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World neWs Diasabra 21 Mei 2022

Dutch leader faces pressure over old-school text messages

By MOLLY QUELL required to be recorded. which killed dozens of Iraqi
Associated Press A government lawyer initial- civilians in 2015.
THE HAGUE, Nether- ly claimed Rutte needed to The phone revelations have
lands (AP) — The long- delete the messages because also led to questions about
serving Dutch prime min- of a shortage of storage space security. Rutte’s use of the
ister is in hot water over on the phone, but Rutte later Nokia went against the
his low-tech cell phone. said it was because the phone Dutch government guide-
was slow if too many mes- lines of the prime minister’s
Mark Rutte is facing unusual sages were kept in the inbox. own IT organization, which
political and public pres- It is possible to archive text recommends that users up-
sure after revelations that he messages on the Nokia 301, date their devices monthly to
has been deleting text mes- however, which would re- minimize cyber threats, says
sages about official matters duce the need to reload them, Benjamin W. Broersma, a se-
for years. Critics accuse him according to Arnoud Wokke, curity expert. Nokia hasn’t
of concealing state activity – a journalist with Dutch tech- updated its 301 software for
but he says the messages just nology website Tweakers. years.
took up too much space in Noting multiple occasions Opposition parties are de-
his years-old Nokia phone. Rutte revealed that he im- he says he only uses to read when Rutte has said he manding more information
Rutte survived a no-confi- mediately deleted messages the news. couldn’t remember details from Rutte, who hastily left
dence vote in parliament on he deemed unimportant, for- The prime minister denies about controversial incidents, Thursday’s debate to meet
Thursday over the deleted warding the remainder for an any wrongdoing. Labor Party leader Attje Kui- with German Chancellor
text messages, but opposition official archive. “I have kept to the letter, but ken said: “It appears that Olaf Scholz, after refusing to
parties are calling for further Messages that were missing also the spirit of the law from the prime minister’s phone answer questions about how
inquiry. Questions have also include one from Amsterdam A to Z,” he said during the memory is used just as selec- many text messages he de-
surfaced over whether his use Mayor Femke Halsema re- heated parliamentary debate. tively as the prime minister’s leted.
of the old phone might have garding a Black Lives Matter He has long been criticized own memory.”
jeopardized national security. protest in June 2020 where for his secrecy, holding that Rutte claimed he had no The prime minister now has
In investigating the govern- attendance was ten times discussions between govern- memory of an important a new phone, however. The
ment’s handling of the CO- higher than expected, and a ment officials shouldn’t be memo during a child care government information
VID-19 pandemic, Dutch message from Unilever CEO publicly available. Rutte tries allowance scandal in which service says he switched not
newspaper De Volkskrant Paul Polman regarding a con- to limit official business to thousands of parents were because of the scandal but
discovered that Rutte had troversial tax issue. phone calls or face-to-face wrongly accused of fraud and because his previous phone
been regularly deleting texts Rutte, now in his fourth term meetings where no notes are for which his entire cabinet stopped working during a re-
from his Nokia 301 for years. and among the EU’s longest- taken. Written communica- was forced to resign. In an- cent trip to the United States.
The daily newspaper noticed serving leaders, has been us- tion, including text messages, other case, he said in an in- During Thursday’s five-hour
messages were missing from ing his Nokia 301 for years can be disclosed to journalists terview that he couldn’t re- debate, Rutte called his new
an official records request for communication, though under the Open Government call being informed about the smartphone “clunky” and
and, following a lawsuit, he also has an iPhone, which Act, while phone calls are not Dutch bombing of Hawija, “ugly.”

Tornado hits western German city; dozens injured

BERLIN (AP) — A tor- 37-year-old woman, who was
nado swept through the airlifted to a hospital with se-
western German city of rious injuries.
Paderborn on Friday, in- Police said two French citi-
juring dozens of people zens died after their motor-
as it blew away roofs, top- ized paraglider was caught by
pled trees and sent debris a strong gust of wind shortly
flying for miles, authori- after taking off Thursday
ties said. from an airfield in Ballen-
stedt, 175 kilometers (109
Meteorologists had warned miles) southwest of Berlin.
that heavy rainfall and hail Police in Saxony-Anhalt state
were expected in western said the pair, both 59, were
and central Germany on Fri- urged to land because of a
day, with storms producing forecast for an abrupt change
wind gusts up to 130 kph (81 in the weather.
mph). Storms on Thursday Shortly after the warning,
had already disrupted traffic, “they appear to have been hit
uprooted trees that toppled by a gust of wind that caused
onto rail tracks and roads, and the paraglider to collapse, and
flooded hundreds of base- the air vehicle crashed onto a
ments in western Germany. field from a height of about
Paderborn police said 43 peo- 40 meters (131 feet),” police
ple were injured in the storm said.
that hit the city. Thirty were Schools in the western city of
being treated in hospitals and Cologne closed before mid-
10 of those were seriously in- day Friday to give students
jured. time to make it home safely
One woman was in a life- Heavy storm damage was also ily trapped in a local open air people were injured Friday before the storms hit.
threatening condition, police reported in the nearby town pool after fallen trees blocked when the wooden hut they Further south in Ahrweiler
said. of Lippstadt. A church stee- the exit. were trying to shelter in col- county, all schools remained
They urged people to remain ple in the town was toppled The regional fire service said lapsed during a storm at Lake closed Friday. More than 130
in their houses so as not to and the German news agency all available rescuers were be- Brombach, south of Nurem- people were killed in the re-
hamper rescue efforts or en- dpa reported that more than ing deployed to the area. berg. Among the injured gion last summer after it was
danger themselves. 100 people were temporar- Authorities in Bavaria said 14 were several children and a hit by a flash flood in July.