It's a mixed bag today with DSB bank clutching at straws, the opposition dismissing government proposals to raise retirement age, an exclusive on weapons smuggling to Iran via the port of Rotterdam, the discovery that children in a care home were playing sex games and money being wasted on citizenship courses. 
 

DSB clutching at straws
The DSB Bank saga continues to monopolise the front pages. In the latest twist to the story, an Amsterdam court yesterday surprised the papers by giving the stricken bank until midday today to find a buyer to save it from bankruptcy.

DSB owner Dirk Scheringa held talks with the five major Dutch banks throughout last night. He tried to convince them his bank was still a going concern and arrange a takeover. The headlines in today's late edition dailies, however, show that by the early hours he had failed. "Light goes out for DSB", sobs De Telegraaf, while de Volkskrant puts on a brave face, telling us: "Bankers offer Dirk Scheringa no help".

De Volkskrant reports that Mr Scheringa is still clutching at a last straw. A major US bank is apparently interested in DSB. But, says the paper, with the midday deadline drawing near, any deal will have to done incredibly quickly.

De Telegraaf says the affair could spell trouble for former finance minister Gerrit Zalm. Both as minister and then as a member of the DSB board, he failed to tackle the bad practices at the bank. The paper warns that already over 1000 angry DSB customers are consulting lawyers, and Mr Zalm may be among the prominent figures that find themselves targeted in lawsuits.

When is a government proposal like a herring?
Today's other big story is that the pensionable age will be raised to 66 in 2020 and then to 67 in 2025. Trouw reports some of the fine print in the deal. People who have their 65th birthday during 2020 will be able to retire if they have worked solidly over the last 15 years, but on a slightly reduced pension. People with hard physical jobs must be offered easier work after 30 years by their employers.

De Volkskrant says the compromise measure drew immediate fire from a number of quarters. Union boss Agnes Jongerius was scathing: "It's all about money, not about people. It's a misshapen freak of a proposal which will spell decades of misery for society."

Agnes Kant from the Socialist Party was equally damning: "Pension robbery, antisocial and unfeasible". The conservative VVD joined the chorus: "Too little, too late, too complicated". Green Left's Femke Halsema used a reference to a Dutch national delicacy to forecast the measure's quick demise: "The proposal has the shelf life of a fresh herring".

Weapons smuggled via Rotterdam: exclusive
De Telegraaf runs what it calls an exclusive on the suspected transport via the Port of Rotterdam of parts for Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. Christian Democrat MP Maarten Haverkamp finds it shocking that not the slightest obstacle is being put in the way of vessels operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran's Shipping Lines.

He is calling for stringent inspections to be carried out on the cargoes of IRISL ships docking at Rotterdam. The MP is also pushing for similar checks on the thrice weekly flights into Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport by Iran Air Cargo planes. The paper smugly adds that it has intelligence services information on IRISL weapon smuggling.

Sex games at children's home
A couple of papers cover a report revealing that the 7 to 11-year-old inmates of a small-scale children's home were having sex with each other for months without the authorities realising it. Their 'sex games' ranged from touching to penetration says the AD. The children had been taken into care precisely because of their 'obsessive sexual behaviour'. The internal report concludes those in charge found out what was going on far too late.

No adults were involved and there was no coercion or abuse. However, the two children who initiated the sex 'fantasy world' and kept watch while sessions were going on have been moved to another institution. The director of the care company in charge admits "evaluation mistakes were made". The parents of the 22 children involved are said to be "shocked, upset and angry".

Money wasted on Dutch citizenship courses
Today's nrc.next features an article on the money being wasted on providing citizenship courses for people who are already integrated into Dutch society and speak Dutch well. Legislation was introduced in 2007 requiring everyone not holding a Dutch or EU-country passport to attend the courses.

People not wanting to follow a course have to pay 81 euros to take a test and, at the moment, the criteria for exemption without a test are extremely strict. A Rotterdam councillor is one of those who says it should be easier for councils to exempt people who can obviously speak Dutch and are well acquainted with the Dutch way of life.

Nrc.next says an estimated 500,000 people in the Netherlands do not have a good enough command of the Dutch language. About two-thirds of them are not required to take the courses because they hold Dutch passports.