in Fuzhou, China: the Koloniën van Weldadigheid, the Nieuwe Hollandse WaterlinieII, and the Lower Germanic Limes.

Read more at: The Netherlands gains three new UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Dutch PM withheld information from parliament on talks with Russia: report

Prime Minster Mark Rutte incompletely informed parliament about talks that senior Dutch officials had with Russia. Rutte said that these conversations were only a "free exchange of views", but the talks included controversial topics and agreements were made, Follow the Money and The Investigative Desk reported.

The Netherlands officially severed ties with Russia after flight MH17 was shot down in 2014, but communications were picked up again three years later. Senior officials from the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Foreign Affairs resumed talks with their Russian colleagues. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, only found out about this after the two research platforms reported about it earlier in the year.

Read more at: Dutch PM withheld information from parliament on talks with Russia: report | NL Times

Nederland: Dit land heeft honderd dagen na de verkiezingen een echt kabinet nodig, Nederland moet weer geregeerd worden - door Henk van der Laan

Na ruim honderd dagen na de verkiezingen is er nog altijd geen zicht op een nieuw kabinet. En dat terwijl er genoeg problemen in Nederland zijn die schreeuwen om beleid door een volwaardig kabinet.

Note Almere Digest: The Netherlands still has no real functioning decission making government , 100 days after the general election. Maybe it is time for demissionnary PM Rutte to read the writing on the wall?

Read Morte at: Dit land heeft honderd dagen na de verkiezingen een echt kabinet nodig, Nederland moet weer geregeerd worden | Commentaar - Friesch Dagblad

Healthcare in the Netherlands: Is it really that good?

Amazingly, the Dutch rate their health care very highly. They must have low expectations. The Netherlands was number one on the Euro Health Consumer Index in 2015 for its health care system. It has also been listed in the top 3 European countries since 2005. It may be the best system in terms of economics. However, I’m not so certain it works well for everyday patients.

Dutch huisartsen (general practitioners) are notorious for sending you home from an office visit with advice to rest and take a paracetamol. Come back in 2 weeks if you’re not feeling better. This goes for everything from a sore throat to an amputated limb (ok, that may be a slight exaggeration). You have to have one foot in the grave for your huisarts to either prescribe an antibiotic or to send you to see a specialist. Now, I am not someone who believes in prescribing antibiotics for every minor illness, but for bacterial infections they are sometimes necessary. The same goes for pain meds and anesthetics. The Dutch seem to believe one needs to suffer for a while before doing anything proactive.

Read more at: Healthcare in the Netherlands: Is it really that good? – DutchReview