Dutch Unemployment Figure Soars to 8.1%

Unemployment in the Netherlands is rapidly growing. In March, 30,000 people lost their jobs. This is a further acceleration compared to earlier months of this year when 20,000 people lost their jobs. At present, 643,000 people, or 8.1% of the professional population which wants to work, are without employment. Peter Hein van Mulligen, an economist of the Central Bureau of Statistics said that the age group between 25 and 45 was hit hardest in the past months. This group is the backbone of the professional working force.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3427807/2013/04/18/Werkloosheid-stijgt-sterk-naar-ruim-8-procent.dhtml

High Speed Train Problems even Bigger than Previously Thought

Members of Parliament visited the high speed train Fyra at the repair yard and left even more disillusioned than when they came in. The new trains are no longer used after a short initial and problematic operation. It became clear that only in June will the Dutch railways be able to offer an opinion about the future of the Italian-made trains. In the meantime, the schedule frequency of the older trains from The Hague to Brussels is far too low with only 8 trains a day.   

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/2013/article/print/detail/3420857/Kamerleden-zakt-moed-in-de-schoenen-na-bezoek-aan-Fyra-werkplaats.dhtml

Dutch Meat Scandal Goes International

The Dutch meat scandal has gone international. One hundred and twenty-four German companies have bought meat from the company in the Dutch town of Oss where beef containing horse meat was sold as beef. The Netherlands has informed the Dutch Ministry of Protection about this. In total, 16 European countries have received this meat. The main ones are Germany, France, Spain and Portugal. The German Ministry has said that a variety of beef products containing horse meat from the Netherlands have probably been removed from German companies. Since the beginning of the horse meat scandal in February, major controls are being implemented in Germany.

http://nos.nl/artikel/494455-vlees-oss-bij-124-duitse-bedrijven.html

Many Violent Incidents in Dutch Hospitals

There are about 4,500 cases of violent incidents against hospital employees per year. This results from a study by the AD newspaper. In 1,200 cases, it involved physical violence, such as beatings and kicking. In 200 cases, it was so severe that the perpetrators were forbidden to enter the hospital. The perpetrators are often alcohol and drug abusers, as well as patients with psychological problems. However, there are also many regular people with violent tempers. Minister of Health Edith Schippers of Public Health says that the number of incidents is intolerable. She advises hospitals to complain and investigate when medicaldoctorsare allowed to stop giving medical care, due to aggression.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/4560/Gezond/article/detail/3425948/2013/04/15/Personeel-ziekenhuizen-geplaagd-door-geweld.dhtml

Extremists Incite Young Muslims to Jihad

Dutch mosques claim that organizations Sharia4Holland, Behind Bars and officially dissolved Sharia4Belgium are networks for young very orthodox Jihad fighters. They also mentioned Straat Dawah, which is officially no longer in existence. It is not clear to what extent these organizations explicitly call for their members to leave to fight in Syria. According to radicalization expert Halim el Madkouri of Forum, an institute for multi-cultural problems, it is feared that these organizations may become part of, for instance, Ansar al Sharia, an Islamistic organization which is suspected of having killed the American Ambassador in Libya.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3425950/2013/04/15/Extremisten-jutten-jonge-moslims-op.dhtml

Major Dutch Meat Scandal

The Inspector General of the Dutch Food and Commodities Authority (NVWA) Harry Paul, has said that the meat of thousands of horses has possibly been mixed with beef and sold as such. In one fifth of samples of beef taken from the company, horse meat was found. Fifty million kilos of meat from the Dutch Selten Company have to be removed from the marketplace. The NVWA doesn’t know whether the meat has been checked at all and whether it contains remnants of drugs, or whether sick animals have been slaughtered. The company says that recently one mistake has been made and some horse meat and beef have been mixed.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3424966/2013/04/12/Vleesverwerker-Selten-verwerkte-mogelijk-duizenden-paarden.dhtml

Cyber Attack Frequently Disturbs Website of Major Dutch Bank

Recently there have been frequent cyber attacks on Dutch institutional websites. One of the major victims has been the ING Bank. Large quantities of data were sent to the server. This made internet banking impossible for prolonged periods. In addition, the bank has had some technical problems. A week ago, the bank had a major disturbance which caused clients to view incorrect balances on their site. The bank has offered its apologies. ING has made a complaint to the police and the prosecution has started a criminal investigation.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2680/Economie/article/detail/3423041/2013/04/09/Opnieuw-cyberaanval-op-ING.dhtml