Morning newspapers - 4 January 2007 04/01/2007 00:00

AD/Haagsche Courant

Prosecution has Holleeder in a bind

The public prosecution office is negotiating with two new crown witnesses who want to give incriminating evidence against alleged top criminal Willem Holleeder. The two witnesses are prepared to give non-anonymous testimony to the court judge in what is shaping up as the trial of the century.

Thefts in building industry push housing prices up

Construction sites are like gold for thieves and builders who also work black for cash-in-hand payments. According to the homebuyers association Vereniging Eigen Huis, construction sites are so poorly guarded that almost everything disappears from them.

De Volkskrant

Netherlands subsidises pollution in China

The Dutch government is contributing to the continued operations of two badly polluting chemicals factories in China. The Chinese factories were given funding as a reward for cleaning up their production. The Dutch government wants to help China reduce its pollution, but critics claim the factories have been too heavily rewarded.

Trouw

The New Year was not so peaceful

The turn of the new year was not peaceful at all, the chief of police in Gelderland-Zuid, Henk van Zwam has said. His comments contradicted statements from various other police regions that the New Year's celebrations passed off smoothly, despite several violent incidents and arrests. Van Zwam pointed out that a large amount of fireworks, stones and bottles were thrown at police. In Norway, meanwhile, there are increasing calls for a ban on fireworks.

Het Financieele Dagblad

Private equity still in the race for Organon

Chemicals company Akzo Nobel is in talks with private equity parties over the sale of its pharmaceuticals subsidiary Organon.

Government takes action against medical check-ups

The Healthcare Inspectorate (IGZ) has launched a campaign against firms that offer medical check-ups. Ten firms have been issued a letter by the IGZ informing them that certain check-ups require a permit.

De Telegraaf

Diesel and LPG again popular

More and more motorists in the Netherlands are switching to cheaper fuels such as diesel and LPG because the rise and fall in petrol prices are almost impossible to keep pace with.

Nederlands Dagblad

Pre-Christmas Sunday opening failed

The Sunday trading before Christmas only cost supermarkets money, figures from market research bureau GfK have indicated. Despite the large number of shoppers (560,000), the shoppers scarcely bought anything.

Spectacular rise in sponsor children

Christian development and humanitarian aid organisations received many more requests than expected for the 'financial adoption' of poor Third World children last year. Many organisations said the rise in the number of sponsored children could be measured in dozens of percent.

Groningen tackles poverty

The province of Groningen is investigating measures aimed reducing poverty in the north of the country. Research has revealed that almost one-third of the province's population has difficulty making ends meet.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2006]

Subject: Dutch news