Government hires holiday park for asylum seekers
March 31, 2008 Leave a Comment
The central reception body for asylum seekers (COA) has rented a holiday park for the accommodation of asylum seekers. Due to a sudden increase in arrivals, the normal accommodation is full.
“We have arranged with the owner of a chalet park in Gulpen-Wittem to use the park for temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. In total, 400 [...]
15 April: GNE lecture: “Ightham Mote: Upstairs & Downstairs”
March 31, 2008 Leave a Comment
venue: Grand Hotel l’Empereur, Maastricht (opp. Railway station)
date :Tues. 15 April 2008. [8-10 p.m., with a break around 9p.m.]
“Ightham Mote: Upstairs & Downstairs”
Ightham Mote (near Sevenoaks in the County of Kent) was originally a 14th century fortified manor house, owned by Sir Thomas Cawne. Built in 1340, the square platform encased by a wide moat [...]
Welcome into the creative world of Rod Summers
March 31, 2008 Leave a Comment
Maastricht Moet Je Horen, a website featuring audio interviews with Maastricht citizens, recently met with Rod Summers, a British audio artist who moved to Maastricht in the 1970’s and introduces him as follows:
“Rod Summers, born in England and now living in Maastricht, could have been an atomic scientist, but the forces of nature had choosen [...]
Maastricht walks with Chinese Dinosaurs
March 30, 2008 Leave a Comment
The 26 metre long Mamenchisaurus is the largest of the four Chinese dinosaur fossils currently on display in Maastricht’s spacious Centre Céramique. It is the first time that they are being exhibited in Europe and people from all across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and parts of France are flocking to Maastricht to admire the impressive beasts.
Islamic Student Association Maastricht: “Muslims are not afraid of critical debate!”
March 27, 2008 4 Comments
The newly established Islamic Student Association Maastricht ( ISVM) recently organised its first public event with a “Conference on Islam and the West”. Crossroads writer Henrik Hartmann speaks with ISVM’s chairman Zine Abhidin Zouggari about the perception of Islam after 9/11, Geert Wilders’ controversial statements, and how Muslims are represented in Maastricht.
7 April: Film forum: Conflict in Africa
March 27, 2008 Leave a Comment
On Monday April 7 at 7.30 pm, Maastricht Debates in cooperation with COS Limburg and Lumière Cinema organises a Film Forum which combines a movie with discussion.
The first issue is on conflicts in Africa featuring the documentary film ‘Another African Story’ by award winning filmmaker Emanuele Piano.
The discussion will be with David Ambrosetti, [...]
Maastricht University helps India and Kenya produce a manifesto for ethical research
March 27, 2008 Leave a Comment
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University (UM) recently signed a contract with the European Commission for a three-year project on the ethics of scientific and technological research in India and Kenya.
The University is the sole Dutch partner in the project. The aim is to draw up two national manifestos for research [...]
Dutch: Mass immigration our biggest mistake ever
March 27, 2008 1 Comment
The majority of the Dutch are negative on Islam and immigration. Additionally, their knowledge of Dutch history is meagre, according to a survey by three history professors.
According to 56 percent of the Dutch, Islam is a threat to the Dutch identity. As well, 57 percent named admitting large groups of immigrants as “the biggest mistake [...]
Dutch concerned about their neighbourhoods
March 27, 2008 Leave a Comment
The Dutch statistics office reports that half of the Dutch population believes their neighbourhood is going to the dogs. Around a third mentioned dog waste on the sidewalk. There are also complaints of littering and the destruction and defiling of public property.
Thirty-seven percent of the population say their greatest concern is problems with minority groups. [...]
Europe struggles to accommodate its growing Muslim minority
March 26, 2008 Leave a Comment
A French court this month upheld a weekly magazine’s right to reprint a Danish cartoon of the prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. At the same time, it affirmed a lower court’s finding that the image, published two years ago, could be “shocking, even hurtful” to devout Muslims.
The split decision illustrates how France [...]
UN simulation attracts hundreds of students to Maastricht
March 26, 2008 Leave a Comment
In April over 400 students from all over the world will be participating in the European Model United Nations (EuroMUN) in Maastricht.
Simulation
The conference is a precise simulation of a session of the UN General Assembly, with the same committees meeting and negotiating on typical UN issues such as the situation in Kosovo, climate change and [...]
Second airline quits Maastricht over tax
March 24, 2008 Leave a Comment
Airline Corendon is quitting Maastricht airport and moving to Liège over the border in Belgium because of the imposition of the new tax on air travel. Italian budget airline Volariaweb has also made the move.
Earlier this week, the courts gave the green light to the tax which adds €11.25 to short haul and €45 to [...]
RNW releases short film: ‘About Fitna, the Netherlands and Wilders’
March 24, 2008 1 Comment
Radio Netherlands Worldwide has produced a short film in connection with the expected release of the film Fitna, the movie by Dutch opposition MP Geert Wilders. RNW’s film About Fitna, the Netherlands and Wilders provides answers to many of the questions raised around the world regarding Wilders’ cinematographic criticism of the Qur’an.
RNW’s film is [...]
Police chiefs instruct officers to be sensitive towards ethnic groups
March 24, 2008 Leave a Comment
Policemen should develop more understanding for ethnic groups. Otherwise society is in danger of breaking down, the Council of Police Chiefs writes in a memo entitled ‘Politie voor een ieder’ (Police for everyone).
Policemen should pay more attention to the sensitivities of different population groups. Police forces that do not invest in this may be faced [...]
Day-care costs through the roof
March 24, 2008 Leave a Comment
The demand for day-care for children in the Netherlands has risen explosively. That is a success for the Dutch government, which relaxed its subsidy policies in order to enable more women to participate in the labour market. But the success has a downside: last year the cost was 500 million euros over the budget. So [...]
Cultural Biography of Maastricht now available in English
March 23, 2008 Leave a Comment
The digital biography of Maastricht, at www.zichtopmaastricht.nl, is now available in English. It is a fascinating website with audio/video material about the cultural history and heritage of Maastricht, featuring very interesting articles and beautiful photographic and multimedia material.
The goal of the website is to create a virtual biography of the city. Visitors will learn about [...]
Wanted: expatriates interested in participating in the cultural biography of Maastricht
March 23, 2008 1 Comment
The Cultural Biography of Maastricht (www.zichtopmaastricht.nl) is looking for expatriates living in and around Maastricht for two separate projects.
Interviews:
The idea of the project is to collect expatriate stories and personal impressions about the city. The project is open to expatriates or international students who have been living in or around Maastricht for at least a [...]
Between Two: Selexyz Dominicanen as Church and Bookstore
March 22, 2008 3 Comments
Recently rated the world’s “fairest bookshop” by the UK’s highly-regarded Guardian newspaper, the Dominicanen has quickly become one of Maastricht’s tourist attractions. “After the Guardian article, this place has been a madhouse,” William Remmers, General Department Head of the store, tells Crossroads writer Amrit Dhir. [continued...]
Thrown into the big wide world
March 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
“Strangely enough, Maastricht University’s attractive international atmosphere and broad variety of new, innovative Bachelor programmes can also be very disorientating,” says UCM student Stella Wolters. “Where do I belong?”, “What does the future hold for me?” she often finds herself wondering. [continued...]
Dutch court upholds flight tax
March 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
A Dutch court upheld on Wednesday the introduction of a tax on passenger flights that Amsterdam airport Schiphol, airlines and the tourism industry had fought, ANP news agency reported.
The court ruled that the tax, due to take effect on July 1, did not contravene international flight treaties, ANP reported. The tax will add 11.25 euros [...]
Nationwide introduction of video conferencing system
March 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
Video conferencing equipment will be installed in all Dutch court houses, all detention centres for foreign nationals and the largest remand centres, allowing detained defendants, foreign nationals, witnesses and experts outside the Netherlands to be heard through a live audio and video connection.
The Ministry of Justice and the Council for the Judiciary have agreed to [...]
The Netherlands offers most English programmes
March 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
Programmes taught in English in non-English-speaking European countries are on the rise. The Netherlands are the uncontested leader in this form of education, followed by Finland. These are some of the key findings of of a new study by the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA).
The ACA, a Brussels-based higher education think tank, has just published a [...]
More Dutch people adopt healthier lifestyle
March 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
In recent years, the Dutch have adopted a more healthy lifestyle. The percentage of smokers and heavy drinkers has marginally declined. An increasing number of people in the Netherlands exercise enough and the number of moderately overweight adults is no longer increasing, but there is still an upward trend in obese people, according to the [...]
Sharper fall in unemployment among non-westerners
March 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
According to figures released by Statistics Netherlands, the fall in unemployment among people with a non-western foreign background in the Netherlands quickened in 2007. Among people younger than 45 in particular, unemployment has been decreasing more quickly.
Substantial drop in unemployment among non-westerners
Unemployment rates for groups with a non-western foreign background have decreased in the past [...]
Dutch read fewer books, but bookshops record higher turnover rates
March 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
In 2007, bookshops again sold more books, newspapers and magazines. Though there is an increase in online buying, bookshops remain the most important sales channel, accounting for 55 percent of total book sales. The number of bookshops – on the other hand – is dwindling. Growing book sales is at odds with the amount of [...]
EU pledges to create ‘fifth freedom’ of knowledge
March 19, 2008 Leave a Comment
As part of the EU’s ongoing quest to make itself more competitive, the bloc’s leaders have suggested creating a “fifth freedom” of knowledge to be added to the four original principles of free movement of persons, capital, services and goods in the European Union.
“Member states and the EU must remove barriers to the free movement [...]
How to end ‘apartheid’ in Dutch schools?
March 19, 2008 Leave a Comment
The Dutch cabinet wants this country’s primary schools to be more integrated. But the government has backed down from proposals made last year to attempt to force school integration.
This middle road has aroused the ire of parties to the left and to the right. The Socialist Party even talks about a system of apartheid in [...]
17-20 April: Model United Nations convenes in Maastricht
March 19, 2008 Leave a Comment
The Maastricht University UN Students Association is hosting the 2008 European Model United Nations (EUROMUN) taking place from 17-20 April. More than 400 delegates from 35 countries have registered to attend the event.
More information: EUROMUN
‘No Dutch doctor will help Chantal Sébire’
March 18, 2008 Leave a Comment
In a controversial court case, a French judge has rejected the request of 52-year-old Chantal Sébire for euthanasia. A tumour has caused Ms Sébire’s face to become disfigured, and her suffering is unbearable.
Ms Sébire is now considering turning for help to doctors outside her native France. But countries such as the Netherlands, where euthanasia is [...]
Digging digitally for those Dutch roots
March 18, 2008 Leave a Comment
More Dutch people than ever before are delving into the archives to unravel their family histories. The Dutch Genealogical Society (NGV) puts this down to an increased interest in the past in general, and the advent of the internet in particular.
With almost 9500 members, the Netherlands has one of the largest genealogical societies in Europe. [...]
