sanctions

Dutch customs officers at the port of Rotterdam intercepted a container with 90 thousand bottles of vodka, which were likely intended for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his army command, newspaper AD reports. The container was found in a ship, hidden under the hull of an aircraft on Friday.

Iran is almost certainly behind the assassination of two persons of Iranian descent in the Netherlands, Ministers Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs and Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs wrote in a letter to parliament on Tuesday.

The United States is threatening with sanctions against the International Criminal Court in The Hague and its judges if the ICC participates in an investigation into possible war crimes committed by American soldiers in Afghanistan. "The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court", US national security adviser John Bolton said in a speech in Washington, the Guardian reports.

In a new verbal attack, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds the Netherlands responsible for the mass murder of thousands of Muslim men in Srebrenica in 1995. "We know the Dutch from the Srebrenica massacre", he said in a speech that was televised live in Turkey, according to the Volkskrant. "We know how rotten their character is due to their murder of 8 thousand Bosnians there."

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated its travel advice for Turkey, due to current political tensions between the two countries. The Dutch government does not advise against going to Turkey, but does warn Dutch travelers to watch out for gatherings and avoid public places, ANP reports.

These warnings are on top of the already in place advice of risks in Turkey due to terrorist attacks and political tensions. 

Two employees at Shell Moerdijk were dismissed and sanctions were imposed against six others because of the 27.7 ton toxic gas leak at the plant between November and January, according to Union FNV. The gas leak poses no long- or short term risks for public health, according to a study done by the public health service and the RIVM

Extending the European sanctions against Russia is inevitable and necessary. The pressure on Moscow has to be kept as high as possible.

According to Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs, the "breach of trust" caused by Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimea and the country's interference in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine will first have to be repaired before the international approach to Russia can get back to normal.

Dutch yacht builders are losing revenue because of the Western sanctions against Russia, and restrictions on several wealthy Russians who cannot enter European naval space. Shipbuilders in the Netherlands are losing several hundred millions in sales, reports FD.

Dutch companies maintain warm relations with the Crimea, the Ukrainian region that was annexed by Russia earlier this year.

The Netherlands' Foreign Affairs Minister Frans Timmermans wrote on his Facebook page that he supports sanctions against Russia. He believes that it is the correct counter-measure for Russia's meddling in Ukraine, the NOS reports.