The Dutch government will provide permanent funding to support the country’s 14 Liberation Day festivals which have faced growing financial uncertainty in recent years State Secretary for Youth Karremans announced Friday This year, the festivals will receive a one-time allocation of 700,000 euros, according to NOS. Beginning in subsequent years all organizations involved in commemorating the Second World War will receive structural financial support with total funding projected to rise to 6.5 million euros by 2029 The move comes as organizers warned that the future of the free public festivals—held annually on May 5 to celebrate the Netherlands’ liberation from Nazi occupation—was under threat due to a lack of stable financing The cabinet says it sees the events as vital to the country’s civic identity “It is incredibly important that on Liberation Day we reflect on the values of freedom and democracy,” Karremans said He emphasized that ongoing government support would be contingent on the festivals maintaining a clear connection to the theme of freedom Karremans did not specify the exact amount each festival would receive stating that discussions will take place with the foundation responsible for organizing the events “The festivals will receive hundreds of thousands [of euros],” he said “But we want to first have a conversation with the foundation.” the national umbrella organization for the events “We’ve had to keep jumping from one ice floe to another,” said chairman Hans Laroes “That period is now behind us.” He said the structural funding would allow organizers to develop stronger programming and long-term planning Search company breaks ground on third Dutch site and gains permit for another facility in Oregon Google has broken ground on a new data center in the Netherlands and cloud company also recently gained a permit for another data center in the Dalles in Oregon After quietly starting works last month local press report that Google has officially begun work on a new data center in Winschoten Marco Ynema, data center lead in the Netherlands at Google, told Dutch IT Channel: "People are increasingly using digital tools and organizations and governments in the Netherlands are switching to the cloud Google's commitment to the Netherlands is unprecedented and the start of construction of a new location in Winschoten today proves that We are proud to have called the Netherlands our home for many years and look forward to many more years to come.” The company will reportedly invest €600 million ($655.1m) into the new development The site will make the waste heat it produces available for any future district heating networks The facility has been described by the company as a satellite to its existing Eemshaven site Specifications and timelines for development weren’t shared The tech giant bought the last plot at the Hoogebrug Winschoten business park in the municipality of Oldambt in July 2021 Google currently has two data centers in the Netherlands: Eemshaven, which opened in 2018, and in Middenmeer, which opened in 2020. The company has also bought land at the Westpoort industrial estate located west of Hoogkerk Google recently received a permit for a new data centers in the Dalles the single-story facility will span 290,000 sq ft (26,940 sqm) Google opened its first data center at the Dalles, to the east of Portland in Wasco County, in 2006. The company acquired a 74-acre plot of land belonging to Northwest Aluminum in 2016 Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia After the earlier data center in Eemshaven and the started construction in Winschoten a third data center is coming to Groningen the site at the Westpoort business park will further support businesses and consumers Google points to the move by Dutch organizations and the government to the cloud tech company plans to further invest in digital infrastructure that helps increase access to information Combined with previous investments in data centers and related infrastructure Google’s total investment now stands at €3.8 billion there is an operational data center in Middenmeer Work on the data center in Winschoten has been underway since December 2023 It is unknown exactly how the data center in Westpoort will work technically clarifies that the new location will have plenty to offer He ensures it will allow Google to meet the growing demand for AI and cloud services and provide crucial computing capacity to companies He said the new facility would create 125 direct jobs Google is keen to emphasize that sustainability is being considered at the Westpoort data center society has concerns about data centers’ energy consumption Google partnered with Eneco and Shell to obtain 90 per cent of its energy from sustainable sources the Westerpoort facility will be equipped for off-site heat recovery The first servers are scheduled to be operational next year Tip: Google Cloud uses 19.38 billion liters of drinking water, water neutral by 2030 Techzine focusses on IT professionals and business decision makers by publishing the latest IT news and background stories. The goal is to help IT professionals get acquainted with new innovative products and services, but also to offer in-depth information to help them understand products and services better. © 2025 Dolphin Publications B.V.All rights reserved. Text description provided by the architects. The Klinker Cultural Centre was given a lively exterior to reflect the expressive nature of its programs. Its central location in Winschoten makes it easily accessible to the residents who can enjoy the cultural offerings of the theatre residents themselves actively contribute to their city’s cultural life © Eva BloemFaçadeThe main innovation is the fact that the facade is entirely sculpted from brickwork. A very specific production process enabled the use of deep reveals around the window frames. These are composed of six separate elements poured into one single structure in the factory and installed as one piece on site in front of the windows.  Courtesy of Atelier ProThe prefab facade is completely constructed without traditional sills or eaves/overhangs Water that runs over the window frame is discharged through the drainage cavity In principle no additional drain is necessary In case of excessive leakage it was decided to implement gutters under every frame to reduce the risk of damage and make maintenance easier the gutters catch excess water and drain it away through the sewage system You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email The reinforcement of homes in Groningen will take until 2034 at the current pace the State Supervision of Mines (SodM) said in a report published on Monday The goal was to complete the operation in 2028 The National Coordinator for Groningen (NCG) recently acknowledged that the work will take three to four years longer The SodM is now talking about a six-year delay “In the interest of the physical and mental health of the people in Groningen the reinforcement task must be completed quickly,” the SodM made clear in the report The NCG has reinforced 5,687 homes up to and including 2024 Some 10,000 to 11,000 homes still need to be strengthened The supervisor further said that building safety has improved in the past year due to the reinforcements and because the chance of more severe earthquakes has become smaller The number of earthquakes continues to decrease but has not completely stopped since the end of gas extraction in the province Because the pressure in the gas field still has to adjust to the new situation There is also still a chance of a somewhat heavier earthquake The SodM made several recommendations in the report the supervisory authority believes that the NCG should quickly complete the reinforcement operation by adding as few new addresses as possible to the operation and by setting clear and achievable goals The SodM also made recommendations on legislation and regulations for aftercare and on recording and making accessible information about the reinforcement operation Company buys last plot on business park site in Oldambt Google has bought a plot of land in the province of Groningen The search giant has bought the last plot at the Hoogebrug Winschoten business park in the municipality of Oldambt and may build a data center on the currently-vacant site in the future “The fact that an international company chooses Oldambt is good for economic development,” said Alderman Erich Wünker “The company can be a trigger for other companies to do business here And that can be a nice impulse for employment and quality of life in Oldambt.” the Hoogebrug business park is a 12-hectare site with Google taking the last plot on the campus Google reportedly worked with en Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij voor Noord-Nederland (NOM) – the Investment & Development Company for the Northern Netherlands – to identify possible suitable locations based on the company’s requirements The municipality of Oldambt said it is not yet known whether and when the lot will actually be built on. RTV Noord reports the land was bought for around €3 million ($3.5 million) and the company is still considering whether and when to build a data center Google currently has two data centers in Netherlands; Eemshaven which opened in 2018, and in Middenmeer which opened late last year Oldambt also said Google recently opened a sustainable water supply in collaboration with North Water and Waterbedrijf Groningen to use industrial water in nearby Eemshaven to cool the servers The next step is to investigate is how they can use wastewater for the same task Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia TransportHyzon to shut down its hydrogen truck factory in Europe just ten months after buying out joint-venture partnerTroubled US truckmaker chases operational efficiencies as it seeks third party to assemble its products in Europe Don’t Miss a Single Sparkling Moment! Sign up for The Court Jeweller Newsletter The Court Jeweller Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World 06.14.2017 by // Leave a Comment Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attended the 50th celebration of the Rosarium Winschoten in Winschoten on Tuesday where she posed alongside a new variety of rose named in her honor Here’s a closer look at the earrings, which feature green and purple stones and diamonds. I believe these are by Amrapali, an Indian jewelry firm. They’re extremely similar to the lapis and diamond earrings by Amrapali worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. (More on those earrings, with an excellent close-up image, over here.) The bracelet stack has also been pared way way down: only one (the cabochon gemstone bracelet) was visible as Maxima posed beside her rose Categories // Netherlands Enter your name and email address below to subscribe to our weekly newsletter Sign up for my new subscriber-supported community, Hidden Gems, delivered directly to you each Saturday! Copyright © 2025 THE COURT JEWELLER LLC Photo: Wikimedia CommonsA Wibra store in Winschoten Photo: Wikimedia CommonsDiscount store chain Wibra can ask staff to work extra hours to make up for time lost during the coronavirus lockdown The FNV trade union went to court seeking an injunction against the company on behalf of workers on flexitime contracts who were told they would have to catch up the hours they had been paid for but not worked The court said the request was reasonable under the terms of their contracts which specified an average number of working hours per week for a fixed salary Any overtime or ‘under-time’ worked can be reclaimed later in the year The FNV argued that the purpose of the clause was to allow the company to vary workers’ hours during periods of high seasonal demand or sickness but it was not applicable to hours not worked because of the lockdown Wibra received government support to keep paying wages through the pandemic But the district court in Gelderland said the company was entitled to claim back the hours under the flexible wage clause ‘This only involves an extra 40 minutes a week per employee for the remaining 35 weeks of 2021 That is not unacceptable,’ they said ‘The FNV is unfairly accusing Wibra of not behaving like a good employer.’ Wibra said some of the unworked hours would be written off and it was in talks with its works council to finalise the numbers. It accused the FNV of running a ‘hate campaign’ in the media and on social media that ‘seriously hurt our organisation and our colleagues’ ‘The union painted a picture of Wibra that was a caricature of reality,’ a spokesman said ‘The number of hours owed is limited and nothing like as high as it was presented by the FNV.’ But the union said the collective bargaining agreement for the retail sector was one of the worst in the country and it was considering ‘further legal’ action ‘The FNV is aware of examples of employees having to catch up 40 50 or more than 100 hours this summer,’ said union official Linda Vermeulen 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 Three Scots have been named by British Athletics for the World 100k Champs in Holland later this year Commonwealth Games marathon pair Joasia Zakrzewski and Ross Houston are included in the team of eight athletes as well as Paisley’s Paul Giblin Zakrzewski won a bronze medal at the World 100k in Doha last year and headlines the GB and NI team who will travel to the Netherlands for the IAU World 100km Championships on Saturday 12 September Houston steps-up for his first World Champs appearance in a GB vest after he made a superb ultra running international debut in the Anglo-Celtic plate Ross won the event with the third fastest time ever by a Scot for the distance and has been tempted by the chance to compete at global level in Winschoten which is being issued to members next week includes a special feature on Central AC’s Ross ‘I believe GB are well off at the moment for ultra runners and we could be in contention for a medal in Holland,’ he tells us in the interview it is an opportunity to run in a World Champs for GB and those don’t come around too often I certainly haven’t had the opportunity so far so basically the preparation has now already started.’ Giblin was the first British male finisher in Doha in 11th place and the team this time around also features Steve Way and Craig Holgate from the 2014 lineup who won team bronze The British women are the current gold medallists following Doha the Team Leader said: ‘This strong team will aim to build on the success of the GB & NI achievements at the last World Championships in Doha ‘I believe we are very much on a wave of success in ultra-running disciplines and that is demonstrated in the eight-strong team we are sending to Winschoten.’ The Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the IAU World 100km Championships in Winschoten Men: Paul Giblen; Craig Holgate; Ross Houston; Marcus Scotney; Steve Way Women; Sue Harrison; Holly Rush; Joasia Zakrzewski The maximum speed in the daytime will go back to 130 kilometers per hour on three motorways next year This was reported by the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management He wants to implement the changes halfway through 2025 The roads that will increase in speed are the A7 on the Afsluitdijk the A7 between Winschoten and the German border and the A6 between Lelystad Noord and the Ketelbrug The minister also wants to make it possible to drive 130 kilometers per hour on the A37 between the nodes Holsloot and Zwartemeer during the daytime Madlener also looked at the section of the A7 between Winschoten and Zuidbroek but it turned out that a higher maximum noise level would violate regulations It is estimated that this concerns less than 100 kilometers of highway with each direction being counted separately The minister went in search of the most promising stretches of highway where an increase in speed would not cause problems with nitrogen or noise A 2.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Groningen province shortly after midnight. The epicenter was near the town of Usquert, the KNMI reported The meteorological institute spoke of an “induced earthquake,” which means that it was caused by decades of gas extraction in the area 20 kilometers north of the city of Groningen The extent of the material damage is yet to be determined The quake was felt in various places in the area, including Warffum, Ruttum, and Winsum, according to RTV Noord vibrating windows in frames and doors,” one local said to the broadcaster locals report being shaken awake and rattling windows and mirrors Measuring 2.2 on the Richter’s scale, the overnight earthquake was just as strong as the strongest earthquake in Groningen last year, according to NOS The strongest gas extraction earthquake to date was in August 2012 in Huizinge The quakes are caused by the underground pressure differences that have arisen due to the decades of gas extraction in the area The Belgian parent company of the shoe store chain Bristol wants to close a large number of its branches, including all 80 stores in the Netherlands, as part of a drastic rescue operation. Around 500 Dutch jobs are on the line, RTL Nieuws reports has been struggling financially for some time the company had to keep stores closed due to staff shortages and disappointing results it requested a suspension of payment and started working on a restructuring plan That restructuring plan is now ready but still needs to be approved by the Belgian court It involves 72 of the 115 Belgian stores making a restart under two different owners and the closure of all 80 Bristol stores in the Netherlands “They depend on the Belgian organization, which will go bankrupt and have no future on their own,” Euro Shoe Group general manager Elise Vanaudenhove told the Belgian newspaper De Tijd about the Dutch branches Of the 500 people who worked there until recently Euro Shoe Group was unavailable to comment to RTL Nieuws Trade union CNV is "shocked" by the looming closure of the Dutch stores But it does not look good," a spokesperson told ANP They don't know whether their salary will still be coming in while fixed costs like rent and mortgage continue to be paid."