DutchNews.nl - Features Archive -

A new ‘war on drugs’ is short sighted and naive

When the Dutch government liberalised cannabis policy in 1976, they understood that the legalisation and regulation of cannabis was actually the best solution, or at least the least bad one. They also knew that legalisation would be highly controversial internationally. Fifteen years earlier, in 1961, the international community, with the US at the forefront decided, on rather questionable grounds, that a number of drugs should be banned. Consequently the Netherlands took a half measure, decriminalising the possession and use, and... More >

Podcast: The Royal Flying Flamingo Edition

It’s been a week of courtroom drama in the Netherlands as Geert Wilders calls for his race-baiting trial to be thrown out for political interference, a doctor is cleared of murder in a landmark euthanasia case, a woman seeks redress for having her baby taken away from the state in the 1960s and a key MH17 witness becomes a pawn in a prisoner exchange. We also look back at Oranje’s historic 4-2 win over Germany and try to explain why... More >

Sign up for the 'I am not a tourist' fair

The annual ‘i am not a tourist’ Expat Fair for Internationals returns to the Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, for its 17th edition! Sunday 6th October 2019 will soon be rolling round again and with it the annual ´i am not a tourist´ Expat Fair for Internationals, Amsterdam edition. Now in its 17th year the Expat Fair has more on offer than ever. Whether you are thinking of settling in The Netherlands, in the process of settling in, or have long... More >

'The Dutch are very practical'

Documentary portrait photographer and wild swimmer Sophie Ebrard (42) from Grenoble flitted between London and Amsterdam for four years before settling in the Netherlands in 2017. She quickly made a name for herself with her exhibition ‘It’s Just Love’, shot on the set of a porn film; and, more recently, for an article on being rejected for a job when she inquired about breastfeeding on set. How did you end up in the Netherlands? I was living in London with... More >

Mortgages are cheap, so should you buy?

Anyone who follows developments on the housing market cannot have failed to notice that mortgage interest rates are still going down. But what can you actually get for your money? Check out a mortgage interest rate comparison website and the trend is obvious. There is plenty of choice on a 10-year fixed mortgage for rock-bottom rates – and not just from the providers you may never have heard of. A 10-year mortgage of €600,000 will cost you around 1.7% from... More >

Dutch destinations: An Amsterdam mid-week

Amsterdammers may go on a lot about over-tourism, but there is plenty to see and do in the Dutch capital which does not involve waiting in queues for hours, or fighting your way through the hoards. A couple of years ago Amsterdam launched a deliberate strategy to try and spread tourism by pinpointing the highlights outside the centre, and urging visitors to spend time there. At the same time, it has attempted to hijack attractions well outside the city –... More >

Podcast: The I Know What Otten Did Edition

Podcast: The I Know What Otten Did Edition

The podcast team look back over a summer of blistering heat and bristling with ophef: who poisoned the plants in Thierry Baudet’s office? Why does Haarlem have a problem with globetrotters? And was the king wise to come out as a redbeard? We also look at how Amsterdam became a paradise for cocaine dealers, why the Labour party has done a U-turn on student funding and Ronald Koeman’s return to Hamburg 31 years after he wiped the floor with the... More >

Can your boss simply change your contract?

When an employer and employee sign an employment contract, both are bound by this contract, including the terms and conditions of employment. So what happens when an employer wants to change the employment conditions that were agreed? Can an employer change employment conditions? Under Dutch employment law, an employer can always change employment conditions in consultation with the employee (with the employee’s consent). In addition, an employer can also sometimes change the employment conditions unilaterally (without the employee’s agreement). This... More >

Wynia's week: Amsterdam, the loony left

A recent report describes Amsterdam as the drugs capital of Europe where mafiosi rule the roost. At a time when drug lords are infiltrating the economy and society, the city is being led by politicians who see the capital as a laboratory where they can cook up their utopian fantasies, writes Syp Wynia. The only upside of Pieter Top and Jan Tromp’s report about European drugs capital Amsterdam is that it was commissioned by mayor Femke Halsema (GroenLinks). Halsema is... More >

Get in on the act: go to theatre school

Whether you have always dreamed of being an actor, or simply want to become more effective in giving pitches or at public speaking, a school of acting in Amsterdam might just be the answer. You don’t have to go to Hollywood, Bollywood, New York or London to become a successful actor – the Mulholland Academy in Amsterdam can help you on your way. Indeed, several Mulholland Academy students have already successfully auditioned for roles in films after just a few... More >

Blogwatching: The School Trip

Rebekah was born in Ireland, grew up in England and met her Cornish husband in Catalonia. They now live in the Netherlands, in Dutch suburbia, with their two differently wired, small kids. She spends her days parenting, writing and being amazed at all the Dutchness around her. She writes at Write Now Rebekah. One afternoon, at school pick up, my son’s teacher asked me, ‘Can you come on the school trip? We need another volunteer.’ I said, ‘Yes’. And tried... More >

Interest rates on personal loans hit a low

Buying a home but unsure how to finance that much-needed bathroom renovation or to install solar panels? A personal loan could be the solution, now interest rates are plummeting. Personal loans are becoming increasingly popular in the Netherlands, particularly now the interest rate has dipped under 4% with some providers. The Nederlands Krediet Collectief, for example, has cut its interest rate for the second time this year, offering customers a record low rate of 3.9% on a 10-year home renovation... More >

11 great things to do in September

This month we’ve steered clear of the big museums and shows to bring you a selection of exhibitions and events from smaller venues and promoters… plus a couple of last minute don’t miss items. Enjoy life with Ed The Nederlands Fotomuseum deserves a medal for saving all 42,000 of photographer Ed van der Elsken’s colour slides, which had fallen victim to mould and had to be restored. Lust for Life shows his unfailing eye for a striking face or situation... More >

'I don't feel completely at home'

Currently based in Amsterdam, Brooklyn native Jonathan Groubert originally moved to the Netherlands in the 1990s. Since then, he’s built a career as a journalist, a podcaster, and an educator, started learned Dutch using cassette tapes and is fascinated by the country’s man-made landscape. How did you end up in the Netherlands? Way, way, back when dinosaurs were still walking along the canals of Amsterdam, I met a Dutch girl in America. I’d been studying at a university in New... More >

Taking the world into the classroom

Looking to give something back to Dutch society and help share knowledge about your country of origin at the same time? The World in Your Classroom project takes internationals into Dutch schools, to help improve both pupils’ foreign language skills and their knowledge of cultures from all across the globe. The Dutch educational system is currently contending with funding cuts and a shortage of teachers so the demand for volunteers in schools is now larger than ever. Participants in World... More >

Other language Dutch news

We know you love DutchNews.nl, but there are news outlets in other languages which keep you up-to-date with what’s going on in the Netherlands as well. Here’s our list of non-English language (and non-Dutch) news sites, publications and blogs that specifically cover the Netherlands and its current affairs. Turkish https://sonhaber.eu/ https://ufuk.nl/ https://www.haber.nl/ Frisian https://www.omropfryslan.nl/ Portugeese https://www.bailandesa.nl/bailandesa/ https://portuguesesnaholanda.blogs.sapo.pt/ Spanish https://www.gacetaholandesa.com/ https://www.lahoranaranja.com/ Polish https://polonia.nl/ https://www.mojaniderlandia.pl/ Chinese https://www.oranjeexpress.com/ Arabic https://holland-today.nl/ Italian www.31mag.nl/ German https://niederlandenachrichten.de Hebrew https://dutchtown.nl/ Did we miss any? Send an email... More >

Can dance shake up social isolation?

In Leiden, residents of all ages and abilities are feeling the benefits of dance thanks to stichting Dans Voor Mij, which aims to build connections between people and reduce social isolation. Deborah Nicholls-Lee reports. At the soft, melancholic sound of Nana Mouskouri’s ‘Only Love’ (1985), residents at the Topaz Overrhyn residential nursing home, day centre and rehabilitation centre in Leiden – most elderly and with severe dementia – begin swaying their arms and singing along. Slowly, the circle formed by... More >

From low countries to the Scottish hills

After 16 years working with the international community, Delft MaMa founder Lucie Herraïz Cunningham is moving from the flat lands of the Netherlands to Scotland. So how does it feel to be packing up a Dutch life? How do you feel about leaving? Excited, sad? After living in Delft for 16 years and having to say goodbye to very neat friends every year, it is finally my turn to be on the go. I am so lucky to have met... More >

12 notorious Dutch murder cases

The Dutch murder rate is pretty low in global terms – just two a week in the entire country in 2018. That is not say we have not had our share of nasty murders in the past. Here’s a selection of headline makers. Elsje Christians kills her landlady and is hung for the murder Elsje Christians came to Amsterdam from Denmark in 1664 to look for a job as a maid and rented a room in a hostel. When two... More >

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