Wed, 8 February 2012
| Index | Last | Var.(%) |
|---|---|---|
| BEL 20 | 2288.03 | 0.08 |
| DAX | 6775.45 | 0.31 |
| IBEX 30 | 8876 | 0.33 |
| CAC 40 | 3424.69 | 0.39 |
| FTSE 100 | 5888.91 | -0.02 |
| AEX | 326.51 | 0.17 |
| DJIA | 12857.35 | -0.16 |
| Nasdaq | 2906.41 | 0.08 |
| FTSE MIB | 16748.59 | 1.56 |
| TSX Composite | 12533.3 | 0.17 |
| ASX | 4363.7 | 0.43 |
| Hang seng | 21018.46 | 1.54 |
| Straits Times | 2982.2 | 0.83 |
| ISEQ 20 | 503.13 | -0.36 |
Text size
Parents of new-born babies all over the world have very different options in their choice of given names.
Early this year, Morocco has caused some unrest among the diaspora by circulating a list among its consulates, delineating which names are allowed and which are not if the child is to carry a Moroccan passport. It turned out that only Arabic names were on the approved list, denying Moroccans of Berber or other minority origins the right to name their offspring according to their own traditions.
This caused considerable upheaval among both Moroccans in the Netherlands and the Dutch themselves. Official questions were asked in the Dutch parliament and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen was urged to raise the matter with the Moroccan authorities.
Unusual choice
The issue of naming children in the Netherlands is dealt with in a moderately liberal way.
There once was a list of permitted first names but this was abolished long ago, when many immigrants arrived and many lawyers and civil servants had to spend lots of time granting exceptions to the rule.
Since then, basically any name is allowed, as long as it is not deemed ridiculous, absurd or obscene by a registrar at the city council.
Minor accidents sometimes slip through the net, however. Recently in the Netherlands, a young baby girl was christened Usnavy [pronounced Us-na-vee].
The official at the registry – maybe still half asleep from a severe weekend or otherwise slightly drowsy – did not realise what he was writing down.
When later the parents were asked about this unusual choice of name, they declared that during a holiday in Miami, Florida, they had seen a ship passing by that had such a beautiful name written on it.
They wished to call their baby daughter after that ship. On the ship’s side it read: "US Navy."
José Cutileiro
Radio Netherlands
Want to move to Germany but haven’t figured out the details? Check out Expatica’s overview of the German permit system.
In part one of our two part series, we cover the driving culture in Berlin, where to park and buy gas and, most importantly, the laws.
Our comprehensive guide includes information on how to find work, recruitment agencies, employment contracts and labour law.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Flickr
0
