While the rest of the country was suffering a slowdown due to the harsh weather, police in the southern Dutch province Brabant said on Friday that the snow has become their ally in the search for illegal cannabis cultivation operations. The high-powered lamps needed to grow the cannabis give off a lot of heat which rises up to the top of building and melts the snow on the roof. “The absence of snow on a roof does not automatically mean the presence of a cannabis farm, but it is an additional indicator in cases where a premises is already under suspicion,” a police spokesman told news agency ANP.

Dutch rescue team returns from Morocco

The Dutch Urban Search and Rescue team has returned from Morocco as there are already enough international rescuers at the scene of the Tuesday’s earthquake which killed 570 people. This is the first time the new Dutch rescue team has been sent on a mission overseas, news agency Novum reported.

PM shocked by Trajkovski plane crash

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende extended the Dutch Cabinet’s condolences following news of the death of Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski in a plane crash. In a letter, Balkenende said he was shocked to learn of the accident involving his “good friend and valued colleague”. Dutch Monarch Queen Beatrix also expressed her sympathy for Macedonia.

Netherlands is a leading spammer

The Netherlands has been rated fifth in the top-12 spamming nations in the world, according to a report by anti-virus software maker Sophos. The US is the world leader, responsible for 56 percent of all unsolicited emails, with Canada and China coming second and third.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news