News from Tuesday 09 February 2010

Tired of life? Group calls for assisted suicide

A group of older Dutch academics and politicians have launched a petition in support of assisted suicide for the over-70s. ...more

Cabinet admits Iraq war mistakes

The cabinet has admitted MPs could have been better informed about security service 'doubts and conjectures' about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the 2003 invasion. ...more

Cabinet considers Nato Afghanistan request

The cabinet is considering continuing Dutch involvement in Afghanistan past the August 2010 pull-out date following Nato's formal request for a delay, defence minister Eimert van Middelkoop told reporters on Tuesday....more

Breast cancer check age limit is legal

The government is within its rights to limit the national breast cancer screening programme to women below the age of 75, the Hague district court ruled on Tuesday....more

62,000 old cars scrapped for money

Some 62,000 old cars have so far been taken off the roads in return for payments under the government's scrappage scheme. ...more

Den Bosch 'bomber' is a disturbed man

Police have arrested a man who claimed to have placed a bomb on a train at Den Bosch station on Tuesday morning, causing major disruption to train users for much of the day. ...more
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Car lease group launches online bank

Dutch car lease firm LeasePlan, which is owned by Volkswagen and two Middle East state funds, has launched its own internet savings bank. ...more

ABN Amro to target corporate accounts

Nationalised bank ABN Amro is to target major corporate accounts, at just under the level of multinationals such as Unilever and Shell, Rutger van Nouhuys, head of the bank's large corporate and merchant banking arm, says in Tuesday's Financieele Dagblad. ...more

Spyker gets loan from former employer

Victor Muller, the head of luxury car maker Spyker which is taking over Sweden's Saab, has agreed a $25m convertible loan for the company with his former employer, offshore company Heerema. ...more

Councils keep out TNT competitors

New postal delivery firms are failing to win local authority contracts because they do not meet council conditions on delivery times and staff employment, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday. ...more
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No education cuts, says Labour leader

Education should not face spending cuts as part of efforts to get government spending back under control, Mariëtte Hamer, leader of the parliamentary Labour party, told an election meeting in Groningen on Monday....more

Rotterdam police chief quits

Rotterdam's police chief Aad Meijboom will step down as soon as a successor is found, the Telegraaf reported on Monday evening....more

Stay in Afghanistan, Nato asks Dutch

Nato has made an official request to the Netherlands to stay in Afghanistan past the August 2010 pull-out date, news agency ANP reports, quoting sources in the Hague. ...more
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Ministers put final touches to Iraq reply

Ministers are meeting early this morning to put the final touches to their official reply to January's highly critical report on the Netherlands' involvement in the invasion of Iraq, reports news agency ANP....more

News from Monday 08 February 2010

Many golf clubs hit by financial crisis

Many of the Netherlands 153 golf clubs are experiencing financial difficulties because of the economic downturn, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. ...more
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Beware of Anti Fascist Action: security service

The AIVD security service has written to local councils all over the country warning them to beware of tactics used by a group calling itself Anti Fascist Action to disrupt meetings by right-wing organisations, news agency ANP reports. ...more
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Albert Heijn market share increases

Supermarket group Albert Heijn managed to increase its share of the Dutch grocery market again last year following the takeover of several dozen C1000 supermarkets. ...more
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Welfare claimants must 'reintegrate'

A 45-year-old welfare benefit claimant from Amsterdam has been told by judges that a formal reintegration programme to help him find work cannot be considered forced labour. ...more
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Minister is keeping km tax secrets: VVD

The real effect of the government's planned kilometer tax on motoring will be very different to that promoted by the transport ministry, Liberal MPs say in Monday's Telegraaf following a confidential briefing with transport minister Camiel Eurlings. ...more
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Chemical group DSM fined for US pollution

Chemicals company DSM's North American arm has been fined $800,000 for under-reporting toxic releases of the chemical cyclohexene between 2003 to 2006 at its Augusta, Georgia plant. ...more
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Goat farm to be cleared after all

A goat farm which won a reprieve from the government-ordered cull on Friday is to be cleared on Monday after more tests showed Q fever is present in some animals. ...more

Share trading taken over by computer

Up to 70% of the share trading in Dutch blue-chip stocks is carried out by computer, without human intervention, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. ...more
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Oranje draws Hungary, Sweden in Euro 2012

The Netherlands has drawn Hungary, coached by Dutchman Erwin Koeman, in its Group E qualifying matches for the 2012 European Cup in Poland and Ukraine....more

Dutch Eurovision entry finalised

The Netherlands' entry for this year's Eurovision song contest will be sung by unknown 17-year-old Sieneke. ...more
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Lyme disease victims call for action

The Dutch Lyme disease association has submitted a petition of 65,000 names to parliament, enough to make sure the issue gets debated under citizen's initiative legislation. ...more
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Ajax beats Twente, PSV takes lead

A 3-0 victory over joint premier league leader FC Twente put Amsterdam's Ajax a step nearer its goal of qualifiying for next year's Champion's League on Sunday. ...more

Divisions loom over budget cuts

Divisions are already looming between ministers about how to cut €35bn off the budget to get government spending back under control. ...more
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Nato suggests Afghan training role

Christian Democrat and Labour MPs both support a suggestion by a Nato chief that Dutch soldiers remain in Afghanistan to train local troops, most newspapers report on Monday. ...more