News about railways, Ajax, artificial intelligence and Budget Day (Wednesday, September 16)

No trains ran temporarily between Apeldoorn and Deventer on Tuesday evening. Another metal pipe was lying on the tracks near Teuge, infrastructure manager ProRail says. According to ProRail, there were disruptions at 35 locations. The police are investigating who was behind it.

Ajax won the rescheduled match against Willem II by 5–1. The match was played at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, the stadium named after Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff, and had previously been postponed. As a result of the victory, Ajax are now fourth in the Eredivisie, the Netherlands’ top football division.

FC Utrecht imposed local stadium bans on eighteen supporters. This followed disturbances during the match against Go Ahead Eagles on September 5. According to the club, supporters threw fireworks and cups, and the match was halted.

The Dutch government wants to use artificial intelligence so that the public sector can work more efficiently. The government also wants to reduce the number of civil servants it needs. NRC, a Dutch daily newspaper, reports that a task force has been set up. The rivalry with China in the United States also plays a role.

On Budget Day, farmers staged protests along roads and outside a municipal office. According to RTV Noord, a regional Dutch broadcaster, they were protesting agricultural policy. Students at schools for secondary vocational education also wrote their own State of the Union along the route of the Glass Carriage.