An explosive device detonated at the Red Cross hospital in Beverwijk early this morning, sparking a fire near the hospital’s supplier entrance on Akerendamlaan, RTL Nieuws reports. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. and caused significant damage including shattered windows and a blackened section of the building’s facade “There were large flames for a short time,” police said in a statement, sharing an image of the scene. “This is the last place where such a thing should happen,” a police spokesperson told RTL Nieuws The fire was quickly brought under control Hospital staff initially began firefighting efforts before the fire department arrived to fully extinguish the blaze Three people inhaled smoke during the incident and were treated at the scene according to the Veiligheidsregio Kennemerland The building also houses the Brandwondencentrum Beverwijk Authorities have no leads on why the hospital was targeted “We are investigating this now,” they said Witnesses to the explosion are urged to come forward This marks the second fire incident at the hospital in recent months the facility was potentially targeted in an arson attack though no suspects were identified or apprehended in that case Police plan to issue a renewed call for tips in the regional crime investigation program on Wednesday As chess tournaments go Tata Steel Chess has run pretty much forever—it has been held annually since 1938 with just one missed year it became one of the strongest chess competitions in the world It also became one of the most-photographed tournaments the Wijk aan Zee tournament has been of interest to the Dutch press almost as long as it has been around and the photos they took from 1948-89 are available on Wikipedia without restrictions several images of Tata Steel Chess throughout the years under its several yet consistent iterations the tournament had become international but still had six of the 10 players representing the host Netherlands only four of the ten players were Dutch by national origin But 1958 was still a good year for players from the host nation Two of the four were co-champions that year: GMs Max Euwe and Jan Hein Donner They drew their individual game in 28 moves they won or shared first at Beverwijk (where the tournament was held until 1967) a combined seven times: Euwe in 1940 By the 1960 Beverwijk tournament just two years later it was clear the tide was turning towards a much more dramatic international flair It was Larsen's second time at the tournament and the first for Petrosian and Flohr, who were also the first Soviet representatives in the tournament's history. Larsen is also responsible for one of the Tata organizers' favorite quotes: "Normal people have to see Naples before they die.. but a Chess Grandmaster has to win Wijk aan Zee first." In 1968, the tournament moved about five kilometers west, from Beverwijk to Wijk aan Zee, to get closer to the sea. Hoogovens remained the sponsor. GM Viktor Korchnoi won if you're wondering) claimed the world championship The Soviets took back Wijk the very next year when GM Mikhail Tal won in 1973 with 10.5/15 (six wins and nine draws) It wasn't even part of his amazing 95-game undefeated streak The streak was a record that would last for 43 years The West closed the gap at Wijk for the rest of the 70s and 80s GM Walter Browne of the United States won in 1974 and 1980 and was joined in the latter year by a familiar face Just as the Netherlands' two best players won in 1958, arguably America's two best at the time, GMs Yasser Seirawan and Browne, were co-winners in 1980. It was Yasser's last norm to become a grandmaster Walking on by is GM Jan Timman, who won the following year along with fellow Dutchman GM Genna Sosonko (also a 1977 co-winner with Geller) No Dutch player would claim the tournament for another 36 years.  1999 was also the last Hoogovens tournament; the company would merge with British Steel and become Corus the sponsorship was still considered worthwhile and the tournament continued under the new name in 2000 when all the top nine players in the world participated he'd lost his title to Kramnik in the meantime The top Dutch player at Corus 2005 was GM Loek van Wely, who later that year won his sixth straight Dutch Chess Championship. At Wijk, he scored 50% while beating GM Nigel Short in their game. The tournament was won by GM Peter Leko During the 11 years as Corus from 2000-10, three players were tournament champion or co-champion a combined seven times. They also happened to be world champions at one point or another: Kasparov, Anand, and, of course... GM Magnus Carlsen 2011 was the tournament's first year as Tata Steel Which may seem kind of boring but it was still a milestone year with the tournament finally achieving its current branding Another milestone was GM Hikaru Nakamura becoming the first American to win at Wijk aan Zee since 1980 The tournament's time as Tata Steel Chess has been dominated by Magnus even though several world champions have also been Tata champions Carlsen's win in 2015 made him the first reigning Another interesting win for Carlsen followed in 2018 GM Anish Giri who began representing the Netherlands in 2009 at the age of 14 was looking to be the tournament's first Dutch champion since 1985 he ran into Carlsen who did the Magnus thing and won the blitz tiebreak The biggest news the following year, besides Magnus winning for the second straight year and seventh time overall, was Kramnik's retirement after the tournament We hope you enjoyed this photographic look back at the longest-running annually-held strong tournament in chess history Be sure to catch the exciting conclusion of Tata Steel Chess 2022 on Chess.com Nathaniel Green is a staff writer for Chess.com who writes articles He has been playing chess for about 30 years and resides near Washington A suspect was arrested on Wednesday for starting a fire at the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk. The man is 37 years old and is from Beverwijk. The police reported this on Thursday. A firework bomb went off in the evening hours of Saturday leading into Sunday in front of the goods entrance of the hospital on the Vondellaan. The incident resulted in shattered windows and a blackened section of the building’s face. Hospital staff initially began trying to put out the fire. Three people were checked out by doctors after the incident because of an inhalation of smoke. The suspect is currently in full custody, which means he is only allowed to have contact with a lawyer. No further information can be given about the suspect at this time, according to the police. Two explosives were also detonated at the hospital in Beverwijk on November 25 and 26. The police are still looking for a suspect in these two incidents. They are also investigating whether the incidents in November and January are related and whether other people may have been involved. © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. Nearly 80 years later, Chorin’s family located one of the paintings, “View of Beverwijk,” in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The museum announced this month that it had reached an agreement to return the painting to the family. “To be able to redress that loss, even in a tiny way, I think, is gratifying. And it certainly is part of what we should be doing as a museum,” said the MFA’s curator for provenance, Victoria Reed. That label, said Reed, was “a red flag,” since the Nazis were known to have pilfered Hungarian Jewish wealth. “However, despite prioritizing this, trying to run a search through the art loss register, photographing the back, contacting the dealer, I was never able to get more information for this painting,” Reed said. Unbeknownst to Reed, the “View of Beverwijk” was listed in a book on Hungarian war losses — but with the incorrect image attached. Then, in 2019, came a small break in the case. A Hungarian scholar emailed the MFA to let them know that the painting had once belonged to an art collector named Frigyes Glück. At that point, all Reed did was update the painting’s listing on the MFA’s website, still unaware that it had been stolen from a Jewish collector during WWII. But the new information was enough to tip off Chorin’s family, who knew that he had probably acquired the painting from Glück’s estate. When the Chorin family’s lawyer reached out to Reed last year, the curator was “thrilled,” she said. “This is why we have a website, this is why we put provenance information online, this is why we put our collection online,” Reed said. “It can really assist people — Holocaust victims and their heirs — who are still looking for lost assets, to more easily find them. And in this case, that’s exactly what happened.” The lawyer for the Chorin family provided the museum with detailed documentation of the painting’s provenance, making it an easy matter to authenticate the work. “There was not a strong curatorial desire to keep the painting,” Reed said, so rather than compensate the family financially, the museum arranged to return “View of Beverwijk” to its rightful heirs. “View of Beverwijk” is currently on public view at Christie’s in New York. The family plans to auction it off later this year. Amelia Mason Senior Arts & Culture ReporterAmelia Mason is an arts and culture reporter and critic for WBUR and Rotterdam are preparing to take in and treat victims of a fire in a nightclub in North Macedonia The fire early on Sunday morning killed 59 people and injured another 155 It is not yet known whether any victims of the fire will actually come to the Netherlands for treatment, a spokesperson for the Dutch Burns Foundation told NOS “The severity of the burns is being assessed and then the umbrella organization for burns will determine whether people will also be treated for their injuries in the Netherlands.” The burns centers are also discussing whether Dutch doctors and nurses should go to North Macedonina to help, Paul van Zuijlen, a plastic surgeon and the director of the burns center in Beverwijk, told RTL Nieuws because almost 60 people have died already on Sunday in the nightclub Pulse in the city of Kocani Fireworks were set off during a concert by the band ADN According to Reuters The Macedonian authorities are investigating possible corruption and have already arrested around 20 suspects including government officials and the manager of the nightclub According to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski the license for the event was illegally issued by the Economy Ministry Mickoski declared seven days of national mourning This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page This website has been translated using an AI program a roadside restaurant and farm-to-table and a must visit Mild Steel is a greenhouse restaurant on the Rorik estate fertile months when the food of the land ends up on your plate immediately (or after some input from the chef) This year (2022) they are open until October 30 and will open their doors again on March 30 So join us quickly or next year again at farm-to-table Wegrestaurant Zacht Staal in Beverwijk Another nice farm-to-table restaurant in the Netherlands is Terra Wolde in Flevoland Go back ten gears and live with what the country gives us When the country provides beautiful ingredients (with their hands in the earth every day) they serve honest and fresh dishes at Zacht Staal The principle of farm-to-table is that food that comes from your own land or greenhouse is cooked a sustainable future is being built where agriculture they process what is grown on the estate into delicious dishes Zacht Staal is open from Thursday to Sunday and reservations can only be made for dinner A judge in Haarlem convicted a Beverwijk woman accused of temporarily blinding the pilots of a police helicopter when she aimed a laser pointer at them The woman told the court she believed she was trying to communicate with an alien spacecraft at the time The judge presiding over the case for the District Court of Noord-Holland sentenced the woman to 150 hours of community service and a suspended prison sentence of one month the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Wednesday The incident happened on the evening of March 17 The police helicopter was circling above Beverwijk around 7:15 p.m when they were suddenly blinded by a laser The air support was dispatched to the scene to assist in the hunt for suspects involved in a reported home invasion on Graaf Florislaan The police arrested three suspected burglars and the 54-year-old local woman that same evening A police spokesperson told news outlets that the helicopter crew quickly identified the location of the laser pointer Police dispatched on the ground to that location were able to apprehend the Beverwijk woman The woman told the court that she saw lights in the sky and thought they were aliens She wanted to make contact with them and did not consider the possibility that the lights originated from something other than aliens in an unidentified flying object It did not occur to her that the flashing lights over Beverwijk were generated by a helicopter The prosecutor said the woman’s defense was no excuse for the danger she caused “The file shows that the suspect shined the lights at the helicopter several times for seven minutes That is extremely dangerous,” the prosecutor said “The pilots in the helicopter had to turn their heads away and could not view the flight instruments That is dangerous in the complete darkness Pilots can become blinded and disoriented and can suffer eye damage.” The OM recommended 180 hours of community service and a suspended prison sentence of three months for intentionally endangering air traffic The court convicted the woman but imposed the lower sentence of 150 hours of community service with a conditionally suspended prison sentence of one month There were almost 100 reported incidents of explosions at a home The only time this happened more often since ANP started tracking it in 2023 was in October of last year there were three explosions a day last month including one by the Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk The explosions mostly occurred in big cities like Rotterdam A house on the Meidoornstraat in Rotterdam which was also targeted several times last year was hit with an explosive twice this month A home on the Vrijmark in Almere was hit with an explosive last night This resulted in damage being done to the front door The number of incidents with explosions has risen sharply in the last few years The police estimate that over half of these are not connected to organized crime but rather are the result of a dispute heavy professional fireworks are often used with flash powder as a charge has said that it is a "big problem," which is occurring throughout the country He also pointed out that this is a trend that is also prevalent in other European countries A commission led by Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten is investigating the growth in the number of explosions and will develop plans to combat this there is a kind of acceptance in it," said Van Weel let's hang an explosive on someone's front door It is just a matter of time before more people die or are injured in these kinds of attacks." ANP’s numbers only include incidents in which explosions went off considering these have the biggest impact on the surrounding area and type of location that the explosions went off in These are only the explosions reported by the media or police Family Handyman's Editorial Process Plant snowdrop flower bulbs in fall and enjoy their first flowers in late winter I love to see snowdrops blooming when there are still dots of snow on the ground They’re usually one of the first flowers of the new year in my garden Best in: USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3 through 8 Wear gloves when handling bulbs or plants to avoid possible skin irritation Two types are commonly planted in North American gardens does well Zones 3 through 7 and grows six to eight inches tall The Giant snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii, thrives in Zones 3 through 8 and grows eight to 10 inches tall Snowdrops are as easy to plant as any other bulb — maybe easier because the bulbs are small Snowdrops don’t like to be out of the ground for too long Space them about two to four inches apart and plant several together They’re small flowers; a single one would get lost Yes. I’ve had good success waiting until the foliage appears, then carefully digging up a few snowdrops and potting them up to bring inside to flower This only works if the ground isn’t frozen enjoy your snowdrops when they bloom in the ground A spot under deciduous trees works well because the snowdrops will get sun during winter and early spring Snowdrops generally don’t need to be watered they’ll get enough moisture for their needs In most gardens, you don’t need to provide any special fertilizer Adding compost when planting is often enough Let the foliage die back naturally in spring you can cut off a few snowdrop blooms to enjoy indoors Snowdrops are rarely bothered by pests and diseases in most gardens You don’t need to do anything to get snowdrops to bloom it may be because the bulbs multiplied and are crowding each other out Snowdrops are easy to divide in spring while the foliage is still growing You may have enough to share with a friend In her book Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms author Karen Azoulay says snowdrops traditionally represent hope Their emergence is one of the first signs of spring but it’s tricky and probably best left to those trying to breed new varieties It can take up to four years for a snowdrop grown from seed to bloom gardeners who go crazy for snowdrops are called galanthophiles They collect as many varieties as they can and plan special trips in February to visit gardens known for their snowdrop displays We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices We recommend our users to update the browser has benefitted from Stageco Nederland’s involvement since its launch in 2013 Playing to an audience of 12,500 at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam with Q-Dance’s Jeroen Beverwijk; hiring Stageco to construct and supervise a 6m diameter turntable as the foundation of the DJ stage explained: “Our turntable is fundamental to the production because the DJs perform in the middle of the Ziggo Dome Our crew [led by Arjan Bettink] take care of its rotary control during the show and as the partying carried on through to 7.00am He continued: “Q-Dance want to give their fans the opportunity to dance which is why Stageco also builds two large 50m+ wide dance platforms within the venue’s grandstands so that the visitors in those areas are not restricted by the seating.” Rigged above the DJ stage and extending to the ends of the arena Qapital 2018’s iconic bridge design required Stageco to construct an additional VIP platform on the long side of the grandstands this year therefore needed to build a few metres higher in the grandstand Jeroen Beverwijk of Q-Dance commented: “Our experience of working with Stageco is always positive Their delivery of special products such as the turntable and various elevators aided by their particularly quick and efficient load-in and build I was especially delighted with Stageco’s approach to the new VIP deck which was well received by the audience.” Stageco Nederland is also proud to maintain a close association with another Q-Dance event whose 2018 European edition takes place in Biddinghuizen over the weekend of 22-24 June 2018 www.stageco.com www.qapital.com We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again More information about our Cookie Policy Bike Europe is a part of VMNmedia. The following rules apply to the use of this site: Terms of Use and Privacy / Cookie Statement | Privacy settings an art history expert takes a photo from the news and likens it to a great work Cadence Kinsey looks at our fascination with the unknowable deep sea In the photographs of the 17 sperm whales washed ashore on beaches in England we are confronted by a fascination with the unknown Despite warnings to stay clear of the area crowds gathered around the bodies of these deep-sea mammals and much has been made of people posing for selfies with them Saenredam depicts a strangely familiar scene Groups of onlookers crowd around the massive body of the whale led by Ernst Casimir two of them investigating the giant left eye while in the foreground we see Saenredam himself The Latin text notes accompanying the engraving give us the precise dimensions of the Beverwijk whale What both the recent photographs and Saenredam’s engraving show is our curiosity with the ocean and its inhabitants the ocean was seen as a fearsome wilderness But by the Enlightenment it was precisely this fearsomeness that drew people toward the ocean so that it gradually became a place of wonder and pleasure This fear and fascination combined during the Victorian era in novels such as Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and in the foundation of museums such as the Smithsonian in Washington DC (1846) and the Natural History Museum in London (1881) Whales are no longer seen as monsters of the deep but gentle giants and symbols of the environmental movement alluded to in the slogans that some have been spray-painted with this week The close scrutiny depicted in Saenredam’s engraving echoes through the photographs of the whale carcasses undergoing autopsy: there are still stories to tell and specimens to collect In 2017, a giant skeleton of the blue whale will dominate the grand Hintze Hall in London’s Natural History Museum a reminder that these creatures continue to loom large in the modern imagination Cadence Kinsey is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at University College London where she is working on a book about art after the internet If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. 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The black cowboys of the Mississippi DeltaExploring the truth behind one of America's most iconic myths Inside the lives of Orthodox Jewish womenBEST OF 2019: Photographer Federica Valabrega takes us inside the secretive lives of Orthodox Jewish women. Esoteric and pioneering, the paintings of a lesser-known Pre-Raphaelite, Evelyn De Morgan, explored the trauma and meaning of war – and prefigured current fantasy art. As museums around the world celebrate the 250th birthday of JMW Turner, it's time to reappraise his beloved and celebrated painting, The Fighting Temeraire. Blanche Hoschedé-Monet has barely been acknowledged in art history. But not only did she help her stepfather Claude, she created her own fine works – often of the same scenes as him. Beloved by many, despised by others, Thomas Kinkade's quaint rustic scenes and his wholesome image belied a dark and tortured story that contrasts with his 'sugary' artworks. At the toughest time of his life, the painter was supported by an unlikely soulmate, Joseph Roulin, a postman in Arles. It was a friendship that would benefit art history. While the police are still looking for the stolen helmet of Coțofenești, a costume shop in Beverwijk is selling 3D-printed replicas of the Romanian artifact for Carnival. “It has exploded a bit here,” Astrid de Jong of party shop Greet Verkleedt told RTL Nieuws The real helmet of Coțofenești was stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen along with several other Romanian artifacts in January It is made of gold and worth millions of euros The ones sold in De Jong’s shop are 3D printed from plastic and cost significantly less The idea of replicating the stolen helmet came to De Jong a few weeks ago “My husband and I were thinking about an original idea for Carnival We initially planned to have the helmet made of cardboard but that was actually too late for Carnival to start producing things.” She gave up on the idea until a man entered the shop last week with a replica he had made on his 3D printer “He had the helmet under his arm and asked if I was interested in renting or selling it Then I thought: that would be a great idea to offer But anyone who still wants to grab one for carnival best act quickly “It's made to order and it takes 16 hours to print one,” Astrid said “We now have about 12 of them and they have all been sold Fireworks sales officially began in the Netherlands on Saturday with some stores opening their doors as soon as midnight customers queued outside in the early hours to purchase fireworks for the New Year’s celebrations A NOS photographer on the scene reported that some customers spent thousands of euros on fireworks. The store in Beverwijk closed again at 2 a.m. after serving the midnight rush. In addition to local stores, Dutch shoppers flocked to nearby German cities like Meppen, just across the border, where fireworks sales also began. Long lines formed both inside and outside stores such as Marktkauf, as Dutch buyers took advantage of Germany’s less stringent regulations and lower prices. Typically, fireworks sales in the Netherlands take place from December 29 through December 31. However, because December 29 falls on a Sunday this year—when fireworks sales are prohibited in both the Netherlands and Germany—stores were allowed to open a day earlier to accommodate demand. Fireworks sales in the Netherlands are governed by strict regulations to ensure safety. Vendors are required to provide safety goggles and a lighting stick with every purchase. They must also give customers instructions on how to light fireworks safely. Buyers are limited to a maximum purchase of 25 kilograms of fireworks, which is also the maximum amount a consumer is allowed to transport in a vehicle. Although customers are buying fireworks now, they cannot legally set them off until December 31 at 6 p.m. The permitted timeframe for lighting fireworks ends at 2 a.m. on January 1. In certain municipalities, however, a complete ban on fireworks is in place. In these areas, residents are prohibited from lighting fireworks of any kind during the New Year’s celebrations. Last year, Dutch consumers spent approximately 105 million euros on fireworks, slightly less than the 110 million euros record set the year before. A 24-year-old football trainer, who is suspected of convincing his pupils to make sexually explicit photos and trying to arrange a meeting in order to rape them between 2021 and 2023, expressed his regret for his actions on Monday. “Today, I hope to show that I want to make a new start,” said Stijn P. in the court in Alkmaar. The suspect trained football teams with children under 16 years of age in Haarlem and the IJmond region. He allegedly offered money and alcohol to the children for photos of their pubic area. He also asked boys whether they wanted to meet up in Bentveld, Haarlem, and Beverwijk to either kiss them or masturbate him. He offered one of them a “kissing course” in exchange for Ajax tickets. P. also allegedly falsified a certificate of conduct (VOG) and used that to work at a school in Duivendrecht. He was fired from his position at the school. The was held in a police cell for a short period of time and was released in December 2023. He was arrested again a year later because he had sent the falsified VOG to his employer. The case was heard in a public sitting for the first time on Monday. “I have now been jailed for 100 days and have thought a lot about what I want and don’t want anymore,” P. said to the court. “Of course, I said stupid stuff to the victims,” he said. “I am open to any form of help. Please, help me.” He added that he wants to study in Amsterdam again and work in the catering industry. His lawyer said: “The current detention period served its purpose.” She asked the court to give her client a chance to await his court case in freedom and to get his life back on track. “His life has been dedicated to this case for two years.” If the court decides on Tuesday to keep the man in custody, the next hearing will be on June 11. particularly for children: report March 29 2023 Photo: Depositphotos.comThe Tata Steel plant in IJmuiden Photo: Depositphotos.comLocals living in the vicinity of the Tata Steel steel works in IJmuiden are still being exposed to dust containing high concentrations of carcinogenic substances with children in Wijk aan Zee most at risk High levels of polycarbon-based pollutants and metals, including lead, have once again been found in coarse dust particles deposited in Beverwijk, Velsen-Noord and IJmuiden, and particularly in Wijk aan Zee, the latest of two probes carried by the the public health institute in 2022 has shown The results are generally similar to those of a RIVM study in 2020 except for the continued fall in the amount of iron unlike other metals such as lead and other substances has never been a direct cause of health problems Wijk aan Zee is bearing the brunt of carcinogenic emissions which the RIVM said is a health hazard ‘particularly for children’ In a reaction, Tata Steel said the RIVM did not investigate the origin of all the dust particles found and that the health institute had acknowledged that a ‘substantial’ part of the lead zinc and copper deposits could have come from other sources This makes it difficult to gauge the effects of the measures taken by the company to reduce emissions Tata Steel said its own probes had shown the amount of carcinogenic substances had been halved compared to 2019 and other measures to curb emissions are in the pipeline ‘We are working hard to limit the impact of out activities but it takes time,’ it said in its statement We could not provide the Dutch News service without the generous support of our readers Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days We could not provide this service without you Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey hospitals across the Netherlands reported multiple cases of firework-related injuries Five of these victims required immediate surgery and one person faces the loss of vision in one eye The injuries were caused predominantly by legal fireworks 13 firework injury patients arrived at the Rotterdam Oogziekenhuis Eye surgeon Tjeerd de Faber expressed frustration "It’s the same tragedy as last year." He noted that four or five of the victims required surgery The youngest victim was a 9-year-old child and half of the injuries were from legal fireworks De Faber warned that the number of firework injuries would likely rise "This can only stop with a nationwide firework ban," he said referencing the lower injury rates seen during the COVID-19 lockdowns when such a ban was in place At the Haaglanden Medisch Centrum in The Hague 20 patients were treated in the first two hours of New Year’s Eve reported that the injuries were manageable with only one firework injury involving eye damage This patient was transferred to the city's Oogziekenhuis for further treatment noting that the situation was comparable to a typical night out the Amsterdam UMC reported fewer eye injuries than anticipated despite concerns about strong winds causing more accidents Fifteen of the cases were related to alcohol or drug-related falls while the remaining patients had non-New Year's-related injuries the Brandwondencentrum reported a relatively quiet night with only two firework injury patients transferred from other hospitals The center treated a total of 17 patients in the emergency department including four with injuries from fireworks to their eyes or hands much like last year," a spokesperson stated The UMCG hospital in Groningen also experienced a calm evening with six firework injury patients admitted One patient had severe injuries from violence and several others suffered alcohol poisoning especially after unrest earlier in the evening in the Hoogkerk district The court in Alkmaar on Friday imposed prison sentences of up to eight years on five men for their involvement in a series of bomb attacks on Polish supermarkets across the Netherlands in December 2020 and January 2021. The Public Prosecution Service had demanded prison sentences of up to 9 years against them last month the court described the attacks as “intimidating Between 8 December 2020 and 4 January 2021, explosives went off five times at Polish supermarkets in Aalsmeer, Heeswijk-Dinther, twice in Beverwijk, and Tilburg The explosions had a devastating effect and caused hundreds of thousands of euros in damage In the first explosion in Aalsmeer the blast threw pieces of glass and wood up to 30 meters away the Dutch authorities have not found a motive for the attack None of the perpetrators would say anything about who hired them or ordered the attacks Remondis is expanding its footprint in the Netherlands with another acquisition The German waste management group has acquired the skip hire and waste management company Gebroeders Scholten in Beverwijk via its Dutch subsidiary Remondis is aiming to expand its range of services in the North Holland province "This acquisition is a logical next step after we purchased Adrichem in Beverwijk at the start of 2022,” regional director Edgar Methorst noted Remondis also retained twelve workers as part of the earlier deal Scholten’s entire team is to join Remondis as part of the latest transaction the company’s services will be provided from the neighbouring Remondis/Adrichem site in Beverwijk in the future Scholten primarily collects construction and demolition (C&D) waste the company also offers demolition and asbestos removal services as well as machine rental A press release issued to mark the takeover notes that the market for C&D waste collection is in a period of transformation Scholten had found an investment partner that could ensure that it would continue to operate into the long-term The fact that Remondis was a family-owned business with a decentralised structure and the German group's focus on customers were further arguments in favour of the sale Customer Service+49 7224 9397-701servicenoSpam@GO-AWAYeuwid.de Editorial Team+49 7224 9397-0recyclingnoSpam@GO-AWAYeuwid.com Get the latest news about developments and trends in the industry sent to you once a week free of charge by newsletter Sign up for our newsletter We use cookies and external services on our website others enhance your user experience or help us improve this website You can change your privacy settings any time by clicking privacy policy Necessary cookies are required for the correct functioning of the website Content from video and social media platforms is blocked by default. If access to these services is accepted, separate consent is no longer required when using them. You can find more information on the individual external services in our privacy policy Investigators in one operation took a deeper look at four principal owners of different chains of small retail shops The authorities joined up in the Amsterdam Regional Information and Expertise Center (RIEC) to uncover participation in criminal acts which undermine public order and the rule of law Parool reported that the case started with visits to seven souvenir and tobacco shops on Nieuwendijk Investigators found the stores selling cocaine cutting agents and other items used in the distribution of hard drugs Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema ordered six of the businesses closed shut down a wholesaler connected to the investigation Investigators then focused on four specific business owners who are independent of each other and are not believed to be part of a network of criminals They own a combined total of ten souvenir shops four other stores that focus on tourists or new immigrants such as telephone shops and souvenir clothing stores The businesses are mainly located in the city center Parool noted that they also claim to sell tobacco and candy Two of the business owners saw dramatic increases in turnover the newspaper reported based on a review of the investigation This sometimes amounted to several millions of euros in a single year All four have ties to people implicated in other organized crime scams Abnormally high amounts of cash were found in some stores Many of them also make large cash deposits in bank accounts which are inconsistent with turnover from average tourism stores Two of the four owners kept their stores stocked with a large amount of high-value bank notes ranging in denomination from 100 to 500 euro which raised suspicion as the shops supposedly specialize in transactions well below 50 euros Other red flags included the use of private loans linked to others with ties to underground banking and connections to an industrial site known as the Midi Center The Midi Center has a connection to one man in his thirties from Afghanistan who is tied up in a court case involving allegations of laundering hundreds of millions of euros and the provision of banking services to the criminal underworld The four business owners themselves all are either from Afghanistan or are Dutch-Afghan. A similar ongoing investigation has focused on Dutch-Afghan businessman Davoud Quadri. The rapid expansion of his Q&Q Tabak en Souvenirs retail stores in Amsterdam raised eyebrows during the coronavirus pandemic a fifth closed but reopened under new ownership and a sixth remains unable to open while its permit application is reviewed Six of Quadri's stores were forced to close for six months last year after investigators accused them of illegally selling hemp joints In an op-ed published by The Guardian on Friday, Halsema warned that money earned from illegal drug trafficking and organised crime was being subversively invested in property, commercial services, and hospitality businesses. "If it continues on this current path, our economy will be inundated with criminal money and violence will reach an all-time high," she added. As part of the city's goal to tackle organized crime, the city tightened up business permit rules for retail businesses operating along one city center roadway, that breaks up into Damstraat, Oude Doelenstraat, Oude Hoogstraat, and Nieuwe Hoogstraat. The area sees a heavy amount of foot traffic, but the variety of shops there is of questionable quality while rental prices and property sales prices are extremely high. Six applications under the new permit scheme have already been rejected. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Waipu residents 'D1' Allan Beverwijk and 'D2' Patsy Beverwijk visit the Kensington Health Hub vaccination centre on Super Saturday. Photo / Michael Cunningham Northland has smashed its Super Saturday target with 4974 vaccines delivered in a single day — well ahead of the region's goal of 3900 doses. Nationwide the final figure was more than 129,995 doses, outstripping the government's initial target of 100,000. That was later bumped up to 150,000. In Northland health workers were surprised, and gratified, by the number of people getting their first jab. They included more than 1000 Māori who received their first dose. While Māori vaccination rates continue to trail behind the national average, they are now increasing faster than those of any other ethnic group. A festival atmosphere, fancy dress, free kai, giveaways and games helped sweeten the deal for those lining up at 42 vaccination sites across the region, and may have persuaded some still on the fence. Northland also saw one of the biggest protests against the vaccine rollout in the country with more than 1000 people gathering in Whangārei's Kensington Park for an event fronted by Destiny Church's ManUp movement. Whangārei's Semenoff Stadium drive-through was packed with people rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated, along with volunteers offering food and drink. Whangārei resident Nadia Elston was among those getting her first jab. ''The staff here are doing a fantastic job. I was putting it off until now, but I think it's about time people start taking this pandemic seriously, use some common sense and get vaccinated.'' Elston said the drive-through service was a great help to solo parents who could wait in the car with their kids. The sausages and drinks provided by the Rapid Relief Team were an added bonus, she said. Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai said the response to Super Saturday was ''fabulous''. ''We need Northlanders to get high vaccination numbers so that we can open up the borders and enjoy a beautiful Kiwi summer.'' Waipū's famous vax dinosaurs also put in an appearance at clinics in Whangārei and Bream Bay, roaring their support for Super Saturday while distributing lollies and good cheer. Inside the inflatable dinosaur suits Patsy and Allan Beverwijk said they wanted to ''have fun with people, liven up the ambience and promote vaccination''. ''We need Northlanders to get vaccinated to come out of the lockdown and we're just doing our part.'' More than 1000 people gathered at Kensington Park for a #FreedomNZ demonstration against the Covid-19 vaccine and mandatory vaccination in some sectors. The protest was led by ManUp director Robbie Johnson, who said he was standing up for people's choice to get vaccinated. Teacher Celia Paul said she was opposed to compulsory vaccination in her profession. She had already received her first dose with her family making an informed decision to get vaccinated before the mandate came in. ''I'm not sure if the Government has thought of other strategies to promote vaccination but mandating it takes away people's personal choice and their belief system,'' she said. ''The reason I got vaccinated was I realised we can no longer hide from the virus. With level 4 not being an option for the Government, I used my common sense and took the vaccine. But the point is I was able to make a choice and others should be allowed to do the same.'' Meanwhile, in the Mid North, a Vaccination Station set up at Moerewa Rugby Club grounds by Ngati Hine Health Trust and Ōtiria Rugby Club felt like a super-sized whānau festival. People arriving by bus and car were greeted and directed to a waiting area, then ushered inside for their jab and back out to another marquee to wait out the 15-minute observation time. In the meantime they were treated to hāngī and chocolate gateau, and community powerhouse Pamela-Anne Simon ran quizzes, gave away spot prizes and MC'd games of Te Putea or Te Pēke based on the 1970s TV show It's in the Bag. Far North charity Bald Angels gave away hundreds of pairs of shoes and Moerewa's second-hand shop gave away its proceeds in the form of petrol vouchers as thanks to those getting the jab. Ōtiria Rugby Club secretary Gene Tana came in early for his second jab. ''I did it for my whānau pretty much, I'm trying to keep them safe. I'm not too worried about myself — it's about my parents and grandparents,'' he said. Reo Turner brought eight people from Rāwhiti, spurred by concerns the virus could be circulating in Northland following a visit by two Covid-positive women. They went home with kai and new shoes and gumboots. ''It's awesome and the prizes are a bonus,'' she said. Others brought their children, like Rick Brownlee of Moerewa who was supporting his daughter Maharlia, who turns 13 next week. Brownlee said he had been fully vaccinated since August because of underlying health issues. ''A lot of the family have heath issues. I didn't want to risk it,'' he said. Ngāti Hine Health Trust clinical lead Angela Hobson said her goal was to get as many whānau vaccinated as possible. ''It's awesome to see everyone coming out. We had a lot of young people come through in the morning with their siblings and mums and dads who've already been through. It's a real whanau-oriented atmosphere we've tried to create today.'' Ngāti Hine project manager Aorangi Stokes said the trust had been working hard, assisted by local organisers, to engage whānau to get a good turnout. ''I don't think we would have achieved this any other way. We know the by Māori, for Māori approach works for us because we have the inter-relationships that allow us to connect with people beyond just serving them.'' Stokes was especially pleased by the number of people getting their first jab. ''The first 60 people through the gate were first-time vaccinators. Those are people who've been sitting on the fence, watching the trends and the rollout of the campaign. We're really excited to see these whānau come off the fence, make an educated decision and come down here to be vaccinated.'' Stokes said the ''real cool incentives'' may have helped as well. ''We've got kai, we've got cakes, we've got spot prizes, we've got a $1000 prize draw.'' Also taking part in the Moerewa event was Rugby for Life chairman Ajit Balasingham, who was promoting the Take Two for the Team initiative in which anyone who gets a jab could nominate their sports club for a $10 donation. Eight Māori health providers across Northland were taking part along with 16 clubs in codes such as rugby, hockey, netball and walking. The aim was to get 100 clubs signed up, he said. ''It's a win-win. The club gets money, people get vaccinated, and we all get out of these lockdowns and back to playing sport.'' About 15km west Kaikohe-based health provider Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi ramped up its drive-through vaccination centre at the Ōhaeawai Rugby Club grounds with extra helpers and giveaways. Visitors to the Nḡapuhi Super Clinic were treated to snapper burgers, sausages, ice creams and free shoes. Chief operating officer Tia Ashby said an engagement officer at front gate was answering questions from people who were still on the fence, such as whether it was safe to get vaccinated while pregnant. Feedback had been overwhelmingly positive, she said. ''People really like the fun, friendly, whānau-oriented, non-clinical atmosphere. They can stay in their cars without having to stand in a queue and obviously the kids love Mr Whippy,'' she said. Over at Kerikeri Sport Complex, the Northland District Health Board set up a drive-through clinic with help from Māori wardens and St John volunteers. Nurses donned fancy dress, a DJ played old 45s, and Rapid Response Team volunteers handed out free sausages. Public health nurse Kerry Cane said two vaccination lanes were steady all day with 400 doses delivered by 1.30pm. ''It's been a really pleasant day with a steady stream of people, a lot of them came for their first dose which is just perfect,'' she said. Police said they were called to the Kerikeri vaccination site when a protester, who had earlier been handing out leaflets, started filming people arriving to get their jabs. A small demonstration was held at Kerikeri Domain. A company ignored requests to remove a pontoon and rubber fenders. Police in the Netherlands and Poland busted a family accused of trafficking firearms from the Netherlands to Poland via a mail-order service. They arrested 82 suspects, primarily members of the same family, in a joint operation on April 25, Europol, who supported the bust, said on Monday. One suspect was arrested in the Netherlands, the other 81 in Poland. Police also seized 250 firearms and raided some 300 locations across Poland, and two in Beverwijk and Heemskerk in the Netherlands. According to Europol, the family members residing in the Netherland, including the alleged ringleader of the arms trafficking gang, acquired firearms of various types - both legal and illegal - from across Europe. They stored the guns in the Netherlands, sending them to family members in Poland as needed. The Polish side of the operation would then convert the deactivated weapons into live-firing ones and sell them on online marketplaces. The guns were advertised as "antique" or "deactivated" but were sold live alongside ammunition to trusted clients. The organized crime group sent the firearms to customers via parcel delivery companies. Up to bust on April 25, the gang allegedly distributed several hundred illegal firearms in this way, Europol said. People living in the vicinity of Tata Steel in IJmuiden are exposed to far more harmful substances than people living elsewhere. The amount of lead is even so high that it can have consequences for locals residents' health, it exceeds the health-based limit. This also applies to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). At the end of last year, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) collected dust from dozens of places in Wijk aan Zee, Beverwijk, Velsen, IJmuiden, and Heemskerk. This happened both on the street and in people's homes. The composition of the dust particles was analyzed in a laboratory. The samples were compared with dust collected in Amersfoort, De Rijp (near Alkmaar), and De Zilk (near Noordwijk). Places that are far from Tata Steel. Researchers measured about 900 times as much vanadium, 160 times as much manganese, and 150 times as much iron in the dust from Wijk aan Zee as outside the IJmond. "This especially applies to the locations closest to the Tata Steel site," according to the RIVM. Other substances commonly measured near Tata Steel were chromium, magnesium, nickel, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, calcium, strontium, barium, copper, cobalt, and zinc. The levels of the substances inside the houses were lower than outside on the street, but here too it was higher than outside the IJmond. For example, the amount of lead indoors in Wijk aan Zee was more than a hundred times higher than in Amersfoort. The RIVM did not take measurements at the chimneys of Tata itself, but the results "indicate that a considerable part of the settled dust originated from the Tata Steel site". Further research should provide more clarity on this. But substances such as iron, manganese, vanadium and chromium "are typical of the steel industry. We could have said 'we are still investigating that', but we didn't think that was fair either. We thought it was important to make this statement quickly," said Elberse. Steel manufacturer Tata Steel said it "understands that there are concerns in the area" of the factory in IJmuiden. Tata said it is studying the report and is therefore not yet responding substantively to the results. In an initial response, the company said: "We strive to minimize the impact of the processes on the environment, which is a continuous processes." Tata said it invests hundreds of millions of euros into this. "The measures that have already been taken in recent years have meanwhile led to a significant decrease in emissions of, among other things, dust and noise in the environment." An unusual delivery of live fish caught the attention of Amsterdam police hook, line, and sinker. Investigating officers found the aquatic animals swimming around hidden compartments filled with liquid cocaine. It started on Sept. 4 when police officers on stakeout witnessed dozens of boxes being loaded into vans at Schiphol airport. The delivery vehicles left a holding area for animal cargo and traveled to a storage facility in Amsterdam where the boxes were offloaded, police said. That’s when authorities intervened, detaining several people as part of an ongoing investigation. “When the police open the seized boxes, they were surprised to find large plastic bags filled with water and live fish. At the bottom of the bags of live fish were sealed compartments with a fluid the forensic team later determined to be liquid cocaine,” police said in a statement. The announcement was made over three weeks after the incident took place. Four of at least five people arrested were still in custody on Friday. Among those held were a woman, 61, and two men, 60 and 43, from Beverwijk, a 31-year-old man from Alkmaar, and a Diemen man, aged 46. All three cities are in Noord-Holland. “Following the find, the police carried out a follow-up investigation in which several homes were searched in Alkmaar, Beverwijk and Diemen where, among other things, drugs, cutting agents, a firearm and mobile telephones were found. Several suspects were arrested in different places in the country,” police added. The investigation was still ongoing on Friday, and more arrests were said to be possible. 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