112 News: 11-Year-Old Girl Drives Car into House in Hengelo Under Parental Supervision
(HENGELO) An 11-year-old girl drove a car into a house in Hengelo, in the province of Overijssel, this afternoon.
At a T-junction, the girl accidentally hit the accelerator instead of braking, the newspaper reports. As a result, the car drove into a house on Albert Verweijstraat, close to the family's home.
No injuries were reported in the incident. The residents of the house were working in the backyard and were unharmed. Their house was severely damaged. Footage shows the facade of the house largely destroyed by the car.
Residents told the newspaper they were very shocked by the accident. They heard a loud bang and initially suspected a gas leak. According to them, the girl was very upset after the collision.
Police are still investigating the accident.
(Source: NOS.nl)
Elections: VVD chooses entrepreneurs and defense, wants to cut social security
(THE HAGUE) Lower taxes for entrepreneurs, more financial benefits for workers, additional investments in defense, but also a smaller basic health insurance package and a more "activating" social security system. These are some of the key points from the VVD's 81-page draft election manifesto, published late Friday evening on the party's website.
The cost of the proposals is not stated, nor are the figures for proposed cuts, such as those in healthcare and the civil service. This will be revealed later, when the party plans to have the economic effects of the manifesto calculated by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB).
The VVD clearly focuses on Dutch entrepreneurs, the "hardworking Dutchman," and strong economic growth. A strict asylum policy will certainly be discussed, but it is no longer the right-wing liberal party's main priority.
Entrepreneurs must be able to run their businesses effectively, without restrictive regulations or other burdens. That's why, for example, the second year of sick pay will be scrapped for small businesses.
Homeowners also have nothing to fear, as the VVD will maintain mortgage interest deductions. "We choose the hardworking Dutch citizen. If you work hard, you should be able to grow and build something. If you've worked hard, you deserve a good life without worries," the platform states.
People on benefits, the non-working population, will be targeted more harshly. The party wants to decouple the minimum wage from social security benefits, with exceptions for the AOW (state pension) and disability benefits.
The VVD believes that working people should always have higher purchasing power than non-working people and that a separate purchasing power law should be introduced for this purpose. Furthermore, the VVD wants to impose a benefit ceiling and reduce social assistance if someone speaks poor Dutch or refuses a suitable job.
Strengthening the Dutch armed forces is a key issue for the VVD. The party believes increasing defense spending to 3.5 percent of gross national product is necessary to "counter the Russian threat." If the Netherlands fails to recruit sufficient volunteer soldiers, reintroducing compulsory military service is possible.
To cover the billions in defense and security spending, less money will be allocated to social security and healthcare. "We are freeing up funds to ensure substantial economic growth, so that we remain a prosperous country in the future," the election manifesto states.
"This does mean that we will have to make choices in healthcare and social security, such as a smaller basic package, higher personal contributions, a more efficient healthcare system, and a much more proactive social security system." The reduction of the basic package and what is meant by "more proactive social security" are not addressed.
(*) Some proposals from the VVD election manifesto:
- With rising life expectancy, raise the retirement age
- Deport disruptive migrant workers
- Introduce a "short-term study bonus": if you graduate within the set time, you receive a bonus
- Abolish the Affordable Rent Act
- Mandatory survey among young people about the armed forces
- Fines for parents of young people involved in crime
- Expansion of the burqa ban
- Mandatory minimum staffing levels during strikes in healthcare or public transport
- Compulsory education for children from age 4 (currently 5)
- Nearly free childcare
- Reversing the reduction in the deductible
- Increase the maximum number of flights from Schiphol Airport, reopen Lelystad Airport
- Criminalize the occupation of highways
(Source: NOS.nl)
