Amsterdam - A "substantial" earthquake was felt in the north-eastern Dutch province of Groningen, the Dutch weather research centre KNMI said Thursday.

The spokesman for the KNMI, located in De Bilt in the central Netherlands, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa it was a "relatively substantial" earthquake "approaching 3.5 on the Richter scale."

The KNMI could not yet confirm the exact size of the quake.

Amsterdam - The share value of Dutch insurer Aegon dropped sharply on Tuesday to 2.92 euros (3.63 dollars), down 13.73 per cent, just before closing time.

Amsterdam - The share value of Dutch insurer Aegon increased by more than 6 per cent at the opening of the Dutch stock exchange on Tuesday.

Traders were responding to a statement released by Aegon and the Dutch Finance Ministry shortly before trading began that the company would receive 3 billion euros (3.7 billion dollars) in support from the Dutch state.

In exchange, the Dutch state receives Aegon shares at a value of 4 euros per share, above the 3.38 euros Aegon was worth at closing time on Monday.

The Dutch state is to receive 8.5 per cent interest on its investment and will also appoint two people to Aegon's board.

Amsterdam -Stocks on the Amsterdam exchange dropped dramatically Friday. By noon local time (1000 GMT) the main AEX index stood at 234 points, down 9.25 per cent on the day.

Shares of bank and insurance company ING Group, which on Sunday received 10 billion euros (12.87 billion euros) in government aid in exchange for securities, dropped the most, 14.38 per cent.

Steel manufacturer Arcelor Mittal was not far behind, down 12.96 per cent.

Similar negative developments could be seen in Amsterdam in shares across all economic sectors - from banking and insurance to electronics and construction.

Employment agency USG People dropped 12.55 per cent, while oil company Royal Dutch Shell dropped 11.85 percent.

Amsterdam- The reserves of Dutch pension funds have dropped dramatically due to investment losses in the ongoing financial crisis, Dutch media reported on Thursday.

The "cover factor" of many funds (a percentage that determines to what extent the funds can meet their obligations to pay pensions) have dropped dramatically in the third quarter of 2008.

Funds are required by law to hold in reserve a minimum of 125 per cent of obligations.

Amsterdam  - Dutch police have arrested two blackmailers who are suspected of trying to sell a USB memory stick with sensitive information that had gone missing back to the military, the Defence Ministry confirmed Wednesday.

Officers from the national police force (KM) seized the two men as they turned up for the scheduled handover of money, the ministry said.

The two men, aged 28 and 29, had threatened to hand the electronic data over to the press if the military did not pay them, De Telegraaf newspaper reported.

The memory stick is believed to have contained information about cargo flights to Dutch troops in Afghanistan.

The men, who now face charges of blackmail and fraud, found the memory stick at a car wash.