Natalee Holloway snorted coke, fell to death, suspect says

27 February 2010 From ABC News:
New details in the alleged confession from Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, give an emotional and descriptive account of what he says were Holloways last moments that night she died. The Telegraaf reported that they viewed the videotaped conversation, which lasted two and a half hours, yesterday of van der Sloots most recent interview with RTL 5, a Dutch television station. According to the Dutch tabloid, van der Sloot reveals the surname of his 20-year-old accomplice, A., and describes in detail how they allegedly brought Holloway to a friend's house where he says they drank whiskey and used cocaine.

"A. had just put on the music. And eh, they both had just taken some coke." Van der Sloot claims Holloway and A. snorted the drugs before Holloway decided to climb up onto the rim of the balcony to dance. "I think she was pretty drunk," van der Sloot added, "so she was just kind of dancing half a striptease, just like she was doing on stage at Carlos & Charlies." "Then I walked over to her to dance with her a little.... And eh, I grabbed her by the hips. When I let go, she fell from the balcony..." "We looked down and saw her lying there. Yes, there was blood. I think she fell on the ground with her head first." Van der Sloot continued to say that they both ran the steps to Natalee. "Her chin was to one side and I turned it the other way. There was blood on the ground too. There was no life."

The Justice Department in Aruba is quick to dismiss the details of this latest alleged confession, telling ABC News that "We have been aware of the existence of this interview since August of last year. We investigated the claims made. The Aruban police investigated, with help from specialists with the Dutch police. Spokeswoman for the Aruban Justice Department, Ann Angela continued to say that their "conclusion was that the statements made by Joran van der Sloot are entirely unbelievable."

Much more here (ABC News)

Netherlands' Sauerbreij slips 'n slides to gold

27 February 2010

From the Washington Post:
They don't raise snowboarders in the Netherlands. It's kinda hard when there are no hills. They do raise speedskaters there, however, and good ones at that. Nicolien Sauerbreij decided to take the road less traveled, and on Friday, she made history. Skating nimbly over the slush that claimed many of her competitors at mushy Cypress Mountain, Sauerbreij won the women's parallel giant slalom, the first gold medal in snowboarding for a country that's barely above sea level. "Today I showed you can produce good snowboarders from Holland," Sauerbreij said.

She's been just as solid this year and has become a star in The Netherlands, a spot normally reserved for speedskaters. She tried to bring some of that speedskating star power to Cypress. Good friend Bob de Jong, who won a bronze in the 10,000 meters on Tuesday, cheered on Sauerbreij as she nipped Ilyukhina at the finish of a course that turned every bump into a surprise. Except, it seemed, to the victor. "I have grown a lot," she said. "Today I won gold. It's crazy."

Read the full article here

In other Olympic news: U.S. skaters stun Dutch (The Salt Lake Tribune):
In a spectacular speedskating upset Friday, U.S. skaters defeated top-ranked Netherlands to advance to the gold medal final in the men's long track team pursuit at the Richmond Olympic Oval. The victory also assures Chad Hedrick a career fifth medal, which ties him with Eric Heiden for the most won by a men's U.S. long track speedskater. The Americans will face Canada in the final today. The trio of Hedrick, Brian Hansen and Jonathan Kuck circled the course in 3 minutes, 42.71 seconds, an instant faster than the Dutch, 3:43.11.

Full article here

Kramer, coach make peace after mistake cost them gold

25 February 2010

From the Washington Post:

Sven Kramer and his coach Gerard Kemkers have talked over their parts in the most embarrassing blunder in Olympic speedskating and agreed to get on with business. Kemkers took the blame for directing Kramer into the wrong lane in Tuesday night's 10,000 meters, a move that got the world champion and overwhelming favorite disqualified despite finishing with the fastest time. But Kemkers's job is safe. "The past years were simply too good to drop someone just like that," Kramer said.

The disqualification was shocking enough for occasional viewers in Vancouver. In the Netherlands, where the sport is like a national institution, the unprecedented mistake from such an experienced and successful combination has dumbfounded fans and critics. "It happened. It is done with. It is terrible," Kramer said. "The medal is in South Korea and we will never get it back."

Read the full article here

Sven Kramer sets Olympic record but is disqualified in men's 10,000-meter speedskating

23 February 2010 From the Los Angeles Times:

Sven Kramer of the Netherlands set an Olympic record in men's 10,000-meter speedskating Tuesday at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. And it never happened, officially. The superstar Dutch distance skater finished in 12:54.50, but committed a lane change violation late in the race. Officials disqualified Kramer for the mishap, and the gold medal went to Korea's Lee Seung-Hoon. The South Korean finished with a time of 12:58.55. Ivan Skobrev of Russia won the silver in 13:02.07. Bob de Jong of the Netherlands won the bronze in 13:06.73. Jonathan Kuck of the U.S. finished eighth in 13:31.78; Ryan Bedford of the U.S. finished 12th in 13:40.20.
Full article here

Sven Kramer currently 7th trending topic on Twitter

A tour of the Olympic Holland Heineken House

23 February 2010 At the Seattle Times.

Suspect in Natalee Holloway case confesses

23 February 2010 From CBS:

A Dutch newspaper is reporting that the main suspect in Natalee Holloway's disappearance has confessed to dumping her body in Aruba. Holloway disappeared during a May 2005 vacation to the Caribbean island. The case has since gained a worldwide media following. Dutch media outlet BNO News reported Monday night that Joran van der Sloot has confessed to leaving Holloway's body in a swamp. He apparently confessed in front of news cameras Monday. Two years ago, van der Sloot allegedly confessed to an undercover Dutch reporter but the courts wouldn't consider it legal evidence.
Full article here

From Local Wirelesss
Chief prosecutor Peter Blanken told 'De Telegraaf' that the confession resulted in a new investigation into the disappearance of Holloway, but eventually concluded without results. "It became clear that this statement is hold together by lies and fantasy," Blanken said. "Times are wrong and named witnesses have denied."
Blanken also said that, if Holloway's body was disposed in the marsh, it would probably never be recovered. "If she was left there, the chances of finding her are extremely small," Blanken said.
Full article here

Dutch own 1500m speedskating

22 February 2010

Dutch skater Mark Tuitert wins 1500m Olympic title (BBC Sport):
Dutchman Mark Tuitert produced a sensational performance to win the men's 1500m speed skating title. Tuitert recorded a stunning time of one minutes 45.57 seconds to finish ahead of 1,000m Olympic champion Shani Davis. American Davis had been the favourite to win a second gold at the 2010 Games in Vancouver but was 0.53 seconds off the pace at the Richmond Oval. Tuitert, who is ranked fifth in the world, skated in the third pair from the end and then had to wait nervously while the final two pairs failed to overtake his time. Davis, who skated in the last pair, came around the final turn with his mouth open and arms swinging, trying desperately to make up the gap on 29-year-old Tuitert.

"I can't believe it," said Tuitert, following his victory. "Everything went right, this is the race of my life. It was a monster race for me. Shani has been winning everything, Chad was so good and then I produce this race."
Read the full article here

Irene Wust wins speedskating gold medal in 1500m (Washington Post):
Ireen Wust of the Netherlands dashed Canadian hopes for a second speedskating gold by powering around the final lap Sunday to win the women's 1,500 meters. Wust, who won the 3,000 and was third in the 1,500 four years ago in Turin, won with a time of 1 minute 56.89 seconds. "Pulling all the pieces together, I'm so proud and happy. I can't describe how happy I am. I don't have words for it," said Wust, who broke down crying on the medal podium while the Dutch national anthem was played. "I think I'm the happiest person on Earth right now." Canada's Christine Nesbitt, who took gold in the 1,000, had hoped to add another win in the 1,500 but ended a disappointing sixth. Canada had two strong medal contenders in Nesbitt and Groves. But Nesbitt burned herself out and faded in the final lap. The Dutch won their third gold medal at the oval, and they will have a good shot at another with world-record holder Sven Kramer going next in the men's 10,000 on Tuesday.
Read the full article here

Dutch pull-out from war expected after government collapse

22 February 2010 From the New York Times:
A day after his government collapsed, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said Sunday that he expected Dutch troops to come home from Afghanistan before the end of the year. A last-ditch effort by Mr. Balkenende to keep Dutch soldiers in the dangerous southern Afghan province of Oruzgan instead saw the Labor Party quit the government in the Netherlands early Saturday, immediately raising fears that the Western military coalition fighting the war was increasingly at risk. “The moment the Netherlands says as sole and first country we will no longer have activities at the end of 2010, it will raise questions in other countries and this really pains me,” Mr. Balkenende told the Dutch television program “Buitenhof” in an interview on Sunday, according to Reuters.

The collapse of the Dutch government comes as the Obama administration continues to struggle to get European allies to commit more troops to Afghanistan to bolster its attempts to win back the country from a resurgent Taliban. President Obama has made the Afghan war a cornerstone of his foreign policy and, after months of debate, committed tens of thousands more American troops to the effort.

Read the full article here

Dutch government collapses

20 February 2010 From the Financial Times:

The Dutch government collapsed on Saturday, prompting an election, after the ruling coalition failed to reconcile deep divisions within the cabinet that had emerged over extending military operations in Afghanistan. The coalition, made up of the Christian Democrats and Labour – traditionally the two main parties – and the smaller Christian Union party, erupted into open conflict earlier this month following a request from Nato to keep some of its 1,400 troops in the restive southern Afghan province of Uruzgan beyond August, when their mandate ends. Nato asked for the troops after talks between Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato secretary-general, and Maxime Verhagen, the Christian Democrat foreign minister. However the Labour party quickly declared that any such proposal was unthinkable, prompting consternation as to how Nato could have been encouraged to make the public request without consensus within the cabinet.

The fall of the government means it is now almost certain that the Dutch troops in Uruzgan will begin to pull out in August, as it would take government action to prolong their mission. That could have knock-on effects on other western states with troops in Afghanistan who are nearing the end of their mandates. Canada plans to bring home its troops from Kandahar province further to the south by the end of 2011. Domestically, the shock general election is a gift to smaller parties who stand to make gains against both the Christian Democrats and Labour. The anti-immigration Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, who was briefly barred from entering the UK last year, has consistently done well in polls, with the most recent surveys forecasting it could win 24 of the 150 parliamentary seats and become the second biggest parliamentary party after the Christian Democrats. Currently it has just nine seats.

Read the full atricle here

Nato flabbergasted by Dutch reaction to troop request

19 February 2010 From NRC International:

Nato officials can no longer make sense of the Netherlands’ behaviour. The country asked Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen to write an official request for Dutch troops to stay in the Afghan province Uruzgan until the summer of 2011. Rasmussen would not have made such a request if he was not certain it would be accepted. "We assumed everything was in order," a high Nato official told NRC Handelsblad. "We discussed it at length at the Afghanistan summit in London [last month]," another concurred. Nato officials interviewed on Thursday all said they are flabbergasted by how Dutch cabinet members are dealing with this issue that could now lead to the fall of the national government. All spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they are not allowed to make official statements regarding the case. "The secretary general has been very active in approaching all Nato countries to send more troops to Afghanistan," one official said. "The Dutch request for this letter was exactly what Nato needed."

This is not the first time Nato is amazed and annoyed by the Dutch political approach to Afghanistan. At a time when practically all Nato members have committed to sending more troops, the Netherlands is trying to abandon its mission in Uruzgan. At a press conference in October, Rasmussen said the Netherlands would play into the hands of the Taliban if it left. Now the Netherlands is really making a fool of itself, Nato officials in Brussels said. "Their way of handling this leaves much to be desired," one commented. But most worried about how to proceed if the Dutch cabinet does take a dive. For now, the Dutch decision to leave Uruzgan this year stands. "Will that still be effective if the government falls? We need to know if it is, and act on it fast."

Read the full article here

Silver and Bronze for Dutch ladies

19 February 2010

Canada's world champion Christine Nesbitt took gold in the women's 1,000-metres speedskating Thursday, holding off a powerful Dutch challenge to win the host nation's third gold of the Games. Nesbitt was off the pace early on but backed by a passionate home crowd roared back to seize first place in a time of 1min 16.56secs, just 0.02secs ahead of Annette Gerritsen. Laurine van Riessen took bronze with 1:16.72.
Silver medallist Gerritsen said she was delighted with her second-placed finish despite failing to win gold by a wafer-thin margin. "It's great. Two days ago it was disappointing. Now it's beautiful," she said. "I have trained so long for this and I have been looking forward to this for such a long time. I thought it has to happen now. It is a dream come true," she added. "It's only two-hundredths of a second, but I am so happy. Happiness tops disappointment," she said. Dutch team-mate Van Riessen said: "This is awesome. It's really cool. I didn't think it would be enough. I am really close to the first position but I am happy to be third."

More at Vancouver2010

Will the Dutch government fall over troop deployment?

19 February 2010

From NRC International:

The two biggest parties in the Dutch coalition government are going head to head over the possible extension of the mission in Afghanistan. The collision could mean the premature end of prime minister Balkenende's fourth cabinet. The last Dutch soldier will leave Uruzgan by the end of 2010, that has been our promise to voters. This mantra, repeated consistently by Dutch Labour leader and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos for the last couple of days, has thrown the ruling coalition into crisis.
In 2007, Dutch parliament agreed to a cabinet proposal to extend the Dutch mission in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan under one condition: the deployment would be terminated no later than December 1, 2010. But this 'promise to the electorate' did not take into consideration a request from Nato - faxed to prime minister Balkenende at 1:47 pm on Thursday, February 4 - to stay. The Atlantic alliance has asked the Netherlands to maintain a smaller mission of 500 to 700 militaries for an extra eight months. Not quite the size of the current 1,600 troop deployment, but still substantial.

Bos and his Labour party are dead set against this. They have always been opposed to an extension of the mission, while foreign minister Maxime Verhagen, a Christian democrat, has not wanted to rule out a longer presence in Uruzgan. All ministers involved have been discussing possible future involvement in Afghanistan for months now, and "several options" have been reviewed. Based on those conversations between cabinet members, Verhagen encouraged Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen to make his request explicit earlier this month.

The Labour leader has now brought the issue to a head by demanding cabinet makes a decision on Uruzgan no later than Friday. Both coalition partners have declared this is impossible, regarding both the content and the procedures. Bos' demand, they say, is nothing short of an attempt to solicit voters' favour. The upcoming municipal elections, set for March 3, are shaping up to be dramatic for the PvdA. As would national elections that could be the result of this crisis. Bos is trying to turn the tide.

Read the full article here

Dutch band Kleintje Pils has crowd rocking

18 February 2010

From the Washington Post:

It is not only the ice resurfacing machines working overtime at the Olympic speedskating oval. During lengthy delays caused while mechanics tinkered with malfunctioning ice machines - and during any other pause between races - the Dutch brass band Kleintje Pils has been belting out Dutch and international tunes to keep the crowd happy. "In Holland, they already call us the third ice machine," band leader Huub Bakker said. The 11-member band whose name means small beer in Dutch has become synonymous with Olympic speedskating since the Nagano Games, heard almost as often as the starter's pistol. "All you get is positive vibes," said Bert van der Pol, a 40-year-old who flew from Amsterdam to Vancouver to watch Sven Kramer take the first Dutch gold of the Olympics on Saturday. He will stay around for another week hoping for more Dutch success, and take in every Kleintje Pils session. Although the band from the northern province of Friesland is Dutch to the core, its appeal is global at the Olympic Oval. "In a set, we mix the Dutch with the international," he said. Before Wednesday's 1,000 meters final, the set list included "California dreamin'" of The Mamas & The Papas, which was immediately followed by "Hup, Holland, Hup" an oompa song heard whenever the Dutch play football.

The Japanese Olympic Committee invited the group for the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, and Kleintje Pils - a bit of the familiar for the skaters - has been back ever since. It is not all fun though for the band members who also hold down regular jobs. Coming to Vancouver cuts deep into the vacations from their day jobs and there are no such luxuries as bringing the family over. "We are not going to be here the last two days, because we have no holidays left," Bakker said.

Read the full article here

KleintjePils.nl

PleaseRobMe.com posts when you're not at home

18 February 2010

From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Frank Groeneveld, a computer science student in the Netherlands, was fast asleep not long ago when a burglar tried to enter his home. Groeneveld, 22, managed to scare off the intruder but was left wondering: What if I wasn't home? Groeneveld returned to the idea recently when he found himself inundated by status updates on Twitter from users broadcasting their location. In most cases, they were inadvertently advertising the fact that their home was likely unattended and vulnerable to a burglary.

It led him and two friends to launch a Web site this week provocatively called PleaseRobMe.com, a mashup of users' content from Twitter, the San Francisco microblogging service, and FourSquare, a site in which users share their location. While little more than a gag, PleaseRobMe raises serious questions about the potential ills associated with publicizing information online, particularly a user's whereabouts. "We're not trying to get people robbed, but helping them not to get robbed," said Groeneveld. "We're just presenting this information in a more obvious way. And that's our point: Everyone can see this on Twitter."

PleaseRobMe reformats the information that users make public on FourSquare to read like an alert to a would-be burglar, stating that a user "left home and checked in 12 minutes ago," followed by the user's update: "I'm at San Francisco International Airport." From the start, social networks have been fraught with peril for overly chatty users who broadcast too much information, angering bosses, enraging spouses or just embarrassing themselves.

"PleaseRobMe does a fairly good job of reminding people that when you put that information out there, you don't know who's following you and paying attention to where you are," said Ginger McCall, staff counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "It opens you up to physical attacks."

Read the full article here

Explaining the crazy Dutch love of speed skating

15 February 2010

From Time:

Lining the stands of the Richmond Olympic Oval south of Vancouver on Saturday were more than a thousand people dressed in orange (the color of the Dutch royal family), singing, ringing cowbells, waving noisemakers, treating this somniferous sport as it were a championship title bout. When Dutchman Sven Kramer, 24, won the gold and set an Olympic 5,000-meter record, they roared. But, then again, they cheered boisterously for every skater that passed by them. As sports fans go, no group is more bewildering than the speed-skating nuts from Holland.

When you ask Dutch fans to explain why they get so psyched for this sport, they often leave you feeling even less enthused about it. "I like counting the laps," says Jeanine Renden, who along with her husband was wearing an orange wig with two lions perched at the top (like on the Dutch coat of arms). "It's exciting." Not nearly as exciting as her hairdo. If counting isn't your thing, you can always stare at the scoreboard. "It's every exciting to compare the times," says Dutch fan Eric Vanserstraadan, who was sporting two Dutch flags, one painted on each cheek. [...]While other viewers of long-track speed skating may see monotony, the Dutch see rhythm, tension and athletic grace. "Boring?" asks Diederik Peereboom, a Dutch native who works as a consultant in Brussels, who was desperately looking for a ticket to the 5,000-meter event. "Well, we think your football is boring. They stand around for three hours for what, 15 minutes of action?"

Read the full article here

Sven Kramer's golden race on Twitter

15 February 2010 From Global Voices:

For the Dutch, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver started with a very important race: the men's 5000 metres speed skating. The whole country (and the rest of the speed skating world) expected Dutch favourite Sven Kramer [nl] to win the gold, but the question was: would Kramer be able to deal with this immense pressure? Dutch celebrities and fellow (Olympic) speed skaters tweeted before, during and after the race. Dutch speed skater Erben Wennemars, Sven's friend and team mate, was confident in the afternoon: "Today we're going to win the GOLD!!"
And he assured everyone that Sven was ready: "just had breakfast with sven. he's all ready for it." Even American speed skater Shani Davis, Kramer's opponent in this race, found time to tweet: "Just finished pre-race warmup. I feel really good…crowd is totally energized…this is going to be some FUN (even if Sven kicks my butt)."

Sven Kramer himself hasn't been spotted on Twitter yet. He'd better concentrate on speed skating, since he has a few more medal chances.

Read the full article here

Holland invades the New York City subway

13 February 2010

From Jaunted.com:

The Dutch just won't let New Yorkers forget that they could be living in "Nieuw Amsterdam" and not "New York." Holland may have lost their grip on Manhattan back in 1674, but they can still find their way in somehow...and these days, they're hoping to gain access to the wallets of New Yorkers by enticing them to vacation in the Netherlands. And what better way to get the attention of jaded New Yorkers than by taking over their commute and decorating the interiors of subway cars? Sure, it's been before, but it never fails to delight.

Read the full article here

Travel: A stroll through the Red Light District by day

13 February 2010

From PlanetEye Traveler:

Oudezijds Achterburgwal is right in the centre of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. It is a narrow canal lined by sex shops and special windows where women in lace-trimmed lingerie sit on high stools, facing the street, manicuring their nails, reading magazines or chatting on their cell phones. If the curtains are closed, it means they are at work. This part of Amsterdam comes alive late afternoon. It is not risky or dangerous. Peep until your eyes fall out, but don’t take photos unless you want to learn some Dutch four-letter-words.

If you explore the Red Light District during daylight hours, you will notice quaint houses with beautiful facades that are obscured by neon lights at night. This stroll starts at Oudekerksplein. In front of number 23, embedded in the pavement is a bronze woman’s breast and a hand caressing it. Walk round the church and you will find the statue of Belle. It was erected in honour of the millions of people around the world who earn their money in prostitution.

Read the full article here

Father of Natalee Holloway suspect dies

11 February 2010 From Radio Netherlands:

Media on Aruba are reporting that Paul van der Sloot, the father of the main suspect in the Natalee Holloway disappearance case, has died. Joran van der Sloot's father collapsed on Wednesday evening when playing tennis at the Tierra del Sol estate on the Dutch Caribbean island. Emergency service staff were unable to resuscitate him. Paul van der Sloot was aged 57.
His son Joran is still suspected of involvement in the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway on Aruba in May 2005. The case was brought back into the limelight when crime reporter Peter R. de Vries secretly filmed Joran van der Sloot claiming that he had dumped Natalee's body in the ocean. The potentially incriminating statement was not accepted as evidence by the court.

Paul van der Sloot, a lawyer who was training as a judge on Aruba, was repeatedly interviewed by the media in connection to his son's alleged involvement in the case. It has never become clear to what extent Mr Van der Sloot knew what Joran's role may have been.

Read the full article here

More about the Natalee Holloway case and Joran van der Sloot in the archives:
Prosecutor considers closure of Holloway case
Dutch official: Aruban Holloway investigators 'corrupt as hell'
Joran says Natalee Holloway sold to Venezuelan, then says he lied
Tips renew hopes of solving Holloway case
Report: Natalee Holloway suspect involved in Thai sex trafficking
Emmy for Dutch reporters' Natalee Holloway broadcast
Joran van der Sloot will not be rearrested
Update: New clues in Holloway mystery
Dutch reporter claims to crack Holloway case

Dutch police evacuate hundreds of train passengers in bomb alert

09 February 2010 Dutch police evacuated hundreds of train passengers and cleared a station during the morning rush hour Tuesday after witnesses reported a man threatened to blow the train up. No explosives were found on the train. Spokeswoman Marika Stewart said the man was been taken into custody from the station in Den Bosch in the southern Netherlands, and investigators with dogs searched the train.
The man shouted "God is great" and said that he had a bomb primed to explode, although he had no backpack or packages, passenger Mohamed Amezian said. A passenger telephoned police, and the suspect was seized, Stewart said.
Full article at the Associated Press

Gullit: I want to see Holland win ugly

08 February 2010 From ESPN:

The World Cup final defeat of 1974 still provides a searing pain in the heart of Dutch football. It was the day that Rinus Michels' 'total football' philosophy, spearheaded by the talismanic Johann Cruyff, was defeated by a ruthless Germany team and the poaching instinct of the prolific Gerd Muller. "The best team never to win the World Cup" is a label often handed to that Netherlands side, but rather than inspiring future success, the defeat seemed to strike a blow to the Dutch psyche - the reverberations of which can still be seen today.

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit, who scored the opener in the 1988 European Championship final triumph against the USSR and also coined the phrase "sexy football", believes that to make an impact in South Africa, the Netherlands may have to sacrifice style for substance and abandon their traditional 'total football' approach. "I have my doubts about whether Holland can win it, simply because we need to play well in all the games," he said. "The opposition seem to have sussed us out at the last few tournaments, which makes it difficult to play our game, but I hope we will do well. There is a great possibility to get through our group but it's going to be hard. I always hope that, when we get through our group, we can win games ugly - that would be a turning point."

Bert van Marwijk is the man charged with leading the Netherlands to their first World Cup triumph this summer after taking over from Van Basten following another Dutch anti-climax at Euro 2008. Having masterminded a perfect qualifying campaign - the Dutch won all eight games, scoring 17 goals and conceding just three - expectation in the Netherlands has again reached fever pitch. "The Netherlands national team job is one of the hardest in football - everybody thinks they are a coach and everybody knows better than you. There is a lot of pressure to play football in a certain way and sometimes it's difficult to play that sort of football all the time and win."

Read the full article here

ESPN Netherlands team page

Dutch Utopia: Americans in Holland painted luminous views

05 February 2010

Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland, 1880-1914 looks at the work of a group of American artists who visited or settled in the Netherlands in the decades around 1900. The exhibition explores several themes, including the contrast of the simplicity of Dutch country life with the growing industrialization of America; the allure of Holland's quaint villages and seaside towns to artists; and the defining traits of "Dutchness," such as fields of brilliant tulips and pretty peasant girls in lace caps. The artists included in painted visions of Holland included William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, John Singer Sargent and Cincinnatians John Twachtman and Elizabeth Nourse.

In September 2010 this exhibition will travel to the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands.

Source:
Cincinnati.com

Travel: Just be. In Holland

04 February 2010 Anyone who has been to Holland knows it is the perfect place to just be amazed, just be relaxed and just be yourself! That’s why the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) is launching its newest marketing campaign on February 4th in North America: “Just be. In Holland.” to appeal to every type of traveler. Whether your style is classic or contemporary, Holland has something for everyone, from iconic Dutch canals and windmills to innovative design shops and cutting-edge fashion. To mark the launch of this new year-long campaign, NBTC will test potential travelers’ knowledge of Holland through a series of contests on www.holland.com. A new contest will be posted every Thursday in February. Each correct online entry will be entered into a weekly drawing for a chance to win an incredible prize that highlights a different aspect of Holland’s unique style.

Just Be. In Holland

Source: The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions

Dutch court will hear case against Wilders

04 February 2010 An Amsterdam court said on Wednesday it will hear the case against right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims, rejecting his request to be judged in the Supreme Court. In its ruling, the court rejected an assertion from Wilders' laywer, who argued in January at the start of the trial the Supreme Court should hear the case because as a politician, Wilders has a certain protection under freedom of speech laws.
From Reuters

Court to rule on Dutch lawmaker hate speech case

03 February 2010 A Dutch court is ruling on whether to dismiss charges against anti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders for allegedly inciting hate against Muslims. Wilders, one of the most popular politicians in the Netherlands, has called for a ban on the Quran, saying Islam is a violent religion and Muslim immigrants are destroying Dutch culture. Wilders says he is innocent and the case is an attack on his right to freedom of speech. He has asked the case be dismissed. Muslim groups say his rhetoric goes too far and amounts to inciting hatred against them. Freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination are guaranteed under Dutch law. If the court rules Wednesday the case should go to trial, it will also set a trial date and settle witness lists.

Associated Press / eTaiwan News

Dutch pressure Swiss banks

03 February 2010 From the New York Times:

European governments kept up the pressure on Switzerland and its famed banking secrecy laws, with fresh reports from the Netherlands and Belgium raising the stakes in the battle to find tax evaders. The Dutch government released data late on Tuesday showing wealthy savers last year declared more than 2 billion euros (1.74 billion pounds) hidden in overseas bank accounts, with a third of the accounts in Switzerland. The report came just hours after the Netherlands confirmed it was seeking copies of stolen Swiss bank data on cross-border tax evaders that the German government is considering purchasing from an informant.

The Dutch Finance Ministry said a total of 2.15 billion euros was declared last year under a penalty-free amnesty for what it calls "zwartspaarders," or "black savers." The average declaration was around 260,000 euros, Deputy Finance Minister Jan Kees De Jager said in a letter to parliament late on Tuesday. The largest amount reaching 81 million euros and more than 300 declarations were for more than 1 million euros. Swiss banks held nearly 2,300 of the accounts, De Jager said, while banks in Belgium and Luxembourg held close to 4,000. The Finance Ministry also noted that the end of the penalty-free amnesty had not stopped people from confessing to hidden accounts. The ministry said despite the introduction of a 15 percent penalty from January 1, 34 more people had declared themselves so far this year.

Read the full article here

Court orders retrial of terror group

02 February 2010 From Expatica.com:

The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has ordered a retrial of the Hofstad Group suspects who were accused of preparing terror attacks, but acquitted in 2008. Members of the group had connections with the murderer of Dutch Islam critic and filmmaker Theo van Gogh. The public prosecutor had appealed against a verdict by a court in The Hague which had cleared the main suspect, Jason W. and six accomplices of being members of a terrorist and criminal organisation. The Hague court had argued that the suspects' organisation was too loosely structured to merit the conviction. In addition the court said there was not sufficient evidence that the suspects were inciting hatred. These arguments were thrown out on Tuesday by the Supreme Court.

The formal definition of a criminal terrorist organisation as used by the Hague court was too narrow, according to the Supreme Court. It was wrong to acquit the suspects only because their group did not meet the legal definition of what constitutes an organisation. The case has been referred to the Amsterdam court for a retrial.

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Iceland meets with UK, Dutch to fix Icesave turmoil

01 February 2010 Iceland met with the U.K. and Netherlands to try to restore relations after President Olafur R. Grimsson blocked a bill that had set out to compensate the two countries for depositor losses. Iceland’s Finance Minister Steingrimur Sigfusson met his Dutch counterpart Wouter Bos and U.K. Treasury Minister Paul Myners and “exchanged views on the Icesave issue. All sides will now consider the situation after this meeting, but at this stage no further discussions are scheduled,” Iceland’s Finance Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today. “The meeting isn’t defined as negotiations,” Einar Karl Haraldsson, Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir’s spokesman, said in a telephone interview. “I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Grimsson’s rejection of the bill means the legislation will be put to a March 6 referendum, which most polls show Icelanders will block. The bill’s suspension prompted Fitch Ratings to cut Iceland’s credit grade to junk and Standard & Poor’s has said it may do the same by the beginning of next month. Sigurdardottir has signaled her government wants to renegotiate the bill before it’s put to a vote, though her political adviser Hrannar Arnarsson said on Jan. 25 those plans may be dropped if they don’t produce results by the end of this week.

Read the full article at Bloomberg