Football: Netherlands to play England, France in friendlies

England will warm up for the European Championship in a friendly against the Netherlands, which failed to qualify for the tournament in France.

The Dutch football association announced Friday that Danny Blind’s team will take on England at Wembley on March 29. Four days earlier, the Dutch have a home friendly against France - a team they have been drawn with in a tough World Cup qualification group.

On Thursday, the Dutch announced friendlies next month against world champion Germany and Wales, both teams that are heading to Euro 2016.

The strong lineup of friendly opponents gives Blind an opportunity to start rebuilding and giving experience to his team that mixes many young players with veterans like Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder.

Read more: Netherlands to play England, France in friendlies - Washington Times

World Solar Challenge: Dutch university Delft wins race in Australia

A team from Delft University in the Netherlands has won a solar car race in the Australian outback.

The university's Nuon Solar Team was the first to arrive at the finish line in Adelaide and the 3,000km (1,800 mile) race took four days to complete.

In second place was a team from the University of Twente, also from the Netherlands; while Japan's Tokai University came in third.

The race, which happens once every two years, started on Sunday in Darwin.

Nearly 50 teams from universities and schools around the world took part. Delft University had also won the last challenge in 2013.

The World Solar Challenge is aimed at promoting research on solar-powered cars which could become a consumer product one day.

World Solar Challenge: Dutch university Delft wins race in Australia - BBC News

Postal Services: Swiss test postal drones for future deliveries

The Swiss postal service has begun testing parcel deliveries by unmanned drones.

Eventually for areas which are difficult to access such as mountanous regions this will be the postal service of the future.

Extensive tests will analyse the technical restrictions of the drones, including limited battery life.

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Swiss Post says it envisages using the drones for mainly emergency situations, which could involve bringing supplies to an area that has been cut off from the outside world following a storm.

Tests are going to run until the end of July although widespread use the flying postmen is not expected for another five years.

Read more: Swiss test postal drones for future deliveries | euronews, world news

The Netherlands: Refugees: "it is all about perception" - by RM

Het is verbazingwekkend hoe negatief sommige mensen in Europa (Nederland) reageren op de vluctelingenstroom uit het Midden Oosten o.a. Syria.

Als morgen Amsterdam en Rotterdam zouden worden gebombardeerd dan zou de rest van Nederland en Belgie ook overstroomd worden door Nederlandse vluchtelingen die een veilg onderkomen zochten.

De vluchtelingen uit het Midden Oosten komen met dat zelfde doel naar Noord Europa en vooral niet omdat ze het leuk vinden of voor het mooie weer..

Ze komen omdat ze uit hun huizen en banen zijn gedreven door een oorlog, die vanwege onze eigen kortzichtige buitenlandse politiek en apatische opstelling, zonder eigen mening en vooral omdat wij ons in deze als schoothondje gedragen van Amerika - samen met al de andere bondgenoten in de Nato.  Het Amerika dat na de tweede wereld-oorlog geen enkel sukes op militair gebied heeft geboekt.

Laat ze maar komen die vluchtelingen, hopenlijk worden wij hierdoor in Europa wat minder egoïstisch en meer verdraagzaam.


English Translation
It's amazing how negative some people in Europe (Netherlands ) respond to the stream of refugees coming from the Middle East and specifically Syria .

 If tomorrow Amsterdam and Rotterdam would be bombed than the rest of the Netherlands and Belgium would a;so be flooded by Dutch refugees who sought safe shelter.

These refugees from the Middle East come with that same objective to Northern Europe not because they like it, or for the good weather.

They come because they have been driven from their homes and jobs by a war as a result of Europe's apathy and its own myopic foreign policy, based on functioning as the lapdog of America - along with all the other allies in the NATO.  An America, which after the second world war has not concluded any succesful military campaign.

Let them come, these refugees, hopefully this will lead to a less selfish and more tolerant Europe

Almere-Digest

Netherlands and Luxembourgih: Starbucks, Fiat Decisions Seen in First Wave of EU Tax Cases - by Stephanie Bodoni Gaspard Sebag

Starbucks Corp. and a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV unit are set to be first in the firing line as European Union regulators issue a series of rulings over tax breaks for global companies, including Apple Inc.

The EU may issue decisions against Starbucks and Fiat as soon as next week following a two-year probe into how the companies may have gotten unfair tax treatment from Dutch and Luxembourgih authorities, people familiar with the cases said.

Speculation about the probes intensified.,this week as Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition chief, canceled a scheduled visit to China, citing pressing matters relating to her job.

Decisions on whether iPhone maker Apple and Amazon.com Inc. got sweetheart tax deals from Ireland and Luxembourg are expected at a later date, said the people who asked not to be identified because the decision isn’t public.

Read more: Starbucks, Fiat Decisions Seen in First Wave of EU Tax Cases - Bloomberg Business

Terrorism: U.K. Extends Passport Powers To Block Teenagers Joining Terrorist Groups - by Jack Moore

British parents will be able to request the cancellation of the passports of their older teenage children if they have fears that they are being radicalized and might travel abroad to join a terrorist group, Prime Minister David Cameron will announce on Monday.

Parents already have had the ability to request the cancellation of the passports of their children aged under 16—a measure that Cameron's office said has been used a number of times, according to the BBC—and new proposals extend the measure to children aged 17 and under.

The aim of the extension of the power is to prevent teenagers traveling to join terrorist groups, particularly in Iraq and Syria, such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda-linked groups such as the Nusra Front.

Note EU-Digest: Excellent move: should be adopted throughout the EU 

Read more: U.K. Extends Passport Powers To Block Teenagers Joining Terrorist Groups

Amnesty International: Merkel should speak up for human rights in Turkey

Amnesty International (AI) on Saturday called on German ChancellorAngela Merkel to directly address the issue of human rights during her upcoming visit to Turkey.

The human rights group also criticized the EU's proposal of financial aid and concessions to Turkey to contain the mass movement of asylum seekers to Europe.

"Angela Merkel must insist that Turkey cleans up its act before treating it as a reliable partner in the EU's border management," said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's Turkey researcher.

"Talks between the EU and Turkey... risk putting the rights of refugees a distant second behind border control measures designed to prevent refugees from reaching the EU," Gardner argued.

AI also noted flaws in Turkey's human rights record, saying Merkel should not remain silent on the matter in talks with Turkish leaders.

Note EU-Digest: Absolutely - Merkel should not start discussions wirh Turkey about anything unless Turkey complies with human rights demands and after Turkish elections produce a more democratic government.

Amnesty: Merkel should speak up for human rights in Turkey | News | DW.COM | 17.10.2015