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18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

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16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

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11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

 

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Mayor wants opportunities for the poor

2 January 2006 – Amsterdam is ‘one of the most dynamic cities in the world’. However, the city must offer opportunities to people with low incomes and to people who are being excluded because of their religion. This was mayor Job Cohen’s message for the city in his new year’s speech.

During the dark days around christmas, poverty in our own country was a popular theme. The only dissenter was minister Gerrit Zalm, who said that things are not all that bad. A lot of attention was paid to the growing popularity of food banks, an indication that social security as a right is slowly being replaced by charity.

Cohen ignored the food banks and argued for a dynamic approach to poverty. “As a society, we must ensure that poverty is something temporary, a phase that you can grow out of on your own, and with the help of society.

The mayor further expressed his concern for the fact that a growing number of Muslims does not feel at home in this society, even if they have a good education. This entails the risk of radicalisation.

According to Cohen, the solution must be work and education. Young people must be encouraged to obtain a good diploma. It is also important to “make it clear to them that they are the hope for our future”.

New jobs will be created when the municipality will commission glass fibre connections in order to provide Amsterdam households with faster internet. At the moment, some of the unemployed are being trained for jobs with cable companies.

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