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11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

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

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

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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Demonstration against private equity

5 June 2008 - On 17 July, the American services union SEIU will be holding a global action day against private equity firms such as the Amsterdam-listed KKR. There will be demonstrations in 100 cities including Amsterdam, the SEIU website announces.

According to the SEIU, KKR founder Henry Kravis made about $51,000 per hour in 2006, yet he would pay a lower tax rate on his profits than nurses and teachers on their incomes of $50,000 per year.

In 2006, KKR listed an investment fund on the Euronext exchange in Amsterdam. It has been suggested that it selected Amsterdam in order to evade American disclosure rules.

Another reason may have been the friendly tax climate in the Netherlands. Research institute SOMO has called the Netherlands a 'tax haven' for multinational corporations.

According to the SEIU, the deals made by private equity firms such as KKR have contributed to the current credit crunch. "The global economy has suffered recently as wages for most workers have dropped or stagnated despite the soaring cost of food and gas".

Meanwhile, Kravis expects to make a profit out of the crisis. "Economic environments like these provide opportunities", the Wall Street Journal quoted him saying. "We at KKR have made some of our best investments in periods like these".

In America, the action day against private equity firms has a political edge since Kravis is a 'major fund-raiser for John McCain's presidential campaign', according to the SEIU. The SEIU supports Barack Obama.

The action day was announced at the SEIU's convention in Puerto Rico and will be organised in collaboration with campaign organisation MoveOn.org. According to the New York Times, Amnesty International will also help mobilise supporters.

17 July action website. Image: SEIU convention (Photo SEIU / Flickr)

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