Amsterdam Businesses threatened if they don’t pay Bitcoins

A variety of Amsterdam businesses, including 3 coffee shops, received an email threatening them with hand grenades or shooting unless they pay 50 thousand bitcoins each. It the payment is not made within one week the amount will be doubled. There have been many incidents involving hand grenades and other explosives in Amsterdam since the start of last year.

https://nltimes.nl/2018/10/31/amsterdam-businesses-threatened-hand-grenades-dont-pay-bitcoins

Dutch Companies have Permits to supply dual-use Products to Saudi Arabia

Dutch firms hold 94 government approved contracts to supply products to Saudi Arabia which can be used for civilian as well as military purposes. The contracts have a value of 130 million euro’s. The governments says that it intends to stop the export of goods which could be used to contravene human rights.

www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/10/dutch-companies-have-94-permits-to-supply-dual-use-products-to-saudi-arabia/

Soldiers live in Hotels; Barracks are unlivable

About 200 Dutch soldiers had to leave their barracks in Huis ter Heide because they are unlivable. The rooms are outdated, the hygiene is very bad and in some of the barracks there was much vermin. As there is no place in barracks in the neighborhood they will be living in the coming months in hotels around the town of Zeist.

https://nltimes.nl/2018/10/26/dutch-soldiers-living-hotels-barracks-unlivable-report

Utrecht Central Area In International Cocaine Trade

The Utrecht area plays a central role in the international cocaine trade.  While the cocaine is produced elsewhere, the organization of the trade is based in Utrecht.  This creates extreme violence including a number of killings in the area. One shipment of cocaine can be worth  €150 million.

https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/extreem-geweld-extreem-veel-geld-grote-zorgen-om-cokehandel-in-regio-utrecht~acaad46a/

Amsterdam: Because of Explosives Dozens of Homes Evacuated

Dozens of homes in the western part of Amsterdam were evacuated today after explosives were discovered. The police believe the explosives were to be used to blow up an automatic teller machine.

https://nltimes.nl/2018/10/23/explosives-found-amsterdam-dozens-homes-evacuated

Human trafficking Victims still largely invisible in the Netherlands

The National rapporteur for human trafficking Herman Bolhaar said that while the national approach to human trafficking improved considerably in the past years many victims are still invisible to aid-agencies. Dutch victims of sexual exploitation are the largest groups within the figures of human trafficking in the Netherlands. They are increasingly disappearing from the radar of police and aid-agencies.

https://nltimes.nl/2018/10/19/human-trafficking-victims-still-largely-invisible-netherlands-rapporteur

Report: Dutch Prosecutors used coercive Measures on Journalists 15 Times in 3 Years

The Dutch Public Prosecution has used coercive measures against journalists 15 times in 3 years. These measures include eavesdropping on calls, retrieving phone data and requisition of journalistic material. Earlier this year the public prosecutor admitted not following the proper procedure in two cases of eavesdropping on journalists.

https://nltimes.nl/2018/10/18/dutch-prosecutors-used-coercive-measures-journalists-15-times-3-years-report

Advisory bodies: Dutch government ignores vulnerable people

A number of advisory bodies, the National Ombudsman, the Netherlands Court of Auditors, and the social and cultural planning office (SCP) said in a joint statement that the Dutch government has little regard for thousands of vulnerable people in the country who do not receive the necessary care. This includes psychiatric patients, elderly people with dementia and young people with a mild intellectual disability.  Part of this is due to the lack of information provided by the government.  Among the recommendations of the advisory bodies is that the government simplify the procedures vulnerable people have to go through in order to receive help.

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/10/dutch-jihadi-guilty-of-war-crimes-public-prosecutor-says/

Public Prosecution accuses Dutch jihadi of War Crimes

The Public Prosecution department is taking legal action against a Dutch jihadi for war crimes. This is the first time this has happened. Oussame A. from Utrecht had posted a picture on Facebook of himself laughing next to the body of a man who had been crucified. He and Reda Nidalha from Leiden were sent back to the Netherlands from Turkey.

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/10/dutch-jihadi-guilty-of-war-crimes-public-prosecutor-says/

Report: Social Safety insufficient in Dutch Army

The report of the Giebels commission found that the culture in the Dutch army is such that some soldiers do not feel safe there. If one has a complaint one doesn’t know where to lodge it, when it will be dealt with and who will see it. There is also a lack of objectivity and independence among those who investigate the complaints. The Ministry of Defense has now announced that there will be an independent hotline for complaints.

https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/defensiecultuur-werkt-misstanden-in-de-hand~a61ddb29/

Minister of Defense: Netherlands is in a Cyber War with Russia

Dutch Minister of Defense, Ank Bijleveld, said that the Netherlands is involved in a cyber war with Russia.  In April, four Russian military personnel were expelled because they wanted to hack the wifi network of the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons in the Hague.  Bijleveld said that the Russian cyber tactics are very dangerous, for instance, in influencing elections.  Dutch military intelligence and security service, MIVD, said that the Chinese are also very active in this area.

https://www.ad.nl/buitenland/bijleveld-nederland-in-cyberoorlog-met-russen~ac0b5320/

Criminals dump life threating drug waste endangering citizens

Christian Democrat parliamentarian Madeleine van Toorenburg says that criminals dumped life threatening drug waste in neighborhoods endangering its inhabitants.  She is calling for more severe punishment of drug criminals.  Labor parliamentarian Attje Kuiken has said “it seems sometimes that the drug mafia controls the streets.”

https://www.ad.nl/politiek/cda-helemaal-klaar-met-bendes-die-drugsafval-dumpen-straffen-verhogen~a60855b6/

Command Troops complain about poisonous Gasses at Shooting-range

Fourteen members of the command troops have complained about the poisonous gasses, which were not properly removed when they were shooting, on the shooting Range in Bergen op Zoom. Already since July 2015 it was known that there were poisonous gasses, yet the soldiers were not informed about this. The deputy minister of Defense Barbara Visser has said that the command troops should come and talk to her.

https://www.ad.nl/politiek/staatssecretaris-tegen-klagende-commando-s-meld-je-bij-mij~a002565b/

Oncologists: Thousand Women may get unnecessary Chemotherapy

Dutch oncologists are afraid that annually at least 1000 women will have to undergo unnecessary chemotherapy. This because a test which diagnoses the chances of return of breast cancer may not be reimbursed. Paying the test oneself costs 2600 euro.

https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/oncologen-duizend-vrouwen-in-nederland-straks-onnodig-chemo~ae2bd99b/

Netherlands expels four Russian spies

In April, four Russians were arrested while attempting to launch a major “close access” cyberattack against the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague. A few days later they were expelled.  This information has only been released now.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-gru-netherlands-expelled-chemical-weapons-watchdog-plot-dutch-spies-security-salisbury-a8568166.html

Dutch police arrest 7 Muslim terrorist planners

Police in the Netherlands prevented a major terrorist attack by arresting seven Muslims. Three had been arrested previously for trying to travel abroad to join terrorist groups.  The main suspect is a 34 year old of Iraqi origin.  In 2017, he was convicted for attempting to travel to fight with ISIS.  This terror cell wanted to target a large event in the Netherlands where there would 

be many victims.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45673221