DutchNews Podcast

We ask where the talks to form a coalition government go next after Pieter Omtzigt pulls out of the negotiations, sending the other three party leaders into a state of synchronised shock. Meanwhile, the farmers' protests heat up again, sending thick black clouds of asbestos-filled smoke billowing across motorways and adding to the pressure on justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz. China denies hacking into a top secret computer system which the Dutch insist didn't contain anything significant anyway. Universities come up with a plan to limit the numbers of foreign students. And a statue of the Butcher of Banda continues to divide opinion in the historic trading port of Hoorn.

The coalition negotiations show signs of grinding to a halt as Geert Wilders's cold storage freezer fills up and relations between the parties become increasingly frosty. The economic picture isn't helping, as inflation remains stubbornly high and housebuilders are unable to keep up with demand. Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominates proceedings at the International Criminal Court. Conspiracy theorists get their teeth into allegations of censorship at "alternative broadcaster" Ongehoord Nederland. And Ajax's women's team continue to make waves in the Champions League.

Geert Wilders went viral with a serieus probleem this week, and he wasn't alone. Dilan Yesilgöz saw her party cleft in two by the refugee crisis, Amsterdam's lights went out two days in a row and Schiphol airport delayed its plan to make flights less frequent for a third time. PSV Eindhoven's winning streak came to an end, while Ajax's new signing finally overcame the forces of Brexit. Paintballing with wolves was given the go-ahead in Gelderland. And we announce the winner of the highly coveted Ophef of the Year Awards.

While a toilet paper discount caused stampedes in Utrecht, Geert Wilders broke the coalition talks' radio silence for the first time this week. Not to say how happy he is that tart from his home province is now officially on an EU heritage list, but to say that the four parties have "a major problem" following the VVD senate faction's surprising vote in favor of the controversial spreading law, which is opposed by the VVD in the Tweede Kamer, but supported by the VVD in cabinet. The UK government calls on British nationals abroad to register for upcoming elections -- if they haven't been kicked out or forced to move due to ever-increasing rents. An unknown Nijmegen punk band turns out to be one of the biggest Dutch gigs on the international stage, Belgium has won the title of confiscating the most cocaine and the Dutch flower industry is falling victim of inflation and Brexit, just like Ajax that's unable to let their newest acquisition play just yet. One more week to vote for your favorite ophef and to win a special mug! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewPb7-Cjv0IhYf0pyCNFeVMnzK0t7x_uskCPg8PKHm-zyFow/viewform

The coalition talks resume with a teambuilding week at a country estate in Hilversum, where the four party leaders try to keep the media and the winter chill from the door. After months of rain, the sub-zero temperatures are welcomed by skaters, but the government's decision to pump extra gas from Groningen gets a frosty response. The International Court of Justice is called on to intervene in Israel's bombardment of Gaza. Marc Overmars's intimate selfies have a long tail as Fifa bans him from working in football around the world. And we bring you a story of nuclear intrigue and espionage involving a Dutch civil engineer in Iran. Vote here for the Ophef of the Year and win a mug: https://forms.gle/KLcZL8eZdv8rhUgo6

It's time again for our annual look back at the microscandals and minor squabbles that enjoyed 15 minutes or less of notoriety on social media. Do you remember the Roman sewage row, the Pokémon stampede, the Anne Frank Borrelplank or the penile solar panels? Almost certainly not, so let us clutter your memory once more. And don't forget to vote for the most distinguished dollop in the dung heap using our special form. Remember, under our transparently skewed voting system, Patreon supporters have the privilege of an extra vote and Grachtengordel subscribers get three. One "lucky" winner can look forward to receiving a unique DutchNews mug and a Zeesluis IJmuiden coaster. Vote here: https://forms.gle/R4cUo6oYoYWcfmoU6

The country can and must be governed, coalition scout Ronald Plasterk said after handing in his homework, but who wants to govern the country like this? Pieter Omtzigt still has serious doubts about the PVV's relationship with the constitution, Dilan Yesilgöz doesn't want the VVD to join a coalition and Caroline van der Plas is already fed up with all the bickering. Yesilgöz started a constitutional binfire in parliament when she called on the Senate to drop a migration law drawn up by her VVD colleague, Eric van der Burg, supported by the cabinet, including herself, and passed by the Tweede Kamer. Germany says a man from Rotterdam linked to Hamas was part of a Berlin-based plot to attack Jewish sites in Europe. Rembrandt's smallest portraits go on display in the Rijksmuseum after being authenticated. And we sign off for the holiday season by asking how many people will be getting coronavirus for Christmas, after hospitals report a surge in cases.

As the coalition talks hobble towards the start line, a new parliament of fresh faces is sworn in. But only after the old gang gets together for one last job: solving the mystery of some missing votes in Tilburg. The Brabant city is also the scene of some surreal footballing scenes as the orange Lionesses edge out the white ones in the Nations League. The Dutch government is taken to court over its supply of fighter jet parts to Israel, while the Red Cross is called in again to fix the problems in Ter Apel refugee centre. Reports suggest the Netherlands narrowly avoided being invasion by Boris Johnson, who wanted to get his hands on its vaccine stocks. Plus Amsterdam's plans for the mother of all circle parties, Rotterdam's contribution to world heritage and the contenders for the Dutch word of the year.

The process of forming a new government gets off to an inauspicious start when Geert Wilders's candidate to canvas the 15 parties turns out to have some undisclosed dodgy dealings. Geert can't find a partner, Pieter is bickering about the prenups, Dilan just wants to be friends and Caroline is urging them to give it another try. Away from the negotiations, asylum seekers get the right to work more than half the year and solve the housing crisis, while shopping bills continue to defy inflation. The most famous Dutch women's coach plots the downfall of her former charges with her new team across the North Sea. And we look at whether Amsterdam's campaign to purge British tourists from the red light district is paying off.

After the earthquake of Geert Wilders's election win, we pick our way through the rubble. Can the PVV form a coalition and where will Wilders find his team of ministers from? Or will it be a centrist cabinet with Frans Timmermans's PvdA-GL alliance? How many glasses of Prosecco will Vera Bergkamp need after meeting all 16 party leaders on Friday? And who will be the first to crack and phone Johan Remkes? Plus news of the Dutch football team's win against Gibraltar, higher traffic fines and a very good reason to avoid Tilburg if you still need one.

The podcast team reacts to what looks set to be the most dramatic election in the Netherlands for a generation. The NOS exit poll gives Geert Wilders's far-right PVV party 23% of the vote and a clear lead over its rivals. The VVD drops to third place behind the left-wing block of PvdA-GroenLinks and Pieter Omtzigt wins 20 seats three months after founding his party. We review the final week of the campaign, the game changing opinion polls, and ask the crucial question: what the hell happens now?

The three front runners are deadlocked as the election campaign enters its final days, all hoping a surge in support, a tactical shift or a last-minute gaffe will tip the balance their way. Mark Rutte takes time out from his busy schedule handing out flyers in Almere to measure up the curtains at Nato HQ. Away from the campaign, Schiphol's plans to cut flights are brought down under pressure from the US and the EU. Eurostar gains a potential rival and Parisians are offered the enticing prospect of a weekend in Groningen. And in sport, we manage to use the words "Ajax" and "triumph" in the same sentence.

The gloves come off in the election campaign as Pieter Omtzigt is taken to task for his lack of detail, while kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven takes a sideswipe at Dilan Yesilgöz. Meanwhile, Frans Timmermans drops a key manifesto pledge before dashing off to eye up German chancellor Olaf Scholz's pretzel collection. Mark Rutte has an eye on his next job as he heads to the Middle East to talk to Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The government wants to extend its ban on mobile phones in classrooms while NS agrees to freeze rail fares next year. And the cricketers have two chances to clinch a place in the Champions Trophy.

Storm Ciaran arrived this week and proved so fierce that even the organisers of the headwind cycling championships were forced to to back-pedal. In the election campaign there was a sense of calm before the storm as Frans Timmermans and Pieter Omtzigt engaged in a bit of light sparring while Dilan Yesilgöz gave an interview that was dominated by her dog and her wardrobe. The Dutch cricket team notched up their second win of the World Cup, while Ajax moved off the bottom of the Eredivisie. And while the human population edges towards 18 million, scientists raise the alarm about the declining number of seals in the Wadden Sea.

As the Netherlands cricket team prepares to face Afghanistan in a win-or-bust showdown at the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, DutchNews speaks to all-rounder Logan van Beek about the team's progress so far. A dramatic tournament has included a historic win against South Africa, a record defeat by Australia and some eye-catching individual performances with bat and ball. Plus Van Beek reflects on his cricketing heritage and his Super Over heroics against the West Indies.

The election campaign moves into top gear with the first TV debate, Pieter Omtzigt's manifesto launch and the first candidate to resign in disgrace for abusive tweeting. Mark Rutte meets Israeli and Palestinian leaders to discuss the conflict in Gaza, while safety concerns prompt the cancellation of a speech on genocide and a march commemorating Kristallnacht. The safety board criticises the government's pandemic control plan for being too narrowly focused on healthcare and calls for better communication. The cricket team come down to earth with a crash against Australia. Maurice Steijn's ill-starred reign as Ajax coach comes to an end. And a rare turtle that went even further off course than Ajax's first team is said to be recovering well in Blijdorp.

The conflict in the Gaza strip dominates this week’s news in the Netherlands. Prime minister Mark Rutte repeated the Dutch government’s support for Israel and stressed it must stay within the boundaries of international laws and proportionality, but a similar statement by Frans Timmermans caused the first friction between the two party alliance he’s leading into the November general election. We take a first look at the results of a survey in which DutchNews readers were asked who they would vote for and what their main concerns are – spoiler: Vincent van Gogh Pokémon cards is not one of them. Energy minister Rob Jetten is investing billions to improve the Dutch electricity grid, the Tweede Kamer wants to throw the surcharge on disposable plastics in the trash and Joran van der Sloot finally admitted he murdered American teenager Natalee Holloway on the island of Aruba in 2005. The Dutch cricket team sensationally beat South Africa at the World Cup with the help of mysterious hats and oars, and Ajax is finally showing its appreciation of the women’s team – which has absolutely nothing to do with the dire performance of the men.

The runners and riders are declared for the election and it's looking like a three-horse race with six weeks to run. There's a row about flags as councils deliberate over how to commemorate the victims of the violence in Israel and Gaza. Max Verstappen completes his procession towards the F1 title in infernal conditions in Qatar while Sifan Hassan prevails on the streets of Chicago. Extinction Rebellion suspends its blockade of the A12 motorway after MPs order the government to review fossil fuel subsidies. And we bring you up to speed on the Dutch men's cricket team's progress and the football team's injury list ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifier against France.

The loudest skeleton in the Dutch royal closet fell out this week with the discovery of Prince Bernhard's Nazi party membership card. As one resistance hero fell from grace, another had his honour restored as Tula was formally rehabilitated 228 years after being put to death for demanding freedom from slavery in Curacao. And Ajax will hope that their talismanic former coach Louis van Gaal can steady the ship after appointing him as an advisor to the board. Wopke Hoekstra becomes an unlikely crusader for green causes to land a top job at the European commission. And we preview the Dutch cricket team's first World Cup appearance in 12 years. Video of the Harderwijk wolf: https://twitter.com/ton_aarts/status/1707424461404737746

Rotterdam was in shock this week after three people were shot dead in an apparent revenge attack by a medical student who had been taken to court for mistreating animals. In the election campaign, Pieter Omtzigt unveiled his list of candidates for his Nieuw Sociaal Contract party, while Esther Ouwehand stepped aside as PvdD leader for the good of the party. There are fireworks at Ajax but no celebrations as the Klassieker is postponed, fans go on the rampage and director of football Sven Mislintat is sent packing. A US chemical company faces a huge bill after it is held liable for high levels of pollution near Dordrecht. And one of the most unlikely mashups of recent years goes down a storm as Pokémon fans catch all the merchandise at the Van Gogh Museum.

Prinsjesdag, the ceremonial presentation of the annual accounts, went down with a whimper rather than a bang, as well as plenty of bells and whistles for the royal household. Sigrid Kaag delivered a caretaker budget of minor tweaks ahead of a debate that failed to ignite the election campaign but covered plenty of ground, from the moon landings to the N35 regional road. Questions are asked after a Dutch tourist has an extended stay in Spain courtesy of the intelligence services. Feyenoord and PSV have contrasting fortunes in the Champions League. And a Frisian wool merchant who went to the ends of the earth and beyond to prove a point makes it onto Unesco's world heritage list.

The animal rights party PvdD completed its metamorphosis into a fully fledged Dutch political party this week with a bloody, bare-knuckled power struggle. Esther Ouwehand emerged as top dog in her battle with the party's management board, but will it knock the PvdD off their electoral perch? We discuss that, as well as the squabbles over D66's candidate list and the quickfire dismissal of Pieter Omtzigt's spokesman. In other news, public transport fares are going up, spending power is going down and the Dutch men's teams have something to celebrate. And a missing Van Gogh is recovered in an Ikea bag, which makes a nice change from pictures of bicycles on canal bridges.

This week the main political parties set out their stalls as the campaign for the first Rutte-free election in 20 years gathers momentum. Asylum minister Eric van der Burg loses yet another court case, this time on third-country nationals fleeing Ukraine. Denzel Dumfries dispatches Greece in Eindhoven while Max Verstappen sets yet another record in Monza. We look at why souped-up speed merchants on two wheels are threatening Amsterdam's status as a cycling haven. And could herring give way to squid and mullet as sea temperatures rise?

As is tradition in September, the cabinet’s plans for the coming year will strategically leak in the weeks before the budget is officially presented by king Willem-Alexander on Prinsjesdag. This week, it was revealed that the caretaker cabinet is planning to allocate 2 billion euros to combat the cost of living crisis, following the news that more than a million people would plummet into poverty if no action is taken. Meanwhile, prime minister Mark Rutte, finance minister Sigrid Kaag and foreign affairs minister were embroiled in a Macchiavellian scheme to find a replacement for out-going European Commissioner Frans Timmermans – it will most likely be Hoekstra, but not if it’s up to the green MEPs who promised to grill him at his upcoming hearing by the European Parliament. The Sociaal-Cultureel Planbureau concluded that low-level corruption might occur more often than you’d have thought and a report by Wageningen University showed that nitrogen-based pollution has to be reduced even further than initially thought while nature minister Christianne van der Wal told provinces their plans cost too much money. It was a golden weekend for oranje supporters: Max Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort for the third time in a row, both the men and women hockey teams won the European title and Femke Bol was the star of the women’s 4x400 relay at the world’s athletics championship in Budapest.

The podcast returns to chew over the latest developments in the election campaign. Pieter Omtzigt steps into the fray, Dilan Yesilgöz steps into Mark Rutte's shoes, Wopke Hoekstra shuffles off to Brussels and Caroline van der Plas says she won't be standing anywhere in high heels. Nobody seems alarmed that the economy is in recession, while the dancing is over for Janssen's vaccine developers in Leiden. Sifan Hassan and Femke Bol recover from their stumbles to win medals in Budapest as Max Verstappen seems unstoppable in Zandvoort. And researchers go to the ends of the earth to identify a wartime resistance fighter after a 12-year search.

A special edition of the DutchNews podcast focuses the collapse of the cabinet, the end of the Rutte era and the upcoming election. Will immigration dominate the campaign, will Vincent Karremans get back on his high horse and will Pieter Omtzigt team up with the farmers? And what about the game of Tweede Kamer musical chairs, as several parties hold leadership contests before the election in November?

As we recorded this week's podcast, it was unclear if Mark Rutte was going to a step further than Vladimir Putin and stage a mutiny against his own government. The king apologised for the Dutch slave trading past and said the law could never be used to justify crimes against humanity. Dutch museums begin the process of repatriating hundreds of thousands of cultural artefacts taken during the colonial era. The head of national railways is widely mocked for his failure to understand the point of timetables. And there are calls for a statue to be erected to Bas de Leede after his exploits with bat and ball earn the Netherlands cricket team a place in the World Cup for the first time 12 years.

Justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz lends the far right a veil of respectability by backing a PVV proposal to ban police from wearing headscarves. Farmers Defence Force are roundly condemned for circulating MPs' phone numbers ahead of a debate on the stalled talks on agriculture reform. RIchard de Mos is at the centre of more chaos in The Hague as the coalition is unable to agree on how to rehabilitate him after his acquittal on corruption charges. The inquiry into the government's pandemic response is sidelined by a row over how many conspiracy theorists should sit on the committee. And the Netherlands raise their hopes of qualifying for the cricket world cup by snatching a dramatic win against the West Indies.

In an explosive week for education, schools minister Dennis Wiersma's short fuse detonated for the last time and universities erupted in protest against Robbert Dijkgraaf's "Dutch first" plan for bachelor degrees. The farmers' lobby pulled out of talks on funding a transition to sustainable agriculture, leaving the government's nitrogen strategy in the mire. More details emerge of how the government wasted millions of euros buying substandard face masks from coathanger magnates and car salesmen during the pandemic. A 4,000-year-old burial site emerges in Brabant just in time for the solstice. And we have news of mixed results for Dutch sportsmen in cricket, football and tennis.

The king announces he'll be taking regular train services after the decision to retire the royal carriage. He'll be able to travel to with NS, QBuzz or Arriva, but not Eurostar, who are furious about being shunted into a siding by the Dutch government. Also stuck in a rut are D66, who have been frozen out of provincial coalition talks by the BBB. Farmers are told whether they qualify for Christianne van der Wal's "wildly attractive" bonus scheme for peak polluters. Talks on a New Deal for farmers continue at the pace of a tractor protest after the lobby group LTO grudgingly agrees to stay on board. As the Netherlands confirms plans to train Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots, we explain how Dutch intelligence tipped off Washington about a potential attack on the Nordstream pipeline. And while the football team are run ragged by Croatia and the ageless Luka Modric in the Nations League, there is better news for the nation's cricketers and ten pin bowlers.

It's a bad week for European connections as the eurozone slips into recession and Eurostar trains to Amsterdam face being suspended for seven months. Prime minister Mark Rutte faces a barrage of criticism over the thorny issues of migration and the Groningen gas field earthquakes. The ICJ in The Hague is deluged with terrible Russian excuses in a case brought by Ukraine. Bad water management is causing drought and threatening the future of native bees and the butterflies. And talking of endangered species, we have news of a successful Dutch men's sports team.

The new Senate is sworn in after the coalition parties emerge as the winners of the three-dimensional game of horse trading for the final seats. But not before the outgoing chamber rubber-stamps the outcome of 16 years of talks to reform the pension system. Councillors in The Hague swiftly remove signs proclaiming glory to Ukraine just as councillors in Zeeland put signs up banning hedonism in the dunes. Police, prosecutors, protesters and Amnesty International are all unhappy with the handling of the latest Extinction Rebellion protest on the A12. KLM hits back at a report that claims it failed to honour the conditions of its €3.4bn coronavirus bailout. And in an otherwise gloomy season for Ajax, the title-winning women's team have another reason to celebrate as Edwin van der Sar bows out as CEO.

Amsterdam bans smoking joints in public in the latest stage of the capital's 12-step plan to kick its drug tourism dependency. The political agenda is dominated by the long-running pension talks and fears of another asylum system meltdown this summer. Wopke Hoekstra flies to Beijing to reassure the Chinese that little things like war, genocide and industrial espionage won't spoil a €73bn trade partnership. One football coach abruptly quits, another unexpectedly stays, while Ajax's women have their league title celebrations cancelled so as not to humiliate the underperforming men's team. And armed forces personnel face a grilling over claims that they used a training fund to procure luxury barbecues.

Brabant is the unlikely setting this week for a tale of industrial espionage running from Greece to Moscow via Paris. The national audit office takes time out from infiltrating army bases to deliver a damning verdict on the government's handling of the economy. GDP unexpectedly nosedives after it emerges that bamischijven are disappearing from Friday afternoon works gatherings. Mark Rutte dashes from a summit in Iceland where he made vague promises to send F-16s to Ukraine to a meeting where he vaguely promised to resolve the nitrogen crisis. In a busy week for the courts, a Russian oligarch fails to evict squatters from his Amsterdam mansion while a French author loses his bid to block an "essayistic" adult movie. And Feyenoord win the Eredivisie but lose the distinction of having the worst hooligans in the Netherlands to troubled FC Groningen.

Rotterdam's runaway vulture is bound for a Mediterranean island retreat after startling the owner of a house in Leipzig by turning up beside his pond. Closer to home, GroenLinks and BBB have mixed results as they try to form provincial administrations. Interpol launches an appeal to try to identify 22 women murdered across three countries in the last 50 years. Housing minister Hugo de Jonge struggles to get his plan to build 37,500 container homes off the ground. Feyenoord are on the brink of winning the Eredivisie for the first time in six years, while Max Verstappen continues his juggernaut-like pursuit of a third Formula 1 title.

On the day when the Dutch commemorate their war dead, the president of Ukraine jetted in to give a sobering reminder that wars are not just for the history books. Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the ICC, the Senate, the Catshuis and a royal palace in a whirlwind tour that covered more ground than the Russian army managed in six months in Bakhmut. Dodenherdenking also featured a moving speech by a teenage girl about the Sinti victims of the Holocaust, a bugle-hating cat and yet another ophef-inducing tweet by Caroline van der Plas. PSV won the Dutch cup final in a forgettable match that culminated in a woeful penalty shoot-out. And DutchNews has a wartime exclusive of its own – tune in to find out more, as well as what to do if you have any wartime documents gathering dust in the attic. You can find out more about the campaign to donate war memorabilia and details of participating museums at https://www.actienietweggooien.nl

Prime Minister Mark Rutte once again apologised to the people of Groningen for how they have been treated by the government in the past decades and pledged 22.5 billion of investments in the province’s infrastructure, public facilities and healthcare to compensate for the physical and mental damages caused by gas extraction induced earthquakes. Climate minister Rob Jetten announced the cabinet’s 30 billion euro plans to tackle climate change, while an extra 2 billion is invested to solve the asylum and migration crisis to avoid a repeat of last summer when hundreds of asylum seekers had to sleep in tents due to a shortage of accommodations. After a very expensive week, Finance minister Sigrid Kaag warned that the government is reaching the end of its deep pockets. Luckily, she found a typical Dutch kitchen tool at one of the King’s Day freemarkets that’s perfect for bringing the budget back on track. In other news, criminal lawyer Inez Weski was arrested after she allegedly helped her client Ridoughan Taghi communicate with the outside world from his cell in the extra security prison in Vught, the Dutch Railways are considering increasing train ticket prices in rush hour and public broadcaster Ongehoord Nederland might see its license revoked after spreading conspiracy theories and fake news.

The government's woes keep piling up as squatting badgers throw a spanner into the works of their efforts to house refugees. Talks with farmers' groups on nitrogen reduction are on the verge of breaking down while the government grapples with conflicting demands from opposition parties. Travellers are warned to face another summer of misery at Schiphol. The MIVD foils a Russian spy vessel posing as a fishing boat, possibly after the crew make a misguided attempt to blend in by drinking Russian-bottled Heineken. Rabobank says young families are fleeing Amsterdam for cheaper homes in the provinces. Ajax go viral by hanging a virtual poster on the wall of a fictional British pub from an American TV series. And a hotel chain threatens to sue Amsterdam city council over the location of its multi-storey 'erotic centre'. Buy your nun-alcoholic wine here: https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4264040/nonnen-zitten-met-64000-flessen-wijn-in-hun-maag-het-was-te-zonnig

French president Emmanuel Macron was confronted by protests and tough questions on his relations with China on his state visit to The Hague, but the Dutch language turned out to be his biggest adversary. Farmers' party BBB looks set to shut out D66 from provincial government as tensions grow in the coalition on its nitrogen policy. Schiphol airport presses on with plans to cut the number of flights even after a court rules it doesn't have to. And we have a menagerie of animal stories, from runaway meerkats and pole-squatting storks to the untimely demise of a gorilla who became a household name.

A carousel of rubbish this week as Amsterdam imports 900 tonnes of waste from Rome while launching a campaign to keep out trashed British tourists. Mark Rutte promises to listen better to voters as he tries to save his government from the scrapheap, while Wopke Hoekstra tries to salvage his credibility by finding common ground with BBB leader Caroline van der Plas. Sex workers protest against being dumped in an out-of-town 'erotic centre' as the city council tries to clean up the red light district. French writer Michel Houellebecq fails to get his accidental porn film canned by the courts. Oranje are dumped on by the French in football and sent packing by Zimbabwe in cricket. And Greenpeace steps up its campaign against the high-flying, high-polluting super rich and their private jets. Stay Away campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be9yFONsMow

The polder system is being hollowed out and threatens to go off the rails at any moment. Yes, those pesky badgers have been building their setts under railway lines and forced NS to cancel some trains. Meanwhile, the Christian Democrats lick their wounds at a corporate hotel near Utrecht as the coalition parties continue to reel from the aftershocks of the BBB's electoral coup. Feyenoord and the Dutch cricket team reassure the CDA that even the worst losing streaks come to an end eventually. Russia fires a broadside at the ICC while China threatens to serve up an extra hot portion of patatje oorlog if ASML stops supplying Dutch chips. And has an orange chicken curry put paid to the football team's chances of a famous win in Paris?

We digest the results of a bombshell election that turned the Senate, the provincial houses and the water boards upside down and the flags the right way up. Are the nitrogen reduction plans in disarray? Who will the BoerBurgerBeweging team up with in the provinces? And can Mark Rutte live to fight another round on Vandaag Inside? The war in Ukraine and the pandemic turn out to be good news for the environment. Unemployment remains low but wages aren't keeping up with the price of tomatoes. And in football, two Dutch teams are still in the hunt for Europe's lesser prizes.

This week we do our best to explain how next week's elections work (shout out to the water boards!), why the TV debates are between politicians who aren't standing in them and why Mark Rutte is shadow boxing with a 'leftist cloud'. Justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz is under pressure over failures in the crown witness protection system. The European Medicines Agency is displeased about the personal treatments Amsterdam city council plans to offer in its neighbourhood. In sport, there's good news in athletics, football, skating, cycling and baseball. And we report on the exotic invaders who are accused of tearing up the neighbourhood, holding raucous parties and driving up your energy bill.

The systematic failure to protect Groningen residents from earthquakes and witnesses in gangland trials from being murdered in broad daylight were laid bare in two damning reports this week. We unearth the village scandal behind a portrait painted by Vincent van Gogh shortly before he left his native Brabant. Inflation rises again as the official statistics agency discovers it overcooked the figures last year. An amateur football team threatens to create an almighty headache for the KNVB after causing a cup upset. And we have an outstanding story about two plants of eye-watering proportions that will swell visitor numbers at Leiden University's botanical garden.

Unfortunately there is no regular episode this week because in a freakish coincidence the entire DutchNews podcast team is away and we promise this has nothing to do with the ten Russian spies who were expelled from the Netherlands on Tuesday. As a compensation, we release last summer's special episode for Patreon supporters in which we don't discuss the news, but rather a number of fascinating stories from Dutch history and several of them are remarkably related to current affairs. So if you want to know what a high-ranking German refugee, a giant Russian with a taste for torture, a hungry mob who literally grilled their prime minister and an art forger who conned the Nazis have in common? Spoiler: they all feature in our special summer podcast for DutchNews patrons, now available for everyone. But if you do want to support the DutchNews podcast, go to www.patreon.com/DutchNewsNL and make sure we will return next week with a regular episode!

After relying on the Netherlands to help them beat the taxman, U2 appropriately hire a Dutchman to beat the drums for them in Las Vegas. There's more smashing news on the tennis court, where two home-based players reach the quarter-finals of the ABN AMRO tournament. The VVD wins the race to become the first party to pull out of an election debate this year as Mark Rutte's strategy unravels. Celebrities staff the phone lines to drive up donations to the Giro 555 earthquake appeal. A councillor wins a five-year legal battle to stop racial profiling by border guards. And campaigners ask the king to honour a diplomat who was reprimanded for breaking visa rules to save thousands of Jews from the Holocaust.

Dutch rescue workers join the international team searching the rubble of this week's earthquake in Turkey and Syria for survivors. Back home, Mark Rutte surveys the wreckage of his asylum policy as the Council of State throws out a rule delaying family reunions. The team investigating the MH17 disaster say the chain of command went all the way up to Vladimir Putin. We ask if Dutch cheese and Belgian roads explain the Benelux hegemony in cyclo-cross. And we reveal why thousands of museum goers will miss the most famous girl in The Hague when she pays a rare visit to Amsterdam. The episode on the collapse of Forum voor Democratie was in week 48 of 2020 called "The Forum Voor Democrazy Edition" and the segment starts at 17:20.

The distant goal of putting Russia on trial for invading Ukraine moves a step closer as a dedicated prosecutor's office is set up in The Hague. Mark Rutte avoids a diplomatic incident as he takes French president Emmanuel Macron out to an Indonesian restaurant. The Dutch and German armies look set to integrate further, though there's bound to be a row about who owns the bicycles. Questions are asked in parliament about the right to protest after hundreds of people are arrested for demonstrating on a motorway. And we reveal which birds rule the roost in Dutch gardens.

A feast of ophef this week as the widow of singer André Hazes sues a juice channel presenter who called her a 'gecremeerd kroket' while Belgium's prime minister gets his flags in a twist. Richard de Mos rolls up in a garish stretch limousine for the start of his trial, where he's accused of running a criminal network in the heart of The Hague. The government promises to send more tanks and weapons to Ukraine as soon as it can sort out the lease contract with Germany. Amsterdam unveils its giant bike shed at Centraal Station to global acclaim and grumbles from cargo bike owners. Dutch citizens turn out to have turned up more than 1,000 Bronze Age burial mounds during lockdown. And Ajax sack Alfred Schreuder after running aground against the plucky fishermen of Volendam. Amsterdam bike shed time lapse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEnJORukyBw Upside down flag: https://twitter.com/alexanderdecroo/status/1617874616730673159 Prinsenvlag apology: https://twitter.com/alexanderdecroo/status/1618209869995315208

Mark Rutte went to Washington this week and said the Netherlands would definitely send some weapons to Ukraine at an unspecified time in the near future. Mayors in three cities suggested digital banning orders to curb gang violence, even though they don't know what they are, how they'd work or whether they're even legal. Good news on the energy front as gas prices start to come down and Geert Wilders becomes the unlikely saviour of solar panel subsidies. The Rijksmuseum extends its opening hours after tickets for its Vermeer show sell faster than hot kroketten. And Griekspoor's Australian dream ends in a Greek tragedy following his victory in the battle of the clones. Rijksmuseum Vermeer website: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/johannes-vermeer