Amsterdam Times

German Broadcaster Goes Dark to Warn AfD Could End Its Saxony-Anhalt Service

MDR briefly blacked out television, silenced radio and blanked online content as the AfD, polling above 40% before the September 6 state election, vows to withdraw Saxony-Anhalt from the treaties underpinning the broadcaster.

Dutch Foundation Plans Underground Hospital in Ukraine to Protect Medical Services

A Netherlands-based foundation plans to finance and build an underground hospital in Ukraine designed to keep medical services operating during aerial attacks, extending Dutch civil-society support for Ukrainian resilience.

Japanese Ambassador Joins Dutch Memorial for Victims of the Siam-Burma Railway

Japanese Ambassador Michii Rokuichiro attended a memorial at Arnhem's Bronbeek estate honoring Dutch prisoners of war and forced laborers who died during construction of the Siam-Burma railway in the Second World War, marking a notable g...

Dutch Public Transport Unions Plan September Strikes Over Social Security Cuts

Public transport unions have announced nationwide strikes for early September in protest against the minority government's proposed six point five billion euros in social security cuts, threatening disruption across Dutch rail and bus se...

Schiphol Flight-Cap Dispute Continues as Dutch Government Balances Aviation and Environmental Goals

The Dutch government has yet to resolve a long-running dispute over proposed capacity reductions at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, with airlines and the KLM group opposing flight caps and arguing that fleet modernization can deliver environ...

A28 Motorway Crash Involving German Schoolchildren Triggers Dutch Safety Review

A serious collision on the A28 near Wezep involving a coach carrying more than fifty German schoolchildren and a commercial van left several people severely injured and closed the motorway, prompting Dutch authorities to review road safe...

Dutch Housing Shortage Drives Rent Increases Across Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht

A persistent shortage of new homes is driving rents higher across the Randstad as zoning delays, construction costs and environmental rules continue to constrain development, increasing pressure on the government to accelerate housing co...

Woodside's Climate Retreat Fuels Dutch Debate Over Corporate Sustainability Commitments

Woodside Energy's decision to abandon its long-term clean energy targets has prompted Dutch environmental groups and institutional investors to call for stronger enforcement of corporate climate commitments, reopening debate over the obl...

Tata Steel's IJmuiden Green Hydrogen Transition Faces Financial and Regulatory Scrutiny

Tata Steel's plan to replace coal-based production at its IJmuiden plant with green hydrogen remains under close scrutiny from Dutch environmental authorities and local governments as negotiations continue over the subsidies needed to su...

Netherlands Keeps North Sea Offshore Wind at Center of Renewable Energy Expansion

The Dutch government is continuing to advance new North Sea offshore wind projects as it seeks to expand renewable electricity capacity and provide power for energy-intensive industries and artificial intelligence data centers.

Dutch Water Boards Impose Emergency Drought Measures to Protect Agriculture

Regional water authorities have introduced emergency measures, including restrictions on agricultural water extraction, as low rainfall and falling inland water levels put pressure on Dutch farming and efforts to maintain production.

TenneT Warns Dutch Grid Congestion Continues to Delay New Energy and Business Projects

Dutch transmission operator TenneT has renewed warnings over severe electricity grid congestion across several regions, with limited network capacity delaying connections for new renewable generation and commercial projects.

Rotterdam Port Operators Push for Unified Digital Cargo Release System

Shipping and logistics companies at the Port of Rotterdam are pressing the Dutch government to establish standardized digital cargo release platforms, arguing that fragmented systems and differing compliance requirements are undermining ...

Dutch Cocaine-Broker Investigation Expands to Fifty-Five Suspects Across Europe and South America

Dutch prosecutors have expanded an investigation into two local cocaine brokers to fifty-five suspects in the Netherlands and South America, using intercepted encrypted communications to target a logistics network involved in large drug ...

Fatal Explosion at Gunvor Refinery in Rotterdam Port Triggers Safety Investigation

Dutch authorities are investigating a fatal explosion at a Gunvor Energy refinery in the Port of Rotterdam that killed one worker and caused localized power outages, raising fresh scrutiny of safety and maintenance at major industrial fa...

Maersk Introduces Low-Water Surcharges for Dutch Inland Barge Shipments

Maersk has imposed low-water surcharges on inland barge transport serving Dutch terminals as drought reduces navigation capacity on waterways including the Twentekanaal, forcing operators to carry smaller loads and increasing logistics c...

ASML's High-NA EUV Rollout Advances Europe's Semiconductor Strategy

ASML is continuing the deployment of its advanced High-NA EUV lithography machines to major international chipmakers as demand for next-generation semiconductors grows, reinforcing the company's central role in Europe's efforts to mainta...

Accenture Agrees to Acquire Dutch SAP Consultancy McCoy

Accenture has reached an agreement to acquire Dutch SAP transformation consultancy McCoy, which employs nearly four hundred specialists, strengthening Accenture's cloud modernization and artificial intelligence services for medium-sized ...

Dutch Government Blocks Kyndryl Acquisition of Cloud Provider Solvinity on Security Grounds

The Dutch government has blocked US technology company Kyndryl from acquiring domestic cloud provider Solvinity under the Telecommunications Sector Act, citing concerns linked to the security of sensitive digital infrastructure and data.

ASML Valuation Divides Investors as Dutch Chip Equipment Maker Continues Share Buybacks

ASML shares are trading near fifteen hundred euros as investors debate the company's valuation while it carries out a one point one billion euro share buyback, with analysts divided over whether its dominance in advanced lithography just...

Netherlands Joins US-Led Pax Silica Alliance While Opposing Further ASML China Restrictions

The Netherlands has signed the Pax Silica declaration to strengthen semiconductor and artificial intelligence supply chains while lobbying against proposed US restrictions that could prevent ASML from servicing older lithography equipmen...

Dutch Banks Warn of Fraud as Consumers Shift From iDeal to Wero Payments

Dutch banking and cybersecurity authorities have warned consumers about scams exploiting confusion surrounding the transition from iDeal to the European Wero payment system, prompting banks to strengthen public awareness campaigns and tr...

Netherlands Cracks Down on Illegal Online Sales of Weight-Loss and Diabetes Drugs

Dutch health authorities are targeting unlicensed websites selling semaglutide and other diabetes medicines for weight-loss purposes, warning that consumers who bypass legitimate medical channels face serious health risks.

Netherlands Expands Foreign Investment Screening to Cover Artificial Intelligence and Other Technologies

The Dutch government will bring six additional technology categories, including advanced artificial intelligence and nanomaterials, under national security investment screening as The Hague tightens oversight of foreign investment in sen...

Dutch Finance Minister Rejects Two Hundred Billion Euro EU Budget Proposal as Frugal States Mobilize

Finance Minister Eelco Heinen has rejected a proposed two hundred billion euro European Union budget, calling it unacceptable and unaffordable as the Netherlands works with other frugal member states to oppose higher national contributio...

Dutch Minority Government Seeks Opposition Support for National Budget Amid Social Security Dispute

Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Finance Minister Eelco Heinen are seeking support from opposition lawmakers to pass the national budget, as the minority coalition faces demands from the PRO party to abandon six point five billion euros in ...

Schiphol Labour Shortages Raise Concerns Over Reliability of Key European Transport Hub

Simultaneous strikes by airport security and cleaning workers at Schiphol are highlighting persistent labour shortages and workload pressures at one of Europe’s major passenger and freight hubs, with staffing constraints adding to operat...

Nitrogen Dispute Keeps Pressure on Dutch Farmers and Coalition Government

Renewed protests in Drenthe and North Brabant show that the Netherlands’ nitrogen-emissions dispute remains unresolved, with the government caught between environmental requirements and pressure to protect the viability of agricultural b...

Dutch Grid Congestion Intensifies Conflict Between Data Centres and Energy Capacity

Opposition to the planned Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam reflects a broader challenge for the Netherlands as demand from digital infrastructure grows while electricity-grid capacity remains constrained, complicating decisions on indu...

Fabeltjeskrant Returns Online After Full Digital Preservation

The classic Dutch children's television series De Fabeltjeskrant has been fully digitised and relaunched online, preserving a programme that has been part of Dutch broadcasting culture for more than fifty years for a new generation.

Amsterdam Canal Parade Draws Tens of Thousands for WorldPride Celebrations

Tens of thousands of visitors have gathered in Amsterdam for the Canal Parade, the centrepiece of the extended WorldPride celebrations, featuring more than eighty decorated boats along the Prinsengracht.

Zandvoort Hosts Final Dutch Formula One Grand Prix as Tourism Era Nears End

The coastal town of Zandvoort is preparing for the final edition of the Dutch Formula One Grand Prix, bringing an international influx of motorsport fans to an event that has generated significant tourism and hospitality activity in the ...

Rotterdam Port Investigation Continues After Fatal Gunvor Refinery Explosion

Authorities and labour inspectors are investigating an explosion at the Gunvor Energy facility in Rotterdam’s Europoort industrial zone that killed one person and seriously injured several others during pipeline maintenance.

NS Ends 49 Euro Nederland Dal Vrij Rail Discount Subscription

Dutch railway operator NS has ended its temporary forty-nine euro Nederland Dal Vrij subscription after more than two hundred and seventy thousand passes were sold, leaving customers who did not cancel with standard monthly charges of ne...

More Than 350 Schiphol Cleaners Strike Over Sick-Pay Dispute

More than three hundred and fifty cleaning workers at Schiphol Airport have walked out over changes to sick-pay arrangements under the national cleaning-sector agreement, increasing pressure on the airport during a period of wider labour...

Schiphol Security Staff Strike Over Staffing Levels and Working Conditions

Security workers represented by FNV and CNV have begun short-notice strikes and slowdowns at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, protesting understaffing and deteriorating working conditions after changes to the number of contracted security com...

US Sanctions Against International Criminal Court Deepen Diplomatic Pressure on The Hague

The United States has imposed punitive measures on the International Criminal Court in The Hague over its investigations, placing the Netherlands in a sensitive diplomatic position as host to major international legal institutions.

Groningen Residents File More Than 450 Claims After Major Earthquake

More than four hundred and fifty damage claims have been submitted in Groningen following the province’s strongest induced earthquake since March, renewing concerns over community safety and the pace of compensation after the closure of ...

Farmers Resume Protests in Drenthe and Brabant Over Nitrogen Rules

Agricultural groups have staged new protests in Drenthe and North Brabant over uncertainty surrounding mandatory nitrogen-emission reductions, keeping pressure on the government as farmers face costly environmental requirements.

Netherlands Faces Difficult Overhaul of Controversial Box 3 Wealth Tax

The Finance Ministry is trying to complete an overhaul of the Box 3 wealth tax alongside the national budget after court rulings rejected earlier taxation methods, while officials work to clarify capital gains rules and the cost of compe...

Dutch Coalition Faces Budget Deadlock Ahead of Autumn Spending Plan

The Dutch government is struggling to secure political agreement on its autumn budget, with GroenLinks-PvdA opposition figures warning that the cabinet’s fiscal plans are risky and demanding broader support for structural reforms.

Dutch Stocks Approach Record Highs Despite Rising Corporate Climate Warnings

The Amsterdam Euronext market is moving toward record valuations on strong corporate earnings even as an increasing number of European companies report exposure to heat, drought and other physical climate risks in their quarterly results.

PostNL Expands Parcel Lockers and Pickup Points in Shift Away From Home Delivery

Dutch postal and logistics company PostNL is accelerating its expansion of parcel lockers and local pickup points as it seeks to make out-of-home delivery more convenient while responding to changing e-commerce patterns and pressure to r...