The Netherlands fell silent for two minutes at 8 pm on Saturday to remember the Dutch who died during World War II and in conflicts and peace keeping missions since then. The ceremony began as king Willem-Alexander and queen Maxima laid a wreath at the war memorial on Dam square in the centre of Amsterdam in front of a crowd of several thousand people. There was heavy security around the Dam because of fears the event may be hijacked by
Leiden officials are to give expectant parents an unexpected gift this year. Those who register their newborns in the city will receive a voucher for a geboorteboom or birth tree. Unlike the PAW Patrol onesies and teddy bears many of the parents will receive at baby showers, Leiden officials expect the trees will contribute to the well-being of the city’s newest residents well past the point they begin potty training. The pilot programme, dubbed Geboorteboom voor je oogappel [Birth tree
Want to support the DutchNews podcast and keep up our stocks of stroopwafels and orange tompouces? Click here to become a Patreon backer As the coalition talks stall, Geert Wilders delivers on his promise to put the Dutch first by slinking off to Budapest to give a speech in English about African migrants. Security is stepped up for the Remembrance Day ceremony, with numbers limited for the first time, amid fears it could be disrupted by protesters. Mark Rutte books
The Dutch government could lose out on billions of euros of EU money because it will not meet conditions attached to the cash within the deadline, causing a hole in the budget for the next government, ministers have warned. In a briefing to MPs, economic affairs minister Micky Adriaansens and social affairs minister Karien van Gennip said that it is unlikely the Netherlands will be able to achieve all 49 changes to the law required to qualify for the €5.4
Press freedom in the Netherlands is among the highest in the world, according to a report by campaign group Reporters without Borders to mark world press freedom day. The Netherlands, which fell to 28th place in the ranking in 2021 following the murder of television crime reporter Peter R de Vries, has risen to fourth position, behind Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The report points out that “Russian media in exile, such as the Moscow Times and TV Dozhd, have found
Four police officers in Amsterdam who were members of a racist Whatsapp group where they shared discriminatory texts face being sacked, police said on Friday. Six others face a compulsory educational programme focused on “behaviour and integrity” and will lose their jobs if they offend again. The 11th member of the group was given a formal reprimand. The officers have two weeks to respond to the charges before the punishments are confirmed, the police statement said. “Their behaviour has not...
The rise of the TikTok queue in Amsterdam – where tourists flock to enjoy a stroopwafel or cake recommended by their peers on social media – has led city officials to tell one popular snack bar it cannot have more than 10 people waiting for their French fries once they have ordered. Officials have inserted a new clause in the Fabel Friet operating permit placing a limit on the size of the queue. If more than 10 people have paid
Dutch women are having their first baby at an average age of 30 and a bit, almost a year up on the European average, figures from statistics agency CBS and Eurostat have shown. They are also having fewer children as young women in particular postpone motherhood, the figures show. The average age at which women have their first child has gone up in all countries of the European Union in the last 10 years. In 2013, women in the EU
The heavy rainfall on Thursday night caused flash flooding in some parts of Limburg, particularly in Valkenburg aan de Geul and in Venlo, where up to 50 millimetres of rain fell. In the village of Berg en Terblijt, the heavy rain flooded roadworks, creating a stream of mud and bricks that damaged several houses, local broadcaster L1 Nieuws reported. “The waste water pipes are full of mud, which first have to be cleaned,” said local water board spokesman Rimko Nijsten. There was also localised
The amount of untouched countryside and woods in the Netherlands declined some 2.5% in the ten years to 2022 to make way for new housing, roads and industry, national statistics agency CBS said on Friday. But proportionally more agricultural land was also ploughed up for building projects, the agency said. In total, the space covered by housing, infrastructure and industry expanded 3.4% or 277 square kilometres between 2013 and 2022, of which 178 square kilometres used to be agricultural land. ...
Five years of occupation during WWII left an indelible imprint on the Netherlands, and the tangible memory of the war means National Remembrance Day is marked at a grand scale, with events and activities in villages, towns, cities and museums up and down the country. In fact, it’s not just one day, but two. A day to remember the fallen on the May 4, and then a day to celebrate and cherish the freedom they fought to protect, on the May
Eddy de Clercq is considered to be the godfather of the Dutch club scene. A Belgian national, he moved to Amsterdam at the age of 19 and has been here, on and off, for some 50 years. He would like to have a night out with Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, thinks the Netherlands is over-organised and loves Zeeland. How did you end up in the Netherlands? I was working as a DJ in a club in Brussels because I was