On the eve of the first big relaxation of lockdown rules, the podcast team asks if it’s safe to take a seat on the train or at the bar. Police close an abattoir in Gelderland following a coronavirus outbreak, shining a spotlight on conditions for migrant workers. The Netherlands continues to aggravate its EU partners over financial support for corona-hit countries, while at home there are more unsavoury twists in the tax office fraud scandal. And we bring you up... More >

The nation took its first tentative steps into the 1.5-metre society this week. Children started going back to school, hairdressers started hacking though their waiting lists and the American ambassador resumed his love affair with fake news. In parliament, defence minister Ank Bijleveld narrowly survived another motion of no confidence over the deaths of civilians in an air strike in Iraq. We also report on the freak incident that cost five experienced surfers their lives off the coast at Scheveningen... More >

As the nation prepares to emerge from lockdown, hand stitched face masks at the ready, we examine the government’s plans in detail. Libraries, acupuncturists, sex clubs and campsite toilets all featured in Mark Rutte’s schedule as Dutch society slowly returns to normal. Coronavirus also gave this year’s ceremonies to commemorate the end of the war an even more sombre atmosphere than usual. While the humans are staying home, the animals have been getting busy, increasing the population of the Netherlands’... More >

The podcast team overcomes ‘coronamoeheid’ and the horror of ‘coronakapsels’ to bring you the latest news on the lockdown as well as a few of the 700 new Dutch words that the epidemic has generated. Ministers come under more pressure over face masks, the economic outlook goes from terrible to abysmal and researchers warn of a hidden danger for intensive care patients. Mink farms are cordoned off as evidence emerges that some animals can transmit the virus, while the football... More >

As the schools prepare to reopen in May, we examine the government’s strategy to release the lockdown. What’s the impact on regular healthcare? Is it all over for the football season? How did KLM manage to stir up outrage about executive bonuses twice in a week? And most importantly of all, when can we stop cutting our own hair? In other news, there are fresh disclosures about the bombing raid in Iraq in 2015 and a landmark court decision on... More >

In this week’s coronavirus news, demand on intensive care beds appears to be easing off but there is growing concern about the spike in deaths in nursing homes. There’s also news of research into what proportion of people may have developed immunity, a rash of scams involving face masks and why idiots are burning down phone masts. As the sense of apocalyptic doom intensifies, a church’s Easter light show sparks panic in Brabant. Sporting events attempt to move indoors –... More >

Our socially distancing podcast team updates you on the state of the lockdown as the first signs emerge that the outbreak is being brought under control. What do privacy campaigners have to say about the government’s plan to use tracker apps? Why is Wopke Hoekstra persona non grata in Italy? And will the football season end sooner than the row about whether to end the football season? Away from the corona doom and gloom we’ve got news of a bionic... More >

We bring you up to date with the latest news on how the Dutch are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Find out how the government is planning to ramp up the number of intensive care beds, how an ambulance got held up for 20 minutes in Belgium and why finance minister Wopke Hoekstra had to eat a large slice of humble pie. The competition for ‘most awkward body-swerve of the year’ award has two strong entries this week from Mark... More >

Our latest quarantined podcast brings you news of the latest coronavirus figures, the government’s strict new social distancing rules and the efforts to step up testing. The KNVB still hopes to finish the football season and the MH17 trial is postponed to June for non-corona reasons. The virus is separating not just friends and families, but the men’s and women’s clothing racks in a shop on the Belgian border. And while the first corona babies may be a few months... More >

In the first virtual edition of the DutchNews podcast, this week we bring you all the latest news on the shutdown, with some audio issues as we get used to our new working conditions. How are families managing home schooling? What help is the government giving to people and businesses? Can you still go outside? And should we quarantine Hugo de Jonge’s shoes? We also look at the community initiatives that have sprung up to help people cope and the... More >

As the coronavirus rate among the podcast team hits 25%, we take stock of how the Netherlands is responding to the pandemic. Will isolated Brabanders produce a miracle drug? Is anyone checking on Dick Advocaat? And is cancelling Soldaat van Oranje the sign we really have reached the end of days? In non-corona news, the MH17 trial got under way and the king apologised to Indonesia for the Dutch excesses during the decolonisation war. Airbnb faces a €200 million bill... More >

This week’s podcast looks ahead to the start of the MH17 trial with an interview with Asymmetrical Haircuts, a two-woman team of reporters who specialise in international justice. We also do our best to keep up with the rapid spread of coronavirus, the even faster decline of Ajax and the extensive Dutch preparations for Eurovision. And we tell you why jumping on your bike after hours is a more hazardous undertaking than you might think. Want to support the DutchNews... More >

This week’s podcast was recorded before news broke of the first case of coronavirus in the Netherlands. We examine how the country has been preparing as the disease spreads through Europe and ask the key questions, such as: is Brexit muppet safe? Elsewhere, there’s a withering exposé of tax avoidance in the flower trade, Dutch clubs are knocked out of Europe and ophef champion Thierry Baudet threatens court action over a TV show that said what he was thinking. Our... More >

As Dutch citizens are declared free from coronavirus, it seems the spirit of Brexit has infected the IND as it blunders not once, but twice on UK citizens’ privacy. Dutch skaters dominate the world championships, but all the talk is of what was inside Kjeld Nuis’s speedsuit. The debate on how to keep tourists and prostitutes apart in Amsterdam’s red light district flared up once again. And find out why some off-colour parrots could land their breeder in jail. Our... More >

Ciara blew into the Netherlands this week and left a trail of fallen trees, insurance claims and cancelled bicycle races. Police stepped up their search for a blackmailer who sent four letter bombs to Dutch companies and Chinese migrants spoke out against a surge in racist behaviour linked to the coronavirus. In politics, the Ceta treaty was the subject of a long and emotionally charged debate that stretched into the early hours. And 24 chihuahuas score a victory for the... More >

It’s been a turbulent week of naming, blaming and shaming. KLM suspended all flights to China because of fears about the coronavirus, the government cracked down on New Year firework sales and the football authorities announced plans to tackle racist behaviour. Health minister Bruno Bruins condemned people who ostracised Asian tourists on public transport, while Thierry Baudet refused to apologise for his discredited tale of harassment by train staff. And we discuss the implications of the recent court ruling that... More >

As January stumbles, coughing and spluttering, into its last hours, we look back on a week bursting with apologies. Mark Rutte said sorry for the Dutch government’s involvement in the Holocaust, while Arie Slob said ‘sorry, there’s no more money’ to striking teachers. Two ministers were appointed to shake up the tax office, which is still apologising to parents over the child benefit scandal. National train operator NS, meanwhile, made no apology for its approval ratings, while the government thought... More >

This week, there are too many tourists, too many sports injuries and too many pandas puns. We bring you the latest investigation into a 2009 plane crash that doesn’t leave the Dutch Safety Board looking very safe and tell you why everyone you know with a PhD always looks very tired. In our discussion, we get into the child benefits scandal and what the government is doing to repair the broken system. Want to support the DutchNews podcast and keep... More >

At last we can reveal the results of the most undemocratic vote since the Brexit referendum: our very own Ophef of the Year Awards. Mister Stikstof puts a spanner in the works of Schiphol’s expansion plans and joins the chorus of VVD mayors calling for a fireworks ban. Lego is urged to take the Dutch approach to road design, while the tax office gears up for a structural overhaul. And there are big New Year developments in the careers of... More >

An even more explosive New Year’s Eve than usual has forced politicians to talk seriously about banning neighbourhood fireworks. We discuss whether 2019 will prove to be the tipping point in the annual debate about a tradition that leaves hundreds of people injured each year. The Netherlands pulls its troops out of Iraq, Hudson’s Bay pulls out of its Dutch stores and Ajax defender Sergino Dest pulls out of the team’s controversial winter tour. Plus we’ve got a red-hot ophef... More >