Last night in Amsterdam, Radio Netherlands Worldwide presented the awards of the global competition “Inspired by Rembrandt”. The winners are Reginaldo Goncalves of Ghana and Alberto Iglesias Lorenzo of Spain, who may call themselves the “successors” of Rembrandt van Rijn. The award-winning art and the nominated pieces are on display as of today at a […]

Amsterdam students pay more than any other students in the country for their accommodation – an average of €310 a month for 18m – while Leeuwarden and Arnhem have the cheapest rooms, research by a student housing body shows. Finding somewhere to live takes longest – an average of four months – in Amsterdam, Nijmegen […]

A report reveals the number of annual emergency landings at Brussels airport annually but does not release the name of the companies or the types of planes most involved.
In 2003 the airport was placed on high alert and high-alert services such as fire-personnel were deployed 113 times to assist landings. The same scenario took […]

In the past 10 years, environmental pollution caused by economic activity in the Netherlands has declined. Only emissions of greenhouse gases have remained unchanged.
Between 1995 and 2005, the Dutch economy grew by over 25 percent. Pollution declined because companies have moved to cleaner production. In general, households’ pollution has also come down, despite an increase […]

The Dutch government has voiced dissatisfaction at a proposal to resume the stalled talks about a European constitution without the participation of the Netherlands and France, both of which last year rejected a draft text in separate referendums.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende warned of chaos if countries are excluded from the talks. Spain […]

Outgoing Deputy Minister for Social Affairs Henk van Hoof has announced that from next week Polish workers will be allowed to work in construction, transport, banking and at insurance companies and other service providers.
The measure comes as a surprise, as earlier this week a majority in parliament asked the government to exercise restraint in […]

The Belgian public television station RTBF shocked viewers on Wednesday evening with a dramatic - but fake - news report that the Dutch-speaking half of the nation had declared independence.
The Francophone station abruptly interrupted programming with the mock report, hoping to stir up debate a few months before an election in a country with […]

The Netherlands caretaker Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has resolved the cabinet crisis by moving Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk over to the justice ministry and by proposing a freeze on the expulsion of failed asylum-seekers who have children. The lower house of parliament will discuss the prime minister’s proposal on Thursday.
The crisis came about after […]

On 14th November, Statistics Netherlands and Universiteit Maastricht signed an agreement to cooperate.
They will continue to share each others databases. In addition, they will intensify their cooperation in the field of human resources, such as outsourcing of personnel and the temporary exchange of staff for internships.
The agreement has been signed for a period of 5 […]

Foreign Minister Ben Bot is optimistic about the swift return to the Netherlands of two children who were abducted by their Syrian father after a judge awarded custody of the children to their Dutch mother.
In June, the two fled to the Dutch embassy in Damascus and have been staying there ever since. Protracted discussions […]

The Dutch parliament is holding crisis talks today after MPs passed a motion condemning its caretaker immigration minister for refusing to halt deportations of rejected asylum seekers until a new ruling coalition was formed.
Rita Verdonk, known as “Iron Rita” because of her crackdown on immigration in recent years, made no immediate comment but was expected […]

“Maatricht Debates” is a new platform for debate and networking on issues of international cooperation and globalisation.
On Dec. 19 Ambassador John Shinkaiye, Chief of Staff of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, will give a lecture on governance challenges in Africa and the role of the African Union. Discussant is João Gomes Cravinho, Secretary […]

Wa Tondo serves up a central-African atmosphere with guitar-driven dance music, ongoing groovy drums, fast rhythms, and sensual Cuban rumba: it’s Soukous time!
With: Diva Banielle (TP Ok Jazz), Solo Ndinga (Alliance Nord-Sud) en SOS Watondo (Langa-Langa Stars en Choc Stars) & Band.
You can join a workshop African Dance before the concert. Mohammed Diakité will […]

Two out of every five students who go to MBO vocational training colleges leave without any qualifications, the MBO council said today. Some 40% of the population studies at an MBO college.
MBO or Middelbaar Beroeps Onderwijs stands for vocational education and training and is followed by some 40% of school leavers. There are currently 630,000 […]

The average life expectancy at birth in the Netherlands was 4.4 years longer for women than for men in 2005. The number of years men and women live in good health is about the same, however.
In 2005 the Dutch average life expectancy at birth was 78.9 years. For men it was 77.2 years, for […]

The sickness absence rate among Dutch employees averaged 4.0 percent in 2005, the same figure as in 2004. Fewer employees were reported ill, but the average absence period was longer, according to figures published by Statistics Netherlands. Agriculture and fisheries, care, education and financial institutions are not included in the overall sickness absence rate.
Absence due […]

Many more people aged around 60 retired from work in 2004 than in the years before. This increase is related to the ageing of the population and the reduction of staff by employers.
More retirement around age 60
The population aged 55 to 65 years is growing substantially. This is one of the reasons that the […]

Cheese production in the Netherlands rose by 7 percent in the first nine months of 2006. This seems to have put an end to the slight fall in production between 1995 and 2005. In this period cheese production in the European Union (EU-25) rose by 21 percent.
Cheese production in the Netherlands
The increase in […]

Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch-Ballin has sent a letter informing parliament that violent offenders undergoing treatment in a psychiatric hospital will, where appropriate, be accompanied by a guard when they are allowed out on leave.
Until now, patients on leave were accompanied by a socio-therapist. The guard will ensure that the patient does not run away. […]

Dutch companies have never had so much confidence in the economy in the past 20 years. They are expecting strong sales and export growth in 2007, the annual Chamber of Commerce survey published yesterday reveals.
The business confidence index (expectations on sales, exports investments and employment added up together) has shown a rapidly rising line since […]

The closure of the Dutch analogue TV transmitters on Sunday night has led to hundreds of complaints from viewers. The website geenbeeld.nl (geenbeeld = no picture) had already received 300 messages by mid-afternoon yesterday.
The main problem seemed to be poor reception of the replacement digital terrestrial service. In some towns, such as Eindhoven, Doetinchem en […]

More than 198,000 British nationals moved overseas last year, bringing the total number of Brits abroad to more than 5.5 million, according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research, published today (Monday). The report says that a strong economy at home has encouraged emigration and that very few Britons leave because they […]

Looking for that last-minute stocking filler for an expat? Lions Club Maastricht Mondial announces IENS Restaurant Guide:

In a unique venture, Lions Club Maastricht Mondial has teamed up with Genova Ventures and IENS Independent Index to publish the first full English-language restaurant guide for Maastricht and the South Limburg region - the ideal Christmas gift […]

Two conflicting opinions about the new national train timetable:
Switch to new train times goes smoothly
The introduction of a completely new national train timetable caused few problems for commuters during Monday’s rush hour, Dutch rail officials said this morning. The new timetable, replacing one dating from 1970, was officially introduced on Sunday after three years of […]

The first Maastricht-Brussels Express trains started riding yesterday as planned.
Train tickets can be purchased online at: http://www.maastrichtbrusselexpress.nl/
A one way ticket from Maastricht to Brussels (2nd class) costs EUR 17,10 (EUR 8,00 under 26 years old). The trip takes 1h20 only.
The Maastricht Brussles Express is a cooperative effort by the Belgian Railways SNCB, Dutch Railways […]

Male babies born in 2005 can expect to live to the age of 77.2 years, compared with 81.6 years for girls, according to latest figures from the CBS. Both men and women will enjoy good health for around 61 of those years, the CBS said.
Source: DutchNews.nl, 11 December 2006

Share This

Local councils in the Netherlands want central government to provide several dozen million euros to finance the monitoring and supervision of certain categories of former prison inmates.
Recent changes mean that municipalities and police forces now get advance warning about the release of people jailed for sexually abusing children.
In recent years, people in a […]

The European Union on Monday announced that Iraq and Iran are among the nations to be included in its Erasmus Mundus post-graduate study programme.
Some 1,300 grants will be offered to students in north Africa and the Middle East including Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco along with Russia and the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan […]

The European Ombudsman has turned to MEPs in Brussels to seek support for a request that German be considered as a language choice on EU presidency websites, while accusing EU member states of “maladministration” for dismissing such a request.
The EU citizens’ watchdog, ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros, on Monday (11 December) reitirated demands that presidency websites, […]

The Socialist SP, the big winners from last month’s elections, dropped out of talks to form a new coalition government on Thursday.
The facilitator of the talks, Rein Jan Hoekstra, made the announcement on Monday after meeting with party leaders Jan Peter Balkenende (Christian Democrat CDA), Wouter Bos (Labour PvdA) and Jan Marijnissen (SP).
Hoekstra said […]