Technology News in English

Public heating company closer through partnership with Diemen, significant funding still needed

Amsterdam, Alliander, and EBN have reached new agreements to establish a public heat company, with the municipality of Diemen joining the initiative to improve financial viability. The project aims to...

Deposits, no mess: Amsterdam students create ‘TwinBin’ with compartment for deposit cans

Gas leak in Beverwijk residential area, large area cordoned off

A gas leak occurred on Wednesday morning in a residential area on Duinwijklaan in Beverwijk. Emergency services have cordoned off the surrounding area while they investigate the cause of the leak.

Sales of efficient heat pumps rise due to high gas prices: 'Mainly a surge in air conditioners'

Heat pump sales in the Netherlands saw a significant increase in March following a slow start to the year, as high gas prices drive households to seek energy savings. The Heat Pump Association reports...

Aging workforce and rise in e-bikes: bicycle repairs can take weeks

Bike repair shops are experiencing wait times of several weeks due to an aging workforce and the increasing complexity of e-bike technology. Growing demand and a shortage of mechanics mean that same-d...

ASML receives more orders and expects higher revenue in 2026

Chip machine manufacturer ASML reported a high volume of orders in the first quarter of the year as demand for chips continues to outpace supply. The Veldhoven-based company expects to see increased r...

Heat pump sales picking up, but hybrid pumps lag behind

Heat pump sales increased last year, but uncertainty remains about whether this upward trend will continue. Market researchers suggest that a prolonged energy crisis could drive future sales, though t...

A giant wooden tower rises on the outskirts of Haarlem, but you'll soon see almost none of the wood

The construction of Haarlem's tallest wooden residential building, named De Stelling, is nearing its highest point on the edge of the Zuiderpolder. Developed by Ymere, the project is progressing rapid...

Study: AI bots give misleading medical advice in half of cases

A study published in the medical journal BMJ Open found that AI-powered chatbots provide problematic medical advice in approximately half of all cases. Researchers investigated the health risks associ...

Safety Board calls for urgent change to reactor cleaning procedures

The Dutch Safety Board is calling for urgent improvements to reactor cleaning safety standards following a fatal accident at the Zeeland Refinery in 2023. The board's recommendation comes after an inv...

Finally fresh air for Tuindorp residents? ICL promises measures against odor and hydrochloric acid

The ICL fertilizer factory in Amsterdam's Westelijk Havengebied has announced plans to install active carbon systems and upgrade its scrubbers to reduce odor and hydrochloric acid emissions by later t...

Amsterdam installs extra cameras around Red Light District due to ongoing nuisance

Renault to lay off up to 20% of technical staff over next two years

Renault plans to lay off between 15% and 20% of its technical staff over the next two years. The French automaker aims to simplify its production processes through these workforce reductions.

Booking.com silent on extent of hack, email addresses and phone numbers likely leaked

Booking.com is currently assessing the scale of a data hack that likely exposed user email addresses and phone numbers. The company is in contact with data protection authorities, though specific deta...

Research into chatbot use by companies and institutions

The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) and the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) have launched a joint investigation into the use of chatbots in customer service. The study will examin...

Paper here: a look at the municipal paper archives

The municipality continues to maintain significant paper archives despite the general shift towards digital information storage. This overview explores the persistence of physical records and their pr...

Spanish court will not investigate well-known deepfake case

A Spanish court has declined to investigate a deepfake case involving German TV presenter Collien Fernandes. Fernandes filed a complaint against her former partner, Christian Ulmen, for allegedly dist...

Irene de Bel after hack: I’d rather save my medical records myself, even if it takes a bit longer to make an appointment

A security incident at software provider ChipSoft has caused hospital patient portals to remain offline for a week, disrupting online appointment scheduling. The breach has led patients to reconsider ...

LHV: GPs using ChipSoft must report to the Dutch Data Protection Authority

The Dutch National General Practitioners Association (LHV) has advised doctors using ChipSoft software to report a potential data breach to the Data Protection Authority. This recommendation follows a...

Defense agreement for innovative Ukraine and rearming Germany

Germany and Ukraine have agreed to a defense partnership focused on weapon production and knowledge exchange. Germany will finance the procurement of Patriot missiles and anti-aircraft systems for Ukr...

Enthusiasts and haters in conversation on 'Fatbike Friday'

Cultural Center Breen and the Van Eesteren Museum are hosting a 'Fatbike Friday' discussion in Amsterdam's Nieuw-West district to address polarized public opinion regarding fatbikes. The event aims to...

Haarlem almost got the trolleybus: costs too high and Heemstede fiercely opposed

In 1945, a proposal was made to replace Haarlem's tram system with electric trolleybuses, which would have provided quiet and clean public transport decades ago. However, the plan was ultimately rejec...

Environmental group wants to stop climate project: does carbon storage delay the green transition?

The environmental organization MOB has challenged a carbon capture and storage project at the Dutch Council of State, arguing it may prolong dependence on fossil fuels. The group claims that storing i...

X must give privacy researcher Mekić access to his data

The Amsterdam Court of Appeal has ruled that social media platform X must provide entrepreneur and privacy researcher Danny Mekić with access to his personal data. This decision upholds a previous lo...

First for food garden in North: vegetables watered by 50,000 liters of rainwater

A food garden in Amsterdam-Noord has launched an experimental project using two 25,000-liter tanks to collect rainwater from nearby apartment rooftops. This initiative, led by Waternet and the local m...

Same Ziggo network, different label: hollandsnieuwe enters fixed internet and TV

Dutch provider hollandsnieuwe has expanded its services to include fixed internet and television via the Ziggo cable network. This move introduces a second brand to the cable infrastructure, utilizing...

Cedric (47) from Haarlem breathes new life into old laptops for people who cannot afford new ones

Cedric de Wijs, a 47-year-old computer enthusiast from Haarlem, restores laptops up to twenty years old for charitable purposes. He installs Linux on the devices to provide functional computers for in...

AIVD and MIVD secretly gathering more information again

The Dutch intelligence services AIVD and MIVD saw a 4% increase in secret information gathering requests last year, totaling 4,615 applications. These requests include invasive measures such as hackin...

This company hired nearly a hundred female technicians in a short time: ‘It was quite simple’

Technical service provider Hoppenbrouwers has successfully recruited nearly 100 female technicians, addressing the significant gender gap and labor shortages in the Dutch technical sector. While women...

Home batteries appeal to solar panel owners. Strong interest in Energiek Velsen meetings

As feed-in compensation for solar power is set to diminish next year, interest in home battery storage has surged among residents in Velsen. Information sessions organized by the local group Energiek ...