Amsterdam Times

EU Imposes Record €550 Million Digital Services Fine on AliExpress

Regulators found that the Alibaba-owned marketplace failed to control systemic risks from illegal, counterfeit and unsafe goods, while AliExpress called the penalty disproportionate and prepared an appeal.

Vivienne Westwood Casts Cicciolina, 74, in Its New Autumn Campaign

The former adult-film performer and Italian parliamentarian fronts Juergen Teller’s latest campaign for a fashion house whose visual language has long joined historical dress with sexual provocation.

Dejavu: Germany’s Military Expansion Reshapes Europe’s Strategic Balance With France

History Repeats: Berlin’s record defense budget, larger armed forces and increasingly autonomous industrial programs are challenging France’s traditional military leadership, even as the two countries deepen cooperation in nuclear deterr...

Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards

A draft cooperation framework would open Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear market to American technology while potentially allowing sensitive fuel-cycle activities under negotiated restrictions, but no final agreement has been signed or su...

Netherlands Declares Water Shortage Emergency After Drought Pushes Rivers to Historic Lows

The Dutch government has activated emergency water-allocation measures as prolonged drought, exceptionally low river flows and rising demand strain freshwater supplies, while authorities prioritize drinking water, flood defenses and crit...

Rabobank Expands Investment in Food Technology Innovation

Rabobank has launched a dedicated venture capital fund supporting biotechnology and sustainable agriculture startups around Wageningen University, strengthening the Netherlands' leadership in agricultural innovation.

Amsterdam Raises Tourism Taxes to Record European Levels

The city has increased hotel and cruise tourism taxes to the highest rates in Europe as part of a broader strategy to curb overtourism and encourage higher-value, more sustainable travel.

Amsterdam Prepares for WorldPride With Major Transport Works

Amsterdam has warned residents and visitors to expect significant disruptions across its metro and tram networks as infrastructure upgrades and security preparations continue ahead of the WorldPride festival.

Booking.com Faces Renewed European Union Antitrust Scrutiny

European Union regulators have intensified their examination of Booking.com's hotel pricing and commission practices, increasing pressure on one of the Netherlands' largest technology companies.

Netherlands and Germany Deepen Naval Cooperation

The Dutch and German armed forces are expanding joint anti-submarine warfare and maritime logistics operations, reinforcing NATO's northern maritime defenses and the protection of critical North Sea infrastructure.

International Criminal Court Expands Focus on Cyber Warfare Investigations

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court in The Hague are developing investigations into state-sponsored cyberattacks on civilian infrastructure as potential war crimes, extending the court's work into emerging forms of conflict.

Dutch Authorities Launch New Coastal Flood Protection Projects

Rijkswaterstaat has begun a multi-billion-euro program to reinforce dykes and storm surge barriers in Zeeland and South Holland, continuing long-term efforts to protect the country's low-lying regions from rising sea levels.

Netherlands Accelerates Nitrogen Reduction Buyouts for Livestock Farmers

The Agriculture Ministry has stepped up voluntary buyouts for livestock farmers near protected nature areas as part of a national effort to meet European Union nitrogen emission requirements.

Tata Steel Agrees to Green Hydrogen Transition at IJmuiden Plant

Tata Steel has finalized an agreement with the Dutch government to replace coal-based production with green hydrogen at its IJmuiden steelworks, aiming to reduce emissions while preserving thousands of manufacturing jobs.

TenneT Advances Offshore Grid Expansion for North Sea Wind Farms

State-owned grid operator TenneT has awarded contracts for offshore high-voltage infrastructure that will connect new North Sea wind farms to the mainland and strengthen long-term electricity supplies.

Schiphol Airport Enforces Flight Cap to Meet Environmental Targets

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has begun reducing annual flight numbers to comply with national climate and noise objectives, requiring airlines to adjust route planning while reigniting debate over the balance between environmental goals an...

Amsterdam-Berlin High-Speed Rail Project Faces Delays

Dutch transport officials say engineering and funding challenges have delayed plans to improve high-speed rail connections between Amsterdam and Berlin, slowing wider European efforts to expand sustainable rail travel.

Brainport Eindhoven Seeks Federal Housing Support for Technology Growth

Municipal leaders in the Eindhoven region are urging the national government to provide additional funding for housing and infrastructure, arguing that rapid growth driven by ASML and the local technology sector is outpacing residential ...

Amsterdam Caps Social Housing Rent Increases

Amsterdam has limited annual rent increases in the social housing sector to 4.1% in an effort to reduce housing pressures, although some investors warn that stricter controls could discourage new residential development.

Just Eat Takeaway Sells Non-Core European Assets

Just Eat Takeaway has completed the sale of several non-core businesses to concentrate on profitability and strengthen its position in its core Dutch and British markets.

ING and ABN Amro Tighten Commercial Real Estate Lending

ING and ABN Amro have adopted stricter lending standards and increased capital buffers for commercial property portfolios as higher interest rates and changing office demand reshape the real estate market.

Prosus Shifts Venture Capital Toward European Artificial Intelligence Startups

Technology investor Prosus is redirecting hundreds of millions of euros from e-commerce investments into early-stage artificial intelligence companies, reflecting growing confidence in Europe's emerging AI sector.

Adyen Expands Enterprise Payment Operations in Utrecht

Dutch financial technology company Adyen has opened new payment processing facilities in Utrecht to support its growing European merchant network and strengthen its cross-border digital payments business.

PostNL Raises Postal and Parcel Prices

PostNL has increased domestic postage rates and introduced a €3 surcharge on parcels arriving from outside the European Union, citing higher operating costs and new customs requirements affecting cross-border e-commerce.

Netherlands Introduces Distance-Based Truck Tolls

Commercial vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kilograms are now subject to distance-based road charges designed to finance highway upgrades while encouraging the transition to lower-emission freight transport.

Zeeland Seaports Expand Deep-Water Capacity for Battery Materials Trade

North Sea Port has begun expanding terminals in Vlissingen and Terneuzen to handle growing imports of lithium, critical minerals and battery components needed for Europe's electric vehicle industry.

Port of Rotterdam Expands Hydrogen Infrastructure for Zero-Emission Transport

The Port of Rotterdam has launched a major hydrogen infrastructure program backed by more than €500 million in public and private investment to support cleaner shipping and freight transport across northwestern Europe.

Netherlands Limits International Student Intake to Ease Housing Pressure

The Education Ministry has introduced caps on international student admissions at major universities in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Groningen in response to a severe student housing shortage and political concerns over preserving the Dutch la...

Dutch Chamber of Commerce Tightens Marketing and Data Privacy Rules

New regulations prohibit businesses from contacting potential customers without prior consent, bringing domestic commercial practices into closer alignment with Europe's strict data privacy standards.

Netherlands Pushes for Stricter Oversight in European Union Budget Talks

Dutch officials are calling for stronger auditing and tighter oversight of European Union spending, arguing that investments in green energy and digital infrastructure should deliver measurable economic results.

Dutch Government Raises Minimum Wage and Pension Payments

The Dutch government has increased the statutory minimum wage to €14.99 an hour for workers aged 21 and over while also raising pensions and social benefits to help households cope with persistent inflation and higher living costs.

North Holland Imposes Energy Limits on Artificial Intelligence Data Centers

Authorities in North Holland have introduced strict electricity consumption quotas for hyperscale data centers, requiring major cloud providers to expand renewable energy capacity as grid congestion challenges the Netherlands' digital in...

NXP Secures European Chips Act Funding for Automotive Artificial Intelligence Processors

NXP Semiconductors has secured support under the European Chips Act to develop next-generation artificial intelligence processors for autonomous electric vehicles, strengthening the Netherlands' position in automotive technology and deep...

Dutch Export Controls on Advanced Chipmaking Equipment Heighten Trade Tensions

The Dutch government has tightened export restrictions on specialized semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning with broader European and United States security policies while prompting diplomatic objections from Asian markets that...

ASML Commits €3 Billion to Expand Advanced Chipmaking Operations in Eindhoven

ASML will invest €3 billion to expand its extreme ultraviolet lithography research and manufacturing facilities in the Brainport Eindhoven region, reinforcing the Netherlands' role in the global semiconductor supply chain as demand for a...

Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist

The 1991 rebrand was a calculated effort to modernize the chain, broaden its menu identity and soften the increasingly unfashionable association with fried food—not a response to state licensing demands or genetically altered chickens. :...

Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia

Attacks on logistics centres in the Tambov and Moscow regions killed eight people, while Kyiv said the facilities supplied restricted components for Russian drone production—a claim not independently substantiated.

Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests

Global investment is concentrating around artificial intelligence, driving financial markets, reshaping corporate strategy and intensifying competition between governments, even as regulatory and governance challenges emerge across Asia.

China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost

The Chinese start-up’s new open-weight model posts competitive coding and agentic results against leading American systems, challenging the assumption that frontier artificial intelligence remains confined to a small group of United Stat...

The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith

Artificial-intelligence agents can reconcile accounts, pursue anomalies and draft reports, but finance will accept autonomy only when every action remains visible, reversible and humanly accountable.

Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants

New federal guidance encourages banks to scrutinize immigration-related credit risks and share more customer information, advancing a broader strategy intended to make remaining in the United States without legal status increasingly diff...

Automation and Sustainability Reinforce the Netherlands' Logistics Leadership

Investments in the Port of Rotterdam, Schiphol Airport, and advanced transport technologies demonstrate how the Netherlands is combining automation and lower-emission infrastructure to strengthen its role in European trade.

Dutch Cities Balance Housing Affordability With Economic Growth

Housing reforms, tighter tourism policies, and changes to urban planning show municipalities are placing greater emphasis on expanding housing supply and improving quality of life for residents.