Dutch court rejects Facebook’s bid to have privacy lawsuit in the Netherlands dismissed

A court in Amsterdam ruled that privacy litigation against Facebook in the Netherlands can proceed, rejecting the social network’s bid to have the lawsuit from two non-profit groups thrown out.

Read more at: Dutch court rejects Facebook’s bid to have privacy lawsuit in the Netherlands dismissed

Netherlands to Launch EU Digital COVID Passport on July 1

The Dutch Government has announced that the country will introduce the Digital COVID Passport in order to facilitate travel within the European Union amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more at: Netherlands to Launch EU Digital COVID Passport on July 1 - SchengenVisaInfo.com

The Netherlands: World's most expensive drug may not be covered by Dutch insurance

A drug to treat a rare muscle disease which affects some 20 children in the Netherlands a year should not be included in the basic insurance package unless the price is halved, government advisory group Zorginstituut Nederland has said in new recommendations.

In addition, pharmaceutical company Novartis should also agree to payment on the basis of the actual results, the institute said. Zolgensma, known as the most expensive drug in the world, is used to treat spinal muscular dystrophy (SMA) and costs €1.9m per treatment. The institute estimates that if the cost were halved, the drug would add some €11m to the Dutch healthcare budget a year.

Read more at: World's most expensive drug may not be covered by Dutch insurance - DutchNews.nl

Netherlands Embassy DC, USA unveils 3 new bells for the Carillon - by Ryan Sprouse

You might see some new bells at the Netherlands Embassy in the District.

Three new bells were added to the Netherlands Carillon. The Carillon, located in Northwest, is one of Washington’s major landmarks and is currently undergoing renovation. ­­­

The bells are dedicated to three influential Americans whose legacy impacted the world: Secretary George C. Marshall, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt. Each bell has its own unique touch to it, but the largest of the bells, the “Marshall Bell,” is as tall as an average American.

Read More at: Netherlands Embassy unveils 3 new bells for the Carillon | wusa9.com

China-Netherlands Relations: Hi Speed Internet: Huawei denies spying accusation in the Netherlands

report accusing Huawei of having once had "unlimited access" to phone calls made using one of the Netherlands' leading operators, KPN, has been published by a Dutch newspaper.

The report was compiled by the CapGemini consultancy in 2010 but never released.

Those affected would have included former Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

Read more at: Huawei denies spying accusation in the Netherlands - BBC News

India: The Netherlands Is Banning Passenger Flights from India

The Netherlands is banning passenger flights from India, where coronavirus infections are surging to record levels.

The government says the ban comes into force Monday evening and initially lasts until May 1. Flights carrying cargo and medical staff are exempt.

About seven flights a week arrive in the Netherlands from India.

Read more at: The Netherlands Is Banning Passenger Flights from India | heatlh & science , coronavirus | The National Herald

Netherlands keeps crown as world’s best pension system - by Rachel Fixsen, Venilia Amorim

The Dutch pension system has won the highest score in the latest Global Pension Index report from Mercer, with the international consultancy using this year’s publication to sound a stern warning on the impact of the pandemic on retirement income systems around the world.

In the 2020 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index report – previously called the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index – which awards national pension systems points for adequacy, integrity and sustainability as well as giving them an overall score, the Netherlands came top with 82.6 points, followed by Denmark with 81.4 and Israel with 74.7 points.

Read more at: ​Netherlands keeps crown as world’s best pension system | News | IPE

Netherlands joins Ireland in Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine suspension over blood clot concerns

The Netherlands has joined Ireland in suspending use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as a precautionary measure following further reports of blood clots in people who have received it, this time from Norway.

Announcing the move late on Sunday, the Dutch health ministry said there was no proof yet of a direct link between the vaccine and reports of possible side-effects from Norway and Denmark and it had not recorded any cases in the Netherlands.

Read mre at: Netherlands joins Ireland in vaccine suspension over blood clot concerns | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Rapid Corona test: Netherlands set to launch rapid-test ‘Corona-Check’ app

The Netherlands will test an app this weekend called “coronacheck“, which will help aid entrance to festivals. Asking users of the app to travel to one of 100 test locations nationwide partake in a rapid test, an employee will fill in a code in your app which will create a QR code. At the entrance of a festival, the employees will scan the code and when the screen turns green you will have access to the event. The result is valid for 48 hours, and the test is free. The app is linked to your name and date of birth and that will be checked upon entrance to avoid fraud. People in the Netherlands can also use this app for other public events or settings, such the cinema, concerts, and sports matches.

At the press conference on Monday, outgoing Netherlands minister Mr. De Jonge indicated that a law still has to regulate the obligation to enter certain places. This law will be discussed in the House of Representatives this month. According to the Ministry of Health, the country will not open again fully until mid-April at the earliest. The parallel test streets will be located at a hundred different locations, and the new is generally being welcomed as a positive development for the country of the Netherlands.

RFead more at: Netherlands set to launch rapid-test ‘Corona-Check’ app

The Netherlands: How corrupt is the Netherlands?

Out of 180 countries, the Netherlands ranks eighth, with a score of 82 points, placing it above the likes of Germany (80 points), the UK (77), France (69), the US (67) and Spain (62). Denmark and New Zealand topped the ranking with 88 points each and the Netherlands ranked just one place lower with a score of 82 points. On the other end of the scale, Somalia and South Sudan scored the worst, with a total of 12 points each.

Read more at: How corrupt is the Netherlands?

The Netherlands: Fewer and fewer people in the Netherlands see themselves as meat-eaters - by Victoria Séveno

According to a recent survey, the number of people in the Netherlands who classify themselves as meat-eaters continues to decline, with a third of all households planning to cut their meat intake in 2021.

The Vegamonitor - an annual study published by non-profit organisation Natuur & Milieu - is designed to examine the eating habits of the people in the Netherlands and whether or not perspectives on different diets change over time. The 2021 study was conducted among more than 1.000 people.

Past studies have unveiled a trend towards eating less meat, but the trend has been slow to progress. Now, however, as everyone enters 2021, Natuur & Milieu found a “significant decrease” in the number of people who classify themselves as meat-eaters: 55 percent in 2021 compared to 59 percent a year earlier. Furthermore, 34 percent of households plan on eating less meat in the new year. 31 percent said they had taken this decision in order to preserve the planet for future generations.

Read more at: Fewer and fewer people in the Netherlands see themselves as meat-eaters

The Netherlands: Everything you need to know about the curfew in the Netherlands

The curfew will be in effect from 9pm on January 23 until (at least) 4.30am on February 10. During these hours, members of the public will be expected to stay at home.

The Dutch government hopes that implementing a curfew will (significantly) reduce the number of social gatherings. The Outbreak Management Team said it would be particularly effective in preventing young people from attending / holding parties or meeting one another on the streets. Acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte hopes it will stop people from visiting the homes of family members and friends.

Read more at: Everything you need to know about the curfew in the Netherlands

The Netherlands: MP's approve 9 p.m. curfew in the Netherland starting Saturday

A majority of the members of parliament in the Netherlands voted in favor of a curfew from 9 p.m. through 4:30 a.m. The curfew will begin at 9 p.m on Saturday a half-hour later than what was proposed by the outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte.

The issue was up for debate on Thursday in Parliament as it was considered a controversial policy that should not be enacted by a caretaker Cabinet two months before the general election. The vote took place just after 6:30 p.m., over eight hours after hearings on the curfew started. Exiting coalition party D66 submitted a motion several hours into the debate to shift the start of the curfew back from 8:30 p.m., as Rutte proposed. That won the support from the outgoing prime minister's VVD party, and the other coalition parties of CDA and Christen Unie. Additionally, Labour (PvdA), the Socialist Party (SP) and 50Plus voted in favor, representing a combined total of 101 seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament.

Read more at: MP's approve 9 p.m. curfew in the Netherland starting Saturday | NL Times

The Netherlands: Dutch border police bar 10 British nationals from entering the Netherlands

Dutch border police have refused 10 British nationals entry to the Netherlands since January 1, when UK visitors were no longer covered by EU regulations, broadcaster NOS said on Sunday.

Since January 1, the UK is no longer considered an EU country and its nationals are barred from visiting the Netherlands unless their journey is essential, because of coronavirus rules.

‘They all had a negative PCR test, but had forgotten the basic rule, that they need to have an urgent reason to come, such as work or serious family issues,’ border police spokesman Robert van Kapel told NOS.

Read more at: Dutch border police bar 10 British nationals from entering the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl

Netherlands: Negative test result mandatory for most travellers to NL

Everyone over the age of 12 arriving in the Netherlands from a high risk area by plane, boat, train or coach will have to be able to show a negative coronavirus test from December 29, the Dutch government has confirmed.

Read more at: (Update) Negative test result mandatory for most travellers to NL - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: Reactions to Rutte's 5-week coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands

Speaking from his official office in The Hague, Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed the people of the Netherlands and, before announcing the new measures that would place in the country under lockdown, delivered a speech that served to remind the public of the severity of the situation and the importance of following the rules.

Almost 8,4 million people tuned in to listen to what the Prime Minister had to say - the highest number of viewers ever garnered by a coronavirus press conference or speech. Nearly 90 percent of all the people who were watching TV on Monday evening were watching Rutte’s speech.

People may have been eager to hear what Rutte had to say, but how have people responded to the strict lockdown measures that have been introduced just before the Christmas holidays?

Read more at: Reactions to Rutte's 5-week coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands

The Netherlands - Coronavirus: Reactions to Christmas coronavirus measures in the Netherlands

On Tuesday evening, around 5,5 million people tuned in to watch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge’s press conference, in which they announced that no coronavirus measures would be relaxed over Christmas.

On the whole, this decision didn't come as much of a surprise, as the number of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands remains high. However, there were some that had hoped for some good news on December 8.

Business owners have become increasingly frustrated with the enforced closure of the catering industry, but were left hoping for some good news after a document from the Ministry of Economic Affairs leaked on Tuesday afternoon. The document stated that, based on figures from the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), the catering industry actually only had a very limited impact on the national r-number.

Read more at: Reactions to Christmas coronavirus measures in the Netherlands

The Netherlands: Another one: Hiker finds a new metal monolith in the Netherlands: "a message from aliens from outerspace, or just a hoax?"

Strange metal monoliths are materialising everywhere, in California, Romania, the Isle of Wight and, according to the latest reports, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. Their rate of appearance is quickening: barely 24 hours separate photos of the lone sentinel on the Isle of Wight’s Compton Beach and the new European manifestations. As these silent messengers follow those seen at wider intervals in Utah, California and Romania it seems that their message is becoming more urgent, the time of their revelation imminent.

One thing is clear to people all around the world, the metal monolith saga will not be ending any time soon as another one has been spotted in the Netherlands.

Similar to the ones in Utah, Romania, California and Britain, the Netherlands, too, has added its name to the list of places where the monolith mystery has itched its place.

"I walked up to it, but there was nothing to be seen around the monolith. Just as if it was placed from above," hiker Thijs de Jong told media — who was the first one to spot the monolith.

Read more at: Another one: Hiker finds a new metal monolith in the Netherlands, World News | wionews.com

Britain-Netherlands relations: Creatives from UK and NL discuss how to adapt to Brexit and Covid

Creatives from the UK and the Netherlands came together in a virtual session on 25 November 2020 to discuss opportunities for, and threats to, future Anglo-Dutch cultural collaboration. In less time than it takes to drive from London to Birmingham, the nearly thirty participants from all over England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands had concluded a very successful session, coming up with some excellent analyses of what is required to maintain strong international cultural connections. It shows there are positives to the 'new normal' of meeting each other online. The useful input that was gathered during this meeting helps the Dutch Embassy in the UK, organiser of the event, to focus its efforts on facilitating bilateral cultural exchange.

Read more at: Creatives from UK and NL discuss how to adapt to Brexit and Covid | News item | netherlandsandyou.nl

Nigeria-Netherlands relations: Nigeria gets back 600-year-old artefact from the Netherlands

Nigeria has received a “priceless” terracotta head believed to be at least 600 years old which was smuggled to the Netherlands, the information minister said.

Dutch ambassador to Nigeria Harry Van Dijk on Thursday returned it to Information Minister Lai Mohammed in a ceremony in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

ead more at: Nigeria gets back 600-year-old artefact from the Netherlands | Europe | Al Jazeera