Friday 30 March 2007

Marines say they lied about shooting (update)
Two Dutch marines say they made false statements about the actions of a Dutch sergeant major who was accused of shooting dead an Iraqi civilian in 2003 while taking part in the Dutch peace-keeping mission in Iraq. More...

Refugees leave centre after fights with far right (update)
Three families have been moved from an asylum seekers’ centre in Winschoten in the north of the country after trouble between refugee youngsters and a gang of local youths. The asylum seekers’ housing body COA and police apparently recommended the move for the families’ own safety, ANP reported. More...

DNA data bank made 50 ids a week
The DNA databank operated by the Dutch Forensic Institute managed to identify 3,000 people in connection with crimes last year, according to the databank's annual report.

Fishmongers warned to wait for herring
Fishmongers who sell herring described as ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’ before the official start of the season face a fine of up to €11,250, the Dutch Fish Board said on Friday. The new herring season begins on June 6. DNA databank More...

Police officers face prosecution over riot
Four police officers and six members of the public are to be prosecuted for their role in violent disturbances following an outdoor concert in the village of Pijnacker last May, ANP reports. More...

Van Agt attacks silence on Iraq
The new cabinet is 'muzzling' parliament with its decision to block an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dutch involvement in the Iraq war, former prime minister Dries van Agt told a radio show on Friday. More...

March was warm and sunny
With an average temperature of 7.9 degrees, this March was the seventh warmest March since 1901, says weather bureau KNMI. The sun shone for an average 180 hours, which was very high, but rainfall at 70 ml was normal, the KNMI adds.

Internet telephony use triples
The number of people using internet-based telephony almost tripled last year to 1.8 million, according to research by Telecompaper. KPN was market leader with 500,000 people using VOIP telephony by the end of last year – compared with just 15,000 at the end of 2005. More...

Police withdraw support for citizens patrol
Utrecht police have withdrawn their support for citizens' patrols in the neighbourhood of Ondiep where a police shooting two weeks ago triggered several days of disturbances. After talks with locals in the largely white area on Thursday evening, police said that maintaining security was a job for them – not ordinary civilians. More...

Far-right gang forces refugees to flee
Three families have been forced to flee from an asylum seekers' centre in Winschoten in the north of the country after trouble with a gang of far-right youths. The asylum seekers' housing body COA and police recommended the move for the families' own safety, ANP reported. More...

Swimming silver for Marleen Veldhuis
Marleen Veldhuis has taken the silver medal in the 100 metres freestyle at the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne in a time of 53.70. The gold went to Australia's Lisbeth Lenton in 53.30. More...

Buhrmann US chief to leave
Office supplies group Buhrmann has lost the top executive of its US operations, Mark Hoffman. The company made the announcement on Friday saying the departure was a joint decision. More...

Sports car maker Spyker books first profit
Sports car maker Spyker made a net profit of €800,000 last year, the first in the company's history. The company made a loss of €2m in 2005. Not only did Spyker sell more cars, but it also benefited from its new interest in a Formula 1 racing team. Spyker sold 74 cars last year for a total of €16.4m and had orders pending for 327.

ING not looking for major partner
The Netherlands' second biggest bank, ING, is not looking for a major partner as Dutch newspapers have suggested, CEO Michel Tilmant has told French reporters. More...

Mist causes travel chaos in the east (UPDATE)
Thick mist has caused chaos on the roads this morning, particularly in the east of the country where the A1 motorway by Hengelo is now closed in both directions following two accidents. More...

Bus drivers strike in Nijmegen
Bus drivers in Nijmegen are to go on strike again on Friday in support of more socially-acceptable work rosters and paid breaks. The 150 drivers of the Nijmegen bus company Novio have been taking industrial action throughout the week. Management is considering taking legal action to ban the strike.

Gas bills to rise 4 euros a year
Gas bills will go up by an average of €4 a year from 2010 as a result of major investments to the country’s gas transport infrastructure. The investments – which could be as high as €1.8bn – are needed because the Netherlands’ own natural gas reserves are shrinking making it necessary to increase imports.

False statements made over Iraqi shooting
Two Dutch marines say they made false statements about the actions of a Dutch sergeant major who was accused of shooting dead an Iraqi civilian in 2003 while they taking part in the Dutch peace-keeping mission in Iraq. More...

A1 direction Enschede closed
The A1 motorway in the direction of Enschede is expected to remain close until at least 9.30 this morning following an accident. One person was killed and nine injured when two lorries, two mini-vans and a car were involved in the accident in thick mist this morning, police said.

Thursday 29 March 2007

Monkey puzzle about Emmen baboons
The bizarre behaviour of the baboons in Emmen zoo has come in for a lot of media attention over the past few days, with the Volkskrant and Parool both carrying pictures of the troubled tribe. More...

AFM’s new powers up market controls
The financial services watchdog AFM has begun 104 investigations into possible financial market abuse since new laws giving the AFM more powers were introduced in October 2005. Some 85% of cases involved insider trading; the rest attempts to manipulate the financial markets, the AFM said. More...

Minister slams quality of integration courses
Compulsory integration courses which most non-EU residents have to go through to qualify for a residency permit are well below standard and fail to achieve their purpose, integration minister Ella Vogelaar told MPs on Thursday. More...

MPs question UN Lebanon mission
MPs from across the political spectrum have asked foreign minister Maxime Verhagen to report on what steps Lebanon is taking to disarm Hezbollah fighters. The Netherlands has supplied one frigate to the UN’s mission to Lebanon (UNIFIL) which is supposed to help the authorities disarm Hezbollah. More...

Stay out of Second Life, says young CDA
The youth wing of the Christian Democratic party has called for a ban on government institutions setting up operations in virtual world, Second Life. ‘It is an unhealthy, commercial hype’ and waste of taxpayers' money, the organisation said. More...

Fifteen years for killing stepdaughter's friend
A 41-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail and psychiatric prison for the kidnap, rape and killing of 15-year-old Melanie Sijbers last year. Peter Hesen admitted killing the girl, who was a friend of his step-daughter, and burying her body in woods. More...

Fakes goods seized at Schiphol
Customs officials at Schiphol airport seized 83,000 fake branded goods last year, compared with 56,000 in 2005. Passengers from Singapore, Hong Kong and Turkey were the most likely to be carrying fake goods. Illegally-copied CDs and DVDs topped the list.

Frisians have no ambition, says report
Only 1% of Frisian parents think it important their children achieve something in society, according to research by consultancy SGBO. Researchers say being unemployed and unsuccessful are regarded as normal in the northern province. More...

TV dates are computer-generated
The potential dates featured on RTL's late-night TV lonely hearts shows are ficticious and viewers' text messages answered by computer, the Volkskrant reported today. Socialist MP Jan de Wit has demanded justice minister Ernst Hirsh Ballin look into the 'scam'.

No 100m medal for van den Hoogenband
Olympic champion and world record holder Pieter van den Hoogenband finished in sixth place in the 100 metres free style final at the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne on Thursday. More...

Lucky win for Holland against Slovenia
The Dutch national soccer team moved a step closer to qualification for next year's European Championship, after nicking a 1-0 away victory against Slovenia on Wednesday evening. More...

Pension funds should not sell insurance
Pension giants ABP and PGGM should not be allowed to sell financial products such as sabbatical insurance, two senior academics have told the finance ministry in a formal recommendation, the Financieele Dagblad reports. The previous government had asked for the advice.

Socialists treated 'scandalously', says leader
The Socialist Party has been treated 'scandalously' in talks to form governments in the 12 Dutch provinces, says leader Jan Marijnissen. The party, which tripled its share of the vote in some areas, is likely to be excluded from all the provincial coalitions. More...

Healthcare insurance war costs €600m
Holland's health insurers lost a combined €600m on their health insurance policies last year, according to calculations from the Dutch central bank. Most of the losses - €564.9m - were booked on the basic health insurance package. This is well above earlier forecasts. Top-up policies generated a loss of €31m. More...

Wednesday 28 March 2007

Corporate social responsibility on agenda
The new cabinet is to ask its social and economic policy advisory unit SER to make a string of recommendations on boosting corporate social responsibility. More...

Confession and arrest in Sévèke murder
A 38-year-old man from Rotterdam has confessed to the murder 18 months ago of left-wing activist Louis Sévèke, public prosecutor Remco van Tooren told a news conference in Nijmegen on Wednesday afternoon. The man was arrested in an internet café in Barcelona on March 16 and extradited to the Netherlands, van Tooren said. More...

The Netherlands slips in corporate growth
The Netherlands has fallen from 20th to 22nd place on the Grant Thorton Super Growth Index, which ranks corporate growth on a country by country basis. The US leads the list for the third year, followed by new entrant Armenia. Russia, the Philippines, Argentina and Italy were all strong risers

Minister to wait and see on nuclear power
Environment minister Jacqueline Cramer has told MPs that she will wait until the government’s economic policy unit SER publishes its recommendations on energy provision and the environment before definitively ruling out nuclear power. More...

Some 2% can't pay their bills say baliffs
Some 2% of Dutch households have serious problems paying their bills, according to research by bailiffs firm GGN. Some 25% blame a reduction in household income, 20% blame something unexpected, 14% blame the economy and 9% personal spending patterns.

Dole claimants face random home visits
Social security claimants will face spot checks at home even if they are not suspected of fraud, junior social affairs minister Ahmed Aboutaleb told MPs on Wednesday. Aboutaleb said he planned to amend the law if judges ruled such visits were unlawful. More...

ABN Amro says no split-up demand
ABN Amro, the Netherlands largest bank, has rejected the call by UK hedge fund TCI to split up and sell off parts of its operations. In agenda notes for its 26 April shareholders meeting, the Dutch bank also said it was looking at other alternatives, including continuing in its current form, if the proposed merger with UK bank Barclays fails.

Bank customers fall for email con trick
Some 200 ABN Amro banking customers have fallen for an internet con trick by opening an attachment purporting to come from the bank which then infects their system with a virus. ABN Amro said as far as it could tell, no personal details had been discovered, but it had reported the matter to the police.

Arrest made in 18-month old murder case
Police have arrested one person in connection with the murder of activist Louis Sévèke in Nijmegen almost 18 months ago, BNR radio reported on Wednesday. Sévèke was shot dead in the street by unknown gunmen. The police investigation has repeatedly drawn blanks.

TNT to take over call centre group
TNT Post is taking over the call centre company Cendris BSC by buying out joint owner Essent Retail's 49% stake. Financial details were not disclosed. Cendris BSC has nine operations in the Netherlands and one in Germany, with a total workforce of 3,400.

Prince Bernhard changed his will
Prince Bernhard, father of queen Beatrix who died in 2004, altered his will just six days before his death, news agency GPD reported on Wednesday. Beatrix, her three sisters, and Bernhard's two illegitimate daughters Alicia and Alexia were all given equal shares in his inheritance, GPD says. More...

MPs back ban on hallucinogenic mushrooms
A majority of MPs would back a total ban on the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms, following the death of a 17-year-old French tourist last week. The sale of dried mushrooms is banned but fresh ones are widely available in so-called 'smart shops'. More...

Tuesday 27 March 2007

John de Mol buys into Telegraaf
Media tycoon John de Mol’s Cyrte Investments is building up a stake in the Telegraaf Media Groep (TMG), a spokesman told the Financieele Dagblad on Tuesday. He declined to say how big the stake was: stakes have to be made public from 5%.

Rhine closure hits Dutch barge owners
The Dutch inland shipping sector says the closure of the Rhine by Cologne – after a German barge lost 31 containers – is costing shippers hundreds of millions of euros. So far, 100 barges are waiting to travel upstream; most of which are Dutch. Delivery delays have to be largely paid by shippers themselves.

Witnesses to Utrecht police shooting wanted
Police in Utrecht have appealed for witnesses to the shooting of a 54-year-old man by a police officer earlier this month to come forward. The shooting sparked several days of rioting in the Ondiep neighbourhood of the city and led to the area being sealed off for several days. More...

Ministry to appeal over hashish tax break
The finance ministry is to appeal against an Arnhem Court ruling in which judges said a convicted hashish smuggler could deduct the cost of his ‘goods’ from tax – a total of €1.5m, a spokesman confirmed on Tuesday. More...

Endstra murder trial in open court
Amsterdam Court has ruled that the forthcoming trial of three men accused of murdering property magnate Willem Endstra will be open to the public. The public prosecution department had wanted a closed court, because of the ‘sensitivity’ of the ongoing investigation.

Who will get the 'black widow's legacy?
The NRC Handelsblad yesterday asked the question: what would happen to the archives kept by Florentine Rost van Tonningen, the ‘black widow’ of the notorious World War II collaborator? More...

Tenerife air crash victims remembered
Thirty years after a KLM and PanAm aircraft collided on a Tenerife runway – killing 583 people – friends and family have been gathering on the island to remember the victims. Everyone on board the KLM plane was killed, 61 PanAm passengers survived.

Open borders to all EU workers say employers
Employers organisation VNO-NCW has called on parliament to open the Netherlands’ borders fully to workers from the new EU states. Waiting any longer will only damage the economy, the organisation said. More...

Silver for swimmer van den Hoogenband
Pieter van den Hoogenband, 29, took the silver medal in the 200 metres freestyle at the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne. The three times Olympic champion, lost to defending champion Michael Phelps. Phelps won in a new world record time of 1.43.86. Van den Hoogenband hit 1.46.28.

Financial firms sign record alliances
The number of alliances involving Dutch financial companies has shot up in recent years, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Eindhoven University of Technology. Last year, Dutch banks and insurers were involved in 121 alliances, compared with 80 in 2005 and just five in 1996. More...

Walking aids out of health insurance
Crutches, zimmer frames and rollators should no longer be covered in the basic health insurance package, the health insurance board CVZ says in its latest recommendations on health coverage. In addition, sleeping pills and medicine for people suffering from anxiety should only be covered for patients with chronic problems, the CVZ says. More...

New tax cuts on the way, says minister
Corporate and income tax could be cut in two years time, junior finance minister Jan Kees de Jager says in an interview with today's Financieele Dagblad. 'From 2009, my ambition is to further reduce the taxes on labour and profits,' de Jager said. The tax cuts will be paid for by increasing the taxes on pollution. More...

Monday 26 March 2007

Africa needs western troops, says army chief
Western countries should also send peacekeeping troops to Africa – particularly specialised units – says Dutch major general Patrick Cammaert in today’s Volkskrant. Cammaert is commanding officer for the United Nation’s MONUC peace mission in Congo. More...

Be realistic about work, teenagers told
Parents, teachers and industry must play a far more active role in encouraging pupils at vocational schools to be realistic about the labour market and take more care in their choice of subjects, according to the government’s taskforce on youth unemployment. More...

MPs not misinformed on Iraq, says ministry
The foreign affairs ministry said on Monday that parliament had been properly informed about the Dutch decision to support the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. More...

EU lax on refugees, says former PM
The EU has done too little to prevent climate change and create a joint immigration and asylum policy, former Dutch prime minister Ruud Lubbers said in a speech to church groups on Sunday. More...

One million tenants get rent subsidies
Some 30% of all tenants – around one million people – received help with paying their rent last year, says national statistics office CBS. In total, the state paid out €1.8bn in rent subsidies, an average of €150 per person per month.

State to pay crime victims compensation
Victims of sex and violent crimes will soon no longer have to wait for the guilty party to pay damages but will instead be able to claim the cash from the government, justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin announced on Monday. The government will then reclaim the money.

Family main obstacle to organ donation
Almost 60% of people who are asked to donate the organs of a dead family member refuse, according to figures from Dutch transplant foundation NTS. ‘That is a lot,’ said the NTS spokesperson Bernadette Haase in today’s Volkskrant. More...

Apax PCM sale completed says foundation
The sale of Apax’s 47.5% stake in publishing group PCM to the Democracy and Media foundation has been completed, a spokesman for the foundation said on Monday. Apax has received €100.7m for its interest, the spokesman said. More...

Wolters Kluwer completes school book sale
Wolters Kluwer has completed the sale of its educational book division to British investment house Bridgepoint Capital for €774m. The division is active in seven countries; its Dutch arm Wolters Noordhoff includes the Bosatlas series in its portfolio.

Vegetable harvest reaches 3.1 billion kilos
The Dutch vegetable harvest totalled 3.1 billion kilos last year – of which 1.5 billion kilos was grown under glass. The harvest included 500 million kilos of carrots, 225 million kilos of mushrooms, 675 million kilos of tomatoes and 311 million kilos of cabbages.

Nazi supporter and 'black widow' dies
Florrie Rost van Tonningen, the wife of one of the most prominent Dutch collaborators during World War II, has died in Belgium at the age of 92. Rost van Tonningen earned herself the nickname 'the black widow' for her adherence to Nazi and white supremacist ideology long after the war was over. More...

TCI threatens ABN Amro with legal action
Hedge fund TCI is threatening to take ABN Amro to court if it refuses to be open to merging with a bank other than Barclays, a spokesman for the fund told the Financieele Dagblad. ABN Amro and Barclays began exclusive talks last week. More...

Dutch army chief: 'western troops to Africa'
Western countries should also send peacekeeping soldiers to Africa, particularly specialised units, says Dutch major general Patrick Cammaert in today's Volkskrant. Cammaert is commanding officer for the United Nation's Monuc peace mission in Congo. More...

Dutch disappoint in draw against Romania
Dutch coach Marco van Basten has kicked two players out of his squad after Holland's disappointing home 0-0 draw against Romania in Rotterdam on Saturday evening. More...

Friday 23 March 2007

Bus privatisation too hasty, says report
The process for putting public transport services out to tender needs to be completely overhauled, according to an independent commission which looked into the chaos surrounding bus privatisation in Noord-Brabant. More...

Afsluitdijk closed direction Friesland
The Afsluitdijk, which runs from the top of Noord Holland to Friesland, has been closed in the northerly direction after a ship hit the dyke by the Kornwerderzand sluice gates. Drivers are recommended to take the Enkhuizen-Lelystad dyke instead.

Consumers 'too greedy', says ombudsman
Consumers are often too greedy when it comes to buying financial products and don’t take the care they would with, say, investing in a new bathroom, said insurance sector ombudsman Jan Wolter Wabeke in his annual report. More...

Holland popular with Iraqi refugees
The Netherlands was the second most popular place in Europe for would-be Iraqi refugees last year, according to UNHCR figures. Some 2,800 Iraqis requested asylum in the Netherlands, while 9,000 opted for Sweden. In total, asylum requests from Iraqis rose 77% last year.

Dutchman kidnapped in Nigeria
Gunmen in speed boats have kidnapped a Dutch security manager for a German construction company in Nigeria’s oil city of Port Harcourt. The attackers invaded the construction yard of Bilfinger Berger at dawn, engaged guards in a shoot-out and abducted the man when he went to investigate what was happening, reports say.

Economic confidence still very high
Dutch consumer confidence in the economy was unchanged in March, compared with February, but employers were slightly less optimistic, says the national statistics office CBS. Despite almost a full percentage drop in employer confidence, the figure was still very high, the CBS said

Dutch consumers focus on quality and price
Dutch consumers are more concerned about price and quality than how green or how ethically-produced a product is compared with other Europeans, according to Readers Digest research. The organisation concludes that the Dutch are the 'picture of the sober consumer'. More...

Dutch cricketers beat Scotland
The Dutch cricket team achieved its World Cup objectives on Thursday evening with an easy, eight-wicket win over Scotland on the Caribbean island of St Kitts. Regular captain Luuk van Troost had dropped himself on lack of form after Oranje was thrashed by Australia and South Africa.

Van Lanschot Bankiers profit rises 21%
Van Lanschot Bankiers, which focuses on wealthy private clients, booked a 21% increase in net profit last year. Earnings reached €184.5m, above analysts expectations. Total turnover was up 10% to €534.3m.

Rabobank to sell Alex, says FD
Rabobank is to sell its internet-based stock broker Alex, the Financieele Dagblad claims on Friday. Sources have told the paper that Alex is no longer seen as a core activity and has limited growth potential within the bank. More...

Wolters Kluwer has school book buyer
Publishing group Wolters Kluwer is to sell its school book arm to investment group Bridgepoint Capital for more than €750m, the company confirmed on Friday.Wolters Kluwer put the unit, which includes Bosatlas publisher Wolters-Noordhoff, up for sale earlier this month. More...

Seventh grandchild for princess Margriet
Princess Aimée, wife of prince Floris, is pregnant, the state information service has announced. Floris is the youngest son of queen Beatrix’s sister Margriet. The baby, the couple’s first child, is due in October and will be Margriet’s seventh grandchild.

Bot tipped for top OSCE minorities job
Former Dutch foreign minister Ben Bot has reportedly been nominated by the government as High Commissioner for National Minorities at the OSCE – the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Bot is said to be one of five candidates for the human rights job.

Weapons amnesty after school stabbings
A trial weapons amnesty is being planned for five areas, including The Hague, the Ministry of Justice confirmed on Friday. The news coincides with a spate of violent incidents at schools. More...

Thursday 22 March 2007

Dutch pupils create 'most magical' square
Three Dutch secondary school pupils have created the ‘most magical magic square in 5,000 years’, according to maths experts from Radboud University in Nijmegen. Jess Hoekstra and Willem Schilte, both 17, and Petra Alkema, 15, created the 12x12 square during a masterclass last year. More...

Quickie divorce likely to stay
A majority of MPs are set to thwart cabinet plans to stop 'quickie divorces', which were part of the new coalition agreement. Labour (PvdA) MPs are set to side with the opposition to prevent justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin stopping the procedure. More...

Health minister wants end to happy hours
Health minister Ab Klink wants immediate action on bar and café 'happy hours' after researchers from the University of Twente showed young teenagers were keen to take advantage of the cheaper drinks on offer. More...

Broadband internet more popular
One in seven Dutch households had a broadband internet connection at the end of 2006 – and there are now over five million broadband connections in the Netherlands, according to research by Telecompaper. . More...

MPs back cabinet on European strategy
The cabinet’s plan to restart talks on a new European treaty – and strategy of emphasising the difference between national and European issues – received broad support in parliament on Wednesday evening. Only a handful of MPs were opposed to it. More...

Rotterdam heads problem area list
Rotterdam has seven neighbourhoods on urban renewal minister Ella Vogelaar's list of 40 'problem areas', published today. Amsterdam is next on the hit list, with five. Vogelaar said she wanted to build up an 'intensive relationship' with the areas. For the full list, continue reading. More...

Ahold sales rose 2% in 2006
Supermarket group Ahold booked turnover of €44.9bn in 2006, an increase of 2% year-on-year. Net profit totaled €915m. Ahold, which owns the Albert Heijn chain, also said on Thursday it planned to increase its share buy-back programme by €1bn to €3bn.

Swimmers ‘count on’ four world cup medals
The Dutch squad at the World Cup swimming championships in Melbourne have great hope of bringing home four medals from the event, coach Jacco Verhaeren told reporters on Thursday evening. ‘Four medals and it will have been a successful championships,’ he said. More...

Windproof umbrella wins top design award
The windproof umbrella designed by three former students from Delft University of Technology, has been given this year's Red Dot award; a prize given for innovative design. In total, 2,548 products were nominated. More...

ABN Amro advice bill to hit €600m
Financial advisers and lawyers estimate the total bill from the seven investment banks and four law firms advising ABN Amro and Barclays on their merger will hit €600m, reports the Volkskrant. ‘Banks start from 1% of the bid,’ Henk Schenk told the paper. More...

Christian Democrat MP biggest earner
CDA MP Jules Kortenhorst earns €60,000 a year by working for UK cosmetics firm, Cosi, on top of his €86,000 MP’s wage. This makes him the best paid member of parliament, according to the register of members’ outside interests. MPs have to hand in half of all earnings over €13,000.

ING confirms strategy review (update)
ING has brought in advisers to work on a strategic reorientation, including finding new partners in the Benelux, the banking and insurance group confirmed to ANP. The bank was responding to a report in today's Financieele Dagblad, which said Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan experts were involved. More...

ING on Benelux merger trail
Banking and insurance group ING has brought in advisors from Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan to work on a strategic reorientation, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Thursday. The paper says one option includes finding new partners in the Benelux. More...

Ondiep rioter jailed for 10 weeks
A magistrate in Utrecht has sentenced a 40-year-old man to 10 weeks in jail for his role in the riots in the Ondiep neighbourhood last week. The magistrate said there was proof the man had thrown a stone at police during the disturbances. More...

Wednesday 21 March 2007

Did Dolly Parton mime in her Dutch show?
A number of Dolly Parton fans have demanded their money back following suggestions that part of Sunday’s concert in Zwolle was mimed, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. The paper’s own reviewer had started the debate by asking why the sound during the show was so ‘crystal clear’ when she sang, but not when she was telling a story to her huge audience. More...

ABN Amro Barclays: what to divest?
With the takeover of ABN Amro by Barclays out in the open, analysts are now speculating on what parts of the combined bank would be sold off to raise cash for shareholders – if the deal goes through. More...

Sexual intimidation, bullying rife in police
One third of female police officers and 13% of men have had to contend with sexual harassment over the past two years, according to research by the Rutgers Nisso group. More...

Police computer to check coffeeshops
The 16 hashish-selling coffeeshops in Maastricht are to introduce a new biometric control system to stop minors entering the premises – and customers buying more than the permitted five grammes of soft drugs a day, ANP reports. More...

Univar increases offer for Chemcentral
Chemicals distributor Univar has increased its bid for America's Chemcentral to $650m, following a $700m bid from German rival Brenntag. Univar had previously reached a preliminary deal on a $600m offer. More...

TBS murder family to claim damages
The family of 44-year-old Edith Arends, allegedly shot dead in Enschede by a psychiatric patient on home leave, are demanding damages from the clinic where the man was being treated. More...

Is Wilder's wife a dual national?
D66 leader Alexander Pechtold has asked anti-immigration campaigner Geert Wilders to say whether his own wife, who is Hungarian by birth, holds two passports. More...

Higher tax on polluting cars
Junior finance minister Jan Kees de Jager plans to increase the tax on highly-polluting new cars, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday. At the moment, the difference in car tax between the most energy efficient types and most polluting vehicles is €1,500. More...

Hema stores up for sale
Maxeda, the owner of retail chains Hema, Bijenkorf, V&D and Praxis, has put the 80-year-old Hema group up for sale. The divestment is expected to be completed before the summer. More...

Dutch gambling under EU fire (update)
The European Commission is to continue its investigation into the Dutch gambling monopolies held by De Lotto and Holland Casino and has sent a second letter to the government asking for further information. More...

ABN Amro Barclays HQ in Amsterdam
A European banking combine made up of ABN Amro and Barclays would be headquartered in Amsterdam with a single-tiered board, both sides in the negotiations said on Tuesday evening. The holding company would be a PLC, incorporated in the UK, with a primary listing on the London stock exchange and secondary listing in Amsterdam. More...

Tuesday 20 March 2007

Spending power up 1.75%
Household spending power is set to rise by 1.75% this year, half a percentage point higher than earlier estimates, says the economic policy unit CPB in an update. Unemployment is also set to fall to 4% next year, the CPB said.

Kosovo family may not be deported
Den Bosch Court has ruled that the Netherlands may not deport a family back to Kosovo because they could be in danger, owing to the mixed race marriage between a Slavic Muslim and a Serbian. More...

Judge universities on inventions, says AWT
Universities should not only be judged on the quality of their research and teaching, but on the way they exploit that expertise, such as by bringing inventions onto the market, says the government's scientific policy council AWT. More...

ABN Amro talks ‘encouraging’ says TCI
The takeover talks between ABN Amro and Barclays bank are ‘encouraging’, hedge fund TCI, which called on the Dutch bank to split up last month, is reported as saying by the financial press. More...

Dutch 'least concerned' about farm animals
The Dutch are the least concerned about the welfare of farm animals in a poll of seven European countries: while 84% of Norwegians and 87% of Italians said the health of farm animals was of concern, only 69% of the Dutch considered it to be an issue. The chicken sector was top of the list of worries.

Rock concert warned on blasphemy
The local council of Rijssen Holten is to monitor lyrics at the Els Rock metal festival – which talks place in the staunchly religious town in August – to make sure nothing blasphemous is said. Mayor Bort Koelewijn says he will take the organisers to court if unacceptable language is used.

No change on smoking and drinking
The percentage of smokers and drinkers in the Dutch adult population was unchanged last year, says the national statistics office CBS. Around 46% of the population is still overweight, 30% smoke, and 11% are heavy drinkers compared with 2005. But 20% of the population is teetotal.

Complaints about government on the rise
The number of complaints to the National Ombudsman about government services rose almost 25% last year. Over 40,000 complaints were made in total. In particular, changes in the tax office, plus the rent and health insurance subsidy systems, generated significant numbers.

Underwear queen is top businesswoman
Lingerie designer Marlies Dekkers has been named 'Dutch Businesswoman of the Year'. Dekkers, 41, launched her own underwear collection in 1993. Her designs are now sold at 900 points of sale worldwide – including her own shops – and she has a predominantly female workforce of 125

Socialists kept off provincial councils
Despite gaining the strongest increase in support in the recent provincial elections, the Socialist Party is not included in coalition formation talks in six of the 12 regions. More...

Cabinet wary of European super state
A new European treaty should make a clear separation between national and European policy, and Brussels should avoid trying to regulate national issues such as social security provision and public services, foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen and European affairs minister Frans Timmermans told MPs on Monday. More...

Pension funds open on investments
Four of the Netherlands biggest pension funds are to make their investments public after a tv programme at the weekend revealed millions of euros had been put into cluster bomb and land mine producers. More...

VVD leader under fire on passports
Former aid minister Agnes van Ardenne (CDA) has launched a strong attack on VVD leader Mark Rutte and former defence minister Henk Kamp for siding with the anti-immigration party PVV on dual nationality. More...

Monday 19 March 2007

ABN Amro confirms talks with Barclays
The Netherlands biggest bank, ABN Amro, confirmed on Monday evening that it was in exploratory talks with the UK's Barclays on a possible combination of the two organisations. More...

White knights queue up for ABN Amro (Update)
Not only British bank Barclays, but Spain’s BBVA and France’s BNP Paribas are interested in a merger or takeover involving The Netherlands’ biggest bank ABN Amro, the financial press reported on Monday. More...

Orphanages unused by deported children
Children who came to the Netherlands as unaccompanied refugees and have been deported back to Angola and Congo are not using places at two orphanages paid for by the Dutch state, the immigration service IND confirmed on Monday. More...

Prison population fell in 2006
The Dutch prison population reached 16,230 in October last year, compared with 17,600 in the same period in 2005. The prison population grew by 40% between 2000 and 2005, the national statistics office CBS said

One in 20 pupils drop out
One in three children attending the lowest level of vocational training dropped out of school without a diploma in the 2004/05 school year, says the national statistics office CBS. On average, one in 20 children drop out. More...

Unemployment highest in Flevoland
At 7.6%, the unemployment rate in Flevoland is now the highest in the country, after a sharp drop in joblessness in Groningen, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday. The province of Utrecht has the lowest unemployment rate. More...

Fewer children born and fewer mothers
Some 185,000 babies were born in the Netherlands last year – 20,000 fewer than in 2000 – according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. The CBS says the drop is due to the fact that far fewer girls were born in the 1970s. More...

National police squad investigates Ondiep
The national police force is taking over the investigation into events in the Utrecht neighbourhood of Ondiep. Around 150 people were arrested over three days of disturbances after a 54-year-old man was shot dead by police. Police have so far refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Univar outbid for Chemcentral
Univar’s takeover of US chemicals distribution company Chemcentral was thrown into doubt on Monday after German company Brenntag made a higher offer than the Rotterdam firm. Univar brought out a €600m binding offer for Chemcentral last week and signed a deal with the Americans. More...

Ajax books loss on European failures
Failure to qualify for the Champions League helped Amsterdam club Ajax to a €5.6m loss over the first half of its 2006/07 book year. In addition, income from sponsorship and television rights was also down, ANP reported. More...

TV companies Tien and RTL in talks
TV companies Tien and RTL Nederland have been in talks for some time about a possible alliance, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday. Tien (formerly Talpa), owned by John de Mol, is talking to a number of strategic partners, the spokesperson said.

Pension funds invest in weapons trade
The Netherlands' biggest pension funds invest in the arms trade – including companies producing cluster bombs and landmines – current affairs TV programme Zembla reported on Sunday evening. More...

Potential weapons seized at courts
Court officials seized over 27,000 objects which could have been used as offensive weapons and other banned items from visitors to the Netherlands' 25 courts last year, the AD reports. More...

Tax office staff on strike
Tax office staff went on strike on Monday in support of a 2.5% pay claim and extra cash to help pay for health insurance. The government has offered a 2% pay rise. Prison officers have also taken industrial action in support of the claim. Further strikes by tax officers are scheduled for next week.

Ajax thrash PSV 5-1
Ajax hammered PSV Eindhoven 5-1 in Sunday's top match, keeping their premier title hopes alive. The Amsterdammers took an early lead through Klaas Jan Huntelaar, a former PSV reject. More...

'ABN Amro and Barclays in merger talks'
Barclays has approached Holland's biggest bank ABN Amro about an 80 billion pound merger and the two are expected to announce this morning that they are in early stage talks, according to British newspaper The Independent on Monday. More...

Australian crush Dutch cricketers
Defending champions Australia crushed the Dutch cricket team by 229 runs on Sunday in their World Cup match on the Caribbean island of St Kitts. It was the third-largest winning margin in the World Cup's history. The Netherlands play their third and final match in the tournament against Scotland on Thursday.

Monument to murdered Van Gogh unveiled
Several hundred people gathered in Amsterdam's Oosterpark on Sunday for the unveiling of a 4.5-metre high stainless steel monument to the outspoken murdered film maker Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh was killed by a Muslim extremist close to the park in November 2004. More...

Sunday 18 March 2007

Smit port workers resume strike
Workers at Rotterdam port services company Smit resumed their strike over pay on Saturday. Union spokesman Cees Bos from the FNV union said it was not yet known how long the strike would continue. Smit workers went on strike for four days last week but were ordered back by the courts to deal with the backlog of work.

Arrests after far-right rally
Police in Rotterdam arrested 10 people after fighting broke out in the city centre following a far-right rally. Members of the extreme-right Nationale Alliantie held a demonstration in another part of the city centre on Saturday morning and police said they considered the two events were connected.

History made against Dutch cricket team
South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs made World Cup history on Friday by smashing six sixes from one over in South Africa's 221-run win against the Netherlands in St Kitts, the BBC reported. The feat had never before been achieved in a one-day international. The Netherlands play Australia on Sunday in their second group A match.

Friday 16 March 2007

No injuries following explosion in Amsterdam (update)
No one was injured in a fire that broke out following an explosion on the ninth floor of a building in Voorburgstraat in Amsterdam west on Friday afternoon. Local tv station AT5 reported that two students who live in the flat concerned were not home when the explosion ocurred.

Dutch criticise Galileo satellite delays
Dutch transport minister Camiel Eurlings is ‘extremely critical’ of the delays threatening Europe’s ambitious navigational communication satellite system Galileo which is being coordinated by the European Space Agency in Noordwijk. More...

ABN Amro under fire over risky investments
At least 12 people from the town of Hoensbroek are taking legal action against an ABN Amro investment advisor after losing millions of euros on high-risk put options. Lawyer Hendrik Jan Bos says the case rests on the fact that put options are risky and that this risk was never properly explained to investors.

Utrecht police welcome citizen patrols
Police in Utrecht said on Friday that they welcome an initiative by residents of the Ondiep neighbourhood to set up citizens' patrols to keep an eye on the area. 'We support participation by citizens,' a spokeswoman told ANP. More...

Emphasise EU benefits, cabinet urged
Unions and employers in the government's SER advisory council have urged the new cabinet to do all it can to increase support for the EU. More...

Ex-ministers find jobs
Hans Hoogervorst, health minister in the last government, is being tipped as the new chairman of the financial services watchdog AFM. And former environment minister Margreeth de Boer is to chair the advisory council of the government's environmental policy unit MNP. The council's job is to ensure the MNP's independence.

NIBC cancels IPO plans
Merchant bank NIBC has cancelled its plans for a bourse launch because of the difficult economic climate. More...

Dutch bosses welcome private equity
Some 60% of Dutch company chairmen are positive about the emergence of venture capitalists, while 30% see private equity as being too focused on short-term profits. More...

Customs cocaine seizures total 9,000 kg
Customs officers seized 9,000 kilograms of cocaine in 2006, said justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin. Around 3,200 kilos of this was taken from 1,410 airline passengers at Schiphol, 1,200 kgs was found in air cargo and 4,500 kgs in ships' cargo. . More...

Massive investment needed for fire safety
An investment of €880m is needed for fire safety measures at all government buildings, according to the initial results of an investigation by the government buildings’ service which has been leaked to RTL Nieuws. More...

Getronics 'no comment' on takeover by KPN
Getronics has declined to comment on reports in Friday's Telegraaf that it is being prepared for a takeover by telecoms group KPN. More...

Ballast Nedam more than doubles earnings
Construction group Ballast Nedam doubled its net profit to €44m last year, due to a sharp increase in turnover at its infrastructure unit and a tax windfall. More...

Dutch gov't to appeal Erkel ransom ruling
A Swiss court on Thursday rejected a claim by the Dutch government which had demanded that Medecins Sans Frontieres reimburses it with the €770,000 The Hague paid as a ransom for the return of one of the charity’s workers, Arjan Erkel. More...

Telegraaf net profit down in 2006
The Telegraaf Media Group booked a fall in net profit in 2006 year on higher turnover. Net profit decreased from €65.4m to €49.6m while turnover rose 6.5% to €784.5m. More...

Carbon monoxide poisoning at restaurant
A gas-powered dishwasher caused last night's incident in a Rotterdam tapas restaurant when 14 people, including six police officers, were taken to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. The concentration of the gas was six times the official limit, fire officers said on Friday.

Silent march for man shot by police
The silent march in memory of Rinie Mulder, the 54-year-old man shot dead by police in Utrecht on Sunday, passed off peacefully on Thursday evening. More...

AZ end Newcastle's European hopes
Alkmaar’s AZ played an impressive game against Newcastle United on Thursday night, beating the English team 2-0 to give them a place in the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup on away goals. AZ lost to Newcastle 4-2 just a week ago in the away match. More...

Thursday 15 March 2007

Equal pay a priority, says minister
Halving the pay differential between men and women is a top priority for culture and education minister Ronald Plasterk, who is also responsible for emancipation issues. More...

Going to work with a smile
Almost all (97%) of the Dutch go to work with pleasure, compared with 61% of the Belgians and 71% of the French, according to research on working conditions in the three countries by ZebraZone. More...

Smokers have less rights to transplant
Almost 50% of the Dutch think smokers have less rights to a lung transplant than non-smokers and 62% think 'good' people have more rights to a new organ than criminals, according to a TNS Nipo poll for magazine Quest. More...

Dutch adventurer to row across Pacific
Dutch adventurer Ralph Tuijn, who hopes to become the first person to row solo across the Pacific ocean at its widest point, set off on his 16,000 km journey from Peru on Wednesday. The trip to Brisbane, Australia, is expected to take between seven and nine months.

Randstad increases earnings forecast
Temporary employment agency Randstad has increased its 2007 profit forecast to 61 euro-cents a share in the first quarter, up from 53 cents. More...

Van der Moolen posts loss in 2006
Dutch stockbroker Van der Moolen booked a loss of €77.7m last year, due in part to one-off costs. Net profit excluding these one-off costs was €6.8m, compared to €22m in 2005, ANP reported. More...

Retailer Macintosh on takeover trail
Non-food retail group Macintosh which owns Halfords, Belcompany and Scapino, is on the look out for further takeover candidates this year. The group booked net profit of €46m last year on turnover up 28% at €914m.

Aegon takes over Rotterdam's Optas
Insurance company Aegon is taking over Rotterdam-based life insurer Optas for €100m. Aegon says the deal will strengthen its number two position on the Dutch collective pension market. Optas, which has €4.3bn in assets under management, focuses on port workers.

DSM expands in bullet-proof fibre
Chemicals company DSM is to expand its ultra-strong fibre activities with the takeover of Swiss company Pamako, part of the FMS Enterprises Migun group. More...

Oil and gas boost Boskalis profit
The world's biggest dredging group Boskalis booked record net profit in 2006, with earnings up 86% to €116.6m. Demand from the oil and gas industries was the main motor behind the increase. More...

€10m to combat radicalisation
The cabinet has set aside €10m to combat the radicalisation of young Muslims, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst told MPs on Wednesday. More...

Schiphol hit by customs officers strike
Customs officers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport are on a 24 hour strike until midnight on Thursday night in support of a 2.5% pay rise for civil servants. More...

Anti-gay marriage grows in Antilles
The former Dutch colonies of Saba and Sint Eustatius have joined the island of Bonaire in saying that they will not carry out gay weddings once the islands become officially classed as Dutch local authorities from December 2008. More...

Tough redundancy law won't help workers
Tough new rules on redundancy will lead to an increase in 'throwaway' workers - people on temporary contracts who can easily be dumped - social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner told MPs on Wednesday evening. More...

Australian children win 'sperm donor' case
Three Australian children who were fathered by Dutch immigrant Willem Wijma have won their claim to a share of his inheritance, the High Court in Sydney ruled on Thursday, reports ANP. Wijma's family in Groningen claimed he had been nothing more than a sperm donor and had very little to do with his Australian children. More...

19 arrests in 'calm' Utrecht
Police in Utrecht arrested 19 people around the neighbourhood of Ondiep on Wednesday night, mainly on charges of insulting behaviour and vandalism. Compared with Tuesday, when 135 people were arrested, police said it had been a 'relatively quiet' evening. More...

Dutch minnows take on best in cricket cup
The Dutch cricket team, one of the six official minnows (small fish) in the 16-nation cricket World Cup, are out to enjoy themselves in the tournament which takes place in the Caribbean and runs until April 28. More...

Minister: language tests for 3-year olds
Junior education minister Sharon Dijksma wants to introduce a compulsory language test for three year olds from January 2009. Toddlers that fail the test will have to go to pre-school classes to ensure their language skills are up to scratch when they begin school. More...

Wednesday 14 March 2007

Knighthood for Volkskrant columnist
When it comes to a good laugh Kees Fens is ‘like a butcher on a vegetarian diet’ says today's Volkskrant, referring to its own columnist who was awarded a knighthood at yesterday’s Book Week Ball. More...

Guidelines reduce private equity risks
The Dutch central bank has drawn up new guidelines for pension funds and banks to reduce the risk of investing in private equity groups. The announcement was made in the latest bank quarterly report. However the bank said it would not yet give further details. More...

Green light for geese cull
Zuid-Holland province has given hunters, farmers and land-owners the green light to cull geese and damage their eggs in an effort to stop increasing damage to crops. Researchers say the goose population has grown by 30% over the past few years.

Emigration popular among the young
Almost half (44%) of young people want to emigrate, according to a poll by Interview/NSS published on Wednesday. The most popular reasons for wanting to leave the country are the weather and the chance of better self development in terms of studying and work. More...

Police to seal Utrecht streets for second night (update)
The Utrecht neighbourhood of Ondiep is to be sealed off to outsiders for a second night on Wednesday, following two nights of clashes between youths and riot police, a city council spokesman confirmed. More...

French casino group loses licence battle (update)
The Council of State has turned down a request from French casino group CFR for an operating licence in the Netherlands, ending a long-running legal process. The decision means that state-owned Holland Casino remains the only company licensed to run casinos in the country. More...

Coffee shop smoking ban stupid, say MPs
A majority of MPs have called on health minister Ab Klink not to impose a smoking ban in coffee shops where small quantities of marijuana can be bought and smoked. More...

De Mol to bid for Endemol, says Mediaset
Dutch media tycoon John de Mol is to join Mediaset and put in a joint bid for Endemol, the company he helped found, said Mediaset chairman Guiliano Andreani, acording to ANP on Wednesday. More...

Nedschroef ups offer for Gilde
Investment group Gilde Buy Out Partners has raised its offer for fixtures and fittings maker Nedschroef to €59 per share, increasing the company’s value to €258m. More...

ABP doubles micro credit investment
Civil service pension fund ABP has doubled its investment in micro credit to €20m. ABP claims to be one of the biggest suppliers of micro credit in the country. Micro credit is a small loan made directly to entrepreneurs in developing countries.

SNS Reaal on takeover trail
Banking and insurance group SNS Reaal booked a 15% increase in net profit last year to €371m. Total sales were up 2.5% at €3.57bn. The group also said an acquisition was 'extremely likely' this year. More...

Versatel losses mount to €100m
Telecom and cable company Versatel booked a net loss of €100m last year, compared with a profit of almost €200m in 2005. The earlier positive result was due to the sale of the company’s German activities which generated a one-off windfall of €240m. Turnover rose 15% last year to €434.5m. Almost 85% of Versatel is in the hands of Sweden's Tele2. More...

MPs back new terrorism law
A majority of MPs have backed a new law aimed at tightening up the country’s anti-terrorism legislation. Under the new rules, people suspected of involvement in terrorism can be banned from being in the vicinity of potential targets (both places and people) and be ordered to report daily to a police station. Home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst says the new regulation will apply to a maximum of around 20 people. More...

Casino request rejected on appeal
The Council of State has turned down a request from French casino group CFR for an operating licence in the Netherlands, ending a long-running legal process. The decision means that state-owned Holland Casino remains the only company licenced to run casinos in the country. The Council ruled that even though the refusal was an infringement of EU laws, it was in the public interest to do so.

New building permits rose 16% last year
The number of building permits awarded for new homes rose 16% in 2006 to 96,000, the highest figure in almost 10 years, says government statistics office CBS. The most permits (23,000) were given in the province of Zuid-Holland (which includes Rotterdam and The Hague). More...

Naturalisation requests up in 2006
The number of applications for Dutch nationality rose by nearly 7,000 to 28,200 last year, according to the immigration service IND annual report published on Wednesday. More...

130 arrests in Utrecht disturbances
At least 130 people have been arrested after a second night of disturbances in Utrecht, both in the city centre and fringes of the neighbourhood Ondiep. Police said the arrests included a number of football supporters from FC Utrecht, Feyenoord and Amsterdam Ajax who had come to the city looking for trouble. More...

Tuesday 13 March 2007

Internet shop turnover rises 28%
Dutch consumers spent €2.82bn shopping on line last year, an increase of 28% on 2005, according to research by Blauw for the online retail sector. The number of active online shoppers rose by one million to 6.4 million. Most money - €1.2bn - was spent on travel.

Bos to investigate bank detail claims
Finance minister Wouter Bos told MPs on Tuesday that he would investigate press reports that Dutch citizens' bank details may be being passed on to the US authorities as part of anti-terrorism investigations. More...

Dutch positive on new air treaty
The Netherlands is 'enormously positive' about the new air travel treaty being worked on by EU and US negotiators, a spokeswoman for transport minister Camiel Eurlings told ANP on Tuesday. More...

EU is not a threat to Dutchness, says prince
Prince Constantijn made an empassioned plea for greater Dutch involvement in the EU in a speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome on Tuesday. Europe was not a threat to everything that was ‘typically Dutch’, the prince, third son of queen Beatrix, told his audience of students in The Hague. More...

Staff encouraged to stay at home
More people should work from home for at least part of the week, in order to stimulate economic growth, according to the VNO-NCW on Tuesday. The employers' federation wants at least half of the 4 million working people to stay at home for one or two days each week. More...

Appeal over Suriname searches
A number of Surinamese interest groups are to appeal against yesterday's court ruling which said Schiphol airport officials were not acting illegally in checking all passengers and baggage from Suriname for drugs. . More...

Prince urges Dutch EU involvement
Prince Constantijn made an empassioned plea for greater Dutch involvement in the EU in a speech marking the 50th anniversary of the treaty of Rome on Tuesday. Europe was not a threat to everything that was 'typically Dutch', the prince told his audience of students in The Hague. More...

Inge de Bruijn retires from swimming
The Netherlands' four time Olympic swimming champion Inge de Bruijn has formally retired from the sport. De Bruijn, who has not competed at a major international since winning the 50 metres freestyle gold at the Athens Olympics, said she had nothing left to achieve. 'I am 33 and a granny in terms of swimming,' she said.

Better standards for circus animals
Dutch circuses have drawn up their own regulations to govern the use of performing animals in an effort to head off criticism from animal rights campaigners. The rules cover the size of cages, type of food and amount of effort in the ring for various types of animals. More...

Trafigura Jamaican link under spotlight
The Dutch public prosecution department is considering investigating a possible bribery scandal involving Amstelveen-based oil trader Trafigura and Jamaican politicians, according to the Volkskrant. More...

Rail safety taskforce recommended
The FNV trade union federation is recommending the setting up of a taskforce to oversee rail safety, according to ANP on Tuesday. The unions say an integrated taskforce across all sectors is needed to deal with safety problems. The call follows several recent collisions.

Industrial production rises again
Dutch industry is forging ahead with an average increase in daily productivity in January of 4.6% over the same month in 2006, according to figures released on Tuesday by the national statistics office CBS. The biggest increase, of 9%, came from the wood and building materials sector.

Euronext net profit rises 50%
Euronext, the pan-European stock exchange with a subsidiary in Amsterdam, announced net profits of €361.8m on Tuesday. This is a 50% increase over 2005. Costs also rose over the same period, by 7.7% to €47.6m. Earlier this year, Euronext announced a record turnover of €1.1bn, an increase of 14.6%.

Organon boss disappointed over sale
Organon CEO Toon Wilderbeek is 'extremely disappointed' about events surrounding the sale of the pharmaceutical company to Schering-Plough, he says in an an internal memo, obtained by the Financieele Dagblad. More...

Restraint urged on suicide reporting
The media should show restraint in their reporting of family-related suicides, psychologists say in today's Volkskrant. Increased media attention for such incidents leads to an increase in deaths, Ad Kerkhof, professor of suicide prevention at Amsterdam's Vrije University told the paper. More...

Coalition set to lose seat in senate
The ruling government parties' majority in the Senate has decreased by one seat, the parliamentary documentation centre (PDC) at Leiden University announced yesterday. The Christian Democrats (CDA), ChristenUnie and Labour (PvdA) can count on 40 of the 75 seats based on the result of last week's provincial elections. More...

Muiderport train crash affects commuters
Last night's train crash between an intercity train from Amersfoort and an empty double-decker train at Amsterdam's Muiderpoort station continued to affect commuter traffic this morning, Dutch Rail (NS) said. More...

Two arrested in Utrecht disturbances
Police arrested two people last night after disturbances broke out in the Ondiep area of Utrecht. One police officer was slightly injured when stones were thrown at a police car. More...

Monday 12 March 2007

Organon sold to Schering Plough (update)
Just days after announcing plans to float part of Organon in late March, Akzo Nobel has sold the entire company to American giant Schering Plough for €11bn in cash. Organon is the world’s third largest maker of birth control pills and has a number of experimental drugs in development. More...

Sound of music in Warmond
The Von Trapp family, made famous in the musical The Sound of Music, spent several months during World War II hiding in the Dutch town of Warmond, near Leiden, according to writer Miep Smitsloo. More...

Nearly five million get healthcare help
Last year 4.9 million people were given financial help towards the cost of their health insurance with the total subsidy package amounting to €2.5bn, the national statistics office said on Monday. More...

Men more optimistic about the economy
Men are considerably more optimistic about the economy – and the highly-educated are more optimistic than those with few skills, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday. Nevertheless, the CBS said optimism about the economy was at a 20-year high. Utrecht is the most positive part of the country.

Deloitte criticised over Ahold US unit
The Dutch accountancy disciplinary council has criticised Deloitte for failures in the way it approved accounts at Ahold's subsidiary, US Foodservice, without 'sufficient certainty that they were correct', ANP reported on Monday. More...

Philips sells chip shares
Philips has sold 887 million shares in its Taiwanese chip making subsidiary TSMC to Taiwanese investors, generating a book profit of €725m. The sale reduces Philips' stake in the company from 16.2% to 12.8%. . More...

Akzo sells Organon to Schering Plough
Just days after announcing plans to float part of Organon in late March, Akzo Nobel has sold the entire company to Schering Plough for €11bn in cash. Akzo will use part of the proceeds for a €1.3bn share buy-back programme, reduce its pension obligations and fund its expansion. More...

Fashion & Branding misleading, college told
The advertising standards authority RCC has criticised the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (Amsterdam Polytechnic) for promoting the course 'Fashion and Branding' on its website which leads to a degree in commercial clothing manufacturing. More...

Port strikers ordered back
A court in Rotterdam on Saturday ordered striking workers at Rotterdam ports services group Smit to go back to work. The injunction was called for by a number of petrochemical refinery firms whose ships were caught up in the strike. More...

Parliamentary chair under fire
Labour's Gerdi Verbeet has chaired parliament since November but is coming under fire from a number of MPs for failing to show proper authority and being poorly prepared, the Telegraaf reported at the weekend. More...

Van Gaal tipped for Australia job
AZ Alkmaar trainer Louis van Gaal is being tipped to take over as the Australian national coach and Football Federation Australia has confirmed that talks have taken place. However, Van Gaal told Australian TV channel SBS that he wanted to win the World Cup, and hinted that he had had other offers. More...

Discovery of Heaven voted best book
Harry Mulisch's classic De Ondekking van de Hemel (The Discovery of Heaven) has been voted the best Dutch-language book of all time in an internet poll of 15,000 people organised by public broadcaster NPS and the NRC Handelsblad. More...

Some 2,500 animals die in warehouse fire
Over 2,500 exotic animals, tropical fish and birds died in a fire in a warehouse in Schuinesloot in Overijssel on Sunday night. The fire was brought under control just before midnight.

Ajax storm back with victory over Twente
Ajax of Amsterdam were firing on all cylinders Sunday when they powered past FC Twente of Enschede. Striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar led the 4-1 rout with a hat trick. More...

Media more fun than facts, says princess
Modern journalism risks being turned into entertainment, princess Mabel, a director of George Soros's Open Society Institute, told the Volkskrant on Saturday. 'It seems to me sometimes that quality is less important than viewing and circulation figures, that facts are less important than fun,' Mabel told the paper. More...

Dutch dominate skating medals table
The Netherlands dominated the medals table at this weekend's speed skating world championships in Salt Lake City, taking five of the 14 gold medals on offer.The men's pursuit team of Sven Kramer, Carl Verheijen and Erben Wennemars finished of the championships taking gold in a world record time of 3.37.80 on Sunday night. More...

Friday 09 March 2007

Transport ministry failed over Probo Koala
Dutch transport ministry inspectors failed in their duty when they allowed the oil tanker Probo Koala to leave Amsterdam with its cargo of toxic waste last summer. This is the conclusion of independent lawyers who have investigated the issue for MPs. More...

PSV Eindhoven to play England's Liverpool
PSV Eindhoven will take on England's Liverpool in the quarter-finals of football's Champions League competition. The home leg will be played on April 3 or 4, the return match a week later. Liverpool beat the reigning Dutch champions during the group phase of the competition.

Thailand frees Machiel Kuijt
Machiel Kuijt, the Dutchman sentenced to life imprisonment for drug smuggling in Thailand, was sent back to the Netherlands on Friday after serving nearly 10 years in jail. More...

Former farm minister to preserve nature
The latest former minister to bag himself a new job is former farming and nature management minister Cees Veerman. Veerman has been named chairman of the Dutch nature preservation association Natuurmonumenten. The association says Veerman has built up an extensive national and international network during his time with the ministry.

Murder suspect worked for illegal gun owner
The psychiatric patient suspected of shooting dead a 44-year-old woman in Enschede on Sunday spent part of his rehabilitation working for the dead woman's husband, Tom Arends. Arends has convictions for illegal possession of weapons, it emerged on Friday. More...

Telegraaf to sell stake in Wegener
The Telegraaf Media Group has agreed to sell its 24% stake in newspaper publisher Wegener to European paper group Mecom for €158.9m. More...

Vopack reports 14% rise in turnover
Tank storage group Vopak booked a sharp increase in net profit last year on turnover up 14% at €778.1m. Earnings rose from €90.2m in 2005 to €129.4m in 2006. Vopak said it has benefited from increased demand for tank storage from the petrochemicals sector in particular.

Restaurants dump €235m worth of food
Dutch restaurants throw away €235m worth of food a year, according to Wageningen University researchers. In total, 51,000 tonnes of food - 25% of what is bought - gets dumped, the researchers said. Some 32% of fruit and vegetables end up in the bin.

Dutch cricketers lost despite terrific play
The Netherlands’ cricket team lost its second warm-up match ahead of the World Cup finals next week to Kenya by nine runs but commentators said the Dutch put in a terrific performance. The Netherlands play South Africa in their first Group A match on Tuesday on the Caribbean island of St Kitts.

Wilders subjects MP to 'malicious' attack
Labour MP Khadija Arib was subjected to what most newspapers agree was a sustained, malicious and personal attack on her integrity during an emergency debate called by the anti-immigration PVV party last night. More...

Works of art disappear from gov't offices
Thousands of works of art owned by ministries and local councils have gone missing while on loan to other departments and various governmental bodies, says culture minister Ronald Plasterk. More...

Alkmaar's AZ beaten by Newcastle
AZ still have a chance to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup but it is a slender one. The Alkmaar club lost 4-2 away to Britain’s Newcastle yesterday. But AZ coach Louis van Gaal has not given up hope of a victory in the home leg next week. ‘We have often managed to turn games around,’ he said after the game. And indeed, AZ are known for their amazing comebacks. More...

Psychiatric prison cancels patient leave
The Oldenkotte psychiatric prison in Rekken has cancelled all leave for inmates following the shooting incident in Enschede which left one woman dead and four people injured, junior justice minister Negahat Albayrak told MPs. Two inspection teams are to investigate the incident. More...

Twenty hospitalised after Leiden fire
Twenty people have been taken to hospital with breathing difficulties after a fire in a block of flats in Leiden. Fire broke out in a second-floor flat around 4am. Huge quantities of smoke forced the evacuation of the second and third floors, police said.

Wüst, Kramer take world skating titles
Ireen Wüst opened the world speed skating championships in Salt Lake City with a win in the 1,500 metres, beating arch rival and world record holder Cindy Klassen of Canada. Wüst took the women’s all round title earlier this year. More...

Thursday 08 March 2007

It's official -- the flu outbreak is an epidemic
The Netherlands is now officially in the grip of a flu epidemic, according to health research group Nivel. Some 86 people per 100,000 are suffering from flu – the definition of an epidemic is 60 in 100,000. A Nivel spokesman said there is no cause for alarm.

More vaccinations on the way
The health council has urged the government to decide quickly if four new vaccinations should be included in the state-funded injection package. More...

Inflation up slightly in February
The annual inflation rate rose slightly to 1.5% in February, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. The CBS said the 0.1 percentage point increase was due to higher petrol prices. Under the EU system of calculating inflation, the Dutch figure was 1.4% in February, compared with 1.2% in January.

Self-employed may get maternity leave
Social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner is to investigate setting up a maternity leave scheme for self-employed women in response to a petition signed by 3,000 women calling on him to take action. More...

Anne Frank's chestnut tree gets the chop
The famous chestnut tree mentioned in Anne Frank’s diary is to be cut down. Amsterdam council said on Thursday it has no option but to agree to the felling of the 27 tonne tree which is diseased and could be dangerous if it falls. More...

Brunel disappoints analysts
Temporary employment agency Brunel today announced a 28% increase in turnover last year, less than analysts had forecast. The group booked sales of €499m in 2006 with net profit up 65% to €26.3m. The company expects further 'strong' growth this year.

Smit profits from strong winds
Port services group Smit almost doubled its net profit last year, with growth particularly strong in the second half. More...

Fortis net profit 24% higher
Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance group Fortis booked net profit of €4.4bn in 2006, a rise of 24% on the previous year. Earnings from banking were up 29% while the insurance arm grew 16%, Fortis said. More...

Aegon net earnings up 2%
Dutch insurance giant Aegon increased net earnings by 2% in 2006 to almost €2.8bn. Earnings from new products was up 41% at €775m. Chairman Don Shepard called 2006 a year of 'significant progress' for the company. More...

Groenink new non-executive director Shell
Shell plans to appoint ABN Amro chairman Rijkman Groenink as a non-executive director to replace Aarnout Loudon who retires in May. The appointment will be put to shareholders at their AGM on May 15. Groenink (57) holds several other supervisory board positions. He has chaired the banking group since 2000.

Power group Essent profits rise 45%
Dutch energy market leader Essent booked a 45% rise in net profit to €761m for 2006, including a one-off windfall of €219m. Turnover was up to €6.44bn from €5.89 bn in 2005. Essent said it benefited from higher electricity sales and higher retail prices.

Soap and soccer beat politics on TV
There was no competition as far as Dutch TV viewers were concerned last night – 2.3 million watched the football match between London’s Arsenal and Eindhoven’s PSV on Nederland 3 rather than tune in to Nederland 1 for the provincial government election coverage. More...

Provinces begin coalition forming
As the dust settles on yesterday's elections, party leaders in the 12 provinces will now get down to work on forming coalitions to run their regional affairs for the next four years. Nationwide, the Socialist Party (SP) was the biggest net gainer of seats and is now the second biggest party in two provinces. More...

Computer voting virtually problem-free
The public could cast their vote at over 10,000 polling stations in yesterday’s provincial government elections including, for the first time, Rotterdam’s Euromast. There were problems with voting computers (in total 8,500) at around 22 locations. More...

Support up for anti-immigration PVV
Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration party PVV would have won 11% of the votes at yesterday’s provincial government elections if it had taken part in the ballot, according to a Maurice de Hond poll commissioned by public broadcaster NOS. More...

PSV fell London’s mighty Arsenal
PSV secured a place in the quarter-finals of the football Champions League yesterday evening, after drawing 1-1 away to Arsenal. The Eindhoven team had won the home leg 1-0 a week earlier. More...

Socialists gain, coalition keeps senate
The Socialist Party (SP) was the big winner in Wednesday's provincial elections, but the new coalition government has hung on to power in the upper house of parliament (senate). The SP gained seats across the country, almost tripling its support in some areas. More...

Wednesday 07 March 2007

Coalition keeps senate majority
The three government parties are set to hold on to a slim majority in the 75-seat upper house of parliament (senate) following Wednesday's provincial elections. More...

Low turnout in provincial council elections
The Dutch are going to the polls for the third time in a year today, this time to elect the 564 members of the 12 provincial councils. Turnout was poor at press time and observers said they do not expect it to reach 50%. More...

KPMG NL to merge with UK, Germany
The Dutch arm of accountancy group KPMG is to merge with its British and German counterparts to form KPMG Europe, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Wednesday. More...

Port workers extend strike
The 240 striking workers at port services group Smit in Rotterdam have decided to continue their current industrial action into a second day. The men went on strike for the third time yesterday in support of their pay claim.

Rabobank boosts profit by 13%
Banking cooperative Rabobank boosted net profits by 13% to €2.3bn last year, the Utrecht-based organisation said on Wednesday. All units contributed to the positive result. Rabobank also announced that chairman Bert Heemskerk is to stay in the job for a further year.

Aegon close to acquiring US rival Clark
Dutch insurance giant Aegon said on Wednesday it is close to acquiring American peer Clark after increasing its offer per share. Aegon now has 94% of the shares outstanding, the company said. Last month Aegon boosted its offer by 66 dollar cents to $17.21 a share.

USG People on takeover trail
Temporary employment agency USG People booked an 18.4% increase in turnover last year, taking sales to €3.5bn. Net profit reached €110.9m, compared with €29.9m in 2005. 'We have managed to increase our efficiency and solved a number of problems by taking over Solvus,' said chairman Ron Icke. More...

Groningen University computers hacked
Hackers have broken into over 150 computers at Groningen University, a spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. The hackers have placed software on the computers which registers keyboard movements, allowing them, for example, to discover credit card numbers. The university has now upped security and says it suspects the hacking was an inside job.

India thrash Netherlands in cricket warm-up
The Dutch national cricket team lost its first World Cup warm up match against India by 182 runs in Jamaica on Tuesday. But the Dutch South African-born all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate stole the show, taking five wickets. More...

'Public transport card should be free'
The chip card which will replace ordinary tickets on all forms of public transport from 2008 should be free and there should also be a disposable version for tourists and occasional users, passenger groups said on Tuesday. More...

Cinemas show Gore’s film for free
Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth is to be shown free at a string of cinemas across the country from Thursday. The screenings in 17 towns and cities will run for a month. Roger Cox of the Planet Prosperity Foundation told ANP it was important that as many people as possible see the film.

Safety not priority for psychiatric prisons
Psychiatric prisons tend to give priority to treating patients rather than the safety of the population at large, the government's chief inspector of sentencing said in his annual report. More...

Power cuts up in 2006
Dutch households were without electricity for 36 minutes in 2006, seven minutes longer than the average over the last five years, according to figures published by EnergieNed today. More...

Women now more educated than men
Women aged between 25 and 34 are on average now better educated than men of the same age, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday. More women than men are currently involved in higher education and more complete their degrees, the CBS said.

PSV scores administrative own goal
PSV will be kicking themselves this evening as they line up in London to face Arsenal in their crucial Champions League football tie. With several important players injured, the Eindhoven team is desperate for reinforcements. Talented mid-fielder John de Jong would have been an ideal replacement – but he can’t play because PSV forgot to register his name with UEFA. More...

Boost cultural citizenship says Arts Council
The government should be stimulating people to become cultural citizens, at home in the many languages and cultures surrounding them, said the Arts Council in its latest recommendations published on Tuesday. More...

Labour backs MP's 'Moroccan job'
The Labour party sees no problem with its MP Khadija Arib continuing her work for a Moroccan human right's committee on migration policy, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. Right-wingers have called on Arib to either stop or step down. More...

Minister calls for cheap theatre tickets
The upper gallery or 'gods' should make a comeback in the Dutch theatre, culture minister Ronald Plasterk said on Tuesday evening. More...

Pay rises lower than union demands
The average pay rise in the 59 collective labour agreements agreed to date is 2.16%, above the inflation rate but considerably lower than the 3% demanded by the main trade unions, reports today’s Financieele Dagblad. More...

Best Cito test score is in England
The primary school with the highest ever average score in the Cito primary school leaving-test is in England, the Telegraaf reports today. The 13 pupils in group 8 of the Willem-Alexander School in Woking, Surrey, scored an average of 549.5. The maximum score in the multiple-choice test is 550. The school is run by Anglo-Dutch oil concern Shell.

Tuesday 06 March 2007

Three dead in domestic incident
A mother and two children have been found dead in a house in Hengelo, Gelderland police spokesman Anton de Ronde confirmed on Tuesday evening. A man has been taken to hospital with serious injuries, ANP reported. More...

No ban on Hells Angels, court rules
The Haringen chapter of the Hells Angels motorbike club does not have to be banned and broken up, a court in Leeuwarden ruled on Tuesday. The court said that the public prosecution department had failed to prove that the organisation was such a threat to public order that the ‘ultimate deterrent’ - a ban - was legally justifiable. More...

State buys four Goudstikker paintings
The Dutch state has bought back four of the paintings in the Goudstikker collection from the art collector’s heir for €3m. A fifth painting is a gift. Last year the courts ruled that the 202 works, looted by the Nazis and subject to years of legal wrangling, had to go back to the heirs. See features for more

Dutch Turks swindled, AFM to investigate
The financial services watchdog AFM has begun an investigation into possible illegal trading in stocks and shares through Turkish mosques and coffee shops in the Netherlands. Today’s Volkskrant quotes a report by a Turkish parliamentary commission - and a series of judgements by courts in Germany and Switzerland - which show that at least 400,000 Turkish migrants in the Netherlands and other countries have been defrauded of a minimum of €5bn. More...

Fur debate still alive
A giggling European competition commissioner Neelie Kroes and millionaire businesswoman Silvia Tóth both appeared at the Frans Molenaar fashion show in Amsterdam wearing fur collars, the Telegraaf reports today. More...

Slight rise in Cito test results
Average results in Cito exams were up this year, the examination board said today. The average score was 535.1, up one tenth on 2006. Nine children made no mistakes, and 45 made only one mistake. More...

Tabloids boost Wegener earnings
Publishing group Wegener today announced a rise in profits and a slight fall in turnover for 2006. Net results rose by 39% to €24.2m, due to the switch to tabloid format for the group's regional papers in the second half of the year. More...

EU constitution back on Dutch agenda
The new cabinet hopes to have finalised its position on a European constitution by the end of this month or beginning of April, european affairs minister Frans Timmermans told ANP on Monday evening. The paper, which will outline what the government would like to see in an alternative treaty, will then be sent to parliament for comments, the minister said. More...

Mortgages shrink as code of conduct bites
The introduction of a new code of conduct for mortgage lenders has led to a reduction of up to 15% in the amount people can borrow to buy a new home, the Financieele Dagblad reports today. More...

Dutch boycott UN human trafficking conference
The Netherlands is not taking part in a United Nations conference on trafficking in women and children because it is being organised by Belarus interior minister Vladimir Naumov, a foreign affairs ministry spokesman confirmed to ANP on Monday. More...

Give parents nationality choice, say MPs
Christian Democrat (CDA) and Labour (PvdA) MPs have called for an end to the practice of automatically giving babies the nationalities of both parents, arguing that parents should be free to choose for Dutch nationality only. More...

3,000 soldiers for NATO force
The Netherlands is to contribute 3,100 soldiers to NATO's rapid reaction force in 2008, the defence ministry told parliament on Monday evening. The Netherlands, which normally has 500 troops on standby for the force, will share joint command of one of the force's six headquarters together with Germany next year.

Hells Angels ruling due this afternoon
Leeuwarden court will rule this afternoon on whether the Harlingen-based Northcoast chapter of motor-cycle group Hells Angels should be banned because of its criminal connections. More...

Smit workers to strike again in Rotterdam
Workers at port services group Smit in Rotterdam are to stage a further 24-hour strike on Tuesday in support of their pay claim. Cees Bos of union FNV Bondgenoten said the 240 tugboat workers had little choice other than to strike again because of the 'earth-shattering silence' from the company's management. More...

Monday 05 March 2007

Centre-left coalition set to control Senate
Dutch voters go to the polls for the third time in a year on Wednesday, this time to elect 12 new regional governments, the Provinciale Staten. More...

Much of major industry in foreign hands
Some 58% of major industrial firms in the Netherlands were in foreign hands in 2005, just 6 percentage points up on the 1994 figure, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday. Foreign firms were responsible for half of all job in industry, up 10 percentage points on 1994.

Government, Amsterdam truce over airport
Amsterdam and the government have called a truce in their legal battle over the partial privatisation of Schiphol airport, finance minister Wouter Bos said on Monday. Bos told radio show De Ochtenden he was confident that a deal would be reached by the end of the year. More...

Ski injuries up by one third
Insurers had to deal with 36% more ski-related broken bones and other injuries eduring the half-term holiday than normal, the insurance rescue service VHD reported on Monday. Top of the list for injuries was Austria (61.5%), followed by Switzerland and France. More...

100 registrar's won't marry gays
There are some 100 civil servants in the Netherlands who refuse to preside over same-sex weddings, according to research by gay lobby group COC. The Bible belt towns of Bunschoten and Staphorst have the most refuseniks: five and four respectively. More...

More Dutch in foreign jails
Some 2,500 Dutch nationals were being held in foreign jails last year, of whom 80% had been convicted of drugs offences, according to research institute ITS. Twenty years ago, just 579 Dutch citizens were in prison abroad. More...

Dutch go digital
Some 25% of Dutch households now have digital television, according to a report on Dutch viewing habits, compared with 17% in 2005. Some 12% used a computer to watch TV last year, up from 8% in 2005, the audience monitoring body SKO said.

Ex-minister Wijn joins Rabobank
Former economic affairs minister Joop Wijn, who surprised everyone with his decision to quit politics, is to join Rabobank as director of the Dutch operations. As head of Rabobank Nederland Wijn, 37, will report to the management board. Wijn had been tipped as a Christian Democrat parliamentary leader.

Building sector grows 7% in 2006
Turnover in the Dutch construction sector rose by 7% last year, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday. There was growth across all sectors, but road and water booked the sharpest increase at 10%. More...

Well-paid farewell for Endemol COO
Endemol's COO Tom Barnicoat has left the television production company just two years after being appointed to the job. Endemol declined to elaborate on the reasons behind his sudden departure. More...

DIY cancer tests not to be trusted
The Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) warns against DIY tests offered on the internet, in a report presented today. The tests are used to identify biomarkers - changes in substances in the body such as proteins - which can indicate disease. More...

Arib's human rights work questioned
The PvdA (Labour party) is looking into whether MP Khadija Arib's advisory work in Morocco clashes with her work in the Dutch parliament. Arib is a member of a working party that advises the Council for Human Rights in Morocco. More...

Tax strikes hit returns
A series of strikes at tax offices around the country is making it difficult to file tax returns, according to the tax department. The strikes began today in Rotterdam and continue until Thursday when Nijmegen, Arnhem and Gorinchem will be closed. Staff want a pay rise of 2.5%.

Bos wants free choice on nationality
Deputy prime minister Wouter Bos (PvdA) wants to talk to countries who ban their citizens from giving up their nationality, said a spokesman yesterday. Bos has left open the question of whether talks should lead to a treaty with these countries, among them Morocco, Greece and Argentina. More...

ABN Amro buys Pakistan bank
ABN Amro, the Dutch banking giant, announced today that it has paid 13.8bn PKR (€173m) for a 93.4% stake in the Pakistan Prime Bank. ABN Amro is also making an offer of 54 PKR per share for the remaining shares. More...

One dead, four injured in Enschede shooting
A 44-year-old woman was shot dead and four other people injured in a street shooting in Enschede at 5am on Sunday morning. The group had been out on the town. A 29-year-old man, on home leave from a psychiatric prison, was arrested several hours after the incident. More...

The Hague tribunal begins Haradinaj trial
The International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague begins the trial of the former prime minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, on Monday. Haradinaij was a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army before becoming prime minister. He is charged with the murder, torture and ethnic cleansing of Serbs in the Albanian-dominated province during the 1998/99 conflict.

Speed skaters take four World Cups
The Netherlands' speed skaters leave the finals of the World Cup in Calgary, Canada with four titles and one world record, their best ever performance in the World Cup, reports ANP. On Sunday evening, the last event of the championship, Erben Wennemars took the 1,500 metres title with the second fastest time: US skater Shani Davis set a new world record. More...

Indoor European athletics: 2 Dutch gold
Arnoud Okken took the 800 metres gold at the European indoor championships in Birmingham, UK on Sunday, the Dutchman's first international title. Okken led the 800 metres from start to finish, leaving his closest rival Miguel Quesada unable to close the gap in a sprint to the line. More...

PSV strengthens hold on title race
PSV Eindhoven consolidated their lead in the premier division with a 2-0 victory over relegation candidate RKC Waalwijk. PSV trainer Ronald Koemam was 'moderately satisfied' with the result. 'We defended well but we could have done more in attack. With a little bit more football savvy we could have scored more.' More...

Saturday 03 March 2007

Eclipse set to be 'most beautiful in years'
Forecasters say Saturday's gloomy weather should clear up enough by evening to allow stargazers to see the total eclipse of the moon, set to be 'the most beautiful' in years, say astronomers. The first shadow will fall on the moon at 22.30, with the total eclipse lasting from 11.45pm to 1am. During the eclipse, the only light to reach the moon will have been filtered through the earth's atmosphere, turning the moon a deep orange red. The eclipse can be seen in Europe, Africa, South America and parts of North America.

No burqa ban in the Netherlands
The new Dutch government does not plan to implement two parliamentary votes in favour of a ban on the burqa in public places, integration minister Ella Vogelaar told Radio 1 on Saturday. 'A ban is very complicated legally. And, above that, only around 150 women in this country wear one,' the minister said. More...

Friday 02 March 2007

High hopes for speed skaters
The Netherlands has three chances to take gold medals at the speed skating World Cup in Calgary, Canada this weekend, ANP reports. Erben Wennemars is a good hope for the 1,000 and 1,500 metres, while Sven Kramer is tipped for the distance combination.

Princely praise for young Turks
The experiences of the six Dutch and six Dutch-Turkish youngsters who were in Turkey to coincide with the royal visit will spread like an oil spill, Princess Maxima and Prince Willem-Alexander said on Friday. ‘The group debated everything from love to the EU,’ Maxima said.

Dutch soldiers are also Hells Angels
Several dozen soldiers in the Dutch army are also members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang which the Public Prosecution Department is trying to ban, the defence ministry confirmed on Friday. The ministry could not say exactly how many soldiers were involved. The claims were made in today’s Volkskrant. More...

Parent's path leads to asbestos claim
Cement maker Eternit has been ordered to pay damages to a man who developed incurable cancer after his parents used waste products containing asbestos to build a path in 1967. More...

91% of emails are spam
Spam accounted for 91% of all electronic mail sent to Dutch addresses in February, according to mail security group Cleanport. Some 1% of all mail also contained a virus, Cleanport said.

STD Chlamydia in youth surveyed
Around 300,000 people aged between 16-30 are to be asked to take part in a massive survey to assess the spread of the sexually transmitted disease Chlamydia. The DIY-tests can be ordered via the internet. More...

NedCar investment extends Colt
Mitsubishi is to invest several tens of millions of euros in its Born-based car maker NedCar for the production of the Colt, sources have told the FNV manufacturing union. NedCar was originally due to produce Colts until 2010, but the facelift will extend production to 2011 or 2012, ANP reported. More...

Laurus narrows losses last year
Supermarket group Laurus booked a loss of €45m last year, an improvement on 2005 when losses totalled €66m. Turnover was also down slightly at €3.2bn, due to the divestment of Edah and Konmar chains. The group now has one supermarket operation: Super de Boer, which increased sales by 2.5% last year.

Fitness boosts bike maker's profits
Bicycle maker Accell booked a 16% increase in sales and 19% increase in net profit last year, largely due to the popularity of electric bikes and fitness machines. Earnings totalled €18.4m on turnover of €431.7m.

NIBC plans IPO in Amsterdam
Merchant bank NIBC is planning to float up to 49.9% of its shares in Amsterdam, the company said at the presentation of its 2006 earnings on Friday. Chairman Michael Enthoven said the bank hadn't yet decided when the launch would take place. More...

MPs keep their email addresses secret
Only 50% of the Netherlands' 150 MPs have included their email address on the parliamentary website, according to research by political website Overheidslinks.nl. Worst of the parties is the anti-immigration PVV which has nine MPs. Only party leader Geert Wilders has submitted his email address for inclusion.

Eclipse of the moon on Saturday
There is a fair chance that stargazers will be able to see the total eclipse of the moon between 11.45pm and 1am on Saturday night. The weather forecast for Saturday is mixed, with a 40% chance of clear skies. The next full eclipse will be in August.

Fertiliser ship reaches Bilbao
The Dutch ship Ostedijk, carrying 6,000 tonnes of artificial fertiliser, has arrived in Bilbao two days after the Spanish authorities gave it leave to travel. The ship ran into problems two weeks ago when its cargo began to ferment and release dangerous gases. An investigation will now begin into why the chemical reaction took place.

Several soldiers are also Hells Angels
Several dozen soldiers in the Dutch army are also members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang which the public prosecution department is trying to ban, the defence ministry confirmed on Friday. The Volkskrant newspaper made the claims. More...

Port strikers go back to work
Striking workers at port services group Smit in Rotterdam went back to work on Friday but warned they would take industrial action again next week if there was no movement on their pay claim. The workers downed tools for 24 hours on Wednesday but decided to continue the strike into a second day.

Dutch 'may have killed' in Afghanistan
Dutch soldiers serving in Afghanistan may have killed several enemy fighters in three separate skirmishes over the past nine days, the defence ministry said on Thursday. No injuries to Dutch troops were reported.

Dual nationality row rumbles on
MPs yesterday threw out a vote of no-confidence in two ministers with dual nationality in the first debate on the new government and its plans. Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration party PVV had put forward the motion, arguing that having two passports meant the ministers had divided loyalties. More...

Thursday 01 March 2007

Strike at Rotterdam port to go into 2nd day
Workers at port services group Smit in Rotterdam have voted unanimously to continue their 24-hour strike over pay into a second day. A spokesman for the Rotterdam port users association said dozens of ships had not been handled. The strike was causing 'enormous financial damage' as well as damaging the port’s image, he told ANP.

Rise in sale of costly houses in The Hague
There was a surge in the sale of houses costing over €750,000 in The Hague last year, according to estate agent Dynamis. In total, 308 houses with a price tag of over €750,000 were sold last year, a 30% increase on 2005. A city council spokeswoman said the rise could be due to the council's policy of releasing more land for expensive residential developments.

Friesland sinking faster than expected
Natural gas extraction in northwestern Friesland is causing the ground to sink far faster than expected, local officials said on Thursday. The ground level in the town of Franeker was forecast to sink a maximum of eight centimetres but has already gone down by 13cm and could go down by a further four, Paul van Erkelens of the Wetterskip water board said. More...

Supermarket Laurus to change name
Supermarket group Laurus is to change its name by the end of the year because its current moniker is associated with a 'totally failed merger', chairman Jan Brouwer says in today's Financieele Dagblad. Laurus was formed in 1998 with the merger of the Vendex Food Group and De Boer Unigro but has been plagued by problems ever since.

Newspaper sites attracted 4.7 million
Dutch newspaper websites attracted 4.7 million visitors in January, according to figures from the internet advertising group STIR and newspaper marketing organisation Cebuco. It is the first time the internet reach of all 28 papers has been measured. The Telegraaf has the most popular site, followed by the AD and Volkskrant.

Dutch prime minister calls for dialogue
The Netherlands is in a position to achieve 'great things' in the 21st century, prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende told MPs on Thursday. In his first speech since the formation of the new centre-left government, Balkenende said there was 'enormous strength, creativity and passion' in the country. The new cabinet would make the most of these talents, he said. More...

ABN ready to talk to hedge fund
ABN Amro is prepared to talk to British hedge fund TCI which wants the bank to split up or sell off some of its operations, sources have told the Financieele Dagblad. The bank is not prepared to accede to demands for a split-up but will talk about an extra capital payout, the sources said. More...

Van Lede to leave Akzo Nobel board
Kees van Lede is leaving the supervisory board of chemicals company Akzo Nobel in May. Van Lede was company chairman for nine years, overseeing its merger with Sweden's Nobel Industries in 1993. More...

VNU Media is the name - again
VNU Business Media Europe, the Dutch publishing company bought from The Nielsen Company by private equity group 3i in February, is to change its name back to VNU Media. More...

Free buses for old and young in Eindhoven
Bus services in and around Eindhoven are free for those under 13 and over 64 as part of a €1m city council experiment to improve air quality. The trial will last 18 months. Tilburg also has free transport for the over-55s and the province of Noord Brabant is planning a similar experiment.

NAC puts PSV out of Dutch football cup
NAC Breda scored a surprise 3-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven last night, to put the league leaders out of the Dutch football cup. PSV coach Ronald Koeman was forced to bring in Philip Cocu and Arouna Koné after Edwin de Graaf scored for NAC just three minutes into the second half. More...

Queen stresses economic ties with Turkey
Queen Beatrix stressed that the Netherlands very much values the strong economic ties it has with Turkey during her meeting with the Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan on Wednesday. According to the Dutch economic affairs ministry, Dutch exports to Turkey are worth €3.3 bn and imports are valued at €1.8 bn. More...

New cabinet faces €1 bn shortfall
The new cabinet, which is to present its plans for the coming four years in parliament this morning, faces financial shortfalls of around €1 bn reports ANP this morning. Details of the financial situation of the various ministries are expected to emerge later today. More...