Thursday 31 December 2009

Record haul in illegal fireworks
Police and customs officials seized a record 241,440 kg of illegal fireworks in the run-up to the New Year celebrations, almost 90 tonnes more than last year and probably a new record, the Telegraaf reports. AA More...

Amsterdam stocks close year up 35%
The Amsterdam stock exchange's blue chip AEX index closed at 335.33 points on Thursday afternoon, up 70% from its March low of just under 200 points and 35% up on early January. More...

Post firms win pay case against state
Budget postal delivery firms Sandd and Selekt Mail (DHL) have won their lawsuit against the state about employing permanent staff, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (2)

Three eyes already lost due to fireworks
Three people have already lost an eye due to an incident involving fireworks in the run up to the New Year celebrations, eye doctor Tjeerd de Faber told news agency ANP on Thursday. More... comments (9)

Wintry weather disrupts Brabant trains
Train services in Brabant have again been disrupted by the wintry weather, according to Dutch Rail's (NS) website. More...

Emergency services ready for New Year
Police and emergency service workers are readying themselves for Thursday night's New Year festivities, in an effort to reduce the traditional rioting, car-burning and firework injuries in many parts of the country. More... comments (1)

New rules for the New Year
Several of new pieces of legislation come into effect on January 1, including tougher laws on child pornography and changes to health insurance coverage, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More...

Surge in last minute tax dodge penitents
Some 200 people a day are reporting their secret foreign bank accounts to the tax offices in an effort to have their finances in order before the amnesty on illicit savings ends on January 1, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday. More...

Hospital mergers boost prices: NMa
Hospital mergers lead to higher prices because patients are unwilling to travel longer distances to a cheaper hospital, according to an unpublished report by the Dutch competition authority NMa quoted in Thursday's Volkskrant. More... comments (1)

Iceland to pay back Dutch, British loan
The Icelandic parliament has agreed to pay back €3.8bn in loans made by the Netherlands and Britan which allowed it to compensate savers who lost cash when several banks collapsed. More...

Wednesday 30 December 2009

Shell boosted biofuel investment in 2009
Shell will almost double its investment in research at biofuel start-up Codexis to $60m this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. More... comments (1)

Nigerians win right to sue Shell in Holland
Environmental organisation Milieudefensie and four Nigerian farmers have been given the go ahead to sue Shell and Shell Nigeria in the Netherlands, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (4)

Skating hooligans fined, banned from stadium
The Dutch skating association KNSB has fined 12 people €2,000 each and banned them from the Thialf rink in Heerenveen for five years for invading the ice during Tuesday's Olympics qualifier. More...

Amsterdam leads murder league
Amsterdam is the murder capital of the Netherlands with 31 unlawful killings in 2009, up from 19 in 2008, according to new police figures. More... comments (6)

Royal praise for man who foiled plane bomb
Queen Beatrix has expressed her appreciation for Jasper Schuringa, the Dutch film producer who helped overpower the man who tried to blow up a plane bound for Detroit on December 25, Nos tv reports on Wednesday. More... comments (10)

Body scans for all US-bound air passengers
Amsterdam's Schiphol airport is to introduce full body scans for all passengers traveling to the US within three weeks, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst told a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. More... comments (13)

Rotterdam port results better than expected
The volume of goods handled by Rotterdam port fell 8.5% to 385 million tonnes this year, according to provisional figures presented on Wednesday. More...

Mortgage tax relief under threat
Two of the three government coalition parties are looking into the possibility of phasing out tax relief for interest repayment-only mortgages, reports Wednesday’s Volkskrant. More... comments (3)

MPs agree to body scans as soon as possible
A majority of MPs agree with justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin that the body scan must be introduced for all passengers at Dutch airports as soon as possible, reports Nos on Wednesday. More... comments (6)

'Deadline for Saab sale may not be met'
The CEO of Dutch luxury car maker Spyker has said General Motors may not be able to meet its December 31 deadline for the sale of the Swedish car maker Saab, according to media reports. More...

Police seize 3,000 kgs illegal fireworks
Police in Den Bosch have seized 3,000 kilos of illegal fireworks and made two arrests, reports ANP news service on Wednesday. More... comments (3)

'Half local government officials can be cut'
Provincial governments and local councils can easily halve the number of executives they employ if they focus on their core responsibilities, says Ivo Opstelten, chairman of the opposition right-wing Liberal (VVD) party, in an interview in Wednesday’s Financieele Dagblad. More...

Snow and ice cause little problem on roads
Overnight snow and ice have not led to major problems on the roads on Wednesday morning according to traffic organisations. More... comments (1)

Baby deaths must be halved in 5 years
Medical care for pregnant women must be improved so that avoidable baby deaths are halved in the coming five years, says a confidential report to be presented to the government next week, reports Wednesday’s Volkskrant. More... comments (3)

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Woman in burqa turned away from clinic
A 23-year-old Muslim woman from Utrecht who says she was not allowed into a first aid clinic on Christmas Day with her three-month old baby because she was wearing a burqa has submitted a complaint to the equal opportunities committee. More... comments (8)

Big Brother inventor in top 50 FT list
Dutch media tycoon John de Mol, the man behind Big Brother, has been included in the Financial Times’ worldwide top 50 most influential people of the decade. More... comments (1)

Dutch firms raised €10.3bn on stock market
Dutch companies have raised considerably more capital on the stock exchange in recent months than over the past few years, according to the central bank, reports ANP news service on Tuesday. More...

Motorists warned of icy roads
The meteorological office issued a severe weather warning for the north and central regions of the country on Tuesday afternoon. The KNMI warns that there could be up to 15 centimetres of snow and that roads will be dangerously icy. More...

Ajax cancel plans to go to South Africa
Ajax are to spend a week at a training camp in Portugal next month rather than travel to Cape Town in South Africa in January as originally planned, reports the Amsterdam club on its website on Tuesday. More...

'Those on low wages can retire at 65'
A proposal to keep the state pension age at 65 for those earning less than around €35,000 before tax a year has been positively received by both trade unions and employers, according FNV union leader Jan Berghuis on Tuesday. More... comments (8)

Surveillance planes for New Year's Eve
The defence ministry is to employ its new unmanned Raven surveillance planes above the village of Veen in the southern province of North Brabant during the New Year’s Eve celebrations, according to ANP news service on Tuesday. More... comments (3)

Top financial jobs down 25% in Amsterdam
Jobs in the most important parts of the financial services sector in Amsterdam have fallen by 25% since 2001, reports Tuesday’s Volkskrant. More... comments (2)

Vampire film wins critics' award
The ‘poetic’ Swedish vampire film Let the right one in has been voted as the best cinema film of 2009 by Dutch film critics, report various media on Tuesday. More...

Public expected to spend €65m on fireworks
The traditional sale of fireworks for New Year’s Eve celebrations officially starts on Tuesday. The sale of fireworks to the general public in the Netherlands is only allowed on the three days before 31 December. More...

Darts champion Barney throws nine darter
Top darts player Raymond van Barneveld performed a rare achievement in the third round of the world championships in London on Monday report various media. More...

Al-Qaeda was behind Christmas Day bomb
Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the plan to blow up a Northwest Airline plane from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day according to various national and international media reports on Monday evening. More...

New period of snow and ice is forecast
The weather forecast for the coming two weeks indicates that Holland is in for another period of snow with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 15, report several newspapers on Tuesday. More... comments (2)

Bankruptcies up almost 70% in 2009
The number of bankruptcies in the Netherlands increased by 68% to 7,045 this year compared to 2008, according to a survey by data provider Dun & Bradstreet, report various media on Tuesday. More...

Monday 28 December 2009

Traffic jams down 14% in 2009
Traffic congestion was down 14% in 2009 compared to last year, said motoring organisation ANWB on Monday. More...

Philips forecasts profit in 2009
Electronics concern Philips expects to make a profit this year although turnover is forecast to be lower than in 2008, said company chairman Gerard Kleisterlee in the Belgian paper De Tijd at the weekend. More...

OPG pension fund awarded €40m damages
The pension fund of the dispensing chemists chain and pharmaceutical wholesaler OPG was has been awarded €40m in damages by an Amsterdam court following the collapse of the US merchant bank Lehman Brothers, report various media on Monday. More... comments (1)

Kroes: EC telecom portfolio was own choice
The decision to take on the telecommunication and IT portfolio in the European Commission was made by the Dutch commissioner Neelie Kroes herself, reports Monday’s Telegraaf. More...

TV show reunites Anne Frank's classmates
A special episode of the popular KRO tv show De Reünie (The Reunion) which brought together 12 former classmates of Anne Frank attracted over 1.6 million viewers on Sunday night, reports ANP news service. More... comments (4)

Rotterdamer is best donut maker for 7th time
Rotterdam baker Richard Visser has won the AD newspaper’s national ‘oliebollen’ test for the seventh time. Oliebollen are deep-fried ball-shaped donuts (with or without raisins) which are sold from roadside stalls during the Christmas season and are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve. More... comments (2)

Wilders' PVV party less popular in latest poll
The right-wing Liberal VVD has returned to its position as the country’s second largest party for the first time in seven years according to the latest TNS Nipo poll, reports the Volkskrant on Monday. More... comments (6)

AZ Alkmaar must sell players, says Telegraaf
Alkmaar football club AZ faces severe financial problems if they do not sell players during the current winter recess, reports Monday’s Telegraaf. More...

Could terrorist attack have been prevented?
The alleged terrorist attack on a Northwest Airline’s flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day is continuing to get considerable coverage in the Dutch newspapers on Monday. More... comments (15)

Sunday's 'terror alert' was false alarm
The Nigerian man who locked himself into the toilet of a Nortwest Airline plane from Amsterdam to Detroit on Sunday was suffering food poisoning, according to the Dutch counter terrorism office NCTb. More... comments (2)

Sunday 27 December 2009

Second incident on Amsterdam-Detroit flight
Another man, also believed to be Nigerian, has been arrested following an incident on the Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Sunday, report various media. More... comments (1)

Saturday 26 December 2009

Terrorist suspect passed Schiphol security
The 23-year-old Nigerian suspected of trying to blow up a plane from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day did undergo a security check at Schiphol aiport after arriving on a flight from Lagos, reports the Volkskrant website on Saturday. More... comments (9)

Dutchman is 'hero' in terrorist plane drama
A 32-year-old businessman from Amsterdam was described as a ‘hero’ in various media reports on Saturday for his role in over-powering an alleged terrorist who tried to blow up a Northwest Airline jet as it landed at Detroit airport in the US on Christmas Day. More... comments (10)

Schiphol investigation after terrorist attempt (update)
Extra security on planes to the US were introduced at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Saturday following what most media reports are now saying was a failed terrorist attempt to blow up a Northwest Airline plane on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. More... comments (5)

Friday 25 December 2009

Explosion on plane from Schiphol to US (new)
Conflicting stories about some form of explosion on a Northwest Airline plane flying from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to Detroit in the US were being reported by various media on Friday night. More... comments (2)

Queen: internet can't replace 'real' contact
Queen Beatrix has called for people to show interest and compassion for each other and warned that contact via mobile text messages and internet cannot replace face-to-face engagement with those around you. More... comments (12)

Thursday 24 December 2009

Motorists warned of ice on Christmas Eve
Motoring organisation ANWB is advising drivers to leave their cars at home on Christmas Eve following a warning from the meteorological office that roads will become extremely dangerous as a result of ice. More...

Holland's 'most famous communist' is dead
The most famous communist in the Netherlands, Marcus Bakker, has died at the age of 86, reports Nos on Thursday. More...

PM: coalition with Wilders would be difficult
A coalition with Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration PVV party would be ‘very difficult’ but should not be ruled out altogether, says prime minister Jan Peter Balkenede (Christian Democrat) in an interview with the Nederlands Dagblad on Thursday. More... comments (5)

ABN Amro chief lays out plans for merger
The merger between ABN Amro and Fortis Bank Nederland is expected to be completed by April 1, according to ABN Amro chief Gerrit Zalm, reports Trouw on Thursday. More... comments (1)

'Expensive hobbies led to DSB bankruptcy'
The expensive hobbies of DSB Bank’s owner and CEO Dirk Scheringa eventually led to the bank’s collapse, says its former financial director Frank de Grave in an interview in Thursday’s Volkskrant. More...

Central bank chief sombre about economy
Central bank president Nout Wellink has repeated his warning that it is too early to be optimistic about the country’s economy. The impression that everything will be alright is misguided said Wellink in a radio interview on Thursday morning. More...

Runaway sail girl 'totally fed up with Holland'
Laura Dekker, the 14-year-old girl who wants to sail solo around the world, had just one goal when she ran away from home last week, and that was to get away from Holland and never come back, reports the AD on Thursday. More... comments (22)

'ING was under pressure to sell Postbank' FD
The financial services Group ING was under considerable pressure from the European Commission earlier this year to sell off all or parts of Postbank, according to a reconstruction by the Financieele Dagblad on Thursday. More...

More snow forecast for Christmas Eve
The meteorological office has forecast more snow for Christmas Eve in the west of the country and warned that roads will be icy. However the snow is expected to turn into rain on Christmas Day, says the KNMI. More...

Ajax thrash amateurs 14-1
Amsterdam's Ajax slaughtered the eastern Dutch amateur club WHC 14-1 on Wednesday night to qualify for the quarter-finals of the football association (KNVB) cup. More...

Most Afghan civilian deaths caused by Dutch
The defence ministry says that at least 80 Afghan civilians have been killed and 120 injured since mid 2006 when the Dutch mission in the country began, reports NRC Handelsblad. More... comments (5)

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Sail girl Laura Dekker can stay with father
Laura Dekker, the 14-year-old girl who wants to sail solo around the world, can remain at home with her father, a court in Utrecht ruled on Wednesday evening, reports the website of public broadcaster Nos. More... comments (1)

Ethiopia sentences Haarlem student to death
A 30-year-old student who lives in Haarlem has been sentenced to death in Ethiopa for attempting to overthrow the government, reports Trouw on Wednesday. More...

'Sail girl Laura was planning to buy boat'
Laura Dekker, the 14-year-old girl who wants to sail solo around the world, was planning to buy a boat on the Caribbean island of St Maarten, according to various media reports on Wednesday. Laura was found on the island on Sunday after running away from home last week. More...

Economy grew 0.5% in third quarter
The economy grew 0.5% in the third quarter of this year compared to the preceding quarter, according to the latest figure published by the national statistics office CBS on Wednesday. An earlier CBS forecast for the third quarter announced in November put the growth at 0.4%. More...

ABN Amro divestments completed this week
ABN Amro expects to complete the sale of its commercial banking activities to Deutsche Bank this week, according to the Dutch bank’s CEO Gerrit Zalm, reports the Financieele Dagblad website on Wednesday. More...

Museum visits stable despite recession
Dutch museums attracted around 11 million visitors in 2009, about the same number as last year, according to the Dutch Museum association, reports ANP news service on Wednesday. More...

Mustard gas victims call for damages
A number of victims of mustard gas attacks in Iran and Iraq are in court in the Netherlands on Wednesday to demand compensation from the Dutch businessman who sold the chemicals used to make the gas. More... comments (4)

Prime minister says tax rise 'not sensible'
An increase in taxes to help get the government's books back in order would 'not be sensible', prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende says in an interview with the Telegraaf, due to be published on Thursday. More... comments (1)

Snowball thrower fined €60 for hitting tram
A 28-year-old woman from Amsterdam has been fined €60 for throwing a snowball at a stationary tram, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday. More... comments (19)

Feyenoord puts AZ out of the cup
Rotterdam football club beat AZ of Alkmaar 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the Dutch Cup on Tuesday night. More...

Utrecht court to hear solo sailor teen today
The juvenile court in Utrecht will on Wednesday morning hear social workers' demands that 14-year-old Laura Dekker be removed from her father's home. More... comments (1)

Life-long learning to foster Dutch skills?
Integration minister Eberhard van der Laan is considering bringing in new measures to require all Dutch nationals to meet basic educational standards, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. More... comments (5)

Train services running at 80%, says NS
Dutch Rail (NS) said it will be running 80% of regular services on Wednesday following three days of disruption because of the wintry weather. More... comments (1)

Tuesday 22 December 2009

Minister demands explanation for rail chaos
Transport minister Camiel Eurlings has ordered Dutch Rail (NS) and railway operator ProRail to explain why they have been running limited rail services for the past three days. More... comments (2)

Wintry weather boosts internet shops
The Dutch internet retailers association expects Christmas sales to be up some 40% this year, as the wintry weather keeps shoppers at home, Nos tv reported on Tuesday. More...

Man, 83, is oldest kidney transplant patient
An 83-year-old man has become the oldest person in the Netherlands to get a kidney transplant, the AD reports on Tuesday. More...

Five youths arrested for snow muggings
Five youths aged 17 to 19 have been arrested in Gouda for attempting to rob road users by building barricades out of snow and garbage containers. More... comments (3)

Community service for peeping tom
A 62-year-old man from Amersfoort has been given 100 hours community service and a four month suspended jail term for installing a webcam in the bedroom ceiling of his teenage neighbour so he could spy on her. More... comments (1)

One in 10 don't save for retirement
Some one in 10 workers in the Netherlands did not put any money into a supplementary pension scheme in 2007, social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner told MPs on Monday. More... comments (2)

'Points driving licence for all': traffic police
The Netherlands should bring in a point-based driving licence system for all motorists, the country's most senior traffic official says in police magazine Blauw. More... comments (1)

Dutch millionaire involved in Saab bid?
Dutch millionaire investor Marcel Boekhoorn is involved in the revised bid to take over Saab by luxury car maker Spyker, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday, quoting 'various sources'. More... comments (1)

Solo sailor Laura may be put into care
The 14-year-old girl who hopes to become the youngest person to sail solo round the world, may be taken away from her father and put into care, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday. More... comments (14)

Train services still limited, roads icy
Bus services began getting back to normal nationwide on Tuesday but train users still face major disruption because of the wintry weather. More... comments (9)

Monday 21 December 2009

Wintry weather causes delays, cancellations
Amsterdam's Schiphol airport cancelled and delayed dozens of flights on Monday following further snow showers, hitting thousands of families heading away or back home for the holidays. More... comments (14)

Foreign investment up in third quarter
Investment by foreign firms in the Netherlands rose sharply in the third quarter of this year, but the figure is almost entirely due to the takeover of energy companies Nuon and Essent by foreign firms, according to central bank figures. More...

House price fall levels off slightly
House prices fell 4.7% in November, compared with November 2008, but the decline was less than the drops recorded in October and September, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday. More...

Thief steals car with baby in it
A 35-year-old man has been arrested for stealing a car at the railway station in Zevenbergen with a five-month-old baby in it. More... comments (5)

PVV picks second MP for local elections
A second MP for the anti-Islam party PVV is to head a local election campaign for the party, without giving up his seat in parliament. More... comments (2)

Vets begin Q fever goat cull
Vets on Monday will slaughter all pregnant sheep and goats on three farms where Q fever has been found, Nos tv reports. More... comments (4)

NRC newspaper staff back takeover
The works council at the NRC newspaper have backed a takeover by a investment fund Egeria and tv company Het Gesprek. More...

Snow disrupts rail and bus traffic
Commuters are being warned of serious disruption on the railways and bus routes on Monday morning following more snow overnight. More... comments (10)

Solo sailor girl found on Caribbean island
A 14-year-old girl, who hopes to become the youngest person to sail solo round the world, has been found safe and well on the Caribbean island of St Maarten, two days after being reported missing. More... comments (6)

Spyker makes new bid for Saab
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker on Sunday made a new bid to take over Saab from General Motors, which is planning to wind down the ailing Swedish car firm. More... comments (1)

Sunday 20 December 2009

Train services cancelled, delays at Schiphol
Dutch Rail is warning passengers that many services are being cancelled because of Sunday's snow and freezing temperatures while others face long delays. More...

The Netherlands grinds to a snowy halt
Up to 10 cm of snow is expected to fall on Sunday, causing very difficult conditions on the roads, the KNMI weather bureau said. More... comments (2)

Friday 18 December 2009

Max and Gizmo top dog and cat name poll
Max was once again the most popular dog's name in the Netherlands in 2009, according to research by an animal insurance company. More...

Community service for threatening Wilders
Rotterdam rapper Mosheb has been given 80 hours community service and a two month suspended jail term for threatening anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders in a rap. More... comments (3)

Tricky task for Dutch clubs in Europa League
The three Dutch clubs remaining in European football competition have all drawn tough opposition for the round of 32 in the Europa League. More...

Marines release 13 Somali pirates
Dutch marines have been forced to free 13 Somalia pirates captured two weeks ago because no country will prosecute them, the NRC reports on Friday. More... comments (6)

Dutch ask Venezuala to explain spying claims
Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen has asked Venezuala's ambassador to explain president Hugo Chavez' claims that the Netherlands is allowing the United States to use three Dutch Antillean islands to prepare a possible military attack against his country. More... comments (3)

Spyker Saab talks end without result
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is no longer in the running to take over Saab, the Swedish car maker's owner General Motors said on Friday. More...

State wants €18m from blackmailer Holleeder
The public prosecution department is claiming €17.9m from convicted criminal Willem Holleeder which it claims he got from blackmailing several business men. More...

Ahold buys US grocery chain
Supermarket group Ahold is taking over 25 stores from privately-owned US supermarket chain Ukrop's for $140m. More... comments (4)

Oranje to host US in World Cup prep match
The Netherlands will host the United States in a football World Cup warm-up match in Amsterdam on March 3, news agency ESPN reports. More...

Antillean islands used for spying: Chavez
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez has accused the Netherlands of allowing the United States to use Dutch islands off Venezuela's Caribbean coast to prepare a possible military attack against his country, news agency AP reports. More... comments (3)

Twente, Ajax through in Europa League
Amsterdam football club Ajax lost its group A top spot with a 3-1 home defeat by Belgium's Anderlecht on Thursday night More...

Union stops pension age increase protests
The FNV trade union federation has stopped its campaign against ministers' plans to increase the state pension age from 65 to 67 by 2027. More... comments (2)

Public transport back to normal after snow
Trains and bus services returned to normal on Friday after the major disruption caused by Thursday's heavy snowfall. More...

Thursday 17 December 2009

Under 16? Not a drop
'Under 16? Not a drop,' is the new slogan drawn up by drinks companies and the hotel and catering trade to discourage underage drinking. More... comments (3)

Avoid rush hour, Dutch Rail tells passsengers
Dutch Rail has urged travellers to avoid using the trains during Thursday's rush hour because dozens of services have been cancelled, the Telegraaf reports. More... comments (6)

Netherlands may have to release pirates
The Netherlands may have to release 13 Somalian pirates currently being held on board the frigate MRS Evertsen in the Gulf of Aden because no nearby country will put them on trial, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday. More... comments (4)

No buses in north due to snow
Regional bus services in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe provinces were suspended on Thursday following the heavy snowfall. More...

Security guard doused in petrol
A security guard helping refill a cash point machine in the east of Amsterdam was doused in petrol by armed men who then made off with the money, the Parool reports on Thursday. More... comments (1)

No relaxation of postal worker rules: minister
The cabinet is not prepared to be more flexible about the introduction of proper employment contracts in the postal delivery sector, junior economic affairs minister Frank Heemskerk said on Thursday. More... comments (1)

TV presenter gets instant implants
RTL home improvement show De Grote Woonwens has done a bit of rebuilding of its own, by giving presenter Nicolette van Dam a bigger bust half way through the programme. More... comments (1)

Boost for government over online gaming
The Dutch government's efforts to maintain the state monopoly on online gambling were given a boost on Thursday when the European court of justice's advocate general said member states can grant a single operator the right to run betting and gaming. More...

Dutchman wins this year's Great Dictation
The 20th edition of the Groot Dictee der Nederlandse Taal, a dictation competition which takes place every year in the Netherlands and Belgium, has been won by an administrative worker from Eindhoven. More...

Provincial council opposes Twente airport
A majority of members of the Overijssel provincial council are opposed to plans to develop a new passenger airport on an air force base near Enschede. More...

Onvrienden is the other word of the year
Ontvrienden, to un-friend, is the new Dutch word of 2009, according to a poll organised by the Van Dale dictionary group and the Pers newspaper. More... comments (1)

Welfare cheats often don't have to pay it back
People who are overpaid basic welfare benefits, either through fraud or a mistake by officials, are often not told to pay it back, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More... comments (2)

Ban on drug use while driving nears
A majority of MPs and police chiefs have given their backing to cabinet plans to introduce zero tolerance driving under the influence of drugs, news agency ANP reports. More...

Unemployment rises slightly
A further 9,000 people lost their jobs between October and November this year, taking the jobless total to 412,000 or 5.2% of the population, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. More...

Police unions, minister, agree pay freeze
The four police unions and home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst have agreed to extend the current police pay deal for another year, meaning an effective pay freeze in 2011. More...

PSV through, Heerenveen out of Europe
PSV Eindhoven goes through to the knock-out stage of the Europa Leage as group K winners, following a 2-0 victory over CFR Cluj in Romania on Wednesday night. More...

Snow causes major traffic problems (update)
Overnight snow falls of up to 10cm in the north caused serious traffic problems on the roads and railways particularly in Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. More... comments (16)

Wednesday 16 December 2009

'Pension funds took too many risks'
Many Dutch pension funds took too many risks with their investments and were too optimistic about the prospects, the central bank said in its quarterly economic report on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Some 35,000 goats to be slaughtered
Government vets will begin slaughtering all male and pregnant goats and sheep on farms which have been infected with Q fever on December 21, farm minister Gerda Verburg and health minister Ab Klink said on Wednesday More... comments (4)

Delays continue on high speed train to Paris
Three days after full high-speed train services started between Amsterdam and Paris, very few trains have arrived on time, Nos tv reports on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Motorists warned about snow and black ice
Snow will fall over most parts of the country over the next few days, with black ice forming in some places, the KNMI weather bureau said on Wednesday. More... comments (3)

Population growth set to slow: CBS
The population of the Netherlands will grow more slowly over the next few years, the national statistics office CBS said in a new report on population trends on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Police can't find source of DSB bank leak
Detectives have failed to find the source of the leak about DSB bank's financial problems, just prior to its collapse in October, finance minister Wouter Bos told MPs on Wednesday. More...

More divorce, fewer births due to recession
Recession not only leads to an increase in unemployment but fewer weddings and births and more divorce and possibly suicide, according to a new report by the government's social policy unit SCP. More... comments (2)

Dutch man attacked by crocodile
A 26-year-old Dutch man has been attacked and badly bitten by a crocodile in Malawi, the Telegraaf reports. More... comments (5)

Animal welfare group appeals advert ban
The animal protection group Dierenbescherming is appealing against a ban on an advert designed to draw attention to animal suffering. More... comments (13)

Koran school beating claims investigated
The Hague city council has launched an investigation into a number of cases of alleged physical child abuse during Koran lessons at the city's mosques. More...

Spyker last candidate for Saab: FD
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is the last candidate to take over Saab from General Motors, the Financieele Dagblad reports. More...

Wilders to close Hague councillor list
Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam party PVV, is to take last place in the list of PVV candidates for the Hague local elections in March. More...

Gymnast, cyclist are sports stars of the year
All round cyclist Marianne Vos was named sports woman of the year at a star-studded ceremony in Amsterdam on Tuesday. More...

Tuesday 15 December 2009

Economic growth starts to speed up
The Dutch economy is picking up faster than had been expected, bolstered by family spending and better than expected employment figures, the government's macro-economic think tank CPB said on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Ice fever heats up already
The first Dutch skating fanatics took to the ice on the Ryptsjerkster polder in Friesland on Tuesday, after just two nights of frost. More... comments (1)

More university places for trainee doctors
The health ministry is being recommended to increase the number of places for medical students at Dutch universities. More... comments (1)

CNV trade union goes for 1% pay rise
The CNV trade union federation will be looking for wages rises around the rate of inflation in the coming round of pay talks. Inflation is currently 1%. More... comments (1)

KPN to press ahead with glass fibre network
Telecoms company KPN is to press ahead with the regional roll-out of its glass fibre network and upgrade its traditional network in some places in the short term. More...

CDA institute identifies savings of €12bn
The Christian Democratic party's academic institute says the government can cut spending by a structural 2% of GDP (€12bn a year) by reducing the size of the government apparatus, news agency ANP reports. More...

Minister to take steps against sitting lawyer
Junior justice minister Nebahat Albayrak has told the Dutch law society she will take steps to force lawyers to stand up for judges if the society fails to take such action itself. More...

Dutch trade surplus stabilises
The Dutch trade surplus reached €3.8bn in October 2009, about the same as October 2008, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday. More...

Amsterdam metro go ahead was wrong
Amsterdam city council should never have given the green light to building a metro system to link the north and south sides of the city, the Volkskrant quotes a damning report on the project by a council inquiry team as saying. More... comments (13)

Terror threat in Holland now 'limited'
The Dutch counter terrorism unit NCTb has downgraded the risk of a terrorist attack in the Netherlands from 'substantial' to 'limited', the first change in two years. More...

Shell's Swedish arm up for sale
Oil giant Shell is selling off its Swedish arm Svenska Shell, including a refinery in Gotenburg and 400 petrol stations, news agency ANP reports, quoting Swedish tv. More...

Government halts Dubai investment insurance
Companies investing the Gulf state of Dubai can no longer insure their investment with the government, news agency ANP reports. More...

Monday 14 December 2009

Government subsidy for housing projects
Housing minister Eberhard van der Laan has set aside €164m for local councils to subsidise building 23,000 rental and owner-occupier homes. More...

Bos urges bosses to fight golden handshakes
Companies should make greater use of the courts to try to stop staff claiming large golden handshakes promised in old employment contracts, finance minister Wouter Bos was quoted as saying on Monday. More...

PC Hooft prize goes to Charlotte Mutsaers
The 2010 prestigious P V Hooft prize for literature has been won by writer and visual artistsCharlotte Mutsaers. More...

Cross must be hidden, tram driver told
An Amsterdam tram driver has lost his court case against the city council's transport department for banning him from wearing a chain with a cross while on duty. More...

Over 1.1 million have a second nationality
Over 1.1 million Dutch men and women have a second nationality, three times the number in 1995, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. More... comments (10)

The Netherlands is worth €3,500,000,000,000
The Netherlands was worth €3,500,000,000,000 last year, or €210,000 per head of the population, according to new calculations from the national statistics office CBS. More... comments (6)

Bos rules out Labour cabinet with Wilders
The Labour party (PvdA) will 'never' take part in a cabinet with Geert Wilders' anti-Islam party PVV, party leader Wouter Bos told the Labour congress in Apeldoorn on Saturday. More... comments (1)

Dekker wins 5th short course title
Dutch swimmer Inge Dekkers took five titles at this year's European short course swimming championships in Istanbul. More...

Second flu vaccination round starts
Most public health districts in the Netherlands begin the second round of swine flu vaccinations today, involving around one million people. More...

Pechtold is journalists' politician of the year
Alexander Pechtold, leader of the Liberal democratic party D66, has been voted Politician of the Year by members of the parliamentary press corps. More...

New blow for pension funds as we live longer
A 1.5 year increase in life expectancy rates is a further blow for Dutch pension funds and will cost them billions more in pay-outs, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. More... comments (3)

Skating body investigates bribe claim
The Dutch skating association and Olympic committee have launched an investigation into claims that speed skater Gretha Smit and her coach Ingrid Paul tried to buy her a place on the starting line for the 5,000 meter event at the winter Olympics in Turin three years ago. More...

Refugee organisations criticise tougher line
Refugee organisations have criticised the government's decision to stop automatically accepting refugees from Ivory Coast and Sudan and to introduce individual assessments instead, the Volkskrant reports. More... comments (3)

Ice fever begins already in the papers
After just one night of frost, both the Telegraaf and AD newspapers have told their readers it is time to get their skates ready for some skating on natural ice. More...

First full high-speed train trip to Paris delayed
The first totally high-speed train trip between Amsterdam and Paris took place this weekend, but arrived 30 minutes late because of problems before the Belgian border. More... comments (4)

Dutch car maker Spyker 'favourite' for Saab
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is 'favourite' to take over Swedish car firm Saab, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday, quoting Swedish newspapers. More...

Friday 11 December 2009

Shell wins massive Iraqi oil field contract
Oil giant Shell has won a contract to develop a major Iraqi oil field together with Malaysia's state-run company Petronas Carigali. More... comments (6)

Lawyer who refuses to stand wins appeal
An orthodox Muslim lawyer who refuses to stand when judges enter the court room has had his official warning torn up by the legal profession's disciplinary council. More... comments (22)

'Dangerous' ecstasy collection stolen
A man who has spent 20 years collecting different sorts of ecstasy pills as a hobby has reported their theft to the police, because some are said to be dangerous. More... comments (1)

Hospital death rates to be published
Dutch hospital associations have reached agreement on publishing absolute death rates from 2010, with new figures calculated according to patient profile and risks by 2011. More... comments (2)

Feyenoord losses bigger than expected
Rotterdam football club Feyenoord lost €17m in the 2008/09 season, the AD reports on Friday afternoon. More...

Stedelijk museum to open later as well
Amsterdam's Stedelijk modern art museum will probably re-open later than planned, departing director Gijs van Tuyl says in an interview with the Volkskrant. More...

Swine fever epidemic continues to tail off
A further eight people have died of swine flu in the Netherlands, bringing the death toll to 50, the public health institute RIVM said on Friday. More...

ING to pay back part bail-out before year-end
ING is to pay back half of its €10bn treasury bail-out on December 21, the financial services group said in a statement on Friday. More...

ICE high speed train service under threat
Just days before the first real high-speed trains begin travelling between Amsterdam and Paris, the future of the ICE high-speed service to Germany is in doubt, the Telegraaf reports on Friday, quoting a confidential letter to personnel. More... comments (2)

Police fined for burnt toasted sandwich
Police in Tiel have been fined €500 by the local fire brigade for continually burning their toasted sandwiches, says local tv station Omroep Gelderland. More... comments (4)

Most refugees come from Afghanistan
The Netherlands was home to some 70,000 refugees at the beginning of last year, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. More... comments (2)

Dutch Iranians take action on nuclear ban
A group of Iranian students and academics have taken the Dutch state to court for banning Iranian nationals from studying nuclear physics, the Volkskrant reports on Friday. More...

Company car tax fraud rampant
Random checks by tax inspectors show that at least 40,000 people are using their company cars more than they should be and are therefore liable for tax, Trouw reports on Friday. More... comments (1)

Environment minister attacks climate critics
Environment minister Jacqueline Cramer quoted Charles Darwin at climate change sceptics in parliament on Thursday evening, by using his famous phrase 'ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge'. More... comments (2)

Cabinet to cut spending 10% not 20%
The cabinet is to cut government spending by a structural 10%, despite giving civil servants orders to identify budget cuts of 20%, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Friday. More...

Thursday 10 December 2009

Bankers' bonus tax 'interesting' idea: PM
The Anglo-French suggestion to introduce special tax on bankers bonuses is an 'interesting one which merits further discussion,' Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende was quoted as saying on Thursday. More...

Sunday best for shooting stars
The annual Geminid meteor shower is set to provide a spectacular display in the sky on Sunday night, website nu.nl reports. More...

EU official criticises family reunion pay limits
The Netherlands can only place minimum salary demands on people wanting to move to the Netherlands if there are objective reasons to do so, the advocate general at the European court of justice said on Thursday. More... comments (9)

Dutch youngsters stay home until their 20s
Dutch boys don't leave home until they are 24.2 years old, on average, according to new figures from the European statistics agency Eurostat. More... comments (5)

Social networker fined for sending spam
The telecoms sector watchdog Opta has fined an un-named person for sending unwanted messages to thousands of people using the Hyves social networking site, Nos tv reports. More... comments (1)

Europol smashes child porn ring
The European police service Europol has arrested 115 suspected paedophiles in the Netherlands and 18 other countries in connection with a major probe into child pornography. More... comments (2)

MPs vote VVD leader as best politician
MPs have voted VVD leader Mark Rutte as their politician of the year, while Rita Verdonk, who left the VVD to set up her own movement Trots op Nederland (proud of the Netherlands) took the prize for worst MP. More...

AZ Champions League game just too long
AZ of Alkmaar exited the Champions League on Wednesday in an extraordinary finish as the Standard de Liège goalkeeper scored an equaliser in extra time. . More...

MPs place limits on corporate board jobs
MPs are to place a limit on the number of supervisory board jobs executives are allowed to have in an effort to break up the 'old boys network', the Financieele Dagblad reports. More...

'Lessons on homosexuality needed for all'
Orthodox Christian and Muslim schools should be required to teach their pupils about sex and homosexuality, D66 MP Bors van der Ham says in an interview with website nu.nl. More... comments (15)

Tough measures to combat Q fever
The government has announced a string of measures to combat Q fever, a sheep and goat disease which has killed six people in the Netherlands. More... comments (5)

TNT calls on gov't not to relax jobs laws
TNT Post has called on the government not to soften employment regulations agreed when the postal market was liberalised, as requested by its competitors Sandd and DHL Global Mail. More... comments (1)

Wednesday 09 December 2009

Beach party riot, police and council failed
The police, justice ministry and Rotterdam council officials all made mistakes before, during and after the Hoek van Holland beach party during which police shot dead one man after coming under attack, according to an official report into the event. More... comments (1)

Average household had €33,500 to spend
The Netherlands' seven million households had average disposable income of €33,500 last year, according to new figures from the national statistics agency CBS. More... comments (5)

Noord-Holland wants to shoot dune deer
Noord-Holland provincial council has urged Amsterdam to shoot some of the 1,000 deer roaming the dune area between the seaside resorts of Zandvoort and Noordwijk. More... comments (19)

'Aimco wants to work with TNT'
Aimco wants to work together with Dutch postal firm TNT on consolidation in the European courier market, the Canadian asset manager said on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Gays rarely make complaints about violence
Some 70% of gay men and woman have been subjected to verbal or physical attacks because of their sexual orientation but most of them do not report the incident to the authorities, according to government research published on Wednesday. More... comments (12)

'Killer nurse' retrial set for March
The retrial of nurse Lucia de Berk, found guilty of killing a number of seriously ill children and pensioners, will probably take place on March 17, court officials and the public prosecution department said on Wednesday. More...

Opposition grows to ABN Amro unit sale
MPs are resisting giving their approval to the sale of several ABN Amro units to Deutsche Bank, according to various media reports on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Java massacre relatives in court
Seven widows, one daughter and a survivor of the massacre of hundreds of men from the village of Rawagede in Indonesia are again taking the Dutch state to court on Wedneday, calling for compensation and official recognition of the actions of Dutch soldiers. More... comments (8)

Partner pension cut savings 'not enough'
Scrapping pension benefits for the younger partners of people aged over 65 will only save €11m in 2011 and €85m from 2014, not €27m and €170m as hoped, social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner told MPs on Tuesday evening. More...

PVV MP to head local campaign, do two jobs
A sitting MP for the anti-Islam PVV party will head the party's campaign for the March local elections in the Hague, party leader Geert Wilders said on Tuesday. More... comments (2)

Advocaat to take over at AZ
Coach Dick Advocaat has signed a deal with troubled football club AZ which runs until the end of the current season. More...

Rabobank's credit status takes slight knock
Ratings agency Standard and Poor’s has downgraded its outlook for non-listed Rabobank's AAA credit rating because of the group's lower earnings in the first half of 2009 due to losses on loans in Ireland and the Netherlands. More...

MPs back ban on cluster bomb investment
A majority of MPs have backed a motion which would ban Dutch financial institutions such as banks and pension funds from investing in companies which make cluster bombs. More...

US embassy to get monument status
The US embassy building in the Hague will be placed on the official listed building register when the embassy moves to its new location in Wassenaar in several years time. More...

Neighbour used webcam to spy on girl
A 62-year-old man has appeared in court in Amersfoort for taking secret video recordings of the 15-year-old girl who lived downstairs after hiding a webcam in her bedroom, the AD reports. More... comments (1)

Rembrandt breaks art auction records
A Rembrandt painting which has not been seen in public for nearly 40 years sold at auction in London for a record €22.3m on Tuesday evening. More...

Tuesday 08 December 2009

Central bank sees growth in 2010, 2011
The Dutch economy will grow in 2010 and 2011 and the jobless total will not rise as sharply as thought earlier, the central bank said on Tuesday More...

Netherlands generous in taking refugees
The Netherlands gave 6,100 people full refugee status last year, making it one of the most generous countries in the EU, according to figures from the European statistics office Eurostat. More... comments (5)

Police not charged over beach party shooting
Five police officers involved in a fatal shooting incident at a beach party at the end of the summer will not face prosecution, the Hague's chief prosecutor Theo Hofstee told a news conference on Tuesday. More...

SS member admits killing Dutch citizens
One of the Netherlands last wanted war criminals, SS member Heinrich Boere, has admitted killing three Dutch nationals in 1944. More... comments (2)

12,000 under-18s in DNA data bank
The DNA of some 12,000 youngsters aged 12 to 17 is held in the national data bank, according to child rights organisation Defence for Children. More... comments (1)

Police chief moves home after criticism
A police chief who is taken from his home in Alphen aan den Rijn near Leiden to the police academy in Apeldoorn every day by a driver who lives in Friesland is to move house, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday. More...

Aggressive hedge funds target TNT: FD
Aggressive hedge fund Jana Partners and Canadian asset manager Aimco have taken a 5% stake in Dutch postal firm TNT, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday, quoting 'financial world sources'. More...

Defence ministry cash for shocked cockatoo
Every year, the defence ministry pays out around €3m in compensation claims for damage caused during military exercises, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday. More...

Groningen to pay back integration cash
Groningen city council has to pay several million euros back to central government for failing to get enough people to go through a compulsory integration course, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (1)

'One in three do a heavy job'
One in three people consider they do a 'heavy job' and should be exempt from the planned increase in the state pension age, news agency ANP reports. More...

10,000 Oranje fans at World Cup group stage
Around 10,000 Dutch football supporters will be at Oranje's three group matches in next summer's World Cup in South Africa, football association director Henk Kesler said on Monday evening. More...

Pressure mounts for Holland Casino sale
Labour party MPs have added their voices to calls for the state-owned casino monopoly Holland Casino to be sold, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday. More...

Kroes thinks her new job is 'more creative'
EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes, who is about to take over the IT and telecoms portfolio in the revamped commission, thinks her new job is 'more creative, if that's possible', news agency ANP reports. More... comments (2)

More training, fewer perks key to older staff
More training, fewer days off and lower pay are the keys to boosting the percentage of older people in the workforce, social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner told MPs on Monday evening. More... comments (2)

Job market prospects gloomy: new report
Dutch employers are increasingly gloomy about the prospects for the jobs market with more expecting to cut jobs than take on staff over the next three months, according to a survey by Manpower. More...

Dutch agree to unfreeze Serbia trade deal
After over a year of resistance, the Dutch government has agreed to unfreeze a key EU trade accord with Serbia, boosting that country's chances of EU membership. More...

Labour party favourite loses top job
One of the Netherlands' most outspoken Dutch Moroccans, Ahmed Marcouch, has lost his bid to lead the Labour party in the new Amsterdam borough of Nieuw West despite having the backing of party leader Wouter Bos. More...

Monday 07 December 2009

Heineken to brew beer in India
Heineken has signed a deal to brew and distribute its own beer in India, giving it a foothold in one of the world's fastest-growing beer markets. More... comments (7)

Energy consumption down 4% this year
Dutch industry and households cut their energy consumption by 4% over the first eight months of this year, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. More... comments (7)

Super de Boer takeover approved
The Dutch competition authority NMa has given its approval to the takeover of the Super de Boer supermarket group by family owned Jumbo. More...

Nearly 200 newspaper jobs set to go
Belgian newspaper group Persgroep is to cut 131 jobs at the Volkskrant and Trouw newspapers, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. More...

Groningen to grow most next year
All the Dutch provinces will benefit from the return to economic growth slated for next year, but the northern province of Groningen will grow the most, according to ING economists quoted by news agency ANP on Monday. More...

Q fever risks 'underestimated'
Doctors and microbiologists are highly critical of the government's approach to the Q fever epidemic sweeping the country's goat farms, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Rinnooy Kan remains 'most influential'
Alexander Rinnooy Kan, chairman of the government's SER advisory body, is the most influential Dutch person in the Volkskrant's ranking for the third year in a row. More...

Princess Amalia celebrates sixth birthday
Princess Amalia, oldest child of crown prince Willem Alexander and princess Máxima, celebrates her sixth birthday on Monday. More... comments (7)

AZ sacks Koeman, calls on Advocaat
Troubled Alkmaar football club AZ has sacked coach Ronald Koeman and asked Dick Advocaat to fill the gap after losing 2-1 to Vitesse this weekend. More...

Ajax big loser in weekend football
Amsterdam's Ajax lost 2-0 to FC Utrecht at the weekend, allowing the top two premier division clubs, FC Twente and PSV, to stretch their lead. More...

Minister under fire over older worker pay plan
Social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner has come under attack from unions and MPs for suggesting older workers get pay cuts. More... comments (15)

Friday 04 December 2009

Call for higher police chief salaries rejected
A call for higher police chief salaries as a way of cracking down on expense claims was categorically rejected by home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst on Friday, reports Trouw. More... comments (4)

Postal workers threaten Christmas strike
Postal workers employed by TNT Post will go on strike before Christmas if management does not agree to their demands for a 1.5% pay rise and a good social plan for thousands of employees who face losing their jobs, reports NRC Handelsblad on Friday. More... comments (4)

'Dutch presence in Afghanistan will continue'
The people of Afghanistan will need international support for many years to come, said defence minister Eimert van Middlekoop during the presentation of medals to 200 soldiers who have taken part in recent international peace-keeping missions. More... comments (8)

'Higher pension age should start earlier'
The government’s economic policy advisor CPB has joined the council of state in criticising the cabinet’s timetable for increasing the age for state pensions from 65 to 67. More...

First death of man with mutant swine flu virus
A man in the northern city of Groningen has become the first patient infected by a mutant strain of the swine flu virus to die in the Netherlands. More... comments (6)

Randstad sees positive trend continuing
Dutch-based international staffing concern Randstad believes that the employment market in the US, seen as a barometer for other markets, is seeing a recovery. More...

De Jong is most common Dutch name
De Jong is the most common Dutch family name according to data collected by a new website launched on Thursday evening by the Meertens Institute which carries out research into the Dutch language and culture. More... comments (1)

More people see immigration as problem
Some 45% of the Dutch population believe immigration is a problem, up from 36% last year, according to a report by the US research organisation German Marshall Fund, reports Trouw on Friday. More... comments (8)

New law to ensure supervision of paedophiles
Paedophiles will no longer be able to avoid supervision while they await the outcome of an appeal under new legislation to be sent to parliament within three months reports Friday's Telegraaf. More... comments (2)

Sale of ABN Amro units higher than reported
ABN Amro could lose up to €1.6bn, considerably more than the government has reported, on its forced sale of units to Deutsche Bank, according to calculations by the general audit office, report various media on Friday. More...

PSV through to second round Europa League
Eindhoven football club PSV are through to the second round of the UEFA Europa League after beating Prague's AC Sparta 1-0 at home on Thursday as a result of a home goal by the Czech side in the final minutes of the match. More...

Thursday 03 December 2009

Nigerian villagers try to sue Shell in Holland
Nigerian villagers and a Dutch environmental group went to court in The Hague on Thursday in an effort to get their case against Shell heard in the Netherlands, newspaper Trouw reports. More... comments (3)

Nigerians jailed for people smuggling
A court in Zwolle has jailed a gang of Nigerian nationals for smuggling over around 140 girls into the Netherlands but found them not guilty of the more serious charge of human trafficking. More...

Disappointment in Turkey over cancelled trip
Turkish MPs are disappointed the Dutch parliament has cancelled a fact-finding mission about the country's wishes to join the European Union, the NRC reports on Thursday. More... comments (10)

Court again tears up paedophile banning order
Judges have torn up a second order ordering a convicted paedophile from his home, news agency ANP reports on Thursday. More... comments (1)

Dutch frigate picks up pirates
Dutch frigate De Evertsen has picked up 13 pirates trying to hijack a merchant ship of the coast of Oman on Wednesday, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (1)

Unilever in talks on Italian frozen food unit
Anglo-Dutch food group Unilever is in talks on selling off its Italian frozen food business worth up to €800m, the Financial Times said on Thursday. More...

Air France-KLM to reopen pay deal
Airline Air France-KLM is planning to reopen its pilot and cabin personnel pay deal to cut costs by €120m, French paper Les Echos said on Thursday. More...

Gerard Joling and Gordon back in De Toppers
Singers Gerard Joling and Gordon are to rejoin the Dutch 'super group' De Toppers turning the trio into a foursome, manager Benno de Leeuw announced in the Telegraaf. More... comments (7)

Central bank knew about DSB charges: FD
The central bank was aware of the high charges levied by DSB bank on single premium annuities back in 2008, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Thursday. More...

Dutch inflation rises to 1%
The inflation rate in the Netherlands rose by 0.3 percentage point to 1% in November, compared with Oc tober, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. More... comments (1)

'Heavy work' is only physical labour: minister
Only physically-heavy work such as the construction sector will be considered 'heavy work' in the cabinet's changes to state pension legislation, junior social affairs minister Jetta Klijnsma told MPs on Wednesday. More... comments (2)

Twente lose, Ajax win in Europa league
FC Twente will have to win its final group match against Steaua Romania on December 17 if the team is to progress to the knock-out round of the Europa League following Wednesday night's 0-1 defeat by Fenerbahce of Turkey. More...

Trip to Turkey cancelled after 'no' to Wilders
A visit to Turkey by an all-party group of MPs has been cancelled because of the reluctance of the Turkish authorities to meet anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday. More... comments (5)

US hopes Holland will stay in Uruzgan: Biden
American vice president Joe Biden phoned Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende on Wednesday to say 'he hoped the Netherlands would remain involved in Afghanistan after 2010', the Volkskrant reports on Thursday. More...

Wednesday 02 December 2009

Dutch football squad gets World Cup seed
The Dutch national football club is one of eight teams to be seeded in the 2010 World Cup, world football body Fifa confirmed on Wednesday. More...

Dutch Muslims donate meat to food banks
Dutch Muslims donated almost 3,400 kg of meat to the country's food banks during this year's Eid Al-Adha, or festival of sacrifice, said charity organisation Cordaid on Wednesday. More... comments (4)

Council of state criticises pension plan
The government's most senior advisory body, the Council of State, has criticised the government's plans to raise the pension age from 65 to 67, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Spyker interested in taking over Saab
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is in talks with General Motors about possibly taking over Saab, a spokesman for Spyker confirmed to the Financieele Dagblad on Wednesday. More...

Housing corporations demolish cheap homes
The country's biggest housing corporations removed 11,000 cheap homes from their books last year, according to research by the Volkskrant. More... comments (3)

Anger over police academy boss travel
Labour MPs have demanded home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst explain why the head of the police academy is taken from his home in Alphen aan den Rijn near Leiden to the academy in Apeldoorn every day by a driver who lives in Drachten in Friesland. More...

Dutch minaret motion rejected by most MPs
A motion calling for 'reticence' in the placing of visible satellite dishes, the sounding Muslim calls to prayer and the building of big mosques and minarets was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs on Tuesday. More... comments (6)

National anthem part of integration course
The Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, should become part of the compulsory integration course for new immigrants to the Netherlands, MPs agreed on Tuesday. More... comments (33)

Special court session deals with threats
At least five people will appear in court in The Hague on Wednesday in a special session devoted to threats against politicians, Trouw reports. More... comments (3)

Illicit savings campaign nets €1bn
More than 4,400 people have reported a total €1bn in illicit savings abroad under the government amnesty this year, junior finance minister Jan Kees de Jager said on Tuesday evening. More... comments (1)

Pressure on Dutch to stay in Uruzgan (update)
Pressure is mounting on the Netherlands to keep its troops in Afghanistan past next year's deadline following US president Barak Obama's decision to send an extra 30,000 soldiers to the country. More... comments (11)

Tuesday 01 December 2009

Nokia sues Philips, other LCD makers
Phone maker Nokia is suing Philips and 10 other companies for price fixing liquid crystal displays and traditional cathode ray tubes used in computer and mobile phone screens, the Finnish company said on Tuesday. More...

Three jailed for gun running to Irish
Three men from Amsterdam have been jailed for up to eight years for running guns to Northern Irish criminals, Nos tv reports on Tuesday. More...

Fewer traffic jams in November
The amount of traffic congestion in the Netherlands was down 12% in November, compared with November 2008, the ANWB motoring organisation said on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Zalm investigation finished in January
The investigation into the collapse of DSB bank in October and the role of former finance minister Gerrit Zalm and other board members will be completed in January, two months behind schedule, finance minister Wouter Bos said on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Actor Ramses Shaffy dies from cancer
Dutch singer and actor Ramses Shaffy has died of cancer of the oesophagus at the age of 76, his manager said on Tuesday. More... comments (2)

Canon increases stake in copier maker Océ
Canon has increased its take in printer maker Océ to 25.4%, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Tuesday. More...

Moped licence test delayed
The introduction of a compulsory practical driving test for moped owners has been delayed until at least March next year, the Bovag motoring organisation told the Telegraaf on Tuesday. More... comments (3)

Enschede council backs airport plan
Enschede city council is set to back developing a commercial airport on the former Twente airforce base, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday. More...

Minaret ban 'conflicts with human rights'
Switzerland's ban on building new minarets probably conflicts with the freedom of religion and therefore breaches international treaties on human rights, Dutch foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen said on Monday. More... comments (17)

Public transport card takes off in train
The 1.5 million people who own a Dutch Rail off-peak pass can use it as a public transport smart card (ov-chipkaart) from December 1. More... comments (1)

Two first division matches under investigation
The Dutch football association KNVB and police are looking into possible match-fixing at two first division games, the director of the association's professional football unit Henk Kesler said on Monday evening. More... comments (1)

Shopkeepers worried about Sinterklaas sales
With just five shopping days to go before the traditional Dutch present-giving festival of Sinterklaas on December 5, shopkeepers are sounding the alarm about poor sales. More... comments (4)

Pressure mounts over ABN Amro boss Zalm
The head of the government committee investigating the collapse of DSB bank in October will update MPs on the role of Gerrit Zalm on Tuesday morning, the Financieele Dagblad reports. More...