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After some 14 years of discussions and failed attempts, the Netherlands is implementing the so-called burka ban today. From now on you are not allowed to wear face-covering clothing in government buildings, education institutions, healthcare institutions, and public transport.

People who violate the so-called burka ban can be fined 150 euros, the Public Prosecution Service said in a prosecution directive. The ban,officially called the Partial Ban On Face Covering Clothing Act, applies to wearing face-covering clothing in public spaces like government buildings, hospitals, schools, and on public transportation. It takes effect on August 1st.

Ruling party VVD wants idealists who without permission rescue migrants from rickety boats at sea to be prosecuted for facilitating human trafficking. A proposal submitted to this effect received majority support in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, AD reports.

On Friday Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure is launching a large-scale campaign to make everyone aware that texting while cycling is illegal in the Netherlands from Monday. The campaign, with the slogan 'Keep your phone in your pocket' is aimed largely young people as they are most likely to use their smartphone while on bike. 

Shell must pay a fine of 2.5 million euros for an explosion on the company's Moerdijk site in 2014, the court in Den Bosch ruled on Monday. According to the court, the oil- and gas giant did not take sufficient measures to prevent such a major incident, NU.nl reports.

All types of scooters, even the slower ones with blue license plates, are banned from most Amsterdam bike paths from today. But the ban, as well as the obligation to wear a helmet, will not be immediately enforced. The 500 enforcement officers in the Dutch capital are threatening to strike if the municipality does not meet their demand for better equipment, the Volkskrant reports.

The police fined 23 motorists on Wednesday afternoon for filming an accident while driving. A fine of 239 euros will soon arrive at their door, NOS reports.

At around noon on Wednesday a truck's trailer collapsed on the Moerdijk Bridge towards Breda due to the strong wind. The truck ended up blocking the road. The accident caused a long traffic jam. Many drivers used the delay to take pictures or video of the accident.

A 13-year-old girl from Amsterdam is facing some trouble from her parents and the police on Tuesday. After her father reported her missing on Monday evening, the police found her driving her parents' car on the A4 highway, NOS reports.

While searching for the missing child, police officers noticed an inexperienced driver swerving across the A4 highway near Hoofddorp. "Between 90 and 120 kilometers per hour", a police spokesperson said to NOS. 

A mechanic was arrested at Maastricht Aachen Airport after being caught working on airplanes while drunk. The mechanic, a 40-year-old from Russia, was fined 2,300 euros, the Koninklijke Marechaussee said on Facebook.

Those caught texting while cycling after July 1st will face a fine of 95 euros. The Council of Ministers will discuss this proposal by Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management on Friday, sources in The Hague confirmed to NOS after reports in AD.

An exam assignment for Police Academy students in Rotterdam led to the arrest of a suspect who has an outstanding prison sentence of eight years in Albania. What the man was convicted of in the Balkan country, the police did no say, AD reports. 

For the assignment, the police officers in training organized a check on Willemsplein with the Tax Authority. In addition to the fugitive's arrest, the action also yielded over 57 thousand euros in outstanding debts, 10 fines, two confiscated knives, a confiscated firearm, and 13 confiscated cars.