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Friday, 02 December 2011 14:41 |
A city spokeswoman says 44 marijuana cafes (coffee shops) in Amsterdam - about one in five - have been granted a one-year reprieve from closure.
The shops were to close Jan. 1 under a law passed by the previous national government mandating that all marijuana cafes around the country be at least 250 meters away from schools.
Spokeswoman Tahira Limon said today that the shops have been told they can remain open at least until January 2013.
The new conservative Dutch government wants to increase the cafes distance from schools to 350 meters, which would mean the closure of half of the existing 223 cafes, known as "coffee shops." But the city is attempting to negotiate an exemption to the rule. Nearly a quarter of tourists to Amsterdam visit a coffee shop.
AP
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Tuesday, 29 November 2011 09:05 |
 Thoroughly entertaining and charming, the Dutch documentary Meet The Fokkens is a good-natured delve into Amsterdam’s famous – and infamous – red light district, as seen through the eyes of elderly twin sisters Louise and Martine Fokkens, who have worked as prostitutes there for more than some 50 years.
The fact that their surname means the film has a title of sheer perfection is one thing, but these engaging, warm-hearted and eternally optimistic women make for great company as they tell their life story. Some sex sequences may need a little trimming for television, but it is the genial sort of film that should appeal to broadcasters (maybe in late night slots) and festivals. The film premiered at IDFA in the Dutch Documentary competition section. |
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Monday, 08 August 2011 17:11 |
 Due to cheap flights an unofficial red-light district popped up at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and Dutch police have no plans to do anything about it. While prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, what is happening at the airport is illegal because it is unregulated.
An investigation revealed that women, mostly from Eastern Europe, have been taking advantage of cheap airfare to the Netherlands and meeting with clients in the international transit area of the airport, so that they can avoid going through as many customs or security checks. Some of these women apparently make the trip every day.
Schiphol is one of Europe's busiest airports, with about 45.5 million passengers passing through every year, so the women try to make as much of this fact as possible.
An airport employee who was interviewed as part of the investigation, but was not named, said that while some of the meetings are pre-arranged, others are set up once the women arrive and troll the airport for potential johns, focusing "on passengers in the international area beyond customs, waiting for connecting flights or flights that they can see have been delayed." |
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Monday, 17 January 2011 17:57 |
 The Dutch government has announced that it will tax the wages of the country's famed prostitutes. Individual prostitutes should be charging a 19% sales tax, but often don't.
Some governments are so broke they'll try to collect on everything they can.
Indeed, workers in the world's oldest profession in Holland are about to get a lesson in the harsh reality of austerity.
The Dutch government has warned prostitutes who advertise their wares in the famed windows of Amsterdam's red-light district to expect a business-only visit from the tax man. |
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Friday, 10 December 2010 11:49 |
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 Sex workers in Amsterdam's red light district reported
Wednesday a big drop in customers due to the harsh winter cold snap,
with clients unwilling to venture out in case they got stranded by the
snow.
Unseasonal sub-zero temperatures and a blanket of snow have affected
much of northern Europe, at least a month earlier than normal in many
countries.
'With freezing temperatures of minus 8C, snow storms and strong winds
blowing across the country men are afraid of going out to visit De
Wallen (the Amsterdam red light district),' said Metje Blaak, spokesperson of
Red Zone foundation for sex workers. |
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