An exceptionally bright fireball was spotted in the skies all across the Netherlands on Thursday night. Dozens of people in the Netherlands as well as Belgium reported seeing the bright streak of light around 9:00 p.m. It was very likely a meteor, though that can not be said with absolute certainty yet, Felix Bettonvil of Leiden Observatory said to AD.
Groningen
Sep 21 '17 09:37
The United Nations Global Center of Excellence on Climate Adaption (GCECA) that is opening in the Netherlands, will be based in Rotterdam and Groningen, State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment announced. The two cities' joint application had the most convincing plan, she said, according to NOS.
Sep 19 '17 14:49
On Tuesday King Willem-Alexander opened the Netherlands' parliamentary year with his traditional Budget Day speech. He talked about the devastation Hurricane Irma left of the Caribbean islands that form part of the Dutch Kingdom, terrorism around the world, the prosecution of those responsible for the MH17 disaster, and making sure that everyone in the Netherlands benefits from the improving economy, among other things.
Sep 12 '17 08:29
The Netherlands' coastal provinces will face the season's first official autumn storm on Wednesday, according to meteorological institute KNMI. The KNMI warns of wind gusts on the coast and the IJsselmeer of up to 90 kilometers per hour. Weerplaza forecasts winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour on the Wadden.
Sep 11 '17 17:10
A total of 950 thousand people visited a monument on Open Monument Day over the weekend, somewhat less than last year. According to the organizers, this can be attributed to the rainy weather, NOS reports.
For Open Monument Day, over 4 thousand monuments that are usually closed to the public, were open for visitors free of charge. Major attractions included the Martini Church in Groningen, the Cereol factory in Utrecht and the Ridderzaal in The Hague.
Sep 11 '17 13:10
The management of Groningen student association Vindicat denies all reports that its members destroyed the Sushi Mall restaurant in Groningen when a party with a few hundred students got out of hand last week. According to the management, there is "no damage", NU.nl reports.
Sep 11 '17 09:03
A few hundred members of Groningen student association Vindicat vandalized, looted and harassed the staff of a sushi restaurant in the city last week, AD reports.
Aug 30 '17 09:26
The Netherlands will be dependent on natural gas imports up to six years sooner than the government expects, according to a study by research institute TNO. The researchers call on the government to take timely measures to make sure that households don't end up without gas, NOS reports.
Aug 29 '17 16:10
There are no indications that arson was involved in a massive fire that destroyed the Holland Casino in Groningen on Sunday, mayor Peter den Oudsten said on Tuesday. The police are therefore halting their investigation. RTL Nieuws reports.
Aug 29 '17 09:26
Over a quarter of homes sold in the second quarter of this year, were sold for or above the asking price, according to a study by Calcasa. This combined with skyrocketing housing prices, and an increase in house sales, indicates that the housing market in the Netherlands is overheating, the company, which is focused on automated valuation and statistical analysis of real estate, concluded, NU.nl reports.
Aug 28 '17 08:37
The Holland Casino in Groningen was completely destroyed in a massive fire that was discovered around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, and which firefighters finally managed to get under control around 3:30 p.m. No one was seriously injured, but millions of euros of damage was done, Dagblad van het Noorden reports.
Aug 23 '17 16:50
Pathe will be screening the season finale of Game of Thrones in seven of its cinemas next week. Fans of the HBO series can enjoy the finale on the big screen for free, NU.nl reports.
The almost 80 minute long episode will be screened in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Maastricht, Tilburg and Utrecht at 7:00 p.m. on Monday - about 24 hours after it is first broadcast in the United States. It is highly advisable to big your ticket in advance.
Game of Thrones is one of HBO's most popular series. In the Netherlands it is broadcast by Ziggo.
Aug 18 '17 08:46
The number of children in the Netherlands growing up in a family that receives welfare benefits increased by 2.1 percent to a total of 230 thousand last year, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday. This number increased every year since 2012.
More than two thirds of children who lived on welfare last year had an immigration background. Half of this group fall under the "other non-western category", compared to 39 percent in 2012. In this category the stats office includes all non-western countries except Morocco, Suriname, Turkey, Aruba and the former Dutch Antilles.
Jul 25 '17 12:15
The police arrested a 32-year-old man in Groningen on suspicion of computer fraud, identity fraud and money laundering. He was caught buying items online with stolen identities and then reselling them. He told the police he did so to pay off his student loan, the police said in a statement.
The man placed so-called key-loggers on two public computers at an educational institution in the city of Groningen. Key-loggers record what keys are hit on a keyboard, which gave the man access to, for example, credit card information or login details.
Jul 24 '17 16:50
A large number of organizations, schools, child care institutions and sports clubs in Groningen are working together to make the city the first smoke-free city in the Netherlands. Their ultimate goal is to have no smokers in Groningen, and that no one in the city becomes sick due to smoking, initiator Robert van den Graaf said to RTL Nieuws.
Jul 17 '17 17:10
The nest of a rare pallid harrier was discovered in Groningen, the first time ever this bird species was found breeding in the Netherlands. Four baby birds hatched in the nest, NU.nl reports.
A volunteer for the Montagu's Harrier work group found the nest by chance in a barley filed late in May. The location of the nest was kept secret, so that the pallid harriers could roost in peace.
The work group carefully followed and recorded the breeding and hatching process. A fence was erected around the nest to keep predators like foxes away.
Jul 13 '17 12:00
In the past quarter the number of homes sold in the Netherlands decreased for the first time in nearly three years, according to realtors association NVM. The association attributes the decrease to a shortage in available homes on the market. There were 97 thousand existing homes for sale throughout the Netherlands last quarter - the lowest number since 2004, NOS reports.
In April, May and June 56,900 homes were sold in the Netherlands, a decrease of 0.8 percent compared to the same quarter last year.
Jul 13 '17 10:45
A 36-year-old man was injured when he was hit over te head with an unknown object in Oosterparkwijk, Groningen on Wednesday night. The police initially stated that the Groningen man was attacked with an axe, but later said that the type of weapon used is unclear.
The victim was rushed to the hospital. On Thursday morning the police confirmed that he is in a stable condition.
The attack happened on Hortensiastraat. Officers closed down the street for investigation and spoke to local residents and witnesses. The police are looking for multiple perpetrators.
Jul 3 '17 10:40
An increasing number of Dutch homes are being bought without a mortgage, according to the Land Registry. Last year almost a third of the apartments sold in the Netherlands were bought in cash, NOS reports.
In the large Dutch cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, about 25 percent of houses were bought without a mortgage. In student cities like Delft, Groningen and Maastricht, 30 percent were bought in cash. Last year mortgage-free buyers spent 8.6 billion euros on homes, 16 percent of the total money spent on mortgages. In 2011 it was 4 billion euros.
Jun 28 '17 15:20
The number of suicides in the Netherlands increased again last year, according to Statistics Netherlands. In 2016 a total of 1,894 people in the Netherlands took their own life, 25 more than in 2015.
In relation to the number of residents in the Netherlands, the number of suicides has been stable for a few years. Since 2013 there's been 11 suicides per 100 thousand inhabitants each year, about equal to the European average. The increase in absolute numbers can therefore be attributed to population growth, according to Statistics Netherlands.
Jun 28 '17 12:10
Dutch oil and gas giant NAM is appealing to the Council of State against Minister Henk Kamp's decision to further reduce gas extraction in earthquake plagued Groningen. According to NAM, the Economic Affairs Minister ignored the already established safety standard for gas extraction in the province when making his decision, NU.nl reports.
Jun 19 '17 13:35
Top Dutch - Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland's campaign to bring a massive Tesla factory to north Netherlands - launched a new step in its campaigning on Monday. The northern provinces are now recruiting people to work at the prospective Tesla factory, the Leeuwarder Courant reports.
Jun 16 '17 16:55
Prime Minister Mark Rutte is visiting Groningen on Friday to discuss gas extraction in the province and the many fracking earthquakes it resulted in. His schedule includes talks with people affected by earthquake damage, a dinner and receiving a petition against gas extraction, Dagblad van het Noorden reports.
May 11 '17 16:15
A 34-year-old man from Groningen was arrested at a doctor's office in the city after he attacked and injured a doctor and one of his colleagues, the police said in a statement.
The man was at the doctor's office for treatment. While the doctor was speaking to him, he became angry. The doctor tried to calm him down, but to no avail. The man attacked the doctor, beating and kicking him. It took several colleagues to drag the man off the doctor, during which one of the colleagues was injured. The man also cause considerable damage in the doctor's office.
