The highest Dutch administrative court has cleared the way for Rotterdam to ban old diesel and petrol cars from the city centre. The outgoing administration had announced plans to ban diesel-powered cars built before 2001 and petrol cars from before July 1992 but were successfully challenged in court by motorists. Now the Council of State has found in favour of the city and it will be up to the new, six-party council executive to decide when to implement the ban. Meanwhile, motoring organisation ANWB on Wednesday called on the cabinet to draw up rules for city environmental zones, saying motorists are becoming lost in a jungle of bans and restrictions. Amsterdam and Utrecht have already banned cars from their city centres and Nijmegen, Leiden, Arnhem and Maastricht are among the other cities where environmental zones could be on the cards. Minister Junior transport minister Stientje van Veldhoven had said earlier she would draw up a set of regulations before the summer, but that deadline may now not be met, the AD reported. ‘I want clarity for both motorists and local authorities,’ the minister told the paper. ‘And it has always been my intention to come up with specific agreements before the summer. These agreements will also cover specific cases, such as invalid cars.’ In Amsterdam there is mounting irritation at the spread of Cantas and other mini vehicles, which were originally meant for people with disabilities. They are now proving popular with youngsters because they are not subject to parking restrictions.  More >

Researchers at the Erasmus teaching hospital in Rotterdam say they now have genetic proof that light processing in the eye plays a role in nearsightedness, providing further evidence that children should play more outside. Last year, research by Erasmus MC, based on a continual study of a group of Rotterdam children, had already shown that nearsighted children spend less time playing outside. The new research, published last week in the journal Nature Genetics, identifies 161 genetic factors associated with glasses prescriptions and myopia. The most important factor researchers found was the detection and processing of light. ‘This is molecular confirmation of what had previously been shown by epidemiological studies: light, or rather the lack of it, is an important trigger for the development of nearsightedness,’ the researchers said. A person who is nearsighted has an elongated eyeball, which means that the light focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina which causes distant objects to appear blurry. Myopia has become increasingly common over the past years and nearsightedness now affects 50% of those in their 20s. The findings, says researcher Milly Tedja are ‘particularly alarming for high prescription glasses wearers as it is they who are at higher risk of ophthalmic problems.  We expect myopia to become the main cause of blindness in the future.’ Children ‘This is why we recommend that parents get their children to alternate close-up work with being outside for at least two hours a day,’ research leader Caroline Klaver said. Some 25% of the children in the study of children were nearsighted at the age of 13, compared with just 2.5% at the age of six.    More >

The defence ministry said on Monday that it will give financial compensation to hundreds of people who became ill after using highly carcinogenic paints. A deal has been worked out with the military unions and defence ministry workers who developed cancer and other ailments are now able to claim up to €40,000 for immaterial damage and €3,850 towards medical costs. 'The defence ministry has failed. I am sorry but I cannot turn back the clock,' junior defence minister Barbara Visser told MPs. Last week it emerged that the government is liable for the health issues which hundreds of armed forces engineers have reported after being exposed to paint containing high levels of toxic Chromium 6. They had been involved in maintaining American Nato equipment at five bases between 1984 and 2006. The research, by the public health institute RIVM, showed that the defence ministry was aware of the health problems since 1973 but had had not shared this with doctors or soldiers. The RIVM began its research in 2014 after the scandal became public. In addition, the safety standards at the five locations where the equipment was maintained were not up to scratch. 'The defence ministry's prevention and care strategies did not meet the regulations,' the RIVM report stated. More than 350 former defence workers have so far come forward to make a claim against the ministry.  More >

The basic health insurance policy is to be expanded to cover expert advice to help people develop a healthy lifestyle, health minister Bruno Bruins said on Friday. 'The idea is that we can help someone who has diabetes, not by giving them insulin but by encouraging them to live more healthily,' the minister said. Practitioners who specialise in 'combined lifestyle interventions' or GLI - as the health ministry puts it - will be able to bill health insurers for their work from next January. GLI involves combating obesity by encouraging patients to eat less and take more exercise along with psychological help. Some options will also be removed from the basic package, such as strong paracetamol pills of 1,000 milligrams, which are only available on prescription. Over the counter vitamin and mineral preparations will also no longer be paid for. The government is responsible for deciding what the basic health insurance package should include and insurance companies are supposed to compete on price. They are also free to decide what to include in supplementary policies.  More >