Brief economic news of February 25, 2021
FHI, Federation of Technology Industries – February 25, 2021
- The RIVM reports 5048 new positive corona tests on Thursday. That is more than 645 more than Wednesday. It is also the largest number of registered infections in more than a month.
- During an interview on BNR Nieuwsradio, outgoing State Secretary of Finance Hans Vijlbrief indicated that he is considering giving companies permission to repay their tax debt later. The repayment could also be spread over a longer period. However, debt forgiveness is not an option, writes the FD.
- Science organization NWO has been hit by ransomware. It concerns the ransomware DoppelPaymer that encrypts files and only releases the data again against payment. NWO says not to respond to the attempted extortion.
- The Dutch Railways suffered a record loss of over 2.6 billion euros last year in the books must write. Due to the corona crisis, the rail carrier had to run half-empty trains. In order to continue operating the timetable this year and next year, new financial agreements with the government are needed, according to the NS.
- Producer confidence in the industry fell slightly in February, reports CBSThe index fell from 0.6 in January to 0.1 in February. Producers are less optimistic about their inventories and future production.
- White cloth face masks that have been distributed free of charge by pharmacists in Belgium since June no longer have to be worn for the time being. The face masks may contain harmful nanoparticles that can end up in the respiratory tract. The government will investigate the matter, so the VRT reports.
Nederlands