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

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

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

15% of Dutch people have had arguments about Covid with friends and family, particularly on the subject of vaccinations, a survey by EenVandag showed

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

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

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

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

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

Around 2 million households will receive hundreds of euros in compensation from the government for an increase in energy bills, while their bills will not increase at all, according to RTL Nieuws based on data from the Dutch Consumer and Market Authority

Dutch conglomerate Pon.bike - already reaching around €2,5 billion annual sales - has now become the world's largest bicycle company by acquiring US Dorel Sports

Thousands of volunteers have been helping to clean up the plastic swimming in Friesland's waters during the Skjin Wetter clean-up campaign, which ends today; 30 organisations and six municipalities have been involved in this goal

A man who stole two paintings by Van Gogh and Frans Hals has been sentenced to eight years in prison and to pay compensation of €9 million; the two paintings are still missing, but he was convicted thanks to DNA evidence