The downfall of an Italian ‘emperor’ in pictures; Egypt refuses entry to Dutch MP; the Catholic church didn’t preach compassion when it came to sexual abuse; the Dutch are listening to their politicians – and taking the law into their own hands. ADHD, ADD, PDD-NOS: Stop labelling our kids, says deputy health minister.

A script even Hollywood might have balked at
The man who has dominated Italian politics for 17 years dominates the Dutch morning papers today. All the plastic surgery Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has undergone cannot conceal the rage captured in the photographs splashed across the front pages.

Perhaps it is his lips - upturned, pursed and rodentine - that most convey what Mr Berlusconi thinks but does not say. Announcing his proposed resignation as soon as parliament passes urgent budget reforms, he said it was “for the good of his country”. AD manages to catch a moment of utter defeat as Mr Berlusconi covers his face with both hands.

The Italian PM is downgraded to page six of nrc.next, but the tension in the double-page photograph - which catches him in his car as he arrived at the presidential palace before talks with President Giorgio Napolitano – jumps off the page. Only the bottom half of his face is visible (the top half darkened by an object in the foreground) and those same taut lips that tried to hush a series of lurid scandals are centre stage.

Nrc.next reserves its front page slot for another man who is quietly being eclipsed by the Italian media tycoon. “And he had promised he wouldn’t” is the headlines over a photograph of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“But there is no mistake about it – Iran is building an atomic bomb,” writes the paper, a conclusion reached by the international atomic agency IAEA. The photograph taken of the Iranian leader as he addresses the UN conveys a kind of meekness, as if we might indeed have believed him.

A better actor than his Italian counterpart perhaps?

No compassion in church sexual abuse scandal
“The extent of the trauma experienced by sexual abuse victims still hasn’t got through to the leaders of the Dutch Roman Catholic church,” writes Trouw, citing Wim Deetman, who has led a major inquiry into the affair.

Because the sexual abuse scandal has been caught up in an administration and management mire, the “human element has been forgotten.” Deetman is urging the church to nominate one contact person for the victims, who don’t know who to turn to for support or compensation. He “misses any sign of compassion among church leaders,” laments Trouw.

“The leaders responsible for helping with the inquiry are satisfied with the way it was handled, but the victims aren’t,” says Deetman in AD. His report urges the church to acknowledge what happened. “The victims are begging for that acknowledgement, but are sceptical about whether the church will follow Deetman’s advice.”

Egypt refuses entry to Dutch anti-Islam MP
A Dutch parliamentary delegation was due to travel to Egypt in connection with upcoming national elections there, but Egyptian authorities have refused to grant a visa to one of the members - Freedom Party (PVV) MP Raymond de Roon, reports de Volkskrant. 

De Roon accused the Egyptian government of “ethnic cleansing” following the brutal killing last month of 27 Coptic Christians and, spurred on by PVV leader Geert Wilders, put Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal under pressure to take appropriate measures against Egypt.

“It would be more fitting for Mr Rosenthal if he signed a letter of protest,” Mr Wilders said yesterday after the Dutch FM summoned the Egyptian ambassador to provide an explanation of the visa refusal.“It shows that precious little has changed since the new regime,” exclaims the PVV leader in Trouw, which also says De Roon described the murder of the Copts as “silent genocide”.

Even opposition D66 democrat leader Alexander Pechtold agrees that “if one [MP] isn’t allowed in, then none of us are going.” The whole delegation has decided to stay at home, writes de Volkskrant.

Socialist Party MP Harry Bommel sums it up: “As MPs we face the risk of not being welcome in Muslim countries anymore because of the PVV’s public criticism of Islam.”

Justice minister’s words lead to violence
“Bravado language of conservative VVD incites aggression” headlines De Telegraaf, citing claims from the opposition Labour Party (PvdA) and Socialist Party (SP). The PvdA and the SP both say Security and Justice Minsiter Ivo Opstelten’s use of tough language is causing the public to take the law into their own hands. 

The story that directly prompted all this involves a burglar who broke into an Amsterdam sports centre and who’s now lying in hospital in a coma after he was beaten by four employees – allegedly the owner, his two sons and a security guard. “It was the last straw for the sports centre staff,” explains De Telegraaf – who had experienced no fewer 15 break-ins in recent weeks.

Labour Party MP Ahmed Marcouch - renowned for his tough stance in dealing with crime in a Muslim neighbourhood of Amsterdam while a local politician - says the government has created “the idea that you can just let loose and not be charged.”

Geert Wilders’ party champions not only the cause of Egyptian Copts, but also folk who ‘have a go’. PVV MP Hero Brinkman says “The Freedom Party isn’t having sleepless nights over this...I continue to applaud citizens who show initiative”.

Labelling children to help the parents
“The government wants to put a stop to the medicalisation of Dutch youth. Young people and their parents have to learn to deal with behavioural problems and disappointing school results themselves,” reports de Volkskrant. 

Deputy Health Minister Marlies Veldhuijzen van Zanten-Hyllner has big plans for major reforms. “In recent years, youth has been turned into a stigmatised problem. Every little thing has to be diagnosed and labelled – ADHD, PDD-NOS, dyscalculia, hypersensitivity, you name it. If a label is stuck on a child, he or she gets help from the state. We have to stop this.”

Tackling the issues at local level and more “tailormade care” are key to the deputy minister’s proposed plan. And it’s not really only about the child. “Problems never surface in isolation. There’s usually a combination of factors. Take household debt, housing issues, behavioural problems. It’s better if local authorities deal with the problem as a total package.”