Amsterdam - Trading in shares of banking and insurance giant Fortis NV on the Amsterdam stock exchange will be halted temporary starting at 3:45 pm (1445 GMT), the Dutch financial watchdog AFM announced Monday.

The AFM said the move is necessary because an Amsterdam court is due to rule at 4 pm (1500 GMT) on the need for an investigation into possible mismanagement at Fortis.

The Dutch shareholders' association VEB demanded the investigation after the share value of the Belgian-Dutch bank and insurance giant collapsed earlier this autumn.

Amsterdam  - Huge black puppets in colourful colonial slave outfits are being pulled up and down in the air in Dutch quality department store Bijenkorf in Amsterdam.

The store smells of traditional Dutch sweets and pastries. In the background, festive children's songs are played. Toys are on display everywhere.

The Dutch are celebrating the arrival of Sinterklaas, the legendary Dutch bishop who later became the basis of the traditional Christmas-time Santa Claus in the United States.

London, Nov. 21: A think tank in The Netherlands has warned that the European Union is developing a military space policy that has the "potential for triggering an arms race in region".

According to the Transnational Institute: "EU-financed communication and spy satellites are slowly becoming reality and in the long term the inclusion of space-based missile defence and other more offensive uses of space are real options for an increasingly ambitious EU military space policy."

Ministers from all ESA member states are meeting in The Hague next week to implement a new European space policy that identifies military "security" as a priority, reports The Telegraph.

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.