France

Multiple large natural fires broke out in the south of France on Monday, prompting the evacuation of over 2,500 tourists on vacation at the campsites in the coastal town of Argelès-sur-Mer. The area is a popular holiday destination among Dutch. "It rained ash particles", a Dutch tourist in the area said to AD.

The excellent 2019 World Cup tournament run by the Dutch women's national football team came to a disappointing end on Sunday night when the United States beat the Netherlands 2-0. In a match where Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal racked up save after save securing the Golden Glove for the tournament, the U.S. was able to consistently pierce Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman's defensive strategy until a penalty broke the match wide open in the 61st minute.

A fierce strike from Jackie Groenen in the 99th minute of the 2019 World Cup was the only goal of the semi-final battle between the Netherlands and Sweden, and it gave the Dutch team a 1-0 victory. Oranje move on to their first-ever World Cup final, and will play the United States whose players held on to defeat England 2-1 on Tuesday. Sweden will play England for third place.

Excitement is in the air as the Dutch women’s football team gear up to face Sweden in the 2019 FIFA World Cup semi-finals match on Wednesday.

This is the first ever semi-final spot for Oranje Leeuwinnen and their second appearance in the 28-year history of the World Cup – their first being in 2015. To secure the coveted spot, Oranje dominated Italy in last Saturday’s match, emerging with a 2-0 win after only scoring in the final 20 minutes of the game.

The Oranje Leeuwinnen held their ground on Thursday to defeat Canada 2-1 in both teams' final Group E match of the 2019 World Cup. The Dutch women will go on to face Japan in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.

The massive carcass of a whale was found in the Vlissingen port on Friday morning, according to non profit group SOS Dolfijn. When pulled from the water, the whale was measured at 15 meters in length, reported Omroep Zeeland.

The fin whale was believed to be a young male, which are capable of growing to a length of 24 meters, according to the WWF. It was found along the bulbous bow of a ship, though it is not clear what caused the whale’s death.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam wants to buy the Rembrandt masterpiece The Standard Bearer for 165 million euros, according to NRC. The Rothschild family from France wants to put the painting on the market, the newspaper writes.

Two suspects were arrested in Amsterdam this week in connection with the coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015. The attacks killed 130 victims and injured 413 more. Seven suspects died in the incidents.
Police detained a two men, aged 29 and 31, in Amsterdam on Tuesday. A Rotterdam court ordered the younger man to remain in confinement for the next two weeks, according to the Public Prosecutor's office (OM). He is in solitary confinement to prevent any attempts to corrupt an ongoing investigation.

It seems that the Netherlands and France are on good terms again, after the Dutch state unexpectedly bought a large interest in Air France-KLM this week. During a joint press conference, Dutch Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance and French Minister Bruno Le Maire of Economic Affairs stressed their common interest in making Air France-KLM "the best aviation company in the world", NOS reports.

The Dutch State bought 12.68 percent shares in Air France-KLM, worth 680 million euros, Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance announced at a press conference on Tuesday evening. The French government did not know about this move in advance, according to French Minister of Economic Affairs Bruno Le Maire, NU.nl reports.

A 6-year-old Dutch girl was seriously injured in an accident with a ski lift in the French ski-resort of Châtel in Haute-Savoie. The child was resuscitated at the scene and rushed to a hospital in Geneva by helicopter. The local police are investigating the incident, mayor Nicolas Rubin confirmed, the Telegraaf reports.