Dutch news in brief, 14 June 2006

Power failure disrupts trains

A power failure at Central Station in Utrecht disrupted train services to and from the centre of the Netherlands on Wednesday morning. Network manager ProRail cautioned passengers to expect delays of up to one hour and the cancellation of some services. Engineers began looking for the source of the problem shortly after 8am.

Dutch slow to go to doctor

Dutch people are slow to go to the doctor and often wait anywhere from a few months to a year to make an appointment to have a medical complaint checked out, according to research by the MLD cancer foundation. While 70 percent of the respondents said their health was important, no less than two thirds admitted postponing making a doctor’s appointment. Most of these people said they wait because their symptoms disappear over time. Another 20 percent said the doctors can do little to help or that getting sick is part and parcel of everyday life.

Election one day earlier

The general election in 2007 has been brought forward a day for practical reasons, Government Reform Minister Alexander Pechtold announced. According to the Election Law (Kieswet), the election should be held on 16 May. But the Ascension Day public holiday falls on 17 May and this would delay the collection of the voting machines from the polling stations around the country. Therefore, the election will be held on 15 May.

Dutch woman missing in Norway

The Norwegian authorities have begun a search for a Dutch woman, 26, missing in the Jotunheimen nature area, north east of Bergen, since 4 June. Family members and friends have arrived in the town of Lom to help with the search, newspaper ‘Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen’ said on Wednesday. The Dutch Embassy in Oslo said it is aware of the woman’s disappearance but is not commenting further due to privacy reasons.

Oldest man passes away

The oldest man in the Netherlands died last week, Haarlem City Council announced on Wednesday. Jan Voogt Pzn (Pieterszoon) was 106. He did not want any publicity about his age and his name was only revealed after his death. He was born on 12 October 1899 and died on 7 June 2006 as a result of complications from a hip operation.

Home alone case prevents rape

Police and Fire Brigade personnel prevented a rape at a flat in the south east of Amsterdam on Wednesday morning. Neighbours called the police after noticing that a five-year-old girl had been left alone in a flat at Geldershoofd for several hours. The police, with the help of the Fire Brigade, were about to enter the home when they heard screaming from another flat. They discovered a man, 35, who was trying to force a woman to have sex. He was arrested. Neither the father nor mother of the home alone girl had come forward by noon on Wednesday to claim the child, Amsterdam station AT5 reported.

Subject: Dutch news