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Tilburg municipality steps in to help its entrepreneurs

Jana Vondráčková 🇨🇿
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Tilburg municipality steps in to help its entrepreneurs

The Tilburg municipality has today launched a new support programme for starting entrepreneurs. Eligible entrepreneurs can apply for a loan of up to €15.000.

The rescue comes just in time. Strong corona restrictions cost starting businesses more than just their revenue. With the high uncertainty around the pandemic, banks are losing faith in the hospitality industry. This makes it particularly hard for entrepreneurs to get support.

While the national government promises support packages for starting businesses, these will be available no earlier than May. Every month without revenue can be detrimental to a starting business, so Tilburg decided to take the matters into their own hands. The support programme from the municipality is thus a welcome surprise for business owners.  

No interest for the first year

The programme is designed so that the loan doesn’t have to be repaid for the first three years, and the first year is interest-free. After that, the interest rate for participating businesses is 2%. 

Tim Frenken, the owner of the city beach Beachy, has mixed feelings about the programme. “Some entrepreneurs already have such high debts that they don’t want to take out another loan,” he tells RTL Nieuws.

However despite this reservation, he is grateful. “You often don’t feel heard in a crisis like this. It’s nice to see the municipality stepping in.”

What do you think? Would you like to see other municipalities pitch in and give local businesses support?  Let us know in the comment below!

Feature image: Andrew Neel/Unsplash

3 bizarre things that happened in the snowy Netherlands this weekend

Chloe Lovatt 🇬🇧
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3 bizarre things that happened in the snowy Netherlands this weekend

Taking an Insta worthy pic of the Dutch scenery wasn’t the only thing people got up to this weekend.

The wintery weather of the Netherlands this weekend has managed to lift people’s spirits. Many ventured out to enjoy the snow, but, naturally, some people got a bit carried away. Here are three bizarre things that happened thanks to the chilly weather. 

Dangerous driving in the snow

Despite a code red warning urging cars to stay off the road, a man in Alphen aan den Rijn decided he could handle the icy driving conditions. The problem? Scraping off his entire windscreen proved to be too large a task. 

Image: Politie Alphen aan den Rijn/Twitter

He was picked up by Dutch police because, you know, you need to be able to see the road. The driver’s day didn’t get much better when the police issued him with a €259 fine. 😬

Police have a snowball fight

What’s better than police maintaining the peace in society? When they join in a snowball fight instead! Amsterdam police swapped their weapons for snow in Dam Square. 

The battle commenced in the early hours of Sunday morning, just as curfew ended at 5AM. A group of early risers enticed the local police into joining their snowball fight — and let’s be fair: the police are only human, how can they resist? Check out the video below. 

Pets give their owners sleigh rides

Were we in the Netherlands — or the North Pole? With driving and biking virtually impossible, some Dutchies turned to more traditional forms of transport, and enlisted their pets to help them out. 

Images and videos of dogs enjoying the snow just as much as their owners have emerged, like this husky being used to pull children on a sled! 

Have you found any novel ways of enjoying the snow so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: RedCharlie/Unsplash

Snow update: code orange until noon, travel warnings, and many students get snow day

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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Snow update: code orange until noon, travel warnings, and many students get snow day

A code orange weather warning will remain in place until at least Monday midday after the Netherlands woke up under another heavy blanket of snow this morning. What does this mean for the country? 

Firstly, travel is currently extremely restricted. Due to a combination of strong winds and drifting snow, conditions on Dutch roads remain very dangerous in the centre and north of the country, the NOS reports. The Rijkswaterstaat has advised that people should only travel if absolutely necessary.

There were 450 incidents reported on the roads over the weekend, a spokesperson for the Rijkswaterstaat, Debby van Slegtenhorst, tells the NOS. The Rijkswaterstaat has also reported that the A50 is currently closed in Ravenstein in the directions of Oss and Arnhem — it’s not looking so good.

Drive carefully

Of course, there are many across the country who must take to the roads due to a crucial profession.

The Rijkswaterstaat advises that in these cases, drivers must adjust their driving style. Drivers are asked to keep a sufficient distance from other cars, drive slowly and only switch lanes when absolutely necessary.

Train lines slowly opening up again

This morning, the NS is trying to get some train routes up and running once again. A spokesperson for the NS tells the NOS that “everything depends on how the snow is doing.”

NOS reports that only sprinter trains will start running today and intercity trains will remain cancelled. However, the success of these sprinter trains remains uncertain because many switch failures have been reported across tracks. Use the NS Journey Planner to find out if your train has been affected.

Many primary schools remain closed

Primary schools across the country were set to open today following a seven-week lockdown, however, many will keep their doors closed for now due to the weather warning.

Many teachers would be unable to make it to work due to bad road conditions and those who could would be restricted in who they can teach due to strict coronavirus measures.

“We decided to stay closed because it was expected that there would be chaos on the road and in public transport,” Rien Spies, board member of the Agora Zaanstreek foundation, tells the NOS.

Looks like you will just have to stay under the blankets today folks! What do you think of the disruptions? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image: Iris/Unsplash.

CODE RED! Heavy snowfall incoming and coronavirus locations closed for all of the Netherlands

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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CODE RED! Heavy snowfall incoming and coronavirus locations closed for all of the Netherlands

Code red is in force for the entire country starting this midnight. The KNMI issued this weather warning because of the expected combination of snow, wind and frost which can lead to dangerous situations.

The strong wind can cause snowdrift, warns the KNMI as is reported by the NOS. This can then cause snow dunes on roads, which can create dangerous situations for traffic. Visibility through the snow can also be poor and slippery conditions can occur.

In the southeast of the Netherlands, 15 centimeters of snow can fall locally. There will be a lot of wind, especially in the northern half of the Netherlands.

Blistering cold winds expected

Heavy gusts of wind will occur around the coast and the IJsselmeer. The perceived temperature is much lower than the actual temperature due to these circumstances, with a windchill temperature of -20 degrees (!)

Yesterday the KNMI issued code orange, but that has now been adjusted to code red. Code red means there is at least a 90% chance of extreme weather. With code red, damage and accidents are very likely. Therefore it is not recommended to take to the road. The last time this issued code red for the entire country was in 2012, so we’re up for quite an extreme ride folks.

All test and vaccination locations closed by the GGDs

All coronavirus vaccination and test locations of the GGDs will remain closed tomorrow. The GGDs had already announced that with code red in a certain region, the vaccination and test locations in that region would close. All football matches for Sunday have been canceled too.

How are you going to (safely) enjoy the winter wonderland that is expected to be all around us tomorrow? Let us know in the comments

Feature Image: Michel_van_der_Vegt/Pixabay

Dutch passport ranks fourth most powerful in the world

Jana Vondráčková 🇨🇿
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Dutch passport ranks fourth most powerful in the world

You thought mind reading, time travel and telepathy were superpowers? Try being the owner of a Dutch passport instead. 

The Dutch passport ranked fourth most powerful in the world according to the Passport Index. If you happen to be one of the lucky owners of this all-powerful document, you have access to 97 countries in the world without a visa. 

These visa-free destinations include exotic places such as the Bahamas, Thailand, or Germany. Sadly, with the times that we’re living in, a mighty passport is nothing more than a piece of paper stashed in the depths of our closets. 

However, in “normal” times Dutch passport-holders can snag a visa on arrival in 33 countries, and a regular visa in 68 countries of the world. 

In comparison, the three weakest passports on the list —Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria — only allow passport-holders to visit four or five countries visa-free, and are required to obtain a full visa to more than 165 countries. 

No need to envy your Dutch friends just yet, though. Ranks one, two and three are occupied by twelve other European countries, as well as New Zealand. 

If you really want the best of the best, you’ll probably just be better off being a German or a Finn. But hey, at least the Dutch are better in football, right? 

The complete list of passport rankings for 2021

Ranking Countries
1 Germany, Finland  133
2 Sweden, Spain, Norway, Switzerland 132
3 Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Ireland, United Kingdom, New Zealand 131
4 Netherlands, France, Portugal, Luxembourg, Greece, Hungary 130
5 Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania 129
6 Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Iceland, Japan, South Korea 128
7 Malta 127
8 Liechtenstein, Australia 126
9 Cyprus 125
10 Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria 124
11 Monaco 121
12 United Arab Emirates 120
13 San Marino 119
14 Singapore 116
15 Andorra 113
16 Vatican City 112
17 Uruguay, Canada 109
18 United States of America 105
19 Malaysia 101
20 Brazil 100

How did your passport rank? Are you ready to give up your citizenship to get all the perks of being a Dutchie? Tell us in the comments below.

Feature Image: CardMapr/Unsplash

Netherlands ranked sixth sexiest country in the world

Chloe Lovatt 🇬🇧
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Netherlands ranked sixth sexiest country in the world

When it comes to Googling sexy things, the Netherlands is ranked in sixth place according to a recent report. Of course, it’s no surprise to us —  we already knew the Dutch were pretty damn sexy. 

British lingerie Pour Moi analysed the Google search history of over 100 countries, and clocked how many sex-related topics their inhabitants Googled in 2020. 

According to the report, The Netherlands tops the rankings when it comes to searching for lingerie. Their most searched for items include g-strings, suspenders and corsets. Next in the lingerie league table was the UK, closely followed by Sweden.

Fourth kinkiest country in the world

Overall, the Netherlands was ranked fourth kinkiest country in the world. Why? Turns out the naughty Dutch seem to love searching for “spanking.” Residents of the Netherlands also have something in common with their neighbour Germany: a love of butt plugs. 😉

However, they couldn’t beat Portugal who came out on top (no pun intended) of the kinky countries with their most Googled kinks including BDSM and electro stimulation. 

The Dutch and sex

It’s no surprise the Netherlands placed highly in the ranking, the Dutch being unafraid to talk openly about sex. The Netherlands is known for its liberal attitudes, after giving Dutch sex workers equal working rights, hosting infamous red light districts, and Amsterdam being home of the first specialty condom shop. 

The overall top 10 sexy countries:

Wondering where your country ranks in terms of sexiness? Check out the top 10 contenders from across the world:

  1. Portugal
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Ireland
  4. Australia
  5. Sweden
  6. Netherlands
  7. Germany
  8. United States
  9. New Zealand
  10. Denmark

Are you surprised by these findings? Let us know in the comments which countries you think are missing from the list. 

Feature Image: Alexandra Gorn/Unsplash

 

 

Child adoptions to the Netherlands from abroad must stop due to “serious wrongs”, committee decides

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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Child adoptions to the Netherlands from abroad must stop due to “serious wrongs”, committee decides

Following a report that investigated adoption culture in the Netherlands, a committee has decided that the adoption of children from abroad must be temporarily stopped. The report found that “serious wrongs” had been done during many adoption processes. 

The committee, led by former civil servant Tjibbe Joustra, found that practices such as child trafficking, forgery, corruption and child theft were used during the adoption process of many children from abroad, AD writes according to governmental sources.

Specifically, the report investigated the adoption of children from Bangladesh, Brazil, Columbia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka by parents in the Netherlands.

Issues that remain

The investigation was launched following reports of illegal adoptions from Brazil during the 1970s, however, the investigation was quickly broadened and covered the period from 1967 to 1997.

The report took over three months to complete due to the large number of abuses that were discovered and while the investigation only went as far as 1997, the committee believes that to this day, structural problems likely remain.

Halt and apologise

For this reason, the committee will now advise that the Netherlands halts the adoption of children from abroad for the time being. Furthermore, they believe that the Netherlands should apologise for the way in which many adoptions from abroad were carried out.

The findings of the report will be discussed today in the Council of Ministers. It is expected that there will be disagreement over the decision, with some claiming ongoing adoption processes should continue, AD reports.

Do you believe adoptions should be halted for now? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Feature Image: Skalekar1992/Pixabay.

Money for your metal: deposit on cans to be introduced in the Netherlands in 2022

Chloe Lovatt 🇬🇧
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Money for your metal: deposit on cans to be introduced in the Netherlands in 2022

A €0.15 deposit on water, soft drink and beer cans will be introduced from December 31, 2022. Good news for the environment, not so good for those who love to litter. 

The deposit system’s aim is to reduce the number of cans that are littered in the street, according to State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven.

A deposit system for large plastic bottles has already been in place since 2006.

Van Veldhoven told the NOS that almost two billion cans are sold in the Netherlands every year. Of these, 150 million end up in the environment. That’s enough to fill 25 Olympic swimming pools. 

The cabinet previously suggested they would impose this deposit on cans if producers did not ensure that aluminium litter dropped below 70% of the 2016-2017 average. This did not happen, and instead, the number of cans littered rose by 27%. 

A deposit of €0.15 will also be introduced for small plastic bottles from July 1, 2021, to reduce the amount of plastic wasted.

Research behind the measure 

Research shows that people are happy to return bottles and cans to get back their €0.15. Van Veldhoven says it is predicted that 70-90% of bottles and cans will be returned for a deposit of this price.

Producers of cans have long resisted this measure as they believe that it will not be profitable. However, Van Veldhoven says that introducing the deposit will benefit the environment and is the best way to prevent people from littering. 

Exactly how people will return their cans and small plastic bottles is yet to be ironed out. Van Veldhoven says that this has to be decided by producers, supermarkets and other providers. 

The Central Food Agency (CBL) has stated that it is preparing for the deposit system, but setting it up is not as straightforward as it might seem. Plastic bottles are mainly returned at supermarkets as that is where a large proportion of bottles are sold. 

According to CBL around 50% of cans are sold outside of supermarkets, therefore it makes sense for these other providers to contribute to the development of a deposit system. 

Feature Image: alleksana/Pexels

Winter wonderland returning to the Netherlands

Jana Vondráčková 🇨🇿
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Winter wonderland returning to the Netherlands

The moment all of us winter lovers have been eagerly waiting for has finally arrived: the snow and frost are coming back to the Netherlands! 

Meteorologists predict up to 20 centimetres of snow this weekend, reports RTL Nieuws. We should be able to see the first snowflakes on the night from Saturday to Sunday. 

But don’t get too excited — while the north and the east of the country can expect an Instagram-worthy winter wonderland, those living in the south of the lowlands will be disappointed. 

According to Buienradar, the rain coming up from the south has a chance of turning into snow in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, so if you live in one of those, you’re in for a nice snowball fight this weekend! But in the southern provinces such as Brabant, it will most likely stay just that — rain.

Winter is coming (again, cliche still works)

William Huizinga, a meteorologist at Buienradar, told RTL Nieuws he was previously sceptical about the prospect of snow in the coming days. Now he offers a reassuring message, as the different weather prediction models are becoming more and more aligned. “It is clear that the cold is coming back.”

Huizinga surely has a lot of fancy degrees, but we’ve gotta say we were surprised to hear the news — especially  considering the sunny day we’ve been basking in today! Regardless, our fingers are firmly crossed.

Are you excited to jump outside and finally build a snowman? Or will you be spending your weekend curled up in your blanket? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Charl van Rooy/Unsplash

Jump on a call with PartnerPete: all your questions about Dutch utilities explained

Emily Burger
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Jump on a call with PartnerPete: all your questions about Dutch utilities explained

Need to set up your utilities in the Netherlands but not sure where to start? Maybe you’re looking for independent advice on utility companies, or just want to know more about green energy in the Netherlands. Either way — PartnerPete is here to help!

Fill in your details below and they’ll give you a quick call at a time of your convenience. All information is kept secure and there are no obligations attached. Furthermore, you can ask all the questions you have about utilities in the Netherlands you’ve always wanted but were afraid to actually put out there; they there to answer all!

With PartnerPete, you can have your water, electricity and more set up in just a few days. The team will help you select a package that works best for your needs without the hassle of digging through all the options yourself!

Or perhaps you want it done in just a few minutes? Online? That can all be done as well on this DutchReview & Partner Pete page where you can get hooked up in 5 minutes!

Feature Image: Anthony Indraus/Unsplash

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