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Thursday 30 November 2006
Cabinet formation: new talks with Socialists
Informateur Rein Jan Hoekstra, the man charged with sounding out party leaders about potential coalitions, is to hold further talks with Socialist Party leader Jan Marijnissen on Friday, news agency ANP reported. More...
Amsterdam to shut 20% of brothels
Amsterdam city council has withdrawn licences for 33 brothels - one in five - in its notorious Red Light district following investigations into their owners' backgrounds. Under the new Bibob law, the council can refuse permits to people with criminal connections.
MPs back 'pardon' for asylum seekers (update)
In their first debate since the general election, a majority of MPs have backed a 'general pardon' for a group of long-term asylum seekers, thought to number around 12,000. The Christian Democrats, Liberals (VVD), anti-immigration PVV and fundamentalist Christian SGP all voted against. More...
Rotterdam-The Hague light-rail suspended
Transport inspectors have stopped light-rail services between The Hague and Rotterdam pending an investigation into two derailments last night. Fifteen people were slightly hurt when one tram went off the rails on the edge of The Hague. A spokesman for the RandstadRail service said the incidents were not connected
Mafia arrests after Amsterdam raids
Amsterdam police said today they had arrested three suspected senior members of the Mafia during an investigation into drugs-running between The Netherlands and Italy. The three, aged 50, 53, and 56, were identified after raids on houses in Amstelveen and Amsterdam-Zuid. . More...
Telegraaf journalists released
Two journalists from the Telegraaf newspaper, jailed on Monday after refusing to reveal their sources, have been released. The duo wrote a series of articles earlier this year revealing links between the security service AIVD and organised crime.
Perez faces match suspension for racist slur
Ajax footballer Kenneth Perez faces a five-match suspension and €12,000 fine for calling assistant referee Nicky Siebert a 'cancer nigger', thanks to tough international measures to fight racism in football, the Telegraaf reports. The Dutch football association KNVB is looking into the incident at the Ajax FC Twente game on November 19.
Heijmans takes over German road builder
Building group Heijmans is taking over German road builder Oevermann for €14.5m. Heijmans, which issued a profit warning for its construction unit last week, said the German market was now turning the corner.
Irish windfarm set for Scheveningen deal
Irish wind energy company Airtricity has been given preliminary permission to build a 284-megawatt wind farm off the coast west of Scheveningen, Reuters reports. The deal is still subject to an environmental impact assessment.
Secondary schools stockpile cash
Dutch secondary schools built up reserves totalling €75m - equivalent to 1.3% of the education budget - in 2004, according to research by teaching union Aob,quoted in the Volkskrant. In total, the schools had €912m in the banks and €449m in investments at the end of 2004, the union said.
IND criticised over Srebrenica family case
The immigration service IND has again been criticised for carelessness, this time over a decision to refuse asylum to a family from Srebrenica, the Bosnian enclave which was overrun by the Serbs. More...
Hema faces dumping ban
Apeldoorn city council has banned department store Hema from holding two massive sales at an exhibition hall in the city, saying it was unfair competition for local retailers. Hema faces a €100,000-a-day fine if the event - known as Dumpdagen (dump days) - goes ahead.
Dutch tourists attacked in Cape Town
A group of 40 Dutch tourists were hit and punched by a gang in Cape Town, South Africa earlier this week, when they refused to hand over their possessions. The group was leaving a restaurant in the Langa township when the attempted robbery took place.
Verdonk not backed by Liberal majority
Immigration minister does not have the support of the majority of VVD (Liberal) voters, even though she scored more votes than party leader Mark Rutte, according to a Maurice de Hond opinion poll. Some 39% of those polled said she should take over the leadership job while 55% were opposed.
Investment mortgage costs total 40%
Only 60% of the monthly premiums paid for an investment mortgage is actually used to buy shares and other investments, the Financieele Dagblad reports this morning. Quoting unpublished research by the insurance assocation VvV, the paper says 40 cents of every euro paid towards a beleggingshypotheek goes on life insurance premiums, bank costs and agency fees. More...
Dutch MPs urge tough EU stand on Turkey
Dutch MPs and MEPs have criticised the European Commission's decision to partially stop talks on Turkey's application to join the EU, saying the move does not go far enough, the Volkskrant reports this morning. Turkey has refused to open its ports to traffic from Cyprus, which is one of the preconditions for Turkish entry. More...
Wednesday 29 November 2006
Journalists spend third night in jail
Two journalists who have been in jail since Monday for defying a court order and refusing to reveal their sources have spent another night in prison after a court in The Hague failed to reach a decision on their case. The court is expected to rule today (Thursday) More...
Energy merger less likely on NMa concerns
The possibility of a merger between Holland’s biggest energy firms Nuon and Essent seems to have faded with yesterday’s news that competition authority NMa still sees the Dutch energy market as national and would therefore impose strict conditions on any such alliance. More...
Curacao rejects deal with NL
Curacao's island council has come out against the agreement drawing up a new relationship between the Antillean islands and the Netherlands. More...
Buildings closed after cracks found
A supermarket and car park in Amsterdam's Osdorp district are to remain closed pending an investigation by building inspectors. More...
Bad service is bad for business
A bad experience with a customer services centre is enough to stop one in three people doing business with a company, according to research carried out for IT customer service group RightNow. Energy firms and government departments top the frustration list.
Corus books higher that expected Q3
Anglo-Dutch steel group Corus booked third quarter earnings of €142m, up €50m on the same quarter in 2005. Operating profit reached €235m, above analysts’ expectations. Corus is currently the subject of a takeover battle between India's Tata and Brazil's CSN.
Utrecht to investigate illegal dentists
Health officials in Utrecht are to investigate the growth in illegal dentists - practitioners from Syria and Iraq who operate out of coffee houses frequented by ethnic minorities. The trend was uncovered by local broadcaster RTV Utrecht.
School accuses Verdonk of child abuse
A Rotterdam primary school has made a formal complaint against integration minister Rita Verdonk for child abuse. More...
OECD warns on economy overheating
The new Dutch cabinet must continue to cut spending because there is a risk of the economy overheating if government outgoings continue to rise, says economic think tank OECD in its new report on the Netherlands. In particular, the Paris-based organisation calls for the scrapping of mortgage tax relief. More...
Verdonk's attempted Liberal party coup fails
The VVD (Liberal) party appeared on Wednesday morning to have temporarily headed off a leadership crisis after a late night meeting. Last night the party voted against Rita Verdonk's proposal to let a special committee look at the implications of her victory over party leader Mark Rutte in last week's election. More...
Tuesday 28 November 2006
VVD comes down hard on Verdonk
The idea of setting up of a special committee to look at the consequences of the huge number of preferential votes won by immigration minister Rita Verdonk in last week’s general election was rejected by her Liberal VVD party during an emergency meeting tonight. More...
Mistakes with medicines cost lives
An average of 1,254 people die every year in the Netherlands because they they took the wrong dose or the wrong medicine, according to a survey published on Monday. It is the first time such research, commissioned by pharmacist and medical specialist organisations, has been carried out in the Netherlands. More...
Akzo to continue with schizophrenia drug
Akzo Nobel subsidiary Organon is to continue the development of asenapine - a new drug for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders - despite the ending of its alliance with Pfizer. More...
Avoid rural roads, TomTom told
Car satellite navigation system maker TomTom has made a deal with the highways authority Rijskwaterstaat over which routes to recommend to drivers, the AD reports today. More...
Labour hope for ‘general pardon’ debate
The Labour party (PvdA) hopes to use Thursday’s inaugural meeting of the new parliament to debate a ‘general pardon’ for 26,000 long-term asylum seekers who still face deportation. More...
New MPs mainly white and male
Two-thirds of the 150 newly-elected Dutch MPs are civil servants, local politicians or worked in the public sector and only 25% have worked for a private company, according to calculations by the Volkskrant. More...
Consumer spending up 2.3%
Dutch consumers spend 2.3% more in September this year than a year ago, with expenditure on big items like furniture, cars, televisions and washing machines up 4.6%, the national statistics office CBS says.
Welfare claims down Q3
The number of people claiming welfare (bijstand) has fallen by almost 11,000 in the third quarter of this year, the biggest drop since 1999, says national statistics office CBS. More...
Almost 50% have relationship at work
Almost half of people in work say they have had a relationship with a colleague and one-third say they have had problems with unwanted overtures from someone at work, according to a survey of 700 people for a jobs website.
New coal power plant to test C02 reduction
The new coal-fired power plant in Rotterdam will test the feasibility of reducing carbon dioxide emissions through chemical absorption. The government will pay half of the €25m investment. The trial backers include German energy giant Eon, Dutch technical research institute TNO, Shell and Greenpeace.
KLM plane returns to Schiphol
A KLM plane carrying 277 passengers returned to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport shortly after take off last night when it appeared that its doors were not properly closed. The plane was on its way to Bankok. More...
Tension mounts as VVD waits for Verdonk’s reaction to voters’ support
Controversial immigration minister Rita Verdonk is expected to announce her political plans today following Monday’s revelation that she won a spectacular 43% of her Liberal (VVD) party votes in last week’s general election. Party leader and arch rival Mark Rutte won 38% of the votes. More...
Monday 27 November 2006
Temporary stay for Turkish sisters
Two Turkish teenaged sisters, set to be deported on Tuesday, have been given temporary leave to stay in the Netherlands. The immigration service IND said on Monday evening that the girls could stay until immigration minister Rita Verdonk had answered questions from MPs about their case. More...
Praise for Zalm as he quits politics
Politicians from across the political spectrum have being paying tribute to the country’s longest serving finance minister, Gerrit Zalm (Liberal), today following his announcement that he is to leave politics. More...
Bolivian president meets Shell boss
Bolivian president Evo Morales, in the Netherlands for an official visit, met Shell CEO Jeroen van de Veer today to try and persuade him to invest in his country despite the nationalisation of its oil and gas industry. More...
Party-goers arrested for drugs
Some 82 people were arrested for possessing illegal drugs during a two-night techno-dance party in Amsterdam at the weekend. The 8,000 party-goers had been warned in advanced that the police would implement a zero tolerance policy at the event.
Squatters return to fort
Some 80 squatters have moved back in to Fort Pannderden in the eastern province of Gelderland, almost three weeks after tanks and army veterans were used to remove them from the building. More...
Time Magazine honours Koolhaas
Architect Rem Koolhaas is the only Dutchman in Time Magazine’s 60 Years of Heroes list. Koolhaas has a place in the category ‘business and culture’ alongside The Beatles and Picasso. Koolhaas is an ‘urban visionary’ who has ‘spotted a wealth of potential in our congested cities,’ says Time.
Top job for KLM's Van Wijk
Leo van Wijk is set to be the second most important man at the Air France KLM group when he quits as KLM CEO in May, sources have told the Financieele Dagblad. More...
New investor lobby targets insurers
Insurers who charge clients unreasonable amounts in costs for investment-based insurance products face legal action from a new investor lobby group, the Volkskrant reports today. More...
Corus gives CSN extra time
Anglo-Dutch steel group Corus is to give Brazilian steel conglomerate CSN an extra two weeks to look at its books by postponing an extraordinary shareholders meeting until December 20. More...
Job vacancies high in business services
More than 25% of current job vacancies in the Netherlands are in the business services sector, the national statistics office CBS said today. More...
ADHD is diet-related
Children with Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show a marked improvement in behaviour when put on a special diet, says the ADHD Research Centre in Eindhoven. More...
Coalition talks continue
Rein Jan Hoekstra, the man charged with putting a new Dutch coalition government together, started sounding out party leaders today. More...
Free university on internet
The Open University is to make material for three short courses available free on the internet. More...
Tax paradise for footballers
The Netherlands is a tax paradise for footballers, with only Norway offering a more generous package, the Telegraaf reports today.
Last attempts to halt sisters' deportation
Friends, family and Turkish organisations are mounting a last-ditch attempt to stop two girls from being deported to Turkey. More...
Saturday 25 November 2006
SP ministers will donate salary to party
Like MPs and local authority officials, any Socialist Party ministers would also be expected to hand over their salary to the party coffers, the Volkskrant reports. Ministers take home some €5,500 a month. Socialist Party MPs donate their take-home salary of some €4,000 to the party which pays them an allowance of €2,300 a month, the paper says.
Queen names Hoekstra as informateur
Queen Beatrix has appointed Rein Jan Hoekstra - a member of the Council of State since 1994 - as informateur to begin the cabinet formation process. Hoekstra was also involved in the formation of the previous cabinet. More...
Friday 24 November 2006
Energy prices to rise €10 euros a month
Holland’s second biggest energy supplier Nuon today announced that energy prices for an average household are to rise by just under €10, or 5.6 percent, a month in 2007. This will bring an average household’s total gas and electricity bill to €2,186. More...
First listing on Alternext disappointing
Jobs agency The Member Company (TMC) today became the first company to get a listing on Amsterdam’s new Alternext index which focuses on small firms. More...
Suppliers hit by foriegn poduction
Some 50% of Holland’s smaller industrial supply firms say they are being hit by the trend towards moving production abroad, says research institute EIM. More...
NL third perfect democracy
The Netherlands is the third most perfect democracy in the world, following Sweden and Iceland, according to the Economist magazine.
Politicians warned on ‘risky’ Euro lethargy
‘Exceedingly worrying and extremely risky’ is how the Clingendael Institute for international relations describes Wednesday’s election results in terms of Holland’s position in Europe. More...
Votes from abroad boost Labour, hit SP
The inclusion of votes by Dutch people living abroad and recounts in some areas - including Eindhoven - have led to one fewer seat for the Socialists and an extra seat for Labour (PvdA) in Wednesday's general election, news agency ANP reports. More...
New allegation in Sévèke murder case
The murderer of left-wing activist Louis Sévèke in November last year could be connected to the police or secret service, according to researcher Peter Siebelt. Sévèke was shot dead in the street at 9pm. No-one has been arrested in connection with his killing. More...
Nine military sacked for drugs
Nine military personnel between the ages of 24 and 34 from the Airborne Brigade in Schaarsbergen have been dismissed for the possession or use of illegal drugs. Four others have been suspended pending further inquiries. The defence ministry declined to say whether the offences involved hard or soft drugs.
TNT website best in Europe
Dutch post and courier firm TNT has been voted as having the best business website in a survey of the top 166 European listed companies by Swedish firm Hallvarsson & Hallvarsson. More...
Russia rejects Dutch Chechen aid group
The Russian authorities have refused to recognise a Dutch-based human rights group which provides legal aid to Chechens as an official NGO, reports news agency Reuters. The Russian Justice Initiative (RJI) supports Chechens who accuse Russian soldiers of crimes. More...
Coalition speculation moves to the left
Speculation on possible government coalitions are in full swing as party leaders discuss Wednesday’s election outcome with Queen Beatrix today and tomorrow. No clear majority emerged from the elections and the process to establish a new government is expected long and complicated. More...
Philips favourite employer for graduates
Philips is Holland's first choice for a job with well-educated young people, according to a survey by publisher Intermediair, which specialises in jobs-related publications. Women put Rabobank top of their list and ethnic minority graduates said Shell was their favoured company. The United Nations emerged as the favourite NGO employer
Hague police on Moroccan work experience
The Hague is sending 25 police officers to Morocco to learn more about North African culture, the AD reports on Friday. Their stay, of several weeks, will help them better cope with young Moroccan criminals, the paper says. . More...
Civil servants demand more pay
Several thousand government civil servants are expected to converge on The Hague next week in support of a higher pay claim. Home affairs minister Johan Remkes has already rejected the union's demand of a 2.5% pay rise next year and a 2.5% end-of-year bonus. More...
Party leaders to Queen over coalition (update)
The leaders of the biggest political parties following Wednesday's general election will visit Queen Beatrix today to outline their views on the formation of the next cabinet. The smaller parties will follow on Saturday. More...
Thursday 23 November 2006
Legal battle surrounds Schiphol fire suspect
The Libyan accused of setting fire to the Schiphol airport detention centre last year is at the centre of a legal battle over whether or not he should be kept in jail. Yesterday, the immigration service (IND) appealled against an earlier ruling in favour of his release. More...
International cocaine gang busted
Police have arrested 12 suspects in six cities including Rotterdam, Utrecht and Breda, in connection with what they believe is an international cocaine smuggling ring working between South America and the Netherlands. Police recovered €100,000 and a pistol during the raids.
Two escape from Amsterdam prison
Two men have escaped from prison in Amsterdam in separate incidents, justice ministry officials said. More...
Train delays
Work on repairing damage to the track following Tuesday's crash between a goods and a passenger train near Arnhem is set to take to the end of the week. Train services will be disrupted until work has been finished.
Foreign press highlight political confusion
The Dutch general election has been followed with great interest by the foreign press. ‘Future uncertain after indecisive Dutch election,’ writes the UK’s Guardian. More...
Wine lovers must pay tax, says court
A group of 70 Dutch wine lovers will have to pay tax on wine brought into the Netherlands by a transport company, even although the bottles are for their own use. More...
Catering sector increases earnings
Dutch hotels, cafés and restaurants saw turnover rise 4.5% in the third quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2005, says national statistics office CBS. Of this, 2% was due to higher prices.
Consumer confidence down
Dutch consumer confidence fell slightly in November, the national statistics office CBS said today. More...
Centre-left most obvious coalition choice
A CDA, PvdA, ChristianUnie (CU) coalition is seen as the most obvious alliance (this would give the government 79 out of the 150 parliamentary seats) but many are asking if the SP’s huge electoral win can be ignored. Labour leader Wouter Bos has already made it clear that he believes the SP deserves a place in any new cabinet. More...
Morning-after headache for the Dutch
Dutch politics is in confusion today following mixed signals from voters in yesterday’s general election. No two parties can form a majority government and the formation of a coalition cabinet is going to be difficult and complicated. More...
Air France-KLM to launch budget airline
Air France-KLM is to launch its own budget airline focused on the French market. More...
Health insurance merger scrapped
The proposed merger between three of the country’s biggest health insurers - Menzis, Agis and Delta Lloyd - has fallen apart after Menzis shareholders voted against the plan. More...
Heijmans issues earnings warning
Construction group Heijmans expects its building division to perform less well than expected this year as a knock-on effect of heavy contract pricing pressure in 2005. More...
How to form a new government
With the votes counted and speculation beginning about which parties can form a workable coalition, the actual process of forming a new government can begin. More...
A night of triumph and disappointment
Prime minister and CDA leader Jan Peter Balkenende was welcomed by supporters with chants of ‘Four more years (in English). ‘It is extremely satisfying that our efforts over the last four years have been rewarded.’ More...
CDA tops poll but next coalition is a puzzle
As forecast, the Christian Democrats emerged as the biggest party in Wednesday’s general election with 41 seats. But the real winner in terms of votes was the Socialist Party. After 97% of the votes had been counted, the SP had increased its seats from nine to 26 in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, taking votes from its left-wing allies Labour (PvdA) and GroenLinks. More...
Wednesday 22 November 2006
Right-wing coalition most popular
A coalition made up of the Christian Democrats and free-market Liberals (VVD) is the most desirable new government, according to 42% of voters, NOS reported this evening. More...
Latest NOS poll puts CDA on 41 seats
The 10pm NOS exit poll, regard as the most accurate outcome of the general election, puts the Christian Democrats in the lead with 41 seats, three down on their current total. Labour (PvdA) comes second with 33 seats, a fall of nine. More...
Polls show coalition will not be easy
The two exit polls following the end of voting in the Dutch general election both indicate it will be difficult to form a distinctive right or left-wing coalition. In both polls the current Christian Democrat/Liberal coalition fail to take a majority of the 150 parliamentary seats. The same applies for a left-wing government made up of Labour (PvdA), the Socialist Party (SP) and GroenLinks.
Schiermonnikoog first to report
The Wadden Sea island of Schiermonnikoog was the first to report its results in the general election, with the votes being announced at 9.10pm, just 10 minutes after the polling stations closed. Turnout was 94.3% with big wins for the Socialist Party.
Second exit poll puts CDA clearly on top
The NOS television poll, based on 10,000 voters, gave the ruling Christian Democrats a clear majority with 43 seats, eight ahead of Labour in today's general election. Coalition partner VVD saw its vote crumble from 29 to 21. More...
Christian Democrats win in RTL poll
The Christian Democrats emerged, as expected, as the biggest party in the controversial RTL exit poll, broadcast just 10 minutes before voting in the general election was due to end at 9pm. The poll, by TNS Nipo, gave the CDA on 38 seats (currently 44). More...
Dutch vote to elect new government (update)
The Dutch have gone to the polls today to elect a new government to succeed the Christian Democrat/Liberal alliance led by Jan Peter Balkenende. More...
New allegations over Navy in Iraq
A new row has emerged involving Dutch troops in southern Iraq today with allegations in the Volkskrant that members of the navy intimidated their military police colleagues to prevent them from reporting misbehavior in 2003. More...
Battery egg farm loses licence
The Netherlands biggest battery egg farm - with 300,000 hens - has lost its environmental operating licence because of the smell it produces, ANP reported today. Locals have been campaigning to have the factory in Groesbeek closed since 2002.
Privatisations earn state €10bn
The treasury generated €10bn from selling off state holdings between 2002 and 2006. The cash has been used towards paying off national debt. The state now has a stake in 36 companies (43 in 2002). More...
Labour leader forgets voting card
Election day got off to an embarrassing start for Labour party leader Wouter Bos who took the wrong voting card to his local polling station in Amsterdam north. Watched by a whole posse of journalists, Bos had no choice but to return home and pick up the right document to allow him to vote.
Election irrelevant for share prices
The results of the general election will have little effect on economic growth and the political colour of the next government will be largely irrelevant for share prices, analysts at stockbrokers Theodoor Gilissen said on Wednesday. More...
New style speed cameras
The tell-tale flash alerting drivers to the presence of speed cameras is set to be a thing of the past with the introduction of new infra-red cameras which send images directly back to the authorities. All 1,200 speed cameras in the Netherlands are being replaced.
Utrecht accident construction fault
No politician at Utrecht city council is to be held responsible for the collapse of a canal-side stairway this summer which killed one person and injured 20. A report into the accident concluded it was due to a construction fault.
LogicaCMG wins Galileo contract
Anglo-Dutch software house LogicaCMG has won three contracts totalling €7m to develop software for the European satellite navigation system Galileo. More...
Unilever to scrap 240 jobs
Food to detergents group Unilever is to scrap 240 jobs at its European food research centres. More...
Tata set to increase bid for Corus
Tata Steel is set to increase its offer for Anglo-Dutch steel group Corus to between 490 pence and 500 pence a share, the Hindustan Times reports today, quoting highly placed investment bankers. More...
Helicopter makes emergency sea landing
A helicopter carrying 17 people made an emergency landing in the North Sea last night, but Dutch coastguard officials say everyone on board was rescued. More...
€250 mln for sustainable energy investment
Economic affairs minister Joop Wijn on Tuesday announced how he will divide up €250m which he set aside for sustainable energy investments at the beginning of this year. Around €100m will be available for energy conservation projects, €80m for CO2 emissions storage and €60m will go to bio fuel research. More...
The Netherlands goes to the polls
The Netherlands goes to the polls today to elect a new government. Polling booths opened at 7.30 with one exception – the railway station at Zwijndrecht was open at 05.30 to encourage commuters to vote. Around 12 million people have the right to cast their ballot, of whom 715,000 are first-time voters. More...
Arrests over Dutch honeymoon kidnapping
Two men have been remanded in custody for a week in New Zealand, charged with the kidnap and robbery of a Dutch couple on their honeymoon in New Zealand. The couple were abducted from their camping site in a remote part of Bay of Islands and forced to drive around at gunpoint, using their cashpoint cards. The woman was sexually assaulted.
Tuesday 21 November 2006
Polls divided as election campaign closes
As the general election campaign draws to a close, the opinion polls are hopelessly divided about how the vote is likely to turn out. More...
Unions up 2007 wage demand
As expected the trade union federation FNV has increased its wage demand for next year by 0.5% to 3%. The rise is ‘partly rational and partly emotional,’ says the FNV’s Wilna Wind in the Volkskrant. More...
HIV cases rise in Holland
The number of people with HIV infections in the Netherlands is increasing, health officials said today. Last year 950 new HIV patients were identified, compared to 300 in 1996. The HIV monitoring foundation says the figure has gone up because more gay men are having unsafe sex.
Burka ban dispute
Integration minister Rita Verdonk's advisory committee is not in favour of a ban on the burka in all public places, Trouw reports today. More...
Rail chaos following second train crash
At least 20 people were injured in a collision between a goods train and a passenger train approaching Arnhem station this morning, severely disrupting rail traffic. Eight people were taken to hospital but no-one was seriously hurt. More...
Retail sales up 5%
Dutch retail sales rose 5% in September according to latest figures from national statistics office CBS. More...
Privatisation of TNT completed
The Dutch government has sold its remaining 10.9% stake in post and express mail company TNT. More...
Schuitema CFO leaves
Ad Ruis, CFO at supermarket group Schuitema (73% Ahold) is to leave the company on December 1 following a difference of opinion over policy. More...
Union attacks Dutch firms on Chinese rights
‘Scandalous and shocking’ is how the FNV trade union federation describes the stance of major Dutch multinationals in China on the front page of today’s Het Financieele Dagblad. More...
Monday 20 November 2006
De Mol eyes up Endemol, SBS stake
Dutch media tycoon John de Mol has set his sights on taking a stake in tv production house Endemol and broadcaster SBS, the Telegraaf reports today, quoting well-informed sources. More...
Higher speed limits at night
Transport minister Karla Peijs wants to experiment with variable speed limits around the country’s biggest cities so that motorists can drive at 120 kph at night. In bad weather, the speed limit would be lowered again. Trials will begin next year.
Tata expected to raise bid for Corus
Analysts expect Indian industrial conglomerate Tata to raise its bid for Anglo-Dutch steel group Corus following Friday’s counterbid from Brazil’s CSN. Tata bid 455 pence per share for Corus in October, well below CSN’s offer of 475 pence. Corus had accepted the Tata deal.
Bankruptcies down 7%
A total of 7,100 companies and private individuals went bankrupt in the Netherlands in the first nine months of this year, a 7% fall on 2005, the national statistics office CBS says. The decline in corporate bankruptcies was 15% but the construction and catering sector both saw a rise in companies going bust.
Builder BAM issues profit warning
The Netherlands’ biggest construction group, BAM, has slashed its 2006 profit forecast following problems at its German subsidiary Ways & Freitag. More...
TB warning for western Europe
Western Europe is under threat from a dangerous form of tuberculosis from eastern Europe, the Financieele Dagblad reported this morning, quoting a report from the Dutch TB institute. 'It is one minute to midnight,' the organisation's director Martien Borgdorff told the paper, calling for urgent action to tackle the problem at source.
Rotterdam hospital cancels operations
Erasmus teaching hospital in Rotterdam has scrapped a number of operations following a serious fire at its Dijkzigt complex yesterday morning. A number of patients had to be moved from intensive care unit because of smoke and poisonous gases.
Left and right coalitions in the making
With one in four voters still undecided how to vote in Wednesday’s general election, the main parties have using the remaining days of campaigning to sound out potential alliances. Christian Democrat (CDA) prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende on Sunday suggested he favoured a renewed alliance with the free-market Liberals (VVD). More...
Collision halts Rotterdam trains
A collision between a goods train and an empty passenger train has caused chaos to train travel in and around Rotterdam, the NS (Dutch Rail) said this morning. No-one was injured in the crash.
Iraq debate after election
The three main political parties - Christian Democrats (CDA), Labour (PvdA) and Liberals (VVD) – want the parliamentary debate on allegations that Dutch soldiers tortured Iraqi prisoners, to be held after Wednesday's election. They argue that the issue is too important to be turned into political capital. More...
Violence fears over Dutch burka ban
The foreign ministry fears there may be violent protests abroad because of the Netherlands' proposed ban on the burka, the AD reports this morning. The paper says that the suggestion is made in an internal ministry memo which also discusses international reaction to the Danish cartoons lampooning Mohammed and Ayan Hirsi Ali's plans to produce a sequel to her 10-minute film Submission. More...
Amsterdam back to court over Schiphol
Amsterdam city council is to appeal against the royal decree annulling its veto of the privatisation of Schiphol airport. Finance minister Gerrit Zalm had the council's veto overturned on Friday. Amsterdam owns some 20% of Schiphol shares.
Iraq debate after election More...
Soccer officials to discuss pitch invasion
Dutch football league (KNVB) ls will meet today to discuss their reaction to the suspension of the first division match between ADO Den Haag and Vitesse Arnhem yesterday. The match was suspended midway through the second half after hundreds of ADO fans invaded the pitch. Vitesse was leading 3-0 while ADO, with five points from 12 matches, was down to 10 men.
Friday 17 November 2006
Christian Democrats still well ahead in polls
Political leaders were given a new issue to get their teeth into on Friday, following allegations that Dutch military intelligence officers had tortured Iraqi prisoners in 2003. But, with four days to go before the general election, the polls still put the ruling Christian Democrats (CDA) far in the lead. More...
Muslims protest at Nazi comparison
Political party Islam Democraten has made a formal complaint about an election radio broadcast by anti-immigration party EénNL which compares the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s to the 'Islamisation' of the Netherlands.
Dutch to ban burkas in public places
Integration Minister Rita Verdonk is planning to introduce a bill to ban the wearing of an all-encompassing burka in public places after all, she told reporters after today's cabinet meeting. Research showed there were no legal obstacles to a ban, the minister said. Muslim organisations say less than 50 women wear burkas in the Netherlands.
Minister says no crime was committed
Defence Minister Henk Kamp confirmed this afternoon that Dutch military intelligence officers had been involved in the heavy-handed interogation of prisoners in Iraq. But an investigation by military police at the time said no crimes had been committed, NOS Radio quoted the minister as saying. More...
Dutch soldiers tortured Iraqis, claims paper
Dutch soldiers were involved in torturing dozens of Iraqi prisoners at the end of 2003, the Volkskrant claims this morning. The paper says that members of military intelligence service MIVD carried out 'strong-arm tactical interrogations'. More...
Bankcrupt bank directors may be liable
Those who lost money when private bank, Van der Hoop, collapsed last year are considering claiming damages from the bank's management and supervisory board members, the Telegraaf reports. The paper says the bank's curators are looking into the legal possibilities of making a claim.
Hedge fund holds 19% of Laurus
Hedge fund Amber has increased its stake in troubled supermarket group Laurus to almost 19%, the Financieele Dagblad reports this morning. The fund declined to comment on the strategy behind the stake. More...
Dutch state gives up TNT golden share
The Dutch state has reached an agreement with TNT to give up its 'golden share' in the postal firm. The share had given the government special control rights, such as allowing it to veto a takeover. The European Court of Justice ruled in September that the share contravened EU law. The government still owns a 10% stake in TNT.
Queen Beatrix a leftie?
Queen Beatrix is too left-wing and sees everything through rose-coloured spectacles, says aspiring MP, Marco Pastors, in today's AD. The leader of the anti-immigration party EénNL says Crown Prince Willem Alexander is different. 'He is a lot jollier,' Pastors said.
Sacked teacher still gets pay-off
A 41-year old teacher at the Montessori Lyceum in The Hague has been given a golden handshake of €20,000 and will get a big farewell party – despite being dismissed for having a sexual relationship with a pupil, the Telegraaf reports. The girl was 14 when the relationship began.
Warm weather record, again
It has never been so warm, so late in the year, weather bureau KNMI said on Thursday. Yesterday, a temperature of 16.5 Celsius was recorded at De Bilt, 0.12 degrees warmer than the previous record and double normal temperatures for this time of year.
Biggest union set to up 2007 pay claim
The FNV, the Netherlands' biggest trade union federation, is set to up its 2007 pay claim to a minimum of 3%, the Financieele Dagblad reported today. The federation's main unions Bondgenoten (manufacturing), Bouw (construction) and Abvakabo (public sector) have already agreed the previous ceiling, 2.5%, was not enough to improve spending power. More...
Dutch disagree on Nato Afghan strategy
The Dutch army leadership is at odds with the Nato's strategy of using heavy arm tactics to keep the Taliban under control, the NRC reported on Thursday evening. The paper quoted Defence Ministry sources as saying there was tension between the Netherlands and its Nato partners: the US, Canada and Britain. More...
Dutch soldiers tortured Iraqis, claims paper
Dutch soldiers were involved in torturing dozens of Iraqi prisoners at the end of 2003, the Volkskrant claims this morning. The paper says that members of the military security service MIVD carried out 'strong-arm tactical interrogations'. More...
Thursday 16 November 2006
Fewer poor households as pensioners get richer
The amount of Dutch households officially described as ‘low income’ is set to start falling this year, due to a rise in the number of wealthy pensioners. More...
Parents on trial for killing baby
An Amsterdam couple are facing jail terms of seven and four years for killing their eight-day old baby. The baby was killed by a blow to the head from a 750 gramme jeu de boule ball.
MPs demand prison escape inquiry
MPs are demanding an explanation after a dangerous sex offender escaped from prison warders during a visit to a cemetery. The man, who was being held at a psychiatric prison, was initally described as not being a danger to the public.
Swimming with sharks, the greatest fear
Only 13% of the Dutch would swim in water where there are sharks, and 19% would dare to take the drug ecstasy, according to research for adventure magazine Quest. But 82% said they would ask for a pay rise and 70% would have the guts to give a speech in public.
Breezersletje is a new Dutch word
Breezersletje, meaning a woman who will exchange sexual favours for a drink, is one of 3,650 new Dutch words in the Van Dale dictionary. Others include tomtommen – to use a car satellite navigation system – and asobak (literally: antisocial car) for an SUV.
Journalists face jail over spy sources
Two journalists from the Telegraaf newspaper face being sent to jail for refusing to reveal their sources at the AVID (Secret Service), despite a court order. At the beginning of this year, Bart Mos and Joost de Haas reported that AIVD files on crime boss Mink K and government corruption had fallen into the hands of organised crime groups.
EU committee warns Dutch on racism
The Netherlands is in line to be criticised in an EU Committee report on racism and intolerance, the committee’s Deputy Chairman and former Dutch Justice Minister, Winnie Sorgdrager, told ANP. More...
Unemployment stable
The Dutch unemployment rate is stable with around 413,000 people officially out of work, the national statistics office CBS said today. Unemployment has been falling since summer 2005 when 491,000 people were claiming benefits.
Rich pensioners mean less poverty
The amount of poverty in the Netherlands is going down due to the increase in wealthy pensioners, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. In 2006, 9.7% of households are classed by the CBS as being ‘low-income’; next year the figure will be 8.8%.
Street ban looms for repeat troublemakers
Youngsters who hang around the streets causing trouble could soon find themselves being banned from certain parts of town, under new government plans, the Telegraaf reports today. More...
Energy firms no longer foreign prey
Foreign energy companies only have limited opportunities to take over Dutch power companies now that the Unbundling Law has been approved, Belgium's Electrabel and Germany's EON say in today's Financieele Dagblad. More...
Thirty arrests during soccer friendly
Police in Amsterdam arrested at least 30 people in a string of smaller incidents before and during Wednesday night's football friendly between the Netherlands and England. Over 1,000 fans had holed up in the Red Light District and were dispersed by riot police. The match was a 1-1 draw.
Another psychiatric patient escapes
A second psychiatric patient has run off while being escorted by warders from the Kijvelanden psychiatric prison. The man was visiting a grave when he escaped. The public prosecution department said the escapee was serving time for sex offences but did not represent a great danger to the public. More...
Bos and Balkenende battle it out on tv
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and Labour leader Wouter Bos battled it out last night in a televised debate with all the main political leaders. And the newspapers are clear this morning. There is no love lost between the two. More...
Wednesday 15 November 2006
Tax deal boost for Schiphol group
The Schiphol Airport Group is to book an extraordinary gain of €370m in the second half of this year. The one-off sum follows an agreement reached between the airport operator and the Dutch tax office over its opening balance sheet. More...
Deutsche Börse gives up on Euronext
The German stock exchange, Deutsche Börse, has abandoned its attempts to take over Euronext – which includes the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. By pulling out, Deutsche Börse opens the way for a friendly bid from the New York Stock Exchange, which is backed by Euronext. More...
PM is afraid of voters, says Zalm
Liberal (VVD) stalwart and Finance Minister, Gerrit Zalm, said in an interview with the Volkskrant today that Jan Peter Balkenende was a ‘frightened’ prime minister. More...
Public transport staff strike over privatisation
Public transport workers in the four big cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague went on strike today in protest at government plans to open tram and bus services to market forces. More...
PCM pulls out of free newspaper alliance
Newspaper group PCM has broken off its alliance with investor Marcel Boekhoorn. The two had been planning to produce a free, quality newspaper to rival Spits and Metro. Sources told the Volkskrant that PCM’s participation was withdrawn last weekend.
Senate takes sting out of energy law
The Dutch Senate yesterday adopted the controversial Splitsingswet (Unbundling Act), which requires power firms to separate their commercial activities - the sale, production and distribution of energy - from their distribution networks. More...
British bobbies in Amsterdam
A group of 10 British police officers have been in Amsterdam since Monday to keep an eye on English football fans who have crossed the channel for tonight's friendly against the Netherlands. More...
Extra cash calls for migrant students
Four HBO colleges (polytechnics) in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague have called on the government to give them extra cash for every ethnic minority student they attract. More...
€1 flight ads not misleading
Airline Transavia can continue to advertise €1 flights, without having to include all the taxes passengers must pay, the advertising commission's appeals body ruled on Wednesday. The commission had earlier banned the ads for being misleading.
Job vacancies reach record
A record 219,000 jobs were on offer in the Netherlands at the end of September, according to the latest figures by the national statistics office. The previous record came at the end of 2000, when 213,000 jobs were waiting to be filled. Job growth was strongest in the industry, construction and business sectors.
Illegals caught under lorry
Immigration police in the port of Hoek van Holland have found nine illegal immigrants hidden underneath a lorry onboard a ferry, news agency ANP reported. The nine – eight men and one woman – were from India, China and Iraq. The Lithuanian lorry driver has been arrested on suspicion of people smuggling.
Tuesday 14 November 2006
Public transport strike in big four cities
Tram and bus services in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht are set to be severely disrupted on Wednesday because of a strike by public transport workers. The strike is set to run from 9am to 4pm. The unions are protesting at plans to put public transport services out to tender.
Controversial Bodies exhibition in Holland
A controversial exhibition – which uses specially-preserved human bodies in realistic poses – will open its doors in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam on November 25. More...
VVD’s Verdonk has eyes on Deputy PM job
Rita Verdonk, Immigration and Integration Minister in the current cabinet, has set her sights on becoming Deputy Prime Minister if the next cabinet is also a Liberal (VVD)-Christian Democrat coalition. More...
Air France and KLM eye up Alitalia
Air France-KLM is in intensive behind-the-scenes talks to take over Italian flag carrier Alitalia, the Telegraaf reports today, quoting anonymous company officials. The Italian government has been working on a rescue plan for the ailing airline, and a merger is seen as the only viable option, the paper said. Around 62% of Alitalia is still in government hands.
Stork to ignore split-up demands
Industrial group Stork is to ignore demands from two powerful shareholders that it sell off two divisions so it could focus purely on aerospace. More...
Public prosecutor to probe bank bankruptcy
The Public Prosecution Department (OM), is to investigate the bankruptcy of Van der Hoop Bankiers in December 2005. More...
Economic growth 2.6% in Q3
The Dutch economy grew 2.6% in the third quarter of this year, according to preliminary figures from the national statistics office CBS. Quarter on quarter, the increase is 0.6%, the CBS said.
9/11 led to smaller Dutch babies
Children born in the Netherlands between three to six months after the 11 September attacks in New York were on average 48 grammes lighter than normal, according to researchers at Maastricht University. The researchers said that stress caused to their mothers was responsible, the Telegraaf reports.
Scrapping mortgage tax relief opposed
Scrapping mortgage tax relief would cause 61% of home-owners financial problems, according to a survey by the national estate agents association LMV. Three-quarters of the 10,000 home owners polled said they feared the housing market would collapse if tax relief was scrapped. The Netherlands has the most generous tax breaks on mortgages in Europe.
VVD wants no jams tomorrow
The VVD has unveiled a plan to spend €2bn on tackling the country's ongoing traffic-jam problem. The money would be partly used on building 'superfast' motorways with few access or exit points so as to prevent congestion.
Retirement age 'old-fashioned'
The official retirement age of 65 is an old-fashioned concept and does not take the health of different groups of people into account, says Jan Donselaar of Actuarieel Genootschap (Actuarial Association). More...
Menial jobs for unemployed graduates
People with degrees should be prepared to do low-skilled work if they are unemployed, PVV leader Geert Wilders says in an interview with website Nu.nl. More...
Upper class students study abroad
Upper-class students and those from wealthy families are more likely to spend part of their university career abroad, according to the 2005 Studentenmonitor. The monitor is based on a poll of 40,000 students. More...
Chief quits navy over sex claims
Frans van den Berg, Director of Operations of the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Navy), has resigned following ‘negative publicity’ about sexual harassment within the organisation. More...
Labour leader attacks CDA's social face
Labour leader Wouter Bos used a speech in Tilburg last night to attack the Christian Democrats on social issues. With just over a week to the general election, Bos accused the party of building weath on the back of people who were vulnerable. More...
Café fire safety to be self-regulated
The cabinet is planning to scrap formal fire-safety permits for bars and cafés as part of its efforts to reduce bureaucracy, the Volkskrant reports this morning. The paper used freedom-of- information legislation to get hold of the new regulations. More...
Monday 13 November 2006
Letterbox company business is booming
The number of letterbox companies setting up official business in the Netherlands has gone up by 50% this year, the Volkskrant reported on Saturday. More than 20,000 multinationals and private individuals – including the Rolling Stones – are based here in order to cut their tax bills elsewhere, the paper said. More...
Marketeers missing on the board
People with either a general or financial background fill two-thirds of the Netherlands' top boardroom jobs, according to research at Groningen University. Managers with a background in technology are in third place. More...
Food cheaper than in gulder times
Food is now cheaper than it was five years ago, says national statistics office CBS. In particular, mineral water, tea, rice and soup are 10% cheaper than five years ago. Milk and dairy products are also down in price.
Schiphol police officer jailed for drugs
A 41-year-old immigration police officer has been jailed for 12 months for stealing cocaine which had been confiscated from drug runners at Schiphol airport.
One million have dual nationality
Despite laws requiring people who become Dutch to reject their original nationality, around one million Dutch citizens have dual nationality, according to the national statistics office CBS. Of those, just under 50% are of Turkish or Moroccan origin. Roughly 21,000 people became naturalised last year.
Bison to lunch in dune reserve
The North-Holland water board is to introduce European bison to the dune reserves north of Zandvoort next year. The board hopes that the animals' eating habits will help reduce the number of trees and bushes taking over the wild dune habitat. Highland cattle and sheep are already being used to keep the vegetation down.
Cash to help gay immigrants
Integration minister Rita Verdonk has set aside €700,000 to promote gay rights among immigrants. The bulk of the money will go to gay lobby group COC.
Fire death boy may have had a lighter
Two young children aged four and three who were killed in a house fire in Rotterdam over the weekend had probably been playing with a cigarette lighter, their father told the Algemeen Dagblad this morning. The four-year-old was an 'enterprising young man', the father said.
Photo-sharing website pictures crooks
Utrecht resident, Martijn van Es, was able to track down the thieves who stole his mobile phone thanks to a link between the phone and photo-sharing website Flickr, the Volkskrant reports. More...
Paedophiles often escape prison
Six out of 10 people convicted of sexually abusing children escape prison and are either fined, given community service or a suspended sentence, the AD reported on Saturday. And half of those convicted of the most serious assault on under-12s were not given prison terms, the paper said. More...
Dutch honeymooners attacked in NZ
Police in New Zealand have launched a manhunt for two masked and armed men who robbed a Dutch honeymoon couple at gun point and forced them to repeatedly withdraw money from their bank account. More...
Pay deal agreed at Corus
Unions and employers at steel giant Corus have reached a new 2-year pay deal, heading off the threat of strike action. The company has agreed to pay workers a deal worth 5.25% over two years, and there is a guarantee on job losses until 2011. Corus is in the process of being taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata.
New tax windfall for the cabinet
Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm (VVD) has discovered a €1.7 bn tax windfall. 'According to the autumn statement which I have just completed, things are going better than expected,' Zalm told the Telegraaf. More...
Labour leader under fire over campaign
Two prominent Labour (PvdA) members have this weekend criticised party leader Wouter Bos for the way he is running the election campaign. Former minister Margreeth de Boer and former senator Joop van den Berg said Bos was focusing too much on forming a coalition with the Christian Democrats. More...
Friday 10 November 2006
Car number plates key to catch tax dodgers
Police and tax inspectors are to use superfast car number plate readers to identify tax dodgers so they can be made to pay up. Drivers who are pulled over must either pay their outstanding bills on the spot – or have their car confiscated. More...
Emigration hits a record 100,000 this year
In the first nine months of this year, 100,000 people left the Netherlands to live elsewhere, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. Almost half of them were born in the Netherlands. More...
Strike poll at Corus
The FNV trade union is to poll workers at steel company Corus about possible strike action. The union is angry at the lack of results from the ongoing pay talks at the Anglo-Dutch company. Corus is in the process of being taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata.
No minimum pay for young teens
Thirteen- and 14-year-olds have no right to a statutory minimum wage, the appeal court ruled today. Unions had gone to court, arguing that because 15-year-olds were entitled to a minimum wage, younger teenagers should be protected as well. More...
Health premium rise less than forecast
The annual health insurance premium for an adult is set to rise by an average €79 this year, NOS TV reports today. The increase is less than the government had forecast. More...
New island plan to hold back rising sea
A 'wave breaker', made up of an outer ring of islands, should be created north of the existing Wadden Sea islands in order to protect the country against rising sea levels, says Hans Alders, the Queen's Commissioner in Groningen, in today's Telegraaf. More...
Treaty signed on Polish workers
The Labour Inspectorate has signed a deal with the Polish authorities to make it easier to exchange information about Dutch companies and individuals working in Poland – and vice versa. More...
Queen's role unchanged in cabinet formation
As formal head of state, Queen Beatrix is still set to name the informateur - the person charged with starting the process of forming a new cabinet - after the November 22 general election. Efforts to have the informateur chosen by MPs appear to have failed, the Volkskrant reports
British tourists the most generous
German tourists are the most thrifty tourists to visit the Netherlands, spending an average of €99 a day, according to new tourist board figures. British tourists spend the most – an average of €254 a day – the board said.
Public to prioritise crime, in VVD plan
The public should have a role in determining crime-fighting priorities, according to Liberal (VVD) party plans to tackle crime, presented last night. The result of the people's priority list would be used to draw up tough performance targets with the Public Prosecution Department. More...
Bot sees hope for parts of EU constitution
Some parts of the EU constitution could win approval in the Netherlands as long as the word 'constitution' is not used, Trouw reports foreign minister Ben Bot as saying. More...
Thursday 09 November 2006
No knife found in Deventer grave
No knife was found hidden in the grave of Jaqueline Wittenberg – known as ‘the Wittenberg widow’ – when the headstone was removed by forensic experts today, the Volkskrant reported this evening. More...
International court starts first sitting
The first sitting of the new International Criminal Court in The Hague opened today with the pre-trial hearing of Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga. He is accused of press-ganging children as young as 10 to fight as child soldiers in the civil war. More...
Jail in Melchers kidnapping case
Two men have been sentenced to six and four year in jail for their part in the kidnapping of millionaire's daughter Claudia Melchers last year. A third man - the main suspect - is awaiting extradition from Brazil.
Handshake refusal row rumbles on
Calls by Integration Minister Rita Verdonk for the Equal Opportunities Commission to be abolished, following its backing for a teacher who refuses to shake hands on religious grounds, go too far, says Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. More...
Deventer murder grave reopened
The Public Prosecution Department must open the grave of a woman known as 'the Wittenberg widow' – murdered in 1999 – to see if the murder weapon had been placed under the headstone, a court in The Hague ruled today. More...
Inflation down to 17-year low
Inflation fell to 0.9% in October – its lowest level since March 1989, says the national statistics office CBS. In September, inflation was at 1.1%. The scrapping of property taxes, lowering of tax on strong alcohol and lower parental contributions for crèche places have all driven inflation down, the CBS said. In particular, petrol is 8.15% cheaper than a year ago.
Babyfood maker Numico growth up
Baby and clinical foods maker Numico saw its third-quarter net profit grow by 22% to €69m; higher than analysts had expected. More...
ING earnings down 16%
The Netherlands' second biggest bank, ING, booked net profit of almost €1.6bn in the third quarter of this year; 16% down on 2005. More...
Endemol ups profit forecast again
Television production company, Endemol, has increased its full-year earnings growth forecast for the second time; this time to over 15%. The company said third-quarter performances had been strong across the whole group. More...
Ex-priest sued over collaborator slur
The Immigration Service (IND) is to take former priest Huub Oosterhuis to court for likening its roll in deporations to that of collaborators during WWII. The only difference, Oosterhuis said in an interview with Spits, was that the IND is not purposefully sending people to their deaths.
Doctors bills often paid too late
One in three patients admit to paying their doctor and dentists bills too late, according to an Interview-NSS poll. Mail order company bills, mobile phone bills and magazine or newspaper subscriptions are also often ignored. People aged 55 and over are the most regular payers.
Trainee doctors dangerously tired
Some 40% of trainee doctors are overtired and one in five risks developing burn-out, the Volkskrant reports this morning. Quoting a report for healthcare magazine Medisch Contact, the paper says the trainee doctors work an average 51 hours a week and have to cope with high-pressure environments. Some claim to work more than 80 hours a week.
Wednesday 08 November 2006
Public prosecutor calls for Hells Angels ban
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM), today launched a wide-ranging attack on the Hells Angels, urging the courts to ban the organisation in the Netherlands and dissolve their associations. More...
Police clear out squatted fort
Riot police using tanks, and according to some reports, Afghan war veterans, today completed the eviction of squatters from an abandoned fort in Gelderland. More...
Female bosses still rare in Dutch boardrooms
Ten years of efforts to increase the number of women in senior positions at Dutch companies have mostly failed, according to research by the Financieele Dagblad. More...
Versatel doubles its losses
Telecoms firm Versatel saw its year-on-year loss from continuing operations almost double to €23.2m in the third quarter of this year. In the second quarter, Versatel booked a loss of €34.8m. More...
Wolters Kluwer ups earnings and sales
Publishing group Wolters Kluwer saw net profits rise 20% to €98m in the third quarter of this year. Turnover rose 7% to €920m. The sales growth was due largely to takeovers, particularly in the healthcare division. More...
Small blast at newspaper printshop
A small explosive device, possibly a grenade, was thrown against the front wall of PCM Publishers’ print shop on the Van der Madeweg in Amsterdam, just after midnight. No-one was injured but several windows were broken. Bomb experts are trying to find out what caused the explosion. More...
Online spending up 25%
Consumers spent almost 25% more on buying goods and services over the internet in the first six months of this year, compared with the year-earlier period, says Nederlands Thuiswinkel Organisatie (Dutch Home-Shopping Organisation). Online sales totaled €1.33bn. Insurance and holidays were the most popular online purchases, followed by electronics and clothes.
Industrial production up in September
Dutch firms produced on average 1.2% more in September than they did a year ago, while turnover was up 5%, the national statatistics office CBS says. Price rises accounted for a large percentage of the increase in turnover.
Compensation paid to terrorist suspects
The five men freed from jail after being found not guilty of being members of the so-called Hofstad terrorist group have been awarded damages ranging from €20,000 to €90,000. The man who made the biggest claim, €1.6m, was awarded €72,000. More...
Teacher does not need to shake hands
A Muslim teacher, who refuses to shake hands on religious grounds, should keep her job, the Equal Opportunity Commission said on Tuesday. The teacher had been suspended from her job at the Vader Rijn College in Utrecht. More...
Rescued horses now saved from butchers
The 100 or so semi-wild horses rescued from a tiny patch of land after being cut off by floods will not end up in on the dinner table after all. A spokesman for Frisian nature organisation It Fryske Gea, which owned the land where the horses were kept, said it had been a misunderstanding. More...
Tuesday 07 November 2006
Police arrest six terrorist suspects
Detectives in Amsterdam and The Hague have arrested five men and one woman after a year-long anti-terrorist investigation. The six are suspected of recruiting radical Muslims for a Holy War. More...
But did he inhale?
Health Minister Hans Hoogervorst has admitted to smoking an occasional joint as a student, but says he could not do it anymore because it is not to be combined with work. ‘A puff now and then isn’t dangerous,’ the Telegraaf reported he said at the launch of a campaign warning teenagers of the risks.
Organic food no longer in favour at AH
The Netherlands’ leading supermarket, Albert Heijn, has cut the amount of organic food on its supermarket shelves by 30%, claims environmental organisation Milieudefensie. More...
Labour softens genocide stance
The Labour party (PvdA) has begun a charm offensive in order to win back Turkish voters after it scrapped one potential MP from its list for denying the Armenian genocide. Turkish groups called for a boycott of the party. More...
Verdonk calls for action on 'black' schools
Integration minister Rita Verdonk announced on television chat show Pauw & Witteman last night that she would like to compel more [white] parents to send their children to so-called 'black' schools. More...
rescued horses to die anyway
A large proportion of the 100 horses rescued from floodwaters in Friesland last week will end up being slaughtered for food, news agency ANP reports. More...
Blackberry security risk for ministers
Ministers, MPs and civil servants should not use the popular hand-held Blackberry computers to send and receive confidential information, the secret service AIVD warns in today's AD. The AIVD says that the machines are not secure enough. More...
Chinese rescue for Nedcar?
The Netherland's only car maker Nedcar is the takeover target of a Chinese consortium, the Telegraaf reports today. The paper quotes 'well-informed sources' as saying the consortium is thinking of using the Maastricht-based plant to develop a new car for the European market. More...
Socialists ahead of VVD in new poll
The Socialist Party has grown into the third most popular party in the Netherlands, according to the latest TNS Nipo poll. The poll gives the SP 25 seats in the next parliament, with the Liberals (VVD) on 24. Party leader Jan Marijnissen said in the Volkskrant it was 'an historic moment'. More...
Monday 06 November 2006
Netherlands even less corrupt
The Netherlands has climbed to ninth place in Transparency International’s list of the world’s least corrupt countries. Last year, the Netherlands was in 11th position. Finland and Iceland head the list of least-corrupt countries while Haïti is the most corrupt, the organisation says.
Prosecution winds up in Piranha court case
The Public Prosecution Department has called for prison terms of up to 15 years for the six terrorist suspects currently on trial in Amsterdam in the so-called Piranha case. Samir Azzouz and Mohamed C. could both face 15-year jail terms if found guilty. . More...
Ahold announces revised strategy
Ahold is to sell its US wholesale operation US Foodservice, the company announced today. US Foodservice, bought in 2001 for €8bn, was at the centre of the book-keeping fraud which cost Ahold's former CEO and CFO their jobs. More...
Newspapers fined for illegal delivery
The Netherlands' daily papers have been given a joint fine of €2.1m by the Labour Inspectorate for using illegal immigrants to deliver newspapers. Random checks found 71 deliverers without proper papers, of whom 55 were in the country illegally. The newspapers are to appeal, saying they are not responsible for the personnel policy at delivery agents.
Not all teenagers smoke dope
Dutch institute of mental health and addiction, Trimbos, is launching a month-long campaign warning teenagers of the risks and myths associated with using cannabis under the slogan 'You're not stupid if you don't smoke dope' (Je bent niet gek als je niet blowt'). More...
Fewer test-tube babies
One in 43 live births in the Netherlands is due to test-tube baby techniques, according to the latest figures from the NVOG (Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology). . More...
Soldier guilty of disobeying orders
A 21-year-old soldier who refused to go on a second tour of duty in Afghanistan has been found guilty by the military court in Arnhem of failing to carry out orders. The man, who claims to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was not given a sentence even though the court said he could have been jailed.
Big three power firms market share stable
For the first time since the Dutch energy market was liberalised in 2004, the three big power firms - Nuon, Essent and Eneco - have stablised their market share, according to a report by energy market watchdog DTe. More...
Sunday 05 November 2006
Bos has edge in second tv debate
Friday night's televised debate between Labour (PvdA) leader Wouter Bos and current prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende was narrowly won by Bos, according to a poll of viewers. Some 50% of those polled said Bos had been the more impressive candidate, 46% opted for Balkenende. More...
Weather far too warm, say experts
The weather is some 5 degrees too warm for the time of year, says national weather bureau KNMI. Over the next few days, the temperature is expected to reach around 15 degrees and will continue to be warmer than normal for the rest of the month. More...
Netherlands escapes power blackout
The Netherlands largely escaped the power blackout that hit large parts of western Europe on Saturday night, national grid operator Tennet said. Some areas, largely in west Brabant, suffered a 10-minute power cut.
Saddam verdict is 'justice done' says PM
The death penalty imposed on former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is a 'verdict that is fitting for a reign of terror,' Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said on tv programme Buitenhof. 'Justice has been done' to his victims, the prime minister said, adding that the Netherlands is opposed to the death penalty. More...
Friday 03 November 2006
Frisian horses rescued
The rescue of 100 horses – stranded in the middle of flood waters since Wednesday – was completed successfully this afternoon, Frisian nature organisation It Fryske Gea reported. All the animals made the crossing to higher ground. Some 18 had died in the floods.
Politicians don’t listen, poll concludes
An online poll of over 170,000 people has shown broad support for a wide range of social and economic reforms – even though half still don’t know who to vote for in the forthcoming general election. More...
The end of an era as Antillies go it alone
The Caribbean islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten are to become autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, marking the end of the Netherlands Antilles as a federation. More...
Talk to moderate Taliban, says minister
The Netherlands and other western countries should make contact with more moderate members of the Taliban, Foreign Minister Ben Bot said yesterday at the start of a visit to Afghanistan. More...
Social housing sell-off stagnates
Last year, the Netherlands' social housing corporations sold 5% fewer rent-controlled houses to their sitting tenants, the Volkskrant reports on its website. Tenants often get a hefty discount on the sale price. More...
Wessanen downgrades earnings again
Food group Wessanen has once more revised its full-year forecast because earnings are not growing as fast as predicted. The company previously downsized its full-year forecast after the publication of its second quarter figures. More...
Vopak ups full year forecast
Vopak, the world's largest chemical and oil storage company, has increased its 2006 profit forecast. Operating profit, excluding one-offs, is set to reach around €220m. The company had earlier indicated operating profit would reach around €213m. More...
Organon IPO not this year, the FD reports
Akzo Nobel will not launch its pharmaceutical subsidiary Organon on the stock exchange this year, the Financieele Dagblad reports. 'Financial world sources' have told the paper that preparations are not advanced enough for a pre-Christmas flotation. More...
More minorities take degrees
Approximatelyy 6% of school leavers with an ethnic minority background started a degree course at college or university last year, compared to 10.5% of the native Dutch, according to research by IMES. More...
Prisoners not always who they say they are
Around seven percent of people in jail are not who they say they are, according to a spot check of 700 prisoners carried out by the Ministry of Justice. The lack of photo checks on prisoners means it's easy to pay someone else to serve a sentence. MPs have demanded an explanation.
CDA support down among minorities
Support for the Christian Democrats amongst non-western immigrants has fallen by 25% – with just 7% still prepared to vote for the CDA, according to the latest poll on minority voting habits from Foquz. More...
Bos wants language lessons for parents
Labour (PvdA) leader Wouter Bos has said that parents of children with poor? Dutch should also be forced to go to language lessons. This way, immigrant families would be able to integrate better into the community, Bos said at a party election meeting in Rotterdam last night.
Plants clean up heavy metal pollution
Scientists at Wageningen University have succeeded in isolating a vital gene in the plant, Alpine Pennycress (Thlaspi caerulescens), which absorbs heavy metals and stores them in its leaves. More...
Autonomy for former colonies
The Antillian islands of Curacao and Sint Maarten are to become autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The decision was reached after two days of talks between the Antillian and Dutch governments. More...
Mortgage tax relief out of favour
Some 80% of the 170,000 people who took part in the 21minuten internet poll back scrapping mortgage tax relief for new mortgages, the Volkskrant reports this morning. The poll has been running for six weeks. More...
Horse rescue efforts resume today
Efforts to rescue some 100 horses stranded in the middle of flood water since Wednesday's storm will continue today. With the water receeding slightly, the emergency services hope to encourage the animals to walk through the water to the sea dyke. More...
Thursday 02 November 2006
Horse rescue efforts continue in Friesland
Efforts to rescue around 100 horses, stranded in the middle of floodwater after Wednesday’s early morning storm, continued today under the full gaze of the media. More...
Ads and promos boost Unilever sales
Anglo-Dutch consumer goods group Unilever increased its third quarter by 2% to €10.1bn. The company said increased investment in advertising and promotions had helped keep sales on the level. More...
Ahold sales rise slightly
Supermarket group Ahold saw sales rise by just 0.7% in the third quarter of this year due to ongoing disappointing returns on its US activities. Sales rose to €10.3bn. More...
Doctors make fewer house calls
Doctors in the Netherlands make increasingly fewer house calls, according to health service research body Nivel. In 1987, one in six contacts between a doctor and patient was a house visit; now that figure is one in 11. In particular, the total number of home visits made to patients under 14 years of age has fallen from 53% to 18%.
One third of voters still undecided
One third of those eligible to vote in this month’s general election still don’t know who to vote for, according to a poll of 200,000 households by communications specialists Cendris. A large proportion - including 25% of GroenLinks voters - are also planning to change allegiance, Cendris said.
TomTom loses SatNav court case
Car navigation system specialist TomTom has lost the first round of its Dutch court battle with US rival Garmin. A judge in The Hague rejected TomTom’s demand that Garmin stop selling six GPS navigation systems. More...
One third of electorate is a floating voter
Around one third of the Dutch nationals eligible to vote in this month’s general election still don’t know who to vote for, according to a poll of 200,000 households by communications specialists Cendris. More...
Illegals are rarely ex-refugees
Only one in 10 of the estimated 75,000-185,000 illegal immigrants in the Netherlands is an unsuccessful asylum seeker, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice.
Manifestos green sums get checked
The government's environmental policy unit, MNP, is to calculate what effects the main political parties' policies will have on carbon dioxide emmissions and global warming. Last week, MNP published its assessment of the economic effects.
Crèche costs set to rise
The fees for pre-school crèche places are set to rise by up to 10% next year, according to calculations by parent group Boink. The increase is due to changes in opening hours – many crèches are now opening longer and taking fewer holidays. The raw cost of créche place is around €5.70 an hour.
We want to pay more tax, say BNers
Fashion designer Aziz, footballer Khalid Boularouz and writer Geert Mak are among a group of 16 wealthy notables who have written to De Volkskrant to say they are willing to pay more tax. More...
Selected students beat lottery winners
Only 6% of students who have gone through a selection process to study medicine at a Dutch university drop out, compared with 15% of those who won a place by lottery, De Telegraaf reports. Selected students also finish their degrees more quickly.
Rich get richer in Quote 500
The Netherlands' richest families have seen their assets grow by 10% this year, according to the latest calculations by business magazine Quote. The annual Quote 500 rich list - including 15 billionaires - was unveiled last night. Quote calculates the top 500 have assets totalling €121,515 bn. More...
Wednesday 01 November 2006
VVD leader under fire as polls disappoint
Mark Rutte, leader of the free-market Liberal party (VVD), is coming under increasing pressure because of the party’s poor performance in the opinion polls, Dutch media report today. In particular, Rutte’s appearance in Sunday’s pre-election radio debate between the main party leaders has come in for criticism. More...
Groningen battered by storm-force winds
The storm – which battered the north of the country with winds of up to 115 km per hour in the early hours of this morning – had died down by afternoon, although there were still warnings of severe gusts continuing in coastal areas. More...
Interest in Kluwer school books
Northern newspaper group NDC/VBK is interested in buying the educational books publishing arm of Wolters Kluwer, Het Financieele Dagblad reports. Publishing house PCM Uitgevers is also reportedly interested in selling off its educational division.
Boost for internet payment system
The major Dutch banks – ING, ABN Amro and Rabobank – have turned over ownership of their iDeal online payment system to Currence, the company which operates the Pin and Chipknip direct debit systems. More...
Holleeder on hunger strike
Alleged crime boss, Willem Holleeder, one of the men convicted of kidnapping beer magnate Freddy Heineken in 1983, has gone on hunger strike in protest at being separated from his lawyers by a glass wall, De Telegraaf reports. More...
Homo sapiens non in ventum urinat
A man relieving himself against a tree on the Singel in Amsterdam during last night's storm was knocked over by a falling tree and fell into the canal, according to news site Nu.nl. The man managed to swim to the side and climb out. The tree also damaged two cars.
PSV progress early in Champions League
PSV is through to the second round of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Turkey's Galatasaray. The victory gave the Eindhoven club 10 points from four games. It's the first time a Dutch club has qualified so early in the season.
Minister acts on Schiphol fire misinformation
Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin is to replace the senior civil servant responsible for misinforming him about the Schiphol detention centre fire, sources have told the Volkskrant. The director of the complex has also offered his resignation. The minister had told MPs the centre's director was not aware of a 2003 report warning of the dangers of fire.
Holland has 40 problem neighbourhoods
The Netherlands has around 40 problem neighbourhoods where racial tension and unemployment rates are high, Minister of Spatial Planning Pieter Winsemius says in an interview in today's Volkskrant. The next cabinet will have to spend billions of euros on building new homes and improving the local environment as a matter of extreme urgency, he went on to say.
More flood plains needed, says report
The Netherlands needs more areas which can be deliberately flooded at times of high flood risk, according to a report drawn up by five of the country's largest nature protection groups. More...
Brussels sinks cable competition plan
A parliamentary plan to boost competition in the cable market by forcing cable operators to give competitors access to their networks has been shot down by the European Commission. More...
Anonymous job applications not needed
Calls for job applications to be made anonymous in order to boost the chances of ethnic minority candidates are unnecessary, Economic Affairs Minister Joop Wijn said today. More...
Feelings of job security increase
People are considerably less worried about losing their jobs now than they were a year ago, according to the latest Randstad survey. The WerkMonitor report showed that 9% of the 1,000 people polled had changed jobs over the past six months, with young people working in business services the most likely job-hoppers.
Storm-force gales batter the north
Winds gusting at up to 100 km per hour battered the north of the country overnight. In the Wadden Sea the storm was expected to reach force 10. Heavy rain also covered much of the country. More...
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