DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

From 2026 hybrid heat pumps should be the norm, says minister

Hybrid heat pumps should become the standard replacement for gas-fired central heating systems from 2026, housing minister Hugo de Jonge said on Tuesday. The minister said the deadline was intended to give suppliers, installation companies and property owners clarity about the new situation because ‘the need to become more energy efficient is high and the speed [at which this is being done] must be increased’. Households could also opt to switch to the municipal heating network if their local council... More >

Rutte deleted text messages daily: VK

Prime minister Mark Rutte has for years deleted text messages from his phone, after first sending those he considered relevant to civil servants, the Volkskrant reported on Wednesday. The prime minister’s action came to light following a 2020 freedom of information request by the paper, which was surprised to only receive messages forwarded by Rutte to his staff. Some messages, such as the note from Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema about problems at the Black Lives Matter demonstration on June 1,... More >

Belgian jets intercept cargo plane over NL

Two Belgian fighter jets were involved in bringing a Chinese cargo plan through Dutch airspace on Tuesday evening, following a bomb warning which later turned out to be false. The plane was guided by the Belgian air force jets to its final destination in Liege, Belgium after they were alerted by the Dutch aviation authorities. The Air China Cargo plane landed in Belgium at around 8pm. An airport spokesman told press agency Belga that the Air China Cargo plane itself... More >

Celebrities lose case over fake crypto ads

A court has ruled that Google and Twitter cannot be held liable for fake adverts that use celebrities’ images without their permission to sell cryptocurrency products. TV personalities Jort Kelder and Arjen Lubach, as well as Alexander Klöpping, the founder of online news service Blendle, had asked judges to order the online giants to take down the offending adverts and tweets. But the district court in Amsterdam ruled that Google and Twitter had taken sufficient steps and responsibility for the... More >

Man, 72, arrested over death of courier

A 72-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 23-year-old man whose body was found in a parked van. Police seized the vehicle, which belonged to the victim, in the Noord district of Amsterdam on April 12. Search teams had been looking for the delivery courier for two days after he was reported missing by his family. He was last seen alive on April 8. Further enquiries have established he was shot dead on Parelvisserslaan in Amstelveen, more... More >

Opposition criticises heat pump plan

Opposition politicians have strongly criticised housing minister Hugo de Jonge’s plan to require householders to switch to hybrid heat pumps from 2026. Criticism came from populist parties such as JA21 and the farmers’ party BBB, but also from Labour (PvdA), who said the move did not take account of the high costs involved. ‘The cabinet sometimes seems completely detached from the concerns of ordinary people,’ said PvdA MP and former Greenpeace activist Joris Thijssen. ‘Of course heat pumps are the... More >

Dutch shoe store loses DM legal battle

Dutch shoe chain Van Haren did infringe trademark law by copying the yellow stitching on lace-up boots made by the popular Dr Martens brand, judges in The Hague have said. The company, which has 143 outlets nationwide, faces a fine of up to €1 million if it continues to sell the boots with the distinctive yellow stitches round the welt, which first came on the market in 1960. The case dates back to 2020, when brand owner Airwair started two... More >

Amsterdam to slow super fast delivery

Amsterdam city council is planning to ban all fast delivery distribution centres from residential areas, apart from in exceptional situations. The distribution centres, known as dark stores because of their covered windows, are scattered all over the city so the companies can meet their pledge to deliver food and drink in a matter of minutes. The city has already placed a one year moratorium on new ‘dark stores’ and officials now say that in principle, they will no longer be... More >

Dutch Jews fight to reclaim pre-war homes

Relatives of Jewish families whose homes were seized during the Second World War while they were detained in concentration camps are still fighting for compensation from local councils. During the housing shortage immediately after the war rules were drawn up allowing uninhabited homes to be allocated to local officials. Holocaust survivors often returned to find their homes were occupied by other people who refused to move out. The Jewish liaison council CJO estimates that several thousand people were deprived of... More >

Features

Features

Daily newsletter

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.