Amsterdam - The main AEX index on the Amsterdam stock exchange opened at this year's absolute low of 231.09 Thursday, down 2.9 per cent from the previous day's closing figure.

The previous low of 231.50 was reached in October.

By 9:30 am (0830 GMT), the AEX demonstrated little change and stood at 231.53, a loss of 2.77 per cent compared to closing time Wednesday, when the AEX had lost 5 per cent.

Utrecht, Netherlands  - The final years of Germany's last emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, were spent in Castle Dorn in the Netherlands.

The castle is a testament to its royal resident as the house is set in a spacious garden. A bridge leads over a water lily-filled moat to a flight of stairs leading to the castle's main entrance.

The interior also reflects Wilhelm's aristocratic heritage and is filled with only the finest furniture.

Amsterdam - Dutch electronics company Philips confirmed Monday it had stopped production of electric razors for six weeks, the Dutch ANP news agency reported.

A spokesman for the Eindhoven-based manufacturer of electronic equipment emphasized it was a "regular measure" always taken in the last months of the year to minimize Philips' remaining stock and resulting storage expenses.

However, the company also confirmed the stop had begun earlier than in other years. But it refused to say whether this was due to reduced demand.

Washington  - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende will not attend a meeting of the leaders of the world's top economic powers after learning that his father had died, US President George W Bush said late Friday.

Balkenende learned of his father's death while he was travelling to Washington for the G20 summit and immediately returned to the Netherlands to be with his family.

The country will instead be represented by Finance Minister Jan Cornelis de Jager.

Amsterdam - Dutch integration minister Ella Vogelaar's resignation on Thursday highlights a shift to the right on the topic of migrant policy by the Dutch Labour Party.

Undoubtedly, Vogelaar's poor communication skills, painfully exposed by the Dutch media since her tenure began in February 2007, contributed to the fact her own party ousted her. But in the end it was a difference on migrant issues that sparked her departure.