March 2008

News from Monday 31 March 2008

'Action needed to keep foreign HQs'

The strong position of the Netherlands as the location for corporate head-quarters is under threat, warns the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in a report presented to the economic affairs ministry on Monday.......more

Third police union backs pay deal

The ACP police union has voted to accept the home affairs ministry's latest pay offer, if it is changed slightly. The NPB and senior officers’ union have already backed the deal which is worth a rise in incomes of around 10% over three years. ...

Health body issues tick warning

The environmental health body RIVM has launched a campaign to warn people enjoying the countryside to beware of ticks. ......more

Not enough EU support for Hirsi Ali

Only 144 members of the European parliament have signed a motion to set up an EU-funded security fund for Islam critic and former Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali. ......more

Shell divests IT services

Shell signed three major outsourcing deals on Monday under the earlier announced divestment of much of its IT services. ......more

Supermarket prices rose 15% in three years

Supermarket prices have gone up 15% in the last three years according to research commissioned by the newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden.......more

Over 5 million digital tax returns filed

One day before the final deadline for tax returns, some 5.2 million digital returns have been filed, the tax office said on Monday. The number of paper-based tax returns have not yet been counted. ...

Different baby names in Zeeland

While the most common names for new babies nationwide are Sanne and Sem, in Zeeland babies are more likely to be called Johannes, Marinus, Johanna, Cornelia and Neeltje, reports the Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant on Monday. ......more

Wilders edits film to remove mistakes

Right-wing MP Geert Wilders is to amend his anti-Islam film Fitna in an attempt to avoid legal action, news agency ANP reports on Monday. ......more

Foreign minister meets Muslim ambassadors

Foreign minister Maxime Verhgagen has held talks in the Hague with 26 ambassadors from countries with a significant Muslim population, news agency ANP reports.......more

ASMI shareholder attacks board

ASMI shareholder Hermes has called for the sacking of five members of the chip maker's supervisory board and its chairman Chuck del Prado. ......more

New hockey coaches appointed

Hockey coach Herman Kruis, currently in charge of the women's team at Den Bosch, is to take over as coach of the national team after this summer's Olympics. ......more

Vos wins unique cycling triple crown

Marianne Vos made cycling history on Saturday by taking the gold medal in the women's points race at the world track championships in Manchester (UK). ......more

Over 100,000 trees felled

Over 100,000 trees have been felled in the last two months or are about to be chopped down, according to the new hot-line set up by the radio show Vroege Vogels (Early Birds) and the tree foundation. ......more

Van Grunsven wins 9th dressage world title

Anky van Grunsven and her horse Salinero won the dressage world championship for the ninth time during the Indoor Brabant event in Den Bosch on Saturday. ......more

Traffic fines to go up 20%

Traffic fines are to go up by an average of 20% on Tuesday, reports ANP news service. ......more

Corporate Express top pay may be vetoed

Shareholders in office equipment firm Corporate Express could reject what they see as an over-generous pay package for top managers, reports Monday’s Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Five soldiers injured in Afghanistan

Dutch soldiers serving with Nato forces in Afghanistan were involved in two separate roadside bomb attacks on Sunday, leaving five wounded, the defence ministry said. ......more

Ajax narrow gap with PSV

Football premier league leaders PSV of Eindhoven could only manage a 0-0 draw away to NEC of Nijmegen on Saturday. ......more

Jordanian MPs want to break ties over film

International protests following the launch of MP Geert Wilders’ anti-Koran film last week continued over the weekend, with Jordanian MPs calling for a diplomatic break with the Netherlands. ......more

News from Saturday 29 March 2008

Wilders' film hits his party's popularity

The launch of Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam film Fitna has hit his political party’s popularity, according to the weekly Interview NSS poll. ......more

News from Friday 28 March 2008

Wilders' film: stay alert, says prime minister

Although initial reactions to the long-awaited anti-Koran film by right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders have been calm, prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende issued a warning on Friday afternoon that there was ‘reason to remain alert’.......more

Major police union backs pay deal

Police union NPB has accepted home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst's final pay offer, making it more likely a deal will be reached. ......more

Chinese pressure refugee centres

Emergency accommodation for asylum seekers is full because of a mass influx of Chinese refugees, the Volkskrant reported on Friday. ......more

Health insurers lose out

Insurers lost some €507m on health insurance policies last year, the Volkskrant reported on Friday, quoting central bank figures.......more

Hyves most popular website

Social interaction website Hyves.nl was the most visited website in the Netherlands last month with 6.48 million visitors, the internet advertising group STIR said on Friday. ......more

Foreign minister tough on Serbia

Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen has enough information to show that Serbia is not cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and is taking a tough stand on the country’s application to join the European Union, reports Friday’s nrc.next newspaper. ......more

Wilders' film dominates front pages

The launch of MP Geert Wilders' 16-minute film Fitna dominates the Dutch newspaper front pages on Friday, several of which use photographs of the Binnenhof parliamentary complex closed off by police barriers. ......more

Iran condemns Fitna film as 'horrible'

Iran has condemned the anti-Koran film released by right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders on Thursday evening as ‘horrible’ and ‘blasphemous’ reports ANP news agency on Friday.......more

Philips' shareholders reject pay package

Philips' shareholders have taken the unusual step of rejecting the company's new management pay package proposal, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Friday. ......more

Randstad to quit Portugal for Vedior

Staffing agency Randstad is to sell its Portuguese activities to win European Commission approval for its takeover of peer Vedior, the company said on Friday. ......more

PGGM goes into microfinancing

Health service pension fund PGGM is to invest up to €200m in microfinance over the next two to three years, the firm said on Friday. ......more

Clocks go forward this weekend

The clocks go forward one hour at 2am on Sunday morning, marking the beginning of official summertime. Summertime ends on October 26. ...

Single mums free from job applications

Single mothers with children under the age of five will not have to make regular job applications to qualify for welfare benefits, junior social affairs minister Ahmed Aboutaleb told MPs on Thursday evening. ......more

Cyclist Bos out of world championships

Dutch world champion Theo Bos was unexpectedly knocked out of the world track sprint quarter-finals in Manchester by Britain's Chris Hoy on Thursday. ......more

Road trial for former astronaut's Superbus

The so-called Superbus, the brainchild of former Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels, will have its first trial on normal roads in June. ......more

Spyker losses mount, sales down

Luxury car maker Spyker booked a loss of €72m last year, including €36m from its abandoned venture into Formula 1 racing. Turnover fell from €20m in 2006 to €5m in 2007. ......more

Dutch spend more on eating fish

The Dutch ate a total of 55,000 tons of fish and shellfish last year – an average of 3.4 kg per person, according to fish board figures. Spending on fish was up 5% to €489m, or €30 per person, the board said. ...

Muted response to Wilders' anti-Islam film

No problems in the Netherlands or abroad have been reported following the long-awaited release of the controversial anti-Koran film by Dutch MP Geert Wilders, reports the National Crisis Centre on Friday morning. ......more

News from Thursday 27 March 2008

Complaint lodged against Wilders' film

A lawyer from Lelystad has lodged a police complaint against Dutch MP Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam film which was released on the internet on Thursday evening, reports ANP news service. ......more

Wilders' film shows rapper, not Van Gogh's killer

The photograph accompanying the words of the killer of film-maker Theo van Gogh shown in Geert Wilders' anti-Koran film is not that of Mohammed Bouyeri but that of Dutch rapper Salah Edin. ......more

Dutch cabinet regrets film screening

The Dutch cabinet regrets the fact that Geert Wilders has gone public with his anti-Koran film, Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende said on Thursday evening. ......more

'Fitna' within the law, says Muslim group

Geert Wilder's anti-Koran film Fitna is within the boundaries of the law, Brahim Bourzik, spokesman for the national council of Moroccans, LBM, told news agency ANP on Thursday shortly after it was released on the internet. ......more

Wilders' film released on internet

The controversial anti-Koran short film by anti-immigration Dutch MP Geert Wilders was finally released on the internet on Thursday evening.......more

MPs want Herfkens to repay rent money

MPs from all parties said on Thursday that UN diplomat Evelien Herfkens should repay the $250,000 she was wrongly given to help pay for the rent on her New York home. ......more

Job centres find work for 52,000

The state-run job centres’ organisation UWV found work for 52,000 people last year. ......more

Art school entry under investigation

Culture minister Ronald Plasterk has ordered an investigation into the entry requirements at art schools following MPs' concerns that too many graduates are failing to make a living from their chosen field. Every year, some 1,200 people graduate from art school. ...

Hugo Claus funeral live on tv

The funeral of Belgian writer Hugo Claus, described as the greatest Dutch-language writer, will be shown live on Dutch tv on Saturday, says public broadcaster NOS. ......more

Fewer young refugees disappear

The number of unaccompanied young people under 18 who disappeared from Dutch asylum centres fell to 122 last year from 240 in 2005 according to integration minister Nebahat Albayrak, reports NRC. ......more

Shortage of teachers worsens

The shortage of secondary school teachers rose from 3.3% to 4.3% in the third quarter of 2007, reports Thursday’s Volkskrant, quoting figures from the education ministry. ......more

CDA to bring in bill to stop tv loan adverts

The senior government coalition Christian Democrat party is to introduce draft legislation to ban tv advertising for loans, reports ANP news service. ......more

M&A market deals reach €161bn

The Dutch mergers and acquisitions market had a top year in 2007 with a total of 338 deals and combined value of over €161bn, according to figures published by consultancy KPMG. ......more

Pension funds lose €9.5bn in Q4

Pension funds lost €9.5bn on the stock market in the fourth quarter of 2007 on total assets of €205bn, reports the Dutch central bank (DNB) in its March bulletin. ......more

TNT complains to EC over German pay

Postal company TNT has made a formal complaint to the European Commision against the introduction of minimum pay rates for postal delivery workers in Germany. ......more

Q4 economic growth slightly higher

The Dutch economy grew 4.5% in the final quarter of 2007, slightly more than earlier estimates, but full-year growth remained at 3.5%, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. ......more

Animal transport under scrutiny

Farm minister Gerda Verburg is to carry out further research into problems surrounding the transport of live animal and slaugher-houses. ......more

Hagemeyer delisted in April

Technical goods trading group Hagemeyer will be delisted from the Amsterdam stock exchange after its final day of trading on April 18. ......more

Islam not mentioned in Wilders' English cash appeal

The anti-immigration MP Geert Wilders has published a request for political donations from international supporters but does not mention his controversial stance on immigration or Islam in the English-language version.......more

Narrow victory for Dutch football team

The Dutch national football team managed to turn a ‘shameful’ half time score of 3-1 against them in Vienna into a narrow 3-4 victory in their friendly match against Austria on Wednesday evening. ......more

Holiday resorts may avoid new plane tax

Junior tax minister Jan Kees de Jager is considering changing the new eco-tax on air travel to popular holiday destinations such as Turkey and the Canary Islands. ......more

Tax office chief quits job on the side

The head of the Dutch tax service Jenny Thunnissen has resigned from her second job as a hospital supervisory board member to avoid a conflict of interest over tax dodging. ......more

News from Wednesday 26 March 2008

The Netherlands needs Poles, says PM

The Dutch economy is dependent on Polish workers for the time being, said Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende during a working visit to Poland on Wednesday. ......more

Four months in cell for insulting queen

A 45-year-old man has been sentenced to four months in prison for insulting the queen, reports the Volkskrant. ......more

Air France-KLM may raise fuel surcharge

Air France-KLM may increase its fuel surcharge again according to its operational director Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, reports ANP news service. ......more

No legal grounds to ban Wilders' film

Dutch foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen says the cabinet has no plans to ask the courts to ban the controversial film due to be released this month by anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, reports ANP news service on Wednesday. ......more

Rijksmuseum cannot afford Rembrandt

The Rijksmuseum has decided to give up its efforts to buy a painting by Rembrandt from the Douglas-Pennant family in Wales, says Wednesday’s Volkskrant. ......more

Credit cards not popular with women

Only 2% of Dutch women use their credit card at least once a week, compared with 52% of Poles and 42% of Brits, according to a poll of 2,500 women, reports news agency ANP. ......more

Dog mess is major irritation

Some 50% of the Dutch think the quality of their neighbourhood is getting worse, with dog faeces named as the most irritating factor, according to research by the national statistics office CBS. ......more

Marijuana exempt from smoking ban

The ban on smoking in cafés and restaurants from July 1 will not apply to the smoking of pure marijuana or cannabis, health minister Ab Klink has told MPs. ......more

Most people can't use hi-tech gadgets

In 29% of homes only one person is able to operate the latest electronic gadgets according to a survey by electronics maker Logitech. ......more

Turkey, Holland to sign alliance

The Netherlands and Turkey are due to sign an agreement today to strengthen ties between the two countries. The treaty will be signed in Wassenaar by foreign affairs ministers Maxime Verhagen and Ali Babacan. ......more

60 marines to join EU Chad mission

The Dutch contribution to the Eufor European Union mission in eastern Chad will continue until March 2009, foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen said on Tuesday, reports news agency ANP. ......more

DSM raises earnings forecast

Chemicals company DSM says it expects first quarter operational earnings to be 20% higher than the same 2007 period. ......more

AFM boss criticises supervisory boards

Supervisory board members should be more active when their company is faced with a major development such as a takeover, says Paul Koster, head of the financial sector watchdog AFM in Wednesday's Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Wilders' website provider wants to see film

The US internet provider Network Solutions has told anti-immigration MP Geert Wilders it wants to see his short film on the Koran before his website will be put back on line. ......more

Skiers should pay own sick pay

Workers who take time off after breaking a bone during a skiing holiday should be responsible for their own sick pay, says the small and medium-sized business lobby group MKB-Nederland in Wednesday's Telegraaf. ......more

Lloyds won't pay out on Van Gogh

Insurance company Lloyds is refusing to make a €1m payout to Theo van Gogh's friend and business partner Gijs van de Westelaken because the film-maker was murdered in a terrorist attack. ......more

School truants to appear before judge

A parliamentary majority wants tougher action against truants, reports public broadcaster NOS on Wednesday. MPs have demanded that children who consistently fail to turn up for school appear in front of a special ‘truancy judge’ within one month.......more

Former minister wants Wilders' film banned

Former Dutch foreign affairs minister Hans van den Broek, who is now a leading government advisor, has called on the cabinet to ask the courts to ban the controversial film due to be released this week by anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, reports Wednesday’s Volkskrant. ......more

News from Tuesday 25 March 2008

Cancer experts warn on alternative therapy

Dutch cancer specialists are concerned that cancer patients are choosing alternative therapies which hinder traditional treatments, according to a survey carried out by the Dutch oncology association and tv news programme NOVA and reported in Tuesday's Volkskrant. ......more

Tough sentence for terrorism couple

A couple who were key witnesses in the trial of Samir Azzouz on terrorism charges were each sentenced to three years in jail on Monday, even though the public prosecution department had asked for a one year term. ......more

Long wait for rsi pay-out

A former worker at a company which makes transformers has won a 14-year battle for compensation after developing repetitive strain injury (rsi) while doing his job. ......more

Wintry weather causes record traffic jams

The wintry weather caused serious problems for commuters and air travellers on Tuesday with jams of up to 30 km in the morning rush hour. ......more

Retailers oppose anti-Sunday trading plans

The Dutch retailers association, local councils and the free-market Liberal party (VVD) are opposed to government plans to crack down on the abuse of Sunday trading laws, reports the Volkskrant on Tuesday. ......more

Fortis loses mortgage market share

Financial services group Fortis has lost considerable mortgage market share because of the ongoing price war, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday. ......more

Dutch champions at refilling bottles

Some 65% of Dutch men and 86% of Dutch women refill plastic water bottles with tap water, according to drinks industry figures. ......more

10% more new homes completed

The number of new homes completed by the construction sector last year rose 10% to 80,000, according to the latest figures from the national statistics office CBS. ......more

Heineken acquires Czech company

Dutch brewing group Heineken announced on Tuesday that it is to acquire the Czech company Drinks Union. . ......more

Pharming signs Turkish distribution deal

Dutch biotechnology company Pharming announced on Tuesday that it has signed a distribution agreement with the Turkish pharmaceutical company EIP for its medicine Rhucin. No financial details were disclosed. ......more

Apenheul primate park founder dies

Wim Mager, founder of Apenheul primate park in Apeldoorn, died on Sunday, reports ANP news service. ......more

Arrest for discrimination at anti-racism rally

A man was arrested for discrimination on Saturday during the anti-racism rally in the centre of Amsterdam. ......more

Dutch flight misses new Hyderabad airport

A KLM flight from Amsterdam that was supposed to land at Hyderabad’s new airport flew on to Delhi and Mumbai because the pilot did not know the new airport existed, the Times of India reported. ......more

Wintry weather causes record jams

The wintry weather caused serious problems for commuters and air travellers on Tuesday morning with jams of up to 30 km in places. ......more

Veldhuis sets new record in 50m freestyle

Marleen Veldhuis won her third gold medal of the European swimming championships in Eindhoven on Monday in world record time. ......more

News from Monday 24 March 2008

Cold weather hits Easter tourism

The cold weather hit Easter tourism in the Netherlands, with the number of visitors to outdoor attractions down by up to 30%, according to industry figures. ......more

PSV a step nearer to football title

PSV Eindhoven came a step closer to retaining the Dutch league title this weekend with a 3-0 victory over FC Groningen. ......more

News from Sunday 23 March 2008

Wilders rejects Muslim tv offer to show film

Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders on Sunday rejected an offer from the Dutch Muslim broadcaster NMO to show his controversial short film Fitna, reports ANP news service. ......more

News from Friday 21 March 2008

'Berlusconi will veto Alitalia takeover'

Silvio Berlusconi, tipped to become Italy's prime minister after April's vote, said on Friday he would veto Alitalia’s takeover by Air France-KLM if he wins the election.......more

Easter set to be coldest in 40 years

With snow, frost and strong winds, this weekend is set to be the coldest Easter in 40 years, the KMNI weather bureau said on Friday. ......more

Tax office can use stolen bank information

The tax office has been given the green light to use secret bank account details to fine several thousand people who have not declared they have secret bank accounts in Luxembourg. ......more

Junkie XL remixes Madonna single

Dutch DJ and composer Tom Holkenborg, better known as Junkie XL, has produced a remix of Madonna’s new single 4 Minutes to Save the World.......more

Blue-chip firms book record profits

The Netherlands’ top blue-chip firms booked record combined profit of €78bn last year, almost 25% up on 2006, according to research by the Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Insider trading probe at Pharming

The financial services watchdog AFM has launched a probe into possible insider trading at biotech firm Pharming, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Friday. ......more

Union, employer talks set for late April

The annual spring talks between ministers, employers and unions will take place in the second half of April, the social affairs ministry said on Thursday.......more

Second airline quits Maastricht over tax

Airline Corendon is quitting Maastricht airport and moving to Liège over the border in Belgium because of the imposition of the new tax on air travel. Italian budget airline Volariaweb has also made the move.......more

Rabobank welcome on Tour de France

Despite fears that it might be banned, the Rabobank cycling team has been invited to take part in this year’s Tour de France cycle race. ......more

Shorter sentence for child rapist

A British man with a long history of child abuse has had his sentence for raping a juvenile boy and child pornography possession cut from nine to six years by a court in Den Bosch. ......more

School boy stabber gets 11 months

The 14-year-old boy who stabbed a 16-year-old schoolmate to death outside their school in Amsterdam’s Slotervaart last year has been sentenced to 11 months in juvenile detention. ......more

Childcare costs soar, budget is overspent

The cost of child care organised through specialist child-minding bureaus rose by 113%, or €150m, last year. ......more

Anti-hate crime campaign launched

Police in Amsterdam and Nijmegen have begun a major online campaign against ‘hate crimes’, the Volkskrant reports on Friday. ......more

Palliative sedation on the increase

Doctors are increasingly using palliative sedation towards the end of a patient’s life, according to researchers at Rotterdam’s Erasmus medical centre. ......more

Household debt doubles in five years

The average Dutch household had debts of €30,000 last year, almost double the figure five years ago, said the debt relief association NVVK in Friday’s AD. ......more

Parking charges earn big money

The Netherlands' local councils earned €61m from car parking fees in 1990 but that figure has now gone up almost 10-fold, reported Friday’s Financieele Dagblad. ......more

News from Thursday 20 March 2008

Print group RSDB has potential buyer

An unnamed foreign investor is currently carrying out a book-keeping scan on printing group Roto Smeets de Boer, chairman John Caris said on Thursday. ......more

MPs reject anti-racism demo invite

Left-wing MPs have rejected an invitation by an anti-racism organisation to join a demonstration in Amsterdam on Saturday, saying they fear it could turn into an anti-Geert Wilders event. ......more

Rotterdam mayor to leave next year

Rotterdam mayor Ivo Opstelten has handed in his resignation, effective January 2009. ......more

MPs concerned about Verdonk's funding

MPs from across the political spectrum have called on Rita Verdonk to be more open about funding for her political movement Trots op Nederland, the Volkskrant reported on Thursday. ......more

Socialists want limit on Polish workers

European Union member states must be free to decide themselves how many Poles and other east Europeans they allow into their country, said Socialist Party leader Jan Marijnissen during a tv interview on Wednesday evening. ......more

Unemployment stabilises at 4%

Unemployment figures no longer show a downward trend according to the national statistics office CBS on Thursday. ......more

Traffic jams forecast for Thursday afternoon

Around half a million people are expected to go on holiday during the Easter break, most of them within the Netherlands, reports the Telegraaf.......more

Permanent living in holiday homes not solved

Local councils must decide whether residents who live permanently in their holiday homes will be allowed to stay and inform them of their decision by January 2010, planning minister Jacqueline Cramer said on Thursday. ......more

Respect human rights in Tibet, says prince

The Dutch royal household has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement on crown prince Willem Alexander’s concerns about events in Tibet following reporters’ questions yesterday. ......more

TomTom supervisory boss goes it alone

Andrew Browne, chairman of the supervisory board at satellite navigation system maker TomTom is leaving the company to set up his own firm.......more

BAM benefits from Flatiron sale

Building group BAM booked net profit of €349m last year, boosted by a €72m book profit on the sale of its US subsidiary Flatiron. ......more

Van Lanschot weathers credit crisis well

Bank group Van Lanschot Bankiers booked a 16.7% increase in net profit last year at €215.4m. ......more

Insurers accuse PGGM of unfair competition

The Dutch insurance company association and a number of individual insurance groups are taking health service pension fund PGGM to court for unfair competition. ......more

Hunter Douglas to buy out minority investors

Window coverings group Hunter Douglas has made a €43 per share cash offer for the 13.4 million shares in the hands of minority investors. ......more

Managers prefer jams to moving house

Almost half of Holland’s managers would rather spend hours in traffic jams than move house, according to research by magazine Management Team. ......more

Police spot checks on 6,000 cars

Police, tax inspectors and customs officials carried out spot checks on 6,000 cars and their drivers on the A2 in the early hours of this morning. ......more

ING boss earnings down €500,000

ING CEO Michel Tilmant earned €500,000 less last year but still took home €4.8m, according to the financial services group’s annual reports. ......more

Oldest Dutchman dies aged 108

The Netherlands’ oldest man, Johannes van der Giessen has died at a nursing home in Rotterdam at the age of 108. ......more

Anti-terror officials to track MPs' movements

Ministers and MPs who plan to appear in public outside the Hague parliamentary complex have been told to report their movements to the anti-terrorism coordination centre, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. ......more

Danish pm attacks Wilders over film

Denmark's prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has strongly criticised anti-immigration MP Geert Wilders and his plans to release a short film attacking the Koran later this month. ......more

PSV move closer to league title

PSV of Eindhoven moved a step closer to the premier league title yesterday after a goalless draw at home against second-placed Ajax of Amsterdam. ......more

News from Wednesday 19 March 2008

China's Ping An invests €2bn in Fortis

Chinese insurance company Ping An has invested €2.15bn in Fortis in return for a 50% stake in the financial services group’s asset management division.......more

Dutch banks Q4 profit down 39%

The combined profit of the Netherlands’ banks fell 39% in the final quarter of last year, compared with the year earlier period, the Dutch central bank said on Wednesday. ......more

Court backs new flight tax

The government has been given the go ahead to introduce a new eco tax on air travel. ......more

Teachers, nurses join calls for more pay

As the police unions continue their campaign for more pay, health care professionals and teaching staff are also beginning to put the pressure on for higher salaries, Trouw reported on Wednesday. ......more

Market forces boosted wealth, says CPB

The introduction of increased competition into a number of Dutch industries has boosted both social welfare and productivity, the government’s economic policy unit CPB says in its latest report on the Dutch economy. ......more

Three arrested in bingo night raid

Police in Hemond arrested three people after a raid on a bingo night at the local football club, news agency ANP reports. ......more

Bathroom visit leads to two arrests

A quick stop by a police patrol car to use the toilets at a motorway service station near Delft led to the arrest of two British men, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday. ......more

Alitalia takeover 'in danger'

The takeover of Italian airline Alitalia by Air France-KLM is in danger, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, head of the French-Dutch airline was quoted as saying on Wednesday. ......more

Van den Hoogenband out of 200m

Three-time Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband was knocked out of his most important race, the 200m freestyle, at the European championships in Eindhoven on Tuesday. ......more

Wine maker insures nose for €5m

Dutch wine maker Ilja Gort, who has vineyards in Bordeaux, is insuring his nose with Lloyds for €5m, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday.......more

British prize for prefab prisons

Helmond firm CoproCon has won a UK technical innovation award for its prefabricated prison units, news agency ANP said on Wednesday. ......more

Four billion bulbs exported

The Netherlands exported four billion plant bulbs last year, 5% more than in 2006, said national statistics office CBS. ......more

CPB: economic growth to hit 2.25%

The Dutch economy will grow 2.25% this year and 1.75% in 2009, according to the latest estimates from the government's economic policy unit CPB. ......more

Van der Moolen to target private investors

Van der Moolen plans to get a licence to serve private investors in Europe, the stockbroking firm said on Tuesday evening. ......more

Sixth Schiphol runway plan withdrawn

The province of Noord-Holland has unexpectedly withdrawn plans to begin the process of building a sixth runway at Schiphol airport. ......more

Staples firm on Corporate Express bid

US office supplies group Staples said on Tuesday it is not planning to increase its €7.25 per share offer for Dutch peer Corporate Express. ......more

Prince 'not the most water efficient'

Crown prince Willem Alexander, who is the figurehead of the UN’s efforts to provide clean water and proper sanitation worldwide, sometimes showers twice a day - even three times if he has been doing sport. ......more

MPs back Antillean immigration ban

The two main governing parties – CDA and Labour – support a ban on young, unemployed Antillean men coming to the Netherlands. ......more

MPs to debate euthanasia law

Elderly people who ‘are finished with life’ should be able to get help to die, Femke Halsema, leader of the left wing GroenLinks party, says in Wednesday’s Volkskrant. ......more

New flight tax court ruling today

The government will hear today whether it can go ahead with the introduction of a new eco tax on air travel. ......more

New kit for national football team

Nike has revealed the Dutch team’s new kit for the 2008 European football championships. The outfit, an orange shirt with v-neck rather than a collar, white shorts and pale blue socks, is ‘modern and stylish,’ says the football association KNVB. ......more

Feyenoord reaches cup final

Rotterdam football club Feyenoord reached the final of the KNVB cup on Tuesday night with a 2-0 win over NAC Breda. ......more

Relay swimmers set world record

The Dutch women’s relay swimming team set a new world record in the 4x100 freestyle at the European Championships in Eindhoven on Tuesday night. ......more

Inheritance tax to be reformed

Inheritance tax is to be cut from the current maximum of 68% to 50%, junior finance minister Jan Kees de Jager said in Wednesday’s Telegraaf and Financieele Dagblad. ......more

News from Tuesday 18 March 2008

Easter is the new Christmas, say food shops

Supermarkets have extended their range of Easter specialities from 80 last year to over 100 this year, reports Tuesday's AD. ......more

Dutch to bring in single-tier boards

The justice ministry has drawn up draft legislation which would give Dutch companies the option of using a single-tier board system, in line with common practice in the UK and US. ......more

Financial jitters leave Dutch unscathed

Dutch economic growth will slow to 2.3% this year and 1.8% in 2009, according to the latest estimates from International Monetary Fund.......more

Groningen firm looks for life on Mars

Groningen biotech company Bioclear is providing rock sampling apparatus for the ExoMars Rover space flight to Mars, due to blast off in 2013. ......more

Notorious murder case will not re-opened

The high court decided on Tuesday afternoon that one of the Netherlands most notorious murder cases in recent years will not be reopened. ......more

Dutch quit smoking and drinking

The Dutch are living healthier lives according to figures published on Tuesday by the national statistics office CBS. ......more

Defence ministry employed illegal teacher

The defence ministry has employed an Iraqi man, who served eight years in jail for helping to murder his mother-in-law and who is described by the immigration service as an ‘undesirable alien’, to teach soldiers Arabic, the Telegraaf claims on Tuesday.......more

Casino increases Super de Boer stake

French supermarket group Casino has expanded its stake in Dutch food firm Super de Boer to 57% after buying the 6% stake held by the Amber group. The package cost some €30m, Casino said. ...

NYSE Euronext signs Abu Dhabi alliance

The NYSE Euronext stock exchange group and the Abu Dhabi bourse have signed an agreement to ‘jointly develop and explore new opportunities in trading systems and other related technology… and investment products,’ the two groups said on Tuesday. ......more

Car services still not good enough

Spot checks on 91 garages by motoring organisation ANWB has revealed that many mechanics charge for parts or fuel they have not used during major services. ......more

Skiing neck and head injuries double

The number of skiers returning from winter sports holidays with head or neck injuries has doubled this year to 20%, reports ANP news service on Tuesday. ......more

Object to the Olympics in China, athletes told

Dutch star athletes with moral objections to China's human rights policy should go to Beijing for the Olympics and make their statement there, says Yves Kummer, chairman of NL Sporter, a lobby group which will represent about half the Dutch Olympic team. ......more

Minister acts on school segregation

Junior education minister Sharon Dijksma will discuss her plans to tackle segregation in primary schools with parliament on Tuesday afternoon. ......more

Former US ambassador Arnall dies

The former US ambassador to the Netherlands Roland Arnall has died unexpectedly in the US just days after returning home. ......more

Arnhem rescues football club Vitesse

Arnhem city council has voted by 23 to 15 to rescue the city’s football club Vitesse which is in serious financial trouble and under court protection from creditors. ......more

Green light for new lake project

The Noord-Holland provincial council has backed plans to flood 1,000 hectares of land in the far north of the province to create a massive lake for water sports. ......more

Sports marketeer to take helm at Ajax

Henri van der Aat, director of sports marketing bureau Trefpunt, has been appointed interim director of Amsterdam football club Ajax following the departure of Maarten Fontein. ......more

News from Monday 17 March 2008

Chinese ambassador summoned over Tibet

China’s ambassador to the Netherlands Xue Hanqin was summoned to the Dutch foreign ministry on Monday to hear fears about the crackdown on opponents of Chinese rule in Tibet. ......more

Electronic cigarette investigation called for

Health organisations have urged health minister Ab Klink to launch an investigation into health risks associated with electronic cigarettes, which allow users to 'smoke' nicotine without tar and tobacco. ......more

Black rat returns to southern Netherlands

The black rat (rattus rattus), responsible for spreading the kidney-damaging hanta virus among other illnesses, is making a come-back in the south of the country, Jim van Steenbergen of the RIVM health institute told Radio 1 on Monday. ......more

Bookshop sales rise, people read less

Dutch bookshops sold more books, newspapers and magazines in 2007 but people are spending less time reading, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday.......more

Ajax books profit on sale of players

Amsterdam football club Ajax booked net profit of €21m in the first half of its current book year, compared with a loss of €5.6m in the year-earlier period. ......more

Hirsi Ali would consider return to Holland

Anti-Islam campaigner Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who now works for a US think-tank, would consider returning to the Netherlands if she could continue with her international career, the former MP tells Monday's Pers newspaper. ......more

Shell keeps gas and oil reserves stable

Royal Dutch Shell announced on Monday that its net oil and gas reserves have remained stable at 11.9bn barrels of oil equivalent at the end of 2007, matching 2006's figure.......more

Tefaf art fair one of most successful

The Tefaf antiques and fine arts fair in Maastricht which ended on Sunday was one of the most successful ever, attracting 73,245 visitors, the organisers said. ......more

Secret political donations face scrutiny

Home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst is to introduce legislation requiring so-called political movements, such as Geert Wilders PVV and Rita Verdonk's Trots op Nederland to make their funding public. ......more

European championships costs fans dear

The Netherland's biggest online ticket agency tickets.nl is charging €1,379 per ticket for this summer's matches between Holland and France and Italy at the European football championships. ......more

Versace contract brings fame to Dutch artist

Designer Donatella Versace is using photo collages of Berlin street scenes put together by Dutch artist Tim Roeloffs on dresses in her spring collection. ......more

Blue Fox fails to find partner

Software group Blue Fox has failed to find a strategic partner and now plans to sell off certain activities, the company said at the presentation of its full-year earnings on Monday. ......more

Sauerbreij takes world overall snowboard title

Dutch snowboarder Nicolien Sauerbreij, 28, took the women's snowboard overall title at the FIS Snowboarding World Cup finals in Valmalenco this weekend. ‘I don’t know what has happened to me. When will I wake up?’ the Amsterdammer told reporters. ...

Glen Mills school criticised for illegal restraint

The Glen Mills reform school in Wezep has been criticised by youth care service inspectors for using an illegal method to restrain disruptive youngsters. ......more

Wilders' anti-Islam akin to anti-semitism

Entertainment entrepreneur Harry de Winter has taken out a page-wide advert on the front page of Monday’s Volkskrant newspaper accusing MP Geert Wilders of racism. ......more

Air France-KLM offers €138m for Alitalia

Air France-KLM made a conditional offer at the weekend for the troubled Italian carrier Alitalia. The offer - one Air France-KLM share for 160 Alitalia shares - is worth €138m. ......more

Nijenhuis sets new 1,000 m record

Speed skater Beorn Nijenhuis returned to form on Sunday after an injury-blighted season to beat the Dutch national record for the 1,000 metres. ......more

Ajax narrow gap with PSV

The battle for the premier league is hotting up after league leaders PSV only managed to draw 1-1 away to Roda JC of Kerkrade on Sunday. ......more

News from Friday 14 March 2008

Cabinet backs plan to tackle top pay

The cabinet has agreed to adopt several measures to reduce excessive executive pay, junior finance minister Jan Kees de Jager told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting. ......more

PSV draws Fiorentina in Uefa cup

PSV Eindhoven has drawn Italian club Fiorentina in the quarter finals of the Uefa cup. ......more

International terrorist suspect arrested

Police in Breda have arrested a 26-year-old Pakistani national on suspicion of involvement in an international terror network which was plotting attacks in Western Europe, the public prosecution department said on Friday.......more

Job on the side boosts MPs salary

Barry Madlener, an MP for the anti-immigration PVV party earns €30,000 a year on top of his MPs salary by doubling up as a member of Rotterdam city council. ......more

Fewer managers, more organisers

The number of management jobs in the Netherlands went down by 26,500 jobs or almost 25% between 2000 and 2005, according to Maastricht university researchers. ......more

Wages should rise 3.5% to 4.5%

Wages should rise by 3.5% to 4.5% this year to ensure spending power does not decrease, manufacturing and services industry trade union De Unie said on Friday. ......more

Telegraaf group books highest ever earnings

Newspaper group TMG, which publishes the Telegraaf and free-sheet Spits, booked net profit of €400m last year, the highest figure in its 115-year history. ......more

Ping An poised to take Fortis stake

China's Ping An Insurance is in the final stage of talks to buy a major stake in the asset management arm of Belgian-Dutch financial services group Fortis, sources told Reuters on Friday. ......more

Reprieve for gay Iranian teenager

Mehdi Kazemi, the gay Iranian teenager refused refugee status in the Netherlands because he first made a claim in the UK, has been given a temporary reprieve. ......more

MPs back sex with animals ban

A majority of MPs have backed a bill to ban sex with animals, NOS tv reports. Practitioners can currently only be prosecuted if it can be proved the animal has suffered. ......more

Veluwe boar numbers still high

The number of wild boar roaming the Veluwe heathland area is still too high because hunters have only killed around 3,900 animals, 1,000 fewer than planned, farm minister Gerda Verburg told MPs on Thursday. ......more

Dead goose game not to be banned

Ganstrekken, the practice of pulling the head off a dead goose during Carnival celebrations in the Limburg village of Grevenbicht, is not decent behaviour but will not be banned, farm minister Gerda Verburg told MPs on Thursday. ......more

Misconduct more common among notaries

In 2007, 92 notaries and trainee notaries were found guilty of misconduct, compared with just 20 seven years ago, tv current affairs show Nova reported on Thursday evening. ......more

GVB voted worst public transport firm

Amsterdam’s public transport company GVB is the worst in the country, according to research under 70,000 people by the transport sector’s trade paper OV-magazine. ......more

Three time winners of best farmer’s cheese

Sjanita and Adrie de Vos from the Groningen village of Blijham have won the Jan den Besten award for the best farmers cheese (boerenkaas) in the Netherlands for the third time. ......more

Tuition fee increase will hurt students

One third of university students will quit their studies if tuition fees are raised sharply over the next few years, according to research by the students’ union LSVb, quoted in Friday’s AD. ......more

Amsterdam to sell stake in power firm

Amsterdam city council wants to sell its 9.6% stake in the commercial activities of energy concern Nuon, reports Friday’s Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Show your film in parliament, MPs tell Wilders

Socialist, Liberal, GroenLinks and D66 MPs would not object to Geert Wilders’ showing his anti-Koran film in the parliament building itself, the Volkskrant reports on Friday. ......more

Working mothers increase their hours

The number of hours worked by mothers has gone up by 50% over the past 10 years to an average of 16.4 hours, according to national statistics office calculations for the Volkskrant. ......more

PM claims EU solidarity over Wilders film

European Union leaders have expressed their tacit solidarity with the Netherlands over possible anti-Dutch violence arising from Geert Wilder’s film, prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende told reporters on Thursday night.......more

Missing father's body found in car in canal

The body of a man found in a car in the canal near Terneuzen on Thursday evening is almost definitely that of missing father Aarnout Zegers, wanted in connection with the murder of his two children, police said.......more

News from Thursday 13 March 2008

Richard Gere in Dutch inspired movie

The film The Hunting Party comes to the Netherlands next month, starring Richard Gere. ......more

Dutch well informed on Islam, poll

The Dutch believe they are well-informed about Islam, according to Maurice de Hond survey published on Thursday. ......more

Rotterdam districts are 'child-unfriendly'

The most child-unfriendly neighbourhood in the Netherlands is Rotterdam’s Schiemond, according to research conducted by the Verwey- Jonker Institute, reports Thursday’s Trouw. ......more

Ahold boss left with €7m in bonuses

Retailer Ahold, which operates the Albert Hein supermarkets, gave former CEO Anders Moberg around €7m last year, according to the company's annual report published on Thursday. ......more

Open source tech firm moves into US

The Dutch open source software specialist Hippo is to move into the US market via the takeover of BlueSunrise in San Francisco, reports ANP news service. No figures were disclosed. ......more

Shell wants Deutsche Bank chief on board

Oil company Shell said on Thursday that it intends to propose the head of Deutsche Bank, Josef Ackermann, as a non-executive director of the company with effect from May 21, one day after its annual general meeting. ......more

Credit crisis hits the Netherlands

The international credit crisis has finally hit the Dutch mortgage market with one of the country's largest foreign mortgage lenders halting the issue of new mortgages as of today, reports the Financieele Dagblad on Thursday. ......more

'Nuclear power should be an option'

Nuclear power should be among the options the cabinet is prepared to consider to ensure future power supplies. This is the recommendation the government’s socio-economic advisory body SER is expected to announce on Friday, says ANP news service. ......more

Government forms to be simplified

The 50 most-used government forms are to be simplified by next year so that everyone can understand them, junior home affairs minister Ank Bijleveld said on Thursday. ......more

Child poverty rising, says report

The number of children living in poverty in the Netherlands rose slightly in 2006 to 242,240 from 238,391 in the preceding year, according to a report published by the UN’s child rights organisation on Thursday. ......more

Teenagers' sex life not so wild

Dutch teenagers' sex life is less wild and starts later than many people believe according to a survey published in the free nespaper Sp!ts on Thursday. ......more

Blasphemy law up for debate

A parliamentary majority wants to see the offence of blasphemy removed from the statute book. The two Christian the coalition parties want the legislation to remain but the third partner, Labour, says it is 'superfluous' and can be scrapped, Labour MP Ton Heerts said in a tv interview on Wednesday night. ......more

'Olympic competitors should have diplomatic status'

The opposition GroenLinks party has called for diplomatic status to be given to Dutch competitors taking part in the Olympic Games in China this year, reports ANP news service on Thursday. ......more

Netherlands criticised in 'Islam phobia monitor'

The Netherlands comes in for considerable criticism in the first ever ‘Islam phobia’ monitor drawn up by the influential Organisation of the Islamic Conference which is due to discuss the issue today, reports Thursday’s Volkskrant.......more

Police call off industrial action

Leaders of two of the police unions, including the biggest, are to meet with the home affairs minister on Thursday to discuss their latest pay offer, reports ANP news service on Thursday morning. ......more

PSV beat Tottenham on penalties

PSV Eindhoven is through to the quarter finals of the UEFA football cup after nail-biting victory over London’s Tottenham Hotspur in a penalty shootout 6-5 on Wednesday night. ......more

News from Wednesday 12 March 2008

Human trafficking increasing

The number of reports of people trafficking in the Netherlands rose to 716 last year from 579 in 2006, according to figures by the organisation that coordinates statistics on people smuggling. ......more

Geert Mak wins German literary prize

Author Geert Mak was awarded the annual Book Prize for European Understanding at the Leipzig Book Fair on Wednesday. The €15,000 prize is awarded to writers who have written about East-West relationships in Europe.......more

More strikes on the way

Police trade unions said on Wednesday they will be stepping up their industrial action after talks on pay stalled once again, according to various media reports. ......more

Albert Heijn Smurf fever burning out

The Smurf fever that has gripped the Netherlands since mid-February is finally burning itself out. The last 6 million of the 29 million blue plastic creatures that supermarket Albert Hein has been doling out for every €15 spent will be delivered to stores Thursday. ......more

International tension grows over Wilders' film

International pressure on the Netherlands over the controversial anti-Koran film by Dutch MP Geert Wilders is growing, despite the Dutch prime minister’s reassurances in parliament on Wednesday that Europe and Islamic countries are appreciative of the active stance taken by the Dutch government on the issue. ......more

Schiphol signs deal with Chinese airport

Schiphol Group announced on Tuesday that it has signed a two-year cooperation agreement with Baiyun International Airport in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. ......more

Major orders for Ballast Nedam

Ballast Nedam has won a government order to build a new 320-cell prison complex in Rotterdam. The company will work with a number of partners on the €100m project, the company announced on Wednesday. ......more

More money to find Srebrenica victims

The Netherlands will add another €1.8m to the €17.5m is has already donated for finding and identifying genocide victims in the former Yugoslavian town of Srebrenica, aid minister Bert Koenders said on Tuesday. ......more

Business services sector slowdown

Turnover in the business services sector grew less strongly in the second half of 2007 than a year earlier because of staff shortages, says national statistics office CBS on Wednesday. ......more

EC investigates price fixing at KLM

The European Commission made surprise raids on Dutch national carrier KLM, Germany’s Lufthansa and Italy’s Alitalia on Tuesday. ......more

Endemol eyes stake in football pay tv

TV production company Endemol is to take a stake in the new pay channel to be set up by the organisation representing the 18 premier league football clubs, ECV, reports Wednesday’s Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Women prefer talking to friends than partner

Some 55% of Dutch women would rather talk to their girlfriends than their partner and one in three spends more time chatting to her than to the man she is in a relation with, according to a survey in the latest issue of women’s magazine Flair. ......more

Dutch expats may face tax hike

Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands may also be hit by finance minister Wouter Bos' plans to tackle top salaries, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday. ......more

Review premature baby survival rate

Junior health minister Jet Bussemaker has asked doctors to draw up guidelines governing extremely premature babies, news agency ANP reported on Tuesday evening. ......more

Iranian homosexual loses asylum appeal

A 19-year-old homosexual Iranian man has lost his appeal for asylum in the Netherlands because an earlier application in Britain had already been turned down. ......more

MPs want halt on Chinese adoptions

Socialist and ChristenUnie MPs on Tuesday called for an end to the adoption of Chinese babies by Dutch couples. ......more

MPs back free school text book plan

Labour MPs have agreed to support plans to transfer responsibility for buying school text- books from parents to secondary schools, giving the move a parliamentary majority. ......more

Delays at Schiphol following storm warning

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport has already cancelled scores of flights early on Wednesday morning because strong winds have closed down all but one runway, reports ANP news service. The weather office has issued a storm warning and advised motorists to avoid all unnecessary travel. ......more

News from Tuesday 11 March 2008

No decision yet on extra taxes on top pay

No agreement was reached on a plan to charge top earners a tax of 30% on bonuses and golden handshakes at Tuesday’s meeting on the issue, reports ANP news service. ......more

Slovenian minister criticises Wilders' film

The foreign affairs minister of Slovenia, which currently holds the EU presidency, has criticised Dutch MP Geert Wilders’ plan to screen his anti-Koran film. ......more

Court rules against Maastricht 'coffee shops'

Maastricht city council will not be granted a licence to build coffee shops selling soft drugs on the edge of the city, a court ruled on Tuesday.......more

Farmers' income up almost 5%

The income of Dutch farmers rose 4.9% in 2007 compared to a year earlier which is slightly lower than the European average increase of 5.4%, said the European statistics body Eurostat on Tuesday. ......more

Nurses could follow police with industrial action

Some 300,000 nursing staff are expected to follow the example of police officers and may well be prepared to take industrial action in support of their pay claim, reports Tuesday’s Volkskrant. ......more

One in three want more days off

One in three people are unhappy with the amount of leisure time they have, according to a survey by Blauw Research published on Tuesday. ......more

Carlyle trading re-opened, shares plummet

Shares in the Amsterdam-listed unit of private equity firm Carlyle Capital Corporation lost 15% of their value in the first 30 minutes after trading in the company was re-opened on Tuesday, reports ANP news service. ......more

Prison sentences for email conmen

A court in Haarlem has sentenced three members of a Nigerian gang to up to four years in prison for extorting tens of thousands of euros from victims who answered emails promising a stake in unclaimed inheritances. ......more

Murdoch takes over Dutch financial news

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has taken over the Dutch financial news service Betten Financial News as part of a global expansion of its Dow Jones Newswires operation, reports Reuters news agency. ......more

No more loud phone calls on trains

Talking loudly on a mobile phone in the train has to stop, says Dutch Rail director Aad Veenman. ......more

Dance4Life founder is Global Leader

A barber's son from Amstelveen who founded the Aids charity Dance4Life will today be named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, reports Tuesday's Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Dutch mountaineers attempt Himalayan top

Five Dutch mountaineers, two women and three men, are heading to Tibet on March 22 to climb the Shisha Pangma, one of the 14 mountains in the world higher than 8,000 metres. ......more

C1000 supermarkets sold to Ahold

Supermarket concern Schuitema is to sell 56 of its C1000 supermarkets to retailer Ahold which operates Albert Heijn, the country’s biggest supermarket chain. ......more

Air France-KLM to bid for Alitalia

Air France-KLM has been given permission by its management board to make a conditional offer for the Italian airline Alitalia. The offer will be made on Friday and is dependent on a number of conditions including the support of the trade unions, reports Tuesday's Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Birth defects higher among minorities

Almost 25% of Rotterdammers with a Turkish background and 20% of those with Moroccan origins marry relatives, reports Tuesday’s Volkskrant. ......more

Public broadcaster wins back football rights

The much-coveted rights for premier league football games have been won back by public broadcaster NOS which will pay a total of €21m for the five-year tv and radio contract. ......more

Top earners to pay more tax

The government is planning to charge top earners a tax surcharge of 30% on bonuses and golden handshakes. The matter will be discussed today, according to sources in The Hague, reports in Tuesday's Volkskrant. ......more

News from Monday 10 March 2008

Police reconsider industrial action (update)

The duel between the top two premier football league teams, Amsterdam’s Ajax and Eindhoven’s PSV, has been rescheduled for March 19 following the cancellation of the game on Sunday because of industrial action by police. PSV currently tops the league while Ajax is in second place. ......more

More tests for public transport card

The controversial public transport payment card is to undergo further safety tests at scientific research centre TNO, card producer Trans Link Systems announced on Monday. ......more

Heart attack admissions down 30%

Hospital admissions for patients suffering from heart attacks fell by 30% between 1995 and 2005, according to figures released on Monday by the national statistics office CBS. ......more

Dutchman acquitted of war crimes

A Dutch businessman was acquitted of war crimes and the illegal trading of weapons in Liberia by an appeal court in The Hague on Monday. The court said there was insufficient evidence to convict Guus Kouwenhoven. ......more

Defence minister wants more social aid for Afghanistan

More effort on the redevelopment of Afghanistan is essential to establish peace in the country, said Dutch defence minister Eimert Middelkoop in an open letter published in Australia on Monday.......more

Danish cartoonist urges Wilders to show film

Dutch MP Geert Wilders should definitely go ahead and release his controversial anti-Koran film, says Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard in Monday’s Volkskrant. ......more

Philips pension fund sells property

Property firm Nieuwe Steen Investments (NSI) announced on Monday that it has bought eight buildings in the Netherlands worth €143m from Philips Pensioenfonds. ......more

Workers dream of setting up own business

Some 75% of working people dream of starting up their own company according to a survey commissioned by ING bank, reports ANP news service.. ......more

Search for Natalee's body halted

The search for the body of missing US teenager Natalee Holloway in the sea around Aruba has been called off, according to media reports on Monday. ......more

New mega campus for VU Amsterdam

The VU university wants to build a new campus on the Zuidas business district in Amsterdam, reports Monday's Volkskrant. ......more

Dutch snowboarder poised to win world cup

Dutch snowboarder Nicolien Sauerbreij won the world cup in the parallel giant slalom on Sunday in Stoneham, Canada. ......more

Most voters unhappy with government

Nearly half of the population (45%) hopes the present government will fall, with just 38% wanting prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and his ministers to stay put for their full four year term which ends in 2011. ......more

Ex-bankers demand compensation

Two former bankers at brokerage Veer Palte Voute are each demanding at least €2.8m in compensation from the central bank and financial sector watchdog AFM, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. ......more

Six cents too much social security

An unemployed man has been sent a formal letter by the social security payment office UWV to tell him he had been given six cents too much in benefits over the first six months of 2006. ......more

Record visitors to emigration fair

Some 12,000 people attended this weekend’s emigration fair in Nieuwegein, 3,000 more than in 2007, the organisers said on Sunday. ......more

Police plan traffic go-slow

Members of the NPB police trade union are being urged to stage a go-slow during Tuesday’s rush-hour in support of their pay claim. ......more

Water shortage in Groningen

Tens of thousands of people in the city of Groningen and its surrounding towns were hit by water shortages on Monday morning because of problems with the water pressure system. ......more

Pianist honoured for 25 years service

Dutch pianist and cabaret artist Hans Liberg was presented with the Order of the Netherlands Lion award during his performance at Amsterdam's Theater Carré on Sunday evening. ......more

Fugro wins Mexican contract

Dutch geotechnical services company Fugro announced on Monday that it has won a contract worth €27m from Pemex, Mexico's national oil company. ......more

Top clubs sidelined by police strikes

The crunch game between football premier league leader PSV of Eindhoven and second-placed Amsterdam club Ajax was postponed on Sunday because of a police strike. ......more

News from Friday 07 March 2008

Cruijff pulls out of Ajax revamp

Johan Cruijff has pulled out of his contract to take charge of football policy at Amsterdam club Ajax just two weeks after being given the job.......more

DNB boss earns more than ECB chief

Nout Wellink, head of the Dutch central bank earns more than European bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet, according to ECB figures. ......more

Dutch firms join trade mission to Cuba

Representatives from 23 different Dutch firms are heading to Cuba this weekend in the hope of doing business on the island, the NRC Handelsblad reports on Friday. ......more

Dutch ship to protect Somali aid convoys

The Netherlands is to send a naval frigate to Somalia to protect UN ships carrying food aid to the country from being attacked by pirates. ......more

ABN Amro popular boss with minorities

ABN Amro bank has risen to fourth place from number 10 as the most popular employer among ethnic minorities in the new annual rankings compiled by the Intelligence Group, reports Friday’s Financieele Dagblad.......more

Longer showers boost water use

The daily water consumption of the average Dutchman has risen by almost four litres to 127.5 litres since in 2004, according to a survey by research agency TNS-NIPO.......more

Police to put photos on website

Police in the Rijnmond region have begun placing photographs of armed robbers on a special website in the hope of catching more crooks. ......more

Soldier's portraits taken prior to Uruzgan

Dutch soldiers going on a tour of duty to Afghanistan are to have their portraits taken before they depart to prevent the media taking private pictures from the internet in the case they die in action. ......more

Dutch women are happy with their looks

Some 86% of Dutch women are usually or always pleased with their appearance, according to a TNS Nipo poll for beauty product firm Olaz. ......more

Friesland goes for solar power

The northern province of Friesland is to invest up to €40m in solar panels, reports ANP news service quoting local broadcaster Omrop Fryslân. Most of the half million units will be installed at the Leeuwarden airbase, it says....

Sévèke killer gets life sentence

The man who killed political activist Louis Sévèke in 2005 was given a life sentence for murder by Arnhem judges on Friday. ......more

Fortis earnings halved by sub-prime crisis

Dutch-Belgian financial services group Fortis said on Friday it had taken a €1.5bn write-off for losses related to the US mortgage crisis. This took fourth-quarter earnings to €414m, 48% down on the year-earlier period, the firm said.......more

Trading in Carlyle suspended

Trading was suspended in an Amsterdam-listed unit of private equity firm Carlyle on Friday pending a company announcement. ......more

'Friend' knows who dumped Natalee

Patrick van der Eem, the man who helped secretly record Joran van der Sloot confessing to being with Natalee Holloway when she died, has himself been secretly recorded by an Aruban tv company, Dutch media report on Friday.......more

Dutch want EU support for stand on Wilders

The Netherlands would like to hear ‘unified’ support from the European Union for the country’s position on Geert Wilders’ anti-Koran film, foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen said in answer to parliamentary questions on Thursday evening. ......more

Skating silver for Van Deutekom

Paulien van Deutekom took the silver medal in the 1,500 metre speed skating event at the world single distance championships in Nagano on Friday. ......more

Schoolgirl murderer gets 30 years

A 47-year-old man has been given a 30-year jail sentence and compulsory psychiatric treatment for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Suzanne Wisman in December 2006. ......more

PSV beat Spurs in key UEFA match

PSV Eindhoven took a crucial first-leg lead in the final-16 round of the UEFA cup, beating the UK's Tottenham Hotspur 0-1. ......more

News from Thursday 06 March 2008

Dutch drugs policy to get 30-year review

A majority of MPs have called for a wide-ranging review of Dutch drugs policy following concerns that an increasing number of youngsters are getting into trouble with soft drugs such as marijuana. ......more

Inflation rises in February

The Dutch annual inflation rate rose to 2.2% in February, compared with 2% in January, the national statistics office CBS said....

No prison in bag-snatch death

A woman who drove after the 19-year-old youth who stole her handbag and killed him by pinning him against a tree, has been given 180 hours of community service for dangerous driving. ......more

Holloway guests fail to inspire talk show

Despite extensive publicity, Wednesday night’s Jensen television talk show delivered no new information in the affair surrounding the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway. ......more

Tip-off may lead to bunker art haul

A tip-off from the son of a former German officer could lead to the discovery of 12 paintings hidden in a bunker under the dunes in Zandvoort during World War II, according to media reports. ......more

Belgian firm takes stake in APX

The Belgian gas grid operator Fluxys has taken a 2.68% in the Amsterdam-based power and electricity exchange APX. ......more

Giant cat to stay in asylum

A giant cat, known as ashera, will not be handed over to its owners pending the outcome of an investigation into the cat's genetic origins, a court in Haarlem decided on Thursday. The cat, which cost €22,000, was seized by customs officials in January. Click here for more. ...

Football clubs get no bill for policing

Football clubs and event organisers will not have to pay the extra cost of policing, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst says in Wednesday's NRC. 'Maintaining public order is a government task and the government must carry the costs involved,' Ter Horst was quoted as saying. ...

Midwives' fees may rise in problem areas

MPs are considering allowing midwives to charge higher fees for working in problem neighbourhoods. MPs say the move may be necessary because of the high pressure of work and safety concerns. ...

Drugs policy may be investigated

A majority of MPs are likely to back calls for a far-reaching investigation into Dutch drugs policy following reports that an increasing number of young people are getting into trouble with soft drugs. ......more

Prison places for children doubled

The number of children's places in secure accomodation in the Netherlands has almost doubled in the last 10 years to 2,753 in 2006, according to lobby group Defence for Children International. ...

Holland's biggest church gets bigger

The Netherlands' biggest church, in the Gelderland village of Opheusden, is set to add 200 new chairs, bringing its total capacity to 2,850 people, news agency ANP reports. ......more

Swimming champ backs human rights

Dutch gold medal swimming champion Pieter van den Hoogenband has called on the InternationaI Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge to speak out on human rights in China ahead of the Beijing games. ......more

Amsterdam probes expat housing scam

Amsterdam city council has launched an investigation into claims that a number of hotels are working with housing corporations to rent out social housing flats to expats, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. ......more

Record year for port group Smit

Port services group Smit International had a record year in 2007, with net profit up 40% to €105.6m. ......more

Aegon hit by weak dollar

Financial services group Aegon booked net profit of €648m in the final quarter of 2007, down 26% on the year-earlier figure. ......more

Ahold shows strong Q4 growth

Supermarket group Ahold booked net profit of €262m in the final quarter of 2007, a 9% increase on the year-earlier period. ......more

Minister sparks row over nuclear power

A row has blown up in the Netherlands over comments by the environment minister who said on Wednesday that she wants the construction of new nuclear power plants to meet extremely strict criteria. ......more

Akzo Nobel earnings beat forecasts

Coatings and chemicals group Akzo Nobel said on Thursday that its fourth quarter profit before tax and interest rose 43% to €174m, largely due to cost savings. ......more

Police reject pay deal, threaten action

The main police unions have begun preparing for a new round of industrial action after rejecting a final government pay offer. ......more

No-one wants to broadcast Wilders' film

No Dutch public or commercial television station is willing to broadcast MP Geert Wilder’s anti-Koran film, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday. ......more

News from Wednesday 05 March 2008

Holloway key players on tv chat show

A number of key players in the Natalee Holloway disappearance are set to appear on tv chat show Jensen on Wednesday night, broadcasting company RTL5 said. ......more

Pakistan summons Dutch ambassador

Pakistan summoned The Netherlands' ambassador on Wednesday to raise concerns about Geert Wilders' anti-Koran film, various news agencies reported on Wednesday. ......more

Nigeria bans Dutch fuel firm Gunvor

Nigeria has banned a Dutch firm which it claims imported 33,000 tons of contaminated fuel into the country, damaging hundreds of cars, according to news agency reports. ......more

Ajax reaches departure deal with director

Amsterdam football club Ajax announced on Wednesday that it has reached agreement with its managing director Maarten Fontein whose contract will be terminated on April 1.......more

Rabobank earnings rise 14% in 2007

The Rabobank booked a profit rise of 14% last year at €2.7bn despite a financial setback of €568m as a result of the US mortgage crisis. ......more

Advice on nuclear power postponed (update)

An influential advisory body has cancelled a press conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon because it is divided on what advice to give the government on nuclear power, reports ANP news service. ......more

Major defence spending review launched

An extensive review of the defence ministry is to be launched on Wednesday afternoon because of disagreement over spending within the cabinet, reports ANP news service. ......more

TNT, ING to close down last post offices

Postal company TNT and the ING banking group are to close down the country's 250 remaining specialist post offices with the loss of 1,850 jobs over the next five years. ......more

Energy law to make it easier to switch supplier

New energy market legislation designed to make it much easier for consumers to switch energy suppliers could result in a total saving of €100m a year, reports Wednesday’s Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Celebs to open Amsterdam trading

The Amsterdam stock market is to open its daily trading with the sounding of a ceremonial gong by a famous personality along the lines of the New York stock exchange, reports the Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Brussels prepares for Wilders film

The European Commission has alerted staff at all its diplomatic missions in Islamic countries that Geert Wilders' anti-Koran film will soon be made public, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. ......more

Women's hockey coach to Den Bosch

Marc Lammers, the coach of the national Dutch women’s hockey team, is to take up a management position at HC Den Bosch from January next year. ......more

Super de Boer makes a profit

Supermarket group Super de Boer, which used to be known as Laurus, booked net profit of €10m in 2007, compared with a loss of €45m in 2006. ......more

Incapacity benefit claimants want to work

Some 57% of people considered partially unfit for work and 19% of those who have been totally ruled out of the labour market for health reasons would like a job, according to research for the RWI council for work and income. ......more

Mushroom growers want damages for ban

Hallucinogenic mushroom growers and traders say they plan to claim damages if the government goes ahead with plans to make the sale of fresh 'magic' mushrooms illegal. Hundreds of people who work in the sector will lose their jobs, growers say. ...

Three perfect scores in cito test

Three out of the 154,000 primary schoolchildren who took this year’s cito test got all 200 questions right and eight had just one mistake. ......more

Dutch think-tank criticises EU biofuel plan

The Dutch environmental advisory body MNP has warned the European parliament that EU plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the use of biofuels will increase food prices and threaten biodiversity.......more

Homes raided in property fraud probe

The financial investigation service FIOD-ECD made 12 raids in the Netherlands on Tuesday in connection with possible property investment fraud abroad, reports ANP news service. ......more

Dutch EU whistleblower strikes again

Dutch Euro MP Paul Buitenen has once again published parts of a confidential report into suspected financial fraud involving other MEPs on his website, reports ANP news service. ......more

Netherlands recognises Kosovo

The Netherlands has officially recognised Kosovo as an independent state. Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen sent a formal statement to the new Kosovo government informing it of the Dutch decision on Tuesday.......more

News from Tuesday 04 March 2008

Council taxes to rise 4.4%

Dutch households will be paying an average 4.4% more in council taxes this year, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday. ......more

No charges over gorilla escape

Rotterdam’s Blijdorp zoo will not be prosecuted for last year’s escape by silverback gorilla Bokito, a court ruled on Tuesday. ......more

Wilders will show film to anti-terrorism tzar

Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders says he will allow the Dutch anti-terrorism coordinator to see his controversial anti-Koran film before it is released, but only on condition that the viewing is not used as an excuse to ban it, NOS tv reports on Tuesday. ......more

Corio and Tele Atlas join AEX

Property fund Corio and the digital map maker Tele Atlas were promoted to the Amsterdam stock exchange’s main blue-chip index, the AEX, on Tuesday. . ......more

12-year-old arrested for armed robbery

A 12-year-old boy was arrested in Rotterdam on Monday together with a 15-year-old accomplice in connection with an armed robbery on a newsagent’s shop, reports ANP news service.......more

New house sales reach record low

The number of new houses sold fell 13% in the last year, bringing the total number of empty homes to a record 22,000 at the end of 2007, reports the Financieele Dagblad. ......more

Pronk to set out Labour’s EU policy

The outspoken former Labour minister Jan Pronk is to set out the party’s course for the European elections in 2009, party chairwoman Lilianne Ploumen during a tv interview on Monday evening. ......more

Insurers may have to pay €2bn in refunds

Insurance companies which sold investment-based savings schemes should refund a total of €2bn to customers because not enough of their contributions were actually invested, the financial services sector ombudsman said on Tuesday. ......more

Ambassador summoned over anti-whaling protest

The Japanese foreign affairs minister has summoned both the Dutch and the Australian ambassadors after three Japanese sailors were apparently injured in a protest by militant anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd. ......more

Reality soap Gouden Kooi scrapped

Controversial reality soap De Gouden Kooi (the golden cage) in which a group of people set out to spend two years in a luxury villa in the hope of winning both the house and €1m, is being taken off the airwaves in May. ......more

State to compensate DSM

The government is to pay chemicals company DSM almost €48m in compensation for the closure of its fertiliser factory in IJmuiden in 2010, news agency ANP reports on Tuesday. ......more

Football club gets bankruptcy protection

Premier division football club Vitesse have asked for court protection from creditors. Initial talks with the administrators took place on Monday, the Arnhem club states on its website, but declined to give further details. ......more

Post market liberalisation set for July

Junior economic affairs minister Frank Heemskerk expects new legislation on the full liberalisation of the Dutch postal market to come into effect on July 1, he told MPs on Monday. ......more

A mission to the Antilles every two days

A total of 180 delegations from 11 different government departments went on fact-finding tours to the Dutch Antilles in 2007, tv programme Nova reported on Monday. ......more

Wilders film not shown to anti-terror body

Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders is refusing to allow the Dutch anti-terrorism coordinator to see his controversial anti-Koran film in advance, reports Tuesday’s Telegraaf. ......more

Insurers may have to pay €2bn in refunds

Insurance companies which sold investment-based savings schemes may have to refund their customers because not enough of their contributions were actually invested, the Telegraaf and NOS tv report on Tuesday. ......more

Holloway mother on Dutch tv chat show

Beth Twitty, the mother of the missing American teenager Natalee Holloway, is due to appear on the Jensen tv talk show on Tuesday night. ......more

Van Marwijk is new national football coach

Bert van Marwijk, manager of Feyenoord, will leave the Rotterdam-based soccer club to become the new national team coach when Marco van Basten steps down after the European Championships in June, the Dutch football association confirmed on Monday. ......more

News from Monday 03 March 2008

Thousands of chickens burnt alive

Some 23,000 hens have been burned alive at a fire on a factory farm in Nijkerk. The birds were housed in a shed measuring 200 by 15 meters which was totally destroyed in the blaze, news agency ANP reports on Monday. ...

School diploma forgers in court

A couple from Rotterdam appeared in court on Monday charged with forging school and college diplomas, NOS news reports. Around 100 diplomas were found on the couple's computer. They face a maximum of six years in jail or fines of up to €67,000. ...

Heart surgery for Van den Ende

Theatre impresario Joop van den Ende (66) is recovering in hospital after undergoing angioplasty for a heart condition. It is the second time Van den Ende, who recently retired as chairman of his Stage Entertainment group, has undergone heart surgery. ...

Power failure total rises slightly

Dutch households were without electricity for an average of 33 minutes last year but this figure is strongly influenced by the large scale power cut in the Bommelerwaard region in December which accounts for nine minutes of the total.......more

Eleven million use internet

The use of internet in the Netherlands continues to grow but internet skills lag behind in European terms, reports the national statistics office CBS on Monday. ......more

Dutch drink more bottled water

The Dutch are drinking more bottled water and less soft drinks according to latest figures from the soft drinks industry. ......more

Toxic barrels washed ashore

A number of barrels, some containing toxic phosphoric acid, have been found washed ashore at IJmuiden and the island of Schiermonnikoog in the Wadden Sea, reports ANP news service. ......more

Book tokens increase in popularity

Some 2.5 million book tokens with a combined value of €34m were spent in the Netherlands last year, representing a 6% increase on 2006 and 7% of total book sales, reports ANP news service. ......more

Van Basten settles Italian tax claim

National football coach Marco van Basten has agreed to pay €7.2m to the Italian tax office in order to avoid being taken to court for fraud, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. The tax avoidance charges date back to 1997 when Van Basten played for AC Milan. ...

Purchasing manager index growth slows

The Nevi Dutch purchasing managers index, seen as an important indicator of economic confidence, showed its lowest rise in 30 months in February. The index hit 51.9, down from 53.1 in January. ...

Arcadis books growth in all divisions

Engineering company Arcadis booked net growth of €17.8m in the final quarter of last year, up from €14.6m in the previous year. ......more

Spyker Formula 1 sale not yet complete

Luxury sports car maker Spyker said on Monday it has not yet 'fully and definitively' completed the sale of its Formula 1 racing team to the Orange India consortium. Spyker said there are still a few 'minor differences of opinion' to be cleared up. ......more

Primary schools invest in bonds

Some 25% of the country's primary and special education school boards invest money on the stock exchange, largely in bonds, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday. ......more

Cabinet looked at legal ban on Wilders film

The government has taken legal advice about banning Geert Wilders' short anti-Koran film, the Telegraaf reports on Monday, quoting sources close to the cabinet. ......more

Pay slips to be simplified

The finance ministry is working on plans to simplify pay slips by replacing all the various premium deductions with a single figure, various media report on Monday. ......more

Dutch text books ‘extremely expensive’

Dutch school text books are extremely expensive compared with France, Germany and the UK, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. ......more

Brussels objects to TeleAtlas TomTom deal

The European Commission is sending a ‘statement of objections’ to Dutch satellite navigation system maker TomTom about its plans to buy its main map supplier, Tele Atlas, Reuters reported at the weekend.......more

Ajax football club suspends director

Amsterdam football club Ajax said on Sunday that it has suspended its managing director Maarten Fontein pending dismissal. ......more

Ajax capitalise on slip-up from PSV

Amsterdam football club Ajax closed the gap with premier league leaders PSV of Eindhoven to six points on Sunday. ......more

News from Saturday 01 March 2008

Polarisation is essential: Labour leader

Calls for Labour (PvdA) politicians to be less polarising in the ongoing debate on integration are ‘unbelievable’ party leader Wouter Bos says in an interview with Saturday’s Volkskrant. ‘......more

Storm causes few problems

Strong winds blew over trees in some parts of the country, particularly in Zeeland and Brabant but there was little structural damage caused by last night’s storm, news agencies reported on Saturday.......more

PM joins pressure on Wilders over film

Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende has urged maverick MP Geert Wilders to carefully consider the consquences of broadcasting his anti-Koran film.......more