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.

Amsterdam - The Dutch Schiphol Group and French aviation company Aeroports de Paris (ADP) have signed a cooperation agreement, which includes cross-investment of 8 per cent, the parties announced on Tuesday.

Schiphol is investing 530 million euros (711 million dollars) in ADP while ADP is investing 370 million euros in Schiphol. The top managers of the two companies will take seats on each others' managing boards.

Schiphol, which operates Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, said the cooperation will strengthen the position of both companies.

Frankfurt - Signs of confidence returning to share markets emerged Monday as stocks in Europe and Wall Street gained ground following solid rises across Asia.