At the end of this month, Coca-Cola in the Netherlands will offer their products in a new type of bottle. Currently PET bottles are used, and then recycled to be used again by various bottling plants. The new bottle is meant for one-time use only. The bottles will have a deposit on them; after being returned to grocery stores the bottles will be recycled. Material from the recycled bottles will be used to make new PET bottles or other plastic products. More »

In Rotterdam today a subterranean shopping area flooded with 600 cubic meters of boiling water from bursted pipes. Six people were brought to the hospital for second and third degree burns on their feet. Here are some photos. More »

This week a White-beaked dolphin stranded in the Oostvoornsemeer, a lake south-west of Rotterdam here in the Netherlands. It is a very popular spot for diving schools, and it is where we finished our PADI Open Water Diver course this summer. Two bird-watchers spotted the dolphin and called the Eerste Hulp Bij Zeezoogdieren (EHBZ), or First Aid for Sea Mammals, who think the dolphin swam into the Rotterdam harbor last weekend during a storm. More »

Last week, the Spanish Parliament voted to implement a smoking ban in public places such as restaurants and work places. The ban will go into effect on New Year’s Day. More »

The crash between two driverless robot buses in Rotterdam on Tuesday 6 December was caused by a human error, reports Connexxion. More »

There’s a flu-shot shortage in the U.S. and here in Holland people have to jump through hoops if they want one. But a zoo in Rotterdam is doing something to protect a group even more at risk. Rotterdam Zoo “Blijdorp” has become the first zoo in Europe to vaccinate resident birds against bird flu. Penguins, flamingos and even the ducks in the ponds have been injected as prevention against the virus. More »

The Dutch goverment has fined the killer of the Domino-Day sparrow €200. According to Dutch law, the shooter violated the “Flora and Fauna” Act because the bird was a protected species. More »

Two driverless shuttle-buses crashed in Rotterdam this morning causing a lot of damage. No passengers were inside at the time of the accident. More »

It’s well over two months after Talk Like A Pirate Day, but pirates are a hot topic at the moment. While Disney has been working all week to keep spoilers of their two Pirate sequels off the web, the set of Pirates of the Carribean (see the brand-new Dead Man’s Chest trailer!) has been visited by real pirates. The production has come to a halt after four robberies in which $20,000 worth of cash and equipment were taken from the set, and two cast members were “forced to flee for their lives”. More »

The east of the Netherlands is getting 3 cm of snow every hour causing chaos on the roads during this busiest-ever rush hour. Right now there are over 600 km 800 km of traffic jams on the Dutch highways. The Dutch KNMI weather service’s new color-coded weather system has gone to orange for most of the country, indicating heavy snow. It is advising people to stay off the roads. More »