News from Thursday 18 March 2010

Wilders' PVV in opposition in Almere

The anti-Islam party PVV has not been able to find enough parties prepared to form a coalition administration in Almere, local party leader Raymond de Roon said on Wednesday evening. ...more

Big cities must put public transport to tender

The collapse of the government means Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague must put local public transport services out to tender after all, caretaker transport minister Camiel Eurlings said on Wednesday....more

Mortgage tax relief again in spotlight

Cuts in mortgage tax relief and changes to the way rent controlled property is assessed are among working party suggestions to boost government income, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Thursday. ...more

Dutch Lehmann investors may sue ABN Amro

Dutch investors who lost out when US merchant bank Lehman Brothers when bankrupt are considering suing ABN Amro, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Thursday. ...more

Two more fires in Veendam

The Groningen town of Veendam was hit by two more fires on Wednesday night, as town hall officials announced plans to increase police surveillance and improve street lighting. ...more

Hans van Mierlo funeral on Thursday

The funeral of Hans van Mierlo, the man who founded the Liberal democratic party D66, will take place quietly on Thursday. ...more

No re-vote in Rotterdam, despite concerns

While there were some incidents during local voting in Rotterdam which broke the law, the city does not need to hold a new election, officials said on Wednesday evening....more

Dick Advocaat tipped as next Russian coach

Russian media are reporting that Dick Advocaat is poised to take over as coach of the Russian national side following the departure of fellow Dutchman Guus Hiddink, Trouw states on Thursday....more

Tougher checks on child labour

Dutch companies which are given government grants to carry out projects in developing countries have been told to step controls on illegal child labour, Trouw reports on Thursday....more

Dutch MPs reject Greece rescue plan

A majority of Dutch MPs are opposed to giving emergency bilateral loans to Greece should the need arise, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Thursday....more
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News from Wednesday 17 March 2010

DSB boss to sue central bank over leaks

The former board of independent bank DSB, which went bankrupt last year, is to sue the Dutch central bank for breaking secrecy laws, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday....more

Brussels tells Holland to cut budget deficit

The European Commission has told the Netherlands to come up with measures to get its budget deficit and national debt back under control. ...more

Nurse Lucia de B not guilty says prosecution

The public prosecution department has called on judges in Arnhem to find nurse Lucia de Berk not guilty of killing seven patients and attempting to kill three others. ...more

Job Cohen only candidate to lead Labour

Former Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen is the only candidate to lead the Labour party into the general election, party officials said on Wednesday....more

Police officer admits to killing 12-year-old Milly

A 26-year-old police officer has admitted killing 12-year-old Milly Boele on the evening she went missing from her home in Dordrecht, a justice ministry official said on Wednesday. ...more
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Barendrecht to fight on over CO2 storage

Barendrecht town council is to lobby MPs to win support for legal action against plans to experiment with the storage of surplus carbondioxide under a housing estate of 7,600 homes....more
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Pension fund ABP takes BofA to court

Dutch civil service pension fund ABP is taking legal action against Bank of America for keeping secret vital information about its takeover of Merrill Lynch....more
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Who will be second on the CDA election list?

As the number of promiment Christian Democrats who are ducking out of active politics at the June election grows, speculation is mounting about who will be in second place on the CDA election list. ...more
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Océ shareholder Hermes falls in with Canon

Dissident Océ shareholder Hermes has thrown in the towel and agreed to sell its stake in the copier maker to Canon, the Financieele Dagblad reports. ...more

'Killer nurse' decision due today

The public prosecution department will today announce whether it still considers nurse Lucia de Berk guilty of killing a number of patients in her care....more

Half a million homes hit by cable problems

Some 500,000 homes were left without television and radio for a time on Tuesday evening because of problems at cable company Ziggo. ...more
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British crooks feature on Dutch wanted site

The names and photographs of six British men wanted in connection with crimes in their home country have been added to Amsterdam police's most wanted website, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday. ...more

Veendam police on hunt for arsonist

Police in Veendam, east of Groningen, suspect an arsonist may be responsible for a string of fires in the town centre after two more blazes on Tuesday night. ...more

Senate backs fast-track planning law

Senators have voted in favour of new legislation to speed up the planning process for a number of major infrastructural projects. ...more

Missing girl's body found in nearby garden

The body of 12-year-old Millie Boele, missing from her home in Dordrecht since last Wednesday, has been found in the garden of a neighbour. ...more
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News from Tuesday 16 March 2010

Get fit measures fail, says statistics office

Efforts to increase the general health of the Dutch population appear to be failing, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday....more
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Shell production to rise faster than forecast

Oil giant Shell said on Tuesday it expects oil and gas production over the next three years will grow faster than previously forecast....more
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Pension funds too optimistic: central bank

Dutch pension funds are often over-optimistic when estimating their future returns on investment, according to a letter sent to some 600 funds by the central bank, Nos tv reports. ...more

Next cabinet must slash spending by €29bn

The next government will have to make structural savings of €29bn between now and 2015 in order to get the country's finances back under control, the CPB economic policy unit said on Tuesday. ...more
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CDA parliamentary leader to stand down

Pieter van Geel, who leads the Christian Democrats in parliament, is quitting politics at the next general election....more

PVV 'open for all constructive proposals'

The anti-Islam party PVV is open for 'all constructive proposals' from the other parties in The Hague about forming a coalition to run the city, local leader Sietse Fritsma is quoted as saying by Nos tv on Tuesday. ...more
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Job centres told to find €35m

The state-run job centres UWV have been told by social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner to find €35m to help get the long term jobless back to work. ...more

Rotterdam local election advice delayed

The conclusions of a quick investigation into allegations of irregularities at some polling stations in Rotterdam at the local elections earlier this month will now be published on Wednesday, officials say....more

Foreign investments boost employment

2009 was a very good year for foreign investment in the Netherlands, with non-Dutch players putting over €3bn into the economy, despite the economic crisis. ...more
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TNT workers vote in favour of new pay deal

Staff at post and delivery company TNT have voted in favour of a new pay deal which will give them a 0.7% pay rise from January this year but also sanctions the loss of thousands of jobs. ...more

General election: 48 political parties sign up

Some 48 political parties have registered to take part in the general election on June 9, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday....more
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News from Monday 15 March 2010

Dutch Farc girl is alive and well: father

The Dutch student who joined the Colombian guerrilla movement Farc in 2002 is alive and well, her father told De Pers newspaper on Monday. ...more
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AFM report on Zalm too limited: reviewer

The AFM financial service regulator's report into Gerrit Zalm's role in the downfall of DSB Bank last year did not take his other expertise into account, professor Michiel Scheltema, told MPs on Monday....more

Pharming shares fall on share issue news

Shares in biotechnology company Pharming fell as much as 20% in Amsterdam on Monday after the company said it wanted to expand its share capital. ...more

Exports get off to good start in January

Dutch industrial exports rose 11% in January 2010, compared with a year ago, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday....more
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Lottery told to stop health insurance promotion

The postcode lottery organisation has been told to stop offering participants reductions on their health insurance by health minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin, Nos tv reports on Monday....more
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Cohen gone, who will be Amsterdam mayor?

The names of home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst and integration minister Eberhard van der Laan are among the most often mentioned as possible candidates to succeed Job Cohen as Amsterdam mayor. ...more
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Rabobank stops Bizner internet bank

Rabobank is to stop its Bizner internet banking unit, set up in 2007 for small and medium-sized firms. ...more

Stop evicting illegal families, Holland told

The Netherlands is continuing to break EU conventions by leaving families with children whose requests for asylum have been rejected to fend for themselves on the streets, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. ...more
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Premiership race heats up as Ajax beats PSV

The race for the Dutch premier league title heated up at the weekend as number three Ajax thrashed number two PSV Eindhoven 4-1. ...more

TV show brooch sold for €120,000

A gold, glass and enamel brooch by French master René Lalique has become the most expensive item ever to turn up on tv show Tussen Kunst & Kitsch, a Dutch version of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow....more

Paedophile party disbands

The pro-paedophile political party PNVD has disbanded after failing to find enough supporters to enable it to take part in the June general election, news agency Novum reports. ...more
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Machine lease sector turnover plummets

Companies which lease essential equipment such as cranes, computers, lorries and industrial machinery have been hard hit by the recession, with the value of new contracts signed down 28% at €4.5bn last year, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday. ...more

Cohen factor puts Labour in first place

The Labour party has overtaken the Christian Democrats and Geert Wilders' anti-Islam PVV in the latest Maurice de Hond opinion poll. ...more
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Male visitor sought in missing girl case

The disappearance of 12-year-old Mille Boele from Dordrecht is looking increasingly like an abduction, the Telegraaf reports on Monday. ...more