Dutch airlines KLM and Transavia said on Sunday they had canceled European all flights until midnight and transcontinental flights until at least 20.00 hours because of the cloud of volcanic ash over much of northern Europe. More... comments (1)

Wins for both Amsterdam Ajax and FC Twente at the weekend kept the premier division title fight open with just one match still to play. More...

Two Dutch soldiers were killed in an explosion caused by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Saturday, the defence ministry has confirmed. More...

Chip maker NXP starts IPO process
Dutch computer chip maker NXP has registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to sell shares, a preliminary step towards a public offering, according to a statement published on Saturday. More...

Bank tax proceeds should go to treasury: finance minister
The proceeds of any new tax on banking profits should go to the treasury rather than a special fund for banks which get into trouble, finance minister Jan Kees de Jager said at a meeting of European finance ministers in Madrid on Saturday. More...

Labour prime minister but Liberals in cabinet: new poll
While 51% of voters expect Labour leader Job Cohen to be the next prime minister of the Netherlands, 47% say the right-wing Liberal party VVD must be a member of new coalition, according to a new poll by Maurice de Hond. More... comments (1)

TV reporter banned from broadcasting secret footage
Judges in Amsterdam have banned TV crime reporter Peter R. de Vries from broadcasting any more secretly-recorded footage of a convicted child killer in psychiatric prison. More... comments (2)

Four firms drop out of bidding for new mobile phone frequencies
Five companies will take part in next week's mobile phone frequency auction, the economic affairs ministry said on Friday. More...

KLM considers borrowing cash from its own pension fund
KLM, part of the Air France-KLM group, is considering borrowing a 'hefty sum of money' from one of its three pension funds to ease its financial situation, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Friday, quoting the Telegraaf. More... comments (2)

Dutch airpace closed until 6 am, international trains full
Dutch airspace is to remain closed to all air traffic until 6.00 hours on Saturday morning at least, the transport ministry said on Friday afternoon. More... comments (1)

Bishop reports priest to police for suspected child abuse
The bishop of Rotterdam Ad van Luyn has made a formal complaint to the police about a priest working in Leidschendam and Voorburg who may have been involved in sexually abusing children while working in Sri Lanka. More...

Many housing corporations fail to check tenants' income
Almost half of the country's housing corporations do not carry out proper income checks on prospective tenants, even though they are supposed to focus on low-income households, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday. More... comments (4)

Dune fires flare up again
Firefighters were again busy fighting fires in the dune area between Bergen aan Zee and Schoorl, in Noord-Holland on Friday. More...

Football coach Dick Advocaat gets 'enormous' offer from Russia
Football coach Dick Advocaat has received an 'enormous' offer from the Russian football federation to take over from Guus Hiddink, the AD reports on Friday. More...

Albino wallaby spotted in Frisian woods
An albino wallaby has been spotted in woods by the Frisian town of Makkinga, the Telegraaf which carries a photograph of the animal reports. More...

Prospective PVV MP withdraws after more revelations
The number nine on Geert Wilders´ list of prospective MPs for the June 9 general election has withdrawn after new relevations about her past, the Telegraaf reports on Friday. More... comments (1)

Court rules Dutch state does not have to house refugee and child
The Dutch state can refuse to house an Angolan asylum seeker and her three children who has lost her request for asylum, judges in The Hague said on Thursday, the Volkskrant reports. More...

MPs back loan to Greece, if Athens asks for it
A majority of MPs support EU plans to give Greece a €30bn loan, if Athens asks for help, news agency ANP reports. More... comments (1)

Few strikes in 2009, 5,000 working days lost
Workers were called out on strike just 25 times in the Netherlands last year, leading to the loss of 5,000 working days, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. More...

One third of deportations fail
Around one third of the 5,500 planned deportations of failed asylum seekers and illegal immigrants failed last year, the NRC reported on Thursday, quoting monitoring committee figures. More...

Cup final to be stretched over two matches, without away fans
The Dutch cup final between Amsterdam's Ajax and Feyenoord of Rotterdam is to be stretched over two matches without away supporters, in an effort to head off expected crowd trouble, the football association KNVB said on Thursday. More... comments (7)

Just 500,000 bikes were stolen last year
Some 500,000 bikes were stolen last year, well down on the 2006 total when 750,000 bikes 'changed owner', the home affairs ministry said on Thursday. More... comments (24)

Civil service cuts must have a purpose, says council of state chief
Cuts in the number of civil servants and merging government ministries must be done with an actual purpose, Tjeenk Willink, deputy president of the government's Council of State advisory body, is quoted as saying in Thursday's Volkskrant. More...

VVD gains on Labour in latest De Hond poll
The free-market Liberal party VVD has again risen in popularity in the latest Maurice de Hond opinion poll. More... comments (1)

Driving too close tops motorists' irritation list
Drivers who sit on the tail of the car in front are the biggest irritant on the Dutch roads, according to a national survey by MarketResponse. More... comments (4)

Update: Iceland volcanic eruption leads to air travel chaos
All flights to and from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport have been cancelled from 19.00 hours this evening because of the risk posed by clouds of ash from the volcanic eruption on Iceland. More... comments (8)