Friday 26 February 2010

A message to DutchNews.nl readers
This weekend, DutchNews.nl is moving to a new, more powerful server. This means that although you can still read the news and features on the site, all interactivity - such as commenting on articles and voting in polls - has been temporarily suspended. Next news update, Monday morning. In the event of major news breaking, check us out on Facebook.

Dutch priests accused of child abuse
Three Catholic clerics from the Don Rua cloisters in 's Heerenberg, Gelderland, have been accused of abusing at least three children in the 1960s and 1970s, Radio Netherlands and the NRC report on Friday. More...

Rotterdam party wants ban on hissing
Leefbaar Rotterdam, the political party founded by Pim Fortuyn before he entered national politics and was murdered, has made a ban on hissing and whistling at women part of its local election campaign. More... comments (2)

Welfare claims rise, young men dominate
The number of people claiming basic welfare benefits (bijstand) rose by 22,000 in 2009, with young men accounting for much of the increase, the national statistics office CBS said. More...

2009-10 is snowiest winter in 30 years
With 41 days of snow so far in the country as a whole and 55 in the north east, this winter has been the snowiest in 30 years, the KNMI weather bureau said on Friday. More...

Holloway fell over balcony, says Van der Sloot
American teenager Natalee Holloway was killed after falling off a balcony at a friend's home after drinking whisky and taking cocaine, main suspect Joran van der Sloot is reported as saying in a German tv interview. More...

Local authorities are slow payers
Local authorities take an average of 50 days to pay their bills, almost double the accepted 30-day limit, according to research for Nos tv. More...

Two more die of Q fever
Two more people have died of the goat and sheep-carried virus Q fever, bringing the official death toll to nine. More...

No passport, no vote
Some 200,000 people will be unable to vote in the March local and June national elections because they do not have valid ID, the AD reports on Friday. More... comments (4)

Wilders goes for headscarf ban in the Hague
A ban on headscarves for city council workers and in all institutions and clubs which get local authority money will be the most important point in the PVV´s negotiations to join governing coalitions in Almere and the Hague, says party leader Geert Wilders. More... comments (24)

New poll puts Labour equal to Wilders´ PVV
The Labour party´s decision to bow out of the government following divisions over Afghanistan has boosted the party´s popularity considerably, according to a second opinion poll More... comments (1)

Labour leader Bos will not become an MP
Labour leader Wouter Bos has decided not to ask a sitting Labour MP to give up his or her seat so he can enter parliament for the few weeks before the general election. More...

Turkey wants PKK leader extradited
Turkey has made a formal request for the extradition of Hasan Adir, said to be a leading light in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), who was arrested near Venlo on January 19. More... comments (1)

Iceland loan repayment talks fail
Talks between the Netherlands, Britain and Iceland on the repayment terms for loans totalling €3.8bn collapsed on Wednesday night, reports news agency ANP. More... comments (1)

Last Dutch clubs exit Europa League
The last three Dutch clubs are all out of this season's European competition. PSV Eindhoven, Amsterdam's Ajax and FC Twente all failed to make it through to the next round of the Europa League. More...

Thursday 25 February 2010

VVD backs electronic tags for deliquents
Youngsters who persist in causing a nuisance should be fitted with electronic tags to monitor their movements as well as be given banning orders or house arrest, the VVD Liberal party said on Thursday. More... comments (7)

Christians can't vote for Wilders, say vicars
A Christian cannot vote for Geert Wilders' anti-immigration party PVV, say 75% of church leaders in a poll of 1,200 ministers and church workers in the Nederlands Dagblad. More... comments (14)

Farmers fed up with Balkenende
Farmers, long considered a bastion of support for the Christian Democrats, are turning their backs on prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende, according to farming magazine Boerderij. More... comments (1)

Greetings from Schiermonnikoog in 1968
A postcard from the Wadden Sea island of Schiermonnikoog has been delivered to an address in Hilversum 42 years after it was first sent, local paper Gooi en Eemlander reports on Thursday. More... comments (1)

Klink to press on with alcohol crack-down
Health minister Ab Klink said on Thursday he hoped parliament would allow him to press on with measures to reduce teenage drinking and not label the issue as controversial, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (2)

Afghanistan decision hurts Nato: former chief
The Netherlands' decision not to stay in Afghanistan despite an official request from Nato is damaging to the organisation's standing and will hurt the Netherlands in the long run, former Nato secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says in an interview in the NRC. More... comments (8)

Speed skater Kramer stands by coach
Sven Kramer sees no reason to part from trainer Gerard Kemkers despite this week's Olympic blunder, writes the NRC on Thusrday. More... comments (4)

Little growth for supermarket A brands
The sale of supermarket A brands grew just 2.2% last year, according to research quoted by food industry website Distrifood. More... comments (4)

Insurer Aegon books 2009 profit
Insurance company Aegon booked net profit of €204m in 2009, thanks to better than expected fourth quarter figures. More...

Wolters Kluwer sees slow recovery
Publishing group Wolters Kluwer expects there to be slow but steady economic recovery in 2010, after booking worse than expected figures in 2009. More...

Former immigration minister under protection
Former immigration minister Nebahat Albayrak is under armed protection after receiving serious threats, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More... comments (1)

King Willem 'would not sign every law'
A section of a tv interview with crown prince Willem-Alexander, in which he said he may have moral reasons not to sign some new laws, was cut out of the final show on the prime minister's orders, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More... comments (2)

More schools use unqualified teachers
The number of teachers giving lessons at Dutch secondary schools in subjects they are not qualified to teach rose in 2009 for the first time in years, according to research by Trouw. More...

Olympics: Dutch bob pilot pulls out
Dutch four and two-man bob pilot Edwin van Calker has withdrawn from the Winter Olympics, saying he is concerned about safety and has no confidence left. More... comments (3)

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Taliban: Dutch are right to leave
A spokesman for the Taliban in southern Afghanistan has said the Dutch decision to leave the country is a wise one, the NRC reports on Wednesday. More... comments (6)

Balkenende told ´no´ on political deals
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende´s plan to sound out party leaders and the leaders of both houses of parliament about which legislation can be pushed through before the election has been thwarted, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. More... comments (3)

New Van Gogh identified
A painting of the Blute-Fin windmill in Monmartre, Paris which hangs in a Zwolle museum is the work of Vincent van Gogh, art experts have decided. More... comments (1)

Asparagus farmer fined for illegal workers
An asparagus farmer in jail awaiting her trial on human trafficking charges has been fined €283,000 for employing illegal immigrants. More... comments (2)

Girls’ alcohol abuse on increase
Half of the teenagers who end up in hospital emergency departments with alcohol poisoning are girls, several newspapers write on Wednesday. More...

No gay rights portfolio for Rouvoet
While family minister André Rouvoet has taken over most of the cabinet responsibilities held by former education and culture minister Ronald Plasterk, he is not taking over the gay rights portfolio, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday. More...

Former ministers all packed up
The 12 Labour ministers and junior ministers who resigned from the government at the weekend have immediately lost all their parliamentary rights and privileges, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (5)

Spending cut recommendations speeded up
Acting finance minister Jan Kees de Jager has asked the 20 working parties looking into ways to generate €35bn from spending cuts and tax rises to finish their work a month earlier than planned. More... comments (3)

Local elections: Expat voters in demand
Just one week before voters head to polling stations around the country to vote in local elections, politicians from the main parties are busy vying for the expat vote. More... comments (6)

Geert Wilders' PVV set to win in Almere
Geert Wilders' anti-immigration party PVV is leading the polls in the new town of Almere, one of two places it is contesting the local elections, according to a TNS Nipo poll for Wednesday's Volkskrant. More... comments (21)

DSM posts loss in 2009 final quarter
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals group DSM booked a lost of €60m in the final quarter of 2009 partly due to pressure from one-off costs. More...

Kramer loses 10,000m gold after error
Top favourite Sven Kramer was disqualified from the 10,000m speed skating event at the Winter Olympics after making a wrong lane change. More... comments (36)

Tuesday 23 February 2010

High court reinstates small cafe smoking ban
The ban on smoking in cafes and bars also applies to one-man operations without staff, the high court ruled on Tuesday. More... comments (14)

General election set for June 9
The general election will take place on June 9, slightly later than most pundits had expected, the state information service said on Tuesday afternoon. More... comments (3)

Urk teen murder victim was stabbed
The 14-year boy murdered in woods close to the staunchly Protestant fishing village of Urk last year was stabbed to death, the public prosecution department said on Tuesday. More...

Woman escapes from jail via a tunnel
A 35-year-old woman has escaped from Breda jail after digging a tunnel several meters deep, Nos tv reports on Tuesday. More... comments (9)

Budget deficit forecast 'too optimistic'
The Dutch budget deficit reached 5.3% last year, not 5.1% as calculated earlier, the finance ministry said on Monday evening. More...

'Shell considers selling LPG distribution'
Oil giant Shell is considering selling off its LPG distribution arm, news agency Bloomberg reports on Tuesday. More...

18 European HQs moved to Amsterdam
A total 105 foreign companies located operations in or near Amsterdam last year and 18 established their European HQs in the capital, according to city council figures. More... comments (2)

French strike leads to Schiphol delays
There were long delays for air passengers using Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Tuesday following the strike by French air traffic controllers. More...

Childcare subsidies don't boost women's work
Government subsidies for childcare have not had much effect on boosting the number of women in work, the government's macro-economic planning agency CPB said on Tuesday. More... comments (3)

Rabobank to reduce stake in Eureko
Cooperative banking group Rabobank is considering reducing its stake in the Eureko insurance group from 39% to 30%, and that interest may be reduced further in the future, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday. More...

Heineken profit rises on lower volumes
Heineken booked net profit of €1.06bn in 2009, up 4.1% on the €1.01bn profit earned in 2008, despite lower sales, the brewing group said on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Holloway suspect makes new confession
Joran van der Sloot, main suspect in the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway on the Caribbean island of Aruba in May 2005, has made a second confession, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (38)

Latest Iceland repayment offer in trouble
Icelandic opposition parties have rejected a compromise deal put forward by the Netherlands and Britain for the repayment of €3.8bn, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday. More...

Party leaders call for speedy elections
Political party leaders are calling for new elections to be held as soon as possible following the weekend's government collapse. More... comments (2)

Escaped human trafficker arrested in Turkey
Convicted human trafficker Saban Baran, who escaped from custody after being allowed prison leave to visit his new baby, has been arrested in Turkey. More... comments (2)

Monday 22 February 2010

Cabinet collapse: party leaders meet queen
Queen Beatrix on Monday began consulting her advisors and party leaders about how the country should be run following Labour's decision to pull out of the government because of deep divisions over the Dutch military mission in Afghanistan. More... comments (7)

CDA plan to tackle immigrant youth crime
The Christian Democratic party would like to introduce a sort of special community service for ethnic minority youths who commit crimes, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (10)

Gay Catholics protest communion refusal
A number of openly homosexual practising Catholics will attend a service at the St Jan basilica in Den Bosch next Sunday to directly challenge a bishop on giving communion to gay men and women. More... comments (12)

Dutch Rail misleads Schiphol tourists
Dutch Rail (NS) is misleading thousands of tourists travelling from Schiphol airport to Amsterdam by offering them more expensive first class tickets as a priority, the Haarlems Dagblad reports on Monday. More... comments (19)

Postal group TNT sees signs of recovery
Postal group TNT said on Monday there are signs of a cautious recovery, as it announced a 57.6% decline in net profit over the final quarter of last year. More...

Océ shareholders to go to company court
There is a real chance that the company court in Amsterdam may this week be asked to look into the takeover of printer maker Océ by Canon because of protests by a number of minority shareholders, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. More...

Schiphol airport earnings fall 29%
The Schiphol airport group booked net profit of €132m last year, down 29% on a year earlier, as the effect of falling passenger numbers continued to be felt. More... comments (2)

Cabinet collapse: controversial policies on ice
The collapse of the cabinet means a number of controversial pieces of legislation are now likely to be put on hold pending the election of a new government or may disappear all together. More... comments (2)

Snow brings slippery roads in the north
Snow in the north and northeast may lead to slippery conditions on many roads on Monday morning because of the overnight frost, the KNMI weather bureau said.

Union wants action on airplane cockpit smell
The FNV general workers union has called on the transport and social affairs ministries to launch a far-reaching investigation into smoke and smell problems on board Fokker-100 planes. More... comments (3)

Local elections: minor parties challenge state
Local political parties are taking the state to court in a row over political funding, Nos news reports on Monday. More...

Gold for speed skater Ireen Wüst
The Netherlands picked up its third gold medal of the Winter Olympics on Sunday as Ireen Wüst became the surprise winner of the 1,500m speed skating event. More... comments (6)

Sunday 21 February 2010

Cabinet collapse: the recriminations begin
Christian Democrat and Labour politicians began blaming each other for the collapse of the government with a string of media appearances at the weekend. More... comments (8)

PSV draws, Twente closes gap
Premier division leader PSV could only manage a 1-1 draw against relegation candidate Sparta of Rotterdam on Sunday. More...

New debt deal with Iceland in the works
The Netherlands and Britain are proposing a new deal to allow Iceland to repay its €3.8bn debt which may help the country to avoid a risky referendum next month, international news agencies report. More...

Antonov still lending money to Spyker
Russian investor Vladimir Antonov is still lending money to Dutch luxury car maker Spyker and has committed a loan of $100m - of which $25m has already been transferred, news agency Reuters reports. More...

Civil service pension fund ABP loses chairman
Liberal party stalwart Ed Nijpels is standing down as chairman of the management board at civil service pension fund ABP because of the investigation into the collapse of DSB bank last year. More...

Afghanistan stand boosts Labour vote
The Labour party's decision to pull out of the government following deep divisions over the Dutch mission in Afghanistan has boosted the party's fortunes in a new opinion poll by Maurice de Hond. More... comments (1)

Speed skater Tuitert takes gold, beats Davis
Speed skater Mark Tuitert took the gold medal in the 1,500m at the Winter Olympics in Canada, beating the US's hot favourite Shani Davis into second place. Norway's Harvard Bokko was third. More...

Saturday 20 February 2010

Nato repeats request for Holland to stay
Nato on Saturday repeated its request that the Netherlands stay longer in Afghanistan despite the government's collapse, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (5)

Eight taken to hospital after metro crash
Eight people have been taken to hospital following an underground crash between two metro trains in Amsterdam. More...

Balkenende, Bos to lead party campaigns
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende has been unanimously chosen to the lead the Christian Democrats into the next election - probably around the end of May. More...

Cabinet collapse: what happens next?
The collapse of prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende's fourth government means new elections will probably be held within the next three months. More... comments (8)

Cabinet collapse: opposition reactions
The collapse of the Christian Democrat, Labour, ChristenUnie government was inevitable, opposition party leaders said in their initial reactions. More... comments (11)

Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan
The Dutch government collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning over Labour's insistence that the Netherlands pull out of Afghanistan this year. More... comments (34)

Friday 19 February 2010

Cabinet crisis: Ministers in talks with advisors
12.30am: Ministers were locked in talks with their own senior advisers after midnight following a marathon cabinet meeting earlier in the day over the future Dutch role in Afghanistan. More...

Ministers locked in talks over Afghanistan
Ministers were still locked in talks in an effort to breach the gap between the ruling Christian Democrats and Labour over the Dutch mission in Afghanistan by mid afternoon on Friday. More... comments (3)

Bos gets support for Afghanistan stand
Some 66% of the Dutch population think Labour leader Wouter Bos is correct to stick to his guns over the Dutch pull out from Afghanistan, according to an opinion poll by Synovate for the NRC. More... comments (12)

Yet another prisoner on leave escapes
Police are hunting an 18-year-old youth who escaped from his guard while on leave from psychiatric prison, Nos tv reports. More... comments (2)

Van der Sar: no again to South Africa
Manchester United keeper Erwin van der Sar has again ruled himself out of joining the Dutch squad at the World Cup in South Africa this summer. More...

Ajax forced to make spending cuts
Premier division football club Ajax of Amsterdam is to embark on a major cost cutting programme in an effort to get its finances under control, financial director Jeroen Slop said on Friday. More... comments (2)

Investment fund assets rose 13% in 2009
The value of Dutch investment funds' total net assets increased for the third consecutive quarter between October and December last year, the central bank said on Friday. More...

Army officers ‘amazed' at Afghanistan crisis
Top army officials and union bosses in both the Netherlands and Afghanistan have reacted fiercely to the government crisis over Afghanistan police and what they call the ‘party political manoeuverings’ of the Labour party, writes the Volkskrant on Friday. More... comments (3)

Schools get more money for at-risk students
The government premium to prevent school pupils becoming drop outs has been upped, writes the Volkskrant on Friday. More...

The Hague delays Koolhaas plan vote
The Hague city council has opted not to give the final go ahead to a massive development near the city's central station until after the March 3 local elections. More...

Youths to be charged over Urk murder
Three boys aged 15, 12 and 13 will face charges relating to the murder of 14-year-old Dirk Post, whose body was found dumped in woods near the fishing village of Urk in November, news agency ANP reports. More...

Four out of 10 council executives quit early
Of the 1,550 local authority executives who took up their posts after the 2006 local elections, 627 have already left, according to research by local authority newspaper Binnenlands Bestuur. More...

Swine flu reponse under spotlight
Health minister Ab Klink has set up an independent investigation into the Netherlands' response to the swine flu epidemic. More... comments (2)

Arrests after Ajax Juventus match
At least 75 Ajax and Juventus football fans were arrested after clashes following Thursday night's Europa League match between the two clubs in Amsterdam. More...

Dutch speed skaters take silver, bronze
Speed skater Annette Gerritsen made up for her fall in the 500m at the Winter Olympics earlier this week with a silver medal in the 1,000m on Thursday night. More...

Ministers under heavy fire over Uruzgan
What began as a short debate over the Dutch position on Afghanistan on Thursday turned into an eight hour battle, as opposition MPs tore into ministers over their refusal to take decisions and the damage being done to the reputation of the Netherlands abroad. More... comments (1)

Thursday 18 February 2010

Satnav maker TomTom beats forecasts
Satellite navigation systems maker TomTom beat analysts forecasts in the final quarter of 2009, turning in a 7% rise in net profit at €75m, excluding one-off items. More...

Emergency debate on Afghanistan today
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and deputy premier Wouter Bos will debate the future of the Dutch mission in Afghanistan in parliament this afternoon, as speculation grows that the cabinet is about to collapse. More... comments (3)

Police banned from car drugs checks
Police in Limburg have been told by judges to stop scanning car number plates in an effort to solve drugs crimes, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More...

Dutch Rail earnings slide in 2009
Dutch Rail (NS) booked net profit of €116m in 2009, less than half 2008's earnings of €281m, the state-owned company said on Thursday. More... comments (1)

Wine and spirit shops to film young customers
Hundreds of wine and spirit shops are to begin filming their customers in an effort to stop the under 16s buying beer and wine, website nu.nl reports on Thursday. More... comments (5)

Staffing agency Randstad sees recovery
Staffing agency Randstad saw revenues fall by some €5bn to €12.5bn last year, but managed to reduce costs by 22% through job cuts and synergies, the company said on Thursday. More...

Hotel attacker was on prison leave
A man who attacked and robbed a women at a hotel in the Hague last week had failed to return to prison after being allowed out on leave, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More... comments (2)

Eagle owl escapes from Groningen zoo
Keepers at the Wonderwereld zoo in Ter Apel, Groningen, are hunting for a huge Eurasian eagle owl which flew off during a flying display on Sunday. More... comments (5)

Unemployment rises to 5.6%
The Dutch official unemployment rate rose to 5.6% in the period November to January, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. More...

Reed Elsevier still hit by crisis
Business and academic publishing group Reed Elsevier is expecting a tough first half of 2010 as the effects of the recession continue to bite, the Anglo Dutch company said on Thursday. More...

'Stop foreign language campaign posters' (update)
Integration minister Eberhard van der Laan has called on political parties of all colours to stop producing election campaign posters in other languages, Nos tv reports. More... comments (46)

Amsterdam to allow drinking standing up
Bylaws banning cafe goers in Amsterdam from drinking while standing on the terrace are to be scrapped, the city council agreed on Wednesday evening. More... comments (8)

Akzo Nobel posts a Q4 loss
Chemicals group Akzo Nobel posted a loss of €60m in the final quarter of 2009, partly due to a €119m restructuring charge and €40.6m fine from the European Commission for price fixing. More...

Dutch speed skaters again with empty hands
The Dutch men's speed skating team failed to pick up any medals in the 1,000m event at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday, despite high hopes of at least one. More...

Cabinet in crisis over Afghanistan
The future of the coalition government is in doubt on Thursday morning, after Labour leader and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos said he would definitely not support a continuation of the Dutch mission in Afghanistan, despite a Nato request. More... comments (4)

Wednesday 17 February 2010

ING limits bonuses to one year's salary
Bonuses for senior executives at financial services company ING are to be limited to 100% of their fixed salaries, in line with the new banking code of conduct, CEO Jan Hommen said on Wednesday. More... comments (7)

Local election turnout forecast at 49%
Only 49% of the electorate are planning to vote in the March 3 local elections, according to research by TNS Nipo. More... comments (1)

Hiddink to become Turkey's new manager
Football coach Guus Hiddink has been appointed new manager of the Turkish national football team on a two year contract. More...

Pregnant career women should avoid stress
Career women who are pregnant should be careful to avoid stress especially in the first 12 weeks, public health expert Koos van der Velden told MPs on Wednesday, the Telegraaf reports. More... comments (8)

Labour says final 'no' to Afghanistan
Labour leader Wouter Bos has said a final no to any further role for Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan, forcing a potential cabinet crisis. More... comments (10)

ING posts Q4 loss following write-offs
Financial services group ING posted a loss of €712m in the fourth quarter of 2009, taking its full year loss to €935m, the bank said on Wednesday. More...

PM survives Iraq no confidence motion
Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende on Tuesday night survived opposition efforts to pass a no confidence motion in him, following the publication of a critical report on the Netherlands' involvement in Iraq. More... comments (4)

Bos: decision on Afghanistan this week
Deputy prime minister Wouter Bos wants the cabinet to decide this week whether or not to extend the Dutch mission in Afghanistan, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday, without quoting sources. More...

Frost-bound building firms get cash help
Building groups, gardening companies and window washing firms can claim government help to pay workers who have been left without anything to do because of the long period of frost. More...

Air delay compensation comes a step nearer
Transport ministry officials have been given four weeks to draw up suggestions for compensating passenger whose flights are delayed by at least three hours. More...

Friesland to 'get rid' of 10,000 Greylag geese
Friesland provincial council has given the green light to the cull some 10,000 Greylag geese which, it says, are causing serious damage to crops. More... comments (3)

Medal hopeful Gerritsen falls during 500m
Dutch medal hopeful Annette Gerritsen fell hard during her first appearance at the Winter Olympics in Canada on Tuesday, ending her chances of a medal in the speed skating 500m. More...

Open air museum to get Turkish lodgings
The open air museum in Arnhem, which has a collection of historic buildings, has been given lottery money to rebuild a 1970s Turkish immigrant's lodging house. More...

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Texel dead fox was not an island dweller
The dead fox found by a road on the Wadden Sea island of Texel was shot and probably dumped there as a joke, a spokesman for local animal sanctuary Ecomare said on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Cash call to unite divided Jan Steen painting
The Hague city council is to begin raising money to buy half a Jan Steen painting owned by an American heiress, Trouw reports on Tuesday. More...

Shell adapts executive pay packages
Oil giant Shell is adapting its senior executive pay structure, including a freeze on salaries and limit on bonuses, following pressure from shareholders. More...

Plans to scrap younger partner pension delayed
Plans to scrap state pension payments for people under 55 who have a partner who has officially retired have been put on ice until 2015, news agency ANP reports on Tuesday. More...

Economy to grow 2% in 2011, says CPB
The economy will grow 2% in 2011, taking the budget deficit to 4.7%, the government's macro economic think tank CPB said on Tuesday, stressing the figures are preliminary. More...

Collective redundancy law to be tightened up
Social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner is to close a loophole in collective redundancy legislation which some employers use to avoid informing the trade unions about their plans, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday. More...

Student in court over fingerprint data base
A 24-year-old student is going to court because he refuses to allow his fingerprints to be included in a data base, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday. More... comments (18)

Less tobacco sold in 2009
The amount of cigarettes sold in the Netherlands fell 10% and rolling tobacco 7% in 2009, according to new figures from the tobacco industry. More... comments (4)

Disciplinary board silent on struck-off notaries
The disciplinary board which looks into misconduct by notaries - a type of lawyer who deals with property and family law transactions - is refusing to name notaries who have been struck off or temporarily suspended, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Spyker wants Russian investor back
Spyker CEO Victor Muller would like Russian investor Vladimir Antonov to get involved in the car making group again, he is reported as saying by news agency AFN. More... comments (1)

Election debate highlights left right divide
The first televised debate of the local election campaign highlighted the differences between left and right on taxes and government cut backs. More... comments (6)

Councils still under pay home helps
Hundreds of local authorities are still paying less than the cost price to buy in home nursing services for the elderly or infirm still living at home, according to the FNV trade union federation. More... comments (2)

Transport minister orders parking fee inquiry
Transport minister Camiel Eurlings has ordered officials to investigate claims that car parking fees are being put up by stealth, he told parliament on Monday. More... comments (2)

Iceland seeks to renegotiate Icesave deal
Dutch, British and Icelandic officials met in London on Monday to discuss Iceland's wish to renegotiate the deal to return money spent on compensating savers who lost millions of euros when internet bank Icesave collapsed. More...

Monday 15 February 2010

High speed services disrupted after crash
Thalys and Eurostar high speed train services from the Netherlands have been halted following Monday morning's rail crash near Brussels which has left upwards of 10 people dead. More...

Dutch cinemas boycott new Burton film
Dutch cinemas are refusing to show the new Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland because of a row with Disney over the DVD. More... comments (14)

Ireen Wüst loses Olympic title
Speed skater Ireen Wüst failed to successfully defend her 3,000m title at the Winter Olympics on Sunday. More...

Double murder suspect arrested in Morocco
The Moroccan authorities have arrested a 34-year-old man, wanted in the Netherlands for murdering two elderly women in 2003. More...

'ING pressured suppliers to cut bills'
Financial services group ING last summer put suppliers under pressure to make rebates of 12% on bills which had already been paid, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Consumer confidence high in Holland
The Dutch are among the most positive Europeans about their economic prospects, according to new figures quoted by the national statistics office CBS. More... comments (1)

Robin Söderling wins ABN Amro tennis
Sweden's Robin Söderling won this year's ABN Amro tennis tournament at the Ahoy stadium in Rotterdam after Russia's Mikail Joezjni pulled out midway through the final with a hamstring injury.

Injuries as walkers ignore ice warning
At least 12 people were injured after ignoring warnings that the ice on the IJsselmeer lake between the island of Marken and the mainland was unsafe, police said on Sunday. More...

Verdonk's party plans culture spending cuts
Rita Verdonk's populist party Trots op Nederland is campaigning for cut in spending on culture, and end to corporation tax and the replacement of income tax with a 25% flat tax for everyone in this year's local elections. More... comments (1)

Sunday 14 February 2010

Danish group joins Oce Canon opposition
A Danish investment company has added its voice to the opposition to printer maker Océ's takeover by Japan's Canon. More...

De Hoop Scheffer criticises Iraq report
A government commission report into Dutch support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq has been heavily criticised by the man responsible for drawing up the Netherlands' position. More...

Only eight premier clubs make a profit
Just eight of the 18 football clubs in the Dutch premier league made a profit in the previous season, according to new football association figures. More...

Spyker may delist in Amsterdam
Luxury car maker may leave the Amsterdam stock exchange and instead applie for a dual listing in London and Stockholm, CEO Victor Muller said at the company's AGM on Friday. More... comments (2)

Assisted suicide petition gets 40,000 names
A lobby group hoping to win support for assisted suicide for the over 70s has raised the necessary 40,000 signatures to force a parliamentary debate on the issue. More... comments (7)

UN climate panel admits Dutch sea level error
A UN panel of climate experts has admitted to overstating how much of the Netherlands is below sea level, news agency Reuters reported at the weekend. More... comments (6)

Afghanistan divisions 'a misunderstanding'
The conflict between foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos over a letter from Nato urging the Netherlands to stay longer in Afghanistan has been put down to a 'misunderstanding'. More... comments (2)

Saturday 13 February 2010

Gold for Sven Kramer in Olympic 5000m
Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer took the gold medal in the Winter Olympics 5,000m event, his 12th international title in a row. More...

Professor withdraws France Icesave remark
Dutch academic Edgar du Perron has withdrawn his earlier statement that France refused to allow internet bank Icesave target French savers, the Volkskrant reports on Saturday. More... comments (1)

Friday 12 February 2010

Den Bosch bomber remanded in custody
The man who claimed he had primed a bomb in Den Bosch railway station earlier this week has been remanded in custody for two weeks on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack, the public prosecution department said on Friday. More... comments (3)

Cartel body raids Amsterdam hospitals
The Dutch competition authority NMa carried out surprise raids on Amsterdam's two university teaching hospitals and a local healthcare umbrella group this week as part of an investigation into uncompetitive practices. More...

Netherlands gears up for winter Olympics
Bobsleigh competitor Timothy Beck will carry the Dutch flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver on Friday night. More...

Bankruptcies reach record level
A record 10,500 companies went bankrupt in the Netherlands last year, beating the previous record of 10,000 bankruptcies set in 2005. More...

Survey: Parking rates go up by stealth
Car parks are selling their customers short and raising prices by stealth, newsagency ANP reports on Friday, quoting figures from the national retail organisation Detailhandel Nederland. More...

Italian wins World Press Photo
This year's World Press Photo prize has been won by Italian photographer Pietro Masturzo for a photograph of women shouting from a roof in Teheran, the Amsterdam-based jury said on Friday. More...

Amsterdam prostitutes mainly foreign
Fewer than 100 of the 1,100 prostitutes identified by Amsterdam city council health workers are Dutch nationals, the Parool reported on Thursday. More... comments (5)

Shell personnel details leaked to green lobby
The personal details of 170,000 Shell workers around the globe have been deliberately leaked to environmental groups, the Financial Times reports on Friday. More...

Dutch economy shrank 4% last year
The Dutch economy shrank by 4% in 2009 but grew 0.3% in the final three months compared with the third quarter, the national statistics office CBS said on Friday. More...

Seven arrested outside Iranian embassy
Riot police arrested seven people after clashes outside the Iranian embassy on Thursday afternoon, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (2)

Amsterdam container terminal board sacked
Hutchison Port Holdings, the Chinese owner of Amsterdam's container terminal ACT, has sacked 11 of the 12-strong management team, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Friday. More...

Carnival goers warned to keep warm
Regional health authorities in the southern Netherlands are warning Carnival goers to keep warm because of the freezing temperatures expected this weekend. More...

Football clubs consider cutting salaries
The 18 football clubs which make up the premier league are considering cutting staff salaries in an effort to improve their financial future, Nos tv reports on Friday. More...

Icesave row escalates, France denies ban (update)
Finance minister Wouter Bos has ordered an investigation into the accusations of lying levied by Dutch central bank officials at the Icelandic authorities over the collapse of Icesave. More...

Ministers clash over Nato Afghanistan letter
Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos appear to be heading for a showdown over Nato's call for the Netherlands to stay longer in Afghanistan. More... comments (8)

Thursday 11 February 2010

No financial help for Greece: finance minister
The Netherlands will not support giving financial help to Greece on either an EU-wide or individual country basis, finance minister Wouter Bos told parliament on Thursday. More... comments (4)

No Dutch support for Greece, say MPs
A majority of MPs are calling on the government not to get involved in efforts to bail out the Greek economy, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (10)

Swim teacher to face 40 plus abuse charges
Swimming teacher Benno L will face at least 40 charges of possessing child pornography and child sexual abuse, the public prosecution department said on Thursday. More... comments (3)

Wilders' freedom clones spring up
Geert Wilders' anti-Islam party Partij voor de Vrijheid has spawned a number of local clones in the local elections, the AD reports on Thursday. More... comments (3)

Crucial Natalee Holloway witness dies
Paul van der Sloot, father of the chief suspect in the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway, is reported to have died on the island of Aruba at the age of 57. More...

Maxeda retail group considers fashion sale
Maxeda, the retail group which owns the Bijenkorf department stores and DIY chain Praxis, is considering selling its fashion outlets, the company said on Thursday. More...

Bijenkorf department store: metro stops here
Amsterdam department store, the Bijenkorf, has expressed grave doubts over plans to tunnel under its flagship shop on Dam square as part of the controversial north-south metro line, writes the Telegraaf on Thursday. More... comments (1)

Household borrowing drops by over €1bn
Dutch households borrowed some €9.7bn last year, the lowest total in 10 years, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. More...

Cheaper energy drives down inflation
Lower energy prices helped cut the Dutch inflation rate to 0.8% in January, down from 1.1% in December, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. More...

New corporate lobby for sustainable business
Some of the Netherlands' biggest firms have signed up to join a new corporate lobby group focused on sustainable business. More... comments (1)

Education cuts not taboo, says minister
Cuts in spending on higher education cannot be ruled out as part of the government's efforts to get state spending under control, education minister Ronald Plasterk told MPs on Wednesday. More...

Two-thirds of workers clueless about pension
Some 66% of Dutch workers are clueless about how much pension they can expect to get when they retire, according to research for the finance ministry. More...

Crime hotline books major success
An average of 19 people a day are tipping off the police about crimes through the telephone hotline Meld Misdaad Anoniem, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday. More...

Honorary knighthood for De Hoop Scheffer
Former Nato secretary general and Dutch foreign minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has been awarded an honorary knighthood by Britain's queen Elisabeth for 'services to Nato'. More...

More rush hour problems, thanks to frost
Driving conditions are again difficult in much of the country apart from the south and north west, the ANWB motoring organisation said on Thursday. More... comments (3)

Nato's Afghanistan request published
Nato has formally requested that the Netherlands stay in Afghanistan for another year to help train local forces, and that the Netherlands' F-16 fighter jets remain on active duty in Uruzgan, the letter from Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen shows. More...

Rotterdam public transport is chip only
Paper bus and tram tickets are a thing of the past in Rotterdam from Thursday as the city makes the switch to the public transport smart card - ov-chipkaart. More... comments (14)

Nursing homes report suicide attempts
Dozens of people living in nursing homes commit, or try to commit suicide every year, according to research by the Dutch voluntary euthanasia society NVVE. More... comments (2)

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Snow causes evening rush hour problems
Wednesday's snow is expected to cause more problems for drivers in the evening rush hour, the ANWB motoring organisation said. More...

Academics hit back at climate report critics
Errors in an influential report on global climate change do not make the report's conclusions invalid or biased, a group of 52 leading Dutch academics say in an open letter on Wednesday. More... comments (4)

Blaricum still has the most expensive houses
Blaricum, near Hilversum, is still the most expensive place to buy a house in the Netherlands, with the average home costing €702,000, according to new figures from the land registry office Kadaster. More...

Nuon earnings halved last year
Power company Nuon booked net profit of €200m last year, less than half of 2008's earnings of €492m due to lower energy trading results. More... comments (1)

Big cities want alcohol ban for under 18s
Officials in Rotterdam, Utrecht and the Hague want the government to ban all alcohol sales to the under-18s, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday. More... comments (4)

Noord-Holland banks with the state again
The province of Noord-Holland is to transfer all its finances - totalling some €1bn - away from the private sector and into state control. More... comments (1)

Child 'kidnappers' usually the mother
Most child abduction cases in the Netherlands involve the mother taking the child, according to researchers at Utrecht University, published in Wednesday's Trouw. More... comments (1)

MPs reign in minister on bus tickets
A large majority of MPs have voted in favour of a motion to stop junior transport minister Tineke Huizinga giving Amsterdam the green light to phase out paper tickets on buses and trams. More... comments (6)

Cocaine found in Valentine roses
Customs officers at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport have discovered nine kgs of cocaine in boxes of roses from Colombia. More...

Icelandic ex-minister criticises Wellink
The minister in charge of Iceland's banking sector at the time of the collapse of online savings bank Icesave has accused Dutch central bank president Nout Wellink of making a 'rude misleading' statement while giving evidence to a government commission. More... comments (1)

Teenage drunks drink at a friends home
Teenagers who drink so much alcohol that they end up in hospital are most likely to get drunk at a friend's house, according to new research on young binge drinkers carried out for the health ministry. More...

Snow leads to long rush hour jams
The snowfall in the early hours of Wednesday morning led to long jams in much of the country during the rush hour. More... comments (5)

Tuesday 09 February 2010

Tired of life? Group calls for assisted suicide
A group of older Dutch academics and politicians have launched a petition in support of assisted suicide for the over-70s. More... comments (67)

Cabinet admits Iraq war mistakes
The cabinet has admitted MPs could have been better informed about security service 'doubts and conjectures' about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the 2003 invasion. More... comments (3)

Cabinet considers Nato Afghanistan request
The cabinet is considering continuing Dutch involvement in Afghanistan past the August 2010 pull-out date following Nato's formal request for a delay, defence minister Eimert van Middelkoop told reporters on Tuesday. More... comments (3)

Breast cancer check age limit is legal
The government is within its rights to limit the national breast cancer screening programme to women below the age of 75, the Hague district court ruled on Tuesday. More... comments (4)

62,000 old cars scrapped for money
Some 62,000 old cars have so far been taken off the roads in return for payments under the government's scrappage scheme. More... comments (1)

Den Bosch 'bomber' is a disturbed man
Police have arrested a man who claimed to have placed a bomb on a train at Den Bosch station on Tuesday morning, causing major disruption to train users for much of the day. More... comments (8)

Car lease group launches online bank
Dutch car lease firm LeasePlan, which is owned by Volkswagen and two Middle East state funds, has launched its own internet savings bank. More... comments (1)

ABN Amro to target corporate accounts
Nationalised bank ABN Amro is to target major corporate accounts, at just under the level of multinationals such as Unilever and Shell, Rutger van Nouhuys, head of the bank's large corporate and merchant banking arm, says in Tuesday's Financieele Dagblad. More...

Spyker gets loan from former employer
Victor Muller, the head of luxury car maker Spyker which is taking over Sweden's Saab, has agreed a $25m convertible loan for the company with his former employer, offshore company Heerema. More...

Councils keep out TNT competitors
New postal delivery firms are failing to win local authority contracts because they do not meet council conditions on delivery times and staff employment, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday. More... comments (7)

No education cuts, says Labour leader
Education should not face spending cuts as part of efforts to get government spending back under control, Mariëtte Hamer, leader of the parliamentary Labour party, told an election meeting in Groningen on Monday. More...

Rotterdam police chief quits
Rotterdam's police chief Aad Meijboom will step down as soon as a successor is found, the Telegraaf reported on Monday evening. More...

Stay in Afghanistan, Nato asks Dutch
Nato has made an official request to the Netherlands to stay in Afghanistan past the August 2010 pull-out date, news agency ANP reports, quoting sources in the Hague. More... comments (6)

Ministers put final touches to Iraq reply
Ministers are meeting early this morning to put the final touches to their official reply to January's highly critical report on the Netherlands' involvement in the invasion of Iraq, reports news agency ANP. More...

Monday 08 February 2010

Many golf clubs hit by financial crisis
Many of the Netherlands 153 golf clubs are experiencing financial difficulties because of the economic downturn, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. More... comments (2)

Beware of Anti Fascist Action: security service
The AIVD security service has written to local councils all over the country warning them to beware of tactics used by a group calling itself Anti Fascist Action to disrupt meetings by right-wing organisations, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (3)

Albert Heijn market share increases
Supermarket group Albert Heijn managed to increase its share of the Dutch grocery market again last year following the takeover of several dozen C1000 supermarkets. More... comments (9)

Welfare claimants must 'reintegrate'
A 45-year-old welfare benefit claimant from Amsterdam has been told by judges that a formal reintegration programme to help him find work cannot be considered forced labour. More... comments (5)

Minister is keeping km tax secrets: VVD
The real effect of the government's planned kilometer tax on motoring will be very different to that promoted by the transport ministry, Liberal MPs say in Monday's Telegraaf following a confidential briefing with transport minister Camiel Eurlings. More... comments (10)

Chemical group DSM fined for US pollution
Chemicals company DSM's North American arm has been fined $800,000 for under-reporting toxic releases of the chemical cyclohexene between 2003 to 2006 at its Augusta, Georgia plant. More... comments (2)

Goat farm to be cleared after all
A goat farm which won a reprieve from the government-ordered cull on Friday is to be cleared on Monday after more tests showed Q fever is present in some animals. More...

Share trading taken over by computer
Up to 70% of the share trading in Dutch blue-chip stocks is carried out by computer, without human intervention, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Oranje draws Hungary, Sweden in Euro 2012
The Netherlands has drawn Hungary, coached by Dutchman Erwin Koeman, in its Group E qualifying matches for the 2012 European Cup in Poland and Ukraine. More...

Dutch Eurovision entry finalised
The Netherlands' entry for this year's Eurovision song contest will be sung by unknown 17-year-old Sieneke. More... comments (9)

Lyme disease victims call for action
The Dutch Lyme disease association has submitted a petition of 65,000 names to parliament, enough to make sure the issue gets debated under citizen's initiative legislation. More... comments (5)

Ajax beats Twente, PSV takes lead
A 3-0 victory over joint premier league leader FC Twente put Amsterdam's Ajax a step nearer its goal of qualifiying for next year's Champion's League on Sunday. More...

Divisions loom over budget cuts
Divisions are already looming between ministers about how to cut €35bn off the budget to get government spending back under control. More... comments (5)

Nato suggests Afghan training role
Christian Democrat and Labour MPs both support a suggestion by a Nato chief that Dutch soldiers remain in Afghanistan to train local troops, most newspapers report on Monday. More...

Friday 05 February 2010

CSM takes over American bakery firm
Bakery products group CSM is taking over American peer Best Brands for $510m (€370m) in cash, the company said on Friday. More... comments (4)

School bus plunges onto motorway
Four children and the driver of a school minibus have been taken to hospital after their vehicle skidded off a minor road and plunged several meters down on to the A37 motorway near Emmen. More... comments (1)

Telecom regulator wants to name names
Telecom sector watchdog Opta is to appeal to the council of state in an effort to be allowed to publicise the names of companies fined for anti competitive practices or misleading customers, the Telegraaf reports on Friday. More... comments (1)

Goat cull halted after Q fever test problems
The slaughter of hundreds of goats on an intensive goat farm in Limburg was halted following a court order on Friday because test results for Q fever were inconclusive. More... comments (4)

Crisis commission finishes hearing
The government commission investigating the cause and effect of the economic crisis in the Netherlands completed a three week session of public hearings on Thursday, having interviewed 42 people in 50 hours. More...

Government Haiti cash action a 'one-off'
The government will not make a habit out of offering to double the money raised for charities and good causes, aid minister Bert Koenders said on Thursday evening. More... comments (1)

Couple rescued after ice walk
A couple who went for a walk on the frozen IJsselmeer lake to admire the ice mountains have been rescued by police helicopter after getting lost and wandering 3km from the shore. More... comments (1)

Wilders ducks out of radio election debate
PVV leader Geert Wilders has opted out of Sunday's traditional radio election debate with other party leaders, stating that public broadcaster Nos is 'useless' and has kept him dangling on a string for too long. More...

Ministers still discussing Iraq reaction
Ministers have not yet finalised their formal reaction to the highly critical report on the Netherlands' strategy in the run up to the Iraq war, deputy prime minister André Rouvoet told reporters on Thursday evening. More...

'Register student loans with debt agency'
Á threat to register large student loans with the debt registry organisation in Tiel would be enough to scare off some students and stop them borrowing so much cash, the family spending institute Nibud is reported as saying by the Telegraaf on Friday. More... comments (13)

Cabinet reaches compromise on Afghanistan
Ministers have reached a compromise on extending the Dutch mission in Afghanistan past the August deadline, magazine Elsevier reports on its website, quoting cabinet sources. More... comments (3)

Thursday 04 February 2010

Finance minister: no mistakes in tackling crisis
Finance minister Wouter Bos on Thursday told the government committee investigating the cause of the credit crisis that he had not made mistakes in his handling of the economy. More... comments (2)

Cabinet appears to admit some Iraq errors
The government is admitting MPs were not kept properly up to date about developments in the run up to the Iraq war, tv current affairs show Reporter says on its website on Thursday. More... comments (1)

JSF fighter jet still a risky project
The Netherlands still runs numerous financial and other risks with the purchase of the new Joint Strike Fighter jet, the government's audit office said on Thursday. More...

Separate plastic collection a 'waste of money'
Asking citizens to separate their plastic waste from the rest of their rubbish is more expensive and less efficient than separating the waste after it has been collected, trials in Limburg province show, reports the Telegraaf on Thursday. More... comments (13)

'Central bank could not stop ABN Amro split'
Th central bank would have liked to prevent the takeover and break up of the ABN Amro banking empire but did not have the means to do so, central bank president Nout Wellink said on Thursday. More...

Stieg Larsson best selling author in 2009
The Dutch translation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Swedish author Stieg Larsson was the best sold book in the Netherlands in 2009, the national book promotion foundation CPNB said on Thursday. More...

Unilever turnover down but sells more
Anglo-Dutch grocery group Unilever said on Thursday it sold more products in 2009 although total turnover was down. More...

Shell to shed 1,000 more jobs as profit falls
Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell is to shed a further 1,000 jobs in an effort to reduce costs, the company said at the presentation of its Q4 earnings on Thursday. More... comments (3)

Public split on cannabis legalisation
Some 50% of the population think cannabis should be fully legalised while 25% want a complete ban, according to the latest Maurice de Hond opinion poll. More... comments (24)

Anger over second climate panel error
MPs have reacted angrily to a second mistake in an international climate panel report, this time focusing on the Netherlands itself, the Volkskrant reports on Friday. More... comments (12)

Motorways priority as salt supplies dwindle
The transport ministry is to stop sending the provinces salt to keep roads ice free because of dwindling supplies, transport minister Camiel Eurlings told MPs on Wednesday night. More... comments (6)

Wednesday 03 February 2010

Ex ABN Amro boss slams split-up go-ahead
The finance ministry and central bank should have refused to approve the break up of the ABN Amro banking empire following its takeover, former CEO Rijkman Groenink said on Wednesday. More... comments (8)

Court limits Wilders' witness list
The killer of Theo van Gogh and 14 of the other witnesses anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders wanted to call in his defence against charges of discrimination and inciting hatred have been ruled inadmissible by Amsterdam district court. More... comments (11)

Fast-tracking planning procedure delayed
Legislation paving the way for fast-tracking planning procedures until the end of the economic crisis has been held up in the upper house of parliament. More...

Many farms too small to survive
Three out of 10 farms in the Netherlands are too small to be viable, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. More... comments (1)

CDA plans to crack down on cannabis cafes
The ruling Christian Democratic party will on Thursday publish a document outlining plans to further crack down on soft drug use, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday. More... comments (19)

Iranian students face discrimination: court
The government is practising discrimination by refusing to allow Iranian students to take up subjects which may bring them into contact with nuclear technology, judges ruled on Wednesday. More... comments (10)

Iceland to investigate Dutch liar claims
Officials in Iceland are to investigate charges by a former official of the Dutch central bank that Iceland lied to the Netherlands about the situation surrounding internet bank Icesave. More...

Wilders' witness list published today
Amsterdam court will on Wednesday announce how it plans to proceed in the trial of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders on inciting hatred and discrimination charges. More... comments (5)

Mega coffee shop owner faces €27m claim
The public prosecution department will seek to claw back €27.6m from the owner of the country's biggest cannabis-selling cafe, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. More...

Rush hour roads again 'an ice rink'
Commuters have again been hit by slippery conditions on many roads on Wednesday with the A6 in Flevoland again one of the most seriously affected. More... comments (5)

Tuesday 02 February 2010

Dutch are among the happiest Europeans
The Dutch are among the most satisfied people in Europe about their quality of life, according to new European Commission research. More... comments (24)

Hofstad terrorist case must be tried again
The legal case against seven alleged Muslim extremists on terrorism charges must be heard for a second time, the high court ruled on Tuesday. More... comments (1)

Student protests continue over funding
Students in Utrecht and Rotterdam continued their protests about proposals to reform student funding on Tuesday by taking over university administration buildings. More... comments (1)

Few transfers during football winter break
A total 95 football players changed clubs during this winter's transfer period from January 4 to February 1, the national football association KNVB said on Tuesday. More...

Saab to make a profit in 2012: Spyker
Loss-making Swedish car maker Saab should return to profit in 2012, new owner Spyker said on Monday. More... comments (6)

Defence ministry to cut senior staff perks
The defence ministry is planning to lower the bonuses and other perks payable to very senior civil servants, junior minister Jack de Vries told parliament on Monday. More...

€15m golden hello for M&S Dutchman
Marc Bolland, the Dutchman who is taking over the helm at British high street institution Marks & Spencer, has negotiated himself a £15m golden hello. More... comments (2)

Supermarkets discriminate on age
Supermarkets are still widely discriminating against older teenagers whose contracts are not renewed when they reach the age of 18, according to research by the CNV shopworkers union. More... comments (13)

Tax office wants stolen Swiss bank details
Tax minister Jan Kees de Jager has instructed tax inspectors and fraud investigators to try to get information about secret Swiss bank accounts from Germany, which is thinking of buying stolen information, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (12)

150,000 primary school pupils take test
Over 150,000 primary school pupils on Tuesday begin three days of tests which will largely determine the type of secondary school they go to. More... comments (1)

Ice mountains rise out of IJsselmeer
Sightseers and photographers have been flocking to the IJsselmeer, a huge lake north east of Amsterdam, where ice mountains up to 6m high have formed because of the wintry weather. More... comments (2)

Ban on animal sex abuse passes senate
The upper house of parliament has voted in favour of a formal ban on the sexual abuse of animals and the making of animal pornography, despite fears the legislation might not be approved. More...

Monday 01 February 2010

Slippery roads to remain all week
Driving conditions on many roads will remain difficult all week because of more snow and night frosts, the KNMI weather bureau said on Monday. More... comments (2)

No charges following burglar death
A 52-year-old man from the village of Neunen near Eindhoven will not face charges following the death of a burglar at his home, news agency ANP reports on Monday. More... comments (2)

MP threatens teens with baseball bat
Labour MP Luuk Blom has been accused of threatening a 17-year-old youth and his girlfriend with a baseball bat for allegedly throwing a snowball at his house, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (1)

Thousands break bones in wintry weather
Some 17,000 people visited hospital accident and emergency departments between December 16 and January 15 after falling on icy pavements and roads. More... comments (7)

Crisis a many-headed monster: Wellink
The economic crisis was born in the US and grew up into a many-headed monster, central bank president Nout Wellink told a government commission looking into the cause and effect of the credit meltdown on Monday. More... comments (8)

Media advertising income falls 3%
The amount of advertising income earned by the media in the Netherlands fell 3.1% to €6bn in 2009, according to research by market research group Nielsen. More... comments (2)

Too cold to campaign, say Labour MPs
Two Labour MPs have written to junior home affairs minister Ank Bijleveld asking her to postpone the local elections to later in the year because it is too cold to campaig, the Telegraaf reports. More... comments (4)

PSV draws, now joint premier leader
PSV Eindhoven failed to consolidate its premier division lead after a 0-0 draw against Arnhem side Vitesse at the weekend. More...

Police chief warns councils on cannabis
Local government officials are often far too lax in their dealings with the owners of cannabis-selling cafes and risk becoming embroiled in organised crime, police chief Max Daniel says in an interview with Monday's Volkskrant. More... comments (5)

Central bank chief to give evidence
Central bank president Nout Wellink will on Monday appear before the De Wit commission, currently investigating the causes of the economic crisis in the Netherlands. More...

Animal sex ban legislation may fail
Legislation to criminalise the sexual abuse of animals may fail to pass through the senate on Tuesday because of doubts about many of the details, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. More... comments (7)

New housing tax will not be indexed
The extra tax on houses worth more than one million euros will cover an increasing number of homes as prices rise because the government does not plan to index link the limit, finance minister Wouter Bos says on his weblog. More...

One in three murders is domestic violence
One in three murders in the Netherlands is the result of domestic violence, with women accounting for two-thirds of the victims, according to police research, news agency ANP reports on Monday. More... comments (2)

Vos takes third world cyclo-cross title
Cyclist Marianne Vos took the world cyclo cross title in Tabor, Czech Republic at the weekend, seeing off Germany's Hanka Kupfernagel and team mate Daphny van den Brand who took silver and bronze. More...

Rush hour hit again by wintry weather
Overnight snow and sleet caused problems for commuters on many roads on Monday morning, with the ANWB motoring organisation warning of long jams and slippery conditions. More... comments (5)