VIDEO: Q&A Sir Richard Branson
Future travellers
Tycoon Richard Branson believes that space travel will be as accepted as commercial airflight in ten years. The Virgin Galactic topman was in The Netherlands to talk about the first flights that will take place in 2012. The International Correspondent had an exclusive interview with him and with ISTA (International Space Transport Association)-topman Ronald Heister and Cosmonaut Sergei Zhukov. Read the complete interview in the next issue of The International Correspondent. Available on december 17. 2011.
Click on the picture above to see the VIDEO
Keuken van Hackfort, Vorden
If you are a hunting person, you might have heard of Vorden, also nicknamed the eight castles village. Although it’s quite a drive from the Randstad, it is certainly worth it because of the typical ‘coulissen’ landscape. At least that is what Eric ‘Mr Slow Food Holland’ van Veluwen thinks of it. Eric was and still is the passionate... Read More »
Economy benefits from international...
The integration of International students into the Dutch work force would greatly benefit the Dutch economy reports the Central Planning Agency. Research shows that if only 20 percent of foreign students would stay and contribute to the Netherlands after their studies it would bring in over €700 million annually. Minister of Education Halbe Zijlstra acknowledges the significance of integrating... Read More »
FM: ‘Austerity measures...
The ‘kunduz coalition’ including the minority coalition and three opposition parties – the D66 Liberals, green party GroenLinks and ChristenUnie – completed the austerity package aimed to cut the Dutch budget deficit to below the 3% E.U. norm. Finance minister Jan Kees de Jager presented the news to reporters this morning after Tuesday night’s negotiations. “It was a team... Read More »
It’s literally rocket science
Michiel Mol, the first Dutch entrepreneur in the space business An ideal competitor. That’s how Dutch businessman, Michiel Mol, describes Richard Branson. Mol made his money from internet companies: Lost Boys, Flogs and Media Republic. Now he’s focusing on developing his own space travel business, SXC. ‘Branson has put space travel on the map,’ he says. ‘He created the market.... Read More »
CBS: Dutch recession continues
The Dutch economy shrunk by 1.1% in the first quarter of 2012 as the recession continues, the national statistics office CBS reported on Tuesday. This is the third consecutive quarter that the economy shrunk; a recession is defined as two quarterly declines in economic growth. According to the CBS, the main cause for the economic contraction is the lack... Read More »
Pioneers in the space industry
Sir Richard Branson plans to celebrate Christmas 2012 with his two children in outer space. They will be dashing through the galaxy on Virgin Galactic’s first commercial space flight. After that, you ordinary plebs can breach the final frontier – if you have $200,000 to pay for the ticket. Branson, who boldly went where no man had gone before... Read More »
EC investigates ING state investments
The European Commission has launched an investigation on Dutch bank ING. The focus of the inspection will be on agreements made by the ING to repay the billions of Euros in Dutch state support given to the financial services group during the financial crisis. In 2008 the state gave ING a 10 billion euro injection of capital, in combination... Read More »
Dutch bank warns for “a lost
A “lost decade” of low economic growth is luring in Europe, the Dutch bank noted in a report on financial stability. According to the Dutch Bank, European legislators must continue expanding budget cuts to regain trust in the economy. Furthermore, the report advocates structural reform designed to improve the development and competitive power on the market. Real Estate In... Read More »
Van Haersma Buma new CDA frontman
Sybrand van Haersma Buma is the new front man of the Christian Democrats (CDA). He was elected yesterday with 51.4% of the votes in a party membership ballot. The runner up and Van Hearsma Buma’s main competitor, Mona Keijzer, a town councillor from Purmerend, received 26.4 % of the votes, which was not enough to force a second ballot. Despite running as the party favourite, Van Haersma Buma stated to be ‘overwhelmed’ by the swift victory and has set... Read More »
Keuken van Hackfort, Vorden
If you are a hunting person, you might have heard of Vorden, also nicknamed the eight castles village. Although it’s quite a drive from the Randstad, it is certainly worth it because of the typical ‘coulissen’ landscape. At least that is what Eric ‘Mr Slow Food Holland’ van Veluwen thinks of it. Eric was and still is the passionate... Read More »
Economy benefits from international...
The integration of International students into the Dutch work force would greatly benefit the Dutch economy reports the Central Planning Agency. Research shows that if only 20 percent of foreign students would stay and contribute to the Netherlands after their studies it would bring in over €700 million annually. Minister of Education Halbe Zijlstra acknowledges the significance of integrating... Read More »
FM: ‘Austerity measures...
The ‘kunduz coalition’ including the minority coalition and three opposition parties – the D66 Liberals, green party GroenLinks and ChristenUnie – completed the austerity package aimed to cut the Dutch budget deficit to below the 3% E.U. norm. Finance minister Jan Kees de Jager presented the news to reporters this morning after Tuesday night’s negotiations. “It was a team... Read More »
It’s literally rocket science
Michiel Mol, the first Dutch entrepreneur in the space business An ideal competitor. That’s how Dutch businessman, Michiel Mol, describes Richard Branson. Mol made his money from internet companies: Lost Boys, Flogs and Media Republic. Now he’s focusing on developing his own space travel business, SXC. ‘Branson has put space travel on the map,’ he says. ‘He created the market.... Read More »
CBS: Dutch recession continues
The Dutch economy shrunk by 1.1% in the first quarter of 2012 as the recession continues, the national statistics office CBS reported on Tuesday. This is the third consecutive quarter that the economy shrunk; a recession is defined as two quarterly declines in economic growth. According to the CBS, the main cause for the economic contraction is the lack... Read More »
Pioneers in the space industry
Sir Richard Branson plans to celebrate Christmas 2012 with his two children in outer space. They will be dashing through the galaxy on Virgin Galactic’s first commercial space flight. After that, you ordinary plebs can breach the final frontier – if you have $200,000 to pay for the ticket. Branson, who boldly went where no man had gone before... Read More »
EC investigates ING state investments
The European Commission has launched an investigation on Dutch bank ING. The focus of the inspection will be on agreements made by the ING to repay the billions of Euros in Dutch state support given to the financial services group during the financial crisis. In 2008 the state gave ING a 10 billion euro injection of capital, in combination... Read More »
Dutch bank warns for “a lost
A “lost decade” of low economic growth is luring in Europe, the Dutch bank noted in a report on financial stability. According to the Dutch Bank, European legislators must continue expanding budget cuts to regain trust in the economy. Furthermore, the report advocates structural reform designed to improve the development and competitive power on the market. Real Estate In... Read More »
Education minister favors domestic education programs
Stenden college is disappointed with Halbe Zijlstra’s (minister of education) decision to refuse Dutch universities and schools for higher education the possibility to offer accredited education programs abroad. Minister Zijlstra urges Dutch universities to focus on domestic education programs. Internationally oriented universities and colleges such as Stenden College, which offers educational programs in South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia and Qatar amongst other locations, will be forced to terminate their international endeavors. College chairman Leendert Klaassen came out against Minister Zijlstra’s... Read More »
Influential Internationals: We present...
At the start of the year, the finals of The Voice of Holland were broadcast after months of searching for singing talent in The Netherlands. Nearly four million viewers voted: more even than the viewers who watch football. To be honest, even we at the International Correspondent were among them. The biggest winner wasn’t, though, the unknown artiste with... Read More »New Blood
Introduction It is our privilege to launch, with this issue, our annual list of the 50 most dynamic international residents of The Netherlands. It has been an awe-inspiring task to review CVs submitted by our contributors and make a selection, and we may have overlooked important candidates or made misjudgements. Please inform us where you disagree with our choices,... Read More »
PVV top splits over ‘lack of...
Geert Wilders’ second man leaves right wing party Hero Brinkman, a member of the Dutch parliament representing the right wing PVV since 2006, has left the party, stating he can no longer tolerate ‘the lack of democracy’ within the PVV organisation which according to Brinkman revolves around one man, party leader Geert Wilders. Brinkman also objects against the manner... Read More »
International businesses flock to...
Agency aims to draw in a 100 businesses by 2014 Europe’s biggest port and logistics hub, Rotterdam attracted a total of 24 international businesses in 2011 due to the effective practices of the RIA (Rotterdam Investment Agency). According to the RIA the foreign investments will greatly stimulate the local economy and job market. Their prognosis is that the new found funding... Read More »
First LNG tanker to moor in Rotterdam
The ship ‘British Trader’ of the oil company BP will moor on Sunday night at the new Gate terminal at the Rotterdam Maasvlakte, with 130.000 cubic meters liquid gas on board ‘The energy haven of Rotterdam has definitely stepped into the 21st century with the mooring of this ship’, said Tie Schellekens of the Haven company Rotterdam on Sunday.... Read More »
13-digit bank account number introduced
Anyone having problems remembering his bank account number, will face a nasty challenge from 2013. From that moment, bank account numbers won’t exist out of seven, eight, nine or ten numbers, but eighteen numbers and letters. By maintaining such uniform bank account numbers costs of international payment traffic would significantly drop in Europe. That shows the yearly report from... Read More »
Extra study fee’s due to UvA error
Dozens of UVA (University of Amsterdam) students will most likely have to pay up to 10.000 euros of extra institutional fee’s due to administrational errors by the UVA personnel . New state measures altered the standard university study fee’s for a second bachelor program from 2012 onwards, as the novel payments could add up to 10.000 euros. UvA students... Read More »
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Machiel de Graaf is the rising star of the PVV, a right winged political party founded in 2006 by Geert Wilders (ex-VVD). The fight against islamization is their core business. They hold 24 seats in the Lower House and 4 in the European Parliament. The PVV (Freedom Party) is the supporting partner of the minority government... Read More »
