An even more explosive New Year's Eve than usual has forced politicians to talk seriously about banning neighbourhood fireworks. We discuss whether 2019 will prove to be the tipping point in the annual debate about a tradition that leaves hundreds of people injured each year. The Netherlands pulls its troops out of Iraq, Hudson's Bay pulls out of its Dutch stores and Ajax defender Sergino Dest pulls out of the team's controversial winter tour. Plus we've got a red-hot ophef of the week, so be sure to check in with us online, unless you're a certain Dutch celebrity...

It's the final podcast of the year and that can only mean one thing: the nominations for Ophef of the Year are in. We update you on the situation in Duindorp, the tax office benefits scandal and Ajax's exit from the Champions League. There's a tall story about US basketball players bingeing on a Dutch delicacy, and Molly gets to ask Stef Blok the question on everyone's lips: who's inside the Brexit Muppet suit? Click here to vote for the Ophef of the Year: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWkimbZwfMWanQG0w21zCNXOmKacktGvk9T5VEw7fZiB1PFg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hot gossip, dodgy deals and bureaucratic minefields dominate this week's news. Finance minister Menno Snel comes under fire over the tax office's blunderbuss approach to suspected benefit fraud and tempers flare as The Hague cracks down on New Year beach bonfires. The detention of a teenager who was unaware he was an illegal immigrant sparks uproar, as does Klaas Dijkhoff's decision to trouser thousands of euros for leaving a cabinet post after less than a month. We bring you the fascinating story of the amateur footballer who blagged his way into four professional clubs without playing a game. And just what did Mark Rutte find so funny about Donald Trump that it triggered the president's early exit from the Nato summit?

Several long-running sagas come to a head in this week's podcast. Prime minister Mark Rutte and defence minister Ank Bijleveld face more tough questions over the deaths of 70 civilians in a bombing raid in Iraq. The tax office's sledgehammer approach to families suspected of defrauding the child support system also comes in for heavy criticism. Meanwhile, decorated war hero Marco Kroon's career is dangling by a thread after his confrontation with police during Carnaval season. And we ask the question that's been on everyone's lips: are you really breaking the law if you let your cat out? Disclaimer: We apologize for the bad audio quality, which in the absence of Molly we fully and completely blame on her.

We're a man down this week, with Gordon disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Molly and Paul hold down the fort and tell you about why Kim Kardashian West ruffled some feathers in the Netherlands, why Dutch people are still chanting racist things at football matches and how Oscar Wilde got his ring back. In the discussion, they ask what is integration and why are the Dutch so bad at it?

As the nitrogen crisis continues to hang over the country like a vaguely threatening cloud, we examine how cutting speed limits became such a hot political potato. A court orders the government to bring home the children of jihadist mothers, while the MH17 takes another twist as prosecutors implicate Russian military commanders. The start of Sinterklaas season triggers the annual tide of rage about Zwarte Piet and GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver is named the brightest star in the Dutch political firmament. And after a six-year absence from international football tournaments, can the Netherlands seal qualification for Euro 2020 this weekend?

It's been a week of false starts and abrupt endings as Schiphol's timetable was thrown into turmoil by a trigger-happy instructor, teachers went out on strike following a double U-turn by unions, a lawyer survived a cross-border assassination attempt and Ajax salvaged a draw from a winning position after being reduced to nine men against Chelsea. We also discuss the fall-out from the recent revelations about a raid by Dutch fighter planes that killed 70 civilians in Iraq.

There's a groundhog day feel about this week's podcast as the builders' protest fills the deep tyre treads left by the farmers on the Malieveld, yet another do-or-die date is set for Brexit and our favourite football manager once again comes out of retirement for one last job. Plus we bring you an 11-year-old shaggy dog story from the Achterhoek and the lottery giveaway that made green-eyed punters see red. In our discussion we step into the legal and political minefield surrounding the issue of bringing Dutch IS fighters to justice.

Sorry folks, no podcast this week!

As 8,000 tractors roll into The Hague, the DutchNews podcast asks if the farmers will reap a bitter harvest from their rolling protests against anti-nitrogen regulations. We also try to unravel the mystery surrounding a family of cultists found living on a remote farmhouse in Drenthe, find out how undercover flower investigators blew the lid on the black tulip scam, explain how a team of engineers' hopes of winning Down Under went up in smoke and tell you why your neighbourhood is likely to be decked out in orange tat this summer.