The buck stops here: Dutch govt quits over welfare scandal

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his entire Cabinet resigned Friday to take political responsibility for a scandal involving investigations into child welfare payments that wrongly labeled thousands of parents as fraudsters. In a nationally televised speech, Rutte said he...

Dutch media report Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government is resigning over scandal involving child welfare fraud probes

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch media report Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government is resigning over scandal involving child welfare fraud probes.

Dutch Labor Party leader steps down over welfare scandal

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The leader of the Dutch opposition Labor Party said Thursday he will not lead the party into the Netherlands' March election and will not run for reelection following a scandal involving child benefit fraud investigations. Lodewijk Asscher was minister for social affairs and a...

Dutch hold mass coronavirus testing amid new variant fears

BERGSCHENHOEK, Netherlands (AP) — Residents of a Dutch town filed into a sports hall Wednesday to take part in the country's first mass coronavirus testing program, which aims to find out more about the spread of a new more transmissible coronavirus variant. The makeshift testing center in Bergschenhoek,...

No choice: Dutch PM extends coronavirus lockdown by 3 weeks

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte extended his country's tough five-week lockdown by a further three weeks Tuesday amid concerns that infection rates are not falling quickly enough and fears about the new more transmissible variant first detected in the United Kingdom. "Almost...

Dutch prosecutors won't investigate scandal-hit tax office

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch prosecutors declined Thursday to open an investigation into possible discrimination by staff at the country's tax office, saying they found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing in a long-running scandal linked to efforts to track down parents fraudulently claiming child...

The Latest: Australia moves up vaccination start to February

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is advancing the start of its coronavirus vaccination program to mid-February, with plans to inoculate 15% of the population by late March. The government had argued there was no reason for an emergency rollout that cut short usual regulatory processes as has occurred in the...

Dutch begin COVID-19 vaccinations; last EU nation to do so

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Nearly two weeks after most other European Union nations, the Netherlands on Wednesday began its COVID-19 vaccination program, with nursing home staff and front-line workers in hospitals first in line for the shot. Sanna Elkadiri, a nurse at a nursing home for people with...

Dutch government criticized for late start to vaccinations

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government came under heavy criticism from lawmakers Tuesday over a COVID-19 vaccination plan that has the first shots set to be administered on Wednesday, making the Netherlands the last European Union nation to begin vaccinations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte conceded...

Dutch committee issues scathing report into benefit system

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch parliamentary commission issued a damning report Thursday into a scandal in which thousands of parents were wrongly labeled fraudsters by government officials assessing claims for child benefit payments. The report titled “Unprecedented Injustice” was...