News about football, PFAS, artificial intelligence, fines and nitrogen (Saturday, September 12)

In professional football, a match will henceforth be stopped immediately and permanently if fireworks are set off. This was agreed by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the police, the Public Prosecution Service (OM), mayors and Minister David van Weel. The new protocol follows a series of incidents, including during Cambuur-Feyenoord.

The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport) is warning about PFAS in pesticides and drinking water. According to the inspectorate, at least 21,000 kilograms of TFA are released every year. This PFAS substance barely breaks down, and its use increased from 250,000 to 465,000 kilograms.

Dutch media are reporting on artificial intelligence in politics and public debate. NRC (a Dutch newspaper) reports that politicians use generative artificial intelligence for their communications. According to research, trust declines when people know that artificial intelligence has been used.

On the Emmen-Zwolle route, Arriva (a public transport company) is no longer issuing fines to aggressive fare dodgers. This happens when safety is threatened, RTL News reports, citing an internal memorandum. The police also want approximately one hundred traffic fines issued to a dismissed former officer from the eastern Netherlands to be withdrawn.

The government’s lawyer sees opportunities for new permits under the cabinet’s nitrogen plans. This is stated in an advisory opinion from Minister Jaimi van Essen to the House of Representatives. According to Pels Rijcken (the Dutch government’s law firm), the measures will help with nature restoration and permits for construction and infrastructure.