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Although not always exciting, Dutch news can be extremely revealing about the Netherlands and its people. An anthology of Dutch news in the year 2000.

Police want to screen new residents
AMSTERDAM, 5 JANUARY.The Chief of Police in Flevoland, G. Horstmann, wants new residents in the province to be screened using police registers from their previous place of residence. In his New Year's speech, he said that newcomers should be screened to pick out troublemakers and that the information should be used to complement the database that the Flevoland police already have about 'problem families that produce juvenile delinquents'.

Double-income couples drive up house prices
ROTTERDAM, 19 JANUARY.The growing number of double-income couples is causing house prices to rise. High living costs are, it seems, driving emancipation. In 1975, the average home cost 140,000 guilders and was financed on a single income in 55 per cent of cases. That price has now gone up to around 350,000 guilders, with only 25 per cent of purchases financed with one salary.

Mailmen hail return of delivery bikes
AMSTERDAM, 20 JANUARY.PTTPost, the Dutch mail company, today introduced advanced new delivery bicycles. The company is commissioning 800 in all after a two-month trial period. According to designer M. Dalen Gilhuys, "the mailman won't mind being seen on one of these. Delivery bicycles used to be considered rather dull, but this is a quick vehicle that complements the existing line of equipment used." The project leader at PTTPost talks proudly of the new bicycle, which will be used to 800 mailmen around the country.

Rewards to combat senseless violence
ZWOLLE, 3 FEBRUARY.The province of Overijssel wants to introduce rewards of between 1000 and 5000 guilders for citizens who act sensibly to prevent or stop senseless violence. It is the first measure of its kind and is intended to reward those working towards a safer community. Those who act to stop vandalism are also eligible.

Hospital to recruit in cinema
ROTTERDAM, 7 FEBRUARY.The IJsselland Hospital in Capelle aan de IJssel is trying to recruit anaesthetists assistants through advertisements in cinemas. The hospital has been faced with unfilled vacancies for a number of months and has had little success with ads in newspapers and professional magazines. The ad, entitled Is there an anaesthetist's assistant in the audience tonight?, will be shown for a month.

Bicyclists organisation to appeal verdict
UTRECHT, 7 MARCH.The Fietsersbond, an organisation representing bicyclists, is to appeal against a court ruling in Assen that bicyclists do not have priority on a roundabout in Meppel. The trial case had been brought because cars in the north do not have to yield to bicyclists at roundabouts, in contrast to most of the rest of the country.

Strikes against aggression
UTRECHT, 29 MARCH.Public transport workers held a strike today to draw the attention of passengers and politicians to rising aggression on trains and busses. Drivers and conductors distributed leaflets to passengers at a number of major railway stations across the country to explain their message: Do you think aggression is normal? We dont! The strike was mainly focused on the Randstad, the area around the major cities in the west.

Price increase for church telephone
ROTTERDAM, 1 APRIL.The Rotterdam District Court gave the go-ahead yesterday for drastic price hikes for the church telephone service. The National Organisation for Church Telephone and an organisation of Protestant pensioners had appealed against the ruling by the telecommunications watchdog OPTA hat the price (currently 6.75 guilders per month) should be increased at least threefold. More than 80,000 people, mostly elderly, use the service, which allows them to listen to their local church service over the telephone. Church groups claim that many people will be unable to afford the higher charges.

Unique security feature for new passport
ROTTERDAM, 1 APRIL.The Netherlands new passport will contain a unique security feature. A second, hidden photograph will be included, using a new technique developed by IAIin Veldhoven in collaboration with the company that prints the passport, Enschede/SDUin Haarlem. The new passport will cost about eight guilders more to produce than the current one.

New code of conduct for politicians
THE HAGUE, 6 APRIL.In a letter to Parliament sent this morning, Internal Affairs Minister De Vries announced new rules intended to allow greater public scrutiny of politicians financial behaviour. His proposals include a legally enforceable code of conduct for local politicians. Mayors, aldermen and councillors will be subjected to rules on outside business interests and positions and how to deal with gifts from third parties.

D66 leader wants to modernise monarchy
THE HAGUE, 8 APRIL.Thom de Graaf, leader of junior coalition party D66, has called for a drastic 'modernisation of the monarchy. The hereditary head of state should no longer be part of the government, no longer be involved in cabinet formations and resign as Chairman of the Council of State. De Graaf expects a change of monarch within the next eight years. He argues that this period should be used to hold a public debate and prepare changes to the Constitution, a process that generally takes at least four years.

Surrogate mother escapes prosecution
ROTTERDAM, 8 APRIL.The government prosecution service will not press charges against a paid surrogate mother. According to a gay couple from Hornhuizen, the woman gave birth to twins in 1998 but is refusing to give them up. A preliminary criminal investigation carried out by officers in Groningen found no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.

Two million needed to save butterflies

WAGENINGEN, 10 APRIL.The Butterfly Foundation has claimed that two million guilders will be needed over the next four years to preserve much of the Netherlands butterfly population. It hopes that the money will come from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries and conservation organisations. 30 of the 53 butterfly species in the Netherlands are listed on the 'red list' of endangered species.

Máxima to get her own perfume line
ROTTERDAM, 13 APRIL.Perfume company Royal Sanders has developed a range of perfumes around the girlfriend of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Máxima Zorreguieta. Called Máxima, the range will include perfume, shower gel and body lotion. The company hopes to begin advance sales of Maxima products soon. They will only become available if and when Willem-Alexander and Máxima announce their engagement.

Bank calls for homeless to be given accounts
AMSTERDAM, 18 APRIL.The Dutch Central Bank is urging high street banks to be more helpful and flexible with the growing number of homeless people unable to get a bank account. Although it has no legal powers to force banks to open bank accounts, its role as official regulator of the banking sector will ensure that banks are inclined to listen. The issue was raised with the Central Bank by the Salvation Army, which has thousands of clients who are unable to get their own bank account because they have too many debts or cause problems.

Pallbearers' position to be investigated
ROTTERDAM, 19 MAY.Employers and unions have agreed to commission an investigation into the position of pallbearers, including work pressure and the number of bearers. According to B. Jansen of the CNVServices Union, the unions want pallbearers to be offered contracts rather than being regarded as volunteers.

Leeuwarden police criticised
LEEUWARDEN, 2 JUNE.City councillors in Leeuwarden from the liberal VVDparty claim that the police failed to maintain public order on Tuesday night after the football match between local club Cambuur and Excelsior from Rotterdam. According to the councillors, the police did nothing to stop about a hundred hooligans turning Cambuur Square into a kind of free state for vandalism, causing tens of thousands of guilders worth of damage to shops and cars.

Bollards replaced with 'detection loops'
AMSTERDAM, 11 JUNE.Amsterdam's canals are to be fitted with a new detection system to combat illegal parking. The council wants remove the traditional bollards from the canals, but this will once again make it possible for drivers to park their car on the pavement. A trial is being held along the Lauriersgracht in which sensitive loops will be placed under the road surface. These will register illegally parked cars and send out an alert to nearby police.

Parliament supports Sunday rest Bill
THE HAGUE, 5 JULY. A Bill introduced by the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) and the Christian Union to give employees the right to refuse to work on Sundays, has drawn support from a large majority in the Lower Chamber of Parliament. Only the Liberal Party (VVD) opposes the measure, describing it as 'superfluous' and 'damaging to employers'. The Bill is intended to reconfirm Sunday as a collective rest day. The proposed legislation will also enable workers to refuse to work irregular hours.