Dutch News

Three months after introducing a curfew to drive coronavirus infections down, Mark Rutte said it was 'responsible' to lift restrictions now that cases are 25% higher and hospitals have started cancelling heart surgery. There's another setback in the efforts to form the next government as it emerges ministers pre-cooked the evidence they gave to parliament about the tax office scandal. There's shocking footage of a journalist's car being attacked by a shovel truck in Gelderland. And we investigate whether curfews are cool for cats. Photo of the Tweede Kamer Trump Brothel: https://twitter.com/sterestherster/status/1384415717391482881

As infections rose again this week, the government agreed to organise a series of mass events for people who are sick of lockdown, so they can get sick with coronavirus instead. We also explain why a D66 MP gave up his seat after just 15 days while Geert Wilders was uncharacteristically silent on the subject. Newly published tape recordings shed light on the case against the four men accused of shooting down flight MH17. And police are trying to trace a Mr Blessings in disguise, who devised a ploy to catch a hoard of valuable Pokemon cards. Manhattan tweet: https://twitter.com/palpeet/status/1382662813722816513 Jiggyjig song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCVjw1Qzh9o&t=186s Koningslied: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEUKyKb4g6k

In an Easter week of remarkable comebacks, none was so spectacular as Mark Rutte's career diving and resurfacing like a Dutch submarine catching a glimpse of barbecue sunshine. Forum voor Democratie's prodigal pensioner Theo Hiddema returned as a senator and veteran negotiator Herman Tjeenk Willink came out of retirement to head the coalition formation talks. We ask what could possibly go wrong as Hugo de Jonge unveils a cunning plan to hold mass public events in the middle of a pandemic. If you prefer to stay indoors, we explain how you can help fish navigate the Dutch canal network from the safety of your laptop. And the Dutch art world's answer to Sherlock Holmes helps track down a suspect in the case of two stolen paintings by Van Gogh and Frans Hals.

While Dutch salvage experts worked to free a 200,000 tonne cargo ship blocking the Suez canal, back home everything ground to a halt this week. The coalition talks were stalled by Kajsa Ollongren's positive coronavirus test and then torpedoed by her documentary faux pas. Hugo de Jonge struggled once again to convince MPS he was turning round the Netherlands' vaccination strategy. And the football team's World Cup dreams were marooned in the doldrums as Turkey inflicted a 4-2 defeat in Istanbul. One thing that is flowing freely is your personal data, as hackers obtain the details of 7.3 million car owners. Rita Verdonk campaign video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUYaRTYQ4w8 Tweede Kamer seats and change: VVD: 34 (+1) D66: 23 (+5) PVV: 17 (-3) CDA: 15 (-4) PvdA: 9 (+0) GroenLinks: 8 (-7) SP: 9 (-5) FVD: 8 (+6) PvdD: 6 (+1) ChristenUnie: 5 (+0) Volt: 3 (+3) SGP: 3 (+0) JA21: 3 (+3) DENK: 3 (+0) 50PLUS: 1 (-3) BBB: 1 (+1) BIJ1: 1 (+1)

The podcast team asks all the important questions in the wake of the election results. Who will be the fourth wheel on Mark Rutte's fourth cabinet? Where did the vote for the traditional left-wing parties go? Why did Sigrid Kaag's footwork succeed while Wopke Hoekstra stumbled? Will anyone ever wear a turtleneck to a television debate again? Plus we pick over the latest coronavirus figures, the problems with the AstraZeneca vaccine and a stand-off between health minister Hugo de Jonge and the nation's favourite grumpy grandpa.

We react to a dramatic exit poll that the election campaign scarcely deserved, with big wins for D66, disappointment for PVV and CDA and devastation for GroenLinks and the SP. Can the coalition 'motorblok' go it alone or will they try to bring a fourth partner on board? And we look at the four new parties entering parliament - with the Farmers' Citizens' Movement bring bringing the total to a record 17.

In a week dominated by elections, infections and corrections, Mark Rutte engaged some elaborate verbal trickery to justify extending the coronavirus curfew that he's been promising for weeks to abolish. Less than a week before election day, we ask why Rutte's VVD seem unassailable in the polls and what their rivals are doing to bridge the gap. The Dutch pick up plenty of gold in the sporting arena, with Suzanne Schulting sweeping the board in short track speed skating. And we bring you news of a pregnant wolf and some nomadic petrified lions.

A mixed week for boutique entrepreneurs as hairdressers and beauticians went back to work while cafe owners and sex workers protested against the lockdown. The first leaders' debate featured a painful confrontation for Mark Rutte, a pointed exchange between Sigrid Kaag and Geert Wilders, and an own goal by Jesse Klaver. We explain why cut-out penguins popped up in Drenthe, how researchers read a 300-year-old letter without opening it and why Rutte raised hackles in Groningen again. And with less than two weeks to go, we give you a bluffer's guide to the election so you can dazzle your friends with your knowledge of kiesdelers and informateurs.

The third wave of coronavirus rolls in just as deliveries of the vaccine grind to a halt and Amsterdam becomes the superspreading capital. Shipments of heroin and cocaine are also disrupted by police, while one of Germany's most wanted men is tracked down to Amsterdam. Finance minister Wopke Hoekstra slips up in Friesland, where ice stadium bosses are accused of engineering overblown results. In pot and kettle news, Hugo de Jonge accuses AstraZeneca of reneging on its promises. And we tell you why a group of homeless badgers are being passed from pillar to border post in Limburg.

Alarm bells rang in The Hague this week as a judge struck out the coronavirus curfew, prompting a mad scramble to get a new version through parliament. There was also a mad scramble across the country to find old skates as the coldest temperatures for eight years turned the Netherlands into a winter wonderland. Scientists call on people to send in their dead mosquitos and PVV MP Dion Graus faces more allegations of domestic abuse. And as election day approaches, we speak to polling specialist Tom Louwerse about the way opinion polls reflect and shape the political landscape.

Coronavirus plays second fiddle to skating fever this week as temperatures plunge and politicians call for the Elfstedentocht to go ahead, whether Friesland is ready for it or not. While the snowstorm rages outside, Thierry Baudet is caught up in a fresh racism storm as the FVD's WhatsApp chats leak out. Amsterdam eclipses London as Europe's share trading hub, overshadowing some bad news on the jobs front. And we tell you why three Dutch lions got the cold shoulder from a French zoo.

The Netherlands is bracing itself for its biggest freeze in a decade, but it still won't be as cold as the relationship between health minister Hugo de Jonge and hospital bosses after last week's row over vaccination numbers. Also in a frosty mood is Ajax coach Erik ten Hag over the omission of €22.5 million signing Sebastian Haller from his European campaign because somebody refused to fill in a form. Speaking of incomplete paperwork, all four coalition parties need to get their skates on to meet the deadline to file their list of candidates for the election. We celebrate a home grown winner in one of the few sporting events to go ahead this winter. And we speak to NRC's London correspondent Melle Garschagen as he prepares to set sail for his homeland after five years dominated by Brexit and coronavirus.

First the government collapses, then law and order breaks down on the streets of Zwolle. January 2021 is shaping up to be quite a month. The podcast team looks back on a turbulent week of rioting, vaccine gridlock and a massive data leak in the coronavirus testing system. Yet despite imposing the first curfew since the end of the war, polls suggest the caretaker government is more popular than ever. Elsewhere, Tour de France hope Tom Dumoulin takes a break from the bike and civil servants rattle a few cages with their advice on how to watch sport in a pandemic.

The government caved to pressure this week to bring in a 9pm curfew, after five hours of furious debate about what time it should begin. All fingers were pointing at Mark Rutte in the aftermath of the child benefits scandal as his practice of holding meetings in secret came under scrutiny. The entire world of speed skating moved to Friesland for winter, while the big names in chess descend on Wijk aan Zee. And we speak to Ben Coates about the state of the Dutch coronavirus strategy.

A special edition of the podcast following the collective resignation of Mark Rutte's cabinet on Friday. We ask what this means for the families involved and how it will affect the government's pandemic response. We examine Lodewijk Asscher's role in triggering Rutte's downfall, how the question of racism was marginalised during the inquiry and what effect it might have on the election campaign. And we reveal why Rutte took a wrong turn on his bike as he set off to tend his resignation to meet the King. Link to Episode 49: https://soundcloud.com/dutchnewsnl/the-defenestrated-bond-villain-edition-week-49-2020#t=1:05:02

This week's podcast was recorded while the cabinet was deciding whether to resign over the child benefits scandal, so we're unable to respond to the possible collapse of he government. But we can bring you up to speed on the coronavirus lockdown, the vaccination schedule and what sandwiches you can bring with you from the UK. Despite predictions of economic meltdown, fewer businesses went to the wall than at any time in the last 20 years and one home delivery firm saw its profits soar. And the Dutch wolf population is thriving, to the chagrin of Frisian farmers who want to erect a giant border fence to protect them from invaders from Drenthe and Overijssel.

2021 begins with a muted bang and the prospect of a long, cold winter lockdown. Health minister Hugo de Jonge showed his disdain for 'symbolic' gestures as the Netherlands' vaccination programme was finally launched at a televised press conference. The mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, came under fire for a New Year protest that bore an uncanny resemblance to a street party. And speaking of parties, a record number signed up to take part in the March 2021 election. Plus, live and exclusive, we announce the soaraway winner of our Ophef of the Year Awards for 2020.

Let's face it, most reviews of 2020 are going to be about as appealing as eating a burned kaassoufflé at an André Hazes concert in Zoetermeer. So why not escape the pandemic and binfire of democracy, pour yourself a glass of droplikeur and enjoy our Ophef of the Year Awards. From king Willem-Alexander being framed by a window cleaner to the alternative news station's interview with the ghost of Pim Fortuyn, we've got all the news it was fit to get fleetingly enraged about. There's also Thierry Baudet's tweet about Moroccan train inspectors, musical seat-stealing in the Tweede Kamer and Mark Rutte's viral handshake with Jaap van Dissel. Vote for your favourites by clicking on the link below and get a chance of winning a very special Dutch News Podcast mug. We'll announce the winner in our New Year show, once we've rigged the results. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11xxoxdZUfXFXqkNYj5D7XHF0WBQDCv7k1Gs3bn2M_gk/edit

Let's face it, most reviews of 2020 are going to be about as appealing as eating a burned kaassoufflé at an André Hazes concert in Zoetermeer. So why not escape the pandemic and binfire of democracy, pour yourself a glass of droplikeur and enjoy our Ophef of the Year Awards. From king Willem-Alexander being framed by a window cleaner to the alternative news station's interview with the ghost of Pim Fortuyn, we've got all the news it was fit to get fleetingly enraged about. There's also Thierry Baudet's tweet about Moroccan train inspectors, musical seat-stealing in the Tweede Kamer and Mark Rutte's viral handshake with Jaap van Dissel. We've posted an excerpt of the full episode publicly, but if you want hear the full ophef list first, help keep the podcast going by supporting us on Patreon. Want to support the DutchNews podcast and keep our stocks of dog food and stroopwafels healthy? Click here to become a Patreon backer. www.patreon.com/DutchNewsNL

Our special Ask Me Anything was recorded in the summer in the innocent, carefree days before the second wave. We tackled your questions on why the Dutch were being so mean to the Italians, the price of Trouby's dog food and Belgian architecture. We also try to rank flavours of drop and Dutch ice-cream flavours, which makes us wish coronavirus would take away our sense of taste. And you can enjoy Paul's reflections on going to see the worst Dutch movie ever made.