Parliamentarian Suspected of Fraud Resigns

The parliamentarian Johan Houwers (Liberal Party) resigned. He is suspected of fraud in an application for a mortgage. Very few details have been released on this by the prosecution, which has not yet decided whether to initiate a trial against Houwers. www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3479946/2013/07/22/Houwers-VVD-verdacht-van-oplichting.dhtml

Carbon Dioxide Emission from Cars Shows Little Improvement

Despite the fact that more environmentally friendly cars are being sold, the average carbon dioxide emissions of cars on Netherlands’ roads have hardly declined. In 1990, the average emission was 190 grams per kilometer. In 2011, it was 184 grams per kilometer. In 2000, cars of 9 years and older represented 36% of all Dutch cars on the road. Nowadays, it is about 47%. Furthermore, the total emission of carbon dioxide by cars in the Netherlands increases due to the growing number of cars on the roads.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2664/Nieuws/article/detail/3483491/2013/07/29/CO2-uitstoot-van-auto-s-daalt-nauwelijks.dhtml

Muslims in Various Countries Call for Violence against the Netherlands

In various European countries, young Muslims protested against the arrest of
a 19 year old Muslim woman, Umm Usamah. She was arrested two weeks ago in the Netherlands because she tried to recruit Dutch Muslims for the civil war in Syria. In London, a group of men demonstrated in front of the Dutch Embassy. Banners shown had texts in Dutch and English including “Sharia for the Netherlands.” Some of the texts posted on the internet calling for her release are extremely violent, including, “Where is the lone wolf who takes revenge for his sister?” On a Dutch-Muslim website, “De Ware Religie” (“The True Religion”), a letter was posted which warned the Dutch authorities about the abduction of Dutch citizens in Muslim countries.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/3483384/2013/07/29/Moslims-boos-over-arrestatie-Zoetermeerse-ronselaarster.dhtml

Trade Union Leader: Cabinet Makes Netherlands Unsafe

Corrie van Brenk, the Chair of the Union of Officials (ABVAKABO) said that the government has made the Netherlands less safe due to its obsessive austerity policy. She mentioned that in the meantime, 15,000 condemned criminals walk Dutch streets, the firemen arrive arrive late to calls and there are barely controls on food safety. She added that almost all economists agree with this as well as organizations such as the OECD.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/11698/Kabinet-Rutte-II/article/detail/3482744/2013/07/27/Van-Brenk-Kabinet-maakt-Nederland-onveiliger.dhtml

Wall Street Journal: Netherlands Faces Economic Stagnation

The Wall Street Journal published an article in which it mentions that according to the Dutch Central Bank, the Netherlands is in its third recession since 2009 and faces a prolonged period of economic stagnation. It quoted the Central Bureau of Statistics which said that unemployment rose to 6.8% in June. Furthermore, it said that consumer sentiment, which has been depressed for years, deteriorated again in July. The paper said “The cloudy outlook has led to warnings that the Netherlands is drifting away from the Euro-Zone core and might even be stripped of its cherished Triple A rating.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323993804578615342742451294.html

Court Upset about Broadcast of Fist-Fight in the Courtroom

SBS6 TV broadcast video of a fist-fight in the Hague courtroom. Family members of a boy of thirteen who had been killed in a road accident attacked the suspect. The Council for Administration of Justice and The Hague Court said that they were not happy with this and that it transgressed media directives. They decided not to take any action against SBS6 and other media which broadcast the fist-fight.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/3480391/2013/07/23/Rechtbank-laat-incident-vechtpartij-rusten.dhtml

Major increase in Falsified Banknotes

The Dutch Central Bank has published that the number of falsified Euro banknotes in the Netherlands increases rapidly. From January to July 19 400 such banknotes were discovered. That is an increase of 49% over the same period of the previous year.
www.ad.nl/ad/nl/5597/Economie/article/detail/3478359/2013/07/19/Meer-valse-bankbiljetten-in-Nederland.dhtml

Police Union Worried about Fake Weapons

The Police Union (ANPV) is worried about fake weapons of the Airsoft type. These air pressure weapons shoot small plastic balls and there is much demand for them in Belgium and Germany. They now also appear in the Netherlands. The ANPV said that these weapons cannot be quickly distinguished from real ones and is afraid that policemen may shoot at holders of them for this reason. Airsoft weapons are only sold to adults who can show a declaration of good behavior and are members of a shooting club. However, the weapons have no serial numbers and no one registers them after the original buyers sell them.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21735439/__Zorgen_over_nepwapens__.html

Number of Internet Tappings by Government Increases Five-Fold

The number of tapping cases by Justice Authorities and the police increased five-fold in 2012 to 16,676 cases from 3,331 in 2011. The minister added that in 2012, 25,487 telephones were tapped, which represented an increase of 3% over 2011. Minister Ivo Opstelten of Justice and Security (Liberal Party) said that this is not identical to the number of people tapped, because some of them have multiple numbers.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3478373/2013/07/19/Aantal-internettaps-in-een-jaar-tijd-vervijfvoudigd.dhtml

Thieves of Burned Paintings Chose Target due to Poor Security

According to Romanian Justice authorities, the three main suspects of the theft of seven famous paintings including works by Matisse, Monet, Picasso and Gauguin, chose their target because of poor security at the gallery. The exhibition gallery Kunsthal in Rotterdam had no security cameras. They first checked out the Natural History Museum, but concluded that with little money could be earned from stuffed birds. Then they realized that there would be a major painting exhibition close by. They checked the gallery carefully for security. As it has now become known, all of the paintings were burned by the mother of one of the suspects.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21737526/__Waarom_dieven_Kunsthal_kozen__.html

Stolen Paintings Worth 18 Million Euros Burned

Last year seven paintings with a total value of 18 million Euros were stolen from the Rotterdam Exposition Center, Kunsthal. Included were paintings by Monet, Matisse, Picasso and Gaugin. It now has become known that they were burned by the mother of one of the robbers in a Romanian village, as it became clear to them that they were unsellable.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2676/Cultuur/article/detail/3476741/2013/07/16/Alle-schilderijen-roof-Kunsthal-zijn-verbrand.dhtml

The Netherlands is a Paradise for the Foreign Burglar

Researchers of the police academy say that the explosive growth in burglaries is due to the fact that the Netherlands is so attractive for travelling foreign burglars. When interviewed these burglars explain the attractiveness of breaking in Holland as compared to their own country. It results from the small chance to be caught and the relatively low punishment. There is little probability of being jailed and often the Prosecution does not follow up complaints. A burglar can not be punished for more than five burglaries. If he has committed more burglaries these are often not investigated. The researchers of the police academy say that one can probably fight burglars more effectively with higher penalties.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/3476411/2013/07/16/Nederland-is-paradijs-voor-buitenlandse-inbreker.dhtml

Amsterdam: More Police Protection Required in Evenings due to Ramadan

As the Ramadan feast this year falls during summer vacation, many Muslim youngsters hang around their neighborhoods because school is out. Last year, this led to many complaints about noise in areas where they congregate. This year, police in Amsterdam will have more agents on the streets in the evening hours than usual. These activities are called “Ramadan Patrols.”

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21722922/__Meer_agenten_in_avond__.html

Police Investigate 51 Suspects in Ibn Ghaldoun School Exam Fraud

The prosecution has published that last week police investigated 51 suspects who took their final exam at the Ibn Ghaldoun school in Rotterdam. In total, the number of suspects is 58, but a few were on vacation and 5 didn’t appear. Some are students at the Adult Education department of the school. Twenty have admitted to fraud. The stolen exams have also been found at other schools in Rotterdam and elsewhere. The prosecution expects to find additional suspects. In total, 13 people have been arrested in relation to the exam fraud.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/2013/article/print/detail/3474784/51-verdachten-gehoord-in-examenfraudezaak.dhtml

Many Transgressions in Asbestos Cleanup

In 7 out of 10 controls which the Inspectorate (SZW) carried out regarding the cleaning up of asbestos, transgressions were reported. In 2012, the special team carried out controls at 391 sites. In total, 582 transgressions were found in 275 locations. In close to 50% of these cases, the transgressions were so major that the activities had to be halted, or major fines had to be paid. According to the Inspectorate, many firms transgressed the law because major amounts of money can be earned in this way.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3473961/2013/07/11/Nog-veel-mis-bij-asbestsanering.dhtml

Consumption of Hard Drugs instead of Legal Soft Drugs Grows

Drug Expert Ton Nabben says that youngsters increasingly use hard drugs instead of soft drugs. This could result from the economic crisis as some hard drugs are cheaper than legal soft drugs In particular amphetamine (speed) consumption is growing as it is cheap. Also the demand for laughing gas is increasing. This can be acquired in some hardware stores. www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/2013/article/print/detail/3473348/Drugsgebruik-onder-jongeren-verhardt.dhtml\

The Netherlands also Spies Massively on its Citizens

John Knieriem of the Rotterdam hosting company Intermax said that 2.3 million times a year, data from his company is being observed by various authorities. According to him, tapping into private data in the Netherlands is far more frequent that in the United States. Knieriem has no idea what the authorities do with the data taken from his company. His company is obliged to deliver data to the database of the Central Informationpoint Investigation Telecommunication (CIOT). This is a department of the Ministry of Justice which keeps data in a bunker in Maasland. According to a report of the ministry, in half of the cases, it cannot be checked whether the authorities use the data according to law.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3471627/2013/07/06/Spionagepraktijken-in-de-VS-Kijk-eerst-eens-naar-Nederland.dhtml

Mayor of Srebrenica: Dutch Aid Money Wasted

Camil Durakovic, Mayor of Srebrenica said on Dutch T.V. that a large part of Dutch aid to the town is wasted and remains with international aid organizations. He claimed that there is huge corruption. The annual reports from the Dutch Embassy in Sarajevo on 2011 and 2012 state that these were lost years for aid to Srebrenica. The Dutch government has spent 120 million Euro so far in aid to Srebrenica. The money is meant for rebuilding, reconciliation and identification of the murdered. Bosnian Serbs committed genocide against thousands of Muslim inhabitants of Srebrenica in 1995 after Dutch U.N. troops stationed there fled upon the instructions of their government.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21712772/__Srebrenica-geld_verkwanseld__.html?view=print

Huge Exam Fraud at School Only one among Many Problems

The Muslim Ibn Ghaldoun high school in Rotterdam received much publicity because 27 different exams were stolen from the school safe, the largest such fraud in Dutch history. Seven current or former teachers have now disclosed that there were many other problems at the school. Among the worst one was that under pressure, teachers unjustifiably raised marks. Some students who had low marks were given unlimited opportunities to redo their papers until they became sufficient; the car of a teacher who did not agree to raise marks was destroyed by Moroccan students. Another was threatened because he refused to redo a student’s paper which the student wasn’t entitled to. The number of students who had to redo a class was far less than one would expect from the level of knowledge. After school, girls were forced to attend homework classes. The lessons given there were indoctrinations which incited them against Dutch society at large.

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2013/07/05/leraren-ibn-ghaldoun-bedreigd-cijfers-onder-druk-opgehoogd/

Moroccan Youngsters Increasingly Involved in Extremely Violent Criminality

Key figures in Dutch-Moroccan communities are extremely worried about the increasing extreme violent criminality among Moroccan youths. Ibrahim Wijbenga, a Moroccan social worker in Amsterdam said, “violence and weapons are becoming normal among Moroccan youngsters. This has already cost 12 lives….” He added that in a double murder in Amsterdam, weapons usually found in war situations were used. The problem is also no longer limited to criminals. One finds the same among youngsters with a job or are studying, when there is a quarrel, they may pull out a weapon.

Wijbenga and others want to start debates in mosques on this issue.

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/3469462/2013/07/03/Jonge-Marokkaan-vindt-grof-geweld-normaal.dhtml

Special Police Unit Uniforms Cause Scorch Marks

Minister Opstelten (Liberals) of Security and Justice will investigate problems with the new uniforms of the Special Mobile Police unit. There have been several incidents with the uniforms, which seem to get far too hot. A number of policemen received scorch marks from them. During one police examination, 11 policemen fell ill and three had to be treated by emergency services. The general police trade union ANPV has expressed its worries.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21665146/___Brandplekken_door_nieuw_ME-pak___.html

Minister of Education: Ministry Spent too much on Subsidies

The Ministry of Education together with Parliament has maintained far too long too many subsidies. That was said by Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Jet Bussemaker (Labor). She added that nobody dared to make a choice. Until recently the Ministry handed out about a billion of Euro of subsidies annually. The Minister has now decided to cut 200 million Euro of these and invest those directly in education.

www.elsevier.nl/Politiek/nieuws/2013/6/Bussemaker-te-veel-onderwijssubsidies-uitgekeerd-1296711W/

Ansaldo Attacks Dutch Railways Frontally

The Italian train manufacturer Ansaldo demands that the Dutch Railways NS stick to their contract with them. They say that for nine years there have been intense contacts between the two companies. NS project teams have regularly visited the Ansaldo factory. Ansaldo requests to be shown the secret reports of NS and the Belgian railways NMBS on the basis of which these claim that they do not want the trains anymore. Ansaldo says that their trains function properly and have been tested in detail also by NS staff. The trains have also acquired the certificates of approval of the Dutch and Belgian inspectorates.

www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4504/Economie/article/detail/3460676/2013/06/18/Leverancier-Fyra-opent-frontale-aanval-op-NS.dhtml