This week’s roundup of what’s been making news in the Netherlands begins with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte calling for ‘the ultimate sanction in future’ against profligate EU countries like Greece, “to force countries to leave the euro,” in a letter published in the Financial Times (UK).
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Meanwhile, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), an annual ranking assessing a country’s capability of providing high levels of prosperity to its citizens, the Netherlands now ranks seventh in the world, improving by one place over last year, marking its highest position since 2000, when the Netherlands ranked fourth. In the latest GCR, Switzerland ranks first as the world’s most competitive economy. The Top 10 most competitive economies in the world according to the GCR are currently: 1. Switzerland; 2. Singapore; 3. Sweden; 4. Finland; 5. United States; 6. Germany; 7. Netherlands; 8. Denmark; 9. Japan; 10. United Kingdom.
While the Dutch may love Princess Máxima, the Argentinean wife of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, her 83-year-old father Jorge is feeling the heat back in Argentina, where three Dutch citizens have filed charges against him for his role as a member of government during Argentina’s Videla regime (1976-1981), when some 20,000 to 30,000 people were murdered). If convicted, Zorreguieta faces life in prison. An earthquake struck the Netherlands last week but caused no damage. A 34-year-old man from the Dominican Republic was arrested at Schiphol Airport, suspected of smuggling cocaine inside his wheelchair’s frame. The man has no legs, but sniffer dogs weren’t fooled, detecting the drugs in his chair. Talitha van Zon, a 39-year-old Dutch former Playboy centerfold and girlfriend of Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Mutassim, managed to escape from war-torn Libya, where she had been trapped in a luxury hotel.
The back door of a bank cash transport van opened on the A2 motorway, strewing the road with thousands of euro bills. Passing motorists stopped their cars and scrambled to collect the cash before police arrived 15 minutes later. The police later reminded the public that collecting money in this way constituted ‘theft’. Elsewhere, a sniper has been shooting at cars in Rotterdam. Dubbed the ‘highway sniper’ by the media, the police aren’t yet certain if one or more shooters are involved.
According to the Dutch meteorological office (KNMI), the summer of 2011 was the wettest summer on record since 1906. Moreover, the summer of 2011 had 83 fewer hours of sunshine than in an average summer, and counted only seven days in which temperatures exceeded 25oC, when normally there are at least 22 such days per Dutch summer. The mayor of Utrecht publicly apologized to a gay couple who were terrorized by local Dutch–Moroccan youths. The couple, who had rocks thrown their windows and ‘homo’ written on their car, were forced to move and are now suing the municipality. And finally, controversial Dutch Freedom Party politician Geert Wilders, and Joran van der Sloot, an infamous Dutch murder suspect, have both registered their names as trademarks. They are now Wilders® and Joran™, Geert Wilders® and Joran van der Sloot™, respectively.
Tot 1992 was het complex in gebruik als suikerfabriek. Daarna heeft het een tijdje staan te verkrotten, maar nu heeft een projectontwikkelaar de boel opgekocht en wil er een uitgaanscentrum van maken met hotel, bioscoop, casino en dansvloer. Een tweede leven dus voor ‘SugarCity’.
Vorige week liep het NOS-journaal met de studenten mee door de tochtige hallen. “Misschien moet er een windmolen komen of een energieopwekkende dansvloer.” “Misschien ook houden de dansers zichzelf en elkaar warm.” Aan ideeën geen gebrek.
De studenten denken in het kader van de Design Challenge mee met energiebedrijf Eneco over een duurzame energievoorziening. In januari moeten ze met resultaten komen.
Andere lopende projecten van de Design Challenge zijn ondermeer koeling voor ontwikkelingslanden, waterzuivering voor India en intelligente straatverlichting.
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