Hooligans with Lasers Hinder Pilots at Amsterdam Airport

In the past few weeks pilots flying near Amsterdam Airport have been hindered by hooligans pointing strong lasers at the cockpits of their planes. Tens of complaints have been made by pilots. The lower the plane flies the greater the hindrance. The police are investigating the incidents.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1277129.ece/Piloten_Schiphol_lastiggevallen_met_laser

Parents Worried about Security in Schools

Many parents are worried about the security in schools. Twenty-five percent think that schools are insufficiently guarded. Forty percent think that schools do too little against intruders. The main concerns are about schools with many pupils. This information results from a National School Inquiry.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article2837675.ece/Ouders_verontrust_over_indringers_scholen.html

Violence in the Provinces Equals that of Large Cities

Sociologist Don Weenink of Wageningen University has found that violence in the provinces is relatively as serious as in the major cities. There is greater alcohol consumption in the provinces than in the cities. It also seems that there are more gangs fighting according to pre-arranged meetings. Also, in the least populated areas the violence is greater than in the most populated areas.
www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2329078.ece/Studie_platteland_even_gewelddadig_als_stad

Unemployed Join Land Forces

More and more people who have lost their jobs due to the recession or who cannot find a job are joining the land forces. The number of applications has doubled in the last few months.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/4613579/__Recessie_goed_voor_landmacht__.html

Muslim Advisor of Rotterdam Municipality has Program on Iranian State TV

Tariq Ramadan is an advisor to both the Rotterdam Municipality and the local Erasmus University. Neither had been informed that Ramadan presents a weekly discussion program on the Iranian Press TV, which is financed by the Iranian government. Ramadan advises the municipality on how to integrate immigrants in Rotterdam. The municipality and the university are both reconsidering their relations with Ramadan. www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2328795.ece/Rotterdams_beraad_over_Tariq_Ramadan

Prime Minister: Netherlands will Suffer Consequences of Recession for Many Years

Prime Minister Jan Balkenende (Christian Democrats) has said that the Netherlands will suffer the consequences of the present recession for years to come, in spite of the fact that the economic situation is now improving. www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/4608922/___Nog_jaren_pijn_van_recessie___.html?p=32,1

Crown Prince Takes Associated Press to Court

Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, his wife and daughter have sued Associated Press for taking pictures of them without their consent. They want AP to be fined for up to 250,000 Euro for each time these pictures are published in the Netherlands. The AP pictures of the royal family on the beach also appear on YouTube.
www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Society/243164/Kroonprinselijk-paar-eist-geld-van-persbureau-AP.htm

Labor and Freedom Party Politicians Trade Insults

Prominent Amsterdam Labor politician Fatima Elatik has compared the leader of the Freedom Party Geert Wilders to Hitler. She said that “soon they will analyze our DNA to show that we Muslims are good for nothing.” Wilders reacted: “She is a super stupid goose.” He added: “The demonization by the Labor Party continues. I hope they realize what this could lead to.”
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/4603471/__Wilders__Elatik_is_superdomme_gans__.html

One Hundred Football Fans Expelled from Amsterdam

Last night the Netherlands and England played a friendly soccer game in Amsterdam. The police expelled a hundred fans of the Amsterdam Ajax team by bus. In addition 30 violent hooligans were arrested in the center of the city. Police have said that additional arrests may follow. Hundreds of fans were frisked and had to supply their personal data. They were also filmed. There was unrest in the city during the entire evening.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/4594210/__Ajacieden_stad_uitgezet__.html?p=31,1

Major Security Measures Taken for Friendly Soccer Game

The Amsterdam Municipality is taking major security measures for the friendly soccer game tonight between the Netherlands and England. They have received information that fans from the two countries plan to fight each other and that some will be carrying weapons. Specialists on soccer violence from other parts of the Netherlands, as well as the UK, have been called in to assist. The Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Lodewijk Asscher has announced that the center of Amsterdam and various other areas have been declared “security risks” which allows police to frisk people. Asscher says that should matters escalate, he might order the police to expel hooligans from the city. www.volkskrant.nl/sport/article1274657.ece/Voetbalwedstrijd_Nederland-Engeland_streng_beveiligd

Cosmetic Surgery Clinics Require Less Permits than Garages

Bart and Thijs Malenstein of the Bergman Clinics – a chain of cosmetic surgery clinics – say that it is absurd that, in the Netherlands, one can operate such a clinic without any permit. They add: “One needs permits even to open a car garage. But, to put people under anesthesia and cut into them, you just have to open the place – with no license.” This has led to many abuses such as operating rooms which are not sterile, a gynecologist who does breast enlargement with no training in the field, a plastic surgeon who goes on a ski holiday after a major operation, leaving his patient with no medical help. The directors of the Bergman Clinic say that such clinics should require the same licensing as hospitals.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/zorg/article2834099.ece/_Verplicht_vergunning_voor_priveklinieken_rsquo__.html

Urinators Destroy Lamp posts

Many hundreds of lamp posts have to be replaced every year due to damage done by men and dogs urinating against them. Rei-Lux, a company which checks lamp posts on behalf of municipalities, says that on the average six percent of the lamp posts checked have to be replaced. The lamp posts most at risk of being damaged are those near gardens and discotheques. Peter Kommers of the Utrecht Municipality suggests that the tax on male dogs should be raised.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/4570620/__Urine_velt_lantaarnpalen__.html

More than Half of Dutch Prisoners Have Psychiatric Disturbances

The Pompe Foundation has found that 81.7% of Dutch prisoners have suffered from psychiatric problems. This figure includes addictions, says research leader Erik Bulten. In 56.6 % of the cases the disturbances are still present.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article2833825.ece/_Helft_gevangenen_heeft_psychiatrische_stoornis_.html

No Investigation of Bribes in Sale of Tanks

The ministry of justice is not going to investigate whether bribes were paid to Chilean military officers regarding the sale of 200 Dutch tanks to Chile in 1998. The ministry says that the law forbidding the payment of bribes only became effective in 2001. Since then no one has been condemned because the bribes are usually paid to corrupt countries which don’t cooperate in the investigations.
www.trouw.nl/nieuws/nederland/article2831905.ece/Geen_onderzoek_naar_smeergeld_bij_verkoop_tanks.html

Attacks on Mosque Under Construction

The new Almohsinin mosque is being built in Oosterhout. Since the beginning of construction there have been a number of incidents including shooting at the building management’s hut at the site. In 1995 part of another mosque in the town was burned down.
www.bndestem.nl/regio/oosterhout/5343529/Extra-beveiliging-moskee.ece

Hell’s Angels Claim Damages from Government

The Hell’s Angels have brought a number of complaints and claims for damages against the Dutch government. They say that they have been hurt by their prosecution by the justice department. The court dropped the state’s cases against them after confidential conversations between the Angels and their lawyers had been tapped, recorded and archived.
www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/4552978/__Hells_Angels_claimen_vergoeding__.html

Were Bribes Involved in Selling Dutch Tanks?

Two retired Chilean top military officers are being prosecuted regarding the purchase of Dutch tanks in 1988. The Dutch company RDM is suspected of having paid a bribe of $1.6 million to a lawyer of former Chilean president Augusto Pinochet. The officers are suspected of having pocketed part of the money.
www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2319309.ece/Mogelijk_smeergeld_bij_aankoop_Nederlandse_tanks

Pig Head Set in Front of Mosque

The head of a pig was found recently in front of the new Al Mouahidin mosque in Ede. The mosque was opened in May 2009.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/4542383/__Varkenskop_bij_moskee_Ede__.html?p=3,1

None of 10,000 Pilots’ Mistakes Analyzed

The Van Delden commission has analyzed the activities of the Office for the Aanalysis of Air Traffic (ABL) which was created in 2007 in order to identify and analyze mistakes and incidents in air traffic. In 2008 10,000 cases were brought to the attention of this office. The not-yet published report says that not a single meaningful analysis has been carried out.
www.google.co.il/search?hl=en&q=foutmeldingen+piloten+niet+geanalyseerd%2C+telegraaf++&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq

Finding Cannabis Plantations Doesn’t Help Against Criminal Growers

The police find many cannabis plantations. However, they make little effort to investigate who is responsible for them. These are the results of an investigation by the detective service in the province of Brabant. This confirms the opinion of the advisory commission on drug policies which says that organized crime is confronted by an unorganized government. www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article2316852.ece/Misdaad_nauwelijks_geraakt_door_aanpak_wietteelt

Christian Democrats Wants to Include Shoplifters and cannabis growers in DNA Data Bank

The Christian Democrats are demanding that shoplifters be forced to provide genetic material for a DNA data bank. Parliamentarian Cisca Joldersma said that at present “a small criminal has to turn into a big criminal before we can take his DNA.” www.trouw.nl/nieuws/politiek/article2827925.ece/CDA_wil_winkeldieven_ook_in_DNA-databank.html

Dutchmen Possibly Involved in Terrorism

The national detective service is investigating whether four Dutchmen arrested in Kenya are involved in terrorism. Three of them were born in Kenya, one in Somalia. It is possible that they were on their way to a jihadist training camp. www.parool.nl/parool/nl/225/BUITENLAND/article/detail/256086/2009/07/29/Nederlanders-betrokken-bij-terrorisme.dhtml

Socialist Party: End Special Terms of Unemployment for Politicians

Parliamentarian Ronald van Raak (Socialist Party) says that the current terms of unemployment for ministers, parliamentarians and local elected functionaries can be considered as self-enrichment. These conditions should be abandoned and they should have the same conditions as other Dutchmen. He added that the current filling of their own pockets by these politicians can no longer be explained to the public. www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1268048.ece/SP_wil_af_van_riante_voorzieningen_politici