Dutch Fireworks Far Too Dangerous

Fireworks sold in the Netherlands are far too dangerous. Tests by the Inspectorate for the Environment and Transport (ILT) show that 18% of fireworks tested do not meet safety requirements. Much of the illegal fireworks come out of Poland and the Czech Republic. Also, fireworks which meet the tests can be dangerous.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21184170/__Vuurwerk_in_NL_vaak_gevaarlijk__.html

New Soccer Violence Monitor Received Many Complaints

A new internet monitor for violence in amateur soccer has received 140 complaints on the first day. According to one of the founders, Sven Datema said that 9 of the complaints are severe. The initiators of the monitor claim that the Dutch Royal National Soccer Association does not have an appropriate overview of the number of violent incidents, because many complaints are not transmitted to it. The idea for the monitoring site existed for some time. It has now been put into action after the murder of a linesman after a youth game in the town of Almere.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3370047/2012/12/29/In-een-dag-140-meldingen-over-voetbalgeweld.dhtml

Already Massive Hindrance from Fireworks

The monitoring center for hindrance from fireworks of the Green left party has already received 16,000 complaints in the past few days. About half of them are about firework bombs which are often lit at night. Also, many complaints have been received about damage from fireworks and firework related stress suffered by pets.

www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2012/12/16000_meldingen_van_vuurwerkov.html

Police Arrest Rotterdam Soccer Fans

Before the soccer game between Feyenoord from Rotterdam and Groningen, police arrested 20 fans of Feyenoord. They are suspected of preparing acts of public violence. Also, three cars belonging to the suspects were confiscated. In them were found hard and soft drugs, face covers, a number of knives, fireworks and a baton. The police had received information that Feyenoord fans intended to riot.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3367979/2012/12/24/Twintig-supporters-Feyenoord-aangehouden.dhtml?utm_source=RSSReader&utm_medium=RSS

Queen’s Christmas Speech is Leaked the Day Before

An internet marketeer has managed to access the Queen’s Christmas speech and downloaded it from the government’s information site a day before she is due to give it. In it, the Queen calls for trust in the European Union which has brought affluence and peace. She also expresses thanks for the empathy the royal family has received after one of her sons had a severe accident. The Government Information Service regrets the leak.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21180921/__Toespraak_Koningin_uitgelekt__.html

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21180949/__RVD_betreurt_uitlekken_toespraak__.html

Criminals on the Run Receive Social Security Payments

Criminals on the run in the Netherlands can easily receive Social Security payments in a variety of municipalities. About 15,000 convicted criminals are hiding from justice. Social Security institutions have to stop payments until criminals have finished their jail terms. However, 80 municipalities do not receive this information. The Liberal and Christian Democrat parliamentarian factions have asked Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Jetta Klijnsma (Labor Party) whether it is true that the number of convicted criminals on the run who receive Social Security payments has increased this year in comparison with last year.

www.elsevier.nl/Nederland/nieuws/2012/12/Gemeenten-geven-voortvluchtige-criminelen-uitkering-1134372W/

Criminals Obtain Dutch Passports Easily

Criminal suspects and convicted criminals can easily obtain passports. Most of their names do not appear on the list of people who should not get one. Out of 1,566 people who are convicted criminals at bay, only 217 are on the list of those who should not get a passport. Only 16 passports have been withdrawn. Experience shows that convicted criminals at bay can obtain passports or renew them without problems.

www.elsevier.nl/Nederland/ANP/2012/12/Criminelen-komen-moeiteloos-aan-paspoort/

Neurologist in Largest Medical Criminal Case Ever

Prosecution in the town of Almelo has called the case against Dutch Neurologist Ernst Jansen Steur the biggest medical criminal case ever in Dutch history. The prosecution suspects the specialist of 21 criminal acts. One woman committed suicide after she had been misinformed by him that she had Alzheimer’s disease. Another 8 people were informed by Jansen Steur that they either had Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or Multiple Sclerosis. He is further suspected of a variety of other misdeeds including stealing 88,000 Euros from a foundation he was chairman of. Jansen Steur left the hospital Medisch Spectrum Twente in 2003, but continued to work in two German hospitals.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3354953/2012/11/28/Zware-verdenkingen-neuroloog-Jansen-Steur.dhtml

Website of Institute which Helps the Unemployed is Full of Mistakes

The website on the possibilities of employment of the public UWV Institute which is meant to help the unemployed find jobs is full of mistakes. Sometimes the website cannot be accessed. The offered vacancies have often lapsed, or are unsuitable. The problems have been around for a long time. Parliamentarian Paul Ulenbelt has said that the entire website has to be replaced.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2680/Economie/article/detail/3364154/2012/12/15/Website-UWV-zit-vol-fouten.dhtml

Judges: Justice is being Emptied of Meaning

Several hundreds of judges are supporting a manifesto from seven judges of the court in Leeuwarden. They have prepared a manifest against the emptying of meaning of speaking justice in the Netherlands and the way the Council for the Administration of Justice represents them. They say that judges have no influence on the appointment of judges and that the Council of Administration of Justice, which makes these appointments is also not influenced by the judges. The signatories of the manifesto claim that justice in the Netherlands is increasingly resembling a cookie factory, where the main aims are high production. One of the initiators, Judge Menno Zamdbergen said that all of this leads to perverse incentives such as abstaining from calling up witnesses, or to punish when it is not necessary, because otherwise one doesn’t meet one’s productivity targets.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3364963/2012/12/18/Rechters-in-actie-tegen-uitholling-van-rechtspraak.dhtml

Children’s Ombudsman: 5,000 Children at Home Because of Bullying

Children’s Ombudsman, Marc Dullaert said that at least 5,000 children no longer attend school because they are bullied so much that they remain home out of fear and do not go to elementary or secondary school. This results from a study which shows that some children remain for months or years at home out of fear of getting bullied. Out least one out of every five children of school age fears going to school because of being bullied. Dullaert concluded that these are disastrous and shocking figures.

www.refdag.nl/nieuws/binnenland/kinderombudsman_vijfduizend_kinderen_blijven_thuis_om_pesten_1_699720

Six People Wounded by Fireworks at Soccer Game

A firework bomb thrown at the Second League soccer game between Fortuna Sittard and MVV has wounded six people. Five of them have damage to their hearing. The bomb thrower was arrested. Six other fans of the home team were arrested for various crimes such as manhandling, public drunkenness, insulting and incitement.

www.rtl.nl/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2012/12_december/15/binnenland/gewonden_bij_vuurwerkbom_fortuna_mvv.xml

University will check Professor’s Publications for Fraud

Erasmus University in Rotterdam will investigate all publications by former Professor of Marketing, Dirk Smeesters. He resigned from the university after admitting that he deleted data from his research in some articles. The university’s Commission for Scientific Integrity had concluded in June that Smeesters had broken its rules. Further doubts have now arisen and the university will henceforth check all of his publications. In November 2011, Professor of Internal Medicine Don Poldermans was fired by Erasmus University after it became clear that he had manipulated data. The university is now considering investigating all of his 600 publications. (The major data fraud by Professor of psychology Diederik Stapel at Tilburg University is in the meantime receiving increased international attention.)

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21119107/__Meer_onderzoek_naar_Smeesters__.html?view=print

Central Bank: Dutch Economy to Shrink Further Next Year

The Dutch Central Bank expects the Dutch economy to shrink by 0.6% next year. This follows an estimated decline in the economy in 2012 of 1%.

Unemployment, which at present is 5.2%, is likely to increase to 6.2% of the professional population in 2013 and to 6.7% in 2014. The budget deficit is likely to be 3.5% in both 2013 and 2014. That is above the European maximum norm of 3%. The bank considers that the government will have to introduce further budget cuts beyond the large ones already planned.
http://www.google.co.il/#q=volkskrant,tekort+boven+europese+norm&hl=iw&tbo=u&source=univ&tbm=nws&sa=X&ei=cTbIUK7FI4-q0AW15oDQCg&ved=0CCsQqAI&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=a93c0b2002fd6e05&bpcl=39650382&biw=1024&bih=57

Final Report on Huge Data Fraud by Dutch Professor

The final report on the huge data fraud by Diederik Stapel, Professor of Social Psychology at Tilburg University is ready. What is certain is that he used fraudulent data in 55 of the 130 investigated articles and in ten chapters of books. In addition there is suspicion that there is also fraud in 10 other articles. The Commission of Inquiry explained the nature of the fraud and the culture which has made that possible.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2672/Wetenschap-Gezondheid/article/detail/3354862/2012/11/28/Eindrapport-over-fraude-ex-hoogleraar-Stapel.dhtml

Chances of being caught for Crimes in the Netherlands are Minimal

Chances of being caught for a crime are minimal and the average punishment and risk of punishment are very small. Economically speaking, crime seems to pay in the Netherlands. These results are from a study by  legal economist Ben van Velthoven. He claims that the risk of punishment which is a function of the chance to be caught and the average punishment has declined by a quarter since 2004. This derives from the fact that the police finds less criminals, judges declare less people guilty and there are fewer people jailed as a result. Out of 8 million crimes per year, victims only reported them 1.2 million times. Related to the real figure of crimes, only 1.8% of criminals are caught.

http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2012/12/01/strafrisico-gigantisch-gedaald-vrees-voor-stijging-criminaliteit/

Deputy Minister Resigns due to False Accounts

Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Co Verdaas has resigned because of false declarations while he was a member of the provincial government of Gelderland. Verdaas said that the integrity of a person in his position must be above doubt and it is not. He does not want to burden the cabinet and his party further with this affair.

www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4500/Politiek/article/detail/3359276/2012/12/06/Staatssecretaris-Co-Verdaas-treedt-af-om-declaratiezaak.dhtml

Wilders: Murder of Linesman Related to Moroccan Problem

Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) says that the killing of the soccer linesman is related to  problems with Moroccan youth in the Netherlands. He said that the Moroccan problem expresses manifests itself on the streets, in schools, in shopping centers and on the soccer fields. Sixty-five percent of Moroccan young males have been arrested at least once by the police. People don’t dare to mention this. The violence committed by Moroccans is also racism because the victims are rarely other Moroccans or Muslims. The PVV will ask for a parliamentary debate.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/11018/PVV/article/detail/3358782/2012/12/05/PVV-vindt-dood-grensrechter-niet-alleen-voetbalkwestie.dhtml

Was the Soccer Linesman’s Murder a Racist Act?

Marcel Oost, Chairman of the SC Buitenboys, the club to which murdered linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen belonged, said that almost all players of the Nieuw Sloten team shook his hand after the match. Only the three Moroccan players of the club threw him on the ground and started to kick and hit him on the head and neck. Indications that this may be a racist murder have been hidden by almost all of Dutch media. Journalist Joost Niemoller wrote that if a Moroccan linesman had been killed by three white youngsters, the same media would have published many articles about white racism.

www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2012/12/het-was-een-racistische-moord

Dutch Soccer Linesman Beaten to Death by Players

Richard Nieuwenhuizen, a soccer linesman was punched and kicked during a match by soccer players from the youth league club Nieuw Sloten. He collapsed and died a day later. These three players, aged 15-16 we arrested earlier for their alleged involvement in the beating. The police are not excluding arresting additional suspects. Nieuw Sloten has pulled out of the youth league.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/dec/03/dutch-linesman-dead-kicked-nieuw-sloten

Asbestos in Majority of Welfare Rental Apartments

Sixty percent of rental apartments in the Dutch welfare sectors contain asbestos. This was found by the NOS TV station. Half of the corporations that rent out these apartments know where the asbestos can be found. In most apartments, the asbestos is not dangerous, as long as one does not do any drilling. To make all Dutch welfare rental apartments asbestos-free, would cost 3.8 billion Euro.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3349967/2012/11/18/Asbest-in-60-procent-sociale-huurwoningen.dhtml

Neurologist carried out unnecessary Brain Surgery

A Dutch neurologist, Dr. Jansen Steur has carried out unnecessary and risky brain surgery on healthy people. In total, 13 people have undergone such operations. He also falsely diagnosed tens of patients as having Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis. After he stopped working for the Dutch clinic MST, he started working at two hospitals in Germany. In the meantime, 200 patients have complained among which 105 have put in claims. A court case is starting.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/3354856/2012/11/28/Neuroloog-liet-onnodige-hersenoperaties-uitvoeren.dhtml