Headlines January
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RIVM expects hundreds of hepatitis infections from blueberries AH
Twelve people have been infected with hepatitis A after eating frozen blueberries from Albert Heijn, the RIVM reports. Of those twelve, the infection was so serious in two cases that hospitalization was necessary. The institute expects hundreds of infections.
Hepatitis A is an infectious disease that is subject to reporting requirements. The GGD reports that the first patient arrived at the end of November, after which the cases increased. The bags were still being sold until yesterday. The RIVM has started an investigation in which the blueberries came to the fore. After a sample was taken by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), the infection with hepatitis A was discovered.
All twelve patients are between 25 and 77 years old. "These are only the serious cases where patients sought medical help," says an RIVM spokesperson.
In general, the disease has a mild course , which is why the institute suspects a multiple infection. The disease can lead to liver inflammation in adults. According to the spokesperson, people with reduced resistance are mainly at risk of serious infection.
According to the RIVM, an outbreak on this scale is not entirely unique, but occurs on average once a year.
Recall
Yesterday it was announced that Albert Heijn had issued a safety warning for the frozen kilo bags of blueberries of the house brand, due to a contamination with hepatitis A. The supermarket is recalling the products.
It concerns kilo bags with a best before date of 14-4-2026, but as a precaution Albert Heijn has removed all kilo bags from the shelves. The company advises consumers not to eat the berries. Customers can return the bags to the store and get their money back. Customers experiencing symptoms are advised to consult their doctor.
Poor hygiene
The contaminated blueberries originate from a manufacturer in Poland, says Albert Heijn. According to the RIVM, the outbreak was probably caused by poor hygiene in the packaging process. Hepatitis A is a disease that only occurs in humans. According to the RIVM, the infection only spreads from person to person, via feces. "The virus could have been spread by contaminated irrigation water, but it is more likely that a berry picker did not wash his hands properly after a toilet visit," according to the RIVM spokesperson. Otherwise, according to him, the outbreak would have been larger. According to AH, this only concerns the frozen kilo bags; the paper boxes of frozen blueberries and the bags of mixed red fruit are not at risk, because they come from a different supplier.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2551749-rivm-houdt-rekening-met-honderden-hepatitis-besmettingen-door-blauwe-bessen-ah
Explosion causes fire at Beverwijk hospital, police assume it was intentional
A fire briefly raged at the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk during the night from Saturday to Sunday. The fire was caused by an explosion. The police assume it was deliberate, a spokesperson told NU.nl.
On November 26, a fire was also started at the hospital in Beverwijk. This happened at a revolving door of a part of the hospital that was under construction.
"That fire was also extinguished quickly," says a police spokesperson. "One window was broken, but no one was injured." Whether there is a connection between the two arsons is still being investigated. On Wednesday, the regional investigation program Bureau NH will pay attention to the case.
The explosive went off around 2:00 am at a door on the side of the Akerendamlaan. According to the Kennemerland Safety Region, it was a roller door at the back of the hospital. Three people were checked for smoke inhalation, but did not require further medical treatment. The building did not need to be evacuated. According to the police, staff at the hospital on Vondellaan, where the Burns Center is also located, were able to quickly start extinguishing the fire themselves. The fire department then quickly had the situation under control.
"It is fantastic that the staff acted so quickly and accurately," a police spokesperson said. The investigation into the fire is still in full swing.
Source: https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6342058/explosie-veroorzaakt-brand-bij-ziekenhuis-beverwijk-politie-gaat-uit-van-opzet.html
Malfunction at parking meters in various municipalities
Several municipalities spread throughout the country are struggling with a malfunction in the parking meter system. The municipality of Waadhoeke in Friesland, Wageningen in Gelderland and Etten-Leur in Noord-Brabant therefore say that they will not be issuing parking tickets for the time being.
It is not clear how many municipalities are affected by the outage. The municipality of Deventer says that the problems are caused by an outage at provider Tele2. However, Deventer does not report anything about whether or not enforcement is taking place.
The operator of the machines, the Amsterdam company Taxameter, was not available for comment.
Hundreds of 'fine avalanches' every year due to scanning car: citizens are severely punished for one mistake
In Bloemendaal and Heemstede people can't pay at the parking meters either. In Heemstede there are 21 machines, in Bloemendaal 13. The license plates of the parked cars can't be registered either, so enforcement officers can't check. In the North Holland municipality of Dijk en Waard there was a short malfunction at the parking meters of the Middenwaard shopping center in Heerhugowaard. According to the municipality, this malfunction has now been resolved and no measures are necessary.
Press agency ANP called several dozen municipalities to ask whether they were also affected by the outage. Tilburg, Leiden, Terneuzen, Hoogeveen, Súdwest-Fryslân and Wassenaar, among others, indicated that they were not affected at all.
Source: https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/artikel/5488898/storing-bij-parkeerautomaten-verschillende-gemeenten
Police Chief: 'Communication failure led to unpleasant incidents'
At the very time when it was busiest, the police communication network had a malfunction. The so-called C2000 system was down for hours during New Year's Eve. Although the outage has not led to any major problems as far as is known, it frustrates police chief Janny Knol. "All emergency services use it. It was overloaded last night. As a result, colleagues on the street could not get in touch with the control room. That has led to bizarre and very unpleasant incidents." Knol says that many officers on the street were left to fend for themselves due to the disruptions, because they depend on communication with the control room. "There were also colleagues looking for a suspect with a firearm, for example. If you can't provide a description, it's difficult to search."
'Clumsy bunch'
Police officers have been complaining about the C2000 system for some time now, and although the backup system worked, many officers are annoyed by it. Knol points to the Ministry of Justice and Security, which she believes should solve the problem. "We are only the users of the system and are not responsible for it." Minister Van Weel of Security and Justice will respond to the problems with C2000 later this week or next week, his spokesperson said.
Government party PVV writes on X that the minister must solve the problems with C2000, because the system "is the lifeline of the police". PVV MP Van Dijk speaks of a "clumsy gang". "Officers were completely on their own under difficult circumstances. Finally take your responsibility and solve this," Van Dijk said to the minister. Another coalition party, BBB, also thinks it is a bad thing that the system has failed again.
Tear gas
Apart from the problems with the communication system, she calls the night grim and angry. "This year too, we have seen very serious incidents in various places." She points to officers who were attacked during their work, firecrackers that were thrown at police stations and police cars that were set on fire. The riot police also took action several times and tear gas was used. In total, the police arrested more than two hundred people.
Fireworks ban
"We have seen that violence has been a constant issue in recent years. Not only between groups, but also aimed at aid workers. That is terrible."
According to Knol, one of the ways to curb the violence is a total fireworks ban. "You now see that there is a fireworks ban in various municipalities, but they are still for sale there and they are still being set off. A ban would be a nice first step." It does not look like there will be a majority in the House of Representatives for a general fireworks ban. The coalition parties PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB are not in favor of it. They consider it an important Dutch tradition.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2550288-korpschef-politie-storing-bij-communicatie-leidde-tot-vervelende-incidenten
De Volksbank must pay 20 million in fines
De Volksbank is being fined a total of 20 million euros because the company has not done enough to limit the risks of criminal transactions. The sanctions were imposed by the supervisory authority De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). The parent company of SNS, ASN Bank, RegioBank and BLG Wonen failed to do enough in the area of risk management between 2018 and 2023, which meant that the company did not comply with the Financial Supervision Act (Wft). The bank is therefore being fined 15 million euros.
De Volksbank must also do more to prevent criminals from using the bank to launder money and finance terrorism. This will cost the bank 5 million euros.
"It is extremely painful that we have received two fines from DNB for not having two significant components of our business operations in order," says CEO Roland Boekhout in a press release. "As a bank, we have disappointed our customers, colleagues and partners. We offer our sincere apologies for this."
Bad routines
It was already known last year that De Volksbank would be fined by DNB. According to the bank, the shortcomings are due to poor management and insufficient internal controls. The bank says it has been working on improving these since last year.
The fines will weigh on De Volksbank's profit for 2024. The bank's annual report will be published next month.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2553820-de-volksbank-moet-20-miljoen-aan-boetes-betalen
Twelve people have been infected with hepatitis A after eating frozen blueberries from Albert Heijn, the RIVM reports. Of those twelve, the infection was so serious in two cases that hospitalization was necessary. The institute expects hundreds of infections.
Hepatitis A is an infectious disease that is subject to reporting requirements. The GGD reports that the first patient arrived at the end of November, after which the cases increased. The bags were still being sold until yesterday. The RIVM has started an investigation in which the blueberries came to the fore. After a sample was taken by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), the infection with hepatitis A was discovered.
All twelve patients are between 25 and 77 years old. "These are only the serious cases where patients sought medical help," says an RIVM spokesperson.
In general, the disease has a mild course , which is why the institute suspects a multiple infection. The disease can lead to liver inflammation in adults. According to the spokesperson, people with reduced resistance are mainly at risk of serious infection.
According to the RIVM, an outbreak on this scale is not entirely unique, but occurs on average once a year.
Recall
Yesterday it was announced that Albert Heijn had issued a safety warning for the frozen kilo bags of blueberries of the house brand, due to a contamination with hepatitis A. The supermarket is recalling the products.
It concerns kilo bags with a best before date of 14-4-2026, but as a precaution Albert Heijn has removed all kilo bags from the shelves. The company advises consumers not to eat the berries. Customers can return the bags to the store and get their money back. Customers experiencing symptoms are advised to consult their doctor.
Poor hygiene
The contaminated blueberries originate from a manufacturer in Poland, says Albert Heijn. According to the RIVM, the outbreak was probably caused by poor hygiene in the packaging process. Hepatitis A is a disease that only occurs in humans. According to the RIVM, the infection only spreads from person to person, via feces. "The virus could have been spread by contaminated irrigation water, but it is more likely that a berry picker did not wash his hands properly after a toilet visit," according to the RIVM spokesperson. Otherwise, according to him, the outbreak would have been larger. According to AH, this only concerns the frozen kilo bags; the paper boxes of frozen blueberries and the bags of mixed red fruit are not at risk, because they come from a different supplier.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2551749-rivm-houdt-rekening-met-honderden-hepatitis-besmettingen-door-blauwe-bessen-ah
Explosion causes fire at Beverwijk hospital, police assume it was intentional
A fire briefly raged at the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk during the night from Saturday to Sunday. The fire was caused by an explosion. The police assume it was deliberate, a spokesperson told NU.nl.
On November 26, a fire was also started at the hospital in Beverwijk. This happened at a revolving door of a part of the hospital that was under construction.
"That fire was also extinguished quickly," says a police spokesperson. "One window was broken, but no one was injured." Whether there is a connection between the two arsons is still being investigated. On Wednesday, the regional investigation program Bureau NH will pay attention to the case.
The explosive went off around 2:00 am at a door on the side of the Akerendamlaan. According to the Kennemerland Safety Region, it was a roller door at the back of the hospital. Three people were checked for smoke inhalation, but did not require further medical treatment. The building did not need to be evacuated. According to the police, staff at the hospital on Vondellaan, where the Burns Center is also located, were able to quickly start extinguishing the fire themselves. The fire department then quickly had the situation under control.
"It is fantastic that the staff acted so quickly and accurately," a police spokesperson said. The investigation into the fire is still in full swing.
Source: https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/6342058/explosie-veroorzaakt-brand-bij-ziekenhuis-beverwijk-politie-gaat-uit-van-opzet.html
Malfunction at parking meters in various municipalities
Several municipalities spread throughout the country are struggling with a malfunction in the parking meter system. The municipality of Waadhoeke in Friesland, Wageningen in Gelderland and Etten-Leur in Noord-Brabant therefore say that they will not be issuing parking tickets for the time being.
It is not clear how many municipalities are affected by the outage. The municipality of Deventer says that the problems are caused by an outage at provider Tele2. However, Deventer does not report anything about whether or not enforcement is taking place.
The operator of the machines, the Amsterdam company Taxameter, was not available for comment.
Hundreds of 'fine avalanches' every year due to scanning car: citizens are severely punished for one mistake
In Bloemendaal and Heemstede people can't pay at the parking meters either. In Heemstede there are 21 machines, in Bloemendaal 13. The license plates of the parked cars can't be registered either, so enforcement officers can't check. In the North Holland municipality of Dijk en Waard there was a short malfunction at the parking meters of the Middenwaard shopping center in Heerhugowaard. According to the municipality, this malfunction has now been resolved and no measures are necessary.
Press agency ANP called several dozen municipalities to ask whether they were also affected by the outage. Tilburg, Leiden, Terneuzen, Hoogeveen, Súdwest-Fryslân and Wassenaar, among others, indicated that they were not affected at all.
Source: https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/artikel/5488898/storing-bij-parkeerautomaten-verschillende-gemeenten
Police Chief: 'Communication failure led to unpleasant incidents'
At the very time when it was busiest, the police communication network had a malfunction. The so-called C2000 system was down for hours during New Year's Eve. Although the outage has not led to any major problems as far as is known, it frustrates police chief Janny Knol. "All emergency services use it. It was overloaded last night. As a result, colleagues on the street could not get in touch with the control room. That has led to bizarre and very unpleasant incidents." Knol says that many officers on the street were left to fend for themselves due to the disruptions, because they depend on communication with the control room. "There were also colleagues looking for a suspect with a firearm, for example. If you can't provide a description, it's difficult to search."
'Clumsy bunch'
Police officers have been complaining about the C2000 system for some time now, and although the backup system worked, many officers are annoyed by it. Knol points to the Ministry of Justice and Security, which she believes should solve the problem. "We are only the users of the system and are not responsible for it." Minister Van Weel of Security and Justice will respond to the problems with C2000 later this week or next week, his spokesperson said.
Government party PVV writes on X that the minister must solve the problems with C2000, because the system "is the lifeline of the police". PVV MP Van Dijk speaks of a "clumsy gang". "Officers were completely on their own under difficult circumstances. Finally take your responsibility and solve this," Van Dijk said to the minister. Another coalition party, BBB, also thinks it is a bad thing that the system has failed again.
Tear gas
Apart from the problems with the communication system, she calls the night grim and angry. "This year too, we have seen very serious incidents in various places." She points to officers who were attacked during their work, firecrackers that were thrown at police stations and police cars that were set on fire. The riot police also took action several times and tear gas was used. In total, the police arrested more than two hundred people.
Fireworks ban
"We have seen that violence has been a constant issue in recent years. Not only between groups, but also aimed at aid workers. That is terrible."
According to Knol, one of the ways to curb the violence is a total fireworks ban. "You now see that there is a fireworks ban in various municipalities, but they are still for sale there and they are still being set off. A ban would be a nice first step." It does not look like there will be a majority in the House of Representatives for a general fireworks ban. The coalition parties PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB are not in favor of it. They consider it an important Dutch tradition.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2550288-korpschef-politie-storing-bij-communicatie-leidde-tot-vervelende-incidenten
De Volksbank must pay 20 million in fines
De Volksbank is being fined a total of 20 million euros because the company has not done enough to limit the risks of criminal transactions. The sanctions were imposed by the supervisory authority De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). The parent company of SNS, ASN Bank, RegioBank and BLG Wonen failed to do enough in the area of risk management between 2018 and 2023, which meant that the company did not comply with the Financial Supervision Act (Wft). The bank is therefore being fined 15 million euros.
De Volksbank must also do more to prevent criminals from using the bank to launder money and finance terrorism. This will cost the bank 5 million euros.
"It is extremely painful that we have received two fines from DNB for not having two significant components of our business operations in order," says CEO Roland Boekhout in a press release. "As a bank, we have disappointed our customers, colleagues and partners. We offer our sincere apologies for this."
Bad routines
It was already known last year that De Volksbank would be fined by DNB. According to the bank, the shortcomings are due to poor management and insufficient internal controls. The bank says it has been working on improving these since last year.
The fines will weigh on De Volksbank's profit for 2024. The bank's annual report will be published next month.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2553820-de-volksbank-moet-20-miljoen-aan-boetes-betalen
Translated from Dutch to English with Google translate