Dutch news in brief, 24 October 2005

Dutch person killed in Wilma evacuation

Four people, including a Dutch person, died in a bus accident in Cuba as tourists were being moved away from areas threatened by Hurricane Wilma. Cuban police and diplomats said the bus was carrying 50 passengers, mostly European tourists, when it skidded on a wet road in Nueva Paz. The accident occurred on Friday. The Cuban authorities have evacuated 625,000 people in the last few days from the western provinces.

Politics upsets soup drinkers

Cup-a-Soup isn’t just soup in a cup; it is also a major barometer of public opinion. The firm released the finding of a survey on Monday that shows politics is the biggest irritant in the Netherlands. Of the 1,000 questioned, 18 percent named politics as the cause of a “dip”, or feeling a bit low. Money matters and the situation in work came second and third. Some 40 percent of the people questioned acknowledged going through a dip and not feeling so good occasionally. Women suffer more dips than men, according to the research carried out on behalf of Cup-a-Soup.

Kangaroo dies in weekend traffic

A pet kangaroo was knocked down and killed on the A58 near the Dutch town of Rucphen on Saturday morning. A motorist rang the police after he saw the animal hopping down the road. Police officers found the animal a short time later but it had been struck by another car. The owner of the kangaroo was traced and informed of the death of the animal.

Amateurs ‘dopier’ than professionals

Amateur soccer players in the Netherlands are more often caught using banned drugs to enhance their performance on the field than professional players, the Dutch Football Association KNVB indicated in its annual report. Last year 72 amateur players were tested and six of them, one in 12, were found to be using banned substances such as Nandrolon or Ephedrine. The KNVB also tested 100 professional players and four of them, one in 25, tested positive for banned drugs. Players found guilty of doping face a six-month suspension and a fine.

New subscription monitor launched

The Dutch public is facing increasing problems in relation to keeping an eye on their subscriptions and renewal dates. A new website Abo-Nee.nl opens on 28 October to tackle the problem. It will send emails to clients to inform them of expiry dates and dates on which a subscription will be renewed unless cancelled. The website is being launched by Independent Media in response to an online survey that found 40 percent of Dutch people have an unwanted subscription because they forgot to cancel it on time.

Subject: Dutch news