Dutch news in brief, 16 August 2004

Harvests damaged by downpours

The exceptionally severe rain showers of the last few days have caused “serious damage” to crops and financial damage to farmers, agricultural organisation LTO-Nederland said on Monday. Onion and potato growers in Friesland, Zeeland, the Noordoosterpolder and south Holland islands Goeree-Overflakkee and Voorne-Putten are particularly worried about the survival of their crops. After 24 hours under water, crops will be lost due to rot and mould, the LTO said. It will take several weeks to draw up a full assessment of the damage.

Rijksmuseum buys Jan Steen work

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam confirmed on Monday it has bought the ‘The mayor of Delft and his daughter’, painted by Dutch master Jan Steen, for EUR 11.9 million. The work, the museum’s most expensive purchase to date, was bought from British woman Lady Janet Douglas Pennant. The Rijksmuseum already has 22 paintings by Steen, but none of his Delft period until now. The Ministry for Culture and several cultural funds contributed to the purchase price.

Stranded tourists come home from Ghana

The hundreds of Dutch tourists who have been stranded in the Ghanaian capital Accra for the last week and a half are due home in the Netherlands on Monday evening, according to Ghana Airways. The tourists were stranded when one of the airline’s planes was grounded for safety reasons. Two Jordanian aircraft, with space for 200 passengers each, have been chartered by the airline to make the flight to the Netherlands. The planes will also stop over in Germany to let off some German tourists who were also stuck in Ghana.

Girl killed by car

A girl, 10, died after she was struck by a car in Wijheon on Sunday. The girl and her family were cycling to catch a local ferry. Her parents looked on helplessly as she was hit by the car when she crossed a road. She died at the scene. Separately, an elderly man and a boy drowned in Twente Province at the weekend. The man, 85, was killed in Saturday when he accidentally drove his moped in the Noordzijde canal near his home at Reutum. At noon on Friday a boy, 4, drowned in a swimming pool at a campsite after his parents lost track of him for a short time. His father found the boy’s body at the bottom of the pool.

Parking dispute leads to melee

A row between two motorists about who had the right to a parking space in The Hague led to a massive brawl on Sunday. Initially, the drivers came to blows when they both laid claim to the parking space. The six occupants of the cars joined in as did a few acquaintances that were called in as reinforcements. Knives were used during the melee, police said. In all 11 people, seven women and four men, were arrested. They were aged 16 to 36.

Subject: Dutch news