Good afternoon. To keep you up to date, we summarize the news of this Thursday. One article, five minutes. If you read this, you will know the most important thing.
Minister van Nieuwenhuizen incorrectly informed Chamber in granulite affair …
The dumping of granulite in a natural lake in the Gelderland municipality of West Maas and Waal is a major concern there. It started with a greyish coating on the water. In the meantime, ships full of the stuff have been dumped into the lake.
But what are the health risks of this residual product that arises during the construction of asphalt roads? A local councilor has been trying to get this question answered by the national government for months. So far without success.
Today the affair took a sudden turn. Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management (VVD) appears to have misinformed the House of Representatives. Van Nieuwenhuizen previously claimed that former minister Halbe Zijlstra, as director of construction company VolkerWessels, had not played a significant role in the permission for the dumping of granulite. Documents in the hands of television program Zembla, however, point to the contrary. Zijlstra is said to have exerted considerable pressure on top civil servants.
… and the highest number of corona deaths since the end of May.
In the run-up to the dreaded second corona wave, the pressure in the hospitals was not too bad recently. But that seems to be changing.
The number of admitted covid patients has risen again today – and not only in the Randstad. The number of deaths in particular rose sharply: 16, the highest number since the end of May. The number of positively tested persons also reached a new record at 2,544.
A problem in comparing this second wave with the first is that until June 1, hardly any testing was done. There was even less testing than was possible. A report published by the Court of Audit yesterday shows that part of the available laboratory capacity remained unused in the spring. The decentralized organization of the health care system in the Netherlands complicated the situation.
In the meantime, Belgium is relaxing a number of measures. Although the number of infections is also increasing there, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès considers the relaxation necessary to maintain support for the measures.
Further in the news …
– With a government subsidy of 30 million euros, the University Medical Center Groningen will produce a promising, tailor-made cancer medicine for every patient. Until now, blood cells from a patient had to be flown to an American pharmaceutical company.
– Many people who have been fired this year have not received the legally required severance payment. According to the trade union CNV, these are “thousands” of former employees.
– The cabinet wants to increase the maximum sentence for manslaughter from 10 to 25 years. With this bill, the government is meeting a wish of the House of Representatives and the Public Prosecution Service.
– The Public Prosecution accuses former Hofstad group member Samir A. of having financially supported at least fourteen women in Syrian detention camps.
– Compared to other European countries, Dutch news sites collect a lot of data from their visitors. An exception is the public broadcaster.
– A new law has been passed in Spain to end the worship of Francisco Franco. Humiliating gatherings for the victims of the dictator are prohibited.
– Commotion about the appointment of Frank de Boer as head coach of the Dutch national team. A committee set up by the KNVB itself finds that the union has insufficiently searched for candidates with a non-Western background.
For more background …
Extremely low interest rates on the financial markets have opened the money tap in the Netherlands. The cabinet is investing billions in the corona-ravaged economy. It even set up a National Growth Fund to take full advantage of the “zero percent”. Borrowing money does not cost any money.
But how does the Dutch state get all those loans? The majority are government bonds, with a maturity of several years. Every Tuesday, new government bonds are auctioned among banks, pension funds and other investors.
Last Tuesday, a government bond with a term of thirty years was auctioned for the first time in more than six years. An extra challenge for the auctioneers on the third floor of the Ministry of Finance. De Volkskrant saw up close how the treasury was filled with billions in a few hours.
And then this …
Now that the Netherlands Film Festival has been in existence for 40 years, the cinemas are only allowed to receive a limited audience. Still, the anniversary edition will start tomorrow. Instead of limitations, the organization thought in terms of possibilities. For example, the opening film – Buladó by director Eché Janga – will be screened tomorrow evening not only in Utrecht, but in almost a hundred cinemas across the country. The same goes for the seven other premiere films the rest of the week.
A tip from our film editors: the 4K restoration of Mike van Diems’ Character, the last Dutch feature film to win an Oscar.
The news in five minutes includes the news from Thursday, September 24 to 5 p.m.
