NL Times

With the highest turnout in 30 years and a new party suddenly becoming the biggest in the Netherlands, the Provincial States election turned out to be an exciting one. The voters who brought nationalist, right-wing party from 0 to 12 seats in the Senate were mainly older, white men.

Misty morning triggers weather warning; sunshine in the afternoon

Mar 22 '19 07:25

Nature Top Stories

Friday started out foggy, but by the afternoon there should be sunshine throughout the Netherlands. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning for a large part of the country, warning that visibility may be reduced to 200 meters in some areas.

The warning is in effect for al provinces except Drenthe, Friesland, Groningen and the Wadden Islands. The fog should dissipate by 10:00 a.m. "Dangerous driving conditions due to poor visibility. Adjust speed and keep a safe following distance", the KNMI warns.

No-deal Brexit will cost Netherlands €3 billion per year: German think tank

Mar 21 '19 17:30

The United Kingdom leaving the European Union with no agreements in place would be a hard blow for the Netherlands, according to German think tank Bertelsmann Stiftung. A no-deal Brexit will cost the Netherlands 3.16 billion euros per year, the think tank calculated. That amounts to 186 euros per Dutch person per year, NU.nl reports.

The Brexit happening with agreements in place will be more favorable for the Netherlands. Then the damage will be limited to 1.75 billion euros per year, or 103 euros per Dutch person per year, according to the think tank.

Gov't will look for left-wing help in Senate, Green party leader thinks

Mar 21 '19 16:40

Politics

GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver believes that the government will opt for cooperation with the left-wing opposition in the new Senate. "The cabinet must choose: is it about the right or about the left? I assume it will opt for the Paris climate goals. That means that cooperation on the right is not an option", Klaver said, ANP reports.

Online supermarket Picnic the fastest growing company in NL

Mar 21 '19 15:50

Online supermarket Picnic is the fastest growing company in the Netherlands, followed by meal deliverer Takeaway.com and cosmetics chain Rituals, according to research by Erasmus University Rotterdam, NOS reports.

Uber Freight heading to Netherlands

Mar 21 '19 15:00

Uber is expanding its Uber Freight truck service to the Netherlands. The company will initially focus on Dutch activities, and over time expand the service to other European countries, NU.nl reports

The Netherlands will be the first European country where Uber Freight is offered. The service links companies to trucks, like the normal Uber connects passengers and taxis. According to Uber, Uber Freight will make it easier for small and medium sized businesses to transport their cargo through Europe.

Amsterdam police find body in Keizersgracht canal

Mar 21 '19 14:10

A body was found Thursday morning in the waters of the popular Grachtengordel area of Amsterdam. Police were dispatched to the Keizersgracht just after 10:40 a.m., and found the body in the canal near the Utrechtsestraat.

A witness walking in the area made the grizzly discovery and called authorities. Several first responders were sent to the scene, including a trauma helicopter.

3,300 kilos of cocaine seized at a warehouse in Hazeldonk, January 2017

Dutch father, sons arrested in international cocaine bust

Mar 21 '19 13:20

A Dutch father and his two sons were arrested in Belgium and Spain over the past weeks for smuggling 3,300 kilograms of cocaine into the Netherlands through the port of Antwerp. The cocaine was seized in a warehouse in Hazeldonk in January 2017. All three suspects have been extradited to the Netherlands and are in custody, the police said in a statement.

A drawing of a crying Nijntje with the condolence register for the 24 Oktoberplein shooting in Utrecht's city hall

Silent march for victims of Utrecht shooting on Friday

Mar 21 '19 12:30

A group of Utrecht residents are organizing a silent march for the victims of a shooting on 24 Oktoberplein. The march will start at 7:00 p.m. on Friday on Jaarbeursplein, from where participants will walk to the scene of the attack, NU.nl reports.

"We want do do this for Utrecht", one of the organizers said to DUIC. "We want to show that we will not be knocked apart. And that we are actually getting closer together and supporting each other in this time."

Utrecht mass shooter acted alone with “terrorist intent": Prosecutor

Mar 21 '19 11:39

Crime Top Stories

The police found no indications that suspected gunman Gokmen T. received help from other people in the shooting on 24 Oktoberplein in Utrecht on Monday. He acted alone with terrorist intent, the Public Prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday.

1,500 kilos of cocaine found hidden in a banana shipment at the port of Antwerp, 15 March 2019

1,500 kilos of cocaine seized in international drug bust; 14 arrested

Mar 21 '19 10:50

The Dutch and Belgian police seized 1,500 kilograms of cocaine at the port of Antwerp on Friday. The cocaine, hidden in a banana shipment, was intended for a company in Kapelle. 14 men were arrested at the company, the police said in a statement.

On Monday a police SWAT team raided the company in Kapelle, after the truck that contained the cocaine arrived there. The arrested suspects are from Rotterdam, Goes, Middelburg, Hansweert, Amsterdam and Berkel-Enschot. Three of them have no permanent place of residence.

Delta flight to Amsterdam makes emergency landing in Iceland

Mar 21 '19 10:00

Business Health

Delta flight DL178 from Portland to Amsterdam had to make an emergency landing in Iceland on Monday due to a medical emergency on board, Delta confirmed to NL Times.

The plane departed from Portland, on the west coast of the United States, to the Netherlands at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dutch time. Nine hours and 45 minutes later, the Boeing 767-300ER made an emergency landing at Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik, according to Up In The Sky.

Nationalist FvD equals ruling party VVD in the Senate

Mar 21 '19 09:03

Politics

FvD received the most votes in the Provincial States election, according to a provisional forecast from news wire ANP. Over 93 percent of the votes have been counted. Thierry Baudet's nationalist party will get 12 seats in the Senate, the same number as ruling party VVD. GroenLinks also had a major victory, ending with 9 seats in the Eerste Kamer.

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Amsterdam subway station damaged by ATM bombing

Mar 21 '19 08:38

Crime Top Stories

Amsterdam subway station Ganzenhoef was badly damaged in an ATM bombing on Thursday morning. The blast shattered the windows at the entrance of the station and loosened many ceiling plates. The target of the bombing was the ATM at the entrance of the subway station in Zuidoost, NOS report.

The station is currently closed. The police and explosive experts are investigating whether any explosives were left behind.

Man killed in Rotterdam shooting

Mar 21 '19 08:18

Crime Top Stories

A man was killed in a shooting on Oranjeboomstraat in Rotterdam Zuid on Wednesday evening. Emergency services responded to the scene at around 10:20 p.m., after reports of screaming and a man with a bullet wound lying on the street, a spokesperson for the police told NU.nl.

Paramedics tried to help the man, but it was to no avail. He succumbed to his injuries around 30 minutes after emergency services arrived. The identity of the victim is not yet known.

Nationalist victory a punishment for "arrogance and stupidity" of NL's leaders, FVD leader says

Mar 21 '19 08:04

FvD leader Thierry Baudet believes that his party's victory in the Provincial States election is punishment for the "arrogance and stupidity" of the Netherlands' current leaders. In his victory speech he emphasized that FvD is now one of the largest parties in the country, and that a change has been set in motion. "Economic and political capitulation is coming to an end", he said, NOS reports.

Flevoland voting passes for the 2019 Provincial States election, 20 March 2019

Strong boost in voter turnout for 2019 elections in Netherlands

Mar 20 '19 23:00

Voter turnout was up substantially in the country's provincial election on Wednesday, compared with turnout in 2015. Some 57.9 percent of eligible voters showed up at polling places, up from 47.8 percent four years earlier, according to RTL Nieuws.

Right-wing nationalist FvD big winners in Netherlands' first exit polls

Mar 20 '19 21:19

The ruling coalition that forms the Cabinet in The Netherlands was projected to lose seven seats and its majority in the Eerste Kamer, the upper house of Dutch parliament. Eerste Kamer relative newcomer Forum voor Democratie (FvD), a nationalist right wing party, was projected to secure ten seats in the Dutch Senate, and left wing GroenLinks was expected to take eight seats. There are 75 seats in the chamber, with the coalition currently holding 38 for a razor thin majority.

Dutch PM's call for Caroliene's aid during election debate trending on Twitter

Mar 20 '19 17:50

Politics

Prime Minister Mark Rutte had a blackout during the last election debate before the Provincial States election on NOS on Tuesday. While debating with PvdA leader Lodewijk Asscher, the Prime Minister could not remember an example he wanted to give. "What was the second example? ... Caroliene, help, I lost it", he said, smiling towards the audience. After the debate Rutte asked the media not to make a big deal out of this, but by then the name 'Caroliene', and various spellings thereof, was already trending on Twitter.

Neighbor raises nearly €70,000 for Utrecht shooting victim's funeral

Mar 20 '19 17:00

The neighbor of 19-year-old Roos Verschuur, one of three people killed in a shooting on 24 Oktoberplein in Utrecht on Monday, launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the young woman's funeral. Within a day nearly 70 thousand euros was donated.

Tata Steel, Velsen-Noord, IJmuiden, Netherlands

Explosion at Tata Steel factory injures workers

Mar 20 '19 16:10