tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1 2012-05-16T13:57:26Z Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33187 2012-05-16T13:56:47Z 2012-05-16T13:57:26Z

Editor Six professional clubs remain on the Dutch football association’s watch list because of their problematic finances, the KNVB said on Wednesday. Last August, 13 clubs were on the list. NAC Breda, Roda JC, Helmond Sport, FC Den Bosch, FC Dordrecht and FC Emmen have three years to get their finances under control or risk losing their licence. Just four premier division clubs – Ajax, FC Twente, NEC and PSV – are classed as grade 3, meaning they considered to have healthy finances, Nos television said. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33186 2012-05-16T13:36:47Z 2012-05-16T13:41:40Z

Editor Just 8,236 houses changed ownership in April, a drop of 18% on a year ago, the land registry office Kadaster said on Wednesday. The biggest slowdown was in the sale of apartments, with a drop of over 21% while 14% fewer detached homes changed hands. The housing market crisis is considered one of the most pressing issues affecting the Dutch economy at the moment and is likely to be central to the forthcoming election campaign. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33185 2012-05-16T13:19:56Z 2012-05-16T13:30:36Z

Editor Spending on healthcare rose 3.2% last year, compared with 2010, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday. In total, €90bn was spent on healthcare and welfare services, the CBS said. The rise is less sharp than in previous years. Between 2004 and 2008, healthcare spending rose 6.4%, before gradually reducing. Healthcare accounts for almost 15% of gross domestic product, the CBS said. Wages account for the bulk of spending. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33184 2012-05-16T13:12:44Z 2012-05-16T13:19:25Z

Editor A compromise plan to flood part of a polder in Zeeland to compensate for lost nature has failed to win majority support in parliament, news agency ANP said on Wednesday. U-turn Now Bleker is suggesting flooding one third of the polder – an area the size of around 150 football pitches, plus a couple of other pieces of land and a golf course. Several political parties have now submitted plans to have the compromise torn up and the original agreement to flood the entire polder reinstated, ANP says. In addition, the Belgian authorities are pressing for a speedy decision. ]]> tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33183 2012-05-16T12:57:36Z 2012-05-16T14:05:51Z

Editor special booklet drawn up by the Dutch football association and foreign ministry with dos and don'ts for June's European football championships in Poland and Ukraine.]]> Consular staff The foreign affairs ministry is sending extra consular staff to both countries to deal with any eventual problems affecting the thousands of Oranje fans expected to follow the Dutch national squad's fortunes. The Dutch group B campaign kicks off against Denmark on June 9, followed by Germany on June 13. The tournament runs from June 8 to July 1.]]> tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33182 2012-05-16T12:51:20Z 2012-05-16T12:57:30Z

Editor Social affairs minister Henk Kamp and his deputy Paul de Krom, justice minister Ivo Opstelten, foreign minister Uri Rosenthal and transport minister Melanie Schultz are not standing for parliament in the September 2012 general election. Dutch ministers do not have to be elected parliamentarians and the five have decided not to be included on the list of candidates, party chairman Benk Korthals said on Wednesday. The VVD is currently drawing up its list which will include health minister Edith Schippers among others, the Volkskrant reported. All party candidate lists have to be finalised by June 29. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33181 2012-05-16T12:45:02Z 2012-05-16T14:12:13Z

Editor Efforts by anti-smoking campaigners to reinstate a smoking ban in small cafes and bars failed on Wednesday when judges in The Hague ruled the law does allow exceptions. Ignored However, the ban, brought in over four years ago, is widely flouted in bigger bars, cafes and night clubs. Clean Air Nederland argued the current situation has led to unfair competition with bars which do keep the law. In addition, 'the state is breaking international agreements to discourage smoking' and undermining existing Dutch laws, the organisation said. The court in The Hague said current tobacco laws do allow exemptions to the ban. In addition, the judges said claims that the relaxation of the rules conflicted with the Dutch constitution were not proven. 'The exemption for small bars has led to smoking in around half of all cafes,' Clean Air Nederland said in a reaction. 'This not only damages the health of other patrons but of a lot of workers.' ]]> tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33177 2012-05-16T08:23:30Z 2012-05-16T10:24:28Z

Editor A Dutch concert by popular Turkish singer Arif Sag was cancelled this weekend after he gave up and returned home after lengthy questioning by officials at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. According to the Telegraaf, Sag was furious at being questioned and made to wait for so long that he took the first plane back home. Turkish papers described his treatment as 'scandalous', the Telegraaf said. The concert had been organised as part of the celebrations to make 400 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Sag had earlier crossed the border to attend rehearsals without any serious problems, the paper said. According to the AD, MPs have called on justice minister Ivo Opstelten to explain what happened. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33176 2012-05-16T08:17:51Z 2012-05-16T08:23:02Z

Editor Four boys, two aged 13, have been arrested in Tilburg in connection with an internet film which appears to show a 14-year-old girl being sexually assaulted. 'The youths are all suspects,' a police spokesman told news agency ANP. 'They are suspected of involvement in the incident as well as making the film and spreading it on the internet.' The two other boys are aged 15 and 16. The story broke after television programme PowNews broadcast part of the film, resulting dozens of tip-offs about the identity of the boys and the girl. She was questioned by police on Tuesday, ANP said. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33175 2012-05-16T08:03:28Z 2012-05-16T08:17:24Z

Editor Jewish organisations are considering refusing to sign the covenant on ritual slaughter currently being worked out by religious groups and government officials, Trouw reports on Wednesday. Vets However, the NIK is unhappy at the appointment of Ludo Hellebrekers to chair the commission overseeing the covenant because he is also chairman of the Dutch veterinary society KNMvD, Trouw says. As chairman of the vets group, Hellebrekers has said the ritual slaughter issue is about animal welfare, not freedom of religion or the interpretation of religious laws. 'From the start we have said Hellebrekers is unacceptable,' Ronnie Eisenmann of the Amsterdam Jewish Community group told the paper. A spokesman for the minister told Trouw on Tuesday the covenant was almost finished.]]> tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33174 2012-05-16T07:56:37Z 2012-05-16T14:02:55Z

Editor Some 10.8 million of the Dutch 17 million population will head off on holiday this year, down 400,000 on a year ago, according to new research by the tourism board. 'The change is due to the recession, falling spending power and low consumer confidence,' a spokeswoman told news agency ANP. Of the holidaymakers, 2.6 million will holiday in the Netherlands itself, 7.8 million will go abroad and 300,000 have not yet made up their minds. France, Spain and Germany remain the most popular foreign destinations, with Turkey and Croatia rising in popularity. Even though France is still the favourite holiday spot for the Dutch, some 75,000 fewer people plan to visit this summer. Belgium and Greece will also have fewer Dutch tourists. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33173 2012-05-16T07:24:43Z 2012-05-16T14:02:37Z

Editor ABN Amro booked underlying net profit of €486m in the first quarter of this year, down 17% on the first three months of last year. statement. Zalm also criticised proposals to increase banking taxes in the Netherlands. ‘It is important not to overburden the banking sector and to keep the international playing field level, as this would have an impact on customers and the economy’ he said. ]]> tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33171 2012-05-16T07:08:27Z 2012-05-16T14:07:14Z

Editor The minority coalition and three other parties have finalised their plans to cut the Dutch budget deficit to below 3%. Finances The package will now be sent to the macro-economic forecasting agency CPB which will assess the impact on the government’s finances. The three minor parties – the D66 Liberals, green party GroenLinks and ChristenUnie – stepped in to fill the breach after Geert Wilders and the PVV pulled out of the talks. Prime minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday told reporters claims that spending power would be reduced by at least 6% because of the cuts are wrong. However, he declined to go into further details about the package of measures. Labour's finance spokesman Ronald Plasterk accused the five parties of not being 'transparent' enough about their plans. In addition, not knowing the details is making impossible for other parties to draw up their election campaigns, he said. ]]> tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33169 2012-05-15T14:14:28Z 2012-05-15T14:21:59Z

Editor The longest ice rink in the Netherlands was declared bankrupt by a court in Zwolle on Tuesday, despite having earlier been given a postponement on paying its debts. The five kilometre long outdoor FlevOnice rink, opened in 2007, but did not attract enough skaters. In addition, the extreme length of the ice rink meant that energy costs involved in spraying water to keep it smooth and thick enough were very high. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33167 2012-05-15T14:01:11Z 2012-05-15T14:22:42Z

Editor The police are to stop their industrial action and restart talks with caretaker justice minister Ivo Opstelten, police unions and the minister said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon. Action in support of a 3% pay rise and agreement on early retirement have included writing out far fewer on the spot fines and closing police stations for several hours on a number of days. Discussions about terms and conditions (cao) are to restart following talks between the unions and negotiators for Opstelten last week. 'The unions and the minister feel sure further negotiations can lead to an agreement that is acceptable to all parties,' the statement says. However, the unions warn that their members must have the final word. It is hoped an agreement will be reached by June 1. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33166 2012-05-15T13:29:14Z 2012-05-15T14:23:38Z

Editor Flemish media concern De Persgroep is buying VNU Media, owners of job vacancies sites Nationale Vacturebank and Intermediair and technology site Tweakers. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33168 2012-05-15T13:19:46Z 2012-05-15T17:47:31Z

Editor Volkskrant reports on Tuesday.]]> The box, kept under a desk in the office of Bennies Fifties shop for 20 years, contains the archive of the Blue Book Model Agency, the agency at which Monroe began her modelling career. Agency founder Emmeline Snively took the young Norma Jean Dougherty under her wing in 1945. 'Correspondence in the box shows that years after Marilyn's death, she had tried to sell her archive to writers, journalists and film makers but without success,' Astrid Franse, who bought the box, told the paper. Franse has now contacted auction houses in the US about selling the items and one is coming to see the collection. 'But I don't want to split it up and sell off the rarities - the photos that have never been published, the negatives and the signatures,' she said. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33165 2012-05-15T13:03:54Z 2012-05-15T14:21:07Z

Editor The European Commission is considering taking further action against telecom watchdog Opta for its pricing policy on calls made between different networks. Opta was rapped over the knuckles in February, when it was given three months to adjust the rule. However, digital agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes says the organisation still has not done so, reports news agency ANP. Kroes says the tariffs networks charge each other for inter-network calls are disadvantageous to Dutch consumers, who pay twice as much as the rest of Europe. Opta was following European guidelines which state only direct costs can be charged. But, after a challenge by the telephony industry and a court ruling, it was obliged to adjust the rule so indirect costs can also be charged to the customer. The commission will decide on June 13 whether further steps are necessary. One possibility is to demand Opta changes the rule of removes it altogether. tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33164 2012-05-15T12:36:29Z 2012-05-16T07:10:30Z

Editor mierenneuker - literally ant-fucker - a term used in popular speech to describe people who stick obsessively to the rules.]]> mierenneuker is used with the intention to insult or cause offence is it a swearword, the NRC quoted the High Court as saying. The case dates back to 2010 when the man, known as Sietze J, called a policeman a mierenneuker for throwing away his can of beer. Lower courts ruled J had insulted the police officer and the case went to appeal. CDA Today's High Court ruling led to immediate protests from Christian Democrat MPs. 'It's an incomprehensible ruling,' said CDA parliamentarian Mirjam Sterk using the microblogging service Twitter. Madeleine van Toorenburg, one of the candidates for the CDA leadership, commented: 'Thing's should not get any more insane' MP Coskun Çörüz is planning to ask justice minister Ivo Opstelten about the case. 'If you can call a police officer, one of the mainstays of the rule of law, an ant-f*****, then it worries me what you can call a teacher, a prison warder, a traffic warden or a social benefits officer,' Çörüz is quoted as saying by the Telegraaf. The ruling undermines efforts to get tough on people who attack or insult police officers, emergency service personnel and government workers, he said. Insulting In 2009, a 31-year-old man from Tilburg was fined €170 for insulting behaviour after wearing a t-shirt combining the word 'corrupt' with the police logo. People have also been fined for waving a middle finger (the Dutch equivalent to the two-fingered V-sign) at a police officer and calling a policeman 'homo'. Last January, the High Court ordered the retrial of a man who was given a fine of €200 for wearing a jacket featuring the letters ACAB because it was insulting to the police. The letters are said to stand for All Cops Are Bastards. Earlier, three other men were fined €330 each for wearing t-shirts with the numbers 1312 printed on them, which stands for the same thing. ]]> tag:www.dutchnews.nl,2012:/news//1.33162 2012-05-15T08:38:19Z 2012-05-15T12:40:20Z

Editor Experts from Arnhem zoo will on Tuesday try to catch a kangaroo which has been spotted in woods close to the city for the past few days. ]]>