Friday 29 January 2010

Finance ministers meet over Icesave
Finance minister Wouter Bos is holding talks with his Icelandic and British counterparts in the Hague on Friday afternoon about the Icesave repayment problem, Nos tv reports. More... comments (1)

Wilders to show Fitna in London in March
Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders will travel to London on March 5 to show his short video compilation Fitna at the invitation of two members of the British upper house of parliament, the House of Lords. More... comments (15)

Students leave university with €15,000 debt
Some 50% of first year university students have a student loan and will leave after four years with an average debt of over €15,000, according to family finance institute Nibud. More... comments (9)

TNT and unions reach pay deal
Postal delivery unions and TNT management have finally reached agreement on a 2% pay rise, which the unions accept will be coupled to significant job losses, news agency Dow Jones reported on Friday. More...

Central bank forces pension fund to reform
Six of the 14-strong management board at engineering sector pension fund PME have lost their jobs following pressure from the central bank, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Friday. More... comments (1)

Dutch wait and see on new Afghan fund
The Netherlands will not contribute to the $500m peace and reconcilation fund being established by the international community to try to help disarm the Taliban in Afghanistan, finance minister Maxime Verhagen told Nos tv in London. More... comments (6)

Border cannabis cafe closure boosts Breda
Cannabis-selling cafes in Breda are reporting a 31% increase in sales since the closure of similar cafes in the border towns of Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom, news agency ANP reports, quoting city council figures. More... comments (5)

Amsterdam Islamic college faces closure
Junior education minister Marja van Bijsterveldt is to stop funding the capital's only Islamic high school, the Islamtitische College Amsterdam, because of its poor results and a shortage of pupils. More...

New rules ahead on number plate records
New rules are being introduced to allow police to keep photographs of car number plates for up to 10 days to enable them to track criminals, the Telegraaf reports on Friday. More...

Scrap medical school lottery, ministers told
University teaching hospitals should be able to select all medical students on the basis of their results and interviews, rather than partly through a lottery, the national health council will tell ministers on Friday. More... comments (8)

'Smokers should pay higher health insurance'
The healthcare council is to recommend that health insurance companies be allowed to charge smokers and people with unhealthy lifestyles higher premiums, Nos tv reports. More... comments (39)

Thursday 28 January 2010

'ABN Amro break-up was wrong'
The government should have intervened to halt the break-up of the ABN Amro banking group following its takeover by a Royal Bank of Scotland-led consortium, former board chairman Jan Kalff said on Thursday. More... comments (2)

Who backs Spyker? asks shareholders lobby
The Dutch shareholders association VEB has called on Victor Muller, CEO of luxury car maker Spyker to come clean on who is financing the company's takeover of Saab. More... comments (5)

DSM agrees to 2% pay rise
Chemicals concern DSM and trade unions have reached agreement on a 2% pay rise from February 1 for its 7,000 workers, reports Nos on Thursday. More...

Satellite problem takes radio stations off air
Many commercial radio stations have been off air or difficult to hear since Wednesday evening as a result of problems with the Eutelsat W2 satellite, according to telecom concern KPN, reports the Volkskrant. More...

Journalist who exposed security risk is fined
Investigative journalist Alberto Stegeman was fined €1,500 by a court in Haarlem on Thursday for infiltrating security at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport while working for the tv programme Undercover in Nederland. More... comments (2)

Police break privacy rules on number plates
Several police forces are breaking privacy laws by keeping lists of car number plates using certain roads for longer than permitted, the Dutch privacy watchdog CBP said on Thursday. More... comments (12)

Bill for jobless officials costs Amsterdam €1.5m
Amsterdam city council spent over €1.5m paying special unemployment benefit to former council executives in 2009, local tv news station AT5 said on Thursday. More... comments (3)

Drugs defendants freed due to evidence fraud
Eight people charged with serious drug offences have been released by judges in Breda because police manipulated the evidence of one defendant. More...

Couple poised to celebrate 75th anniversary
Cor and Wim Overes from the village of Kudelstaart, near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, are set to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary on Sunday. More...

Canon to make bid for Océ on Friday
Canon is to make a formal public offer for Dutch printer and copier maker Océ on Friday, the two companies said in joint statement on Thursday. More...

Minister, ING fight EU state support decision
The government and financial services group ING are appealing against a European Commission decision to declare the bank's speedy repayment of part of a €10bn capital injection additional state support. More...

The Netherlands to help Yemen legal system
The Netherlands is to take a leading role in helping Yemen develop its judicial and legal system, news agency ANP reports on Thursday. More...

Wilders' party is 'new radical right'
Geert Wilders' political movement PVV is not an extreme right wing party but contains some radical right wing elements, according to a report into radicalisation in the Netherlands by Tilburg University research group IVA. More... comments (9)

Prince Maurits promotes e-car, for a fee
Prince Maurits is to get a maximum consultancy fee of €204,000 for promoting electric cars on behalf of the government, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday. More... comments (9)

Feyenoord puts PSV out of the cup
Rotterdam club Feyenoord put premier league leaders PSV Eindhoven out of the Dutch Cup on Wednesday night with a 3-0 victory over the favourites. More... comments (1)

Commuters warned about icy roads
Commuters are being warned to take extra care on roads in northern and central parts of the country after last night's frost. More... comments (3)

Wednesday 27 January 2010

Cost of pensions set to soar: report
Company pension premiums will go up by 30% over the next 15 years in order to meet worker expectations, a government commission set up to look at the effect of the credit crisis on pensions said on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

More people claim disability benefit
The number of people claiming the new disability benefit will reach 100,000 by the middle of this year, according to benefits agency UWV. More... comments (6)

Post firms must employ more staff: ministers
Social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner and junior economic affairs minister Frank Heemskerk are prepared to use a royal decree to force new postal delivery firms to employ more staff, Nos tv reports on Wednesday. More...

Action plan needed for Eastern Europeans
An action plan is needed before the summer to cope with the problems caused by the influx of Poles, Bulgarians and Romanians in some parts of Rotterdam, the Hague and Schiedam, integration minister Eberhard van der Laan is quoted as saying in Wednesday's Volkskrant. More... comments (12)

Secrecy case against journalist dropped
The public prosecution department has dropped its case against Telegraaf journalist Jolande van der Graaf, whom it had accused of publishing state secrets. More...

Climate report error concerns minister
A mistake about melting glaciers in the last report by the international climate change body IPCC is 'extremely worrying', environment minister Jacqueline Cramer is quoted as saying by the Volkskrant on Wednesday. More... comments (4)

Lobby claims €2.8bn for DSB bank 'victims'
A group representing thousands of clients of DSB bank, which went bankrupt last year, is claiming €2.8bn in compensation from the curators winding up the bank's affairs, news agency ANP reports. More...

MPs will decide on kilometer tax: minister
MPs, not members of motoring organisation ANWB will decide whether or not the kilometer tax on motoring should be introduced, transport minister Camiel Eurlings told MPs on Tuesday. More... comments (5)

Maastricht hospital scraps postcode check
Maastricht University's teaching hospital (AZM) has scrapped its policy of turning some patients away because they have the wrong postcode following widespread criticism. More...

MPs back underground CO2 storage trial
MPs have backed an experiment to store surplus carbon dioxide in an empty natural gas chamber up to three km below the earth's surface. More... comments (2)

Do Dutch royals cost more than others?
New research into the cost of Europe's royal families appears to suggest the Dutch monarchy is the second most expensive, with a total bill to the taxpayer of nearly €40m. More... comments (34)

'Talk to Taliban' statement angers minister
Home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst has annoyed foreign minister Maxime Verhagen by again saying the west should talk to the Taliban, the fundamentalist Muslim movement in Afghanistan. More... comments (15)

Tiny Spyker takes over much bigger Saab
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is to buy Swedish car firm Saab from General Motors, after weeks of negotiations and an intense final five days of marathon talks. More... comments (1)

Tuesday 26 January 2010

McDonalds wrong to sack worker over cheese
A branch of the McDonalds hamburger chain in the Friesian town of Lemmer was wrong to sack a worker for giving a colleague on a break an extra piece of cheese on her hamburger, a court ruled on Tuesday. More... comments (15)

Immigration drives up tuberculosis figures
The number of people with tuberculosis in the Netherlands went up for the first time in years in 2009, due almost entirely to the increase in immigration from countries where TB is prevalent. More... comments (4)

Mass industrial action by DSM workers
Over a thousand DSM employees took part in a demonstration outside the chemical company’s factory gates at Geleen in the south of the country on Tuesday morning, reports news agency ANP. More...

Haarlem football club goes bankrupt
Haarlem football club, currently trailing at the bottom of the first division, has been declared bankrupt after efforts to find a new backer failed at the weekend. More...

Jobs to go again at Corus Nederland
A European reorganisation at steel group Corus will cost jobs in the Netherlands, the company's European works council says in Tuesday's Financieele Dagblad. More...

Biggest Dutch team ever to Winter Olympics
The Netherlands is sending a team of 36 athletes to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver which kick off in February, its biggest ever winter games team. More...

CDA wants tougher rules for refugees
The ruling Christian Democrat party (CDA) wants tougher measures for refugees in the Netherlands who commit crimes, reports Tuesday’s Telegraaf. More... comments (5)

Turkish Airlines crash pilots 'not to blame'
The pilots of a Turkish Airlines plane, which crashed shortly before landing at Schiphol airport last February killing nine people, were largely not to blame for the accident, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

KPN maintains forecast for 2010
Telecom concern KPN booked net profit of €1.1bn in the fourth quarter of last year due mainly to a one-off tax windfall of €705, the company announced on Tuesday. More...

Contraceptive pill 'out of insurance package'
The contraceptive pill, used by 1.5 million women in the Netherlands, should no longer be paid by the health insurance system, according to new recommendations from the government's health insurance advisory council. More... comments (8)

The Netherlands in grip of brief cold snap
The north of the Netherlands is in the grip of a brief very cold snap, with temperatures down to as much as -12 Celsius on the IJsselmeer on Monday night. More... comments (9)

Labour leader Bos leaves 'the third way'
Modern capitalism is disrupting society and undermining human values, Labour party leader Wouter Bos said in a major speech in Amsterdam on Monday night. More... comments (14)

Telegraaf readers reject kilometer tax
The overwhelming majority of readers of popular newspaper the Telegraaf voted against the introduction of a kilometer tax on motoring in the paper's online poll. More... comments (9)

Monday 25 January 2010

ING to present new pay policy early March
Banking group ING is to present its new policy on pay and bonuses at the beginning of March at the latest, CEO Jan Hommen told a government committee on Monday. More...

Smoking ban ignored in 25% of bars
Some 25% of cafes and bars with more than one member of staff are still allowing people to smoke inside despite the official ban, according to government inspectors. More... comments (11)

Shell tones down tar sand project
Shell’s involvement in extracting oil from Canada's tar sands will be 'very much slower' than in recent years, the company’s new CEO told the Financial Times in an interview. More...

Skater Marianne Timmer out of Olympics
Speed skater Marianne Timmer is definitely out of the Winter games in Vancouver after failing to qualify for the 1,000 meters at the weekend. More...

Dutch bought 1.3 million bikes last year
The Dutch bought 1.3 million bikes last year with a total bill of €950m, the RAI conference organisation said on Monday ahead of the annual cycle industry trade fair FietsVak. More... comments (8)

Rabo Securities may leave Amsterdam
Rabobank's merchant banking arm Rabo Securities may move from Amsterdam to Utrecht, the NRC reports on Thursday. More...

Finance minister backs Obama bank plan
Finance minister Wouter Bos is fully behind American president Barack Obama's plans to curb the activities of the biggest US banks, the NRC reports on Monday. More...

Kilometer tax again centre stage
The government's plans to introduce a kilometer tax are again in the spotlight on Monday with the country's biggest newspaper and the ANWB motoring organisation both carrying out polls to test support for the measure. More... comments (11)

Philips beats expectations
Consumer and healthcare electronics group Philips booked net profit of € 260m in the final quarter of last year, exceeding analysts expectations. More...

Spyker 'close' to Saab deal
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is close to taking over Swedish car maker Saab and Swedish government officials are now involved in the talks, according to various media reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

PSV consolidates premier league lead
PSV Eindhoven consolidated its lead of football's premier division this weekend with a 3-0 win over NEC of Nijmegen. More...

Dutch rescue team returns from Haiti
A Dutch urban rescue team (USAR) arrived back in the Netherlands on Sunday after spending several days searching for survivors of the Haiti earthquake. More...

Minister questions hospital postcode policy
Health minister Ab Klink has asked Maastricht University's teaching hospital (AZM) to explain why some patients are being turned away because they have the wrong postcode. More... comments (1)

Broadcast costs hit sports events
Dutch public broadcaster Nos is facing a shortage of cash to pay for broadcasting a number of high-profile sports events over the next few years - events which are seen as crucial to the Netherlands's efforts to stage the 2028 Olympics, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. More...

Sparrow again tops national bird count list
The sparrow again tops the list of most common Dutch birds following Sunday's mass count of garden birds by some 31,000 people. More... comments (1)

US investigates pepper spray corruption
A Rotterdam police worker was paid $15,000 for confidential information about the force's plans to buy new pepper spray supplies to someone working for an American manufacturer in 2002, according to US justice officials. More... comments (1)

PSV sacks Jonathan Reis for drugs
Football club PSV Eindhoven has sacked its Brazilian forward Jonathan Reis with immediate effect for drugs use, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Ovation as Van Nistelrooy leaves Real
Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy was given a standing ovation by fans of Real Madrid on Sunday as he said his farewell to the Spanish club. More...

Immigrants face job market discrimination
People with an ethnic minority background are less likely than the native Dutch to be invited for a job interview, despite having the same qualifications and standard of application letter, according to new research published by the government's social policy unit SCP. More... comments (5)

Friday 22 January 2010

Hospital can keep sperm donor name secret
A hospital in Delftzijl has won its legal battle to keep the name of a donor secret from a lesbian couple who had a baby using his sperm. More... comments (7)

Amsterdam to scrap paper tickets in April
Amsterdam city council is to ask transport minister Tineke Huizinga to approve its decision to scrap the paper tickets system on buses and trams on April 1, the Parool reports on Friday. More... comments (4)

McLaren racing signs up Dutch teenager
The McLaren Formula 1 racing team has signed up 14-year-old Dutch teenager Nyck de Vries for its young drivers' development programme, the Telegraaf reports on Friday. More... comments (1)

Minister backs Rotterdam 'low earner' plan
Housing minister Eberhard van der Laan has given the green light to Rotterdam city council plans to extend its ban on low income families moving into certain parts of the city for a further 18 months at least. More... comments (1)

Motorists' lobby holds key to kilometer tax
The cabinet will abandon its plans to introduce a kilometer tax on driving if members of the ANWB motoring organisation are opposed to it, transport minister Camiel Eurlings appeared to tell reporters after Friday's weekly cabinet meeting. More... comments (4)

'Cocaine in pineapples' gang arrested
Three men have been arrested in the Netherlands in connection with an international gang thought to be smuggling cocaine to Europe in shipments of pineapples. More...

KPN buys rest of Ortel Mobile
Dutch telecoms company KPN has bought the remaining 35% stake in Ortel Mobile it did not already own, the company said on Friday. More...

Central bank could have cut bonuses: Zalm
Central bank chief Nout Wellink could have taken action on the massive bonuses paid to some of those working in the financial services sector, former finance minister Gerrit Zalm told a government inquiry on Friday. More... comments (1)

Judge quits after files put out with the rubbish
An Amsterdam court judge has resigned after a number of case files were found on the street outside her home in The Hague, mixed up in ordinary household rubbish, the AD reports on Friday. More... comments (5)

Jobs conflict looms with China: Volkskrant
The Netherlands and China are on the verge of a diplomatic conflict due to a misunderstanding over job losses, the Volkskrant reports on Friday. More...

Cash for Haiti broadcasts raise €41m
Thursday's radio and tv campaign for victims of the Haiti earthquake raised over €41m, an amount later doubled by the foreign affairs ministry, taking the total to €83m. More... comments (9)

Haitian children arrive in fast-track adoption
A plane carrying 106 Haitian children arrived in Eindhoven on Thursday evening after the Dutch justice ministry agreed to speed up their adoption process. More... comments (2)

Thursday 21 January 2010

MPs want action on public transport tickets
A majority of MPs is in favour of keeping paper public transport tickets until pricing and other problems with the new payment smart card (ov-chipkaart) have been eradicated, Nos tv reports on Thursday. More... comments (10)

Pension giant ABP back on course
Civil service pension fund ABP managed to boost its reserves last year after they fell to less than government-required limits in 2008. More...

60% tax rate 'undesirable', says PM again
The re-introduction of a 60% income tax rate would be an 'undesirable' move, prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende reiterated in parliament on Thursday. More... comments (8)

Senior Rotterdam police officer quits
A senior Rotterdam police officer resigned on Thursday with immediate effect after failing to inform the city's mayor about an event involving Feyenoord football fans at the weekend, the NRC reports. More...

Never again, says minister of railway chaos
The problems faced by rail passengers during the recent wintry weather are unacceptable and must never be repeated, transport minister Camiel Eurlings told MPs on Wednesday evening. More... comments (2)

Media marathon for Haiti kicks off
Radio and television stations from both the public and private sector are taking place in a marathon broadcast session to raise funds for victims of the Haiti earthquake on Thursday. More...

Unemployment up, over-45s hard hit
People over the age of 45 have been hardest hit in the latest round of job cuts, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. More...

Ahold fourth quarter sales better than expected
Supermarket group Ahold booked sales of €6.8bn in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 3.4% on the year-earlier period. More...

Local elections: Labour leader takes over
Labour leader Wouter Bos is to take centre stage in television debates during the local election campaign, rather than the parliamentary party leader Mariëtte Hamer, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More...

Women filmed using restaurant toilet
The owner of an Italian pizza parlour in Leiden is to be prosecuted for secretly filming women who used the restaurant's rest room, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More... comments (4)

Amsterdam admits metro mistake
Amsterdam city council's executive board should never have asked city councillors to vote on plans to build a new metro in 2002, the council official in charge of the project said on Wednesday evening. More... comments (7)

Dutch entry on Oscar foreign film shortlist
The Dutch box office success Oorlogswinter (Winter in Wartime) has made it to the shortlist for the Oscar award for best foreign film. More... comments (1)

Wilders' trial to resume in February
The trial of MP Geert Wilders on inciting hatred and discrimination charges will resume on February 3, judges in Amsterdam said on Wednesday. More... comments (5)

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Wilders' trial for inciting hatred starts (update)
Geert Wilders' testimony will take so long to be heard at his trial for inciting hatred and discrimination, that he should be first heard in private by another judge, the public prosecutor said on the first day of hearings on Wednesday. More... comments (8)

Two-thirds of firms plan to cut jobs: NRC
Over two-thirds of Dutch companies expect to cut more jobs this year, despite growing optimism about the economic recovery, the NRC reports on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Current affairs tv faces shake up
The public sector broadcasters are planning to shake up current affairs programming by revamping Nova as Nieuwsuur and cancelling Netwerk altogether, the NRC reports on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Obese may have to pay twice on KLM planes
Airline Air France - KLM is to force very overweight people to buy two tickets if they can not fit comfortably in one chair, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (19)

Dutch families confirmed dead on Haiti
Two Dutch couples in Haiti to pick up their adoptive children are confirmed dead in last week's earthquake, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. More...

'Central bank boss should have quit'
Central bank president Nout Wellink should have resigned to restore faith in the institution, a leading accountant told a parliamentary committee looking into the cause of the financial crisis and its effect on the Netherlands. More... comments (1)

ASML back on track in fourth quarter
Chip machinery maker ASML booked net profit of €50m in the final quarter of 2009 as new products such as smart phones and small computers drove up the demand for chips. More...

Dutch eat into their savings
Dutch households ate into their savings on October and November last year, taking more out of savings accounts than they put in for the first time since autumn 2005, the central bank said on Wednesday. More...

ABN Amro executive bonuses cut
Nationalised banks ABN Amro and Fortis are to maximise the bonuses payable to 100 senior managers at the equivalent of one year's salary, finance miniser Wouter Bos told MPs on Tuesday. More...

Five jailed for killing 'possessed' baby
Five members of the same family have been sentenced to up to eight years for their role in the death of a one-year-old girl because they believed she was possessed by an evil spirit. More...

Everyone will be worse off in 2010
Almost everyone will have less disposable income in 2010 and families with children will be hardest hit, according to the household spending institute Nibud on Wednesday. More... comments (3)

MPs to grill minister on rail chaos
Transport minister Camiel Eurlings faces a grilling from MPs on Wednesday when he appears in parliament to answer questions about the chaos on the railways during the recent wintry weather. More...

Asparagus grower arrested for trafficking
Police have arrested a 46-year-old farmer on charges of human trafficking and exploitation during the 2009 asparagus season. More... comments (2)

Neelie Kroes convinces Euro MPs
Outgoing EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes put on a convincing second performance in front of the European parliament on Tuesday, removing doubts about her suitability for the telecoms and IT portfolio, the Financieele Dagblad reports. More...

PSV takes premier division lead
Eindhoven football club PSV took the lead in the premier division on Tuesday night following a 0-1 victory over JC Roda of Kerkrade. More...

Wilders' inciting hatred court case starts
Several hundred supporters gathered outside an Amsterdam court on Wednesday as the case against politician Geert Wilders for inciting hatred and discrimination begins with the first public hearing. More... comments (14)

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Police shoot man at primary school
Police have shot a man who was waving a knife outside a primary school playground in the Frisian town of Heerenveen, local paper Leeuwarder Courant reports on Tuesday. More... comments (2)

'Pension funds need to change tack'
The financial crisis shows that pension funds are more vulnerable than thought and not geared up to deal with major economic problems, the Financieele Dagblad on Tuesday quotes a government commission as saying. More...

Investors criticise Shell Canada oil sand plan
Critical investors are demanding that Shell carries out a proper assessment of the risks of extracting oil from tar sand in parts of Canada. More... comments (2)

'Market forces will cut care costs by €500m'
The decision to allow hospitals to set the price of some 50% of the treatments they offer will generate savings of €500m in healthcare spending over the next few years, according to calculations from the government's CPB economic policy unit. More...

Campaign for 'nicer Netherlanders'
Sire, the advertising industry body which produces campaigns to improve society, is to focus on getting people to be more friendly in its new series of print, tv and radio ads. More... comments (13)

Wärtsilä cuts 570 jobs in the Netherlands
Finnish ships motor maker Wärtsilä is to reduce its workforce in the Netherlands by 570 from the current total of 1,500 as part of an international reorganisation. More...

Regulators in spotlight at credit crisis probe
The government's macro economic policy unit CPB did not warn the government too late about the looming credit crisis in 2008, the institute's director Coen Teulings told a parliamentary committee on Monday. More... comments (2)

Public transport prices under fire again
The government is to assess whether the switch to the new public transport smart card has made using buses and trams more expensive, Trouw reports on Tuesday. More... comments (21)

D66 wins members, SP loses
The Liberal democratic party D66 added the largest number of new members last year, according to figures from the political party documentation centre, quoted in the NRC. More...

Union campaign to focus on heavy jobs
The FNV trade union federation is to increase its efforts to get a better pension deal for people who do 'heavy jobs' when the state pension age is increased from 65 to 67. More...

Increase prostitution age to 23: Amsterdam
The age at which young women should be allowed to become prostitutes should be raised from 18 to 23, according to Amsterdam city council executive Lodewijk Asscher. More... comments (12)

Monday 18 January 2010

University hospital sets up steroid clinic
Amsterdam's VU university teaching hospital is setting up a special clinic for the estimated 20,000 users of anabolic steroids, news agency ANP reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Dutch should focus aid on 10 countries: report
The Netherlands should overhaul the way it structures its development aid programme and focus specialist attention on 10 countries, according to a new report by the government's scientific council for government policy WWR. More... comments (3)

Dutch unlikely to live below poverty line
Just 11% of the Dutch live below the official poverty line, according to new figures from the European statistics office Eurostat. More... comments (4)

Iraq report 'almost caused cabinet collapse'
The government came close to collapse during the row last week over prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende's response to a report on the way the Netherlands came to support the invasion of Iraq, several newspapers report on Monday. More... comments (8)

Credit crisis commission starts work
The parliamentary commission set up to examine the Dutch financial system and the causes and effects of the credit crisis begins public hearings on Monday. More... comments (2)

Man with syringe arrested at Schiphol
Schiphol airport police have arrested a 25-year-old Latvian who arrived on a flight from London with a syringe in his pocket, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (3)

ChristenUnie wants tougher cafe, club rules
Orthodox Christian party ChristenUnie thinks cafes and bars should ban the under-16s from entering after 10pm and would like to see a 1pm cut-off for the under-18s going to clubs, Trouw reports on Monday. More... comments (2)

Maria van der Hoeven to quit politics
Economic affairs minister Maria van der Hoeven is to leave active politics at the next election, she said in Amsterdam at the weekend. More...

Kyteman wins biggest Dutch pop prize
Kyteman's Hiphop Orkest has won the 2009 Popprijs, one of the most prestigious Dutch awards for modern music. More...

Dutch music exports rise 15%
The export of popular Dutch music rose 15% to €50.2m last year, according to recording industry body Buma Cultuur, quoted by news agency ANP. More...

Football draws for Twente and Ajax
League leader FC Twente opened the second half of the football season with a 0-0 draw against Utrecht at the weekend, in what commentators said was a very average match. More...

PSV beats Heerenveen in Dutch cup
PSV Eindhoven finalised the line up for quarter finals of the Dutch Cup on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over last year's winners Heerenveen. More...

Plane chartered to fetch Haitian adoptees
Two adoption organisations have chartered a plane to bring back 109 children from earthquake-hit Haiti whose adoptions were on the point of being finalised, Trouw reports on Monday. More...

Saturday 16 January 2010

Dutch rescue team in Haiti, finds survivors
A Dutch rescue team and eight sniffer dogs arrived in Haiti on Friday evening to try to find survivors from Tuesday's massive earthquake. More... comments (2)

Friday 15 January 2010

Dutch children are again the happiest
Dutch children have the best lives of all children living in industrialised countries, according to new research by Unicef Germany, quoted by news agency ANP. More... comments (1)

Stop Wilders party can keep its name
The Hague's local election organisers must include the political party Stop Wilder Nu on the ballot paper for the March 3 local elections, the country's highest court, the Council of State, ruled on Friday. More... comments (11)

Dutch Rail cannot advertise as being on time
Dutch Rail (NS) has been told to stop advertising its services by claiming that they are on time, the advertising standards authority said on Friday, according to news website nu.nl More... comments (3)

€3bn repaid to DSB customers
Over 90% of the bankrupt DSB Bank customers who have submitted a claim to recoup their savings have been paid back, the central bank announced on Friday. In total €3bn has been repaid to customers under the country’s bank guarantee scheme. More...

LinkedIn opens Amsterdam office
The social network site for professionals, LinkedIn, has opened its first office in continental Europe in Amsterdam. More...

Traffic fines up to almost 12m in 2009
The police issued 11.8 million traffic fines last year, up 160,000 on 2008, reports ANP news service on Friday. More...

House prices fall, but not in Amsterdam
The price of a terraced house in Amsterdam rose 8% in the final quarter of 2009, compared with the third, while apartments were 3.5% more expensive, according to new figures from the real estate association NVM, quoted by news website Z24. More...

'Lost' Dutch nationals can claim passport
Thousands of people born to a Dutch mother and foreign father before 1985 will now be able to claim Dutch nationality, under new rules backed by parliament on Thursday. More... comments (3)

Protest over Dutch Eurovision song
A group of Dutch Eurovision Song Festival fans have launched a campaign against tv company Tros which has named the man behind the blue-faced Smurfs as the writer of this year's Dutch entry. More... comments (1)

Dutch Haiti rescue help stuck in Curacao
The Dutch transport plane carrying rescue workers and dogs to help find survivors on Haiti, hit by a devastating earthquake on Tuesday, is currently stranded on Curacao, according to Nos tv. More... comments (4)

Jan Mans is Maastricht's acting mayor
Former Enschede mayor Jan Mans has been appointed acting mayor of Maastricht, following Gerd Leers' resignation over his Bulgarian holiday house. More...

Labour boosted in polls by Iraq report
The row surrounding the publication of a critical report on the Netherlands' role in the Iraq war appears to have benefited the Labour party in an opinion poll released on Thursday night. More...

Neelie Kroes fails to convince Euro MPs
Doubts have arisen about the suitability of Neelie Kroes, the Netherlands' current EU competition commissioner, for the IT and Telecoms portfolio, according to media reports on Friday. More...

Ideal payment system grows in popularity
Online payments totalling €45m were made using the Dutch banks' iDEAL internet cash transfer system last year, according to bank traffic company Currence. More... comments (3)

Potential blow to Schiphol body scanner plan
Europe's probable new commissioner for transport Siim Kallas has criticised plans by some EU countries, including the Netherlands, to bring in full body scanners for plane users, Trouw reports on Friday. More... comments (5)

Care of the elderly can be more efficient
Care of the frail elderly in the Netherlands can be organised much more efficiently and savings of €2.8bn on a total budget of €13m can be realised, according to research bureau Gupta Strategists, quoted in Friday's Financieele Dagblad. More... comments (2)

Albert Heijn to drop factory farmed pork
The Netherlands' biggest supermarket group Albert Heijn is to stop selling factory farmed pork in 2011, the NRC reported on Thursday evening. More... comments (3)

Thursday 14 January 2010

Dutch rescue squads heads for Haiti
A transport plane carrying a team of 72 rescue workers and eight dogs left from Eindhoven airport on Thursday afternoon to help with the rescue effort in Haiti, where thousands of people were killed in Tuesday's earthquake. More... comments (3)

Ring necked parakeet population doubles
The population of ring necked parakeets (Psittacula) in the Netherlands has almost doubled to 10,000 since 2004, according to Dutch bird organisations. More... comments (4)

Designer Edgar Vos dies on holiday
Dutch designer Edgar Vos has died of a heart attack while on holiday in the US at the age of 78, Nos tv reported on Thursday. More...

Dutch are biggest EU net payers: PVV
Each resident of the Netherlands contributed €266.70 towards the European Union in 2008, the highest individual contribution in the EU, according to calculations by the anti-Islam party PVV. More... comments (6)

Firework firms raided over illegal imports
Justice ministry officials are investigating a number of firework firms from the south of the country suspected of involvement in a multi million euro firework-smuggling gang. More...

Amsterdam metro decision was 'wrong'
Amsterdam city council's executive board was, with hindsight, wrong when it gave the green light to the controversial Noord-Zuid metro in 2002, alderman Hans Gerson told councillors on Wednesday evening. More...

Property tycoon demands belongings back
Property tycoon Jan-Dirk Paarlberg is going to court in Utrecht on Thursday in an effort to recover his belongings, art collection and car seized by justice ministry officials earlier this week even though he has not been convicted of a crime. More...

Spare the rod preacher's children 'at risk'
The three children of controversial Amersfoort preacher Gertjan Goldschmeding have been put under social worker supervision for a year after their father admitted hitting them as part of their upbringing. More... comments (12)

Maastricht mayor quits over holiday home
Maastricht's mayor Gerd Leers resigned on Wednesday night after losing city council support because of the Bulgarian holiday home affair. More... comments (4)

Wilders prosecution to go ahead
The prosecution of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders on hate crime charges will begin next week, a court in Amsterdam ruled on Wednesday. More... comments (30)

Iraq report: PM now accepts criticism
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende has written to parliament to say the cabinet now accepts that 'a more adequate legal mandate' was necessary for the US and Britain to invade Iraq. More... comments (4)

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Wilders challenges court hearing
Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders was in court in Amsterdam on Wednesday in a last-ditch attempt to head off part of next week's court case against him for inciting hatred against Muslims. More... comments (6)

Iraq report: MPs call for emergency debate
MPs are to hold an emergency debate on yesterday's hard hitting report on the Netherlands' role in the Iraq conflict in 2003. More... comments (1)

Heavy snowfall hits flights to Britain, France
Passengers hoping to travel to parts of Britain and France from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport are being warned to expect delays and cancellations on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Charter flight lands in Ireland after bomb claim
A charter flight from airline ArkeFly made an emergency landing in Ireland on Wednesday after an aggressive passenger said repeatedly there was a bomb on board the plane. More...

Amsterdam to tackle alcohol abuse
Amsterdam city council is to urge national government to increase the age at which teenagers can buy alcohol in supermarkets from 16 to 18, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday. More... comments (3)

Estuary may be deepened after all
Plans to deepen the Westerschelde estuary may now go ahead after the country's highest court, the council of state, tore up objections to the plan. More... comments (2)

KPN chief urges Kroes to act on regulators
Europe's competition commissioner Neelie Kroes should use her new job as commissioner for IT and telecoms to tackle Europe's ' ineffective' and 'anti-competitive' regulators, KPN chief executive Ad Scheepbouwer said in a speech to industry leaders in Brussels on Tuesday. More... comments (2)

Iraq report: PM and deputies meet
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and the two deputies, Wouter Bos and Andre Rouvoet are meeting on Wednesday morning to again discuss their response to the highly critical report on the Netherlands' involvement in the Iraq war published yesterday. More...

Netherlands tries to sell excess flu vaccine
The Netherlands is to try to sell 19 million doses of swine flu vaccine which are now surplus to requirements because the epidemic is almost over, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. More... comments (12)

ANWB polls members on kilometer tax
Motoring organisation ANWB is to poll its four million members on the government's plans to introduce a new kilometer tax on motoring before deciding whether to give its backing to the plan. More... comments (5)

Iraq report: MPs furious with prime minister
A furious row has erupted between the Labour party and the prime minister about his dismissive reaction to yesterday's highly critical report on the Netherlands' role in the Iraq war. More... comments (1)

More charges against Wilders
The legal case against anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders has been extended to include inciting hatred against Moroccans and non-Western immigrants, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. More... comments (4)

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Prime minister disagrees with Iraq report
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende does not agree with a number of the conclusions of the Davids' commission report which heavily criticised the way the government came to support the invasion of Iraq in 2003. More... comments (1)

Corporate top dogs breath new life into bank
Two former ABN Amro executives are among a group of the Netherlands' leading company bosses who are involved in breathing new life into the old Amsterdam merchant bank Oyens & Van Eeghen, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday. More...

MPs shocked by Iraq report conclusions
MPs from across the political spectrum have given shocked initial reactions to Tuesday's report criticising the way the Netherlands decided to give political support to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. More... comments (7)

Amsterdam screens kids on mental health
Amsterdam city council is to carry out trial checks of primary school pupils to find out if they are suffering from 'psycho-social' problems, Trouw reports on Tuesday. More... comments (2)

Mortgage insurance often useless
Home owners' lobby group VEH has begun collecting complaints from people who have discovered insurance supposed to protect their mortgage payments if they become unemployed are virtually useless. More...

No legal basis for Iraq war, says report
United Nations resolutions on Saddam Hussein's weapons programme were not a sufficient mandate to justify the invasion of Iraq by the US and Britain, a Dutch government committee said on Tuesday. More... comments (11)

UN resolution 'not a mandate for Iraq invasion'
The United Nations resolution which Saddam Hussein refused to comply with was not a sufficient mandate to justify the invasion of Iraq by the US and Britain, a Dutch government committee said on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Printer maker Océ books loss in 2009
Venlo-based printer and photocopier maker Océ booked a net loss of €23m in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with a small profit of €1m in the same period in 2008. More...

Police officer may have Mohican hairstyle
A policeman who wore his hair in a modest Mohican style should have been allowed to work on the streets, a police appeal committee said on Tuesday. More... comments (2)

'More risky pregnancies boost maternal deaths'
Some 12.1 pregnant women died for every 100,000 live births in the Netherlands between 1993 and 2005, compared with 9.7 deaths in the preceding 10 years, according to a researcher at the VU University's medical centre. More... comments (2)

Anne Frank's diary finder and helper dies
Miep Gies, the woman who found Anne Frank's World War II diary and kept it safe after the Frank family was taken to concentration camps, has died just before her 101st birthday. More... comments (4)

Report on support for Iraq war out today
The government commission which has been investigating the Netherlands' support for the Iraq war is expected to publish its findings later this morning. More...

Monday 11 January 2010

Fraudsters get jail but where are they?
Four men have been ordered to be jailed for up to four years and pay their victims back tens of millions of euros for their role in a property investment fraud focused on Dubai and Turkey. More... comments (1)

Hospitality industry sales down nearly 5%
Turnover at the Netherlands' hotels, cafes and restaurants fell 4.75% in 2009 with the drinks sector hardest hit, hospitality industry association KHN said on Monday. More... comments (4)

1,100 drivers sent for behaviour training
Over 1,100 drivers and motorcyclists have been sent on special courses to improve their behaviour on the roads since the option was made available to police in October 2008, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Wages rose 2.9% last year
Wages rose by an average 2.9% in the Netherlands last year, but the increase became more moderate as the year progressed, the national statistics office said on Monday. More...

Death flight pilot's family appeals to Màxima
The daughter of pilot Julio Poch, who is accused of carrying out death flights on behalf of the Argentine junta, has appealed to princess Máxima for her support, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (2)

Snow puts paid to Elfstedentocht skating race
This weekend's snow has finally put paid to hopes of staging the 200 km Elfstedentocht outdoor skating race around the 11 cities of Friesland, the organisers said on Monday. More... comments (1)

Some 30,000 couples go for quickie divorce
Some 30,000 couples took advantage of legislation allowing them to go through a quickie divorce between 2001 and 2009, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday. More... comments (2)

Thief tries to sell stolen car to a policeman
A 33-year-old man from Rotterdam has been arrested after trying to sell a stolen car to a plain clothes policeman, news agency ANP reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Heineken confirms Femsa beer buy
Heineken on Monday confirmed it was buying the all beer operations of Mexican conglomerate Femsa in an all share deal valuing the Mexican firm at €3.8bn. More...

MPs ask PM to explain Natura 2000 claims
Labour and left-wing green MPs have called on prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende to explain claims that he had asked European Commission chairman Manuel Barroso to relax European rules on biodiversity, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. More... comments (2)

Ministers to act on Amsterdam business park
Ministers are to meet on Thursday to finalise the government's involvement in plans to put the railway and motorway which bisect Amsterdam's Zuidas business park into a 1.2 km tunnel, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. More... comments (2)

Court to decide on more Shell lawsuits
A Dutch court will decide on Wednesday if it will hear two lawsuits accusing oil giant Shell of failing to maintain two pipelines in Nigeria, the Wall Street Journal said at the weekend. More...

Verdonk's TON to compete in 38 local votes
Rita Verdonk's populist party Trots op Nederland (proud of the Netherlands) is to contest the March local elections in 38 places, the former immigration minister announced on Sunday. More... comments (2)

Heineken close to buying Mexican beer
Heineken is close to an agreement to buy Mexican conglomerate Femsa's brewing operation for up to $8bn, the Wall Street Journal reported at the weekend. More... comments (1)

Gold for Kramer at European speed skating
Speed skater Sven Kramer took his fourth consecutive European title at the European allround championships in Hamar, Norway on Sunday with a strong victory in the 10 km event. More...

Wintry weekend ends without serious incident
The Netherlands was in the grip of winter this weekend but despite the official extreme weather warning there was little trouble on the roads. More...

Sunday 10 January 2010

More snow on the way on Sunday
More snow is forecast for most of the country, and the severe weather warning remains in force, the KNMI weather bureau said on Sunday morning. More... comments (2)

Saturday 09 January 2010

Blizzards in northern provinces
The KNMI weather bureau said blizzards had hit the northern provinces of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and Noord Holland on Saturday night, and drifting snow was causing problems on many roads. More...

Extreme weather on the way Saturday night
The KNMI weather bureau has issued an extreme weather warning for the weekend, with blizzards possible in the north on Saturday night. More...

Friday 08 January 2010

Fewer incidents during New Year: report
A total 4,329 incidents were reported during this year's New Year festivities, according to the official report published on Friday. More...

Friesland opposes new salt mining contract
Friesland province is opposed to the government's decision to allow salt mining firm Frisia Zout to extract 100,000 tonnes of salt from close to the town of Franeker . More... comments (1)

No evidence of football match fixing
European football body Uefa has not found any evidence of match fixing in the Dutch first division, the national football assocation KNVB said on Friday, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (4)

Eneco to build British offshore wind farm
Dutch energy firm Eneco is one of a number of companies which have won contracts to build nine giant wind farms off the coast of Britain. More...

Sea Shepherd sues for piracy - in Holland
The Sea Shepherd anti-whaling organisation is to sue the crew of Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 for piracy in the Dutch courts, lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld said on Friday More... comments (3)

Dutch police develop mobile body scans
Rotterdam police are trying to develop a portable scanner which will allow them to see through people's clothing and look for concealed weapons, the NRC reports on Friday. More... comments (13)

Jobless benefit cut no solution for older staff
Suggestions by the economic affairs ministry's top civil servant that people who lose their jobs should get unemployment benefit for a shorter period are 'too simplistic' to keep older people at work, the two main government parties said in Trouw on Friday. More... comments (2)

Amsterdam You Tube video was a set up
The You Tube film rebutting claims made about Amsterdam by US tv presenter Bill O'Reilly was not made by worried locals but the city's tourist board, the Parool reported on Thursday. More... comments (10)

Kilometer tax is 'meglomaniac': Telegraaf
Transport minister Camiel Eurlings' 'meglomaniac project' to introduce a tax on every kilometer driven is under fire from senior civil servants, the Telegraaf reports on Friday, quoting government sources. More... comments (12)

Defence ministry wants more women officers
The defence ministry has signed an agreement to try to get more women into top functions, as part of a government-wide effort to get more women into top jobs. More... comments (3)

Merrill Lynch puts Dutch growth at 2.2%
The Dutch economy will grow 2.2% this year, according to economists from merchant bank Merrill Lynch quoted in the Financieele Dagblad on Friday. More... comments (2)

Crisis hits private sector rent levels
The price for renting a flat or house not covered by rent-control agreements, has gone down sharply since the economic crisis began, according to two big rental agencies quoted in the Volkskrant. More... comments (1)

Goat farmers to court over Q fever plan
Goat farmers are furious at the farm ministry's decision not to order the cull of pregnant goats on petting zoos and city farms which are infected with Q fever. More... comments (3)

Telegraaf group sales down 11% due to crisis
The Telegraaf Media Group, which publishes the Netherlands' biggest selling newspaper, saw sales down 11% last year at €600m. More...

Spyker makes last minute bid for Saab
The General Motors board is set to meet on Friday to consider last minute offers for Swedish car maker Saab, including one from Dutch luxury car maker Spyker. More...

Wintry weather set to continue
The freezing temperatures and snow falls are set to continue well into next week at least, according to the KNMI weather bureau. More... comments (3)

Fog in north, but few rush hour problems
Fog in the north of the country has reduced visibility on the roads to 50 meters in some places but there were no serious incidents and traffic jams were normal during the morning rush hour, the ANWB motoring organisation said on Friday. More...

Thursday 07 January 2010

Rotterdam to extend low earner area ban
Rotterdam city council plans to extend its ban on low income families moving into certain parts of the city for a further 18 months at least, the NRC reports on Thursday. More... comments (4)

€2,500 compensation for crime site listing
A man who was wrongly included on a police website with photographs of suspected armed robbers has been paid €2,500 in compensation in an out of court settlement, news agency ANP reported on Thursday. More...

Top civil servant calls for jobless benefit cuts
The length of time people can claim unemployment benefit should be cut to encourage them to find work as quickly as possible, the most senior civil servant at the economic affairs ministry said in his traditional New Year article, the NRC reports on Thursday. More... comments (13)

Civil service unions call for action on pay
Civil service unions are to meet on Monday to discuss possible industrial action following the breakdown of pay talks for provincial and local officials and water board staff. More...

Support for crown prince drops
Public support for crown prince Willem Alexander has dropped to around 74% after hovering at around 80% for the past seven years, according to a new poll by TNS Nopo for RTL4 television. More... comments (5)

Netherlands is 11th best country to live in
The Netherlands has the 11th best quality of life in the world, according to a ranking of 194 countries by International Living magazine. More... comments (30)

PSV agrees on new director
Dairy company boss Tiny Sanders is to take over as director of PSV Eindhoven football club, the club's supervisory board agreed on Wednesday. More...

Stop Wilders.nu party banned in the Hague
The Hague city council has banned a political party from adopting the name Stop Wilders.nu because it implies a threat against the MP, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More... comments (3)

'Take their shoes' is mayor's crime tip
Confiscating their fancy trainers could be a way to make it clear to robbers that crime does not pay, Amsterdam's mayor Job Cohen says in an interview in Thursday's Telegraaf. More... comments (5)

Respect democracy, Icelandic president says
Dutch finance minister Wouter Bos should respect the democratic process in Iceland, the island's president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson is reported as telling tv show Nova on Wednesday night. More... comments (1)

Wintry weather keeps its hold on commuters
Motoring organisations warned of difficult driving conditions on Thursday as the effects of yesterday's snow in the central belt of the Netherlands continue to be felt, but there were no major rush hour problems. More... comments (2)

Wednesday 06 January 2010

Most-wanted man in jail in Belgium
One of eight wanted men featured on a new police website is in jail in Belgium and has been there since 2008, the Telegraaf reported on Wednesday evening. More... comments (3)

Wintry weather disrupts traffic again
Traffic ground to a halt around Amsterdam during Wednesday's rush hour as snow and freezing temperatures brought chaos to the roads once again. More...

Rush hour warnings as more snow hits
Motoring organisations are again warning of treacherous conditions on the roads on Wednesday evening as heavy snow hits the central Netherlands. More... comments (3)

Extra cash to combat baby deaths
Millions more euros will be made available if considered necessary to reduce the Netherlands' baby death rate, health minister Ab Klink was reported as saying on Wednesday by the Telegraaf. More... comments (5)

New European president in the Netherlands
The new chairman of the European council, popularly known as the EU president, is in the Netherlands on Wednesday for talks with prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and the leaders of the two houses of parliament. More...

School not responsible for girl's prostitution
A woman who became a prostitute as a young teenager has failed in her efforts to win compensation from her school for failing to alert her parents to her truancy. More... comments (6)

We had €3bn less to spend in Q3 2009
Dutch households had a combined €3bn less to spend in the third quarter of 2009, the equivalent of a 3.3% cut in disposable income, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. More... comments (1)

Supermarket turnover rose 5.5% in 2009
The Netherlands' supermarkets booked a 5.5% increase in turnover in 2009 despite the recession, according to figures by grocery sector market research group Gfk. More... comments (2)

PVV wants satirical article scrapped
The anti-Islam PVV party has called on satirical website De Speld to withdraw an article in which PVV MP Hero Brinkman appears to talk about the 'dark side' of popular 1970s singer Ramses Shaffy, who died late last year, website nu.nl reports on Wednesday. More... comments (4)

Award for Ugandan peace campaigner
Former Ugandan government minister turned peace negotiator Betty Bigombe is to be awarded this year's Geuzen medal, the Geuzenverzet trust said on Wednesday. More... comments (1)

Paedophile party to renew election efforts
Changes in the election law mean the pro-paedophilia political party PNVD has a better chance of contesting seats in the 2011 general election, a party spokesman said on Wednesday. More... comments (18)

European Cup 2012 boosts Dutch firms
Dutch companies have already won €100m-worth of orders in connection with the 2012 European football championships, which will take place in Poland and Ukraine, says engineering sector association FME-CWM. More... comments (2)

ChristenUnie: coalition government is fragile
The current three-party coalition government is fragile and the two main parties no longer appear to believe in its future, the parliamentary leader of the smallest faction ChristenUnie, said in a New Year address on Tuesday. More... comments (3)

Motoring lobby may drop road tax support
The Dutch motoring organisation ANWB has been flooded with complaints from members about the government's plans to introduce a kilometer tax and may drop its tentative support for the project, the AD reports on Wednesday. More... comments (7)

Holland has own 'most wanted' list
Photographs of the Netherlands eight 'most-wanted' criminals appear on a police website launched on Tuesday night in an effort to reach a broader public than the traditional wanted posters in police stations. More...

Detroit plane bomber 'acted alone'
The Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25 probably brought the explosives with him from Nigeria and did not appear to have had an accomplice at Schiphol airport, the public prosecution department said on Tuesday. More... comments (18)

Tuesday 05 January 2010

Smoking ban may apply to small cafes
The smoking ban in cafes and bars may well apply to the country's 8,000 or so small cafes with no staff, according to one of the country's top legal officials, news agency ANP reports on Tuesday. More... comments (13)

Salt supplies run low as big freeze continues
Salt supplies for keeping roads ice free are running low following this winter's big freeze, report various newspapers on Tuesday. More... comments (10)

Most internet providers not fast enough
Most Dutch internet service providers do not meet the download speeds they promise subscribers, according to research by the consumers association Consumentenbond, quoted by news agency ANP. More... comments (13)

Dutch ask for explanation of Icesave move
The Netherlands has called on Iceland for an explanation following the country's president's refusal to sign a new legislation on the repayment of loans made following the collapse of online bank Icesave More... comments (19)

Rare bird spotted in Alkmaar garden
A very rare Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)has been spotted in a garden in Alkmaar, north of Amsterdam, according to the Dutch Birding Association. More... comments (2)

Ministers delay Afghanistan decision
Ministers are likely to delay taking a decision on the future of the Dutch involvement in Afghanistan until the end of the month, sources in the Hague have told the Volkskrant. More...

Speed skater Erben Wennemars retires
Speed skater Erben Wennemars will formally retire from the sport after the Dutch short track championships next week, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday. More...

No checks on journalist who infiltrated PVV
A journalist for magazine HP/DeTijd spend four months on 'work experience' at Geert Wilder's anti-Islam party PVV without undergoing any background checks, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Pensioner arrested for 'shooting' snowballer
A 77-year-old man has been arrested for firing an air gun at children throwing snowballs at the windows of his home, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (10)

Schiphol passengers down 8.4%
The number of people using Amsterdam's Schiphol airport was down 8.4% in 2009, due partly to the economic crisis and an extra tax on flying which was scrapped in July. More... comments (7)

New car sales fell 22% in 2009
A total of 387,699 new cars were sold in the Netherlands in 2009, a 22.5% decline on 2008, according to new figures from the car sector organisations Bovag and RAI. More...

Slippery roads take toll on rush hour
Motoring organisation ANWB is warning of slippery conditions on many roads on Tuesday morning following yesterday's snow and the freezing temperature.

Dutch embassy in Yemen partially closed
The consular and visa department of the Dutch embassy in Yemen has been closed to the public, the foreign ministry said on Monday. More...

Monday 04 January 2010

First president of Suriname dies aged 99
Johan Ferrier, the first president of Suriname following the South American country's independence from the Netherlands in 1975, has died at his home in Oegstgeest at the age of 99. More... comments (2)

Two in court for anti-Wilders lawyer threats
Two men are to appear in court next week charged with threatening top lawyer Gerard Spong, news agency ANP said on Monday. More...

Skaters warned to keep off open water
Skaters should keep off lakes and canals because the ice is still not strong enough for outdoor skating, despite two nights of heavy frost, the Dutch skating association KNSB said on Monday. More... comments (4)

Spyker working on final offer for Saab
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is working on its final offer for Swedish car firm Saab, Spyker CEO Victor Muller said on Monday. More...

Rush hour calm despite wintry weather
There were no serious problems reported during this morning's rush hour, despite the wintry weather, as the Netherlands gets back to normal after the two-week Christmas break. More...

Dutch embassy in Yemen to stay open
The Netherlands' embassy in Yemen will stay open for the time being but officials are keeping a close watch on developments, foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen said on Sunday evening. More...

Daan and Emma are most popular names
Daan and Emma were the most popular names to be given to babies last year, according to the social insurance bank SVB which pays out child benefits. More...

Eighteen MPs have already left
A total of 18 out of 150 MPs have already left parliament in the three years since the November 2006 elections, the Volkskrant reported at the weekend. More...

Speed skaters 'no longer Kazakhs'
Four Dutch speed skaters who were attempting to attend the Winter Olympics by becoming Kazakhs, have abandoned their efforts to change nationality, Nos tv reported at the weekend. More... comments (1)

Woman fined for bread knife in car
A woman from the staunchly religious town of Staphorst has been fined €60 for carrying a bread knife in her car, just hours after picking it up at her local bakery though a savings stamps scheme, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (8)

More unrest as youths clash in Culemborg
Police were again drafted in to restore order on a housing estate in Culemborg, southeast of Utrecht on Sunday night after fighting between rival groups of youths. More...

Car black box used as speeding evidence
The 'black box' in most modern cars which monitors how fast they move is to be used as evidence in a major court case for the first time, the AD reports on Monday. More... comments (3)

Sunday 03 January 2010

Journalist takes syringe on Schiphol plane
A British journalist has smuggled a syringe on a plane flying from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport to London Heathrow, the Sunday Express reported at the weekend. More... comments (13)

Volkswagen again best selling car brand
Volkswagen was the best selling make of car in the Netherlands in 2009, the fifth year in a row the German brand has topped the list, the Telegraaf reported at the weekend. More...

More cases of euthanasia in 2009
The number of registered cases of euthanasia rose by 200 to some 2,500 in 2009, according to new figures from the official monitoring body, quoted in the Telegraaf. More... comments (1)

Vopak CEO is company boss of the year
John Paul Broeders, CEO at oil and chemical storage firm Vopak, has been named best manager of 2009 by members of the Dutch shareholders' assocation VEB. More...

Family car attached to lorry in freak accident
A family of four had a terrifying ride back home from a day's shopping in Germany when their car's towbar got wedged under a lorry bumper in a freak accident, the Telegraaf reported at the weekend. More...

Man jailed for throwing firework at police
A 24-year-old man from Hoek van Holland has been jailed for two months for throwing a firework at riot police during the New Year celebrations. More... comments (1)

Freezing temperatures set to continue
Temperatures fell to as low as -14 Celsius in parts of the country on Saturday night and weather experts say the big freeze is set to continue for the coming week at least. More... comments (3)

Friday 01 January 2010

Insurers put New Year damage at €7m
Vandalism and fireworks caused damage totalling over €7m during the New Year celebrations, the insurance association said on Friday. More...

Record text messages sent at New Year
Dutch mobile phone users sent over 70 million text messages during last night's New Year celebrations, according to a ring-round of the country's three main phone firms. More...

Thousands brave cold for New Year swim
Thousands of people braved freezing temperatures to take part in the traditional New Year's Day swims in both the North Sea and inland waterways. More... comments (1)

Fewer Dutch local authorities in 2010
The number of local authority areas in the Netherlands has been reduced from 441 to 431 in 2010 because of mergers, the NRC reports on Friday. More...

Savings amnesty haul reaches nearly €2bn
Some 7,000 people with secret savings accounts in foreign countries have declared a total of nearly €2bn to the tax authorities last year, ahead of the introduction of tougher fines on January 1, Nos tv reports. More...

Lottery winner lives in Zeeland
The winner of the traditional New Year Staatsloterij lottery, who has taken this year's entire €27.5m jackpot, lives in Zeeland, the organisers said on Thursday night. More...

Over 400 arrests during New Year festivities
Over 400 people were arrested during last night's New Year celebrations and riot police were in action in the four big cities, but there were no major incidents, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (17)