Dutch news in brief, 19 December 2005

No chance of a white Christmas

There won’t be snow in the Netherlands this Christmas, according to the weather bureau KNMI. The chance it will snow at Christmas is less than 5 percent. “We have almost been a quarter of a century without snow at Christmas,” a KNMI spokesperson said on Monday. The term “white Christmas” only applies if there is a blanket of snow at its headquarters in ‘De Bilt’ on both 25 and 26 December. This has happened six times since 1901. The last time was in 1981, when there was up to 20 millimetres of snow covering the middle of the country.

Woman’s body found in Weert

Police have launched an investigation following the discovery of a woman’s dead body on the Louis Regoutstraat in Weert shortly before 10am on Monday. The woman’s identity has not been released and the police would only say they have not ruled out foul play.

Mystery of oil-covered birds

The origin of dozens of oil-covered birds that have washed up on the shore of the Wadden islands, on the Dutch north-west coast, remains a mystery. Officials of the Department of Waterways and Public Works used a plane on Saturday to survey the Dutch part of the North Sea but no oil slick was found. “It was very choppy at sea, so it could be that the oil has dissipated,” a spokesperson said on Monday.

Man admits 114 burglaries

A 22-year-old man from the Dutch town of Almere has admitted carrying out 114 burglaries at businesses, schools, community centres and sports halls in the area, the police said on Monday. The man was taken on several car tours of Almere by police to allow him to point out the premises he had broken into. The man said he had committed the crimes between August and mid November. He was arrested on 13 November following a traffic incident. The investigation had also uncovered three people who receive stolen goods. Since the burglar has been in custody the number of reports of burglaries has fallen by 80 percent.

Subject: Dutch news