Netherlands to wait for a UN decision over Syria

The Members of the Netherlands Foreign Affairs Commission of the House of Representatives discussed Syria Thursday and they took a dim view of a possible military intervention in Syria without getting the support of UN.

Netherlands will wait for a UN decision over the matter, said Foreign Minister Franciscus Timmermans.

Members of the commission also voiced thatthe Dutch Patriot missiles in Turkey can not be used for attack purposes stating they were sent to Turkey for defense purposes.

Last night the British parliament voted against British troops getting involved in Syria and in fact handed Mr. Cameron, who was in favor of the intervention, a resounding defeat.

Almere-Digest

The Netherlands - Built to thrill: 12 crazy man-made adventures including Worlds Best Safari in Flevoland

Especially now that summer is coming to an end, there's nothing quite like catching the wind in your hair, reaching out for the next rock hold high above the valley floor, or whizzing down some woodsy trail on your finely tuned mountain bike… well, almost nothing.

USA Today has listed 12 of the greatest man-made adventures on the planet, including awe-inspiring (and safe) wildlife encounters, outdoor thrills brought indoors and amazing "natural" features that were deftly built with human hands.

From a transplanted marshland safari in the heart of the Netherlands, to a cool indoor ski center under the steaming Dubai sun, all the way to a barnacled sunken warship teeming with marine life.

Here is the best safari—Oostvaardersplassen, Netherlands: This 22-square-mile nature preserve is an artificial marshland reclaimed from the sea by clever Dutch engineers. A series of dikes protects the area, and grazing species such as red deer, ponies and graylag geese stem overgrowth, keeping the space open for endangered bird species. Safari seats are limited, however, as only 400 excursions—including photo safaris, cycling trips and ranger-led animal-spotting walks—are organized annually, so as not to disturb the fragile ecosystem. The assembled bird population includes egrets, cormorants and herons, as well as ravens and white-tailed eagles—creatures that otherwise wouldn't breed locally.

Read more: Built to thrill: 12 crazy man-made adventures

The Netherlands: Persecuted Egyptian Coptic Christians will not receive special asylum arrangements says Government

The Dutch cabinet headed by PM Mark Rutte sees no reason in the present situation for special asylum arrangements for Coptic Christians from Egypt. “There is no question of an organized religious cleansing there”, says the Dutch Government

Dozens of churches and other properties, however, of Christians in Egypt have been set on fire in the past week. The small Dutch Christian party ChristenUnie wants the cabinet to make more specific efforts on behalf of the Coptic religious minority, for example by designating them a ‘risk group’ as part of asylum policy. They could then be able to obtain temporary asylum in the Netherlands more easily.

But the cabinet is not in favor of this for now, and is also not prepared to relax its visa policy. Every visa application will be considered on its merits, but the visa procedure is not intended for people who want to stay in the Netherlands for longer than 90 days, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans says in a letter to parliament.

ChristenUnie political party says it is disappointed. “Coptic Christians appear to be outlawed,” according to MP Joël Voordewind.

Timmermans says in his letter that ''individual Egyptians” have used the unrest to commit violent acts against Christians, but that it cannot be established with any certainty that there is organised viiolence by political movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The attacks against this Christian minority are “unacceptable,” but “there is no question of an organised religious cleansing. 

A parliamentarian from one of the opposition parties noted: "this is  a strange and obviously politically motivated decision by the Government, who in the past have always opened their arms towards repressed people from around the world, regardless of their race, political viewpoints, or religious belief. 

Christians organizations in the Netherlands have been urged to contact their political representatives and national organizations to lobby for the easing of Dutch asylum regulations, in particular for Coptic Christians and Christians throughout the Middle East, who are suffering from incredible dangerous conditions, including, persecution, torture and killings.

Almere-Digest

Almere: First iPad-Only 'Steve Jobs Schools To Open In Almere and seven other Dutch cities- by James Cull

The first seven exclusive "Steve Jobs schools" have opened their doors across a number of cities in the Netherlands. Starting  today, schools in the Dutch cities of Sneek, Breda, Almere, Emmen, Heenvliet and Amsterdam will start teaching students according to the principles of the O4NT, or Onderwijs voor een nieuwe tijd (Education for a new era), which emphasizes the role of the iPad in an elementary school environment.

The program, which was first proposed by Dutch officials back in March 2012, gives every child access to a "virtual school" through an iPad and helps them develop information and communication technology (ICT) and information processing skills, collaboration techniques and a critical, problem-solving and creative mind.

The O4NT foundation is currently in talks with a number of school boards across the Netherlands and they hope that more schools will sign up the model next year. The program has a number of benefits: apart from teaching children useful skills, school hours and vacations are a lot more flexible under the new model — as the "virtual school" is accessible round the clock, 365 days a year (although the Dutch Ministry of Education is currently preventing this scenario due to legislative restrictions) — and the ICT-based approach also has a major impact on the role of the teacher. 

Read more: First Seven iPad-Only 'Steve Jobs Schools' Open in the Netherlands - Mac Rumors

The Netherlands: what is Almere doing to capture investments like Tesla, which just opened plant in Tilburg ?

Tesla Motors which recently won the car of the year award opened an assembly plant in Tilburg, Netherlands, and delivered the first Tesla Model S vehicles to customers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.

The 18,900 square meter facility will not produce the Model S from scratch; instead, it will receive the vehicles for final assembly and send them on their way across the continent.

To mark the occasion, first buyers from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany showed up at the opening to receive their cars.

The car company chose Tilburg because of is proximity to the port of Rotterdam, as well as the high quality and availability of transportation options there.

"This location is pivotal to Tesla's European operations, which are expanding rapidly over the coming months with openings of around 15 new stores and service centres," Bryan Batista, Tesla's EU sales director, said in a statement.

The question which obviously arises is what has Almere done to capture investments which create jobs like Tilburg seems to be able to do? So far, it seems, not much.

Almere-Digest

You are welcome at the Afrikadag Almere 2013

On Sunday September 15, the city of Almere will show her African colors again, when the Afrikadag Almere takes place at the scenic open air venue Stadslandgoed De Kemphaan.

Some highlights in this year’s line-up are Mami Wata, an interactive theatre show for children, and a pre-fashion show of the annual Kente Festival. Closing act of the festival will be Nusodia, a dynamic blend of West-African and European musicians and dancers.

Apart from the artists on stage, visitors can sample many different aspects of African culture, from Moroccan drums and Gambian batik to modern African dance and a Somali coffee ceremony.

There are plenty activities for children and on the market you will, by all means, find your your favourite African and Suriname food and drinks.

More information about the programme can be found at www.afrikadag-almere.nl or call Kwame P at 036-5399643.

Almere-Digest

Almere: Poprondo Musical Caravan Visits City October 5 - Mark your calender

Almere will be shaking on its foundations once again on Saturday October 5, when the  Musical Caravan stops in the City for the fourth year in a row. The caravan also visits 31 other Dutch cities including, Nijmegen, Zwolle, Oss and Haarlem.

In Almere the artists will perform at sixteen different locations downtown, among those locations De Meester, Kinki Kappers, Bagel and Beans, and even at the Editorial Office of the Almere Vandaag newspaper.

There will be something for every music lover. A total of 26 groups will be performing throughout the day. From pop to rock, soul to folk. Among the performing bands: When We Are Wild, Wolf in Loveland, Herrek, Adam and the Relevants and Hompfdinga.

So mark your calender for October 5 and come to Almere, Europe's most modern and swinging city.

Almere-Digest