Netherlands News in English
Netherlands news in English — Dutch national headlines covering politics, housing, immigration, the economy, transport and daily life, translated and updated throughout the day for the international community.
Haarlem launches second investigation into sinkhole at Donkere Spaarne
The municipality of Haarlem has launched a second investigation into sinkholes at the Donkere Spaarne quay as final repairs take place this week. While the damage is not severe enough to require movin...
KPN connected tens of thousands of households to fiber in the first quarter
Dutch telecom provider KPN announced on Wednesday that it connected 86,000 households to its fiber optic network during the first quarter. This expansion reflects the company's ongoing efforts to upgr...
Large wildfire in Helden, Limburg
A large nature fire broke out early Wednesday morning in the village of Helden, located in the province of Limburg. Multiple fire department vehicles were dispatched to the scene near Lanterdweg short...
Sea Scout group Nannie van der Wiele holds open day: ‘You make friends for life with us’
The waterscouting group Nannie van der Wiele is hosting an open day at its long-standing location in IJmuiden along the North Sea Canal. The group has been active for nearly sixty years and offers wee...
Partying on the weekend or during the week? This is the day King's Day 2027 falls on
This article looks ahead to King's Day 2027, discussing which day of the week the Dutch national holiday will fall on. It encourages readers to prepare for future celebrations while reflecting on the ...
First polling station in Gorinchem opens for re-vote
The first polling station in Gorinchem opened at 7:00 AM on Wednesday for a municipal council re-election. Over 31,000 eligible voters in the municipality are called to cast their ballots.
Man rescued from water at the Nieuwe Gracht in Haarlem
A man was rescued from the water at the Nieuwe Gracht in Haarlem during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. The cause of how he ended up in the water remains unknown.
From afterthought to necessity: Hans Kaljee fought for 35 years for more space for trees in the city
Hans Kaljee, Amsterdam's first city tree consultant, is retiring after a 35-year career dedicated to increasing growth space and improving maintenance for urban trees. He reflects on the shift from tr...
Leen Prins saw Telstar almost vanish, now the club is the flagship of Velsen-Zuid. 'Without the new building we would no longer exist'
Leen Prins reflects on how the football club Telstar survived the threat of closure twenty years ago to become a symbol of Velsen-Zuid. He credits the club's continued existence to essential new const...
Number of strikes limited in the Netherlands: 'We remain a polder country'
The number of strikes in the Netherlands remained stable last year, with an average of 23 occurrences consistent with the past 25 years. Despite unrest in sectors like education and industry, the figu...
Minimum wages rose faster than collectively agreed wages over the last five years
In 2025, approximately 610,000 workers in the Netherlands earned the minimum wage, accounting for 6.7% of all jobs. Data shows that minimum wage increases have outpaced average collective labor agreem...
Kelly (41) fought for years to conceive but never had a child: ‘My worst nightmare is reality’
In her new book, 41-year-old Kelly van Goens shares her personal struggle with involuntary childlessness after years of trying to conceive. She reflects on the emotional impact of her unfulfilled desi...
Haarlem's only motorhome site to close as municipality buys land along Randweg
The municipality of Haarlem has purchased the land occupied by Urban Camperspot Haarlem & Zandvoort, which will result in the closure of the city's only motorhome site at the end of the year. This acq...
Paint? Stink? Rubber bullets? Riot police seek additional weapons against escalating violence
The Dutch Mobile Unit is exploring the use of new crowd-control weapons, such as paint, stench-producing substances, and rubber bullets, in response to increasingly violent protests. These considerati...
Fire in the dunes of The Hague
A fire broke out in the dunes of Den Haag on Tuesday evening. Firefighters are currently working to extinguish the blaze, and an NL-Alert has been issued due to significant smoke in the area.
Almost complete again: torso and lower section of Atlas back at the Royal Palace on the Dam
The iconic 350-year-old Atlas statue is returning to the Royal Palace on the Dam in Amsterdam after an eighteen-month restoration project. The torso and lower sections were reinstalled on Wednesday, w...
Roel is the country's most cheerful portable toilet cleaner: "April 28 is the best day of the year"
Twenty-three-year-old Roel Koopman shares his passion for his job as a portable toilet cleaner while working at locations like the Stopera and Vondelpark in Amsterdam. Following in his father's footst...
Traffic jams due to traffic light work in Velsen-Zuid
Traffic congestion is occurring in Velsen-Zuid due to work being carried out on the traffic light installation at the intersection of Amsterdamseweg and Rijksweg. The replacement project is currently ...
Wessel Nijman wins fourth Players Championship title of the year after final against Jermaine Wattimena
Dutch dart player Wessel Nijman secured his fourth Players Championship title of the year on Tuesday. He defeated fellow countryman Jermaine Wattimena with a score of 8-5 in the final.
ChipSoft: All data stolen by hackers destroyed
Software supplier ChipSoft has confirmed that patient data stolen during a recent cyberattack has been destroyed and was never published online. The company shared this update in an official statement...
Hoekstra: Fossil fuel phase-out needed to prevent next crisis
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra advocated for a faster transition to clean energy sources during a conference in Colombia. He emphasized that phasing out fossil fuels is essential not only for ...
South Holland wants tranquility but also more recreation in Holland Dunes
Provincial deputy Arno Bonte aims to balance nature preservation and recreation within the new National Park Hollandse Duinen in South Holland. By improving natural conditions, the province hopes to e...
The Jazzcats of Vijzelstraat: “The tastemakers of Amsterdam nightlife”
This article explores the rich jazz history of Amsterdam's Vijzelstraat, which served as a central hub for the genre during the 1930s. Historians and musicians reflect on the international artists and...
Aboutaleb's advice: resume Hart voor Den Haag, D66 negotiations
Ahmed Aboutaleb, acting as a mediator, has recommended that political parties Hart voor Den Haag and D66 resume coalition negotiations in The Hague. This recommendation was included in his final repor...
Breeding season begins in Fort Island gull colony. IJmuiden females more well-traveled than males
Gull researcher Fred Cottaar reports that the breeding season has begun at the Forteiland colony near IJmuiden. He observes that nesting Egyptian geese face a high risk, as their chicks are likely to ...
Vera (26) and Michael (38) run the country's most customer-friendly supermarket. ‘And after just one year. Bizarre’
Spar Schot in Wijk aan Zee, managed by Vera Siersema and Michael Schot, has been named the most customer-friendly supermarket in the Netherlands. The owners expressed surprise at receiving the nationa...
Butcher's daughter transforms century-old butcher shop into modern deli: ‘Memories in every crack and behind every tile’
Guusje Broekhof is renovating her family's century-old butcher shop in Haarlem's Kruisstraat to transform it into a modern deli. The project aims to modernize the business to meet current retail deman...
Parking garage at Spaarne Gasthuis in Hoofddorp cordoned off due to person in distress
Police cordoned off the parking garage at the Spaarne Gasthuis in Hoofddorp on Tuesday evening to assist a person in need. Emergency services were deployed to the scene after reports indicated a perso...
Jordaan and Amstel residents divided over King's Day: It was a madhouse
Residents in Amsterdam's Jordaan and Amstel areas expressed mixed opinions on the effectiveness of stricter crowd control measures implemented during this year's King's Day celebrations. While some re...
ACM increases oversight of ANWB Energie after policy failures affect thousands; company promises improvement
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has increased its supervision of ANWB Energie due to persistent IT problems. The energy supplier has failed for months to send out final and a...