International students in the Netherlands are very positive about the quality of Dutch lecturers, but they struggle to feel at home in the country, according to a survey by three student organizations. They struggle to connect with their Dutch peers, have trouble finding affordable housing, and complain about how difficult it is to find courses to teach them the Dutch language, Trouw and Het Parool report.
Business
Jun 11 '19 09:13
A malfunction with the payment terminals at Ahold stores has been resolved, the company reported on Tuesday morning. The malfunction left customers of Albert Heijn, Etos, and Gall & Gall unable to pay with their debit cards on Monday afternoon, ANP reports.
Jun 10 '19 11:50
Travelers' association ANWB expects busy roads in the Netherlands on Monday due to returning holiday makers, a number of events, and rainy weather. Traffic will start piling up around noon, according to the ANWB.
Many Dutch spent the Pentecost long weekend away. In the Netherlands, along the coast, the Wadden islands, and the Veluwe were popular destinations, according to RTL Nieuws. Germany, Belgium and France also drew many Dutch tourists for the holiday weekend.
Jun 10 '19 09:23
YouTube removed the Regionaal Archief Alkmaar video channel over "hate speech". The archive channel featured video footage of the Second World War and other archive footage of Alkmaar and its surroundings. The removal may have to do with the fact that Nazi symbols like swastikas can be seen on the WWII footage, NH Nieuws reports. The channel now seems to be back online.
Jun 10 '19 08:10
Around 50 climate activists from the group Smash Cruiseshit blocked the departure of Dutch cruise ship Zuiderdam from the German city of Kiel on Sunday afternoon, the action group said in a press release. The activists occupied a construction crane, positioned rowboats in front of the ship, and blocked access to the bollards to which the ship was moored.
Jun 7 '19 15:20
Broadcaster Omroep Zeeland may dismiss a 61-year-old chief editor, a court ruled on Thursday. The man became discredited at the broadcaster because he was accused of sexually harassing two female colleagues after getting drunk at an office party, and then he posted a blog on Facebook featuring the famous photo of a drunk sailor kissing a dentist assistant on Times Square after the victory over Japan in 1945, RTL Z reports.
Jun 7 '19 11:10
Eleven chains that offer meal delivery agreed to offer extensive traffic training to their deliverers, in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents involving delivery workers. Participants include Domino's Pizza, Febo, Spare Rib Express, and Taco Mundo. The services Thuisbezorgd, Deliveroo and Uber Eats have not yet signed up, NOS reports.
Jun 7 '19 08:54
Road users must take an extra busy evening rush hour into account on Friday afternoon, according to travelers' association ANWB. In addition to stormy weather set to hit the Netherlands in the afternoon, many people are also expected to hit the road to spend the Pentecost long weekend elsewhere.
Jun 6 '19 17:50
The Netherlands entire contingency of 28 Apache helicopters was grounded due to an apparent “defect” in the tail rotor, the Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday. The problem was discovered during maintenance work, according to the ministry’s Defense Helicopter Command.
“Shutting down flight programs is a common measure for this type of observation,” the ministry said in a statement. The nature of the problem and its effects were under investigation and not revealed.
Jun 6 '19 14:30
Heineken bought a minority share in Amsterdam craft brewery Oedipus, the two companies announced. Specific details about the deal - like how big the Heineken share is and what the Dutch beer giant paid for it - were not revealed, ANP reports.
Oedipus was established in an Amsterdam kitchen in 2011. In 2015 the company opened its own brewery, with a bar attached. Oedipus will remain an independent brewery with its owners leading the business. But Heineken's shares mean that the small craft brewery can make use of Heineken's knowledge on beer and brewing techniques.
Jun 5 '19 18:45
New rules around public broadcasting in the Netherlands means that the broadcasters will no longer be distributed before 8 p.m. The websites of the broadcasters will also go completely ad-free when the rules take effect, according to NOS.
The new strategy will be put forward by Arie Slob, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and Media. His letter to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, was not yet released on Wednesday afternoon.
Jun 5 '19 18:00
Electric cars will do a better job of retaining value in second-hand vehicle sales when compared to motor vehicles that make use of more common combustion engines, according to a report published by economists at Dutch bank ING. "The demand for used electric cars will exceed supply, resulting in rising used car prices," the bank said, estimating that 25 percent of used cars buyers in 2025 will consider an all-electric car.
Jun 5 '19 13:20
Dozens of small companies that received crowdfunding from commercial platforms in the form of a loan, went bankrupt a short time later, according to a study by investigative journalism platform Investico, Trouw and De Groene Amsterdammer. The companies end up in financial troubles due to the high costs involved in repaying their loans, Trouw writes.
Jun 5 '19 11:55
Imbalances on the Dutch housing market pose the "biggest stability risk" to the Netherlands, Dutch central bank DNB said in its latest Financial Stability Overview. The central bank also warned that a "disorderly Brexit" and the trade war between the United States and China can seriously damage economic growth.
The prices of houses in the Netherlands are still rising, albeit less rapidly than before, and the housing shortage continues. This makes it increasingly difficult for the average Dutch person to be able to afford a house.
Jun 5 '19 11:00
A total of 3.3 million new jobs were created in the Netherlands between 2014 and 2017, according to figures Statistics Netherlands released on Wednesday. In Amsterdam, youth unemployment nearly halved over the past our years. Last year 6.2 percent of young people between the ages of 15 to 26 years in Amsterdam were unemployed, compared to 13.3 percent in 2014, the city said in a press statement.
Jun 5 '19 10:08
ProRail started doing adjustments to the tracks between Haarlem and Zandvoort, to prepare for the thousands of Formula 1 fans expected to attend the Grand Prix in Zandvoort next year. In the coming year a mountain of work needs to be done, but ProRail expects it to succeed. "We're doing it at F1 speed", the rail manager said in a statement.
Jun 5 '19 09:00
Minister Wouter Koolmees of Social Affairs and Employment reached an agreement in principle on a new pension system with employers and employees. On Wednesday, the trade unions and other involved parties will present this agreement to their members to vote on it, NU.nl reports.
Jun 4 '19 16:30
Giving work permits to the foreign partners of people who found startups in the Netherlands is one of a package of measures the Dutch government announced to promote the startup and scale-up eco system in the country. Over the next four years, an extra 65 million euros will be invested in the Dutch startup and scale-up policy, State Secretary Mona Keijzer of Economic Affairs and Climate announced.
Jun 4 '19 15:40
Passengers who were on flights cancelled during staff strikes against budget airline Ryanair last year are entitled to financial compensation, according to Dutch company Aviclaim. The firm filed suit against Ryanair on behalf of its clients who were adversely affected by the cancellations.
Jun 4 '19 14:50
Motorists in The Hague face the most delays due to traffic jams in the Netherlands, according to calculations by navigation system maker TomTom. In The Hague, motorists on average have to take 28 percent extra travel time into account, Hart van Nederland reports.
That means that a trip that should take an hour, on average takes Hague motorists an hour and 17 minutes. During evening rush hour, a one-hour ride takes almost 40 minutes longer. In one year, the average motorist in The Hague loses 130 hours in traffic.
Jun 4 '19 10:05
The University of Amsterdam asked an external committee to investigate former rector Dymph van den Boom for possible violations of the rules for scientific integrity. The former rector's work will be reviewed for any suspicious text that could be the result of plagiarism, NU.nl reports.
The investigation was prompted by an investigation by NRC. According to the newspaper, Van den Boom extensively used text that was not properly cited throughout her her academic work and her role as an administrator.
Jun 4 '19 08:28
Prime Minister ark Rutte and the American Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo opened the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in The Hague on Monday afternoon. Some 2 thousand entrepreneurs, investors and representatives of government organizations from 134 countries will meet and make deals at the business summit over the next two days.
In addition to entrepreneurs and others from the business world, a number of prominent people like Queen Maxima and Ivanka Trump will also attend the summit.
Jun 3 '19 16:50
Overdue maintenance on bridges and tunnels can lead to a traffic disaster on the Dutch road network, according to a study by engineering firm Sweco on behalf of Bouwend Nederland. Traffic organizations ANWB and TLN call on parliamentarians to intervene. "The flow to the periphery is seriously impeded; cities can become unreachable", the groups wrote in a letter to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, AD reports.
Jun 3 '19 09:19
Amsterdam will start fining scooter- and moped riders caught driving on the city's bike paths on Monday. The city banned scooters and mopeds from the bicycle paths in April, but postponed imposing fines for two months to give everyone time to get used to the new rules, RTL Nieuws reports.
