DutchNews podcast – The Great Alkmaar Cheese Scam Edition – Week 12

Kajsa Ollongren walks out of the Binnenof and into a political minefield. Photo: ANP/Bart Maat
Kajsa Ollongren walks out of the Binnenof and into a political minefield. Photo: ANP/Bart Maat

While Dutch salvage experts worked to free a 200,000 tonne cargo ship blocking the Suez canal, back home everything ground to a halt this week. The coalition talks were stalled by Kajsa Ollongren’s positive coronavirus test and then torpedoed by her documentary faux pas. Hugo de Jonge struggled once again to convince MPS he was turning round the Netherlands’ vaccination strategy. And the football team’s World Cup dreams were marooned in the doldrums as Turkey inflicted a 4-2 defeat in Istanbul. One thing that is flowing freely is your personal data, as hackers obtain the details of 7.3 million car owners.

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Ophef of the week: Ollongren’s positive covid test puts coalition talks on hold

Coronavirus news

Lockdown extended to April 20 and foreign travel discouraged till mid-May

Coronavirus infections rise to highest level since early January

Women experience more side effects with AstraZeneca vaccine than Pfizer

AstraZeneca asks European Medicines Agency to approve Leiden plant

Election news

Coalition scouts quit after Ollongren accidentally exposes briefing notes

Talks move online after second cabinet minister tests positive for coronavirus

Election watch: More women and minorities in new parliament

Election watch: Rutte says JA21 are serious option for fourth partner

So the votes have been counted – what happens next?

Other news

Hackers steal personal details of millions of car owners from database

Timber merchants facing prosecution over imports from Myanmar

Dutch salvage firm says it could take ‘weeks’ to shift ship blocking Suez canal (Jakarta Post)

Sport

Dutch World Cup qualifying campaign starts with setback in Istanbul

Public prosecutor launches probe into match-fixing in darts

Bonus: Rita Verdonk’s infamous Trots op Nederland campaign video

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