DutchNews Podcast

Mark Rutte took a flight out of Egypt this week to fend off a mutiny in his party on asylum. It's not just the wolves that are feasting in Gelderland as a restaurant in Nijmegen is named the best place in the world for plant-based cuisine. The government still can't decide on a new pension scheme, and you'll have to wait longer to claim it anyway after the retirement age goes up again. Louis van Gaal unveils his squad for the World Cup in Qatar, while the cricket team upsets the odds to beat South Africa in the T20 World Cup.

Early November is traditionally a fruitful time for conspiracy theorists, as Guy Fawkes, David Icke and Rian van Rijbroek will testify. The RIVM admits it mixed up its numbers on nitrogen pollution just as the Council of State tells the government to redo its homework on building permits. Dutch railway operator NS cuts services and raises ticket prices, but insist it's still the only company fit to run the train network. Thousands of Ukrainian refugees settle in and successfully find jobs after the government decides not to treat them like refugees. And will rainbow-coloured wolves soon be roaming the Hoge Veluwe?

This week, we look at two instances of climate activism in the Netherlands and ask why the superglue does not seem to work. Asylum minister Eric van der Burg's troubles continue as local councils give him yet another ultimatum about sorting out the mess of where refugees should sleep. House prices are falling and interest rates are up so no hope of much helpful happening on the housing market. Dutch cricketers at the World Cup in Australia have not yet managed a win in the Super12 but are urging the big test nations to spend more time warming up in the Netherlands. The NS public book price is first delayed and then cancelled after voter fraud and animal welfare groups have accused rangers at the Hoge Veluwe national park of taming a wolf to show they are a threat to humans after all.

Wopke Hoekstra says Netherlands needs a 'constructive' relationship with gas-rich Qatar as he rejects parliament's calls to boycott the upcoming World Cup. Let's hope the relationship is constructed more carefully than the stadiums for the tournament, which cost the lives of thousands of migrant workers. Asylum minister Erik van der Burg is caught between a rock and a hard place after a court orders him to improve conditions for refugees, but his own VVD party and local councils won't give ground. After a two-day nationwide search, police find the bodies of a disabled 10-year-old girl and her care worker who went missing. And we report on the conclusion of a long-running court case involving a load of hot air, some ruffled feathers and a ballooning compensation bill.

Inflation will stay high until next year, house prices are cooling and there's a wave of bankruptcies on the way. 2023 looks like a good year to hide under the bedsheets, which might have inspired one prisoner this week to execute a traditional-style escape. The Groningen gas inquiry continues, but not even the collective force of a thousand earthquakes can jog Mark Rutte's active memory. And Amsterdam orders the closure of another 'dark store' that prides itself in delivering to your door faster than Napoli can score against Ajax.

Johan Remkes, the government's polder tsar, works his magic again as Dutch farmers cautiously welcome his plan to buy out up to 600 of the biggest nitrogen polluters - essentially the same plan that sparked two years of furious protest. There seems little hope of reconciliation between Khadija Arib and her successor as chair of parliament, Vera Bergkamp, after Arib quits as an MP and accuses Bergkamp and her PvdA colleagues of stabbing her in the back. The coronavirus season begins with the traditional 'don't panic' message from the health ministry as hospital beds fill up. Inflation rises to record levels, led by the bill for the government's energy price cap, which hits €23.5 billion. Nine men go on trial in Lelystad accused of being involved in a fatal attack on another Dutchman in Mallorca. And the remains of two medieval lions are dug up in The Hague, just as Ajax suffer their worst mauling in the history of the Champions League. * Henk Krol tweet: https://twitter.com/HenkKrol/status/1577963576437997569 * Five Live scene: https://twitter.com/AlexMazereeuw/status/1576844319306022912 * Nitrogen crisis explainer: https://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2022/06/whats-all-the-fuss-about-nitrogen-in-the-netherlands/

A bleak autumn looms as inflation surges to a new high, hospital beds start filling up with coronavirus patients and a battle royale breaks out between the Tweede Kamer's past and present chairwomen. Wages are also rising, though not as fast as inflation, and healthcare workers suffering from Long Covid could be in line for a €15,000 payout. But it's not all doom and gloom: some of Rembrandt's finest works are going on display in the Mauritshuis and Oranje have qualified for the finals of the glittering Nations League. And there's good news about the murder rate, which has come down by half in the last 20 years.

The inverted flags weren't the only sign of distress as the king opened Parliament for what looks set to be a gruelling year. The speech was rewritten at the last minute to include the goverment's hastily agreed energy price cap, one of several measures designed to bring down the soaring inflation rate. The cabinet walked out of parliament in protest at Thierry Baudet's latest conspiracy theory about Sigrid Kaag, who also came under fire for wanting to splash out on a more sustainable budget briefcase. Louis van Gaal is caught out embroidering his playing career as the Netherlands make progress in the Nations League. And there's animal news galore with happy lions, thriving wolves and a feisty seagull. Hofvijverpan video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CtI8yoBUeA&feature=youtu.be

As a winter of bankruptcies and financial lockdown draws nearer, the government dips into its pockets to help households struggling with their energy bills. The train drivers' strike is settled with a 9.25% pay rise, but Schiphol's boss, Dick Benschop, pays the price for a summer of airport chaos. Another big earner, Sywert van Lienden, anxiously awaits to see if the report into his €100 million face mask deal will salvage his reputation. And Heerenveen's mascot scores a win over his own club after a court ruled it strayed offside by suspending him in a dispute about last winter's lockdown rules.

The entire podcast team abandoned Paul by fleeing abroad, so no hour long episode as usual but only a brief overview of this week’s headlines. Agriculture minister Henk Staghouwer resigned after concluding he wasn’t the man for the job, Dutch leaders offered their condolences to the British Royal Family following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the NS plans to cancel all train services as rail workers continue to strike for better pay and conditions, the Netherlands hit the EU target of filling gas reserves by 80% and Max Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort the second time in a row.