The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that
until Saturday night 43 Dutchmen have been robbed in Rio de Janeiro, during the Olympics. The
ministry recommends Dutch visitors to go as little as possible alone in the
streets, but try to walk with others. It also recommends to stay away from poor
neighborhoods. It tells to be in particularly alert after sundown, as then robbers
are often armed.
Hundreds of mini-telephones have been discovered in Dutch
jails in the past year. These telephones, which weigh about 20 grams, are difficult to discover as they have
no metal parts. With these telephones criminals can continue to conduct their
activities from jail. The cost of a mini-telephone, who is about 50 Euro. A voice
distorter makes it difficult for the authorities to identify who is speaking. 
The private Action Group Milieudefensie (Defense of the Environment)
has taken the Dutch Government to Court. The group claims that due to air
pollution every year many thousands of people die thirteen
months earlier than necessary. The group demands that within six months every location
in the Netherlands has to meet European norms of air quality. Milieudefensie
says that basic human rights are transgressed because it is already known for
decades that air pollution affects the average ago of Dutchmen.
