United States

The relationship between the Netherlands and the United States has "cooled down" and "soured" according to Dutch diplomats and diplomatic experts. "There is declining confidence, I hear at the top of Dutch diplomacy", diplomatic expert Robert van de Roer said to RTL Nieuws. "Behind the scenes you hear: America is not America anymore."

A package of import taxes ordered by the Trump Administration will affect the prices of half of all Dutch cheese exports to the U.S. Once the tariffs are in place, Americans can expect to pay 25 percent more when they purchase the cheeses.

The United States is imposing import tariffs of 25 percent on a range of European products. These include cheese, pork, butter, mussels and pears from the Netherlands, according to a list published by American trade envoy Robert Lightizer on Wednesday. The tariffs take effect on October 18th.

Dutch YouTubers Ties Granzier and Govert Sweep were sentenced to three days in jail and each fined 2,280 dollars for trespassing at American military base Area 51. They also have to stay away from Area 51 for a year, or they face one year in prison. Both pled guilty in the trial against them, a spokesperson for the local court of Beatty confirmed to NU.nl.

Dutch YouTubers Ties Granzier and Govert Sweep were arrested at Area 51 in the American state of Nevada, the NYE County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. They told the police that they saw and understood the no trespassing warnings, but wanted to look at the site. 

According to the local police, the duo had a drone, cameras and laptops on them. They recorded footage on the Area 51 site - a test location for the United States air force, where popular conspiracy theories say the American authorities experiment on aliens.

The Netherlands played a crucial role in sabotaging Iran's nuclear program in 2007. An agent from Dutch general intelligence service AIVD infiltrated the atomic complex at Natanz and spread a devastating digital virus that delayed the nuclear program for years, the Volkskrant reports based on sources and its own investigation.

The Tilburg man convicted in the Netherlands, and connected to the suicide of Canadian teenager Amanda Todd, plans to drop his appeal against his conviction in order to speed up a potential extradition to Canada, according to AD. Aydin C., now 41, was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison for the sexual abuse of 34 underage girls.

Dutch marines expect that there will be more skirmishes with Iran, should the Dutch government decide to agree to the American request to send a naval ship to the Strait of Hormuz near Iran. Though the Dutch navy is definitely up for the challenge and the risks involved in such a mission are limited, naval experts said to newspaper AD.

A Dutch tradition of young scouts finding their way back to camp through the woods at night was featured in a New York Times article of obscure traditions around the world. The serious tone of journalist Ellen Barry's article on "dropping" left Americans stunned, and Dutch laughing.

"A peculiarly Dutch summer rite: Children let loose in the Night Woods. It may sound extreme, but it's normal in the Netherlands", Barry started her article about how she joined a scouting team in Utrecht for a dropping.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte will meet with United States president Donald Trump in the White House for the second time this evening. During the meeting, Rotterdam collector Bert Kreuk will hand Trump a D-Day flag he is donating to the United States. The main topic on the agenda for Rutte and Trump is trade, though Trump will likely also bring up the U.S. request to allies for a military contribution in Syria and to increase pressure on Iran, NOS reports.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte has a meeting with United States president Donald Trump next week Thursday, July 18th, a White House spokesperson confirmed in a statement. During that visit, Rutte and art collector Bert Kreuk will hand over an the first American flag planted in Normandy on D-Day, which the collector decided to donate to the US, NU.nl reports.