DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Netherlands, Denmark and Germany buy 100 Leopard 1 Tanks for Ukraine - Dutch gov't
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

THE HAGUE, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are buying 100 Leopard-1A5 battle tanks for Ukraine, the Dutch government said on Tuesday. The Dutch defense ministry said in a statement the tanks would be purchased "directly from German industry". In an interview on Dutch national broadcaster NOS, Netherlands Defense Minister Kasja Ollongen said the tanks, a slightly older model, are "definitely still useable" for fighting in Ukraine. "It's a tested tank, and because they're being tuned up and made ready for fighting, they will definitely be useful for the Ukrainians," she said. Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling, writing by GV De Clercq, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"Major economies are rightly stepping up investment in net zero industries," von der Leyen told a news conference. And we want to be an important part of this net-zero industry that we need globally," von der Leyen said. RESISTANCEThe European Commission is hoping member states will back its plan at a Feb.9-10 summit but it faces a hot debate. Solar sector industry group SolarPower Europe said it was concerned by what it called a "lack of focus" on specific technologies in the EU plan. The bloc is heavily reliant on China for rare earths and lithium, which are vital materials for the green transition.

☆ Case of mad cow disease in Netherlands is old age variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A case of mad cow disease discovered on a farm in the Netherlands is the old age variant that is not dangerous to public health, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. "Atypical cases of (mad cow disease) occur sporadically in older cows," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the last found case in the Netherlands dated back to 2011. The other variant of mad cow disease, the classic type of infection, is usually caused by contaminated animal feed. Widespread cases of mad cow disease hit cattle herds in Britain and other European countries in the 1990s. Atypical cases have occasionally been detected and can lead to temporary trade restrictions.

☆ Philips to cut 13% of jobs in safety and profitability drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The new reorganisation brings the total amount of job cuts announced by new Chief Executive Roy Jakobs in recent months to 10,000, or around 13% of Philips' current workforce. Philips shares traded up 5.5% at 0855 GMT, helped by fourth-quarter earnings which were much better than expected. "What we present today I think is a very strong plan to secure the future of Philips. Jakobs said patient safety would be put "squarely at the center" of the new organization. To improve profitability while investing in safety, innovations will be targeted at "fewer, better resourced, and more impactful projects", Jakobs said.

☆ EU says it cannot brand Iran's Guards as terror group before court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The European Union cannot list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity until an EU court has determined that they are, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Monday. The European Parliament has called on the EU to list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity, blaming it for the repression of domestic protests and the supply of drones to Russia. "It is something that cannot be decided without a court, a court decision first. He said the court of an EU member had to issue a concrete legal condemnation before the EU itself could act. The Iranian regime, the Revolutionary Guards terrorise their own population day after day," Baerbock said.

REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File PhotoWASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The West on Monday stepped up pressure on Iran over its crackdown on protests as the United States, European Union and United Kingdom imposed fresh sanctions on Tehran. 'BRUTAL REPRESSION'The European Union imposed sanctions on more than 30 Iranian officials and organizations, including units of the Revolutionary Guards, blaming them for a "brutal" crackdown on protesters and other human rights abuses. Those sanctions targeted units and senior officials of the IRGC across Iran, including in Sunni-populated areas where the state crackdown has been intense, a list published in the EU's Official Journal showed. Britain also imposed sanctions on more Iranian individuals and entities on Monday over the country's "brutal repression" of its people. Britain has now imposed 50 new sanctions against Iran since Amini's death, the foreign office said.

☆ EU ministers agree on new package of sanctions against Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - EU ministers on Monday agreed on a new package of sanctions against Iran, the Swedish EU presidency said. "Ministers adopted a new package of sanctions against Iran, targeting those driving the repression. The EU strongly condemns the brutal and disproportionate use of force by the Iranian authorities against peaceful protesters," the presidency said in a tweet, without giving further detail. Sources told Reuters last week that EU foreign ministers would add 37 individual entries to the EU's sanctions against Iran at their meeting on Monday. Reporting by Bart Meijer; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU foreign policy chief hopes bloc agrees next tranche of military aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he hopes member states will approve another 500 million euro ($545.00 million) tranche in military aid for Ukraine during a foreign ministers' meeting on Monday. The ministers will also discuss using Russian assets frozen in Europe under sanctions - including 300 billion euros ($327 bln) worth of the Russian central bank reserves - and using the money to help rebuild Ukraine from the war. The foreign ministers are due to add more individuals to its Iran sanctions list over human rights abuses. Borrell said, however, that the bloc could not list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity until an EU court has determined that they are. ($1 = 0.9174 euros)Writting by Tassilo Hummel, Gbariela Baczynska, Ingrid Melander, Bart Meijer, Philip BlenkinsopOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB set to raise rates by 50 basis points in February and March, Knot says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank (ECB) is set to raise interest rates by 50 basis points in both February and March and will continue to raise rates in the months after, ECB governing council member Klaas Knot said in an interview with Dutch broadcaster WNL on Sunday. "Expect us to raise rates by 0.5% in February and March and expect us to not be done by then and that more steps will follow in May and June," Knot said. "At some point, of course, the risks surrounding the inflation outlook will become more balanced," he said. "That would also be a time in which we could make a further step down from 50 to 25 basis points, for instance. Reporting by Bart Meijer and Federico Maccioni Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB set to raise rates by 0.5% in Feb and March, Knot says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Netherlands sticks to plan to close Groningen gas field by October - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 22 (Reuters) - The Netherlands remains convinced of the need to close production at Groningen, once one of Europe's largest gas fields, by October following earthquake risks which made it dangerous to keep operating, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Sunday citing a government official. Mining Deputy Minister Hans Vijlbrief said he would stick to the previously announced timetable and aimed to shut the earthquake-prone gas field by Oct. 1, with the option of keeping it operational one more year if there was a shortage of gas in Europe after the winter. I’m quite convinced it’s wise to close it down," Vijlbrief said to the FT.Netherlands on Friday said that it will stop the search for new onshore oil and gas fields in a drive to reach its climate goals and limit seismic risks. The Netherlands for decades was one of Europe's main gas suppliers through the Groningen field in the north of the country, until production there was cut to a minimum to limit the seismic risks. Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru and Bart Meijer in Amsterdam; Editing by William Mallard and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dutch PM Rutte sees progress in talks on U.S. chip export restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday said he saw gradual progress in talks over new restrictions the United States wants it to implement on exporting chip-making technology to China. "I think that step by step we will be able to reach a good outcome in cooperation," Rutte said in an interview with Dutch TV programme Nieuwsuur following his visit to the White House. The Netherlands is home to ASML Holding NV (ASML.AS), a key maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. But he also warned that global supply chains for simpler technologies should not be disrupted by export restrictions. Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU Commission wants first joint purchases of gas by summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The European Commission aims for EU countries to start jointly buying gas "well before summer", European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said on Monday, an attempt to help countries refill storage and avoid a supply crunch next winter. Sefcovic asked industry to confirm if they are interested in joining the EU scheme to jointly buy gas, which the Commission hopes will help Europe refill depleted storage caverns and negotiate lower prices by using countries' collective buying power. Some EU officials said certain large energy firms have expressed reluctance to join, since they can already negotiate their own gas deals and doubt the EU scheme will yield lower prices. The Commission aims to publish the amount of gas European countries plan to jointly buy in early spring, to attract offers from suppliers. EU countries must ensure their local companies take part in the aggregation of gas demand with volumes equivalent to 15% of the gas needed to fill that country's storage facilities to 90% of capacity.

[1/2] European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attend the inauguration of Esrange's new satellite launch ramp, Spaceport Esrange outside Kiruna, Sweden, January 13, 2023. The Commission is planning to loosen state aid rules, but some EU countries can spend more than others. Von der Leyen said the bloc needed "credible and ambitious" financing tools to preserve the single market. She said the Commission was working on an assessment of what the EU clean tech sector needed to compete with U.S. rivals. Yet Scholz's own Social Democrats published a paper on Thursday saying that new EU joint borrowing should be "constructively examined".

☆ Netherlands summons Iranian ambassador again over executions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The Dutch government will summon the Iranian ambassador to the Netherlands for the second time in a month to voice its deep concerns over the execution of demonstrators, Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Saturday. "Appalled by the horrible executions of demonstrators in Iran. I will summon the Iranian ambassador to underline our serious concerns and I call upon EU Member States to do the same," Hoekstra said in a tweet. Hoekstra said these actions underlined the need for the European Union to impose stronger sanctions on Iran than are currently being considered. The Netherlands also summoned the Iranian ambassador in The Hague last month to protest against the execution of demonstrators in the country.

☆ Netherlands to require negative COVID test from China travellers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMSTERDAM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The Netherlands will require travellers from China to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test before they are allowed into the country, the Dutch government said on Friday. The requirement, which will be active as of Tuesday, follows recommendations made by the European Union earlier this week, which were already adopted by a range of countries including neighbouring Belgium and Germany. Reporting by Bart Meijer Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Old Nazi map sparks treasure hunt in the Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A general view of a street in the Dutch village of Ommeren, Netherlands January 6, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de WouwOMMEREN, the Netherlands, Jan 6 (Reuters) - An old map believed to mark the spot where German soldiers hid treasure worth millions of euros during World War Two sparked the imagination of amateur treasure hunters in the Netherlands this week. The map was obtained from a German soldier shortly after the war by the Dutch institute that was tasked with tracing German capital in the Netherlands after the country was freed from Nazi occupation in 1945. "But they never found it and if it existed, the treasure might very well have been dug up already." "A map with a row of three trees and a red cross marking a spot where a treasure should be hidden sparks the imagination," he said.

☆ TikTok CEO to meet EU antitrust chief Vestager on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 6 (Reuters) - TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew will meet the European Union's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in Brussels on Jan. 10, a calendar released by the European Commission showed on Friday. Chew will also meet Values and Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourova and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on the same day, the calendar showed. A spokesman for the European Commission said the meetings could be expected to cover issues such as the protection of personal data by online platforms such as TikTok and the implementation of the EU's Digital Services Act. He declined to comment on further specific details of the meetings or who requested them. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Bart Meijer Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Shell to pay 15 mln euros in settlement over Nigerian oil spills
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A Shell logo is pictured during the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseCompanies Shell PLC FollowAMSTERDAM, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) will pay 15 million euros ($15.9 million) to communities in Nigeria that were affected by multiple oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta, the oil company on Friday said in a joint statement with the Dutch division of Friends of the Earth. The money will benefit the communities of Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo in Nigeria, that were impacted by four oil spills that occurred between 2004 and 2007. "The settlement is on a no admission of liability basis, and settles all claims and ends all pending litigation related to the spills," Shell said. After the appeals court's final ruling last year, Shell said it continued to believe the spills were caused by sabotage.

☆ Dutch pension giant ABP set to sell laggards as sharpens climate focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new policy could halve the number of companies in ABP's portfolio, investment director Dominique Dijkhuis told Dutch financial daily FD in an interview published on Friday. Dijkhuis did not specify which companies would no longer be eligible for ABP, nor how long the overhaul would take. ABP said last year it would divest 15 billion euros of fossil fuel investments, which marked a major turnaround as only months before, it had said exiting fossil fuel investments would "not be the solution" to global warming. Dijkhuis said ABP would demand that companies commit to being climate neutral by 2050, and would also set progressively strict interim goals. The financial sector will not be excluded from this policy, as it will have to target loans into sustainable investments, Dijkhuis added.

☆ Philips says tests on recalled products show limited health risks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Logo of Dutch technology company Philips is seen at its company headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands, January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Eva Plevier/File PhotoSummarySummary Companies Philips: Tests show DreamStation devices unlikely to cause harmFoam degradation more likely if unauthorised cleaners usedShares up 3.5%, after recall wiped 70% off market valueAMSTERDAM, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Dutch health technology company Philips (PHG.AS) said on Wednesday independent tests on its respiratory devices involved in a major global recall had shown limited health risks. Philips had already said earlier this year that tests indicated foam degradation was very rare and was linked to the use of unauthorised ozone-based cleaning products. It said further tests now showed machines cleaned with those products were 14 times more likely to have significant visible foam degradation than those treated with authorised products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still considering the results and "may reach different conclusions", Philips said.

☆ EU and Iran to continue working on nuclear deal, Borrell says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 20 (Reuters) - EU foreign 7policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday condemned Iran's support for Russia in its war in Ukraine and the ongoing repression of opposition in the country, but said the EU would continue to work with Iran on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. "Necessary meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Jordan amidst deteriorating Iran-EU relations," Borrell tweeted ahead of a regional conference being hosted by Jordan. "Stressed need to immediately stop military support to Russia and internal repression in Iran. Agreed we must keep communication open and restore JCPOA on basis of Vienna negotiations." Reporting Bart Meijer, Editing by Charlotte Van CampenhoutOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU warns Meta over Facebook Marketplace antitrust breach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

European Union's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement that she is concerned that Meta ties its dominant social network Facebook to its online classified ad services, which is called Facebook Marketplace. "This means Facebook users have no choice but to have access to Facebook Marketplace," she said. Facebook Marketplace was launched in 2016 and is used in 70 countries to buy and sell items. The Commission said on Monday that it was concerned that Meta is imposing "unfair trading conditions" on competitors of its own classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, that want to advertise on its social networks Facebook or Instagram. The EU competition enforcer launched an investigation into Facebook in June last year, focusing on whether the social network unfairly uses advertisers' data to compete with them in the online classified ads sector.

☆ Facebook parent Meta warned by EU of breaking antitrust laws
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Monday said it has warned Facebook parent company Meta (META.O) that it is breaching EU antitrust laws by distorting competition in markets for online classified advertising and abusing its dominant position. "The claims made by the European Commission are without foundation," Meta spokesperson Tim Lamb said in a statement. "We will continue to work with regulatory authorities to demonstrate that our product innovation is pro-consumer and pro-competitive," Lamb added. The Commission said on Monday that it was concerned that Meta is imposing "unfair trading conditions" on competitors of its own classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, that want to advertise on its social networks Facebook or Instagram. The EU competition enforcer launched an investigation into Facebook in June last year, focusing on whether the social network unfairly uses advertisers' data to compete with them in the online classified ads sector.

☆ Netherlands PM Rutte apologises for role of Dutch state in slavery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tosterling Ank Kuipers | Ank Kuipers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte responds to recommendations from a panel of experts to accept the role of the Netherlands in the history of slavery and its current consequences in The Hague, Netherlands December 19, 2022. "Today I apologise," Rutte said in a nationally televised speech at the Dutch National Archives. "For centuries the Dutch state and its representatives have enabled and stimulated slavery and have profited from it," he added. "It is true that nobody alive today bears any personal guilt for slavery...(however) the Dutch state bears responsibility for the immense suffering that has been done to those that were enslaved and their descendants." The panel said that Dutch participation in slavery had amounted to crimes against humanity and in 2021 recommended an apology and reparations.

Search resuls for: "Bart Meijer"

25 mentions found