text:
Aldo Verbruggen
Jasmijn Dorant
Lumen Lawyers is a progressive niche firm that specialises in corporate criminal law and internal investigations. Lumen Lawyers was established in October 2019. In 2021, it already has a strong market presence, reflected by an impressive track record of both domestic and international high-profile cases and media attention. The firm's clients include financial institutions, corporates, executives and other individuals. Its team benefits from unique Dutch court and regulatory experience and legal experts who think outside the box, bringing invaluable insights to clients on Dutch enforcement agencies' investigations and decision-making practices.
Minor Offences and Crimes
According to Dutch criminal law, criminal offences are divided into minor offences and crimes. The Dutch Criminal Code (DCC) and special statutes such as the Economic Offences Act (EOA) state whether a criminal offence constitutes a minor offence or a crime.
Constituent Elements
In general, the constituent elements for criminal liability for crimes are:
the prohibited act or omission (actus reus); and
the necessary state of mind (mens rea) – negligence or intent (at least conditional intent/dolus eventualis (ie, knowingly and willingly accepting the considerable chance that a certain consequence would materialise)).
Attempt and Preparation
An attempt to commit a crime is punishable where the offender manifests their intention by initiating the crime (Section 45, DCC). An attempt to commit a minor offence is not punishable.
Preparation to commit a crime, which carries a statutory term of imprisonment of eight years or more, is also punishable (Section 46, DCC).
The general limitation period for minor offences is three years (Section 70, DCC).
For crimes, limitation periods are linked to the statutory punishments for the crimes (Section 70, DCC).
For crimes punishable with imprisonment for up to three years, the limitation period is six years.
For crimes punishable with imprisonment for more than three years, the limitation period is 12 years.
For crimes punishable with imprisonment for more than eight years, the limitation period is 20 years.
For crimes punishable with imprisonment for more than 12 years and several other serious crimes, the statute of limitations does not expire.
Start of Limitation Period
In general, the limitation period starts to run on the day following the day on which the offence was committed (Section 71, DCC). An act of prosecution interrupts the limitation period, after which a new limitation period starts. The right to prosecute crimes expires after the limitation period has expired twice.
The limitation period for continuing offences starts on the day after the criminal act ends.
The Dutch enforcement authorities and courts have jurisdiction over criminal offences committed on Dutch territory.
Criminal offences committed abroad by a Dutch national may also be prosecuted in the Netherlands, if the particular offence constitutes a criminal offence both in the Netherlands and in the country where the offence was committed.
Moreover, the Dutch enforcement authorities and courts have jurisdiction over acts committed abroad that victimise a Dutch national or violate national interests.
Dutch criminal law does not have specific acts governing white-collar offences, such as foreign bribery, that establish extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Corporate Criminal Liability
Pursuant to Dutch criminal law, it is possible to hold legal entities liable for criminal offences.
Criminal liability can be attributed to a legal entity if the offence can be "reasonably" imputed to the legal entity (ie, when the (illegal) conduct took place within the "sphere" of the legal entity). Such conduct can be considered to have taken place within the sphere of the legal entity in one or more of the following circumstances:
the act was committed by someone who is employed by, or works for, the legal entity;
the act was part of the normal business activities of the legal entity;
the legal entity benefited from the act; and
the legal person had the power to decide whether or not the conduct took place and accepted this or similar behaviour.
These criteria apply to the question of attribution of the illegal conduct to the legal entity. If the legal entity is accused of a crime, which requires intent or negligence, this must also be proven in order for the legal entity to be criminally liable.
In the context of a merger, acquisition or bankruptcy of a company, a successor entity may be held criminally liable for acts of the previous entity, if according to the "social reality" of the situation, the successor is in fact a continuation of that entity.
Individual Liability
If the criminal offence can be imputed to a legal entity, the person, or persons, within that entity who "directed" or "ordered" the prohibited conduct may be held criminally liable as well. In order for such an individual to be criminally liable, they must have knowingly accepted the considerable chance that the conduct would occur, while being authorised and reasonably obliged (to take measures) to prevent/end the illegal conduct, but failed to do so.
Although an individual can only be held criminally liable if the criminal liability of the legal entity has been established, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (DPPS) has the discretion to prosecute only the individual, only the legal entity or both.
In practice, the DPPS often enters into an out-of-court settlement with a legal entity and, as part of that settlement, agrees to not prosecute any individuals. However, a trend can be observed in which individuals are increasingly excluded from settlement agreements and indicted more often (see 1.6 Recent Case Law and Latest Developments).
Victims of criminal offences, including white-collar offences, may seek compensation for damages as a result of an offence by joining the criminal proceedings at the court in question as an aggrieved party.
If the court considers the claim of the aggrieved party to impose a disproportionate burden on the criminal proceedings, it will render the claim inadmissible, after which the aggrieved party may still file the claim in a civil procedure.
There are no precedents for claims for mass damages joined to criminal proceedings. Class actions would – most likely – impose a considerable (and disproportionate) burden on the criminal proceedings.
Instruction on Large Out-of-Court Settlements
Large out-of-court settlements have been the subject of considerable debate in the Netherlands, especially after (i) the settlement between ING Bank and the DPPS with regard to (failure to prevent) money laundering, where ING Bank paid EUR775 million to the DPPS (2018), and (ii) the settlement with ABN AMRO Bank where ABN AMRO Bank paid EUR480 million to the DPPS (2021) with regard to (failure to prevent) money laundering. The DPPS has wide discretion to enter into such large out-of-court settlements, which discretion has been the subject of criticism from wider Dutch society.
The Instruction on Large Out-of-Court Settlements (Instruction) comprises guidelines from the Council of Attorneys General to the DPPS in relation to such settlements and was adjusted in September 2020. According to the Instruction, an out-of-court settlement is considered "large" if it has a fine component of EUR200,000 or has a total transaction value of EUR1 million or more. An independent review committee will assess the transaction and advise the Council of Attorneys General, before the Council can approve the transaction. The independent review committee includes (in alternating form) a former attorney, a former judge, a professor of Dutch criminal law and a former prosecutor. Although it seems that the committee has not always fully agreed with the motivation of the DPPS regarding every proposed large out-of-court settlement, the committee has unconditionally approved all settlements it advised on. Previously, the Minister of Justice needed to be consulted before a large settlement could be offered, which is no longer the case.
A legislative proposal for a judicial test in relation to large out-of-court-settlements is currently forthcoming. This proposal – if adopted – will replace the Instruction. According to the proposal, permission from the Court of Appeal will be required for transactions "within the sphere of the legal entity" with a fine component of EUR200,000 or more or with a total transaction value of EUR1 million or more. The Court of Appeal will assess (i) whether the legal requirements for offering a transaction are met; and (ii) whether the public prosecutor, taking into account all relevant interests, could have reasonably come to the (provisional) transaction offer.
Enhanced Focus on (High-Ranking) Individuals
A trend of pursuing potentially culpable individuals (often high-ranking) in white-collar investigations can be observed. In line with this trend, individuals, including executives, are increasingly excluded from settlement agreements and more often indicted. This trend is reflected in the following cases.
In December 2020, The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that the DPPS must prosecute Ralph Hamers, former CEO of ING Bank, over his role in the alleged money laundering offences that the bank settled in 2018 (see above). The DPPS had previously decided that there was insufficient evidence for a successful prosecution of individuals in relation to the case. The Court of Appeal considers it important that the standard is confirmed in public criminal proceedings and that bank directors cannot go unpunished if prohibited conduct actually took place during their leadership.
Since April 2021, the DPPS has considered three former members of the Executive Committee of ABN AMRO Bank to be suspects in an investigation in relation to the alleged failure to prevent money laundering for which ABN AMRO Bank settled with the DPPS (see above).
Enhanced Focus on Facilitators
Moreover, Dutch investigating authorities are increasingly focusing on the "facilitators" of illegal conduct, such as accountants, external auditors and financial institutions.
Monopoly on Prosecution
The DPPS has a monopoly on the prosecution of crimes and it has discretion to decide whether or not to prosecute. The National Office for Serious Fraud, Environmental Crime and Asset Confiscation (Functioneel Parket) is a national division of the DPPS and is specialised in the investigation and prosecution of white-collar offences. The Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) is the authority which is often instructed by the National Office for Serious Fraud, Environmental Crime and Asset Confiscation to conduct investigations regarding (more complex) white-collar offences.
Other Enforcement Authorities
There are various authorities which are responsible for the administrative enforcement of white-collar offences, including:
the Tax Authorities;
the Dutch Central Bank (DNB);
the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM);
the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM);
the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA);
the Financial Supervision Office (BFT); and
the Inspection Service of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (ISZW).
There are no specialised criminal courts for white-collar offences, which can be tried before any national court. Some national courts have chambers specialised in specific sub-areas of law (ie, specific categories of criminal offences).
The DPPS has the discretionary power to decide which persons or entities, and which cases, will be investigated. The DPPS has published guidelines in relation to the investigation and prosecution of several offences.
Most white-collar investigations are started by the DPPS on the basis of:
self-reporting by corporations;
information from the media;
tips from third parties, such as banks or accountants; or
information from the Dutch tax authorities or other national authorities.
If the DPPS decides to not (further) investigate and/or prosecute, an interested party such as the victim, may file a complaint at the Court of Appeals to order the DPPS to (further) investigate and/or prosecute.
The Dutch Code of Criminal Procedure (DCCP) provides the DPPS with a range of powers to gather evidence in cases of suspected or alleged white-collar offences.
Demand to Produce Documents
Section 96a of the DCCP allows the investigative authorities to order companies to produce documents in relation to the suspicion of a crime for which pre-trial detention is permitted. The investigative judge may also give such an order in relation to the suspected crimes for which pre-trial detention is not permitted (Section 105, DCCP). These orders may not be directed at suspects. Sections Iva and V of the DCCP also provide for several special investigative powers regarding data/documents that may be requested from companies.
Companies' premises may be searched ("raided") by a public prosecutor in relation to a suspected crime for which pre-trial detention is permitted (Section 96c, DCCP). An investigative judge may also search the premises of a company (or a residence) in the case of a suspected crime for which pre-trial detention is not permitted (Section 110, DCCP).
Powers Based on Economic Offences Act
If a suspicion is based on an offence listed in the EOA, the authorities may order companies to allow inspection of documents and data in the interest of the investigation if this is "reasonably necessary" to fulfil their duties (Section 18, EOA). It is also permitted to address such orders to suspects.
The investigative authorities may request a company, its director and/or other employee to submit to an interview in relation to a suspected criminal offence. If that company, director and/or employee is a suspect, there is no obligation to answer any questions since a suspect has the right not to self-incriminate and the right to remain silent. Suspects must be cautioned by the authorities (ie, informed of their right to not answer any questions). Suspects also have the right to consult an attorney prior to the interview and the right to be assisted by an attorney during the interview.
If the request for an interview is directed to a company, director or employee, who or which is a witness, only an investigative judge may compel them to submit to such questioning.
If a company is requested to submit to an interview, the company will need to authorise a person who can be questioned as a representative of that company.
The use of corporate investigations by professionals, such as lawyers and (forensic) accountants who are instructed by the company, is a standing practice in the Netherlands. Most major settlements with the DPPS are based on such investigations. Dutch (criminal) law does not provide for a specific statutory framework in relation to internal investigations (ie, there is no statute describing when or how to conduct an internal investigation). However, if a company suspects misconduct, conducting an internal investigation is often inevitable in order to take adequate action; corporate governance rules can oblige a company to investigate signs of misconduct. If (the higher management of) a company ignores signs of misconduct, this may lead to civil or criminal liability of the company and the management, especially if incidents reoccur. Conducting an internal investigation and informing the enforcement authorities of (the results of) the investigation may be viewed as co-operation with the authorities, which may influence those authorities' decisions over whether and how to (further) investigate/prosecute.
The practice of internal investigations conducted by professionals has been subject to debate in Dutch society. In a letter to the parliament of 8 April 2020, the Minister of Justice elaborated on the requirements that determine the value of such internal investigations. The Minster stated that the internal investigation must be sufficiently in depth, complete and correct. To meet these requirements the results of the investigation must be presented in a transparent and verifiable manner. The results of an investigation will be checked and verified by the FIOD. The Minister emphasised that lawyers who may conduct such an investigation are bound by their professional rules. The Minister also stated that the DPPS aims to employ independent investigations conducted by professionals more frequently in the future, as part of the criminal investigations of the DPPS. If the internal investigations meet the above-mentioned requirements, and the FIOD/DPPS are able to verify the results of the investigations, the Minister stated that there will be sufficient insight into any (potential) undesirable effects of this practice.
In May 2021, the General Council of the Dutch Bar Association (GC) clarified Rule of Conduct 2 about "partiality" in relation to the role of attorneys when conducting internal investigations. The GC stated that internal fact-finding is part of the professional practice of attorneys, since it relates to determining the legal position of the client. The GC emphasises that, while conducting an internal investigation, an attorney must not allow any misunderstanding in relation to their capacity as partial representative of the client and must safeguard their independence. The GC highlights a number of risks of which an attorney who is conducting an internal investigation must be aware of to ensure that no core values and disciplinary rules are violated.
In addition, when conducting an internal investigation, rules in relation to labour law and privacy and data protection law must be followed by the investigators.
EU Context
As an EU member state, the Netherlands is part of an EU-framework to facilitate co-operation between EU member states in criminal matters. The European Investigation Order (EIO) makes it possible for the DPPS to have requests for gathering and transferring evidence (ie, seizures, asset freezing, interviewing witnesses, etc) executed without additional formalities in other member states (Sections 5.1.1–5.8.17, DCCP). A Dutch public prosecutor can also participate in a Joint Investigation Team with other prosecutors from the EU (Sections 5.2.1–5.2.5, DCCP).
On the basis of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW), an individual may be surrendered to another EU members state. Surrender by means of execution of an EAW issued by a national judicial authority is possible if certain requirements are met, including that the person whose return is sought is accused of an offence for which the maximum sentence is at least one year of imprisonment or if they have been sentenced to a term of at least four months of imprisonment (Section 2, Surrender of Persons Act).
Non-EU Context
Mutual legal assistance, including extradition of nationals between the Netherlands and non-EU countries, is governed by the international conventions and bilateral agreements the Netherlands is party to. The extradition treaties, in conjunction with the Extradition Act, set out the conditions under which these extraditions may be executed.
The DPPS has a monopoly on prosecuting criminal offences in the Netherlands and has the discretionary power to decide whether or not to prosecute. As mentioned in 2.1 Enforcement Authorities, the National Office for Serious Fraud, Environmental Crime and Asset Confiscation of the DPPS is responsible for the prosecution of (more complex) white-collar offences.
The DPPS has drafted guidelines in relation to the investigation and prosecution of several offences.
If the DPPS decides to not (further) investigate and/or prosecute a potential criminal offence or person(s), an interested party such as the victim, may file a request at the Court of Appeals to order the DPPS to (further) investigate and/or prosecute.
As mentioned in 2.1 Enforcement Authorities, the DPPS may decide whether or not to prosecute crimes. If the public prosecutor decides to not bring the case to trial, they may decide to issue a (conditional) dismissal of the case, enter into an out-of-court settlement with the defendant or issue a penalty order.
Out-of-Court Settlements
The public prosecutor and a defendant may agree upon an out-of-court settlement, which usually includes that the defendant pays a fine, disgorgement and/or damages and/or meets (other) requirements of the prosecution in order to prevent an indictment, for example taking (enhanced) compliance measures.
As mentioned in 1.6 Recent Case Law and Latest Developments, the Instruction on Large Out-of-Court Settlements provides guidelines for the DPPS in relation to out-of-court settlements with a fine-component of over EUR200,000 and out-of-court settlements with a total transaction value of EUR1 million and more. Since September 2020, large out-of-court settlements must be assessed by an independent review committee, which advises the Council of Attorneys General regarding the transactions. Large out-of-court settlements will be accompanied by a press release, in which the DPPS publicly accounts for the settlement. The press release and the settlement agreement include:
the transaction amount;
an account of the facts, which are acknowledged by the defendant, but which do not constitute an acknowledgment of guilt; and
(other) considerations that led to the settlement.
If the legislative proposal regarding the judicial test (see 1.6 Recent Case Law and Latest Developments) will be adopted, the assessment of large out-of-court settlements by the independent review committee will be replaced by a judicial test.
Punishment Orders
The DPPS can issue a punishment order, which does not require the acceptance of the offender. The offender can object to the order and file an appeal to the court. Punishment orders are generally issued in relation to the more common criminal offences and not often in relation to white-collar offences.
Dutch criminal law does not provide for plea bargaining.
However, in practice, it is possible to enter into negotiations with the DPSS, for example to try to achieve an out-of-court settlement (see 2.7 Deferred Prosecution) or in order to reduce the charges in exchange for co-operation or a confession. For example, in a recent case (2019), the DPPS and the defendants entered into an agreement based on which the DPPS would "merely" charge the defendants with culpable money laundering instead of habitual money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation, which limits the maximum sentence that could be imposed by the court, in exchange for "full disclosure" from the defendants. The DPPS demanded a partially conditional prison sentence of two years. The court strongly disapproved of the agreement, since habitual money laundering could have been proven and the demands of the DPPS were far too low taking into account the severity of the offences and the consequences of the acts of the defendants for society.
Scamming
According to Section 326 of the DCC it is prohibited, with the intention of benefitting oneself or another unlawfully, to induce a person to:
hand over any property;
render a service;
make available data;
incur a debt (according to case law: to enter into an agreement); or
relinquish a claim.
Section 326 restricts the liability for acts under this section to those that can be qualified as having used a false name or a false capacity, usage of devious tricks or a tissue of lies. Scamming requires criminal intent, conditional intent (dolus eventualis) being sufficient, and is punishable with imprisonment for up to four years or a fine of up to EUR87,000 (category 5).
With regard to legal entities, a fine up to the next highest fine category may be imposed. Moreover, if the highest category of fines is not considered a suitable sanction, a fine up to 10% of the annual revenue of the legal entity may be imposed. This applies to all criminal offences described in this article.
Sections 225-234 of the DCC govern a range of crimes constituting or relating to forgery. According to Section 225 of the DCC it is prohibited to draft false documents, falsify documents or to have used false/falsified documents, while having the intention to use that document as if it were genuine and unfalsified (with regard to this element conditional intent does not suffice). Maximum sentence: imprisonment up to six years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
According to Section 321 of the DCC it is prohibited to intentionally and unlawfully misappropriate any property which belongs to another person and which is in possession of the offender other than as a result of a crime.
Maximum sentence: imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5). A prison sentence of four years may be imposed if the offender possesses the property by means of their employment or profession (Section 322, DCC).
Under Dutch criminal law, the following types of bribery are distinguished:
active (Section 177, DCC) and passive bribery (Section 363, DCC) of public officials, including judges (Sections 178 and 364, DCC);
bribery of foreign officials (Section 178a, DCC); and
active and passive private commercial bribery (Section 328ter, DCC)
Bribing a public official with the aim of inducing them to perform a prohibited or unlawful act, or of inducing them to perform a permitted or lawful act, are punishable offences. The decisive factor in determining whether a recipient will be punishable is whether they knew or should reasonably have suspected that they were being offered a gift or promise of service in order to induce them to act or refrain from acting in a given manner, regardless of whether or not they acted in breach of their duty.
A bribe is defined as a gift or promise of service, describing the advantage that is offered by the briber. This can involve both material and immaterial advantages. As the law does not provide definitions of culpable and non-culpable gifts, small representational gifts may fall within the scope of the provisions on bribery.
Public Official
Under Dutch law there is no overall definition of a public official. Section 84 of the DCC states that public officials include members of the general representative bodies, judges and those who belong to the armed services. However, it follows from case law that the scope of the definition of a public official is wider. The Supreme Court has defined a public official as "a person who, under the supervision and responsibility of the government, has been appointed to a function which undeniably has a public dimension to carry out some of the powers of the Kingdom or its agencies".
Execution of their duties
To be held criminally liable for bribery, the relevant act or omission must relate to the execution of the duties of the public official. The same goes for past and future duties. It follows from case law that the official's authority to perform or omit the act is irrelevant.
Foreign Officials
Pursuant to Section 178a of the DCC, foreign officials are treated equally to domestic officials and the same offences and penalties apply to foreign officials.
Private Commercial Bribery
Passive private commercial bribery is punishable if the employee or agent, who, in relation to an act or omission in breach of their duties, accepts or asks for a gift or promise of service. (Section 328ter sub 1, DCC)
Active private commercial bribery is punishable if the person making the gift or promise, or providing or offering a service, knows or can reasonably assume that the employee or agent, by receiving the gift or promise or service, acts in breach of their duty. (Section 328ter sub 2, DCC)
Maximum Sentences
Active or passive bribery of public officials: imprisonment for up to six years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
Active and passive bribery of judges: imprisonment for up to nine years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
Active and passive private commercial bribery: imprisonment for up to four years or a fine EUR87,000 (category 5).
Dutch law does not provide for any specific obligations to prevent bribery. There is no obligation to maintain a compliance programme aimed at the prevention of bribery.
However, whether a company has lived up to its duty of care, including having a compliance programme in place, will be taken into account when determining whether a company is criminally liable (see also 1.4 Corporate Liability and Personal Liability and 2.4 Internal Investigations).
With regard to insider dealing and market manipulation, Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR) has direct effect in the Netherlands.
According to Sections 8 and 14 of the MAR it is prohibited to engage or attempt to engage in insider dealing, to recommend another person to engage in insider dealing or to induce another person to engage in insider dealing, or to unlawfully disclose inside information.
According to Section 15 of the MAR it is prohibited to engage in or attempt to engage in market manipulation. Market manipulation is defined as entering into a transaction that gives false or misleading signals as to the supply of, demand for or price of a financial instrument, or secures the price of one or several financial instrument at an abnormal of artificial level (Section 12, MAR). It is also prohibited to manipulate the calculation of a benchmark by transmitting false or misleading information of inputs.
If these provisions are violated, the MAR obliges EU member states to ensure that the competent authorities have the power to impose several sanctions. Administrative penalties for individuals vary with maximum fines of between EUR500,000 and EUR5 million. Criminal penalties include a prison term of up to six years. For legal entities, administrative penalties vary between maximum fines of EUR2.5 million–15 million, or 15% of the worldwide annual turnover.
According to Section 334 of the DCC, it is prohibited to drive up or down the price of commodities, stocks or other securities by disseminating false information with the intention of unlawfully benefitting oneself or another. The maximum sentence for such price manipulation is imprisonment for two years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
Sections 68, 69 and 69a of the Dutch General Tax Code (DGTC) set out the minor offences and crimes related to tax fraud.
Minor Offences – Sections 68, 70 and 71 of the DGTC
The minor offences described in Section 68 of the DGTC relate to non-compliance with the obligations included in Chapter VIII, paragraph 2 of the DGTC, such as providing information to the Tax Authorities, allowing the inspection of books and documents as well as record-keeping. It is an offence to keep records that do not meet the requirements of tax law. Proof of intent is not necessary.
Maximum sentences for violations of Section 68 of the DGT vary from imprisonment for up to six months or fines of EUR4,350–8,700 (categories 2–3).
Sections 70 and 71 of the DGTC prohibit violations of lower/delegated tax legislation.
Crimes – Section 69/69a of the DGTC
Section 69 and 69a of the DGTC include tax crimes. Section 69 (1) penalises intentionally omitting to file a tax return, filing a tax return too late or intentionally committing the acts mentioned in Section 68 (1 sub a, b, d, e, f or g) of the DGTC, provided those acts may lead to the underpayment of taxes. The maximum sentence is imprisonment up to four years, a fine of EUR21,750 (category 4) or the amount of under-levied tax if that amount exceeds the maximum fine.
Section 69 (2) of the DGTC penalises filing an incorrect or incomplete tax return and the acts mentioned in Section 68 (1)(c) of the DGTC, intentionally, provided that the acts may lead to the underpayment of taxes. The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to six years, a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5) or the amount of under-levied tax if that amount exceeds the maximum fine. If the acts relate to a certain taxable income, a maximum fine of three times the amount of the under-levied tax may be imposed.
If the acts of Section 69(1) and 69(2) of the DGT are committed in the context of a person's profession, they may be dismissed from that profession as an additional sentence (Section 69(6), DGTC).
Section 69(3) of the DGTC contains an exception to the right to prosecute the acts as described in Sections 69(1) and 69(2) of the DGTC if a person files a correct and full tax return or provides correct and full information, before they know, or could have reasonably suspected, that the authorities have, or will gain, knowledge regarding the (potential) violation. The exception does not apply to the acts related to certain taxable income.
If an act constitutes both a crime pursuant to Sections 69(1) or 69(2) of the DGTC and forgery pursuant to Section 225(2) of the DCC (see 3.1 Criminal Company Law and Corporate Fraud), the prosecution on the basis of forgery is excluded.
Pursuant to Section 69(4) of the DGTC, if the act falls both under Sections 69(1)/69(2) of the DGT and Section 225(2) of the DCC, the prosecution based on Section 225(2) of the DCC is excluded.
Section 69a (1) of the DGTC penalises not paying due taxes (on time). The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to six years, a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5) or the amount of underpaid tax if that amount exceeds the maximum fine.
Section 3:15i of the Dutch Civil Code sets out the general duty of keeping books and accounting records for anyone who carries on a business or exercises a profession in the Netherlands.
A legal entity must publish its annual accounts and other relevant documents (Section 2:394, Dutch Civil Code). Intentionally publishing false/falsified annual accounts, as if they were genuine and unfalsified, while knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect that these documents are destined for such use, constitutes forgery (Section 225(2), DCC; see also 3.1 Criminal Company Law and Corporate Fraud). The maximum sentence for such conduct is imprisonment for up to six years and a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
In the Netherlands, competition law is mainly enforced administratively, by the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).
The Dutch Competition Act prohibits, amongst other things, agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices with the aim or effect of significantly preventing, restricting or distorting competition in the Dutch market.
In the case of a violation of the Dutch Competition Act, the ACM is entitled to impose a fine or an order for incremental penalty payments. The administrative fine may amount to up to EUR900,000. If the annual revenue of the company in question exceeds that amount, the ACM may impose a fine up to 10% of the annual revenue of the company. In the case of prolonged cartels, the fines may reach up to 40% of the annual revenue of a company.
Section 328bis of the DCC of the criminalises unfair competition in the case of a person who – with the intention of establishing, preserving or increasing their or another person's market position – perpetrates any form of deception in order to mislead the general public or a specific person, if such activity leads to any disadvantage to their competitors or those of the other person. The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
The Netherlands does not have specific consumer protection criminal law.
Section 138ab(1) of the DCC prohibits the intentional and unlawful entry of (a part of a) computerised device or system. The unlawful entry can be gained by:
breaching a security measure;
a technical intervention;
means of false signals or a false key; or
assuming a false identity.
The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of EUR21,750 (category 4).
If the offender subsequently copies data gained by means of the computerised device or system they unlawfully accessed, and copies, intercepts or records such data for their own use or that of another, this is considered an aggravating circumstance. In that case, a prison sentence up to four years of a fine up to EUR21,750 (category 4) may be imposed (Section 138ab(2), DCC).
A person who intentionally and unlawfully hinders the access or use of a computerised device or system by offering or sending data may be punished with a prison sentence of up to two years or a fine of EUR21,750 (category 4) (Section 138b, DCC).
It is prohibited to intentionally (Section 161sexies, DCC) and negligently (Section 161septies, DCC) destroy, damage or render unusable any computerised device or system infrastructure facility or any telecommunication infrastructure facility, causing the defective functioning of that facility or frustrating a safety measure of that facility. Maximum sentences vary from imprisonment for up to six months (negligent form) to 15 years (aggravated intentional form) and fines of EUR21,750–87,000 (categories 4–5).
It is prohibited to intentionally and unlawfully (Section 350a, DCC) or negligently (Section 350b, DCC) alter, erase, render unusable or disable data stored, processed or transferred by means of a computerised device or system or telecommunication, or to add data thereto. Maximum sentences vary from imprisonment for up to one month (negligent form) to four years (aggravated intentional form) and fines of EUR4,350–87,000 (categories 2–5).
Company Secrets
Section 273(1) of the DCC prohibits the intentional disclosure of specific information, which a person was obliged to keep secret, related to a commercial, industrial or service enterprise where they have been employed.
Section 273(2) of the DCC prohibits the intentional disclosure or, in pursuit of profit, use of non-publicly available data that has been obtained by means of a crime from a computerised device or system of an enterprise, and that is related to that enterprise, where any disadvantage may follow from the disclosure.
The maximum sentence for such conduct is imprisonment for up to six months or a fine of EUR21,750 (category 4).
A person cannot be held criminally liable for violation of Section 273 of the DCC if they could have believed, in good faith, that disclosure was in the public interest.
A person may only be prosecuted for violation of Section 273 of the DCC on the complaint of the management board of the company in question.
The EU Sanctions Regulations, including the UN sanctions that were implemented by the EU, have direct effect in the Netherlands.
The Sanctions Act 1977 and corresponding Sanctions Regulations provide the legal basis for the implementation and enforcement of EU (and UN) sanctions. The Netherlands also operates a National Terrorism Sanctions List of designated parties whose assets will/can be frozen.
Violations of international sanctions constitute economic offences punishable under the EOA. The maximum sentences vary from imprisonment for up to one year (negligent form) to six years (intentional form) and fines of EUR87,000 (individuals) and up to 10% of the annual turnover (legal entities).
It is punishable to obtain, possess or transfer, in pursuit of profit, a property, while knowing that that property was derived from a crime (Section 416, DCC). The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to four years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
It is also punishable if a person obtains, possesses or transfers, in pursuit of profit, a property, while they had reasonable cause to suspect that that property derived from a crime (Section 417bis, DCC). The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
Only crimes, not minor offences, can constitute predicate offences for concealment.
(Co-)perpetration
A person shall be held criminally liable for a criminal offence as a perpetrator if they:
commit the offence, either personally or jointly, or cause another person to commit the offence; and
by means of gifts, promises, abuse of authority, use of force, threats, or deception intentionally solicit the commission of the criminal offence (Section 47, DCC).
A person who intentionally aids and abets the commission of a crime or provides opportunity, means or information for the commission of a crime may be held liable as an accomplice (Section 48, DCC). In cases of complicity, the maximum of the penalties prescribed for the crime in question shall be reduced by one third.
Participation in a Criminal Organisation
Participation in an organisation that has the aim of committing crimes, is punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to six years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5). It suffices to be involved in the organisation; an actual contribution to the commission of the offences is not required (Section 140, DCC).
Forms of Money Laundering
Dutch criminal law distinguishes several types of money laundering.
Intentional money laundering
Pursuant to Section 420bis of the DCC, intentional money laundering is a crime, requiring that at the time of the offence the suspect was aware of the fact that the object they possessed, disguised or concealed had been acquired by means of a crime. Only conditional intent must be proven. The knowledge of the suspect may be inferred from objective circumstances. The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to six years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
Habitual money laundering
Section 420ter of the DCC prohibits habitual money laundering. This requires proof of intentional money laundering committed repeatedly. The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to eight years or a fine of EUR870,000 (category 6).
Negligent money laundering
Pursuant to Section 420quater of the DCC, negligent money laundering is a crime as well. It must be proven that the suspect could have had reasonable suspicions of the object concerned having been acquired by means of a crime. The maximum sentence is imprisonment for up to four years or a fine of EUR87,000 (category 5).
Self-laundering
As of January 2017, provisions regarding self-laundering were enacted under Section 420bis.1 of the DCC (intentional form) and Section 420quater.1 of the DCC (negligent form). To be held liable, the prosecution must prove that the suspect obtained or possessed an object resulting from their own crime. Actions to conceal the criminal nature of the object are not required. The maximum sentence for such conduct is imprisonment for up to six months (intentional form) or four months (negligent form) or a fine of EUR21,750 (category 4).
Predicate Offences
Crimes (but not minor offences) where an object was acquired could constitute a predicate offence for money laundering.
Prevention of Money Laundering
The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act (MLTFA) provides obligations to prevent money laundering. The MLTFA includes provisions regarding:
taking measures to identify and assess risks of money laundering;
conducting customer due diligence;
reporting unusual transactions; and
providing training to employees.
The persons/entities subject to the MLTFA include banks, other financial institutions, accountants, notaries, lawyers, tax advisors, trust offices, etc.
Administrative penalties can be imposed as a result of failure to comply with the MLTFA and the maximum fines vary from EUR10,000 to EUR4 million, and, for certain financial institutions, up to EUR5 million or 20% of annual turnover. In cases of recidivism within five years, the fine could be doubled.
Criminal penalties for violations of the MLTFA can be imposed as well. The maximum sentences vary from imprisonment for six months to four years and fines ranging from EUR21,750–87,000 (categories 4–5) for individuals. For legal entities, the maximum fines vary from EUR87,000 to 10% of annual turnover.
Which enforcement authority is competent depends on the type of entity to which the MLTFA applies and includes the Dutch Central Bank, the Authority for the Financial Markets and the Financial Supervision Office. The Financial Intelligence Unit is the authority to which institutions must report unusual transactions.
For legal entities that are facing prosecution, or are being prosecuted, for a white-collar offence, a common defence is that the acts or omissions of individuals cannot be attributed to the legal entity and that the entity did not have the required mental state (mens rea). In principle, a company could escape criminal liability if it has established effective internal controls, ethical guidelines and compliance rules, and if it has done everything in its power to prevent the act.
The existence of adequate supervision and control measures is often important to determine whether the offence was part of the normal business activities of the legal entity and whether the corporation "accepted" the commission of the offence (see also 1.4 Corporate Liability and Personal Liability). However, in many cases, measures taken by companies have been found to be inadequate to escape criminal liability entirely and it is more likely that these measures will be taken into account as mitigating factors in relation to the sentence (demand).
The Netherlands does not have any de minimis exceptions for white-collar offences, nor any exempted industries/sectors.
Dutch criminal law does not provide specific rules allowing authorities to provide leniency to self-reporting offenders. Nevertheless, the enforcement authorities and courts may take self-reporting, co-operation with the authorities, adequate measures to prevent wrongdoing and disciplinary sanctions into account (as mitigating factors) in their decisions over whether and how to prosecute and penalise the (potential) offenders (see also 4.1 Defences).
In April 2021, the DPPS reached a settlement with five subsidiaries of SHV Holdings N.V. (SHV subsidiaries), where the SHV subsidiaries paid over EUR41 million to the DPPS with regard to, amongst other things, bribery of foreign public officials and commercial bribery. This was the first such settlement since the DPPS became more transparent about the benefits of self-reporting and co-operation with the authorities – all SHV subsidiaries received a 25% discount on the fine for co-operating in the investigation and three SHV subsidiaries received a further 25% discount on the fine because of the self-reporting.
In 2016, the House for Whistle-Blowers Act came into force in the Netherlands. The House for Whistle-Blowers Act establishes an independent administrative body (the House) and requires companies with a minimum of 50 employees to adopt a procedure with certain safeguards for dealing with whistle-blowers. Before voicing their suspicion of misconduct within the company, whistle-blowers can contact the House for advice on how to handle their concerns.
In June 2021, a legislative proposal was submitted to amend the House for Whistle-Blowers Act in order to implement EU Directive 2019/1937. According to the proposal, the protection provided by the Act will be extended to a broader circle of natural persons. Moreover, several authorities will be designated in relation to establishing external reporting channels so that whistle-blowers no longer necessarily have to use their organisation's internal channels first. Furthermore, in order to protect whistle-blowers against retaliation such as dismissal or suspension, support measures will be included in the Act.
Pursuant to Article 6(2) of the European Convention on Human Rights, the presumption of innocence is applicable in the Netherlands; a defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.
In the Netherlands, the court may find that the defendant committed the offence as charged in the indictment only when the court, through the hearing, has become convinced thereof from legal means of evidence (Section 338(1), DCCP). Dutch courts are not obliged to declare the charges proven if a minimum standard of evidence is met; the courts must be convinced that the defendant committed the offence based on the legal evidence. It is the public prosecutor who must present conclusive evidence to convince the court that the defendant committed the offence with which they are charged.
If the evidence against the accused "calls for an explanation", which the accused ought to be able to give, and the accused does not provide an explanation, the court may infer the guilt of the accused thereof (Murray v UK, ECHR). Under these circumstances, the accused may de facto be responsible for providing proof of their innocence.
If a defendant puts forward an affirmative defence, the defence must be explicitly mentioned, substantiated and sufficiently plausible in order for the court to be obliged to respond to it in its judgment.
If the public prosecutor considers the defendant guilty of the offence and punishable, they will put forward a proposal for an appropriate sentence (demand) during the court hearing.
After its deliberation, the court will, in the same judgment, rule on the question of whether it has been proven that the defendant committed the criminal offence, if they are punishable and, if so, what sentence will be imposed. When imposing a sentence for a criminal offence, a judge is limited by the maximum statutory sentences. Within those limits a judge has the discretion to impose the sentence which they deem suitable, taking into account the severity of the facts, personal circumstances of the defendant, recidivism and the duration of the criminal investigation/proceedings.
The Netherlands has so-called LOVS-guidelines, which provide the courts with a non-binding, orientation guide for sentencing. The fraud section includes crimes such as bribery, forgery, embezzlement and money laundering, and contains orientation points for sentencing based on the financial disadvantage suffered as a consequence of the crimes. The guidelines also list several mitigating and aggravating factors that can be taken into account in the sentencing process, such as:
the duration of the criminal offence;
the proceeds of the crime;
whether the defendant ended the criminal act themselves; and
co-operation with the authorities.
Lumen Lawyers
info@lumenlawyers.com www.lumenlawyers.com


Staying in a private home is a good option for your holiday in Big White. The privately owned homes are set in a various convenient locations across the resort and are all luxurious with some excellent amenities.
Luxury, privately owned homes in Big White.


Author's Note: This story contains themes of violence, abuse and other suggestive themes. Reader discretion is advised.
It was dark and cold as the echoing sound of a leaky pipe drips down on the cold cracked cement floor as dim ceiling lamp flickered, the light slowly going out. The only light there was besides the small bit of sunlight seeping in from the small bordered up window. June, who was forced down there by her abusive parents was crying, her body burning as fresh bleeding gashes scatter her body. This poor five-year-old being abused, her parents Kara-Anne and Rowan Marie angry at this 'demon' they made. Them being extremely Religious would do this to her, only bringing her upstairs to have these meetings with a priest to cure this child of the demons that possess her. Although some of them who came to 'help' June before always said that her 'power' was like a blessing, serving as a strength to the family then a burden. Once the two parents had the priests stop trying to help, the abuse only got worse. Well, her parents had no sympathy. They would beat and torture her, even going as far as considering about removing her kidney to get extra money. Luckily they had enough heart to not do such a cruel thing. They would keep her down there, no sunlight or anything, only feed her rotted food and scum once every five days. These people didn't see this poor child as human. They seen her as a blood hungry monster that should be punished for stepping foot on earth. To them, she wasn't even their priority anymore. But she couldn't control her strange power however. It was like some kind of disease coming and going sending her into a blank state of panic. Words flooding her mind "you're a monster", "no one could ever love you", "does it hurt, demon?" This sensation surrounds her almost as if she was in an ocean sinking into lukewarm water. Like hands pulling her down, vectors if you will. Her eyes switching from a crimson red to black to blue in a matter of seconds, like it was a glitch in her system. Like she is one with her mind but her body isn't her own.
The powers only got worse with age. As her mind and body matured, the vectors grip grew tighter. Amongst hitting her early teens her anger became a lethal reason for the vectors to act up. People took notice on her skinny and underfed body shape. The bags around her eyes and the scars so they just like her parents would toss her looks of hate. They would go as far to call her 'Zombie' in the play yard, and even tossing her stuff the school dumpster. One time they threw her jacket in the school incinerator during a blizzard. "Zombies don't care about the cold, right?" They would say to her. Because she had cried so many tears, she could only feel the red hot anger taking over than sadness. And as for the teachers, they wouldn't help this bullied and abused girl. Not even the guidance counselors. When she told them how she felt or how she was being treated, they would just ask: "well, did you do something to make them do that to you?" This sickened June to her very core. Only adding fuel to the fire. The worst of it all was in the 8th grade. During a historical video in her world history class, one of her 'classic' childhood bullies came over to her desk. Now this wouldn't have bothered our brunette 'zombie'. It wouldn't have bothered her until he grabbed the grape soda she had beside her and dumped it all over the top of her head, staining the shockingly new white dress she was wearing. Naturally the others laughed like the kid told a dirty joke. Infuriated, June's eyes switched color like a blinding storm, she began to hyperventilate. The others never seeing her eyes do this before all shut up. Except for the bully. When he turned around he had gotten a broken and bloodied nose. June was seated and her hand wasn't red. Suddenly the fire alarm went off and water from the alarm came down, making the projector catch fire. The other children fled in a hurry. All except June and the other. The fire spread from one part of the room to the other, as June made her way to The bully. He being pummeled by unseen hands.
About a week passes after the incident, no one seeing June anywhere after she put that bully in the hospital. Each time she had gotten angry, her unforseen powers had gotten stronger. She became cold and distant to her classmates. They have feared her, like she was a dictator. Everywhere she went people still saw the burning ember from the incident way back when at her feet.
Hitting her high school years, June and her vectors became second nature. She hardly even noticed her glitching eyes or her invisible "hands" holding her upwards. Why? Well it's because she, for the first time in her life, had finally made a group of friends who knew about her abilities and respected them. They knew that she never asked for them. Why blame the innocent than the guilty? It was a few years in to living with her adopted Korean family. June had regained her gentle soul, the ice surrounding her heart melted. Though that didn't mean the teasing never stopped. Girls would hide behind the lockers and would gossip about her In between other subjects. Men would give her looks when she passed and stick their two index fingers behind their heads symbolizing demon horns. Of course, after years of abuse and trauma this was all but child's play. Why should she pay them any mind when she knew she had people who cared about her for who she was?
Everything seemed fine. Her world seemed to burst with color and light after everything turned around. Good grades, a high GPA and everything. She and her friends would travel every weekend to different places in the city. Hah! "What a turn of events" she would always say to herself. She was blessed to have discovered this peaceful times. For a time, she had forgotten her powers. That all changed drastically. Gym class, third period of senior year. The FBI and SWAT had suddenly reared their way to her school because of a suspected murder of a fellow student. The others, taking this opportunity, pointed their fingers at June. The story of her had spread from town to town so without second thought,they held up their arms at her. June, pleading innocent started to back up. One of the cops being a newbie and reckless fool pulled the trigger of his gun. June ducked, knowing that she was going to get struck down. When she didn't feel the stinging pain of led piercing her body she knew something was up. When she opened her eyes, there right at her foot was one of her friends with a small hold right through her jugular. She was in too much awe to even speak. Her heart began to pound like drums of war. Sweat glistened down her face down to her chin. Not even her tears could save her. She was dead.
As the blood from her neck spilled down to her shoes, she continued to watch. Her breathing kicked up and her heart began to beat faster. Covering her mouth to prevent wails she panted for a good five seconds. And then she stopped suddenly. Her hand clenched tightly around her mouth and her eyebrows furrowed in fury. After a good long silence, she spoke. "Oh?" She asked. "So just because one person stands out from the crowd you think its ok to shoot first then ask questions?" Her tone of voice was different now. Sure she had gotten angry before, but never has her voice sounded murderous before. Not even when her teachers room caught on fire. June growled and her eyes flickered. There it was blue-red-blue-red-blue-blue-red. Then suddenly they stopped at a different color. Like it was a one of those wheels that people bet on at a casino. The color was scarlet. A deeper shade of red. Suddenly the room paralyzed with fear. The police man who shot was shaking the most out of all of them. His lip quivered as he tried to form a sentence. After countless struggling he said only one word. "I–" before being beheaded on spot. The billions of students who had saw fled the building fled in a panicked terror. The officer's head rolled around the room being kicked by rattled students. As his body dropped and the blood spurted out, the officers and SWAT took up the signal to shoot. Bullets flew in a straight line all towards June. Oddly they all bounced back right at them, like they ricocheted off of a titanium wall. The doors and windows locked as one by one all the shooters fell lifeless. Each dying in a different and gruesome way. One had his throat ripped out by the broken leg of a table going right threw it. Another had their head mutilated by bullets seemingly placing themselves towards their heads. Another, his head severed by a bleacher falling on him when he was down.
The bloodshed didn't stop for hours. Not until everyone had been turned into minced meat. Once June had woken up from her psychotic coma, she let out a shrill gasp. Not out of just fear but out of excitement as well. She had mutilated a third of a squadron of police and SWAT. The others either passed out from fear or had killed themselves. She felt powerful, like she was the superior one for once. She was what people had made her out to be, a 'natural born killer'.
June took her friends body out to a local grave yard not to far from the school. She had so much she wanted to do in life. June remembered how badly she wanted to be a researcher. Find a way to cure cancer, a leader for a new revolutionary movement. She had even promised to help June find out who or what she was. Now she would never know. And her friend would never know what the world would be like in future time.
An Abyyt (pronounced: Ab-It) is a first born human with supernatural abilities that come into their lives. You can describe them as 'fae folk' or whatever you wish, but they are far from the fairies from Celtic lore. They possess an array of abilities such as healing fluids. However these fluids cannot heal the already deceased. Their eyes can also change color. The color responds to whatever emotion they feel and how much of it they feel responds to to shade of it. The stronger the emotion, the deeper the color. Abyyt have an unseen force behind them that helps them in tasks and have minds of their own. It's only June who calls them vectors.
No one knows exactly what happened to the Abyyt race. And June is the only know case of them to resurface in 300+ years after the Salem witch trials.
This needs serious work. It is missing punctuation and the sentence structure is hurting, bad. I can't say about grammar as I won't finish reading it. The only thing going for it is the advisory at the beginning of it. Thank you, by the way, for that much. At least I was warned.
It may not be perfect but it's not nearly as bad as most of the stories on here. I noticed mistakes yes, but in no way did they take away from the story or make it unreadable in my opinion at least.
Really good story, reminds me a lot of a show I've watched with the "vectora." Would love to read more maybe a prequel with more of her race.


text:
Carmel DeAmicis
This iPad app helps keep the Air Force from crashing planes. So why is no one talking about it?
Every once in awhile you stumble across a company that's doing something so important you can't believe you haven't heard of it before. Then you Google them to see how you missed it, and nothing comes up. And then you email the founder for an interview, after a very kind introduction from someone else, and they ignore you for weeks before they finally say, "Alright, fine, sigh" -- they'll chat on the phone for a bit. But only on Thursday. And only at 4 pm. And only for thirty minutes. Because the founder is too busy the rest of the time.
By Carmel DeAmicis , written on July 3, 2014
After I write about ridesharing series cutting their prices to the bone, Lyft decides to go even further
How kind. I just received a text message telling me I'm a Lyft "pioneer" (whatever that means) and offering me ten free rides.
Drowning in venture capital, mobile startups are waging unsustainable price wars
When millions -- or even hundred of millions -- in venture capital is powering your startup engine, profits are often a distant concern. It's with this bizarro economic calculus that we stand by and watch an entire sector of on-demand mobile-first startups compete in the kind of price wars that will leave a handful victorious, many bloodied, and more still gasping their last breaths, lucky to be sold at acquihire prices.
The Bay Area gets UberX's 25 percent price cut...weeks after the rest of the nation
Surprise surprise, in the latest ongoing saga of ridesharing price wars, UberX has cut its Bay Area prices 25 percent. I guess that's what you do to celebrate after raising a $1.2 billion venture round.
A skeptic's ode to Uber
Of all the companies I've covered in my time at Pando, by far I have lobbed the most crap at Uber. It was perfectly deserved, reporting that needed to be done on their shoddy background check practices, the gaps in their insurance coverage, the way they treat passengers who have been assaulted and reporters who are trying to uncover the truth.
By Carmel DeAmicis , written on June 30, 2014
Steve Case on the road: Just as the going gets big, the big leave Nashville
The Nashville fireside chat is a far cry from its Rise of the Rest tour predecessors. The audience sits in a pristine carpeted room, on the 28th floor of a corporate sky rise, looking out through wall to ceiling windows on the greenery of the city. In the distance, the Titans football stadium looms.
The best and worst of startup Cincinnati comes down to its Fortune 500s
It's fitting that of all the stops on Steve Case's Rise of the Rest tour, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce chose to join up in Cincinnati. It is, after all, a place where corporate America meets the startup world. The two converge, clash, cooperate, compete, help each other, hurt each other, and generally exist in a fucked up synergistic relationship. They represent both sides of America's economic past and future, and as we covered, Penny Pritzker was there taking it all in. (In case you missed it, here's our rundown on the Detroit and Pittsburgh stops).
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce: We are nowhere with immigration and the clock is ticking
Today on Steve Case's Rise of the Rest tour, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said something that would make any Silicon Valley entrepreneur's eyes roll: "We like to think we're the department of innovation!"
Go to page 1.
Go to page 56.
Next page.
Get it all, become a Pando Member
Read full articles, attend events, access our video archive and more

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
COLA Reinstated for Service Members in Japan for the First Time in Months
Shoppers purchase groceries at the Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) commissary May 20, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler R. Fraser)
Military.com | By Thomas Novelly
Service members stationed in Japan will have their government-provided cost-of-living allowance reinstated for the first time since October, the latest change coming amid rapid currency fluctuations that led to the halting of the payments.
In October, the military services stopped issuing the tax-free cost-of-living allowance, known as COLA, that is designed to support the roughly 55,000 troops stationed in the country by making up the difference in costs between the U.S. and Japan. Following a dive in the Japanese yen earlier this year, the payments were suspended.
The Department of Defense told Military.com in an emailed statement on Wednesday that with the yen bouncing back this week, making goods more expensive for troops and their families, the COLA is being reinstated in time for the holiday season.
Read Next: From Hormones to Horses: How Veterans Are Finally Getting Help for Brain Injuries
"As of December 16, locations in Japan generally saw increases in [overseas COLA] ranging from 4 to 10 points solely due to currency fluctuations," Army Maj. Charlie Dietz, a Department of Defense spokesman, told Military.com.
For example, a senior airman in Okinawa with six years of service and two dependents has gone from receiving nothing in October to $127 a month, according to a Department of Defense COLA calculator.
There has been a steady increase in the value of the dollar compared to the Japanese yen. At the start of 2022, a dollar was equal to approximately 111 yen. Now, it's equal to around 140 yen, Dietz explained.
On Tuesday, the yen skyrocketed to a four-month high against the U.S. dollar, Reuters reported, putting it on pace for its sharpest one-day rise in nearly two decades.
Because of that fluctuation, it's likely that service members will see more changes to their COLA, Dietz said.
"Overseas COLA rate changes due to foreign currency exchange rate changes can occur as frequently as twice per month (each payday)," Dietz said in an emailed statement. "This is done to ensure Service members' purchasing power is adjusted for currency fluctuations as frequently as possible."
The frequency in which COLA is adjusted overseas for service members will be changing under the latest defense spending bill.
In the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which is awaiting President Joe Biden's signature as of Thursday, a provision states that the defense secretary can't reduce overseas cost-of-living allowances "not more than once every six months" or "in connection with a permanent change of station for such member."
Fluctuating cost of living allowances have caused major stress for military families across the globe this year.
Last month, some families in Germany saw their cost-of-living allowances drop as much as 18% amid record-high European utility hikes.
In early September, service members stationed in Hawaii were warned in a Department of Defense memo that they may see a major hit to their cost-of-living allowances in 2022 even though gas, groceries and housing costs continue to rise on the Pacific island chain.
The Pentagon announced shortly after that memo was circulated that those cuts were being put on hold. A new survey of grocery prices in Hawaii was being conducted in November to better gauge the cost-of-living needs.
-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.
Related: Military Families in Germany 'Struggling to Make Ends Meet' Amid European Utility Hike
Related Topics: Military Headlines Active Duty Benefits Cost of Living Allowance - COLA Military Pay Japan Family and Spouse Personal Finance


text:
UMBC Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Search Context This Site All of UMBC
What is a Fulbright Scholarship?
English Teaching Assistantship (ETA)
Fulbright Application Requirements
What Makes an Applicant Competitive?
Choosing the Right Program
The Fulbright Application
Fulbright Information Sessions
Meet with the Fulbright Program Advisor
MyUMBC Fulbright Group
Summer Advising Workshops
Faculty Input
Application Timeframe
UMBC Fulbright U.S. Student Program on myUMBC
Dr. Brian V. Souders ('09, '19) has served as UMBC's Fulbright Program Advisor for more than a decade. He earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in Political Science and Slavic Languages and Literatures and a Masters' degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Political Science. He earned a doctorate from UMBC in the Language, Literacy and Culture Program, as well as a Master's in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages. He lived two years in Finland – as a high school exchange student, and later as a Finnish Ministry of Education Scholarship recipient. He attended two intensive Russian-language study programs in Moscow, and worked for a year in Tallinn, Estonia as a research affiliate with the Estonian Academy of Sciences under the auspices of the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) graduate fellowship program.
You can schedule an appointment with UMBC's Fulbright Program Advisor by e-mail at fulbright@umbc.edu.
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250
Work at UMBC
Contact UMBC
UMBC Police: 410-455-5555
Top Stories of the Week
© UMBC: A University System of Maryland
PrivacyPDF Download
Subscribe to UMBC Weekly Top Stories
I am interested in: Undergraduate
I am interested in: Graduate
I am interested in: Professional Masters


Adenoids are tiny lymphatic tissues present just behind the tonsils. On opening your mouth wide open, you can see tiny ball like structures on either side of the throat, they are called tonsils. Adenoids are situated just behind the tonsils and usually they are not visible. Being lymphoid tissue adenoids are important glands that protect the body from bacteria and viruses that enter through nose and mouth.
They filter the pathogenic organisms and kill them. However, while performing their function just like tonsils they are vulnerable to get inflamed and swollen, thus leading to enlargement of adenoids. Adenoid hypertrophy is common condition in childhood. In adults the disease is uncommon because by the age of 5 years, adenoids start to shrink. A child suffering from adenitis present with symptoms such as sore throat, middle ear infection, stuffy nose, sinusitis, ear pain. It can also cause cholesteatoma, the child starts to feed slowly. Some children may have behavioral problem. In majority of cases treatment consists of antibiotics or surgery if the condition worsens or recurs frequently.
There are several natural remedies that can help to reduce the swelling.
Adenoids are two tiny lymphoid tissues behind the tonsils. Being lymphoid tissues, they protect the body from invading organism that enters through mouth and nose. While trapping the germs, they may become enlarged and swollen. As the infection reduces adenoids return to their normal size. Usually enlarged adenoids are a problem of childhood. It can also develop due to allergies, and weak immune system. After the age of 5 the size of adenoids shrinks. In some cases adults too can suffer from adenitis. Adenitis is often associated with otitis media (middle ear infection), sinusitis, etc. Bacteria such as streptococci infection, staphylococcal infection, adenovirus, rhinovirus, EB virus are responsible for causing infection and enlargement of adenoids.
Difficulty in sleeping due to nasal obstruction.
Treatment of adenoid enlargement is use of antibiotics and anti inflammatory medicines. In rare cases surgery may be necessary. There are several home remedies that help to reduce the size of hypertrophied adenoids. Parents must also try these simple home remedies that usually are without any side effects.
Salt water gargling is the best suited medicine for enlarged adenoids. Salt has natural anti bacterial properties. It helps in killing the pathogens and reduces the size of adenoids.
Garlic contains sulfur compounds. This quality makes garlic potential antibacterial agent. Extract garlic juice from one or two garlic cloves. Add one teaspoon of honey and lemon juice to it and give the mixture two times in a day.
Mixture of honey and turmeric powder is effective in reducing the swollen adenoids. The natural antibacterial qualities of turmeric powder are useful in curbing the infection.
What Causes Drooling While Sleeping? How Can It be Stopped?


How satisfied are you with the OVERALL quality of service you received?
Do you consider the problem resolved?
Was your question or issue resolved the first time you contacted technical support?
How satisfied are you with this particular phone support experience?
Did you attempt to use our online support web site before making this call?
If yes, how satisfied were you overall with this online support experience?
How satisfied are you with our technical support in general?
We sincerely appreciate any comments or suggestions you have. This will help us improve our service in the future.


A array of fruit flavors in a frozen treat.
Pour the mixture into a glass baking dish and put in the freezer.
Scrape the mixture with a fork every 1/2 hour to break up ice crystals. Continue this process for at least 3 hours until the whole mixture is frozen.


text:
Biografia
Arruolatosi nell'Armata Rossa per seguire le orme del padre e divenuto sottotenente, viene notato dai reclutatori del KGB e successivamente assegnato al Terzo direttorato, che si occupava dell'Analisi e soppressione delle attività delle organizzazioni criminali, dopo il 1991 ad una unità di controterrorismo e successivamente nel FSB.

Litvinenko assunse una posizione molto critica nei confronti del potere russo, in particolare verso il presidente Vladimir Putin. Accusò pubblicamente i suoi superiori di aver organizzato un piano per assassinare il milionario Boris Abramovič Berezovskij, il quale verrà trovato morto nella sua residenza nei pressi di Londra in circostanze non chiarite il 23 marzo 2013, in apparenza per un suicidio.

Litvinenko venne accusato di aver maltrattato un arrestato durante un interrogatorio; venne mostrata una videocassetta dove si vedeva un militare che picchiava un uomo seduto, Litvinenko riuscì a rintracciare il video originale e dimostrò di non essere lui l'uomo che picchiava. Venne comunque imprigionato per otto mesi in attesa del processo e successivamente rilasciato per insufficienza di prove. Non sentendosi più al sicuro in Russia decise di andare in esilio.

Pensò di andare in Italia, dove viveva suo fratello Maxim, ma il suo ex capo, generale Anatoly Trofimov, glielo sconsigliò in quanto a suo dire l'Italia, insieme alla Germania, era il paese più infiltrato dal KGB (secondo l'europarlamentare Gerard Batten, Trofimov citò Romano Prodi come esempio, dicendo che era un "loro uomo"). Litvinenko trovò asilo nel Regno Unito, dove ottenne lo status di rifugiato politico.

Nel 2002 pubblicò un libro (Blowing up Russia: Terror From Within), finanziato da Berezovskij, in cui accusava gli agenti del FSB di essere i veri responsabili della serie di attentati esplosivi occorsi in Russia tra l'agosto e il settembre del 1999 e che fecero più di trecento vittime. Gli attentati, ufficialmente attribuiti ai separatisti ceceni, sarebbero stati realizzati per giustificare la ripresa delle operazioni militari russe in Cecenia (vedi Seconda guerra cecena). In un suo libro successivo (Gang from Lubyanka) Litvinenko accusò Putin di esserne il mandante.

Le accuse a Romano Prodi

La rivelazione di Batten
L'europarlamentare Gerard Batten, del Partito per l'Indipendenza del Regno Unito, denunciò il 3 aprile 2006 al Parlamento europeo che a Litvinenko era stato riferito dal generale Anatolij Vasil'evič Trofimov che Romano Prodi era un our man (in italiano: un nostro uomo), ossia un agente del KGB in Italia, e che Litvinenko stesso aveva dato questa informazione all'italiano Mario Scaramella. Nel suo intervento, Batten non disse se aveva ricevuto le informazioni direttamente da Litvinenko. Lo stesso generale Trofimov era stato assassinato insieme alla moglie con raffiche di mitra.

La BBC sostenne nel suo programma Panorama di essere entrata in possesso di un documento, classificato come "segretissimo" dal Governo italiano, in cui Litvinenko accusa Romano Prodi di essere un amico del KGB. Nella stessa puntata di Panorama Scaramella sostiene di aver appreso da "fonti qualificate", incluso lo stesso Litvinenko, che alcuni funzionari (officers) a Mosca consideravano Prodi "un loro uomo, un uomo del KGB".

Tuttavia, secondo quanto riporta la Repubblica, in un'intervista non registrata a Litvinenko rilasciata quasi due anni prima e uscita pochi giorni dopo la sua morte, lo stesso affermò di non aver mai sentito parlare di Prodi e di non avere alcuna prova su di lui.

Vi sono alcune incongruenze temporali a favore della tesi della manipolazione dell'intervista: ad esempio, nell'intervista Litvinenko si dice "colpito" perché su il Giornale di Berlusconi era apparso un articolo che lo citava, mentre l'articolo in questione apparirà solo nel 2006.

In un'intervista (sempre a la Repubblica) Oleg Gordievskij conferma invece che Litvinenko riferì a Scaramella quanto aveva appreso su Prodi da Trofimov. Gordievskij sostiene però che riferì "una circostanza non vera" e che "Aleksandr, per ragioni legate alle continue difficoltà economiche, avesse alla fine deciso di dire a Scaramella quel che Scaramella voleva sentirsi dire".

Gordievsky smentì l'intervista, definendola "fabbricata al 90%" e anche successivamente in un'intervista a Paolo e Sabina Guzzanti confermò più volte la versione diffusa da Guzzanti. Gordievsky disse che Litvinenko era "un uomo assolutamente onesto, poverissimo e che non si è mai venduto a nessuno", e riferendosi all'intervista de la Repubblica: "È stata forzata oltre ogni limite [...] Il resto dell'intervista è stata una vera montatura, un gonfiaggio. Mi facevano le domande e mi davano anche le risposte".

La morte

Il 23 novembre 2006 Litvinenko è morto a causa di un avvelenamento da radiazione da polonio-210, un isotopo radioattivo del polonio, in circostanze poco chiare. Tracce di polonio sono state individuate in diversi locali nei quali Litvinenko si trovava prima del ricovero, in particolare nel sushi bar Itsu di Piccadilly, dove aveva pranzato insieme a Scaramella (ma non dove Litvinenko sedette con Scaramella, bensì dove si era precedentemente intrattenuto con gli ex agenti del KGB Andrei Lugovoi e Dimitri Kovtun).

In realtà Scaramella non toccò cibo, e sia per questo, sia perché era apparso agitato ed ansioso, Litvinenko inizialmente sospettò proprio che Scaramella lo avesse avvelenato. In realtà, stando a quanto afferma il senatore Paolo Guzzanti in un'intervista, Scaramella era arrivato a Londra sia perché Igor Ponomariov gli aveva detto di avere importanti ulteriori notizie da dargli sia per parlare con Litvinenko delle minacce contenute negli ultimi rapporti di Evgenij Limarev, figlio di Lev Limarev, un generale maggiore dell'SVR, capo degli agenti illegali dell'intelligence sovietica. Tuttavia Igor Ponomariov la sera prima era morto al teatro in modo misterioso. L'ambasciata russa a Londra aveva fatto prelevare immediatamente la salma, vietando l'autopsia avvalendosi dei diritti diplomatici e spedendo il cadavere a Mosca, dove fu immediatamente cremato.

Prima di morire, Litvinenko ha accusato pubblicamente il presidente russo Vladimir Putin di essere il responsabile del suo avvelenamento e il mandante dell'omicidio della giornalista Anna Politkovskaja. In un articolo scritto da Litvinenko stesso nel luglio, e pubblicato online su Zakayev's Chechenpress, lo ha accusato di pedofilia, dichiarando anche che Putin, nel periodo in cui fu dirigente dell'FSB poco prima di divenire presidente, rovistò negli archivi e approfittò della sua posizione per distruggere il materiale compromettente per la propria immagine.

Nei giorni seguenti alla morte del dissidente russo, avvenuta a Londra, altre persone sono state ricoverate per aver accusato sintomi d'avvelenamento per esposizione a radiazioni. Oltre 300 persone si sono rivolte alla Health Protection Agency (HPA, Agenzia per la protezione della salute britannica), dopo che questo ente aveva lanciato un appello a tutti coloro che potevano essersi trovati nei due locali - il sushi bar Itsu, nei pressi di Piccadilly Circus e il Pine Bar del Millennium Hotel a Grosvenor Square - frequentati da Litvinenko prima di sentirsi male e in cui potrebbe essere stato avvelenato.

Tracce di polonio sono state trovate anche su due aerei della British Airways e il servizio sanitario britannico ha richiesto ai 33.000 passeggeri che hanno utilizzato quei velivoli nell'ultimo mese di presentarsi per un controllo.

Sulla morte del dissidente russo in esilio è stato scritto e prodotto da Andrej Nekrasov un documentario dal titolo Rebellion: The Litvinenko Case (2007) e la sua morte è stata anche riportata nel popolare show americano 1000 modi per morire.

Note

Bibliografia
 Aleksandr Litvinenko, Perché mi hanno ucciso, a cura di Luca Salvatori e Maxim Litvinenko, AIEP, 2008
 Gabriele Paradisi, Periodista, di la verdad! Controinchiesta sulla Commissione Mitrokhin, il caso Litvinenko e la repubblica della disinformazione. Giraldi, 2009

Voci correlate
 Mario Scaramella
 Dossier Mitrokhin
 Stato di mafia
 Aleksej Naval'nyj
 Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaja

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Morti assassinati per avvelenamento
Morti per esposizione alle radiazioni
Dissidenti russi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Site Landmark _ Thank You, Paisea _ Spain For Publishing The New Competition!
Site Landmark _ Thank You, The Architectural Review _ United Kingdom For Publishing The New Competition!
Site Landmark _ Thank You, Professione Architetto _ Italy For Publishing The New Competition!


text:
Should supporters of...
`Fin Tech' Payments:...
Launch of CPD course...
The Call for Evidenc...
Spanish political de...
The Eurozone: IN and...
The European Council...
>>Graham Bishop speech...
IN Facts: Post-Brexi...
Deepening EMU – Roun...
Brexit: The Tusk let...
The Importance of be...
Commission Green Pap...
Face-to-face between...
116th Brussels for B...
Graham Bishop speech at the London School of Economics
Graham Bishop spoke on the implications of a Brexit for the UK during a series of seminars at the LSE.
An inter-disciplinary and inter-collegiate group of experts specialising in financial regulation hold a regular series of seminars at the London School of Economics entitled "The London Financial Regulation Seminar".
On 16th February 2016, Graham Bishop spoke on the topic "The Implications for London if the UK were to exit the EU". Edited highlights of his speech are here.


Information for ASCH members is available in a separate password-protected website at https://www.asch.com.au/membersonly/. All members have been provided with their username and password. If you are an ASCH member and you have not received your login, please contact us (see below).


Join Solaire Resort and Casino as they usher in The Year of the Horse with colorful traditions and feasts this January. On Friday, January 31, 2014 which marks the Chinese New Year, guests will be treated to the centuries old tradition of Lion Dance. This practice is believed to remove negative vibrations as the lion dance is always accompanied by a cacophony of drums and cymbals and an exhibition of firecrackers. Performance will begin from the lobby and will move to the different areas of the resort.
The favorite Chinese New Year staple- "Tikoy" is also available at Solaire and they made it more special by turning it into a "Koi fish-shaped" Tikoy which comes in elgant boxes that guests can give to their family and friends. It is believed that giving sweet and sticky "Tikoy" strengthens the bond of relationship between people. This treat is available for take-out at Red Lantern located at the ground level till February 14, 2014. For bulk orders, guests should call 888-8888.


Admit it: Generally, you simply can't assist however consider methods to make your meals extra fascinating. As a result of eating in eating places and quick meals chains will be unhealthy and dear, most individuals fall into the cycle of processed dinners like on the spot mac and cheese, pizza, and microwavable meals. So, why not strive one thing new?
This one-pan paleo hen paprikash recipe by Jennafer Ashley of PaleoHacks will add certainly spice to your life, however takes lower than an hour to make. Rooster paprikash or paprika csirke1 is a standard Hungarian dish with a creamy tomato sauce that's seasoned with paprika and is often paired with spaetzle (tiny dumplings)2 or egg noodles.three As a substitute of bitter cream, this recipe makes use of coconut cream as a dairy-free different. When you're too busy to whip up different dishes for the week, you may merely reheat this and have one other hearty meal.
Warmth 1 teaspoon of ghee over medium warmth in a forged iron skillet for 2 minutes. Pat dry the hen thighs with a paper towel and season either side with salt and pepper. Place the hen in a skillet and cook dinner for 4 minutes on either side. Take away from the pan and set hen apart on a plate.
Add the remaining teaspoon of ghee into the skillet and stir within the onion. Sauté for six minutes, after which add the garlic. Proceed cooking for an extra minute.
Stir within the paprika, coconut cream and hen inventory, mixing properly till totally blended. Add within the tomatoes and hen thighs, after which let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Add loads of sauce on high and garnish with parsley.
Keep away from shopping for canned tomato merchandise as a result of they might include bisphenol A (BPA),20 a chemical that will enhance your threat of varied well being situations resembling infertility, breast and prostate most cancers, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and early puberty.21 The acidity of the tomato causes the BPA within the can lining to leach into the meals.
Select natural, pasture-raised chickens as a substitute of chickens raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), to scale back your threat of salmonella or antibiotic-resistant an infection23 and that will help you achieve more healthy fat and nutritional vitamins.
When shopping for ghee, search for the natural form to make sure that it's antibiotic-free. You may also make selfmade ghee utilizing natural, grass fed butter.
If you aren't used to utilizing paprika in your dishes as a result of it's possible you'll assume that it is simply just like cayenne pepper and chili powder, this recipe will definitely offer you a grasp of each of its culinary use and well being wonders. In case you are searching for extra dishes that use paprika, it's possible you'll test these: Salmon Supreme Recipe, Selfmade Rooster Nuggets Recipe or Low Carb Bacon and Cheese Muffins Recipe.
PaleoHacks is a high supply for superb Paleo recipes, health suggestions and wellness recommendation that will help you reside life to the fullest. When you have questions concerning the Paleo food regimen usually, PaleoHacks might give you the solutions that you could be want.
at any time and I assure the privateness of your e-mail.


text:
PIMRIS Portal, the one stop website for all Pacific marine fisheries information
By the end of this week it will take as much effort as pushing a button for you to have access to a wealth of quality marine and fisheries information from the Pacific. Gone are the days of having to trawl through different websites and constant library visits as you search for information on Pacific marine fisheries and environment.
With thanks to the cooperation and contribution of all regional agencies who work in this area, the soon to be launched Pacific Islands Marine Portal (http://www.pimrisportal.org) has brought everything together in the one website, making life a lot easier when it comes to seeking out information on Pacific marine environment and fisheries.
PIMRIS, the Pacific Islands Marine Resources Information System is a Pacific network consisting of agencies from the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP), it has been in operation for the past two decades focusing on building capacity in knowledge management in fisheries departments throughout the Pacific region.
Taking it a step further, PIMRIS has engaged in a new project in partnership with the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange Programme (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO to provide an online gateway to all information available to the marine resource sector in the Pacific.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) was instrumental in developing the portal structure and identifying resources and content to populate the portal and will continue to work in partnership with University of the South Pacific, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission and Forum Fisheries Agency to further develop the portal in 2010.
The success of this project relies heavily upon the input and ownership of the CROP agencies and partners. It calls upon the ongoing collaboration between regional agencies and national fisheries departments and will continue to do so in the future to ensure the information remains current and the portal is active.
"PIMRIS is a collaborative effort that is supported by all the Pacific Islands and their regional organisations. It is a testament to the value and strength of cooperation and partnership where the sum of the collective work is more then the sum of its individual parts," said Dr Joeli Veitayaki, Head of the Division of Marine Studies, USP.
In 2008 and 2009, funding was provided by IODE to allow for several meetings in which the CROP agencies and partners involved could come together to discuss how this was going to work, and to develop the portal. The portal is hosted by the Project Office for IODE in Oostende, Belgium.
The portal has been designed so that it is user friendly and will be helpful to a wide range of people. Policy makers will be able to visit it for data and information at regional level; school children will be able to visit it to for information for schools and those in the community will find it a useful access point for generic information. It contains information from the Pacific region and is available for use by all.
Our Pacific marine environment faces great threats right now and the Year of Biodiversity has raised once again important facts which we must face. The International Union for Conservation of Nature notes that 6 marine turtles out of 7 are all threatened with extinction, 75% of the world's fisheries are fully or over exploited and one third of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with extinction.
"We need to act fast to secure and provide our people with the resources and development activities that will allow them to have dignified and successful lives while protecting the integrity and health of the natural systems that support our lives," said Dr Joeli Veitayaki.
"The best way to do that is to learn the lessons from the past and then use our best science and technology to formulate and implement sustainable development activities and resource management arrangements for use in all of our communities and countries. For that challenge, we need to have access to the best information we can get, which is what the PIMRIS Portal offers."
Not only will there be a launch of the PIMRIS portal in Fiji this week, but the acknowledgement of another information project under this portal. The PIMRIS regional repository is about ensuring Pacific islands countries and territories will be able to provide preservation in digital format and better access to their country documents. The Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati and Samoa are involved in a pilot project developing the capacity of each of the country fisheries departments to manage their fisheries documents and to allow each country to be able to upload national documents in digital format to the regional repository.
The launch of the Pacific Islands Marine Portal will take place in Marine Lecture Theatre at USP, Suva, Fiji, from 2.00-3.00pm on Thursday, 25th of March 2010.
Notes: The University of the South Pacific (USP) through a partnership between the Library and the Division of Marine Studies coordinates PIMRIS activities. The PIMRIS Steering Committee consisting of representatives of all CROP agencies and national fisheries & marine resources departments serves as an advisory body on protocols for these activities.
PIMRIS
Labels: International


Drop Dead Easy Knits ~ Quince & Co. Owl Giveaway!
Last week a new and exciting knitting book was released, Drop Dead Easy Knits, by Gale Zucker, Mary Lou Eagen and Kirsten Kapur. I am fortunate enough to have a pattern included in the book, Bear in a Bunny Suit. I have a little story on how this came to be.
A couple of years ago Gale Zucker, who I first met at the SSK retreat in Nashville, asked if I wanted to get together at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC. I said sure! I love Gale and so does everyone else; she's a good soul. Well, to that meet-up Gale brought along Kirsten Kapur, who I didn't know personally but of course I know and love her knitting. We chatted for a bit at the hotel and then they took me on an adventure weaving through the city to a pop-up yarn shop for Starcroft yarn and fiber (this is amazing yarn with an even better story behind it).
I had the best time ever. I just loved that night, it was warm and cozy and magical. The beautiful sheep-y wool fumes and the knitting talent in that tiny shop was overwhelming. I stayed an hour or two. Right before I left to go back to the hotel Kay Gardiner of Mason-Dixon Knitting walked in the shop and I briefly got to meet her which was great. Gale Zucker is the common thread here for me and possibly everyone else at that event. Gale likes to bring people together. She is kind and friendly and interested in others. When I was at SSK she arranged a dinner with Ann Shayne, the other half of Mason-Dixon Knitting, and that was another treasured memory I have due to Gale. Really my dream is to get to work with Gale someday on some sort of project and hopefully that will happen.
Kirsten Kapur, who is a native New Yorker, helped me catch a cab to get me back to the hotel. While we walked a block or two to get to a good cab-catching spot Kirsten asked me if I would design something for their new book. Gale and Kirsten were going to ask me earlier in the night but the night sort of swept away quickly on us. I said yes to the book project offer, Kirsten flagged down a cab for me and I jumped in. That was that.
A short while later they got in touch with more details about the book and I started dreaming up my project for the now named book, Drop Dead Easy Knits. The projects are supposed to be fairly easy and doable, that is the point. I like that in any project and those are usually the most inviting projects to me so it's a good fit.
Click here for Drop Dead Easy Knits on Amazon!
Click here to see all of the projects in the book on Ravelry! There are patterns for sweaters, blankets, shawls, mitts, cowls, a scarf, and hats to name a few. It has great variety.
For my project I had always wanted to knit a little bear in a bunny suit and I thought Drop Dead Easy Knits might be a good place for it. My youngest daughter had a little stuffed bear dressed in a pink bunny suit when she was little and I saved it thinking I'd love to knit one of my own someday. I finally had the chance. I was excited to dig in and create this new and fun knit toy.
Click here for the Bear in a Bunny Suit project page on Ravelry!
I picked Owl yarn by Quince & Co. as the yarn for my bear. Two skeins of Owl is all you need and you could easily get two bears out of the two skeins. The bear is a fast knit on a worsted weight yarn on US size 5 needles.
The hood can be taken off or can be pulled up. I love a toy that has something to do and the hood with ears provides the "to-do" in this toy.
The toy is constructed almost completely seamlessly from the bottom up. The only stitching together is for attaching the head to the body which only takes a minute. With easy increasing and decreasing the bear body and head come together quickly.
The hood, ears on the bear and hood, arms and legs are all picked up and knit directly onto the toy so there are no separate parts to stitch together. I used safety eyes but you could easily embroider eyes as well.
The Quince & Co. Owl is such a great yarn for toy knitting. The alpaca halo and heather-y look of the yarn gives the toy a cozy, old-fashioned look, sort of warm and comforting.
Anyway, it's a cute and quick knit. Bear in a Bunny Suit is the perfect project for the gift-knitting season that is now upon us.
Click here to see more information about the Bear in a Bunny Suit!
There are so many projects in Drop Dead Knits that I would like to knit myself and I think you'll feel the same way, too. As a matter of fact I just looked up the book on Amazon and it is already the #1 bestselling knitting book! Congratulations to Gale, Mary and Kirsten! That's so exciting.
I am giving away one copy of the book today. I also contacted Quince & Co. to see if they would want to give away two skeins of Owl to knit the Bear in a Bunny Suit and they said yes! So the winner of the giveaway will get to choose two skeins of Owl in any of the available colors along with winning a copy of Drop Dead Easy Knits.
To enter to win please leave one comment on this blog post that includes your Ravelry username or an email address so I can contact you if you win. Please be patient for your comment to appear and only click on the Publish button one time. There is a delay before you will see your comment.


text:
Attending Meetings
Browse Committees
Parish/Town Councils
Your Borough Councillors
Your County Councillors
Calendar of Public Meetings
Month: January February March April May June July August September October November December Year: 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Week 49 starting Monday, 27th November, 2023
Monday, 27th November, 2023
Tuesday, 28th November, 2023
Wednesday, 29th November, 2023
Thursday, 30th November, 2023
Friday, 1st December, 2023
Saturday, 2nd December, 2023
Sunday, 3rd December, 2023