News

The Indian Tamil community in the Brainport region gathered at Theater De Schalm to celebrate Puthandu, the Tamil New Year. The event brought together eight hundred of high-tech professionals and their families for a day of traditional food, music, and dance. Veldhoven Mayor Marcel Delhez joined the festivities, highlighting the vital role this growing community plays in the region's cultural and economic life.

The cabinet is weighing a temporary cut to road tax as fuel prices remain high. Ministers want measures that target those most affected, but several proposals face financial or practical barriers. A final decision will follow later.

Many Dutch homes face serious foundation risks, and the AFM warns that repair costs could reach 11 billion euros. Thousands of homeowners cannot afford the work, and some do not know their homes are at risk. The regulator calls for earlier disclosure and better preventive measures to limit future problems.

Booking.com says unauthorised third parties accessed customer booking data and that some guests have already received warnings. The company reports suspicious activity involving several reservations but has not said when the breach occurred or how many people are affected. An investigation is still under way.

Hackers have stolen personal data from Basic-Fit members in several countries, including about 200,000 people in the Netherlands. The attackers downloaded a large amount of information, but investigators have not found evidence of misuse. Basic-Fit says it is still monitoring the situation with external specialists.

Waiting times for WIA disability assessments have grown sharply, reaching up to 15 months in some regions. The UWV points to high demand and a shortage of medical examiners as the main causes. Applicants receive advance payments while they wait for a decision.

Police in Rotterdam say a man is suspected of assaulting the same bus driver twice, first in March and again last Friday. Officers have released an image of the suspect and are appealing for witnesses.

As energy prices rise again, IMF board member Marrixt van Rij says the Dutch cabinet is right not to rush into broad support measures. He argues that any intervention should be temporary and aimed at households that are genuinely in trouble, drawing on lessons from the 2022 energy crisis.