27 August 2008
 
Dutch social service department ends EUR 87m ICT project
Trouw reports that the Dutch social services department had to stop a huge ICT project which cost EUR 87 million. The hugely ambitious two-and-a-half-year project was supposed to improve the organisation's quality and lower its costs, but had been plagued by problems.

Cooperation between the department and the software supplier was difficult and in the summer of 2007, it became apparent the system would not be ready by the January 2008 deadline. Last February, the department estimated the extra costs to be at EUR 35 million.

The project came to a stop after external experts intervened and said the department was unable to manage such a large-scale and complex ICT programme.

Since last April, the Lower House has been investigating whether government organisations have a structural problem with ICT projects.
 
Fake cheese used on several products
AD's front page reveals the news that fake cheese is being used on several products. A consumer television programme due to be screened on Thursday has discovered that imitation cheese is being used on a large scale in everything from fresh pizzas to ready-made meals.

The fake cheese is a mixture of plant oil, starch, milk proteins and salt. There are no exact figures on how much fake cheese is used in these products, but estimates range from 25-40 percent. And the market is growing.
 
 "It's a money matter," says a cheese merchant, "It's much cheaper than real cheese." The Dutch Consumers' Association says it's deception and wants the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority to investigate the matter.
 
Bible and Qur'an
AD and Trouw report on findings by the makers of the website The Bible and the Koran that the two religious books are less misogynistic than everybody thinks.

 1 2 Next >