Netherlands

Dutch voters headed to the polls on March 18 in local elections that look set to deal a blow to Prime Minister Mark Rutte by indirectly undermining his center-right government in the upper house of parliament.

Provincial elections determine the make-up of the upper house because the winners get to pick new senators in May.

He is a Muslim of Moroccan origin. He was 15 years old when his family migrated to Holland. He has a bachelor?s degree in engineering but he was first a journalist before going into politics. He has double-citizenship; Moroccan and Dutch. Ahmed Aboutaleb is 53 years old; he has been the mayor of Rotterdam for six years.

It is always nice when a friend or relative fetches you from the airport whenever you visit your motherland. This time it was not my sister who was waiting for me, but a friend that I have known for years, Özkan Gölp?nar. We are friends, really good friends. When he got divorced, he stayed at my place; when I got divorced, I stayed at his.

"ICAO norms violated in MH17 crash probe"

MOSCOW -- "All ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) norms are being violated" in the investigation into the MH17 crash, Russian FM Sergei Lavrov has said.

Crash investigators were to begin reconstructing the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 shot down over eastern Ukraine in July, killing all 298 people on board, after wreckage arrived by truck at a Dutch air force hangar on Dec. 9.
   
Members of the national Safety Board will piece together the remains of the plane to determine exactly what brought down flight MH17.
   

More remains found at MH17 crash site

MOSCOW -- New remains have been discovered at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crash in eastern Ukraine, the Dutch government announced, according to TASS.

Workers on Nov. 16 began removing the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, four months after it was shot down killing 298 passengers and crew.
      

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Nov. 6 warned Vladimir Putin he will not be able to avoid a "conversation" over the loss of Australian lives in the downing of Flight MH17 over Ukraine.
      
Last month Abbott vowed to "shirtfront" the Russian president at the G20 summit in Brisbane next week, although Moscow has yet to respond to his request for a bilateral meeting.

BELGRADE - Head of the European Integration Section of EU's Delegation to Serbia Freek Janmaat said that Brussels supports the set of measures presented by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, as part of the broad structural reforms which are to follow.

Romania's Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean on Friday extended, on his behalf and the behalf of Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE), sincere condolences, deepest compassion and solidarity to the family of the person with dual citizenship, including the Romanian one, as well as to the families of all the victims of the plane crash that happened on Thursday in Ukraine.