An accident involving a truck losing its load of concrete slabs and multiple other vehicles caused traffic chaos on the A2 between Zaltbommel and the Martinus Nijhoffbrug on Monday morning A spokesperson for the ANWB told RTL Nieuws that the accident happened when a truck had to brake and lost its concrete slabs Two other involved vehicles caught fire and the emergency services had to close lanes on both sides of the highway the ANWB reported a traffic jam stretching 13 kilometers and causing 30 minutes of delays on the A2 The Rijkswaterstaat expects to need till 1:00 p.m It will take time to remove the heavy concrete slabs from the road The police will not investigate the cause of the accident speaking of “a big chaos traffic-wise.” The spokesperson knew of one injury but could not say who got hurt or how badly Big ambitions don't always mean big budgets You don’t need the budget of the greatest brands to start operating like one Liquid Data Go™ is the affordable new data reporting and insight platform that can help you discover and unlock incredible growth potential with ease It’s built exclusively for small to midsize CPG businesses with big ambitions More than 7,000 of the world’s leading brands – including top brands doing business in South Africa – rely on us to help them monitor what matters most to their businesses and more across six key industries in South Africa: food and beverage and consumer data that reveals exactly what’s happening in South Africa’s retail and foodservice landscape Because we combine our unmatched measurement capabilities with deep expertise We guide you to the answers and insights that help you accelerate demand See the Possibilities For Your BusinessSouth Africa’s top manufacturers and operators partner with Circana to …Build winning strategies to grow your profit.Quantify demand for existing products and uncover gaps your business can fill to the right people.Pinpoint the right consumers and opportunities to target higher-impact decisions.Take confident actions backed by expert insight Improve your outcomes.Streamline and strengthen for more efficient operations and better margins Work with us!We’re fueled by a passion for continuous learning and finding purpose in what we do Explore our open roles and discover how we’re unstoppable together two of the world’s leading market information companies for decades Circana is a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior Three pillars set us apart: the most complete view Our Liquid Data technology can connect you to data and insights covering these industries in the Netherlands: food For contacting the Netherlands sales team: NLInfo@circana.com Shell and Alfen have installed a 350 kWh battery-based charging solution at a filling station in Zaltbommel The system operates with two charging points of 175 kW each and is simultaneously integrated into a virtual power plant for “peak shaving” Alfen and Shell are already cooperating on the expansion of the HPC network in the Netherlands The charging infrastructure specialist is responsible for supplying transformer stations and intelligent grid connection services The pilot project is now dedicated to testing a battery-based charging system The mineral oil company says this is “a premiere for Shell.” The 350-kWh storage system is supposed to circumvent the costly upgrade of the public electricity grid while at the same time the Zaltbommel charging station is investigating the extent to which the charging system can relieve the grid by feeding energy back into it as needed and thus generate revenue Shell says that the pilot project combines Alfen’s battery with Shell’s expertise in fast charging including software management from Shell-owned NewMotion and Greenlots The charging solution addresses some infrastructure challenges and while the corporation says that this could also serve as a blueprint for its future installation activities the energy giant had presented a strategy to become climate neutral by 2050 Shell says that the number of charging points for electric vehicles is to be increased from 60,000 to 500,000 by 2025 a network of 200 charging points of 175 kW each is to be created “in the next few years” according to an earlier announcement by Alfen “By supporting the introduction of additional ultra-fast charging points this solution can help meet customers’ charging needs at grid constrained locations both at Shell owned retail stations and also at our customers’ premises,” said Roger Hunter Business Unit Director Energy Storage Solutions at Alfen adds that his company is proud to extend its cooperation with Shell to work with energy storage “We believe that the integration of energy storage at EV fast-charging stations is important to ensure grid stability while providing EV drivers with an optimal charging experience.” shell.com I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology Alvarado and Van Empel round out podium in Zaltbommel becoming the Dutch elite women's cyclocross champion in her first attempt out of the under-23s with a solo slog through the mud of Zaltbommel on Sunday afternoon In a race with knee-deep puddles and ankle-deep mud with speeds that could have better been measured in knots the 20-year-old separated herself from her nearest rival in the third of five laps and never relinquished her lead Pieterse had splashed out a 26-second advantage ahead of Fenix-Deceuninck teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado while European champion Fem Van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) was third at 39 seconds I've been on the podium all season," Pieterse told Wielerflits Especially when the three of us attacked and I noticed that Fem and Ceylin really weren't bad today it was difficult to determine where I should use my strength during the race." The course included long sections of unrideable flat ground made soupy after heavy rain and an unrideable off-camber downhill turn off the dike but the sections nearest to the river that were under half a metre of water were removed after overnight flooding The conditions made for a race that required maximum power running strength and technical skills – all qualities the top three have in abundance The podium trio separated from the rest of the contenders early shaking world champion Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) on the first lap and only continuing to open up their advantage fourth-placed Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) was a mammoth 2:16 down After trading minor blows during the second lap it was Pieterse who made the winning move on lap three of five putting in an acceleration that neither Alvarado nor Van Empel could match In a race that was more a 10k run than a bike race Pieterse motored around the course on the edge of the Waal River only just out-pacing the passing cargo ships and ferries Splashing through the puddles and expertly sliding down the mud-slick dike she gained a comfortable enough lead on the final lap that she only had to avoid mistakes to seal her title Alvarado had slowly inched out a lead on Van Empel on the final lap and began closing in on Pieterse then I thought: something really crazy must be happening When I saw Ceylin getting closer and closer Alvarado was content with silver despite coming relatively close in the end to catching Pieterse Alvarado said she felt that Van Empel wasn't going to chase Pieterse down and decided to go for it on the final lap 2022 winner and reigning world champion Marianne Vos trailed behind in the top 10 Results powered by FirstCycling Dani has reported from the world's top races She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks Veiling Zaltbommel introduced its digital auction clock system "There's plenty of interest from growers and buyers in the Netherlands Especially overseas buyers can now participate without being physically present," says CEO Gerard van den Anker "There's increasing market demand for price information Zaltbommel's auction is used as a reference We get many price information queries." Gerard is not yet considering a subscription model to share those prices The Dutch auction includes an increasing amount of imported products "Growers and cooperatives from within and outside Europe are joining and supplying us with products That includes soft fruits and various vegetables offer our customers a broader range of products outside our growers' season That's necessary because grower prices and volumes must be balanced with the supply." apples as well as pears have a positive sentiment Since the introduction of our auction clock demand has been so high that we're running short of sorted products to serve all our clients Elstars are becoming scarcer," Gerard explains "and the demand is shifting to other varieties we have a nice assortment of strawberries and raspberries from lit cultivation at our disposal "It's generally a great season for growers The availability of many products is under pressure and consumers will have to get used to higher fresh produce prices I greatly respect the efforts growers are making," Gerard concludes For more information:Gerard van den AnkerVeiling Zaltbommel38 Stationsweg5301 KH, Zaltbommel, The NetherlandsTel.: +31 (0) 651 012 063[email protected] www.veilingzaltbommel.nl FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Now you can uncover the right solution for your business within a few clicks Measure Demand We measure demand so our clients understand where they have risks and opportunities Analyze sales performances across channels See actual behaviors for actionable results Consumption — in and away from home Accelerate Demand We help our clients accelerate demand by focusing on the best opportunities for the greatest impact on their business Reach the right audience at the right time Improve retailer-supplier efficiency & effectiveness CPG Consumer Spend TrackerDownload our weekly U.S consumer packaged goods sector monitoring report Learn Deep expertise from global industry leaders Perspectives from our industry and thought leaders Solving challenges that matter to your business Podcasts and market disruptions will impact your business Case Studies Discover the stories behind your favorite consumer packaged goods brands with the new online mini-series sponsored by Circana Industries DataUnmatched data set, state-of-the-art technology, and domain expertise The most integrated, most customizable, and fastest technology platform PeopleDeep industry expertise the world’s leading brands rely on RETAIL • MEDIA • MARKETING • ANALYTICS • SUPPLY CHAIN • INNOVATION • MEASUREMENT • CONSUMER • MARKETPlay and webinars to help you spark business growth and innovation With the right panel and the right insights two of the world’s leading market information companies CPG Growth Leaders Report explores how the most successful CPG manufacturers including companies with $100 million to $8 billion or more in annual sales use innovation and value-driven strategies to outperform their peers Circana’s research shows CPG companies prioritizing consumer needs and authenticity thrived in 2024.  LATEST INSIGHTS What we needed was the ability to measure the Covid response, and Circana’s monthly sensitivities gave us the real time view of the consumer response, allowing us time to align to actions over time. We chose Circana for this effort because we have a great existing relationship with them, and the Monthly Sensitivities blends well with what we already have in place. Kiersten HaferVice President of Strategy and Domestic Market Development We had a very underdeveloped and underutilized product in our portfolio and we really wanted to determine how to unlock growth related to that specific product. The unique difference with the Circana solution was using consumer behavior in an in-store test using real data dollar sales to predict the impact. We learned a lot through the project and the partnership with Circana. Ben TienerDirector, Gulp Media Network, 7-Eleven 7-Eleven has worked with Circana for a long time, as our data partner of record for broader analytic purposes. As we then launched Gulp Media Network, it was a natural fit to lean on that expertise, knowledge of our business, and the capabilities that Circana brought to build audiences and and to analyze efficacy of media campaigns. When I think about Gulp Media Networks opportunities over the next year, we're excited about how we're able to bring customer data to influence media campaigns for our manufacturing partners. Join more than 7,000 clients and partners worldwide Circana transforms complexity into clarity with the most complete view of the consumer inspiring actions that unlock business growth please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot Get the most important global markets news at your fingertips with a Bloomberg.com subscription The 13 october episode of our programme De Wandeling tells the remarkable life story of Suzanne Leenhoff Dutch pianist and singer and wife of the famous French painter Édouard Manet The musical inpiration for this walk is a CD which the cello-piano duo Oihana Aristizabal Puga and Lineke Lever recently brought out Under the titlel La Lecture they follow Suzanne’s life with music and poems from composers and writers who played a role in her life Once arrrived in Paris Suzanne gave piano lessons among others to the younger brothers of Édouard Manet Around 1849 she had an affair with Édouard but in 1852 she had a son Leon by another man….at least so the story goes The fact is that Manet painted this son no less than four times and acknowledged him as heir Suzanne and Édouard finally got married in 1863 in Zaltbommel Once back in Paris together with her mother in law they organised weekly musical salons to which the leading composers During the broadcast on 13th October you can hear not only pieces by well-known composers such as Liszt but also obscure works by for instance her father Carolus and Leon’s probable father There’s also an Impromptu by Emmanuel Chabrier which he wrote especially for her Nieuwenhuis takes silver in sopping wet mud-fest in Van der Poel's absence took in seven laps of a course that only got wetter and muddier as laps ran on it was Van der Haar – three times a champion previously – and Nieuwenhuis who were riding around alone at the front the pair only settling the win late on the final lap of seven Ryan Kamp (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) rounded out the podium in a distant third place having chased alone for much of the race after losing contact with the front early on Trek's domination may have been even more complete had Pim Ronhaar had a bit more luck on the second lap Both he and 19-year-old Tibor Del Grosso (Metec-Solarwatt) were with Van der Haar and Nieuwenhuis at the start of the circuit having separated from the rest of the racers at the front both made separate mistakes in the middle of a series of tight corners early on the lap leaving the eventual one-two finishers to ride away it didn't look as though there would be much chance of the pair being brought back Kamp eventually emerged as the best of the rest though he rode along at around 30 seconds down for much of the race Ronhaar would eventually drag himself back up to fourth place passing Mees Hendrikx (Crelan-Fristads) and Corne Van Kessel (Deschacht-Hens-Maes) to work his way into a decent final result Van der Haar and Nieuwenhuis rode wheel to wheel Neither looked capable of making a mistake but it was Van der Haar who managed to create a small gap late on the final lap who was struggling with a broken cleat on his shoe had no answer as he had earlier in the lap and it was left to Van der Haar to claim his second Dutch title in a row 2025 Photo: Dutch NewsAs an international working in the Netherlands with a Dutch employment contract you might already have a clear idea of how many vacation days you are entitled to there is more to consider beyond just the number of days off Roos van Zaltbommel from GMW Lawyers has the lowdown The law stipulates that employees are entitled to annual holiday of at least four times their agreed weekly working hours The accrual is proportional to the weekly working hours This means that an employee with a full (five-day) work week is entitled to 20 vacation days per year; an employee with a four-day work week is entitled to 16 vacation days per year Any days beyond the minimum are referred to as “extra-statutory vacation days.” The total number of vacation days you are entitled to is specified in your employment contract or collective labour agreement (CAO) employees must use their statutory vacation days within six months after the end of the calendar year European case law has clarified that this automatic expiration only applies if the employer has properly informed the employee about the potential expiration in a timely manner and has given them the opportunity to take their statutory vacation days If the employer fails to meet this obligation must seek permission from their employer to go on vacation employers should approve these requests unless there are compelling reasons to deny the request A  valid reason for refusal could be if the vacation is likely hinders the employee’s recovery An employee on sick leave continues to accrue vacation days as usual If an employee falls ill after their vacation has been scheduled and still decides to go on vacation these days can only be deducted from their vacation balance if the employee explicitly agrees An exception can be made for extra-statutory vacation days either in the employment contract or the collective labour agreement official holidays include New Year’s Day Liberation Day (celebrated every five years) and the first and second days of Christmas You are not automatically entitled to these days off Whether this is the case depends on the terms of your employment contract or collective labour agreement If an official holiday is recognised as a vacation day for you it will not be deducted from your accrued vacation days If you need legal advice about your rights to holidays and other days off, feel free to contact GMW Lawyers 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 statue of Jip and Janneke has disappeared from the Waalkade in Zaltbommel The flat metal statue features the Dutch children’s literature characters walking their dog It was determined to be missing on Monday morning the statue also vanished as part of a New Year’s prank A spokesperson for the municipality told broadcaster RTL Nieuws that they believed this week’s disappearance may also have been a similar prank The news outlet also pointed out that there has been more opposition to the collected short stories featuring the duo in recent months for being too rigid in portraying gender roles and stereotypes The statue was originally placed in Zaltbommel Gelderland in 1992 at an event with Jip en Janneke illustrator Fiep Westendorp in his hometown Veiling Zaltbommel will actively enter the market to expand its growers and buyer audience "We now often serve the same type of customers They are mainly from the Dutch wholesale market but we see opportunities to serve a wider range of customers catering and fruit and vegetable specialists including those abroad," says the recently appointed commercial manager Erwin van den Oever so that we can be a real one-stop-shop for our customers with a wider range." Van den Oever joined the auction in November 2020 after having worked for 11 years at La Place and over 17 years at Sligro Food Group where he was responsible for all fresh produce groups from Texel to Terneuzen he worked from the Rotterdam wholesale market Spaanse Polder so that he often rubbed shoulders with the fresh produce world "The difference with the fruit and vegetable sector was that you were in charge of the entire fresh category there and called in the specialist where necessary In the fruit and vegetable sector you see more that you are dealing with the product specialist from start to finish." The target for the commercial manager for 2021 is clear "Research was recently conducted into the future of the auction and the vision has been elaborated in a multi-year plan was that continuing as a flexible player has plenty of opportunities for the long term optimal service and quality for the members / growers are central to this We want to expand this year to a grower turnover of 60 million Euro This year we had a total turnover of 60 million Euro and we see plenty of opportunities to expand this further The Corona crisis has had little adverse effect on us as our turnover has increased by 14% in the past year and if the hospitality industry had been open Right mix of customers and products"As a niche player in the market We can switch quickly because the lines are short we have regular personal contact with buyers and growers This offers good opportunities to become a completely customised sales organization for fruit and vegetables to become members / growers we are looking for the right mix of growers We realise that we cannot just go to Albert Heijn or Jumbo with a product But for other smaller supermarket chains we have a good range available from our 130 regular growers and another 120 guest members We also think we can play a greater role in sales to countries in neighbouring countries where Dutch fruit and vegetables are highly credited," Erwin continues Soft fruit represents about half of the turnover at Veiling Zaltbommel peppers are also an important product category due to the collaboration with Oxin Growers and Coöperatie Hoogstraten but the auction also wants to grow further in the other Dutch fruit and vegetables from home soil we look for the segments that suit our customers It is not that we are going to do something new after 100 years but sometimes you have to polish a diamond That is why we actively approach our customers that from this season we will be offering aubergines from our grower under our Suprimo brand Clock sales are gaining momentumClock sales currently represent 15% of the turnover of Veiling Zaltbommel and they are eager to increase that share "We currently have a number of brokered product lines that reach the auction floor We would like to get these before the clock Ideally we want clock sales to rise by around 20% then we will have a nice balance to divide the volume between clock and mediation," says Erwin "What is new is that from this year onwards we have the ambition to allow our clock buyers to also buy digitally remotely clocking in the auction banks will continue to exist as it does now so that we certainly do not drive away our current buyers we have at least 35 buyers for the clock here so those physical clock sales will certainly keep their function."Import products are increasingly sold at the clock in Zaltbommel "It is not the case that we ourselves directly look for growers in the Mediterranean area but we do offer import products from our buyers that suit us we had citrus and radish for the clock this week But we selectively look at which products suit our customers and how often we want to offer them but in the end we will have a wider supply which will make both growers Our raison d'être as a cooperative is to sell our members' trade at the best price," Erwin emphasizes For more information:Erwin van den OeverVeiling Zaltbommel Tel: 0031 (0) 418-579911[email protected] www.veiling-zaltbommel.nl  With our corporate headquarters in Chicago and offices conveniently located around the world we have a strong presence in the areas that matter most to our clients and employees.  registration Sub District of Taluka Haveli district A 4-year-old girl who went missing Saturday evening in the Gelderland village of Gameren was found dead later that night after an extensive search by emergency services, AD reports. Her body was recovered from a ditch near Brouwershof around 11:30 p.m Authorities launched a large-scale operation after the child was reported missing Emergency workers from the surrounding area near Zaltbommel were deployed in significant numbers Police used an underwater drone to search a ditch along the Brouwershof while a police helicopter circled above the village A police dog was also brought in to aid the search combing through the area with flashlights as the search stretched into the night Multiple ambulances and a trauma helicopter were dispatched to the scene Emergency personnel worked under difficult conditions in the darkness scanning the water and surrounding area for any sign of the girl the girl was found in what police described as a “critical condition.” She was pulled from the water by emergency responders The search area was sealed off with police tape to keep bystanders and concerned residents at a distance Despite immediate medical attention on site the emergency response was no longer of help,” a police spokesperson said “Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones.” Authorities have not disclosed how the child went missing or the exact location where she was found “The circumstances are still under investigation,” the spokesperson added your login information will be stored on your computer in the form of a cookie the stored login information will be retrieved automatically and you will not have to submit your login parameters (email address and password) each time you want to visit our members-only pages A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer's hard drive A cookie can't read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites Most permanent employment contracts in the Netherlands include a non-compete clause which stipulates that you are not allowed to work for a competing company for a certain period of time within a certain region The wording of this clause is often quite broad and there is a chance that it can prevent the employee from applying for a job with a new employer especially if the job is in a small and specialised industry the Council of Ministers approved a new bill which will change the legislation for these non-competition clauses The changes are expected to take effect in early 2025 Here's a brief overview of what's changing the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment commissioned research on non-competition clauses The research showed that the clause is often included as a standard clause in Dutch employment contracts by employers without considering the interests of the employee the non-competition clause is often used for the wrong reasons This causes employees to be restricted from changing jobs while still continuing to work within their expertise and speciality the legislator wants to limit the use of the non-competition clause The proposed bill includes the following provisions: When the proposed law comes into force in 2025 the current rules will continue to apply to non-competition agreements concluded before the effective date of the new law This means that non-competition clauses with a scope for more than one year and / or without a geographical scope The employer can still invoke these clauses the employer must always pay compensation to the employee if the non-competition clause is invoked This also applies to non-competition clauses that have been agreed upon before the law takes effect the employee can ask the court to (partially) suspend the non-competition clause The judge will then weigh the interests of the employee against the interests of the employer the court will assess whether the employee would be unfairly disadvantaged by the non-competition clause in relation to the employer's interests who may use the non-compete clause to protect their own business assets from impairment Sign In Register The Dutch financial crimes inspectorate FIOD and the National Criminal Investigation Department conducted several house searches and arrested suspects in an international drug investigation involving Spain and Colombia, the police reported on Tuesday Early Tuesday morning, the DSI tactical unit raids were carried out at five business premises in Westervoort, Zaltbommel, IJmuiden, The Hague, and Amsterdam. A 49-year-old man from The Hague and a 39-year-old man from Westervoort were arrested during these raids. House searches occurred not only in the Netherlands but also in Barcelona, Spain, where another suspect was arrested, and in Cali, Colombia. The searches resulted in the seizure of data carriers, cash amounts exceeding one million euros, a quantity of narcotics, and watches. The suspicions are based on information obtained from Sky ECC, an encrypted messaging service frequently used by criminals. © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. Gerard is on its way to his brother Anton and cousin Frits. Those two famous descendants of the Philips family already have a statue in Eindhoven. Soon a seven-metre high bust of Philips’ founder will be added, in the Gloeilampplantsoen. Last Saturday, the steel statue set off by boat from Millingen aan den Rijn to Gerard’s birthplace Zaltbommel, for a short stay. The giant bust of Gerard Philips (1858-1942), founder of the famous electronics company, should arrive in its final destination, Eindhoven, this Monday. Artist Andreas Hetfeld worked on the technical masterpiece with a team of eight experts in a shipyard in Millingen aan de Rijn, Gelderland. It took nine months to complete, reports Omroep Brabant. The artwork has an opening in the shape of a human-sized lightbulb, enabling visitors to  walk through the statue. It is seven metres high and eight metres wide, composed of five hundred layers of steel with 4659 individual parts. The welded steelwork is a gift from Philips to the Eindhoven municipality on the occasion of the electronics company’s 130th anniversary. Hetfeld says: “Over the years, Philips has been a company with many layers of significance. This is translated into the sculpture, which is made of hundreds of metal rings. One by one, on top of each other and connected to each other. From a distance, the statues looks like it’s made of one piece, but from up close the fragmentation and layers become visible.” Until Monday, the 23,000 kilos weighing giant will remain in the Zaltbommel port where it was beautifully highlighted yesterday evening. Then, on Monday 1 May, it will be transported to Eindhoven by road, in parts. The head of the statue consists of two parts and can be detached from the torso. Otherwise the steelwork can’t pass under the many bridges on the road to Eindhoven. On Monday 15 May, the founding date of the Philips company, the artwork will be officially handed over by Philips CEO Roy Jakobs to Eindhoven mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem. The artwork will be temporarily placed in the Gloeilampplantsoen on Strijp-T in Eindhoven. After the Victoriapark in the city centre is finished, the sculpture will be moved there. The park is situated very near Gerard’s first factory on the Emmasingel. 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Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 A drone photo shows the river Dommel has burst its banks Photo: Rob Engelaar ANPWater levels in the big Dutch rivers are set to reach their highest level on Thursday following weeks of heavy rain plus severe weather in Germany reached 14.52 metres above NAP but has now sunk slightly NAP stands for Normaal Amsterdams Peil or the normal water level in Amsterdam NAP is used as a base to measure how high or low water levels are in Dutch rivers it is described as a certain number of metres ‘above NAP’ the water level at Lobith reached 16 metres above NAP The peak water volume will now spread gradually through rivers across the country as the water moves down towards the sea There has been some localised flooding along the Waal and the IJssel where sandbags are being used to keep the water at bay the river banks have been raised 10 centimetres with hundreds of sandbags has been closed to the public until January 2 because it has been cut off by flood waters A spring tide on Friday could cause additional problems as water backs up from the sea but water board chiefs say there is enough capacity on the flood plains to absorb the excess water The situation is more serious in Germany where thousands of emergency service workers and volunteers have been working to prevent flooding, particularly in Lower Saxony Dutch poet laureate Lieke Marsman went into surgery on Friday morning to have her arm and shoulder amputated She was undergoing treatment for cancer after doctors found a malignant bone tumor in her upper back over four years ago “The poisoned chalice had to be completely drained; The radiation therapy from this spring did not help at all and that is why my arm and shoulder were amputated this morning,” she said in her statement The 31-year-old then followed it up with a satirical message written like a clickbait advertisement “This Woman Lost Five Kilos In One Day Click Here To Find Out What Her Secret Is.” and studied at the University of Amsterdam She won several accolades for her debut publication she described how she was no longer able to raise her right arm after the tumor was removed in April 2018 The collection was later translated into English The author was named the Poet Laureate of the Netherlands at the start of 2021 She will remain in the position for a period of two years