A Dutch-flagged ship that rescued 32 migrants from a sinking boat near Libya is still looking for a harbor where the migrants may enter and be processed as possible refugees. The Dutch Justice and Security ministry is trying to help find a port for Sea-Watch 3, part of the German organization Sea-Watch.
But Sea-Watch claims that the Netherlands was one of the countries refusing to allow the ship to enter.
A delegation from NS, ProRail and the Dutch government are in Germany this week to make a 4 hour train trip from Amsterdam to Berlin a reality within the next few years. They hope that shorter travel times will make the rail a real alternative to flying within Europe, NOS reports.
Four people were killed and six others were injured in a shooting in Willemstad on Curacao on Monday night. The injured people were rushed to the hospital. The gunmen are still at large, AD reports.
According to broadcaster NOS, the shooting happened at a birthday party for two brothers in te Buena Vista neighborhood. Unknown gunmen drove up in a car and opened fire on a home with automatic weapons. The area is known for gang violence. Newspaper AD reports that the shooting happened at a bar annex small supermarket.
ABN Amro and ING are among the best performing banks in Europe, standing at number 2 and 3 on the "profit as a percentage of equity" ranking. Only the Belgian bank KBC performed better and got the first position, Financieele Dagblad reports.
Small amounts of radioactive iodine-131 found in the air above Norway, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, France and Spain last month raised concerns across Europe. But there is no trace of the radioactive substance in the Netherlands, Dutch national health institute RIVM announced after taking careful measurements, ANP reports.
For the first time ever a list of endangered habitats in Europe was released, compiled by some 300 experts from over 30 countries working for three years on behalf of the European Commission. Across the EU there are 28 habitats that are considered "endangered" or "critically endangered". Fourteen of these habitats can be found in the Netherlands, Trouw reports.
In the Netherlands, endangered habitats include tidal rivers such as the Westerschelde and Eems, reed marshes in Noord-Holland and Zeeland, bogs like in Peel in Brabant among others, and sand banks such as the Veluwe.
With European citizens becoming more polarized when it comes to integration, Islam and asylum, the Netherlands must prepare for a possible attack during the parliamentary elections in March, cautions Dick Schoof, the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security. Radicalized loners, both ultra nationalists and religious fanatics, could be particularly dangerous, he told radio station BNR.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte got little support from the European leaders on his plan on how to deal with the Netherlands voting no in a referendum on an association agreement between the EU and Ukraine. His suggestion for a legally binding statement that will put the no-voters' concerns at ease, got a lukewarm reception at best, the Volkskrant reports.
The Netherlands is the largest bicycle exporter in Europe, accounting for about a quarter of all bicycle exports in the EU. Germany comes in a close second, with other countries falling further behind, according to figures Statistics Netherlands released on Thursday.
European Minister of transports made agreements on having Europe ready for self-driving cars on all public roads by 2019 during meetings in Amsterdam this week
Ticket sales are underway for “The Art of Banksy,” a new exhibition getting its European debut at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. The show features a collection of paintings and sculptures by the well-known, yet mostly anonymous street artist.
Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen of Infrastructure wants new European rules for self-driving vehicles. She would find it nice if Europe can remain ahead of the United States on this field and will push for it at an Informal Transport Council meeting in Amsterdam next week, she said in an interview with AutoWeek.
The first group of Syrian asylum seekers from Turkey will arrive in the Netherlands on Tuesday, the European Commission announced on Monday. These are "recognized asylum seekers" that EU member states agreed to take in as part of the asylum agreement with Turkey, which took effect on Monday.
The Netherlands is the 3rd safest country in Europe when it comes to safe roadways. Last year there were 28 traffic accident fatalities per million inhabitants in the country. Only Sweden and Malta had fewer fatalities, according to a report by the EU Commission for Road Safety
"Europe is again put to the test", King Willem-Alexander said in a response to suicide bombings in the Netherlands' southern neighbor on Tuesday morning. At least 13 people were killed and 35 injured in explosions at Brussels airport Zaventem and metro station Maalbeek.
New indications point to terrorist organization Islamic State planning more attacks in Europe, according to National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security Dick Schoof. But there are currently no concrete indications of an attack being planned in the Netherlands and the threat level therefore remains unchanged at "substantial", he writes in the Terrorist Threat Assessment Netherlands, which was sent to Parliament on Wednesday.
A recyclable cardboard camping tent designed by three Delft students, is taking European festivals by storms. These tents are now available for festivals in Belgium, France and Spain. And talks are ongoing with Canada and Sweden.
European countries, including the Netherlands, are losing sight of protecting international human rights in the wake of the refugee crisis and the rise of terrorist organization ISIS, according to Amnesty International's annual report
A European center to fight human trafficking was launched in The Hague on Monday. The center forms part of the European police organization Europol and its main goal is to assist European Union Member States in dismantling human trafficking networks
The 129-year-old Amsterdam theater Carré has announced plans to bring a major American production to the Netherlands every year as part of the new “Broadway on the Amstel” theatrical series. The series kicks off with the European premiere of Pippin on March 10, theater director Madeleine van der Zwaan announced this week.
The Netherlands and other European countries should only accept asylum seekers who have a chance of finding a job. This selection process is absolutely necessary because Europe can no longer handle the influx of asylum seekers, says Hans de Boer, president of employers organization VNO NCW, in an interview with Dutch newspaper the Telegraaf.
The small Noord-Holland town of Enkhuizen is among the European towns and cities with the highest drug use per inhabitant, according to a study done on the drug content in sewage by water boards all over Europe. Per inhabitant, Enkhuizen residents use 8 times more amphetamine than Amsterdam residents
A spirit of celebration was on display at the newly-completed Den Haag Centraal train station on Monday. The station, capable of handling 270,000 passengers daily, officially re-opened after several years of construction work.
A report produced by LeasePlan bank shows that car ownership is costlier in the Netherlands than any of the ten other European countries compared in the study. The bank analyzed the cost of C-segment compact car ownership, assuming an average of 20,000 kilometers of annual driving over a three year period.
