Great Majority of Deaths Due to Mistakes in Hospital are not Reported

In 2009, 243 cases of death in hospitals where a medical mistake was made were reported to the Inspectorate for health care (IGZ). According to experts, about 1,960 patients a year die to medical mistakes. Seventeen hundred such cases were not reported. Caretakers remain silent because they are afraid of prosecution. The IGZ claims that a cultural change in hospitals is required.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2672/Wetenschap-Gezondheid/article/detail/3248134/2012/04/28/Ziekenhuizen-melden-verdachte-sterfgevallen-vaak-niet.dhtml

Dutch Town Wants to Remember Nazi Soldiers on National Memorial Day

The town of Vorden intends to remember on National Memorial Day for the Fallen in the Second World War on May 4 also the Nazi soldiers who are buried in the town. In the town are the graves of 10 Nazi soldiers. The choir of the town will sing German songs at the memorial. The initiators of this say that there is much support for this in the town. Esther Voet, the Deputy Director of the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI) said that in the Netherlands, there is a trend of effacing the border between victim and perpetrator in the Second World War. In its framework on National Memorial Day, also Nazi soldiers and traitors will be remembered.
www.katholieknieuwsblad.nl/opinie/item/2007-4-mei-vorden-herdenkt-nazi-soldaten.html

Amsterdam City Council Unwilling to close Unsafe Metro

According to the Amsterdam city council’s safety engineers a large part of the Amsterdam metro is unsafe and should be closed. The tunnels and the stations have to be renovated. Their report says that the city council has turned for years a blind eye to the dangers. The current city council executive in charge of transport is ignoring the advice

www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/04/amsterdam_metro_is_unsafe_and.php

Central Bank: Dutch Economic Crisis will Last for Several More Years

Klaas Knot, President of the Dutch Central Bank said that Dutch citizens and businessmen will face economic problems for years to come. There is no way that the Netherlands can solve its problems through growth. Excessive debt will have to be reduced. That conclusion is valid for the authorities, banks and families.

www.telegraaf.nl/dft/nieuws_dft/11952405/___Nederland_nog_jaren_in_crisis___.html

Intelligence Service: Small Islamist Group May Become Violent

The 2011 Annual Report of the Dutch Intelligence Service AIVD mentions that the Shariah4Holland group has the potential to become violent. This small radical Islamist group publicly strives for the introduction of Shariah law in the Netherlands. The movement attacks in a provocative way dissident Muslims and the perverted Dutch Western society. Its supporters disturbed a debate in Amsterdam about reform in Islam. They have indicated together with Shariah4Belgium that they will commit more of these types of actions. The AIVD says that the threat of the group at present results from the polarizing and radicalizing effect which starts from provocative actions and ambiguous remarks about the use of violence.

www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten-en-publicaties/jaarverslagen/2012/04/19/jaarverslag-aivd-2011.html

Intelligence Service: Salafist Mosque Increases Influence

The intelligence service AIVD writes in its annual report that an important group of Salafists connected to the As-Soennah mosque in The Hague has increasing influence on other mosques in the region. These mosques now also promote Salafism. The AIVD says that Salafist ideology contains elements which conflict with the democratic order. The AIVD is afraid of intolerant isolationism and polarization. At present, the group is not a danger to state security. 

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/11953054/___Moskee_wint_aan_invloed___.html

Increasing Number of Dutch Jihadists

The Dutch Intelligence Service (AIVD) mentions in its annual report that the number of Dutchmen who travel to troubled areas to participate in the “Jihad” has increased. A number of them have traveled to Afghanistan to participate in Jihadist activities. Dutch Jihadists have also succeeded in developing contacts with key people in international jihad networks. In addition, Dutch authorities have prevented a number of potential jihadists from leaving the country.

www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4492/Nederland/article/detail/3243390/2012/04/19/Steeds-meer-jihadreizen-vanuit-Nederland.dhtml

Health Inspectorate Failed on Faulty Breast Implants

From 2002 to 2010, the National Inspectorate for Health Care (Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg) received 47 complaints about 77 problems with breast implants from the French brand Poly Implant Prothesis (PIP). A surgeon also complained about the high percentage of leakage from these implants. The Inspectorate ignored these complaints. Only in 2010, the Inspectorate forbade the trade and use of these implants. Last week, the Dutch Minister of Public Health announced that there would be an investigation into the National Health Inspectorate. On another issue, the many problems in the care sector.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2672/Wetenschap-Gezondheid/article/detail/3239176/2012/04/11/Inspectie-faalde-met-borstimplantaten.dhtml

Everyone Failed in Rotterdam Hospital Bacteria Outbreak

All who were involved last year in dealing with the outbreak of the resistant Klebsiella bacteria in the Maasstad Hospital in Rotterdam have failed. That is the conclusion of a commission of inquiry headed by Wolter Lemstra. Everyone involved seriously underestimated the danger of the outbreak. As a result, the patients involved and the families of the patients who died have experienced unnecessary damage and suffering. The chairman of the hospital has offered apologies. No one has been suspended or fired.
http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3232877/2012/03/29/Iedereen-faalde-bij-aanpak-Klebsiellabacterie-Maasstad.dhtml

Turkish President and Geert Wilders Scold Each Other

Turkish President Abdulla Gül has called Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders “an Islamophobe.” He said that Wilders expresses extreme opinions which feed radicals. Gül is currently visiting the Netherlands. Wilders reacted calling the President’s statements “Turkish humor.” He added that the “bullyer of Christians, basher of Kurds, friend of Hamas and Islamist Gül complains about intolerance.”

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2668/Buitenland/article/detail/3240805/2012/04/14/Wilders-over-president-Turkije-Koerden-mepper-en-christen-pester.dhtml

Parliamentary Commission: Former Labor Finance Minister Broke Law and Made Many Grave Mistakes

A parliamentary inquiry commission has concluded that former Labor Party Finance Minister Wouter Bos has made huge mistakes during the nationalization of the ABN Amro/Fortis Bank and by the support for the financial and insurance group ING in 2008 and 2009. The commission headed by parliamentarian Jan de Wit (Socialist Party) said that Bos is the main responsible person in 6 cases which in total involved many billions of Euros. He has furthermore never informed Parliament about the steps he was to take. This is a breach of the law as the huge outlays concerned sums which were not included in the budget. Even in those cases where the Parliament was informed, it was done after the actions had already been taken and information was withheld. The commission concludes that the control function of the Parliament has been hindered by the actions of the minister.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/10524/Kredietcrisis/article/detail/3238952/2012/04/11/Commissie-De-Wit-oud-minister-Bos-faalde-op-alle-fronten.dhtml

Dutch Labor Party MP Resigns after Making a Fool of Himself

Dutch Labor Party MP John Leerdam has resigned his seat after he made a fool of himself in a radio interview. A reporter had asked him about his reaction to the invented case of a street terrorist “Yael Yablahblah.” The journalist said that this (non-existent) terrorist had been released due to a judicial error. Leerdam said that he was well aware of the case and had discussed it with the Deputy Head of the faction, but was not allowed to give out details. He was also asked to comment on new proposals made by former Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Leerdam commented on it, unaware that Sharon has been in a coma for more than five years.
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/mp-resigns-after-radio-interview-blunder

BAD NEWS FROM THE NETHERLANDS IS ON HOLIDAY UNTIL 15 APRIL 2012

Half of Publications of Tilburg Professor Fraudulent

The first part of a detailed investigation of the fraud committed by Tilburg University professor Diederik Stapel has revealed that out of the 20 publications investigated, 12 are fraudulent and so are three of his contributions to books. All in all, 130 publications and 24 chapters in books will be investigated. These will also include Stapel’s “research” at the Universities of Amsterdam and Groningen.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2672/Wetenschap-Gezondheid/article/detail/3231764/2012/03/27/Eerste-deel-onderzoek-Helft-publicaties-Stapel-frauduleus.dhtml

Government Breaks Promises Regarding Afghan Trainees

The Ministry of Defense had promised the Parliament that there would be follow-up contacts with the Afghani police agents trained by Dutch soldiers in the Afghan province of Kunduz after the training. From an investigation by the daily Volkskrant and the TV program Nieuwsuur, it turns out that the ministry has no idea where these police agents are stationed today and whether they have acted according to the rules the government promised Dutch Parliament: they could fire out of self-defense, yet not participate in attacks. Also the promised 10 week follow-up training was not given. Defense expert Ko Colijin, Director of the Clingendael Institute has expressed doubts as to whether the actions of the trained Afghani police fit the promises to Parliament. The Ministry of Defense has expressed the hope that the follow-up training will still take place.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/4905/De-missie-naar-Kunduz/article/detail/3234397/2012/04/02/Defensie-heeft-geen-idee-wat-Kunduz-agenten-doen.dhtml

Dutch Official Arrested, Suspected of Spying for Russia

A 60-year old consular employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been arrested on the suspicion of spying for Russia for the last 7 years. The man received payments for spying. The prosecution also accuses him of bribery, illegal possession of firearms and money laundering.
www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/ambtenaar-lekte-informatie-aan-spionnen-rusland/IWIlcD!O9vusOpluDTU7JrCxM7QIg/

Most Dutchmen Pessimistic about the Future

More and more Dutchmen are pessimistic about the future. Sixty-five percent expect the economy to get worse this year. One year ago, the same percentage was twenty-one percent. About thirty percent of the population think that their own financial situation will deteriorate as opposed to eighteen percent a year ago. Yet, Dutchmen are more satisfied with their own lives, the economy and democracy than inhabitants of other European countries. Their main concerns are tolerance and social behavior in society. These data have been provided by the Social and Cultural Planning Bureau (SCP).
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/11812421/__NL_er_somber_over_toekomst__.html

Police Strike Announced for Next Thursday

The Police in the four large Dutch cities, Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht will strike next Thursday for four hours. This has been announced by a spokesman of the Police trade union ACP. The spokesman says that the police will remain available for emergency assistance. A spokesman of the Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten said the ministry has not yet verified whether the actions are legal and that public security should not be endangered.

www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2012/03/politie_staakt_in_vier_grote_s.html