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.
György Kurtág’s 100th birthday at the Muziekgebouw is a celebration without the deep seriousness of his work
Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw hosted a tribute concert to celebrate the 100th birthday of Hungarian composer György Kurtág, featuring musicians with long-standing ties to his work. The program included...
Mayor Halsema: homeless foreign crack addicts may be repatriated more often
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has proposed scaling up the voluntary repatriation of homeless foreign drug users, particularly Eastern European migrants, to address the city's growing crack cocaine pro...
Public art not representative: Amsterdam is a male stronghold when looking at statues
The city of Amsterdam is developing a new policy framework to ensure its 1,750 public artworks and monuments are more representative of its diverse population. Research indicates that women, people wi...
Firefighter Steven van de Looij (55) extinguished the fire in the Vondelkerk
Steven van de Looij, acting fire commander of Amsterdam-Amstelland, led the response to a significant fire at the historic Vondelkerk church during his first hours on the job on New Year's Eve. To pre...
Traffic jams expected in Amsterdam-East from Monday due to Linnaeusstraat closure
Starting Monday, major construction will begin on the Linnaeusstraat and part of the Middenweg in Amsterdam-East, causing significant traffic disruptions for drivers and cyclists. The project, which i...
Power struggle within BBB: Mona Keijzer was supposed to take over
Internal tension has surfaced within the BBB party following the unexpected appointment of Henk Vermeer as the successor to leader Caroline van der Plas. Although Mona Keijzer was previously slated to...
Higher sentences for mistaken identity kidnapping of man (56) held for days in Gouda warehouse
The Amsterdam Court of Appeal has sentenced six men to prison terms of up to four years and 11 months for the mistaken identity kidnapping of a 56-year-old man. The victim was abducted in Cruquius and...
'When something like this happens, football means nothing'. Tribute to Seedorf, Mbappé, Thuram, Henry and all those who spoke out against racism
In his weekly column, Henk Spaan pays tribute to football figures such as Clarence Seedorf, Vinicius Jr., and Wouter Goes for their stances against racism. The piece highlights the importance of playe...
Blow for Ajax: Season over for goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros after serious knee injury
Ajax goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a serious knee injury during training on Friday. The Czech goalkeeper requires surgery and will be replaced by Ma...
Steam from mailbox leads to discovery of cannabis plantation in Amsterdam-Zuidoost
Police in Amsterdam-Zuidoost discovered five cannabis plantations over the past few weeks, including one where 586 plants were found after neighbors reported steam and water leaking from the residence...
Piet Huijg and his legacy of service live on in Cronjé sports shop: 'We do things differently, but honor my father's values'
The sports shop founded by former HFC Haarlem player Piet Huijg is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the Cronjé district of Haarlem. Managed by his daughter Ilse for the past decade, the store cont...
Caroline's shadow, the party's 'fixer': who is Henk Vermeer really?
Henk Vermeer is stepping into a more prominent leadership role within the Dutch BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) party as leader Caroline van der Plas takes a step back from the spotlight. Known as the party'...
We only have each other on loan
The author reflects on significant family transitions as their parents' house was sold this week following their deaths last year. On the same day the property was handed over, the author's youngest s...
Johan de Wit's insane 24 hours: from gold to nothing in a roaring skating arena
Speed skating coach Johan de Wit experienced contrasting fortunes within a 24-hour period during a recent competition. While his pupil Zhongyan Ning secured a gold medal in the 1,500-meter race on Thu...
Amsterdam asks government for help tackling moldy homes
Amsterdam Housing Alderman Zita Pels has requested support from the Dutch national government to address the issue of mold in local residential properties. The city aims to ensure healthy and mold-fre...
Five well-known buildings in the running for Friends of Old Hillegom Certificate
Five prominent public buildings in Hillegom have been nominated for the annual certificate awarded by the Friends of Old Hillegom association. The nominees include the Hof, the Maartenskerk, the Cultu...
Police arrest Amsterdam man for mailing hard drugs
A 31-year-old man from Amsterdam has been arrested for mailing hard drugs hidden in food packages to South Korea from various locations across the Netherlands. The suspect was identified through secur...
Abuses at Sleepers prove TV and film world is still a ‘toxic industry’
Recent allegations of manipulation and gaslighting on the set of the series *Sleepers* have sparked renewed criticism of a persistent toxic work environment within the Dutch film and television indust...
Iconic red Canta struggles against poor maintenance and trendiness
The iconic Canta microcar, a staple of Amsterdam's streets since 1995, is being celebrated in a new documentary series titled "Vrijheid op Wielen" for its 30th anniversary. While the vehicle remains a...
Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong secures seventh gold for Netherlands with 1500m title at Milan Games
Dutch speed skater Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong won the gold medal in the 1500-meter event at the Milan Olympic Games, securing the seventh gold for the Netherlands. The 30-year-old finished with a time ...
Supermarket worker sentenced to prison after escalated argument in store
A supermarket employee was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with six months suspended, for attempted manslaughter after striking a man on the head with a piece of wood during an argument. The victim ...
State Secretary advises parents to keep children away from play sand
Dutch State Secretary Judith Tielen has advised parents and organizations to prevent children from playing with play sand due to concerns over potential asbestos contamination. While no formal ban has...
Why the Van Berkel case is also making other ministers nervous
Nathalie van Berkel of the D66 party has withdrawn as the designated State Secretary of Finance and as a Member of Parliament after it was revealed that her CV contained incorrect information. This de...
Coffee with Tim Kuijsten (ChristenUnie): Not becoming a city where people live past each other
Tim Kuijsten, the lead candidate for the ChristenUnie in Amsterdam, aims to reclaim the party's city council seat by focusing on strengthening community institutions like churches and neighborhood cen...
Birds is a great exhibition, but the wunderkammer presentation takes some getting used to
The Mauritshuis in The Hague has opened "Birds," a new exhibition curated by historian Simon Schama that explores the complex relationship between humans and nature. The display features diverse works...
Moldy homes: many reports are addressed but not resolved
An independent report on Amsterdam's mold eradication program reveals that while inspections have become faster, structural issues in many homes remain unresolved or receive only temporary fixes. Resi...
Fecal bacteria also found in drinking water near Kastelenstraat in Amsterdam South
Waternet has issued a boil water advisory for hundreds of addresses in Amsterdam-Zuid and Amsterdam Nieuw-West after fecal bacteria were detected following routine pipe maintenance. Residents in affec...
Huge success of Olympic short trackers yet to spark amateur surge
Despite the significant success of Dutch short track skaters at the Winter Olympics, ice rinks in the Netherlands report only a marginal increase in amateur participation. While young skaters are insp...
Another street in Amsterdam South issued boil water advisory: enterococci in tap water
Waternet has issued a boiling advisory for approximately 200 residents near Kastelenstraat in Amsterdam-Zuid after enterococci bacteria were detected in the tap water. The contamination occurred after...
Cows caught escaping in Nieuw-West: ‘A moo-tastic escape’
On Thursday evening, ten cows escaped from their pasture in Amsterdam Nieuw-West through an open gate with a damaged lock. Police and local residents collaborated to herd the animals back to their fie...