Zeeland

Amateur football clubs are an asset for criminals, who use them for money laundering, drug dealing, and creating an image of prestige and power in a neighborhood or town, according to a recent study by Tilburg University. Five football clubs from Zeeland and Noord-Brabant suspect that criminals are trying to infiltrate their club, according to the researchers, AD reports. 

A 56-year-old man arrested for the murder of a 78-year-old woman in an apartment building in the Zeeland village of Oostkapelle, terrorized the complex for years, according to other residents of the Parc Zonnehove complex. "We are so happy that he was caught. Hopefully the police will find sufficient evidence to ensure that he can be put in jail for years", one of the residents said to newspaper AD.

A 47-year-old man from Syria was arrested in Kapelle in Zeeland on Tuesday on suspicion of committing war crimes and terrorist crimes in Syria. The man is suspected of being a commander of a battalion in terrorist organization Jabhat al-Nusra, the police said in a statement.

Four hikers were caught by the rising tide off the coast of the Zeeland village o Renesse on Thursday. A 45-year-old woman from Vilvoorde, Belgium, drowned. Her two children aged 17 and 8, and a 23-year-old woman from Renesse were injured, NOS reports.

The Dutch woman and her three dogs, and the Belgian woman and her son and daughter were walking on Verklikkerstrand when they got stuck on a sandbank by the rising tide. According to the police, they did not know each other. 

Of all the Dutch provinces, primary schools in Zeeland on average achieved the best results on the final test in group 8. Primary schools in Noord-Holland performed the worst, according to RTL Nieuws' annual school research. 

Motorists across the country are warned to be careful of icy and slick roads during rush hour on Thursday morning. In Zeeland and Noord-Brabant thick fog may also reduce visibility to less than 200 meters. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning.

Light snow or wet snow is still falling in some areas in the west and north of the country. According to the KNMI, around 2 centimeters of snow will fall before the winter showers leave the country. Due to the snow, there is a chance of icy and slick roads.

Anyone complaining about the Dutch weather this winter might have to hold their tongue, as the Netherlands is well on its way to the sunniest year in history. With 11 days left in autumn, the Netherlands has already recorded the most hours of sunshine for the season, according to meteorologists at WeerPlaza and NOS.

The Health Care Inspectorate closed the Arduin care institution in the Zeeland village of Aagtekerke with immediate effect. The 14 residents must be transferred to other healthcare institutions within seven days, the Inspectorate said, ANP reports.

Arduin offers residential care for people with intellectual disabilities. According to the Inspectorate, the institution's employees are unable to provide the proper care for their clients. The organization is also careless with freedom-restricting measures used on residents.

A 47-year-old man from Greece was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking in the Zeeland town of Colijnsplaat on Saturday. He was caught smuggling eight people on a sailboat sailing under the Belgian flag, the Koninklijke Marechaussee said on Monday, NU.nl reports.

The eight people were found in the boat's cabin during a check in the port of Colijnsplaat. The Marechaussee - a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military -  believe they come from Albania and were being smuggled to England. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

A 7-year-old boy died on Monday after being attacked by a cow on small campsite De Koehoorn in the Zeeland village of Meliskerke, the police said on Twitter.

Emergency services responded to the campsite, which is located on a farm, en masse. But their attempts to save the boy was in vain. He died at the scene. Bystanders were offered victim assistance. 

The beach in the Zuid-Holland town of Ouddorp is the cleanest beach in the Netherlands this year, according to the annual election by Strand Nederland, Green Deal Schone Stranden, Stichting NederlandSchoon, Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, Blauwe Vlag/Green Key and hospitality magazine Entree, Nu.nl reports.

According to Strand Nederland, Ouddorp managed to convince many beach goers to strive for a coastline without waste. For example, pavilion operators hand out waste bags to beach goers.