Netherlands

Dutch court says anti-Islam legislator can be prosecuted

Netherlands FlagAmsterdam - An Amsterdam court ruled Wednesday that Dutch legislator Geert Wilders should be prosecuted for his alleged discriminatory remarks about Muslims in recent years.

Several citizens had petitioned the court to force the Justice Ministry to prosecute Wilders, the founder and leader of the liberal- right Freedom Party (PVV), which is known for its highly critical approach to Islam and immigrants.

Dutch Obama fans preparing for inauguration

Barack ObamaAmsterdam - Dutch fans of US president-elect Barack Obama were making the final preparations on Monday for Obama-parties taking place in several Dutch cities.

The biggest party, organized by the Dutch Obama Fanclub founded several months ago, was due to take place in The Hague.

Hundreds of Obama fans will be watching the inauguration ceremony live on seven huge video screens in restaurant Raar in Scheveningen, near The Hague.

Among the guests is Henk Jan Ormel, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Dutch parliament.

Former Bosnian-Serb leader Karadzic back in The Hague court

Radovan KaradzicAmsterdam - Former Bosnian-Serb president Radovan Karadzic was due to appear before the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague Monday afternoon in a new preliminary hearing.

The extra preliminary hearing was necessary to approve a revised indictment against Karadzic.

Last Thursday, the prosecution of the UN court finally transferred the translation of all documents to the former Bosnian-Serb leader.

The prosecution had completed the new indictment already in September, but the translation of all underlying evidence was not finished until last week.

Dutch erotic industry stable despite credit crisis

Dutch erotic industry stable despite credit crisisAmsterdam  - Despite an economic slowdown and a credit crisis, Dutch sex shops and businesses offering erotic services appear to be doing just fine.

A phone inquiry by Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa among several leading sex shops and erotic business owners in Amsterdam indicates the erotic sector is relatively stable.

"Sales are going well," says Madeleine Vreekamp of Mail&Female, located in Amsterdam.

Dutch home prices fall for first time since 1990

Amsterdam - Prices of Dutch residential real estate dropped by 1.8 per cent in 2008, the association of Dutch real estate brokers NVM said in its annual report published on Thursday.

An average Dutch home now costs 233,000 euros (306,930 dollars) compared with 246,000 euros (324,055 dollars) in the third quarter of 2008.

It is the first year since 1990 that the price of Dutch homes have dropped.

The NVM said prices fell by 2.5 per cent in the fourth quarter compared with the previous quarter.

The fall of Dutch home prices began in the third quarter (down 0.7 per cent compared with the second quarter).

Indonesia, Netherlands urge immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Jakarta - Indonesia and the Netherlands on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where an Israeli military offensive has killed more than 900 Palestinians.

Visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said after meeting his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda that Indonesia and the Netherlands had a common interest in an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"We also shared ideas on how to realize a ceasefire in Gaza," he told a news conference.

Retno Marsudi, the foreign ministry's director general for the Americas and Europe, said each country should play a role in pushing for a Gaza ceasefire.

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