2025 All 25 passengers escaped injury in the collision Photo: ANP/Menno BauschTrains between Utrecht and Zeist have been cancelled after a train collided with a digger pulling a trailer across a level crossing The accident happened at around 6am on Monday in Bunnik Police said the digger stopped as it crossed the railway line giving the Intercity train no time to stop while the seven passengers travelling from Utrecht to Arnhem on the early morning express train were uninjured Alternative transport was arranged to take them to their destinations The driver of the digger managed to step out of his cabin before the collision happened ProRail spokesman Raymond de Jong said the driver told him his engine had stalled on the line. “He couldn’t go anywhere and was extremely fortunate,” De Jong told RTV Utrecht “He felt the impact but got out of his vehicle unscathed.” Train operator NS said all services between Utrecht and Driebergen-Zeist have been cancelled until 5am on Tuesday and a limited bus replacement service has been arranged Passengers are advised to travel via ‘s-Hertogenbosch if possible NS said the vehicle was badly damaged in the crash and is being examined to see if it can be repaired Police are investigating how the accident happened while NS will also investigate whether the driver was warned of a stationary vehicle on the track No works were taking place on the railway at the time We could not provide the Dutch News service without the generous support of our readers Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days We could not provide this service without you Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey The mayor of Zeist, Joyce Langenacker, is considering potential measures in Den Dolder after a stabbing last week claimed the life of a 76-year-old woman Langenacker discussed the incident Friday evening at a second residents' meeting the specific measures being considered remain unclear The stabbing has caused significant concern in the Utrecht region who had been living at a clinic in Den Dolder was permitted to be outside when the attack occurred the perpetrator of the 2017 rape and murder of Anne Faber Langenacker was joined by police and representatives from Fivoor the forensic psychiatric institution where the suspect was being treated "We're left feeling worthless," a resident told RTV Utrecht "The trust is gone," the municipality wrote in a report following the meeting "People feel very unsafe and are disappointed that none of the agreements made after Anne Faber’s murder seven years ago such as the deployment of neighborhood coaches On Thursday, news broke that the 27-year-old suspect called Mert P. had previously assaulted random individuals on the street He was permitted to be outside at the time of the stabbing a detail that has raised questions about the security protocols surrounding patients at the clinic The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) has launched an investigation into the incident which has only heightened tensions in the area Residents of Den Dolder are calling for increased police presence and more surveillance cameras Langenacker vowed to "seriously investigate" these options and emphasized her commitment to holding the minister accountable for a promise made to the community The minister had previously stated that Fivoor would vacate the Den Dolder site by January 1 The clinic is currently seeking a new location This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox When he must explain the sport that he’s been in love with since he was 6 years old and a passion that he has chased half a world away from his native Netherlands, tries to find parallels between baseball and soccer because that’s the pastime the Dutch usually gravitate toward Major League Baseball might not be widely known in the Netherlands from dreaming that he can someday make it to the sport’s grandest stage 195-pound right-hander hails from the same hometown as Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven -- tiny Zeist Netherlands -- but making it to the big leagues always seemed to be something likely out of reach in which Robberse has quickly matured into one of the best pitching prospects in the Cardinals' system while pitching for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds Robberse has compiled a 3-0 record with a stellar 1.59 ERA His most recent outing -- a one-hitter over eight innings in a defeat of the Gwinnett Braves -- earned him an International League Pitcher of the Week award Cardinals catcher Pedro Pagés was behind the plate for that outing and he was blown away by Robberse’s command of all his pitches “I’ve caught him twice now and he’s been throwing the ball really well,” Pagés said of Robberse, who came to the Cardinals last July in the trade that sent closer Jordan Hicks to the Blue Jays he has that good four-seam fastball and slider mix we faced a lot of lefties and Sem being able to use that cutter and get it in on the hands and the slider under the hands Robberse has been working toward this moment since he was 6 years old and he gravitated toward the sport after not really liking soccer and being lukewarm to swimming was once an MLB hopeful while playing for the Dutch National Team before a knee injury ended his career they used their MLB.tv subscription to watch the Yankees and other MLB clubs and dream simultaneously about Sem making it to the bigs worked with his son on developing a smooth and athletic throwing motion that was repeatable and wouldn’t put undue strain on the elbow or shoulder After attending a high school that tailored to his pro baseball aspirations and featuring stuff that topped out in the high 80s in terms of velocity Robberse was signed by the Blue Jays in July of 2019 while that club was initially there to scout other pitching hopefuls Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball He spent most of 2020 in a Florida hotel room when the COVID-19 pandemic paused most international travel but he’s since worked his way through the Minors He came to the Cardinals along with fellow right-hander Adam Kloffenstein and whatever home sickness he’s ever felt has been suppressed by the dreams of making it big in the game “Not many players I have grown up with have gone on the same kind of path that I’ve been on, but in the end it’s still just baseball,” said Robberse, the Cardinals' No. 12-ranked prospect This is such a big country and it’s so much bigger than the Netherlands but baseball stays the same and that’s what made it easier for me I’ve always kind of just poured myself into the game and worked to get better but keeping my mind on baseball helped me a lot.” • How Win Remmerswaal became the first European-trained Major Leaguer Robberse is hoping to be a trail blazer to help grow the game in the Netherlands -- even though many still aren’t very familiar with the rules of baseball I have to use soccer as a lot of the examples to make it easier to explain baseball because that’s the biggest sport there,” he said With baseball being more worldwide than ever with social media I hope it catches on and grows in the Netherlands I hope the people there start seeing the sport on TV more because that will help it grow.” Other top performers in Cards' systemTriple-A Memphis: Thomas Saggese who won the Double-A Texas League MVP in 2023 He’s smashed five doubles and two home runs while hitting .288 and driving in 11 runs in 18 games Double-A Springfield: Tink Hence -- the top prospect in the Cardinals' system per MLB Pipeline -- suffered his first rocky outing of the season when Arkansas tagged him for three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings on Wednesday the 21-year-old Hence pitched a gem against Amarillo that lowered his ERA to 1.17 High-A Peoria: Left-hander Cooper Hjerpe has been limited to just 7 2/3 innings pitched over three starts so far. MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 prospect in the Cards' system has struck out 13 and walked five thus far after missing most of his rookie season with arthroscopic surgery in his elbow Single-A Palm Beach: Chase Davis, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Cardinals, has finally started to show off the enormous power that he flashed as a college junior. Davis, the Cardinals' No. 5 prospect has six doubles and two homers in 14 games but he has whiffed 23 times compared to seven walks By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The latest home to catch our eye is this Bedaux de Brouwer-designed space called Zeist House Named after its location in the Netherlands the home contrasts perfectly with its nature-filled environment The Brutalist-inspired home is located at the end of a village and uses a raised patio to separate itself from its tree-laden surroundings The living room space uses floor-to-wall windows throughout making the inside harmonious with the outside which is more enclosed than the living area The home itself uses a structure of inner and outer concrete shells and the aluminium panorama facade blend in with the walls and floors in order to provide privacy Take a look at the gallery to see the home for yourself By 2016-08-24T10:49:00+01:00 and construction is expected to get underway in early 2017 for completion in 2021 NETHERLANDS: The rebuilt Den Haag Centraal station was officially inaugurated by Mayor Jozias van Aartsen and State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment Sharon Dijksma during a day of celebrations on February 1 The redesigned terminus is intended to be brighter NETHERLANDS: A €37·5m ‘Transfer Terminal’ at Arnhem Centraal which architectural practice UNStudio claims ‘rewrites the rulebook’ on station design was officially opened by Sharon Dijksma State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment This marks the completion of 20-year project to redevelop the 1950s station area .. NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail officially opened a ‘robust ultra-modern and striking’ control centre in Utrecht on June 4 The 4 500 m2 structure was designed by de Jong Gortemaker Algra architects and built by Visser & Smit Bouw with Arcadis as project manager and HOMIJ responsible for mechanical and electrical .. Site powered by Webvision Cloud 2024 Photo: Depositphotos.comA secondary school in Zeist has blocked parents’ from using the school’s online reporting system because of the stress it is causing pupils The Jordan Montessori Lyceum in Zeist has closed access to the Magister network for a two-month experiment after pupils reported feeling far more pressure to perform from their parents The move comes from economics teacher Stijn Uittenbogaard who distributed a questionnaire to the school’s pupils and was concerned by the findings “The more pressure children feel to perform, the worse their mental health,” he told NOS radio have more headaches and stomach pains and find it more difficult to fall asleep.” Magister is a digital system that includes school timetables Teachers and pupils have access and some schools also allow parents to monitor their children’s progress via the system Secondary school association VO Raad said more schools have taken the decision to block parents and experts have also welcomed the move “If you let parents look into Magister or Somtoday [a similar system] you are taking responsibilities away from the children,” educational advisor Marina van der Wal told the Telegraaf. “Let’s say you fail German If your parents are not looking at your reports you can keep it a secret and try to do better next time But now your parents might know your results before you do.” School pupils’ union Laks has also welcomed the experiment “We are concerned about the enormous focus which parents place on test results,” said chairwoman Puk Donken “This is putting unnecessary pressure on pupils.” Research published earlier this year by health board GGD and health institute RIVM found young Dutch teenagers are less positive about their state of health and happiness than they used to be teens are more likely to say they suffer from mental problems compared to 2019 Stress surrounding homework and school is seen as the main issue followed by “all the stuff you have to do” A Christian couple from Iran with a nine-year-old daughter has been locked up in a detention centre in the Dutch town of Zeist since Wednesday The authorities rejected their request for asylum The family was arrested Wednesday morning at 5 in the morning, the Reformatorisch Dagblad writes They stayed at a family centre for asylum seekers in Bergum in the North of the Netherlands and were transferred to Kamp Zeist Buitenhuis is the minister of the Liberated Reformed Church (GKV) in Noordbergum the Dutch immigration service does not believe that father Sarang mother Elham and daughter Anisa are genuinely Christian of which the father converted to Christianity while still in Iran Mother and daughter were baptised in 2019 in the Christian Reformed Church in the Dutch city of Breda the family was part of the Liberated Reformed Church in Noordbergum just like during their stay in the asylum centre in Bergum Daughter Anisa attended a reformed primary school in Kootstertille Where will she be the Sunday after?" Rev Buitenhuis asks worriedly In the chat of his congregation's church app Buitenhuis called his church members to pray for the Iranian family He also called for prayer for the Dutch immigration service "to take good decisions and for our government to deal with refugees in a right way." The minister furthermore stated that the refugee organisation VluchtelingenWerk is thinking about what it can do for the Iranian family What makes it hard for the officers to decide is that the cases are about inner processes in the minds of the asylum seekers "You cannot objectively check whether someone is truly converted." The Dutch immigration service has a protocol for dealing with converts it can be interpreted differently by different officers who have to apply the guidelines to each case individually Dutch immigration officers told Severijns that they often talked to colleagues about handling uncertain conversion cases That can lead to different ways of researching someone's story and the weight that the answers of the asylum seeker are given The province of Utrecht and various municipalities issued an “urgent warning” calling on people not to enter the forests of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug with small children for the time being The reason is a possible second incident involving a child and a wolf near Austerlitz on Wednesday morning A child was knocked over or pushed by a “large animal,” which may have been a wolf The warning applies to the forest area in the municipalities of Leusden Wolf experts called the wolf's behavior “atypical and disturbing,” the province said. “The province seriously considers that this is the same wolf that was previously involved in incidents in Leusden with another girl and a dog and has The province already requested an urgent DNA analysis and asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Nature and the municipalities involved for “support and approval” for the shooting of the wolf The Den Treek estate in Leusden has recently been cordoned off after a girl was bitten by a wolf there in July. A pair of wolves with cubs live in the area. © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. Parents have now been warned not to take their small children out for walks in the woods of the Utrechtese Heuvelrug national park because of the incident which took place in the area between Austerlitz and Zeist was reported by the father and grandmother of a little girl who they said was nudged by “a big dog or wolf” The incident is similar to an earlier encounter in which a little girl was nipped by a wolf at the nearby Den Treek estate. In both cases, the animal approached the child from behind, estate manager Wilbert Nijlant told the AD We think this may have been a wolf again,” he said In a third incident, a small dog was attacked and taken by a wolf on the estate One wolf family is known to live in the area with cubs and is “extremely defensive” if people and dogs get too close If the same wolf was involved in all three incidents the provincial authorities said they will ask for permission from the agriculture ministry to have it killed “If this was a wolf, expert opinion is that it is showing atypical behaviour which is a worry. That is why we are preparing a request to have it shot,” officials said in a statement but until then people are urged not take their children on outings in the areas around Leusden Nico Koffeman, chairman of animal protection organisation Faunabescherming said it is “completely unthinkable” the request will be granted. That is only possible if the wolf is very aggressive towards people, he said. “Here we are only talking about a few bumps and scratches,” broadcaster NOS quoted him as saying Koffeman pointed to a recent decision by the European court prohibiting culls in Spain and Austria to strengthen the protected status of the animal in Europe. Faunabescherming said it would go to court if a request to shoot the wolf is granted. We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day. Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days! We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here. Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey. Photo: DNBThe Dutch central bank has moved 200 tonnes of gold bars and coins from Haarlem to a new high-security centre in Zeist over the past four weeks The bank’s strategic supply of bank notes, with a value of €4.5 billion, has also been moved to the ministry of defence location of Camp New Amsterdam, the bank said on Monday The 14,166 gold bars and 1,006 boxes of coins were moved from the bank’s headquarters in Amsterdam in October 2020 ahead of the start of renovation work The gold now stored in the DNB’s ‘cashcentrum’ accounts for 31% of the bank’s total cash reserves A further 31% is stored by the Federal Reserve Bank in New York and the remaining 38% is held in London and Ottowa Cash stored at the new centre is used to supply money transporters and taken to banks cash dispensers and shops all over the country It also has an analysis department to keep a check on forgeries The bank decided to move the permanent storage to Zeist to reduce the need for such high security in Amsterdam so the renovated building can be open to the public The work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024 TV & Film05.03.24Netflix, BBC announce cast for Lockerbie drama The BBC and Netflix have announced casting for Lockerbie the forthcoming factual drama made by World Productions The six-part series is based on the real events surrounding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the joint Scots-US investigation which sought to bring the perpetrators to justice flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans It was the worst ever terror attack on British soil and the first major one on US citizens Lockerbie will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland via the US and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000 the drama takes us right up to the most recent indictment at the end of 2022 Lockerbie’s cast includes Connor Swindells (SAS Rogue Heroes The lead writer is acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Jonathan Lee with two episodes written by Scottish screenwriter Gillian Roger Park The 6 x 60 series is produced by World Productions (United the drama about Hillsborough mother and justice campaigner Anne Williams) in association with MGM Television (The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes Lockerbie was initially developed by MGM Television and Night Train Media Lockerbie will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer followed by Netflix in the UK and globally The project was initiated by filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths whose research includes extensive interviews with Scottish police officers and representatives from United States investigative agencies many of whom have never previously shared their stories Filming has now begun in Scotland and will continue in both Malta and Toronto The executive producers are Simon Heath and Roderick Seligman for World Productions; Steve Stark and Stacey Levin for Toluca Pictures Michael Keillor; and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC Mona Qureshi and Manda Levin will oversee for Netflix Lockerbie is produced by World Productions in association with MGM Television and Night Train Media SUBSCRIBE TODAY Couples who want to get married at city hall have to pay more than last year in most municipalities An extensive ceremony costs an average of 477 euros on the popular Friday The price varies enormously per municipality according to the trade site ThePerfectWedding.nl which collected the rates from all municipalities 319 of the 342 municipalities increased there wedding fees lovebirds in this Noord-Brabant municipality pay 915 euros for a ceremony on Friday That is double the 2023 amount when the costs were still 465 euros The municipality said it implemented the increase to bring the fees in line with those of neighboring municipalities It also brought the Friday afternoon fees in line with the fees for Saturday and Sunday Fiances in Zeist also have to pay significantly more than last year The Utrecht municipality increased the rate by 245 euros to 924 euros Other municipalities that significantly increased their fees include Gorinchem Beek was previously the cheapest municipality to get married in on a Friday Leeuwarden is the most expensive municipality to get married in on a Friday Voerendaal in Zuid-Limburg is the cheapest at 200 euros “The differences per municipality are extreme,” said Sarah Glasbergen of ThePerfectWedding.nl “We have been doing this research for years and it would be good if something was finally done about it the differences were already large and parliamentary questions were even asked about it Many municipalities charge different rates for Monday to Friday and for the weekend Some municipalities also have a special rate for Fridays 16 August 2016 - ProRail has awarded the contract for the renovation of the Driebergen-Zeist station area (which is located east of Utrecht) to BAM BAM will start construction activities in the spring of 2017 The contract value is approximately €90 million ProRail is completely renewing the current rail station Driebergen-Zeist on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment the Province of Utrecht and the municipalities of Utrechtse Heuvelrug and Zeist The level crossing of the single carriageway N225 (between Zeist and the A12 highway) is currently a bottleneck in the area The project includes the construction of an underpass under the tracks and adjusting the local road network BAM will renew the rail infrastructure by constructing two additional tracks for through train traffic BAM will build a new bus station and underground bicycle parking The station is very near to several country estates which are crucial for the natural value of the area The activities will therefore take into account the ecological values the landscape and cultural heritage aspects ProRail aims for the new station to be energy neutral by applying among other things energy-efficient systems and the installation of solar panels on the platform roofs BAM with its JV partners Ferrovial and SK ecoplant (known as Riverlinx) have completed the Silvertown Tunnel a landmark infrastructure project connecting Silvertown in Newham with the Greenwich Peninsula BAM has started work to transform accessibility at Hither Green station in London - making travel easier quicker and more inclusive for thousands of people every day TenneT has awarded BAM Infra Nederland the civil works contract for the 380 kV high-voltage connection between Moerdijk and Tilburg covering the eastern section of the new connection between Rilland and Tilburg More > I came to Australia from the Netherlands in 1956 What are your favourite things to do in the region I love taking my wife to lunch in Nagambie Any projects or initiatives you’re involved with in Shepparton I’m still involved with property development but I plan to fully retire within the next 12 months ZEIST (Netherlands) — A majestic turquoise-and-gold tail splashes the surface of a public pool beautiful creatures frolicking in the water occasionally peeking out from their masks and snorkels 2016 shows three women dressed up as mermaids posing by a pool at a mermaid training school at Dijnselburg swimming pool in Zeist Since Disney’s Princess Ariel first hit the big screen over two decades ago many little girls (and some boys) have dreamt of becoming a mermaid is helping turn those fantasies into reality through her swimming classes in The Netherlands “It’s amazing,” smiled a starry-eyed Marijke Pie She added: “It’s every little girl’s dream.” Lize and Katja are among the first pupils at Crystal’s Meermin School Nederland It is billed as the country’s ‘first professional school’ for mermaids and is only one of a handful in Europe where the phenomenon of “mermaiding” is beginning to make waves after arriving from the US and Canada At the public swimming pool in the central Dutch town of Zeist the would-be mermaids are learning to swim like Ariel where their legs firmly bound in tight material tails Daubed in bright aquatic prints to resemble shiny scales the faux tails take some time to wriggle into before they can slide into the water for some intense underwater aerobics who says “the movement begins from the tummy” but try to do a dolphin kick using your abdominal muscles Crystal usually teaches wearing just her swimsuit preferring not to be weighed down by her 15kg tail where customers design their own tails for €3,000 (S$4,540) So great is the demand that the site boasts of a waiting list of nine to 12 months earrings like stars and a mother-of-pearl spiral in her hair complete the look no pressure and I am away from all the technology But becoming a mermaid or even a merman takes weeks the apprentices are dubbed selkies (the creatures of Gaelic folklore who live as seals but shed their fur to become human on land) Then they advance to sirens (mythological beings with long hair and seductive songs luring ships to a watery grave) Here Crystal also gives tips on choosing costumes and accessories how to do their hair and make-up so it’s not ruined in the water and how to smile and keep their eyes open for underwater photo poses This session focuses on how to hold your breath underwater Crystal can now hold her breath for more than three-and-a-half minutes Her fantasy started to become reality about four years ago after a cosplay event where children dressed up as characters from a film She has now done some underwater photo sessions and would like to join an aquarium show who for the past decade has worked as “a professional mermaid” and ocean activist Fraser has been filmed swimming with sharks She even took part in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove about Japanese dolphin hunting But if the surprised glances from other swimmers in the Zeist pool are anything to go by it would seem the Dutch are perhaps not quite ready for mermaids let them stare,” said young apprentice mermaid Marijke Todayonline.com and Today Online domains and apps are now part of 'Channelnewsasia.com' domain We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with TODAY to be fast Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us Train passengers can now also rent electric public transport bicycles from Driebergen-Zeist station in addition to "normal" bicycles The NS is starting a trial at that station where 30 e-bikes will be available for rent for the next year The NS wants to use the trial to investigate whether the public transport e-bike meets "the wishes of our travelers and is a valuable addition to the current public transport bicycle," it said in a release the e-bikes will be placed at three other stations The Driebergen-Zeist station was chosen in part because the Utrechtse Heuvelrug "The trial with the public transport e-bikes means that travelers can explore the nature reserve –– in addition to the bus on foot or with the normal public transport bicycle –– by electric bicycle," said Marise Bezema who is responsible for public transport e-bikes and public transport bicycles It costs 10 euros each time to rent the new e-bike for 24 hours people can cycle a maximum of 110 kilometers in the eco-assistance mode The bikes can ride at a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour and the batteries can be charged with 100 percent green electricity people can reach a range of 70 kilometers away and The NS wants to know how much demand there is for e-bikes and up to what distance people will use them the bicycles are equipped with a GPS tracker in order to collect data personal data and location data are stored separately Users will also be asked about their experience De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) moved a combination of gold and cash worth nearly 15 billion euros to secure facilities in Zeist The central bank of the Netherlands moved over 200 tons of gold bars and gold coins from a temporary facility in Haarlem to the new DNB Cash Centre over the past four weeks A strategic supply of banknotes worth over 4.5 billion euros was also moved from Haarlem to the military location It marks the end of a process that started in October 2020 when the DNB moved the items from the DNB's headquarters facility in Amsterdam to a location in Haarlem that used to be used for printing money Another 1,006 trays and cases of gold coins were also moved as the DNB began the renovation and rebuild of its headquarters "The temporary storage in Haarlem made the renovation of the DNB office in Amsterdam less complex," the central bank said its employees were set up in an office complex in the Amstel district of Amsterdam The headquarters renovation should be completed before 2025 and will be more accessible to the public as the reserve of valuables is no longer located there The DNB will be keeping 31 percent of its total gold reserve in Zeist The equivalent amount is held by the Federal Reserve Bank in New York A combined total of 38 percent of the DNB's gold is also kept in London and Ottawa the DNB Cash Centre was created to check and sort euro banknotes and to deliver cash and coins to transit companies for use in banks It will also be the home of a new National Analysis Centre for investigating counterfeit banknotes and coins Construction of the DNB Cash Centre began in the autumn of 2019 Melden Sie sich jetzt mit Ihrem bestehenden Account an oder testen Sie unser digitales Abo mit Zugang zu allen Artikeln Starten Sie mit unserem kurzen Nachrichten-Newsletter in den Tag Erhalten Sie zudem freitags den US-Sonderletter "Was jetzt America?" sowie das digitale Magazin ZEIT am Wochenende Passengers and interest groups sent an open letter to the Province of Utrecht demanding more public transport at night As far as student union Vidius is concerned the night bus to the student housing complex De Warande Now that Covid has faded into the background and students are enjoying Utrecht's nightlife all over again, the night busses must be back as soon as possible. That’s what the Regional Consultation of Public Transport Consumer Organisations (in Dutch, Regionaal Overleg Consumentenorganisaties Openbaar Vervoer, or Rocov in short) writes in an open letter to the provincial council the institution responsible for issuing licences to local public transport companies Student union Vidius participated in the Rocov consultation Vidius' board member Pepijn van IJperenburg is one of the authors of the letter which singles out the situation of the student housing complex De Warande Before the night bus stopped running in March 2020, those living at De Warande could take bus 412, which used to connect Utrecht's city centre to Zeist three times each night from Thursday to Friday. Previously, the bus also ran between Friday and Saturday. In 2010, U-OV's bus line replaced the line best known as "the Warande bus" (article in Dutch only Some students would rather not live at de WarandeVan IJperenburg: “Some students prefer not to live at de Warande because that bus is no longer running in particular, don’t feel safe having to cycle home at night. They cannot afford a taxi Student housing provider SSH confirmed to him that the waiting list for a room at De Warande has indeed diminished the amount of time a student has to wait for a room there has dropped from 28 to 21 months. However SSH refrains from attributing the drop to the lack of a night bus Chairman of the Warande Housing Board, also doesn't dare say whether the lack of the night bus is the main reason for students preferring not to live in Zeist De Warande is less popular than the housing complexes in Utrecht but it could very well be that the reduced accessibility of the complex is one of the factors influencing this." many residents of De Warande would love to see the night bus run again the last bus to the station leaves a little before 1:00 am Cycling back in the dark after a night in the town isn’t an attractive option for many students living in Zeist It takes much longer to get home and people know it's not safe from experience Those old stories about rapists around De Uithof are still going around.” Enriching student experienceVidius board member Van IJperenburg stresses that the shortage in student rooms is making students more dependent on housing options outside the city of Utrecht especially in the early years of their studies "The circle is getting ever larger. Students used to go live in Nieuwegein but now they're getting rooms all the way in Woerden.” He argues that it's important for students to spend time in the city centre in the evening and even more important for those students to be able to travel home safely these activities in the evening enrich one's student experience but also attending lectures or plays in the evening It’s important for people to be able to go out without being limited in their mobility.” there's been small talk about a shortage of financial and human resources at the province to expand the timetable shortly but we wonder whether students are on their radar at all This letter aims to draw attention to their needs." Shepparton has farewelled an active and much-loved community member following the death of Gerrit (Gerry) van Zeist Gerry was known for his engineering skills his community contributions and his membership of many Shepparton clubs and committees He was born in the Dutch rural village of Peperga in the province of Friesland in 1938 — the eldest of six children Mr van Zeist’s brother Willem (Will) said when the Germans invaded in May he remembered he and Gerry would stand on their beds to watch German Mescherschmitt fighters and English bombers fly overhead through a skylight in their bedroom Will said living in a rural area meant the family was able to survive the wartime food shortages much better than people in the urbanised southern part of the Netherlands Gerry completed a two-year engineering course and in 1955 he found a job as an apprentice fitter and turner The following year their father announced the family was moving to Australia he and his older brother believed their father would get over ‘mad idea’ the family of eight sailed from Holland on a six-week journey to Australia Their father took a job in the Riverina on a 3000-acre farm while Gerry found a job in Finely — cycling 56km each way for work Gerry worked at an engineering business in Tocumwal and Their father Gerrit tragically drowned in the floods of 1958 while lifting bars at Loch Garry Will said it was a testing time for the family but they pulled together and eventually their mother Roelofje bought a house in Hamilton St Gerry sailed to Canada where he worked as a toolmaker and engineer for five years During this time he also travelled extensively across the United States and Mexico Gerry and Will bought a block in McGill St opened the engineering business Sheptec Tools utilising Gerry’s engineering talent and his younger brother’s accountancy skills Will said Gerry quickly became known across the region for his tooling and precision engineering which included backing-gate drives for dairy farms Gerry pursued a range of interests including travel Gerry became an active community member — he was Shepparton South Rotary Club president; he sat on many committees He was also a member of the Dutch Independent Senior Citizens Gerry received Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs from the Victorian Governor Will described his brother as an individualist who did things his own way and as someone who was always able to find a solution to problems either in engineering or business ‘‘He went his own way in life — he never married He had a scientific mind and he was a perfectionist,’’ Will said ‘‘We worked together for more than 40 years and we never disagreed — we had a coffee together every Saturday and we always worked things out.’’ Gerrit (Gerry) died peacefully at Maculata Place Shepparton on March 16 He is a much-loved brother of Willem (Will) He is also a much-loved uncle to eight and great-uncle to eight Two councilors from the city of Berkane in Morocco went into hiding after a business trip to Zeist in September They are thought to be somewhere in the Netherlands or France A delegation from Berkane consisting of the mayor councilors and city employees arrived in Zeist on Sept the representatives met with various organizations and officials in the Dutch city disappeared before their flight back to Morocco "We had no choice but to seek freedom and justice outside the homeland." It is unknown where they are currently residing several Moroccan sources believe Sebbani and Kili are now staying in the Netherlands or France One of the councilors has changed his residence to Amsterdam on Facebook People who participated in meetings with the Moroccan delegation told RTV Utrecht that there were no signs the two councilors would flee "It was very pleasant," a spokesperson from the organization Empower in Zeist said of their meeting with the Berkane delegation The municipality of Zeist also said it was not aware of the councilors' plans the Moroccan delegation "went its own way," a spokesperson told RTV Utrecht Using business trips as a means to go into hiding in Europe is not uncommon for citizens of Morocco and other countries Rian Ederveen of Stichting LOS told RTV Utrecht "We often see this with conference participants top athletes and musicians who do not return to their own country after a trip They see no future in Morocco and try it here." The Dutch city of Zeist and Moroccan city of Berkane have a partnership that stretches back 18 years The last meeting between officials from the two cities was in 2019 when a delegation from Zeist took a trip to Berkane "We remember valuable and enriching moments from a warm friendship," said Zeist Mayor Koos Janssen after the arrival of the group from Berkane "I look forward to inspiring each other and further strengthening our friendship in the coming days."