"He is a very happy boy," said his aunt, Natasja van der Haas, in an interview with RTL Nieuws "He works as an assistant chef at a bistro in Purmerend He is crazy about gaming and he likes to chop things up and make videos of it "If there is one person who would have had nothing to do with this triggered a large fire that caused an enormous amount of smoke and forced authorities to evacuate several homes Although a few people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation Joey's brother made it to the garden from a balcony and used a ladder to get his mother to safety He panicked and ran through the flames to try and make his way outdoors "His brother saw Joey running towards him like a burning torch," said their aunt "He tried to put out the fire with his hands Joey's skin was stuck to his hands." An older brother does not live at the home Van der Haas ran to the crime scene from her own home and found her relatives at the neighbor's home that he was laughing at me with an oxygen mask on while his skin was hanging off his back "Joey is now still in a coma due to damage to his lungs and throat He is also being kept asleep because of the wounds and that it is too painful when changing and caring for them." She asked that people send get well cards and notes to him as he remains in the burn unit at the Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis in Beverwijk Two men from Purmerend were arrested in connection with the incident. A 19-year-old is suspected of arson, and Joey's family wants to press charges of attempted manslaughter. He will appear for an arraignment hearing on Tuesday. The 20-year-old man was brought in on suspicion of preparing a future violent act. Joey's 23-year-old brother, who spent the night in the home, may have been the intended victim. The act may have been a case of extortion or retaliation, a relative told the news outlet. She remarked that he was rumored to be involved in suspicious dealings, and that he was being threatened and blackmailed. Van der Haas said Joey's brother was sent into hiding, but she is angry at the perpetrators. She is also upset at the ease with which criminals in the Netherlands seem to be willing to use explosives in extortion schemes, retaliatory crimes, or for simply feeling disrespected. To Van der Haas, it was the attackers' ruthlessness and carelessness that left her young nephew with severe burns from head to toe. © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. meaning they can only talk to their lawyers They will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday and police are not ruling out further arrests Locals said the blast was not the first to hit the area and cameras had been placed to monitor the situation On Wednesday, justice minister David van Weel expressed alarm at the increasingly frequent explosions in residential areas in the Netherlands in the wake of the devastating blast in The Hague that left six people dead He called for tougher sentences for people convicted of explosives and firework-related offences The number of firework attacks on homes and business premises will probably far exceed 1000 this year, police estimate Police now say the attack in The Hague was aimed at a bridal shop situated at the block of flats and was ordered by the former partner of the business owner It is not clear what the motive behind the Purmerend attack was 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 A powerful explosion rocked a home on Maasstraat early Sunday morning, leaving one person seriously injured and forcing the evacuation of multiple nearby residences. Police have determined the explosion was deliberate and qualifies as arson The incident occurred around 4:10 a.m. when a blast caused a significant fire that quickly spread to two neighboring homes evacuating residents from six homes in the affected block “One person was transported to the hospital with severe injuries caused by the explosion,” police said in a statement their condition is no longer life-threatening.” Authorities have declared the site a crime scene as they work to uncover the circumstances behind the explosion "We are keeping all scenarios open," a police spokesperson said adding that the crime scene has been cordoned off for further forensic examination The police are asking residents and businesses in the area to provide any relevant security camera footage from 3:00 a.m “If you have any information or recordings please contact us through our tip line at 0800-6070 or upload footage directly through the online tip form using case number 2024277450,” the statement continued The explosion caused extensive fire damage to the property and neighboring homes one person suffered smoke inhalation and was treated on-site while the injured individual hospitalized earlier is the only person reported with significant injuries but authorities are coordinating with displaced families to find alternative accommodations "We are discussing options with the affected families including whether they can stay with relatives or need other arrangements," the spokesperson added The explosion temporarily disrupted district heating for between 75 and 100 homes in the area as technicians shut down the heating system for safety “Our teams are working as quickly as possible to restore heating to the affected homes,” a representative for the heating service said Authorities are still piecing together the events leading up to the explosion and hope witness testimonies and footage will provide critical leads please come forward," the police urged in their statement Yesterday, Mayor Ellen van Selm voiced concern about the increasing frequency of explosions across the Netherlands. “Explosions are such a terrible form of crime. They have a significant impact. As a municipality, we are evaluating what is needed right now,” Van Selm told NOS five homes damaged in Purmerend blast December 15 2024 Emergency service workers put out the fire: Photo: ANP/HH/Mizzle MediaOne person has been seriously hurt and five homes in a terraced block in Purmerend have been badly damaged in an explosion and fire at one of the properties Five people were checked at the scene by ambulance staff and a sixth person was taken to hospital with serious injuries, police said on Sunday morning. According to the Telegraaf the victim is a young man who was well-liked locally Police say they consider the explosion may have been caused deliberately A gas leak has been ruled out because most of the properties in the row are gas-free The explosion took place at around 4.15 am and the fire which had been caused by the blast spread into two other houses All but one in the six property block has been left uninhabitable “I was in bed and had woken up and was just drifting back to sleep when I heard an enormous bang,” one man told regional broadcaster NH Another woman said her whole house shook in the blast Last weekend six people were killed and four injured in an explosion at an apartment complex in The Hague which police now say was probably targeting a bridal shop The police said earlier they expect the Netherlands will have been rocked by around 1,000 firework bomb attacks this year European eagle owl suspected of more than 50 attacks on humans in Purmerend A rogue owl that has terrorised a northern Dutch city for the past year, forcing citizens to arm themselves with umbrellas at night, has been caught, officials have announced. Dubbed the “terror owl” by residents of Purmerend, north of Amsterdam, the aggressive European eagle owl is suspected of more than 50 attacks on humans, swooping silently from above and leaving many of its victims bloody and bruised. “The animal was trapped by a falconer today,” the Purmerend city council said on Friday evening. “It’s in good health and is currently being kept in a temporary facility awaiting a transfer once a proper permanent home has been found,” it added. The large owl is suspected of a spate of mysterious attacks on citizens over the last year, prompting the city to advise evening strollers to arm themselves with umbrellas for protection against aerial assaults. “The attacks were getting heavier,” the city said, adding: “Many people were afraid to go out of their homes.” As the owl is a protected animal, the city had to get special permission to trap the creature. Once that was granted, a falconer set out on a bird-hunt. In one of the many assaults, two members of a local athletics clubs were attacked last month, with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey’s talons. Owl experts have said the bird’s behaviour was unusual, meaning it was either raised in captivity and associated humans with food, or had heightened hormone levels because of the start of the breeding season. The European eagle owl is one of the largest owl species, with a wingspan of up to 1.8 metres (almost six feet) and weighing up to 3kg. City council member Mario Hegger said he had mixed feelings about the owl’s capture. “On the one hand, you would of course rather leave such a magnificent beast alone,” he said. “But on the other hand, the situation could not continue. We had to do something.” The police have arrested two men in the investigation into an explosion on the Maasstraat in Purmerend, they reported on Thursday. A 19-year-old suspect was arrested on Wednesday in Purmerend and is suspected of direct involvement in the explosion. A 20-year-old suspect who is also from the city was arrested earlier in the same evening and is suspected of preparing "a retaliatory action," police said. This retaliatory action was being prepared after the explosion had caused a large fire in the evening hours of Saturday leading into Sunday, said a police spokesperson. One person was seriously injured by the explosion and fire. Six homes were evacuated, and five of those are still uninhabitable. The two suspects are in full custody and are only allowed to have contact with their lawyer. On Friday, they will be brought before the examining magistrate, who will decide on the basis of the suspicions whether their time in custody will be extended. There were another two incidents after this explosion in Purmerend. The police told reporters about a fire after heavy fireworks were used in the Karnstraat and a short fire at a home on the Oeverlanderstraat. Police said they have found no clues to indicate that these incidents, which all happened in close proximity to each other, are connected with the explosion on Maasstraat, which is in a different area of the city. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Residents take umbrellas out at night for protection after stealthy attacks on runners and home for disabled I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A falconer has finally caught the aggressive Eagle Owl that’s terrorised a small Dutch town attacking more than 50 people in the last year The local council is now looking for a suitable place to release the bird after needing special permission to catch the protected species because its unusual behaviour posed such a danger to residents Some of the attacks left victims needing hospital treatment with two runners needing stitches for head wounds inflicted in a swooping aerial assault on Tuesday One of the runners required six stitches for gashes caused by the bird’s talons The bird has been swooping from the sky without warning and gouging the flesh of the townsfolk for months. “It was like having a brick laced with nails thrown at your head,” one victim, Niels Verkooijen, told the Dutch news programme Hart van Nederland. It’s also responsible for at least 15 attacks, under the cover of darkness, on residents and staff at a home for the disabled, according to their spokeswoman Liselotte de Brujin. She told AFP: "During the day there's no problem, but at night we now only venture outside armed with umbrellas, helmets and hats, anything really, to protect ourselves. "The problem is that you don't hear the owl before it strikes. Its claws are razor-sharp." But her prayers that the owl – the largest of all owl species – would be caught have now been answered by a Dutch falconer. The city council announced it had finally been caught on Friday night, although one council member had mixed feelings about the capture. Mario Hegger said: “On the one hand, you would of course rather leave such a magnificent beast alone,” reports The Guardian. “But on the other hand, the situation could not continue. We had to do something.” In an official statement, the council said: “It’s in good health and is currently being kept in a temporary facility awaiting a transfer once a proper permanent home has been found.” The bird is one of the most common species of owl in the world, as well as being the largest, with wingspans of over six feet recorded in some cases. It’s believed to be female – which are larger than male Eurasian eagle-owls. But it is a protected species and the city had previously released a statement saying it had applied for a special exemption to rules because ‘the safety of our citizens is at risk’ – but these applications ‘can take some time’. The bird has earned itself a fierce reputation in Purmerend, around 12 miles north of Amsterdam – and it’s not the first time that this species has been responsible for attacks on humans. In Gloucestershire’s Wotton-under-Edge, a bird named Synwell locally, broke a pensioners arm in an attack, reports The Mail Online. But experts say that aggressive behaviour is unusual. Gejo Wassink of the Netherlands OWN owl foundation told AFP: "Either the owl was reared in captivity and released into the wild and now associates humans with food — meaning it's not really 'attacking' people. "Or it may have heightened hormone levels as the breeding season starts, which influences its behaviour and makes it defend its territory." Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies like this one from the Mulhouse Zoo in eastern France a Dutch town is confronting an aerial threat of its own: owl attacks The bird also has attacked and traumatized residents and employees at a Purmerend home for the disabled but at night we now only venture outside armed with umbrellas " 'The problem is that you don't hear the owl before it strikes " 'We hope the city will soon catch this rogue bird.' " According to a report in the Dutch English-language news site NL Times "The municipality plans to apply for an exemption from the province so that the bird can be caught and released somewhere else." residents are shielding themselves with umbrellas some of which have been donated by Rabobank but an owl expert offered a couple of possible explanations to AFP: "Gejo Wassink of the Netherlands' OWN owl foundation said the bird's behaviour was unusual " 'Either the owl was reared in captivity and released into the wild and now associates humans with food — meaning it's not really 'attacking' people.' " " 'Or it may have heightened hormone levels as the breeding season starts which influences its behaviour and makes it defend its territory,' Wassink told AFP saying the bird 'appears to be a female.' " Purmerend isn't the only place fending off owl attacks this winter. Residents of Salem, Ore. — especially runners — have been targeted by barred owls since January Become an NPR sponsor Happy Chinese New Year: Impression of China As a major event for the 2018 Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in the country the gala was presented by the Shenzhen Arts Company from South China’s Guangdong province the charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy to the Netherlands Chen said 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Netherlands and the ever-deepening cooperation and exchanges in many fields between the two nations have created tighter Sino-Dutch ties Happy Chinese New Year celebrations in Holland have become an important platform for cultural exchanges between the people of the two countries traditional cultural performances of Chinese martial arts traditional Chinese opera and music played on traditional instruments were staged at the gala The event won rounds of warm applause as it provided the Dutch audience an authentic impression of China This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Read our Privacy Notice 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 A powerful explosion at a home on Maasstraat early Sunday morning caused a large fire that spread to two neighboring houses, leaving one person seriously injured and several others displaced. Emergency services responded to the scene at approximately 4:15 a.m. A fire department spokesperson told ANP that one person was hospitalized with injuries. According to NH Nieuws, five others inhaled smoke and were treated on-site by paramedics Footage showed flames pouring from the upper floors and thick smoke obscuring visibility in the area Residents of the entire housing block were evacuated and temporarily relocated to nearby facilities Authorities advised residents in the area to keep windows and doors closed and to shut off ventilation systems due to the heavy smoke The cause of the explosion remains under investigation Police have cordoned off the street and declared the site a crime scene "The origin of the fire appears to be linked to the explosion," a police spokesperson told NH Nieuws "We have established a crime scene because we want to determine exactly what happened This is standard procedure when the cause of a fire is unclear." The fire department worked through the morning to extinguish hotspots One household may be able to return to their property soon while authorities are arranging alternative accommodations for residents of the other five homes including whether they can stay with relatives or need other arrangements," said a fire department representative The explosion also disrupted heating for roughly 75 to 100 homes in the area as the district heating system was temporarily shut down "Our teams are working to restore heating to as many homes as possible," a spokesperson for the local heating service said Read moreOver the last three weeks, the European eagle owl has silently swooped on dozens of people in Purmerend, in the north of the Netherlands with many victims requiring hospital treatment The latest aerial assault on Tuesday evening saw two members of a local athletics club attacked with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey’s talons The club has cancelled all training until further notice Residents and workers at Prinsenstichting home for the disabled have been left terrified following at least 15 attacks “The problem is that you don’t hear the owl before it strikes “We hope the city will soon catch this rogue bird.” Purmerend city council said it was trying to find a solution “We want to catch the owl as our city’s residents are in danger,” it said on its website noting however that the European eagle owl is a protected species that requires special permission to be trapped “These procedures can still take some time we are advising people to stay away from the owl,” the city said telling night strollers in the area to shield themselves with umbrellas Gejo Wassink of the Netherlands’ OWN owl foundation said the bird’s behaviour was unusual “Either the owl was reared in captivity and released into the wild and now associates humans with food – meaning it’s not really ’attacking’ people.” “Or it may have heightened hormone levels as the breeding season starts which influences its behaviour and makes it defend its territory,” Wassink told AFP He pointed to the wider problem of people hand-rearing owls and then releasing them into the wild when they become too big to handle potentially leading to an increase in attacks The European eagle owl is one of the largest owl species with a wingspan of up to 1.80m (almost 6ft) and weighing up to 3kg (7lb) This article was amended on 26 February 2015 The name of the Prinsenstichting home for the disabled was changed to reflect Guardian style Funerals to honor the six people who died in the explosions and fire at an apartment complex in The Hague will take place at the end of this week according to victim support organizations Namens de Familie and Slachtofferhulp Nederland The announcement on Tuesday came a day after community meetings for residents living near the site of the deadly Tarwekamp explosion and a similar meeting for residents affected by another explosion that left one hurt in Purmerend this past weekend Six people were killed at the explosion on Tarwekamp on Dec The scheduled funerals will take place in private the grief within the families is great," a spokesperson for Namens de Familie said on Tuesday The funerals are planned to take place later this week including a service for 31-year-old Tim from Voorburg who was visiting a friend at the time of the incident and a 63-year-old man from The Hague who also died in the incident Plans have also been arranged for three people from one family who died in the explosions a 41-year-old mother and their 17-year-old daughter Their 8-year-old son was the only survivor from the family and there are also a few people planning to travel from China to attend the funeral The funeral of the 44-year-old victim from Greece His body will be returned to his native country She tells NL Times that it has been a difficult period and she has had trouble processing what happened a meeting was held in The Hague for residents living near the Tarwekamp where a deadly explosion rocked the neighborhood earlier this month held at the Overbosch sports center on Vlaskamp a similar event was held for residents affected by a Sunday morning explosion The explosion on December 7 at Tarwekamp caused part of a housing block to collapse resulting in six fatalities and four injuries Four men were arrested in connection with the incident and they remain in custody while investigations continue Van Zanen addressed the attendees in a letter acknowledging the profound impact the explosion had on the community I have visited the site of the explosion multiple times," he wrote "I also visited the affected residents and businesses I hear and feel that the explosion has been a traumatic event You appreciate the opportunity to talk with your neighbors and fellow residents about it That’s why we’re organizing this meeting." The meeting began with a brief introductory program followed by opportunities for local residents to ask questions and seek help from various organizations This gathering was one of several organized by the municipality since the explosion occurred Meanwhile, in Purmerend a similar event was held for residents affected by a Sunday morning explosion on Maasstraat The explosion caused a fire that spread to two neighboring houses rendering five of the six homes in the row temporarily uninhabitable One person sustained serious injuries but is no longer in critical condition The explosion, which is suspected to have been intentional, caused significant damage and led to a fire that spread to nearby homes "The impact of such an explosion is enormous People are deeply shaken," Van Selm stated "It’s a curse for the neighborhood." She also noted that the blast has disrupted the sense of safety for many residents the mayor reported a strong sense of unity among the attendees "How can we help each other?" In addition to municipal workers representatives from the housing association and victim assistance organizations were present to provide support and answer questions about the incident A 16-year-old from Purmerend was arrested on Tuesday for the fatal shooting in the town The suspect is currently in custody and is only allowed contact with his lawyer on Monday of a shooting near the train station in Purmerend near the Stationsweg A 19-year-old man from the Noord-Holland municipality was killed with another man who was also 19 from Medemblik heavily wounded The police are investigating the case with a special team The police are also calling on witnesses to come forward and ask that images showing the fatal victim not be distributed online There was also a deadly shooting incident in IJmuiden on Tuesday night The police have said that there is no connection between the two incidents The NS will only sometimes use longer trains when roadworks will be carried out on the A7 motorway bridge in Purmerend The national railway could not say when they would run the longer trains but mostly believes the trains they are currently operating to Purmerend have enough space for all passengers who choose to travel by train rather than driving The rush hour periods could bring extensive additional travel time for drivers Infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat advised affected motorists to work from home from April to September if possible they hope there will be more space for people with no other option but to travel by car Rijkswaterstaat will make free NS discount cards available during this time to stimulate using public transport Two Sprinter trains stop in Purmerend every hour and two extra Intercity trains between Enkhuizen and Amsterdam Centraal will also stop during rush hours in Purmerend extra trains will come from the north; in the evening rush hour the extra intercity from Amsterdam will make a stop in Purmerend No Intercity trains will stop in Purmerend outside of the rush hours The spokesperson said that the NS will continue to monitor the situation if “We call on all passengers to use all trains Rijkswaterstaat will start reinforcing the bridge over the Noordhollandsch Kanaal on April 5 The construction is expected to last until September 1 Motorists should be prepared for narrowed driving lanes and a lower maximum speed The hindrance will be especially prevalent during the morning and evening rush hours The planned work on the A7 bridge over the Noordhollandsch Kanaal near Purmerened will start on Monday, resulting in partial highway closures for five months. The closures already started overnight as Rijkswatestaat prepares for the work The bridge needs to be strengthened so that heavy traffic can cross it again which Rijkswaterstaat hopes will be finished by September 1 the public works department started “setting up the new traffic situation and the work area.” To give the construction company space to carry out the work from Monday Rijkswaterstaat will close the entrances and exits around the bridge one by one over the coming nights only one lane was available on the A7 toward Hoorn The road in that direction will close around the bridge on Friday night The A7 toward Zaandam will be partially closed on Saturday and Sunday nights all traffic in both directions will drive over one half of the bridge in four narrowed lanes Road users can expect considerable traffic disruptions for the next five months Rijkswaterstaat urged everyone in the area to work from home as much as possible between April and September It also suggested carpooling and using public transport NS already said that it wouldn’t consistently run longer trains during the road works The Dutch rail company believes that the trains it is already operating around Purmerend have enough space for all passengers who choose to travel by train rather than driving The rail company plans to run extra trains during rush hour Twenty asylum seekers staying in a crisis shelter in Purmerend went on hunger strike on Monday evening the Zaanstreek-Waterland Security Region confirmed The asylum seekers are using the hunger strike to draw attention to the lengthy review procedure and delays at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) About 450 people are staying in the shelter at the Baanstee-Noord business park Some of them have been staying at the location for nine or ten months without their asylum procedure even having started some of the residents demonstrated several times to draw attention to their situation and threatened a hunger strike The twenty residents who have gone on hunger strike are refusing to eat "We will keep a close eye on whether they need care in the coming days," said the spokesperson for the security region "The staff at the shelter are constantly talking to the residents The security region is also preparing for various situations "So that we can take appropriate measures at the necessary moments." The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and the IND are aware of the protests of the residents The COA organizes social services and healthcare at the location Refugee advocacy group VluchtelingenWerk Nederland has noticed that unrest is increasing at more emergency reception locations "People get discouraged and frustrated by the long wait for example for a BSN [citizen services] number and the start of or further steps in their asylum procedure Many people have been waiting longer than six months the rooms in the emergency shelter are not suitable for a long stay and often no possibility to cook your own food." There are currently more than 20,000 asylum seekers in these types of locations "It is therefore now serious and important that structural reception places of better quality are created as soon as possible and that the IND provide more and faster clarity about the asylum procedure." March 14 (UPI) -- An eagle-owl that has reigned terror over a small Dutch town for more than a year has been captured and will be relocated "The attacks often lead to nasty injuries, including hefty bumps, cuts and scratches," Purmerend leaders said in a written statement. Friday, a falconer captured the owl, moving it to a temporary aviary until a suitable home is located. "The municipality had planned to leave the bird alone, but the attacks were more intense," city leaders said. "Many residents in the area were anxious to go on the street." The bird is one of the most common and largest species of owls in the world. While it is a protected species, city leaders received a special exemption to relocate the creature. The risk that the bird will continue to attack people if it is released is too great the local authority is quoted as saying in a briefing for councillors The owl was caught in mid-March after officials issued a special permit for its capture They have now asked for government permission to keep the bird in captivity The owl attacked dozens of people in the town and generated newspaper headlines around the world Several people needed hospital treatment for wounds to their heads during its five-week reign of terror and the council recommended people carry umbrellas as protection Experts at the bird sanctuary where the eagle owl has been placed say it is a young male in good health and with strong eyesight They have also concluded the bird was born in captivity and is used to people The bird is not ringed or chipped and no clue has been found as to where the bird  came from Eagle owls can have a wingspan of almost two metres when fully grown and it may have been released into the wild by its owner Even if it is released a long way from civilization the bird is likely to return to places where people live The sanctuary would like to keep the owl but does not have a zoo licence A fake rental listing in Ħamrun claiming to offer capsules that contain a single bed for €330 per month was widely shared on Facebook and other social media this week Listed by an individual with a Facebook handle of Nick CT as a one-bedroom it was described simply as a “bed for rent shared living" The image used in the advert showed 12 individual capsules It was shared across popular Facebook groups with people raising concerns over the quality of rental properties in Malta with some sharing it as an example of greed in the local market The listing posted on Facebook advertising a property in Ħamrun The image used in the listing does not show a property in Malta A reverse image search of the image reveals that it is taken from the website of a hostel in the Purmerend district north of Amsterdam.  The City Trip Hostels Amsterdam-Purmerend lies 23km north of Amsterdam Central Station and offers several accommodation options for travellers on a budget including mixed dormitories and female-only dormitories The hostel describes the capsules as “pods” offering both single and double pods featuring charging sockets The hostel’s promotional photos include several pictures of the pods in question including the original picture which was later cropped and used for the local Facebook listing Prices for the “Superior Single Pod” in a shared dorm of between six and 14 beds start from €18.40 per night.  Photo: City Trip Hostels Amsterdam-Purmerend The person who posted this Facebook listing also lists several other properties for rental including some featuring a QuickLets watermark A QuickLets representative told Times of Malta that Nick CT worked with the agency for a brief period in 2021 and that the listing in question has no association with QuickLets Other Facebook property listings posted by Nick CT appear to be genuine he said that the listing was posted as a test exercise to explore what sort of properties people from lower-income backgrounds would be interested in renting and that this kind of rental property is “nothing new to the world” The listing uses a photo of a hostel in the Netherlands taken from promotional photos published by the hostel itself The person who posted the listing confirmed that the listing is not real Let us know what you would like us to fact-check, understand our ratings system or see our answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the service please register for free or log in to your account The fire department had to work on at least 314 wildfires last year There were also 70 fires in military areas and 21 field fires the yearly report of wildfires from the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (NIPV) showed June was the month with the most wildfires The NIPV cites the drought that month as a possible reason Five wildfires were given a so-called GRIP status This means that the emergency services were coordinated together These included a wildfire in Assen on May 4 The researchers linked data from the KNMI to the fire reports The analysis showed that most of the fires occurred during temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius There was one wildfire that occurred when the temperature was below 0 degrees Celsius These are the months that the grain fields are dried and harvested The fires in the military areas happened throughout the year but only in the morning or afternoon “This is explainable by the fact that these are mainly the hours that the military does its training exercises,” researchers added This is the first time the NIPV has tracked wildfires The reports have been automatically collected since last year They were then checked with messages from the media There was a lot of traffic on the road early on Monday morning due to work on the bridge on the A7 near Purmerend The ANWB reported a 25-minute delay on the N247 from Volendam to Amsterdam around 6:30 a.m That road is approximately parallel to the A7 towards the south of the province of Noord-Holland Er staat momenteel zo'n 100 kilometer file in het land. De meeste files zijn te vinden rond Rotterdam, maar daar spelen geen bijzonderheden. Op de #A7 bij Purmerend is het ter hoogte van de werkzaamheden nu ook nog overzichtelijk te noemen. pic.twitter.com/mqldZ84Orh Rijkswaterstaat started strengthening the bridge on the A7 over the Noordhollandsch Kanaal near Purmerend and road users have been warned to expect significant traffic disruptions in the form of narrowed lanes The extra travel time can be up to an hour The Dijklander Hospital, which has branches in Purmerend and Hoorn, is concerned about the consequences of the work for the accessibility of the hospital. Ambulances often use the bridge to get from one location to the other. The hospital fears that, due to the expected traffic, there may be no free lanes for emergency services. The European eagle owl has a wingspan of up to 1.8 metres and can weigh up to three kilograms. (Wikimedia: Krzych.w) Link copiedShareShare articleThe northern Dutch town of Purmerend has advised residents to arm themselves with an umbrella when going out at night, after a mysterious spate of bloody rogue owl attacks. Over the last three weeks a European eagle owl, one of the largest owl species, has silently swooped on dozens of residents of the usually peaceful town, with many victims requiring hospital treatment. The latest aerial assault saw two members of a local athletics club attacked, with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey's talons. The club cancelled all training until further notice. Residents and workers at Prinsenstichting home for the handicapped were left terrified following at least 15 attacks, spokeswoman Liselotte de Bruijn said. "During the day there's no problem, but at night we now only venture outside armed with umbrellas, helmets and hats, anything really, to protect ourselves," Ms De Bruijn said. "The problem is that you don't hear the owl before it strikes. Its claws are razor-sharp. "We hope the city will soon catch this rogue bird." Purmerend city council said it was trying to find a solution. "We want to catch the owl as our city's residents are in danger," it said on its website, noting however that the European eagle owl is a protected species that requires special permission to be trapped. "These procedures can still take some time. Meanwhile, we are advising people to stay away from the owl." Gejo Wassink of the Netherlands' OWN owl foundation said the bird's behaviour was unusual. "Either the owl was reared in captivity and released into the wild and now associates humans with food — meaning it's not really 'attacking' people," he said. "Or it may have heightened hormone levels as the breeding season starts, which influences its behaviour and makes it defend its territory." Mr Wassink said the bird "appears to be a female", and pointed to the wider problem of people hand-rearing owls and then releasing them into the wild when they become too big to handle, potentially leading to an increase in attacks. The European eagle owl has a wingspan of up to 1.8 metres and can weigh up to three kilograms. Topic:Food and Beverage Processing Industry AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) 2020 A policeman takes a knee during an anti-racism demo in Purmerend Photo: Remko de Waal ANPA policeman takes a knee during an anti-racism demo in Purmerend Photo: Remko de Waal ANPSeveral surveys focusing on different aspects of racism in the Netherlands have been published by Dutch media since the Black Lives Matter demonstrations erupted across the country Here’s a round-up of the new and the old Current affairs how EenVandaag published the results of a survey of 39,000 regular users of its online Opiniepanel including 5,000 people with an ethnic minority background Some seven in 10 of those polled said there is institutional racism in the Netherlands Almost seven in 10 of people of colour said they had faced discrimination of some form compared with 17% of the white Dutch – the survey covered age Some 40% of ethnic minority respondents said they had been the subject of discrimination at school or college because of the colour of their skin and 29% said they or family members were more likely to be stopped by police than the ethnic Dutch A survey of some 2,000 HR professionals for consultancy Berenschot, publishing grouop Performa and AFAS Software found that just 20% of companies have an active strategy on diversity and 60% don’t focus on the issue at all There was also a wide difference between sectors with 44% of public sector respondents saying they actively managed diversity issues compared with just 15% of HR professionals working in industry The figures come from the three company’s annual trend report rather than being a specific response to the racism debate Popular women’s magazine Linda carried out its own online survey of some 7,000 readers, which found nearly 76% approve of the anti-racism demonstrations taking part in the Netherlands And almost 50% of the respondents said the ongoing discussion is a ‘painful’ one over half the respondents (54%) said they had unwittingly engaged in racist behaviour at some point there has been a steady flow of reports and research into racism covering education And more complaints were made last year to the various Dutch organisations which collect statistics about discrimination according to a report compiled on behalf of the police and home affairs ministry nearly 10,000 complaints were made to the police and other agencies in 2019 of which around 42% related to people’s ethnic origins Jobs Way back in 2007, the government’s socio-cultural think-tank SCP found that someone with a non-western name was less likely than someone with a Dutch name to be invited for a job interview And research by the universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht published last year confirmed this picture The researchers sent 4,000 fake cvs and application letters out over a four year period and again found foreign names are a hindrance to getting a job interview In 2018, researchers for television current affairs show Radar found that many temporary employment agencies are willing to discriminate against people with an ethnic minority background if requested to do so Almost half of 78 temporary employment offices phoned by journalists about jobs for a fictional call centre were willing not to send candidates with a Turkish Social affairs ministry inspectors also reached similar conclusions last year after placing 707 fake cvs online and in jobs banks While there was no difference in the reactions generated on the basis of sex or age there was a ‘significant’ difference in the reactions received between minorities and the native Dutch Housing market research carried out on behalf of Amsterdam and Utrecht city councils in 2019 also found that landlords and agencies are prepared to discriminate against people on the grounds of their ethnic background four in five agencies were willing to comply with a discriminatory request ‘We can do that for you,’ and ‘we don’t rent to certain groups as a matter of course’ were among the responses School inspectors have also warned that children with ethnic minority roots are more likely to leave school without any qualifications, while other research has shown students with ethnic minority backgrounds find it harder to get internships or work experience placements That 2015 study showed 52% of ethnic minority students have to write at least six letters to find a placement They also earn an average of €14 a month less Last week MPs voted in favour of calls to require the police to keep an active register of the number of people who die during or after being arrested and to take action to stamp out ethnic profiling Youngsters with an ethnic minority background are more likely to come into contact with the police as suspects in a crime and to be stopped and searched than their white peers ‘Unbelievable but true, the police and public prosecution department have never before published the figures [on deaths]. Change is coming,’ said campaign group Control Alt Delete Almost a third of Dutch municipalities - 111 of the 342 - have not sheltered a single asylum seeker in the past 12 years, RTV Noord reports based on figures provided by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum seekers several municipalities that say they don’t have room to take in asylum seekers did have room to shelter Ukrainian refugees Today, the Dutch Senate will debate the asylum distribution law, with which the central government can force municipalities to take in a fair share of asylum seekers. The law is needed because the asylum registration center in Ter Apel is structurally overcrowded And the COA is dependent on increasingly reluctant municipalities to create shelter space so that Ter Apel can be relieved Groningen and Drenthe are the best-performing provinces - each of their municipalities is sheltering asylum seekers half of the 26 municipalities have dodged opening asylum shelters The same applies to 21 Noord-Holland municipalities (48 percent of the total) Friesland has eight municipalities that haven’t sheltered asylum seekers in years (44 percent of the total) Sheltering asylum seekers here is complicated due to the location only two municipalities aren’t sheltering asylum seekers only Urk hasn’t done anything regarding asylum shelters in the past 12 years RTV Noord found that several municipalities don’t shelter any asylum seekers Mayor Ester Weststeijn of Roozendaal told the broadcaster that this has to do “with the fact that when we took in Ukrainians we still thought it would be four a short period The reception of asylum seekers usually involves a longer period.” She said that Roozendaal would like to accommodate asylum seekers “But we are a municipality with only 1,750 inhabitants without industrial estates or campsites around it we will only be dealing with six asylum seekers That doesn’t make much difference,” Weststeijn said but that turned out differently as the war continued.” Children’s Ombudsman Margrite Kalverboer urged the Senate to adopt the distribution law to protect child asylum seekers “The situation of children in asylum reception is hopeless and degrading,” she wrote in a letter to the Senate And that seriously harms their development “Although the distribution law is not ideal for children I expect that children’s rights will be better guaranteed with the introduction of this law than without it.” the Stadspartij-Beemster Polder Partij came out on top in the municipal elections The local merger party received the most votes The elections were held because the municipality of Beemster is merging with Purmerend from 1 January 2022 Elections were also held in nine other municipalities on Wednesday due to re-division Heerhugowaard and Langedijk form the new municipality Dijk en Waard There Dijk&Waardse Onafhankelijke Partij finished on top Lokaal Dijk en Waard finished in second place and the VVD came in third Two new municipalities are forming in Noord-Brabant and Sint Anthonis will become the municipality Land van Cijk Uden and Landerd will become the municipality of Maashorst Jong Maashorst received the most votes there The turnout in Maashorst was 42.38 percent Forum voor Democratie participated as a newcomer in all these municipalities and seems to have secured a place in the city council everywhere FvD won three seats in Dijk and Waard and two seats in Purmerend Residents of the merged municipalities will not have to go to the polls again for the municipal elections in March next year This also applies to those of the municipalities of Oisterwijk A woman from Purmerend who was once a victim of forced prostitution became a trafficker herself, prosecutors say. Along with a Utrecht couple, she is accused of sexually exploiting vulnerable young women in Alkmaar and Purmerend, according to the Public Prosecution Service (OM) is already serving a four-year prison sentence with prosecutors seeking a 34-month sentence for her role in the exploitation the 28-year-old Purmerend woman stood trial with the OM demanding 30 months in prison—half of which would be conditional the Purmerend suspect was once trapped in the same brutal cycle of exploitation by the Utrecht man While some former victims engage in trafficking due to trauma or coercion The case began in early 2021 when one of the victims reported being sexually exploited Police launched an investigation into the Utrecht man who preyed on broken and vulnerable young women His conviction in April 2023 confirmed his role as a trafficker authorities scrutinized his wife’s involvement a new report of sexual exploitation surfaced—this time implicating the Purmerend woman Both women were arrested on human trafficking charges The Utrecht man’s wife played an active role in the exploitation Prosecutors say she encouraged her husband to tighten his grip on one of the victims forcing her to work for two years under strict quotas The victim was required to earn up to 2,000 euros per day Chat messages between the couple revealed they profited significantly from prostitution and used the earnings for home renovations Investigators painted a grim picture of how the Purmerend suspect operated She initially befriended vulnerable young women she recorded sexually explicit footage of the victims and threatened to release it online they risked losing their homes and facing public humiliation The victims were forced to perform sexual acts with multiple clients The two female suspects handled online advertisements The Utrecht man's wife even helped enhance a victim’s appearance by editing photos before posting them on prostitution websites One of the victims revealed the extent of the exploitation She worked for the Utrecht couple for two years I worked more than any of the other girls,” she testified Chat records showed that the couple pushed her to the limit the wife coldly instructed her to “just use a sponge The prosecution dismissed any notion that the victims engaged in prostitution voluntarily These young women were reportedly targeted precisely because they had no other means to survive The prosecutor stated: “A victim’s ability to speak confidently or act assertively says nothing about whether she can truly stand up to her trafficker These women may appear ‘streetwise’ when dealing with clients but that only highlights the pressure to meet impossible targets The reality of their captivity remains hidden.” The OM emphasized the extreme dependence of victims in such cases “This form of human trafficking is marked by severe violations of physical and psychological integrity The perpetrators’ greed outweighed any concern for their victims whose lives turned into a living nightmare.” the passage of time reportedly played a mitigating role in sentencing The prosecution requested 34 months of imprisonment for the Utrecht woman “There’s no doubt that they saw the victim as nothing more than a cash cow wringing every cent out of her to renovate their house.” The OM also supported the victim’s demand for 482,000 euros in damages “That’s a conservative estimate—1,000 euros per day when chat records show she often earned even more Given the duration and intensity of her ordeal this level of compensation is entirely justified.” The prosecution stressed the importance of victims coming forward “We want to make it clear that reporting these crimes is worthwhile and failure to impose serious sentences could discourage others from speaking out the OM acknowledged her past victimization but held her accountable for her later actions But even after the Utrecht man was arrested she continued exploiting others.” Prosecutors demanded a 30-month sentence with half suspended and a two-year probation period Conditions include mandatory psychological treatment for the trauma she also endured “There is a real need to invest in a robust, reliable and fine-meshed public transport network. But because investments in public transport will only become visible in ten years, they may be afraid that it will cost votes now," said Henri Janssen from FNV Spoor. He advocates for a multi-year long-term vision to bolster the local networks. In Amsterdam, the caretaker Cabinet withdrew the 1.7 billion euros it pledged to help fund the extension of the Noord-Zuid metro line. The route currently runs between the Buikslotermeer neighborhood in Amsterdam-Noord to Station Zuid in the city's financial district. Amsterdam wants to extend the metro line to Schiphol Airport and Hoofddorp. There is also local political support to extend the route in the opposite direction to Zaandam and Purmerend. Then in Rotterdam, the City Council dropped plans to construct another metro tunnel, and instead approved a third city bridge. The city went for the bridge because of a belief they would miss out on hundreds os millions of euros of funding from the national government. Both Amsterdam and Rotterdam metro projects would have paid off in the long-run, the FNV Spoor argues. “The government is slowing down municipalities, that is stupid,” Janssen said. “There really needs to be a national vision on mobility. We now have to make a plan for the coming decades, but that takes courage.” Like Rotterdam, Amsterdam said it will drop its metro extension and the Zuidasdok project if the national government does withdraw the 1.7 billion euros. “It is time for the government to take a much more integrated look at transporting people,” said Rover director Freek Bos. “If we want to be able to take everyone where they want to be, like school, hospitals or informal care, this requires more public transport. The government, and therefore a new Cabinet, will have to do things differently.” Without a long-term vision, the roadways will remain clogged by traffic jams, and the municipalities will be hamstrung and unable to develop their local public transport networks, they argued. “You can see it in the traffic jams in cities, the traffic jams, the parking pressure... We should not deny people the car, but also offer good public transport,” said Janssen. “That is much more attractive for society than going bumper to bumper through the city.” 2023 Police inspect the latest Rotterdam blast damage ANP MEDIATVThe current spate of gang-related explosions near homes and business premises spread to Arnhem on Thursday night with blasts at the Elderveld shopping centre Residents in nearby apartments report being woken up in the middle of the night by the explosions outside café Diner ’66 and nearby Chinese restaurant Fong Sho What the police described as “suspicious objects” were found by the café and another lunch room earlier on Thursday and Arnhem mayor Ahmed Marcouch had already closed the two eateries for two weeks by order The explosions took place shortly before 4 am and an investigation is now under way There was another explosion on the Cortenbachsingel in Rotterdam on Thursday night taking the teller to 66 explosions in the port city so far this year But just three people have received slight injuries in the blasts which is a “miracle” Business premises and homes in Utrecht and Amsterdam have also been targeted with home-made bombs this year as has property the commuter town of Purmerend The fact that the explosions are carried out at night shows that “criminals want to send a message” rather than cause injury, police chiefs told Nu.nl last month.  We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, 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. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here. Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey. Ziggo providing gigabit internet to eleven citiesZiggo providing gigabit internet to eleven citiesNationwide roll-out to follow with over 650,000 gigabit connections requiring no digging This year even more cities are scheduled to roll out gigabit internet, including Arnhem, Nijmegen and Wageningen. By the end of 2020, Ziggo will be providing gigabit speeds to approximately 3 million households and business premises connected to the Ziggo network. GIGA subscriptionZiggo's new 'GIGA' subscription includes: internet up to 1 Gbps download and 50 Mbps upload, the most comprehensive television channel package via the interactive Mediabox Next, Ziggo Movies & Series (Home or HBO), Ziggo Sport, Ziggo GO app and fixed telephone connection. 2016 Photo: Brocken Inaglory via Wikimedia CommonsThe eagle owl which terrorised the Dutch town of Purmerend last year has been found a permanent home in Amsterdam’s Artis zoo Experts have told the Parool newspaper the bird cannot be released into the wild because of the risk it will continue to attack people The owl was caught in mid-March 2015 after attacking dozens of people in Purmerend Zoo vet Frank Verstappen told the paper the owl likes to hide away in its enclosure and is easy to handle Officials say they will look for a mate for the ‘horror owl’ at a later date Experts at the bird sanctuary where the eagle owl was first placed say it is a young male in good health and with strong eyesight and was born in captivity The bird is not ringed or chipped and no clue has been found as to where the bird came from Buyers of newly built homes in the Netherlands can no longer assume that they will have space to park their cars Most municipalities currently still guarantee 1 to 1.8 parking spaces per new home but an increasing number of cities are lowering their parking standards decided last week that its new Merwedekanaalzone Car owners who buy there will have to park their car further down in underground parking garages Only one parking is available for every three homes Haarlem and Leiden all recently lowered their parking standards for new-build homes Rotterdam opted for fewer parking spaces in certain locations Area expert and professor Friso de Zeeuw recognizes the trend with Utrecht and Amsterdam leading the way parking standards are going down to 0.3 or sometimes 0.2 per home." fewer parking spaces in city centers are easily defensible "In particular if houses are located near public transport hubs Residents then consciously opt for that." The emergence of new forms of mobility And the current problems with nitrogen and PFAS increase the urgency which represents almost 800 thousand homeowners called fewer parking spaces when building within cities inevitable "There is simply no place to park the cars of new residents," a spokesperson said to the newspaper