News about blood, electricity, social media, art and Zwitsal (Friday, September 18)

Following contaminated blood in a transfusion, Sanquin (the Dutch blood bank) will test nine provinces separately starting Friday. In Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, Sanquin will test blood from multiple donors together. According to NOS (the Dutch public broadcasting news organization), someone has died, but the cause of death is unclear.

Grid operators received 600,000 applications, but there is no capacity for almost half of them. According to Netbeheer Nederland (the association of Dutch electricity and gas grid operators), 100,000 homes a year are feasible. Enexis (a Dutch energy grid operator) says that 55,000 homes in eastern Brabant cannot yet be connected.

The European Commission wants social media to be permitted only from the age of 13. Until the age of 15, children would have limited access through a parent’s account, and parents would determine how much time they can spend on it. The rules would apply to Instagram, TikTok and X, but not to WhatsApp.

The Kröller-Müller Museum (a Dutch art museum) is now displaying all 88 Van Gogh works from its own collection. At art auctions, the ultra-wealthy are paying increasingly more for major works. Researcher Rachel Pownall says that the divide in the art market has never been this wide.

Unilever is selling Zwitsal to Royal Sanders (a personal-care products company known for Melkmeisje and Odorex). The price has not been disclosed, and the acquisition is expected to be completed early next year. According to Unilever, Zwitsal no longer fits its strategy.