Author: NLtimes.nl

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was leaning towards running for his fourth term as the leader of the Netherlands, but that he had not fully made up his mind. Speaking on television program Op1 over the weekend, Rutte said he found it “terrifying” to initially relax the coronavirus measures, adding that he was … Continue reading “Rutte wants to continue as PM but still uncertain; Relaxing Covid rules was “terrifying””

Residents in Amsterdam expressed shock and concern when confronted with an overcrowded city center over the weekend. De Wallen, home to the city’s Red Light District, was extremely busy, neighbors told broadcaster AT5. “I am quite anxious here in Amsterdam, but I am not wearing my mask because nobody does that here,” a Belgian woman … Continue reading “Jam-packed Red Light District giving residents new angst”

The easing of coronavirus physical distancing measures brought a rise in home burglaries, data from the police and insurance companies showed. While burglaries at one point had fallen by over 60 percent by the midpoint of the “intelligent lockdown,” the number of home thefts was quickly approaching the same level as in 2019, reported newspaper … Continue reading “Home burglaries returning to normal levels after lockdown”

Municipal healthcare services in the Netherlands completed 75,547 coronavirus tests during the week ending July 12. The mucus swab tests are used to find active infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the novel coronavirus which causes respiratory illness Covid-19. Exact numbers of positive results have not been revealed, but preliminary data from the RIVM and the … Continue reading “Over 75,500 coronavirus tests completed last week; Infections on the rise”

Beach pavilion owners will not be required to dismantle their buildings at the end of the season, like every other year, Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a letter to Parliament on Monday. The high cost of tearing down the buildings and reassembling them for next year’s season was likely to place many entrepreneurs in … Continue reading “Beach pavilions cannot operate this winter but can stay standing: Minister”

A May 1 explosion in an apartment in Groningen was caused by triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, a primary explosive used both by burglars who attempted to blow open ATMs, and also by terrorists in several attacks, prosecutors said on Monday.Submitted by Zack Newmark on Monday, 13 July 2020 – 09:40

A fire on a passenger ship in the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal had rescue workers scrambling to quickly evacuate the vessel on Monday. The flames broke out in the generator room while the ship was near Peltlaan in Utrecht, and over three dozen people made it to safety.Submitted by Zack Newmark on Monday, 13 July 2020 – 09:03

A fire on a passenger ship in the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal had rescue workers scrambling to quickly evacuate the vessel on Monday. The flames broke out in the generator room while the ship was near Peltlaan in Utrecht, and over two dozen people made it to safety.Submitted by Zack Newmark on Monday, 13 July 2020 – 09:03

Authorities were set Monday morning to renew search efforts for a missing 14-year-old swimmer who found herself in trouble off the coast of Ameland on Saturday night. The young German girl was watching the late sunset with her sister and her father when the three began fighting against a rough North Sea current at about … Continue reading “Search continues for German girl missing off Ameland coast”

There were 107 people being treated in Dutch hospitals for Covid-19 on Sunday, an increase of four since Saturday afternoon. Patient coordination office LCPS said that there were two fewer patients in intensive care. Dutch ICUs had 24 patients with the coronavirus disease, while other hospital wards were treating 83. That was an increase of … Continue reading “Covid-19 patient total rises by four to 107”

Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were investigating two different glider accidents which took the lives of three pilots over the weekend. The first involved a mid-air collision between two aircraft on Saturday. That incident happened in the early afternoon near Haltern am See, about 45 kilometers past the border into Germany. Among the dead was a 29-year-old … Continue reading “Three Dutch glider pilots killed in two separate crashes”

Police in the Netherlands found 900 kilograms of cocaine inside a truck in Breda on Tuesday. The street value of the drugs was estimated at between 40 and 55 million euros, based on data from addiction center Jellinek. Police officers from the National Unit made the bust, leading to the arrests of three men, the … Continue reading “Over €40 million in cocaine found in Breda truck”

Musician Akon’s blockchain startup Akoin teamed up with Dutch firm Effect.AI for a project aimed at bringing jobs and technology education to Africa. They are launching the project by setting up a blockchain hub in Kenya to promote the distributed ledger technology and artificial intelligence in the African country, which the organization believes will lead to … Continue reading “Musician Akon partners with Dutch firm to bring AI work to Africa”

A 1987 Ferrari Mondial stolen decades ago was fished from the water off Javakade in Amsterdam Oost this week. Police confirmed that forensic research showed no evidence of a violent crime having taken place inside the car. It was discovered accidentally by divers from the fire brigade during an exercise on June 17. A team … Continue reading “Ferrari stolen in early 1990s found in Amsterdam waterway”

A large part of the Netherlands’ subsidies for monuments is going to maintaining a small number of churches. Around 4 percent of the total number of national monuments are churches. Between 2009 and 2018 they received 44 percent of the subsidy money for the conservation of monuments, Trouw reports based on figures from the national … Continue reading “Small number of churches taking up nearly half of monument subsidies: report”

Dutch short-track speed skating champion Lara van Ruijven died on Friday after a difficult battle with an autoimmune disease. She was 27 years of age. Van Ruijven won the bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in the 3,000 meter relay. A year later she became the first Dutch woman to win a gold medal … Continue reading “Dutch speed skating champion Lara van Ruijven dead at 27”

There were 103 people being treated in Dutch hospitals on Saturday for Covid-19, nine more than the previous day, according to patient coordination office LCPS. The hospital total included 77 outside of intensive care, an increase of eight.Submitted by Zack Newmark on Saturday, 11 July 2020 – 16:20

Paracetamol will not give you cancer, the Netherlands’ medicines evaluation board CBG said after a report by Zembla and NRC that a large batch of paracetamol pills were contaminated with potentially carcinogenic substance para-chloroaniline (PCA). The concentrations of PCA that the researchers found were all well below the legal limit and “the safety of the use of paracetamol is … Continue reading “Contaminated paracetamol unlikely to cause cancer: Medicines authority”

The coronavirus crisis could mean poverty for many self employed and their families, according to calculations by Statistics Netherlands. 19 percent of self-employed people’s household income will be below the minimum wage limit if the self-employed person had no income for three months. After a year of no income, a third of self-employed and their … Continue reading “Coronavirus crisis: Self-employed at risk of poverty due to lost income”

The government officially teamed up with provinces, municipalities and grid operators to achieve a national electric car charging network. The government is pushing 15 million euros into this project, and the six regions involved are matching that amount. Submitted by Janene Pieters on Saturday, 11 July 2020 – 09:00

A total of five people, including three minor Dutch, were arrested after a restless night in an entertainment area in the Belgian coastal town of Knokke early on Friday morning. Nightlife crowds in Knokke have gotten out of hand all week, according to local broadcaster VRT.Submitted by Janene Pieters on Saturday, 11 July 2020 – … Continue reading “Three Dutch teens arrested in Belgian entertainment district”

Multiple shots were fired at a travel agency on Hoefkade in The Hague overnight. Photos from the scene show at least six bullet holes in the agency’s doors. No one was at the business at the time of the shooting, at around 1:15 a.m. on Friday, and no one was injured, according to the police. … Continue reading “Hague travel agency repeatedly shot at; Owned by criminal’s father”

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 94 people for respiratory illness Covid-19 on Friday, an increase of three. The patients include 25 in intensive care, an increase of four, and 69 in the other hospital departments. The last figure went down by one, compared to Friday, according to patient coordination office LCPS. “The number of COVID patients on the ICUs of … Continue reading “Covid-19 hospitalizations rising slightly”

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 94 people for respiratory illness Covid-19 on Friday, an increase of three. The patients include 25 in intensive care, an increase of four, and 69 in the other hospital departments. The last figure went down by one, compared to Friday, according to patient coordination office LCPS. “The number of COVID patients on the ICUs of … Continue reading “ICU on Friday”

The Royal Family’s holiday home in Tuscany was broken into during the early hours of Sunday morning, July 5, government information service RVD confirmed to RTL Nieuws after reports in Italian media. According to the RVD, no members of the Royal Family were visiting the home during the burglary and the perpetrators did not steal anything valuable. … Continue reading “Dutch Royals’ holiday home in Italy broken into”

The Dutch government announced on Friday it has filed a case against Russia for its role in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 disaster in which nearly 300 people were killed. The case was filed with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), with the Netherlands confirming it would also notify the UN Security Council about … Continue reading “Netherlands files human rights case against Russia over downed Flight MH17”

Former aldermen Richard de Mos and Rachid Guernaoui of The Hague are being charged with participating in a criminal organization with multiple real estate and catering entrepreneurs, perjury, corruption, and violation of their official confidentiality, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Friday. The two politicians from Groep De Mos will likely be questioned in September … Continue reading “Fmr. Hague aldermen charged with belonging to criminal organization”

During the coronavirus crisis, 5,500 more people receiving long-term care died that could be expected based on last year’s figures, the Dutch healthcare authority NZa said on Friday in a report on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on long-term care between early March and mid-June, NOS reports. The NZa could not say how many … Continue reading “Sharp increase in long-term care deaths during coronavirus”

The coalition parties have come to an agreement to push a once-off amount of 500 million euros extra into the budget for foreign development cooperation, sources in The Hague told NOS. An amount of 464 million euros is also being brought forward from a future budget, according to the broadcaster.Submitted by Janene Pieters on Friday, … Continue reading “Dutch gov’t agrees to push extra money into development cooperation: report”

After a wet and dreary week, the Netherlands can look forward to pleasant summer weather this weekend, according to Weeronline. The sun will shine often on both Saturday and Sunday, though there will still be some rain in the north and east on Saturday. Maximums will be around 20 degrees, the weather service expects. The … Continue reading “Sunny, summery weekend ahead for Netherlands”

Despite lockdown measures relaxing to such an extent that restaurants, cafes, bars and other catering establishments can completely open again, at least a fifth of these establishments are still closed, according to ING economists based on the number of debit card payments in catering establishments. This is mostly due to opening being unprofitable for them … Continue reading “At least 20% of cafes, restaurants are still closed”

Netherlands residents are more likely to get the coronavirus from a family member or colleague than from a stranger while out and about on public transit, in catering establishments, or at church, the Volkskrant reports based on its analyses of recent RIVM figures and GGD source and contact tracing.Submitted by Janene Pieters on Friday, 10 … Continue reading “NL residents more likely to get coronavirus at home, work than out in public: report”

Dutch central bank DNB commissioned an independent party to  conduct an investigation into the relationship between the bank and slavery, a DNB spokesperson confirmed to NU.nl. This follows a broader story about the role of banks in slavery in Vrij Nederland, and the Bank of England apologizing for the involvement of former executives in the slave trade in mid-June.Submitted … Continue reading “Dutch central bank to investigate its links to slavery”

Paracetamol containing a carcinogenic substance may have entered the Dutch market, according to research by Zembla and NRC. They had samples from the largest producer of the active ingredient in the drug – Anqiu Lu’an Pharmaceutical in China – examined by a certified lab in Germany and found that three lots from the spring of 2019 … Continue reading “Carcinogenic found in paracetamol possibly available on Dutch market: report”

Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture will have experts look into the possible health effects of reducing protein in animal feed, in response to “concerns in the sector”, she said in a letter to parliament. “Animal health is also a starting point for me that should not be altered and that is why I understand the … Continue reading “Minister to investigate health effects of animal feed plans after farmer protests”

The A28 highway is closed near Zwolle on Friday morning after a truck crashed into a matrix sign portal. Traffic jams are building up around the scene of the accident, travelers’ organization ANWB said on Twitter. De Stentor reported that the truck driver had forgotten to lower the tailgate of his truck, which hit the … Continue reading “Truck crashes into matrix sign portal; A28 highway closed”

ING is closing 42 of its 170 branches with immediate effect, CEO Ruud van Dusschoten said to the Telegraaf. “The coronavirus has accelerated a long-running plan,” he said. He doesn’t expect that there will be any forced layoffs. According to the bank, customers are not only banking online more and more, but the coronavirus resulted … Continue reading “ING to close quarter of branches with immediate effect”

Once the coronavirus crisis is over, the Dutch government must opt for a recovery plan that promotes the economy and employment in the Netherlands and that contributes to sustainability, the Council for the living environment and infrastructure said on Friday. The council advised speeding up housing construction and making existing homes more sustainable, and pausing … Continue reading “Gov’t advised to opt for green recovery after coronavirus crisis”

Public transport companies are facing serious financial troubles due to the coronavirus crisis and worry that this will eventually have to translate into layoffs. NS expects it will have to cut around 2 thousand jobs, and the regional transporters hundreds more on top of it, according to sector organization OV-NL, NOS reports.Submitted by Janene Pieters … Continue reading “Public transit companies worried about mass layoffs”

There were just 91 people being treated on Thursday in Dutch hospitals for Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. The 91 patients included 21 people being treated in intensive care, an increase of one, according to patient coordination office LCPS.Submitted by Zack Newmark on Thursday, 9 July 2020 – 16:48

King Willem-Alexander officially sworn in Tamara van Ark as Minister for Medical Care and Sports. Her former position as State Secretary of Social Affairs and Employment will be taken over by Bas van ‘t Wout, who was also sworn in by the King on Thursday. Both are members of the VVD.Submitted by Janene Pieters on … Continue reading “Tamara van Ark takes over as new Medical Care Minister”

The Dutch government’s coronavirus notification app will be called CoronaMelder, Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health confirmed on Wednesday. The goal of the app is to warn users if they had contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.Submitted by Janene Pieters on Wednesday, 8 July 2020 … Continue reading “Covid-19 warning app to be called CoronaMelder”

The largest sea lock in the world, currently being built in IJmuiden, may be named after sign language interpreter Irma Sluis. The municipality of Velsen and public works department Rijkswaterstaat asked Netherlands residents to nominate names, and Irma Sluis was nominated remarkably often, a spokesperson for the municipality said to AD.Submitted by Janene Pieters on … Continue reading “Irma Sluis Sluis: World’s largest sea lock could be named for sign interpreter”

After two days of increases, the number of people being treated in intensive care for coronavirus disease Covid-19 fell to 20, a decrease of four. Outside of the ICU, there was a further decrease of five patients, taking those departments down to a combined 74, said patient coordination office LCPS on Wednesday. “The total number of COVID patients … Continue reading “Covid-19 patients down below a hundred in Dutch hospitals”

A mistake made on MediaMarkt’s online store may have cost the tech shop thousands of euros. For a short time last week, customers were able to buy iMacs for a few euros, instead of the retail value of around 2 thousand euros. A number of these bargain computers were even delivered. MediaMartk is asking customers … Continue reading “Dutch tech store accidentally sells pricey iMacs for a few euros”

Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture stopped her working visit to the province of Zeeland early on Wednesday at the advice of the local safety region. Farmers had discovered where she would be and were present at the location, which led to concerns that her visit could not proceed safely, NU.nl reports. Schouten had just finished … Continue reading “Agriculture Minister halts Zeeland visit over safety concerns amidst farmer protests”

The appeals court in The Hague on Wednesday rejected Geert Wilders’ lawyers’ request for further investigation into the hate speech allegations against the PVV leader. That brought hearings in the appeal trial, which revolves around statements Wilders made about Moroccans in 2014, to a close. The court will rule on September 4, NU.nl reports.Submitted by Janene … Continue reading “No further investigation in Wilders hate speech appeal; Ruling Sept 4”

A suitcase confiscated at Schiphol on Tuesday that made five people unwell contained an insecticide and a “huge amount of counterfeit euro banknotes”, a spokesperson for the Koninklijke Marechaussee confirmed to NU.nl on Wednesday. It is not yet clear whether it was the insecticide – Dimethoate – that made the people sick.Submitted by Janene Pieters … Continue reading “Counterfeit cash, insecticide in suspicious suitcase at Schiphol”

Coalition-Y, a collaboration of youth and student organizations, wants the government to do more to support young people affected by the coronavirus crisis. “Young people have lost their internship or side job, have to borrow extra money and study delays seem inevitable,” Coalition-Y said, calling for measures in education and on the labor market.Submitted by … Continue reading “Student, Youth organizations want more support for young people in coronavirus crisis”

Today, 570 thousand parents will get compensation for daycare centers, after-school care and childminders that were closed for nearly three months due to the coronavirus crisis. At the start of the crisis, State Secretary Tamara van Ark of Social Affairs called parents to keep paying their daycares, even though they can’t use them, to prevent … Continue reading “570,000 families to get compensation for closed daycare today”