The Netherlands: UN-EU Beach Clean-up: tidying the entire Dutch North Sea coast

This summer, environmental NGO The North Sea Foundation organised the eighth edition of its annual beach clean-up campaign. From August 1 until August 15, almost 2,500 volunteers cleaned up the entire North Sea coast in the Netherlands. This year, for the first time, the organisation joined the UN-EU Beach Clean-up campaign.

Read more at: UN-EU Beach Clean-up: tidying the entire Dutch North Sea coast

The Netherlands: Dutch Covid hospitalizations down 6% this week; Coronavirus average up 5%

Hopitals in the Netherlands admitted 531 patients with Covid-19 this calendar week, five percent fewer compared to a week ago. Out of that group, 439 patients were admitted into regular care, and 92 were sent to intensive care units, based on data provided by patient monitor LCPS.

That means that 76 patients with the disease were admitted daily on average, including 63 nursing ward patients and 13 intensive care patients. A week earlier, hospitals sent 444 to regular care wards, an average of over 63 daily, and 114 to an ICU, or 16 on average.

Read more at: https://nltimes.nl/2021/08/22/dutch-covid-hospitalizations-6-week-coronavirus-average-5

The Netherlandsand Afghanistan Fiasco: Over 700 Dutch still stuck in Afghanistan

There are currently more than seven hundred people with a Dutch passport in Afghanistan. That is what Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigrid Kaag said on Friday before the Council of Ministers.

According to Kaag, this concerns "many people who appear to have gone on a family visit", despite the "clear travel advice" that applied to Afghanistan. "We have to get them back," said Kaag. This is still separate from Afghans who worked for the Netherlands and who the Netherlands is also trying to evacuate. They are at risk now that the Taliban is ruling the country.

Read more at: Over 700 Dutch still stuck in Afghanistan | NL Times

The Netherlands -Technology Leadership in the EU: How the Netherlands is leading the EU toward its tech future

Though geographically and demographically small, the Netherlands is positioning itself as a European technology leader, making a name for itself in fields like quantum computing, AI, tech start-up innovation and sustainable cities.

This is good news for IT pros looking to advance their careers and enterprises interested in emerging tech, but the country's hot technology market presents some challanges — first and foremost, it can be hard for businesses to find the tech talent they need.

Read more at: How the Netherlands is leading the EU toward its tech future | Computerworld

The Netherlands: Dutch employment crisis: More job vacancies than unemployed

While many were left concerned about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Dutch economy and labour market, figures from CBS confirm that the financial aid from the Dutch government not only prevented thousands of redundancies, but has actually led to another crisis altogether.

Unemployment has been falling and the number of vacancies has been steadily rising since mid-2020, but peaked this year between April and June, when there were 106 job vacancies for every 100 unemployed people. In this period, there were 327.000 jobs available - the highest number ever recorded in the Netherlands. At the end of the second quarter, there were 39 vacancies for every 1.000 jobs in the Dutch labour market - the highest figure ever recorded by CBS.

Read more at: Dutch employment crisis: More job vacancies than unemployed

EU eyes talks with Taliban but no plans to recognize them - by Lorne Cook and Kirsten Grieshaber

The European Union has no immediate plans to recognize the Taliban after their sweeping victory in Afghanistan but will talk with the militants to ensure that European citizens and Afghans who have worked with the EU can leave safely, the bloc’s top diplomat said Tuesday.

peaking after leading emergency talks among the EU’s foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also underlined the importance of opening talks with the Taliban to help prevent a new exodus of refugees as a humanitarian crisis unfolds in the conflict-ravaged country.

“We have to get in touch with the authorities in Kabul, whatever they are. The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them,” Borrell told reporters. “This dialogue will also have to focus on the means to prevent the return of foreign terrorists.”

“It’s not a matter of official recognition, it’s a matter of dealing with” the Taliban, Borrell said.

The EU has decided to suspend development assistance to the Afghan government now that the Taliban has seized power, but the 27-nation bloc is weighing whether to boost humanitarian aid.

Read more at: EU eyes talks with Taliban but no plans to recognize them | World | stltoday.com

Afghanistan: Most European troops exit Afghanistan quietly after 20 years - time to leave NATO ?

Another failed NATO (US) campaign ends for EU member states in Afghanistan. It is high time for EU member states to stop wasting their young men and womens lives, and their citizens taxpayers money, by being part of the outdated NATO. It would be far better to focus instead on more lucrative activities, like global trade, medical science, global warming, space, and a variety of other more peaceful actvities.

Read more at: Most European troops exit Afghanistan quietly after 20 years