Dutch news in brief, 10 July 2006

Prisoner admits fatal jail stabbing

Police said a prisoner, 37, at ‘Dordtse Poorten’ penitentiary in Dordrecht has admitted stabbing and killing a fellow detainee. Staff found the Somalia man, 31, lying in a communal area of prison. Attempts to resuscitate him failed. It is unclear why the culprit attacked him.

Femke unopposed for leadership

No candidates have come forward to run against Femke Halsema to lead the green-left GroenLinks party into the general election on 22 November, the party executive said on Monday. Halsema will be confirmed as the leader at a party congress on 1 October.

Playground closed over asbestos

Deventer local council has ordered the immediate closure of a playground following the discovery of asbestos. Workers carrying out maintenance work discovered the contamination in an embankment that runs diagonally through the playground. Council officials said the playground would be reopened once the area had been cleaned.

Fire destroys 60-70 hectares in Veluwe

A fire in the national park on Sunday destroyed between 60 and 70 hectares of heath in the Deelense Veld. The area affected turned out at first light on Monday to be twice as large as was initially estimated on Sunday evening, the Fire Brigade said. Work continued on Monday to damp down the heath to prevent further flare ups. The rest of the park remained open to the public.

Subject: Dutch news