China presses Dutch minister for access to chipmaking tech blocked on security grounds
Chinaโs foreign minister has pressed his Dutch counterpart for access to advanced chipmaking technology that has been blocked on security grounds and warned against allowing what he said were unfounded fears of Beijing to spoil relations.
Salvador court orders arrests in Dutch journalist killings
A Salvadoran judge has ordered the provisional arrest of several retired high-ranking members of the armed forces accused of having participated in the killings of four Dutch journalists in 1982 while they were covering the Central American nationโs civil war.
Police: Friend of accused recounted Dutch soldier's killing
Authorities say in an arrest affidavit that the 22-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a Dutch soldier and wounding two others in downtown Indianapolis over the weekend told a friend who was with him that morning that he opened fire because he โjust spazzed."
EXPLAINER: Why Dutch soldiers were at Indiana military camp
Before three Dutch soldiers were shot, one fatally, in downtown Indianapolis, they were training in a southern Indiana military camp where international soldiers enter highly specialized urban combat simulations they might not be able to get in their own country.
18th century graveyard found at former Caribbean plantation
An 18th century burial ground has been discovered at a former sugar plantation on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, officials, and archaeologists say it likely contains the remains of slaves and could provide a trove of information on their lives.
Rare Van Gogh masterpiece sells for $15.4 million in Paris
FILE- In this Feb. 25, 2021, file photo, Sotheby's personnel display Scene de rue Montmartre (Street scene in Montmartre), a painting by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh at Sotheby's auction house in Paris. A rare painting by Vincent Van Gogh is being put up for auction by Sotheby's Paris on Thursday, and is expected to sell for many millions. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)PARIS โ A rare painting by Vincent Van Gogh was sold at auction Thursday by Sothebyโs Paris for 13.1 million euros ($15.4 million). The auction house had expected it to sell for between 5 million euros and 8 million euros. It was painted in 1887, one year after Van Gogh moved to Paris and lived in Montmartre while he was lodging with his brother Theo.
After election, talks underway to form new Dutch coalition
Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks with the media following exit polls in the general election in The Hague, Netherlands, March 17, 2021. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool via AP)THE HAGUE โ What is expected to be a complex process to form a new Dutch government got underway Monday with leaders of parties that won seats in last week's parliamentary elections laying out their preferred coalition options. Rutte's VVD won 35 of the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament; D66 won 23. AdIf, as expected, Rutte leads the next government, the 54-year-old would head his fourth coalition and will be in line to become the longest-serving Dutch prime minister. D66 leader Sigrid Kaag said she wants to look at issues rather than potential coalition partners.
Dutch PM Rutte's conservatives see 4th straight election win
Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks with the media following exit polls in the general election in The Hague, Netherlands, March 17, 2021. The VVD selected Senator Annemarie Jorritsma, while D66 chose Kajsa Ollongren, who was interior minister and deputy prime minister in Rutte's last Cabinet. AdBaudet, arriving at parliament for a meeting of party leaders, told reporters he โwas actually hoping for moreโ seats in the election. The Green Left party, a big winner in the 2017 election, was forecast to lose half of its 14 seats. The Dutch election, coming just months after Britain's Brexit divorce with the European Union came into full force, saw gains among pro-EU parties.
Caretaker PM Rutte seen as winning most seats in Dutch vote
Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the VVD Liberal party votes in the Dutch general election in The Hague, Netherlands, March 17, 2021. AdโโThe agenda ahead of us is enormous,โ Rutte said in his first reaction to the poll results. โThis shows that the Netherlands trusts the VVD and Mark Rutte to continue in this unprecedented crisis,โ said VVD lawmaker Sophie Hermans. Rutte indicated it would be the obvious partner to talk to first to lay the foundation for a new coalition. Another party on the far-right of the Dutch political spectrum, Forum for Democracy, did better, according to the poll, gaining 6 seats to reach 8.
Former TV presenter puts race on Dutch political agenda
(AP Photo/Mike Corder)AMSTERDAM โ Sylvana Simons is campaigning for the Dutch general election on a platform of what she calls radical equality. It remains to be seen if Simons' BIJ1 party โ a wordplay that translates as Together โ will get enough votes to win a seat. Others include DENK, a party she once belonged to and that already has three seats in the 150-seat lower house. The experience has destroyed their trust in the Dutch government to the extent that they may not even vote. Simons wants to be a voice for the marginalized.
Voting underway in coronavirus-affected Dutch election
A woman prepares to cast her ballot in ride through polling station for bicycles in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, March 15, 2021. โI think Rutte has done well," said Guido van den Elshout, 72, after voting in the Dutch parliament building in The Hague. The pandemic's ongoing effects were clearly visible in the Dutch capital Amsterdam, where a drive-thru polling station for cars and bicycles opened at a conference center. Far more polling stations will be open on Wednesday, the official date of the election. For Kastelein, the key issues were โthe climate crisis and growing racism but I also think Europe is very important.
Dutch police break up anti-govt protest on eve of election
Dutch riot police kick a man during a demonstration to protest government policies including the curfew, lockdown and coronavirus related restrictions in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, March 14, 2021. Thousands of people took part in the rally ahead of three days of voting starting Monday in a general election. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)THE HAGUE โ Dutch police used a water cannon and officers on horseback galloped across a park in The Hague on Sunday to break up a protest against the government and its tough coronavirus lockdown on the eve of three days of voting in the general election. Hague police tweeted that they deployed riot officers to break up the protest after hundreds of people defied repeated calls to go home. A record 37 parties are taking part in the election for the 150 seats in Parliament's lower house.
Coronavirus pandemic casts long shadow over Dutch elections
Many voters approve of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Ruttes handling of the crisis but his popularity has waned in recent weeks. Dutch voters have plenty of issues to consider in next week's election but one towers over all others: the COVID-19 pandemic. โI do indeed think that the elections this year are really about the coronavirus, of course,โ said student Ayoub Aouragh. If the VVD captures the largest cut of the vote, Rutte will be first in line to begin talks to form the country's next ruling coalition, a process that could take months. "So the economy is back on top, whereas in the previous four or five elections, immigration was the core issue.โThe virus also has altered the entire Dutch election campaign and voting process.
Belgian police hit organized crime with hundreds of raids
Belgium's federal prosecutor's office says a police operation of an unprecedented scale targeting organized crime is taking place across Belgium on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. With thousands of containers reaching Antwerp every day, the Belgian port city is one of Europe's main ports of entry to Europe for cocaine. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)BRUSSELS โ Belgian police made 48 arrests Tuesday during an operation of unprecedented scale targeting organized crime, after investigators cracked an encrypted communications network popular with criminals, prosecutors said. With thousands of shipping containers reaching Antwerp every day, the Belgian port city is one of Europeโs main entry ports for cocaine. AdDutch police and prosecutors seized 28 firearms in the port city of Rotterdam.
Dutch prime minister extends his country's pandemic lockdown
FILE - In this file photo dated Saturday, July 18, 2020, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels. The Netherlands is holding a general election over three days starting March 15 2021 because of fears that busy polling stations could spike infections, which comes after Prime Minister Mark Rutte has spent more than a decade in power. The pandemic is casting a long shadow over other issues in the countdown to three days of voting that start on March 15. A group representing nonfood retailers across the country went to court Monday seeking an order allowing them to reopen to the public. And on Tuesday the country's umbrella organization for the hospitality industry is launching separate legal proceedings over delays in the payment of government support to businesses hit by the lockdown.
Health minister condemns blast at Dutch virus test center
Emergency services attend the scene close to a coronavirus test station after a homemade firework was detonated in Bovenkarspel, Netherlands, Wednesday March 3, 2021. The homemade firework, a so-called "pipe" firework, was fired near to the Covid test station Wednesday and broke some windows but no people are reported injured. (Stefanie ter Koele / AP)THE HAGUE โ A blast caused by a โhomemade deviceโ smashed windows at a coronavirus testing center in a small Dutch town early Wednesday, police said. Nobody was hurt in the explosion, which was condemned by the government and health officials. In January, rioters torched a coronavirus test facility in the fishing village of Urk on the first night of a 9 p.m.-to-4:30 a.m. nationwide curfew imposed as part of the governmentโs latest coronavirus lockdown.
Dutch PM's popularity high but eroding as election looms
FILE - In this file photo dated Saturday, July 18, 2020, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, file)THE HAGUE โ After more than a decade in power and a year spent battling the virus, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's popularity โ boosted by his handling of the pandemic โ remains high two weeks before a general election. But amid a tough COVID-19 lockdown, that support is showing signs of eroding as the Dutch grow weary of pandemic restrictions. โThe popularity of Mark Rutte ... got a big boost last year due to the COVID-19 crisis,โ Van der Meer said. That would make him the longest-serving Dutch prime minister, overtaking the 12-year tenure of Ruud Lubbers.
Rarely seen Van Gogh painting exhibited ahead of auction
Sotheby's personnel display Scene de rue Montmartre (Street scene in Montmartre), a painting by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh at Sotheby's auction house in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 25, 202. It has remained in the same family collection for over 100 years, according to the auction house which did not reveal the identity of the owner. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS โ A rare painting by Dutch impressionist master Vincent van Gogh of a street scene in the Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre will be publicly displayed for the first time before its auction next month. Sotheby's auction house said the work, painted in 1887, has remained in the same family collection for more than 100 years โ out of the public eye. Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886 and lived in Montmartre.
Dutch senate approves coronavirus curfew legislation
The government is appealing a ban on the curfew imposed earlier this week by a judge in The Hague. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)THE HAGUE โ Dutch senators late Friday approved hastily drawn up legislation underpinning the country's coronavirus curfew, ensuring that it will remain in force at least until early March despite a court order on Tuesday that it be scrapped. AdA clear majority of lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, including a number of opposition parties, approved the legislation Thursday. โJust before the introduction of the curfew, the water was splashing against the dike,โ he told the appeals panel. AdโIn those circumstances, the Cabinet believed it had to take emergency measures in the form of a curfew,โ Veldhuis said.
Air France-KLM plunges to huge loss in pandemic-hit year
Air France-KLM plunged to a 7.1 billion euro ($8.5 billion) loss in 2020 as the global pandemic grounded planes and halted travel plans worldwide causing a 67% slump in passenger numbers at the French-Dutch aviation giant. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)PARIS โ Air France-KLM plunged to a 7.1 billion euro ($8.5 billion) loss in 2020 as the global pandemic grounded planes and halted travel plans worldwide causing a 67% slump in passenger numbers at the French-Dutch aviation giant. The year 2020 โtested the Air France-KLM Group with the most severe crisis ever experienced by the air transport industry," CEO Ben Smith said Thursday. Both the French and Dutch governments pledged billions in support last year to help the carriers survive the brutal downturn in air traffic caused by the coronavirus. The massive loss included some 2.1 billion euros in restructuring and other charges.
European deep freeze serves up fun, frustrations and danger
The deep freeze gripping parts of Europe served up fun and frustration with heavy snow cutting power to some 37,000 homes in central Slovakia. The man and three others had made holes in the ice to go ice swimming. But the southern nation is set to join the rest of Europe in the deep freeze in the coming days, with snow possible even in the capital, Athens. Even if the polar conditions persist, a legendary Dutch ice skating race over frozen canals and lakes in the northern Friesland province will not go ahead. A row of twigs jutting out of the frozen surface served as a warning for dangerously thin ice.
Dutch govt offers gesture of appreciation to Srebrenica vets
FILE - In this July 13, 1995 file photo, Dutch U.N. peacekeepers sit on top of an armored personnel carrier while Muslim refugees from Srebrenica, eastern Bosnia, gather in the village of Potocari, just north of Srebrenica. In 2019, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the Netherlands was partially liable in the deaths of some 350 Muslim men murdered by Bosnian Serb forces during the massacre. The U.N. also has been criticized for failing to authorize NATO air strikes to support the lightly-armed Dutch troops in July 1995 as they came under attack. Prime Minister Mark Rutte made the same point in a video message last year marking the 25th anniversary of the massacre. An organization of Dutchbat III veterans also did not immediately respond to a request for a reaction.
Brewer Heineken to cut 8,000 jobs after pandemic losses
A Heineken sign sits on the facade of a bar, closed because of the coronavirus lockdown in Amsterdam, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Dutch beer brewer Heineken said Wednesday it plans to cut 8,000 staff, nearly 10% of its global workforce, as part of a cost-cutting reorganization after a pandemic-dominated year that saw it sink to a net loss of 204 million euros ($248 million). (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)THE HAGUE โ Dutch beer brewer Heineken said Wednesday it plans to cut 8,000 staff, nearly 10% of its global workforce, as part of a cost-cutting reorganization after a pandemic-dominated year that saw it sink to a net loss of 204 million euros ($248 million). With bars and pubs around the world closed during coronavirus lockdowns and alcohol bans in some of its markets, Heineken sold 8% less beer than in 2019. CEO Dolf van den Brink described 2020 as โa year of unprecedented disruption and transitionโ for the brewer.
Dutch will extend coronavirus curfew until March 3
Snow covers a houseboat in Amsterdam, as snow and strong winds blanketed much of the Netherlands, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)THE HAGUE โ The Dutch government announced Monday it is extending the country's curfew until March 3, declaring that was necessary to slow the spread of the more infectious coronavirus variant first detected in Britain. The country's 9 p.m.-to-4:30 a.m. curfew was introduced Jan. 23 and triggered days of riots in towns and cities across the Netherlands. However, the unrest has since subsided and the vast majority of residents adhere to the curfew. Last week, Prime Minister Mark Rutte extended most of the country's tough lockdown measures, already in force since mid-December, until March 2.
Dutch lockdown extended as virus variants gain strongly
A curfew imposed 10 days ago, which triggered widespread rioting in its first days, will remain in force, Rutte said. He said the government will weigh up the lockdown options again early next week. The premier spoke hours after the country's public health institute said new coronavirus infections fell 20% over the last week but more transmissible variants, in particular the one first identified in southern England, now account for two-thirds of Dutch infections. His ruling coalition โreached the conclusion that extending the current lockdown almost in its entirety until March 2 is unavoidable,โ he said. In another minor easing of the lockdown, Rutte said that from Feb. 10 all stores will be allowed to sell their products and customers can collect them at pickup points outside the shops.
Dutch court orders Shell Nigeria to compensate farmers
โUp until this morning, Dutch multinationals could act with impunity in developing countries ... and this has changed now,โ Pols said. The court also ruled that Dutch-based mother company Royal Dutch Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary must fit a leak-detection system to a pipeline that caused one of the spills. However, the court cleared Shell of blame in pollution of the other three farmers' land and ruled that Shell's Dutch parent company could not be held liable. AdBoth sides appealed, and judges ruled in 2015 that Shell could be held to account in Dutch courts for its actions in Nigeria. After 13 years, weโve won,โ the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth tweeted immediately after the decision was read out in court.
131 arrested on 'calmer' night during Dutch virus curfew
A police officers speaks to youths on scooters at a road block during a nation-wide curfew in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)THE HAGUE โ Dutch police said Wednesday that the fourth night of the Netherlands' coronavirus curfew passed more peacefully than the previous three nights marred by rioting. Even so, officers arrested 131 people, mainly for public order offenses and incitement. โIt was calmer around the curfew on Tuesday night than the days before,โ police said in a statement. There was no such violence Tuesday night, but police detained 81 people in the port city as they sought to quickly stamp out trouble.
Dutch police use tear gas, water cannon amid rioting
Police in the port city of Rotterdam used a water cannon and tear gas in an attempt to disperse a crowd of rioters who also looted shops. He said around 70 rioters had been arrested and police had used tear gas in the western city of Haarlem as well as Rotterdam. National broadcaster NOS showed video of police using a water cannon and reported that some shops had been looted. Police in the southern city of Den Bosch said that a shop was looted there and riot police were attempting to restore order. On Saturday night, youths in the fishing village of Urk torched a coronavirus testing facility.
Dutch police clash with protesters in Amsterdam, Eindhoven
Dutch police have clashed with protesters demonstrating against the countrys lockdown in the capital, Amsterdam and the southern city of Eindhoven. The unrest comes a day after rioting youths protesting on the first night of the countrys curfew torched a coronavirus testing facility in Dutch fishing village Urk. It was the worst violence to hit the Netherlands since the pandemic began and the second straight Sunday that police clashed with protesters in Amsterdam. Dutch media reported unrest in other Dutch towns Sunday night caused by people protesting against the curfew. The violence came a day after anti-curfew rioters torched a coronavirus testing facility in the Dutch fishing village of Urk.
The Latest: Hong Kong ends lockdown in Kowloon neighborhood
The district has been at the center of a worsening coronavirus outbreak, with over 160 cases reported over the first three weeks in January. As of Sunday, Hong Kong has reported 10,086 cases of the coronavirus, with 169 deaths recorded. The nation of 26 million people has reported fewer than 30,000 virus cases and a little over 900 deaths. There have been 373,090 total virus cases and a death toll of 3,279 since the pandemic began, according to the health department. The U.S. accounts for roughly one of every four cases reported worldwide and one of every five deaths.
Dutch lawmakers back coronavirus curfew despite criticism
The Dutch government said Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, that it wants to impose a curfew as part of beefed-up restrictions to rein in the spread of new more contagious variants of the coronavirus that already accounts for at least one in every 10 Dutch infections. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)THE HAGUE โ A majority of Dutch lawmakers backed the governmentโs planned curfew Thursday, despite fierce criticism from some opposition legislators. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said a curfew is needed to rein in the spread of COVID-19, but some opposition lawmakers angrily denounced it as an excessive restriction of liberties. With the government in caretaker mode since resigning Friday, it needs approval from lawmakers to impose the curfew. After hours of debate in parliament, it remained unclear if a majority would support the measure.
Dutch propose curfew to rein in virus; will ban more flights
The Dutch government said Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, that it wants to impose a curfew as part of beefed-up restrictions to rein in the spread of new more contagious variants of the coronavirus that already accounts for at least one in every 10 Dutch infections. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)THE HAGUE โ The Dutch government wants to impose a curfew as part of beefed-up restrictions to rein in the spread of a new more contagious virus variant that already accounts for at least one in 10 Dutch infections. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday that his government also will ban flights from the U.K., South Africa and South America beginning Saturday for a month. If parliament approves the curfew, the Netherlands would join other European Union countries that have told people to stay home after dark, including Belgium, France, Italy, Greece and parts of Germany. The Netherlands was the last European Union country to begin vaccinations and so far only 100,000 people have received their first shot.
The buck stops here: Dutch govt quits over welfare scandal
The Dutch Cabinet was meeting Friday Jan. 15, 2021, amid strong speculation that Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government will resign to take political responsibility for a scandal involving child benefit investigations. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)THE HAGUE โ Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his entire Cabinet resigned Friday to take political responsibility for a scandal involving investigations into child welfare payments that wrongly labeled thousands of parents as fraudsters. Dutch television showed him parking his bike at the bottom of steps leading into the palace and walking inside. Geert Wilders, leader of the largest opposition party in the Dutch parliament said it was the right decision for the government to quit. One of the parents waited near parliament as the Cabinet met and said she wanted it to resign.
Dutch hold mass coronavirus testing amid new variant fears
Residents of Bergschenhoek, Netherlands, take part in a mass test of all of the municipality's 62,000 residents starting Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, following a cluster of COVID-19 cases at an elementary school, including about 30 cases of the British coronavirus variant. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)BERGSCHENHOEK โ Residents of a Dutch town filed into a sports hall Wednesday to take part in the country's first mass coronavirus testing program, which aims to find out more about the spread of a new more transmissible coronavirus variant. The testing came the morning after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte extended his countryโs tough five-week lockdown amid concerns that infection rates are not falling quickly enough and fears about the new more transmissible variant. Confirmed new COVID-19 infections in the Netherlands over the last week fell 12% to 49,398, the Dutch public health institute said Tuesday. Hospital admissions for virus patients fell 18% and new COVID-19 patients in intensive care units declined by 12%.
No choice: Dutch PM extends coronavirus lockdown by 3 weeks
"Almost everybody will understand that there was no other choice because numbers are not falling fast enough and we are now also have to face the threat of the British corona variant,โ Rutte said, as he said the lockdown will last until Feb. 9. Under the lockdown, all schools and nonessential shops are closed, along with public venues such as cinemas, museums and libraries. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said that the variant now makes up 2-5% of Dutch infections. Confirmed new COVID-19 infections over the last week fell 12% to 49,398, the institute said, while hospital admissions for people with the coronavirus fell 18% and new COVID-19 patients in intensive care units declined by 12%. The overall Dutch death toll from COVID-19 now stands at more than 12,500.
Dutch begin COVID-19 vaccinations; last EU nation to do so
The Dutch government has come under fierce criticism for its late start to vaccinations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte told lawmakers in a debate Tuesday that authorities had focused preparations on the easy-to-handle vaccine made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which hasn't yet been cleared for use in the EU, and not the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. โThe Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage before it's used, is the only shot that has been approved so far by the European Medicines Agency. Andre Rouvoet, chairman of the umbrella organization of local health authorities, welcomed the first vaccinations, which were aired live on Dutch television. โIt is symbolic of the hundreds of thousands โ millions โ of vaccinations that will be administered in the Netherlands in coming months,โ he said.
Dutch government criticized for late start to vaccinations
โThis is outrageous," Geert Wilders, leader of the largest Dutch opposition party, said during a debate that was arranged during Parliament's winter recess. The government moved the vaccinations forward by two days amid growing anger over its policies and COVID-19-related staff shortages at hospitals. The confirmed Dutch death toll in the pandemic is more than 11,000, though the actual number is higher because of limited testing. French authorities also came under fire for inoculating barely 500 people in the first week of its vaccination program. And even though Germany inoculated over 200,000 people in its first week, its heath authorities are being criticized for not ramping up vaccinations fast enough.
Netherlands aims to begin Pfizer-BioNTech shots by Jan 8
Medical staff wait for the next in line for a throat and nasal swab at a COVID-19 testing facility of the Municipal Health Authority GGD, in Utrecht, Netherlands, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)THE HAGUE โ The Dutch health minister said Thursday that coronavirus vaccinations using the Pfizer-BioNTech shots will start Jan. 8 if the European Union's medicines agency approves it for use next week. In neighboring country Germany, authorities said Wednesday that vaccinations would start in nursing homes on Dec. 27. The health ministry called the Jan. 8 date โthe fastest feasible planning, taking into account all due care requirements and steps" that can only be taken once the European Medicines Agency greenlights the vaccine. Those steps include a Dutch health agency publishing advice on the vaccine's suitability for different sections of the Dutch population, and testing IT systems that will be used during the vaccination process.
Dutch committee issues scathing report into benefit system
A Dutch parliamentary commission issued a damning report Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 into a scandal in which thousands of parents were wrongly labeled fraudsters by government officials assessing claims for child benefit payments. The report titled Unprecedented Injustice was issued following an investigation by a parliamentary committee and public questioning of officials up to and including Prime Minister Mark Rutte into the scandal. โThe Committee established that in the implementation of the child care allowance fundamental principles of the rule of law have been violated,โ the report said. Over several years, thousands of parents had their child care benefit payments stopped or were ordered to repay money amid fraud investigations. Committee chairman Chris van Dam called the system โa mass process in which there was no room for nuance.โIt was the latest condemnation of efforts to root out fraud by parents claiming benefit.
Dutch leader announces tough new nationwide virus lockdown
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is expected to impose a tough lockdown Monday night in a speech to the nation as coronavirus infection rates in the Netherlands rise sharply despite a two-month "partial lockdown." (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)THE HAGUE โ Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte imposed a tough new nationwide lockdown Monday, saying schools, nonessential shops, museums and gyms will close down at midnight until Jan. 19. โThe Netherlands for five weeks is going into lockdown,โ a somber Rutte said in a televised address to the nation. Lines formed Monday afternoon at shops, museums and even pot-selling coffee shops as people tried to beat the lockdown. And earlier Monday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that London and surrounding areas will be placed under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions from Wednesday in a bid to slow sharply rising infection rates.
Dutch government pledges new support to virus-hit businesses
THE HAGUE โ The Dutch government on Wednesday beefed up its financial support by 3.7 billion euros ($4.5 billion) for businesses slammed by the countryโs partial lockdown measures. The latest lifeline comes on top of 33.7 billion euros in support the government earlier pledged to protect businesses and jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic, although it warned that further job losses and bankruptcies are inevitable. The government said businesses with the biggest percentage drop in turnover โ such as bars and restaurants โ will receive more financial support in the first quarter of 2021. The health institute said the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by more than 9,000 to 43,103 in a week. In the same week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths dropped from 406 to 338.
Dutch PM dashes hopes of larger gatherings for Christmas
Unfortunately, the answer is not more than the last few months," Rutte said in a nationally televised news conference. His comments came hours after the Dutch public health institute reported what it called a โworrying rise" in the number of coronavirus infections in the last week. Rutte warned that if infections don't start declining again, he couldn't rule out tightening the current โpartial lockdownโ in the Netherlands before Christmas. The health institute said the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by more than 9,000 to 43,103 in a week. In the same week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths dropped from 406 to 338.
Dutch climate activists take Shell to court over emissions
A landmark legal battle opened as climate change activists in the Netherlands go to court seeking an order for energy giant Shell to rein in its carbon emissions. Lawyer Roger Cox told a panel of three judges at The Hague District Court that Royal Dutch Shell's corporate policy is โat oddsโ with global climate goals. โEverybody needs to pitch in if we are to tackle the climate crisis, especially big polluters like Shell. Cox told the court that Shell is responsible โ through its business activities and sales of fossil fuels โ for around 1.2% of the globe's industrial greenhouse gas emissions. โThe Shell case taken by Milieudefensie and others is the first to actually do this in court,โ she said.
Dutch populist Baudet suggests splitting party he created
After winning Dutch provincial elections early last year, the populist Forum For Democracy and its charismatic leader Thierry Baudet appeared poised to become significant forces in national and possibly European politics. But speaking on Dutch television early Thursday, the 37-year-old Baudet said it was time for him and his supporters to part ways with the party's leadership. The suggestion followed days of public bickering between Baudet and other prominent members of Forum For Democracy. The damaging meltdown was sparked by allegations in a weekend newspaper report that some members of the partyโs youth wing have extreme-right and anti-Semitic sympathies. That didn't placate some members of the party leadership who wanted firmer action to root out extreme elements from the youth wing.
On thin ice: Dutch speedskating race under threat from virus
The near-mythical Dutch speedskating race could fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic, even if the looming winter is cold enough to stage it for the first time in more than 20 years, organizers said Thursday Nov. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Dimitri Georganas, File)THE HAGUE โ A near-mythical Dutch speedskating race could fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic โ even if the looming winter is cold enough to stage it for the first time in more than 20 years, organizers said Thursday. The approximately 30,000 members of the Royal Association of the 11 Towns Tour are the only skaters allowed to participate in the race. โFinally, the 11 Towns Tour places a large stain on hospitals and medical support. โFor the speedskating Netherlands of course, it's a shame.
Dutch virus restrictions to be eased amid falling infections
THE HAGUE โ Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte eased his country's coronavirus measures Tuesday amid falling infection rates, allowing public venues including cinemas, museums and libraries to reopen โ with limitations on how many people can visit โ after a two-week closure. The venues, which also include zoos and swimming pools, will be allowed to reopen at midnight Wednesday, Rutte said. โThe numbers we see are still too high, but the trend is downwards and that is positive,โ Rutte said. However, he warned that the country must remain in a partial lockdown he imposed in mid-October when Dutch rates of infections were among the worst in Europe. The Dutch easing came as many other countries in Europe remain in tough lockdowns amid high infection rates, although other countries also are beginning to see an easing in the rate of new infections.