Amsterdam

Dutch account holders to confiscate Icesave assets

dutchAmsterdam- An Icelandic bank faces the confiscation of its Dutch assets if it cannot guarantee customers access to their accounts.

The bank, Icesave, is a subsidiary of Landsbanki, Iceland's second largest bank.

It began operations in the Netherlands in late May and has attracted 75,000 account holders with promises of unlimited deposits and withdrawals and interest rates significantly above the national average.

Dutch stock market remains volatile

Amsterdam  - The main index on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the AEX, on Tuesday posted a slight loss - down 0.54 per cent - at 11:30 am (0930 GMT), remaining volatile throughout the morning.

Opening with a gain of 2.4 per cent, the index slipped to a low of 306.78 points at 10:30 am, to recover slightly one hour later.

Bank and insurance company ING Group led the list of companies losing out most (down 5.78 per cent).

Trade in former Belgian-Dutch bank and insurance giant Fortis, that was taken over by the governments of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and French bank BNP Paribas, remained suspended Tuesday.

Financials drop most at Dutch AEX index

Amsterdam  - For the second week in a row, the main index of the Amsterdam stock exchange AEX dropped dramatically on Monday morning. By 10:42 am (0842 GMT) the index had lost
5.83 per cent and stood at 323.97 points, with some analysts speaking of a "blood bath."

There was no stock posting any gains in the morning, with Financial firms losing out most.

Leading the list of companies who saw their stock value drop was insurer Aegon (down 20.37 per cent), followed by bank and insurance company ING Group (down 10.92 per cent).

There was no trade in shares of Fortis NV. On Friday, the Dutch government nationalized the Dutch division of the former Belgian- Dutch bank and insurance giant.

Financials drop most at Dutch AEX index

Amsterdam  - For the second week in a row, the main index of the Amsterdam stock exchange AEX dropped dramatically on Monday morning. By 10:42 am (0842 GMT) the index had lost 5.83 per cent and stood at 323.97 points, with some analysts speaking of a "blood bath."

There was no stock posting any gains in the morning, with Financial firms losing out most.

Leading the list of companies who saw their stock value drop was insurer Aegon (down 20.37 per cent), followed by bank and insurance company ING Group (down 10.92 per cent).

There was no trade in shares of Fortis NV. On Friday, the Dutch government nationalized the Dutch division of the former Belgian- Dutch bank and insurance giant.

Paper and pencil, not computer, boosts creativity

Paper and pencil, not computer, boosts creativityAmsterdam  - Paper, pencil and books are the key to developing one's creativity and maximizing one's intelligence, says Dutch psychologist Christof van Nimwegen.

The Dutch researcher recently completed a PhD dissertation at the University of Utrecht about the effects of software on the functioning of the human brain.

In "The Paradox of the guided user: assistance can be counter- effective," van Nimwegen asked two groups to perform the same tasks.

The first was allowed use a computer; the second group only got a pen and pencil.

Maximum growth for Schiphol until 2020, says advisory committee

Schiphol-AirportAmsterdam - Schiphol Airport should grow to accommodate a maximum of 510,000 flights per year by 2020 from 433,000 today, according to an advisory committee report released Wednesday.

Additionally, the report recommends the transfer of charter flights to Eindhoven in the south and Lelystad in the central-north.

"The recommendations provide Schiphol with new opportunities to grow without compromising on sustainability," Ingrid Pouw, Schiphol Airport spokeswoman told Deutsche-Presse Agentur dpa Wednesday.

Pages