More than 50 people have been diagnosed with measles in an ongoing outbreak, and the per capita rate of whooping cough infections among young children is soaring. Politicians debated the issue of declining vaccination rates in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament, on Thursday. Vaccination rates have dipped below key levels necessary to keep preventable infections at bay.The amount of measles cases is seven times more than the whole of 2023. The health institute RIVM is worried about the declining vaccination rates.
Employers and the government’s rigid demands for diplomas are sidelining tens of thousands of unemployed people, according to trade union CNV. They don’t qualify for jobs because they don't have the required education level, but they often have more than enough experience to do the job, the trade union said. The situation is incredibly senseless, given the widespread staff shortages increasingly bringing the country to a standstill.
Candidates from VVD, PvdA-GL, CDA, D66, and Volt participated in an English-language election debate at the city hall in Eindhoven on Thursday. Organized by Eindhoven News, the debate was specifically aimed at internationals interested in learning more about the parliamentary election on November 22. The discussions revolved around several key election topics, such as expat tax, immigration, innovation, and housing. NL Times moderated the discussion on immigration.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during a debate in the Tweede Kamer on Thursday that he still fully supports the January 2021 decision to introduce a curfew in an attempt to defuse the coronavirus crisis. This assertion led to frustration, irritation and anger among a large part of the opposition MPs in the lower house of Parliament, including those from PvdA, GroenLinks, PVV and SGP. Rutte also said he finds the closure of schools still defensible, to the indignation of the opposition.