We are in the silly season but, to look at today's front pages, you might think the papers are not reporting from the same country. There doesn't appear to be a common story among the lot of them.

Dutch threaten Iceland on debt
De Volkskrant picks up its lead from yesterday on Iceland's parliament possibly vetoing the repayment of 1.3 billion euros lent to the country by the Dutch government. 

The money was used to reimburse Dutch people who lost savings when the Icesave internet bank went bust last year. The paper says Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen is threatening to scupper Iceland's bid for European Union membership unless the cash is repaid.

It reports he told his Icelandic counterpart that "a solution to the Icesave problems would prove very helpful to the speedy consideration of Iceland's application for EU membership". A Labour MP is rather more direct if less elegant: "We'll only start talks with Iceland when it's all signed and sealed. First the money, and then the talks".

De Volkskrant, however, questions whether either Mr Verhagen's veiled threat or the MP's more candid one will have any effect on the outcome of the Icelandic vote. It points out that Iceland's Left Green party will hold the balance of power in the vote and that the party is Eurosceptic. It also says most people in Iceland are against repaying the money. The Dutch savers have already been compensated, but we all stand to lose if the government fails to get its money back.

Cost of and income from immigrants
Protestant daily Trouw says the right-wing Freedom Party (PVV) is demanding to know the exact cost to government ministries of the immigrant community compared to the income it brings in. The PVV believes, for example, that immigrants are more often unemployed or low-earners and therefore generate less tax than other members of society.

Last month, a PVV MP tackled Integration Minister Eberhard van der Laan on the issue, claiming "the extra demand on social services, etc." had cost the government 100 billion euros. The minister responded that he was "in no way impressed by this argument about costs" and that many in the Dutch immigrant community "also make a contribution to society".

Mr van der Laan did, however, undertake to provide a broad list of the costs and contributions involved, but now the PVV is demanding a detailed ministry-by-ministry breakdown. Trouw, however, doubts whether this will be forthcoming and thinks ministers will agree to deliver some kind of generalised answer.

Streaker exposed
Nrc.next runs an exposé of Peter Janssen, who was dubbed the 'Vegan Streaker' a year ago after he disrupted a live television show clad only in his underpants in a bid to publicise animal rights. He was arrested on Monday on suspicion of planning an attack on Queen Beatrix and possessing a gun. The police moved after receiving a detailed tip-off. The paper asks whether the Vegan Streaker is capable of such an attack.

While he is described as radical, refusing even to sit on leather furniture, his website paints a pacifist picture of his publicity-seeking streaking campaign. However, he has told a magazine that, although it is not his intention to hurt people, "if I bump into a hunter in the woods, I'd have no problem with his getting injured". He is also said to have confessed to an arson attack on a butcher's van. The paper tactfully leaves its own question unanswered.

Tax office blunders again
Always quick to clobber the taxman, De Telegraaf's headline reads: "Tax office in major blunder". Apparently, tens of thousands of us have received incorrect provisional tax bills. The bills, which are sent out automatically, are out by a total of what could amount to millions of euros.

A tax office spokesman explains the latest lottery: "Some people will have to make an additional payment and others will get a refund. The tax service will sort this problem out," he assures us. The paper doesn't comment on whether the service is actually capable of doing this.

Travel hungry breakdowns
We started with the silly season and we'll end there as well. The AD devotes almost all its front page to the breaking news that a record number of Dutch holidaymakers have been stuck abroad with broken-down cars.

"We're a travel hungry country," concludes the Dutch automobile association. The recession seems to have made people curb their hunger just a bit and choose holiday destinations closer to home and reachable by car. The recession-driven desire to save money also means that "cars are less well-maintained". The result is that the number of holiday breakdowns is up 14 percent so far this year.