Europe Netherlands There are about 63.000 vacant houses in the country; as a solution, a tax on vacant houses has been suggested, similar to one that in Vancouver has reduced vacancy by 25%
Europe Netherlands Utrecht city council has become the third of the big Dutch cities to make a formal apology for its role in slavery, following on from Amsterdam and Rotterdam
Europe Netherlands Dutch startup Ocean Grazer has developed the Ocean Battery, which stores power underneath the wind farm, to overcome the problem of wasting energy when turbines produce electricity with the wind but demand is low
Europe Netherlands All classrooms will have a CO2 meter as part of the ventilation system, for which the government has set aside €17 million
Europe Netherlands Dutch museums and concert halls are temporarily turned into hairdressing salons in protest against the Dutch government's Covid-19 restrictions, which allow the opening of beauty salons but not cultural venues
Europe Netherlands PM Mark Rutte’s fourth cabinet was formally sworn in on Monday 10th, nearly 10 months after the general election and a year since the cabinet resigned over the childcare benefit scandal
Europe Netherlands Amsterdam's city council has bought nine buildings in the red-light district after negotiations lasting more than a year and they will be managed by a non-profit company in a bid to curb the rise of budget tourism in the oldest part of the capital
Europe Netherlands 15% of Dutch people have had arguments about Covid with friends and family, particularly on the subject of vaccinations, a survey by EenVandag showed
Europe Netherlands A man was arrested and then released pending the conclusion of the investigation because he was selling online a Covid kit for €33, so customers could get infected and obtain a green pass avoiding the vaccine
Europe Netherlands The agriculture minister has promised to end the practice of boiling crabs and lobsters alive, reacting to a motion tabled by animal rights MP Frank Wassenberg, who pointed out that it is scientifically certain that these animals feel pain
Europe Netherlands Archaeologists from the Huis van Hilde museum have found new evidence of a large Roman army camp at Velsen, discovering it was considerably larger than previously thought, accomodating thousands of soldiers to demonstrate its strategic importance
Europe Netherlands The city council of Utrecht has introduced a new school enrolment system to end segregation in primary schools by preventing the enrolment of newborn children, as dozens of schools usually still have informal waiting lists exploited by the more privileged
Europe Netherlands The Dutch Meteorological Institute (Knmi) has issued an alarming warning that sea levels could rise even more than expected off the country's coast, by up to two metres by 2100