DutchNews Podcast

For the second year in a row the May 4 and May 5 ceremonies took place without an audience. Actor André van Duin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the event with moving speeches about rebuilding after the war, while conspiracy theorists marked it with a tasteless poster about coronavirus rules. The Netherlands' largest online retailer bol.com was reeled in by an online phishing scam that cost it €750,000. Bees, cows and jackals all feature in our round-up of animal news. And after the weekend celebrations at the ArenA, we ask if you're more likely to catch a nasty disease from a pigeon or an Ajax supporter. - Marco van Basten pannenkoek moment: https://youtu.be/Bq3u7GHZLbA?t=56 - André van Duin on Dam Square: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiNeH1b58Lk - Angela Merkel May 5 speech: https://youtu.be/VPDY2ilNih0?t=380

Sighs of relief alternated with sharp intakes of breath this week as the coronavirus rules were relaxed just as the number of patients in hospital reached a four-month high. Minutes of cabinet meetings confirmed that ministers tried to stonewall MPs' efforts to expose the child benefits scandal. Another critical report shed a light on the culture of bullying and abuse in the world of gymnastics. And a Dutchman's dream of starting a new life in Belarus was scuppered when he was caught trying to cross the border from Lithuania on his bike.

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.