Dutch news in brief, 26 September 2005

50,000 fined for lack of ID

Some 50,000 have been fined since the start of the year for not being able to produce valid identification. Almost 10 percent of the people in breach of the ID law were aged 14 to 15. All residents in the Netherlands are obliged to produce a valid passport, identity card or driving licence when asked by the police. This usually occurs when a person is stopped in relation to another offence. Many of the people issued with a fine for failing to produce identification were also fined for driving through a red light. A quarter of the people fined for not having ID has chosen to fight the issue in court. The first case takes place in Utrecht on Wednesday.

Man critical after shooting

A man, 23, from Benthuizen suffered a life-threatening wound when he was shot in the head during a street party in the centre of Zoetermeer on Saturday. About 100 people were in the square when the shooting took place. Two men got into an argument after bumping into each other and one drew a handgun and fired a shot, hitting the second man in the head. Staff from a nearby cafe overpowered the gunman, 32, and he was handed over to the police.

Romanian PM cancels visit

Romanian Prime Minister Cãlin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tãriceanu has postponed a two-day official visit to the Netherlands because of flooding in his country. Instead, Romanian Justice Minister Monica Macovei will have a working lunch with Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot and meet with other officials on Monday.

Woman stabbed to death in Amsterdam

Police found the body of a woman, 29, in a home at Leo Frijdahof in Amsterdam on Sunday evening. She had been repeatedly stabbed with a knife. A 70-year-old man was arrested for questioning.

Man drowns in Rotterdam centre

A Rotterdam man, 21, drowned in the Delftsevaart waterway in city in the early hours of Sunday morning. The police said that the man was with a member of his family when he decided to jump into the water. His relative and a police officer jumped in to save him and Fire Brigade divers were also summoned. The man was found and resuscitated but died later in hospital. An investigation has been launched to establish why he jumped into the water and whether he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

Dutch solar car takes lead

The Dutch solar car Nuna 3 took the lead on the first day of the 3,000 kilometre World Solar Challenge race in Australia on Sunday. The solar-electric vehicle, designed by a team from TU Delft, arrived first in Dunmarra after a 633 kilometre journey from Darwin. The vehicle built by the US team from the University of Michigan arrived in second place 15 minutes later. The race finishes in Adelaide on Wednesday. The technical university in Delft has won the challenge in 2003 and 2004 with Nuna 1 and 2.

Subject: Dutch news