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The Netherlands

The latest news, analysis and opinion on The Netherlands. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Amsterdam

Head of State

King Willem-Alexander

Head of Government

Prime Minister Dick Schoof

An excavation pit opened in the floor at the Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, Netherlands, where archaeologists believe they may have uncovered the skeletal remains of musketeer d’Artagnan. Photo: Reuters

Archaeology and palaeontology

Lost remains of French musketeer d’Artagnan may have been found in Dutch church

DNA testing is under way to verify ⁠the skeleton. D’Artagnan, fictionalised in Alexandre ⁠Dumas’ novel The ⁠Three Musketeers, died in 1673.

1 hour ago

Britain

UK police arrest 2 men over Jewish ambulances arson attack

25 Mar 2026 - 5:40PM

Stocks

Global buy-backs soar but mainland China, Hong Kong see drop: Capital Group

25 Mar 2026 - 6:19PM

Donald Trump

From critic to guest: new Dutch PM to dine with Trump on US visit

Rob Jetten faces a delicate situation with a US president he once branded a criminal who flirted openly with dictators.

23 Mar 2026 - 10:52AM

Netherlands’ Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Photo: AFP

China-EU relations

China and the Netherlands seek ‘pragmatic’ reset as Nexperia row rolls on

Wang Yi hails ‘positive signals’ from new Dutch minister as US pressure and EU de-risking leave The Hague juggling security and trade interests.

21 Mar 2026 - 5:50PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump calls Nato ‘cowards’ over lack of support in Iran war, sends more troops

Iran is threatening tourist sites worldwide, renewing fears that Tehran could resort to militant attacks beyond the Middle East.

21 Mar 2026 - 12:55AMvideocam

Trending in China

China woman reunites with birth parents 28 years after being left in toilet by grandad

Banquet and firecrackers greet woman as she meets real family who plan to visit her adoptive Dutch parents this summer.

20 Mar 2026 - 12:29PM

A Chinese woman who was abandoned in a toilet as a baby by her grandfather and then adopted by a Dutch couple has been reunited with her biological parents nearly three decades later. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

China trade

Papers please: China raises pressure on Panama with ship inspection wave

Intensified inspections for Panama-flagged vessels – among the world’s most common registrations – retaliation for canal port seizure, source says.

16 Mar 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

North Korea

North Korea cancels Pyongyang marathon weeks before race, with no reason given

The race had been set for April 5 and would have marked the second year since Pyongyang resumed the event after the pandemic.

9 Mar 2026 - 7:18PMvideocam

Wellness

Singing circle in Amsterdam offers benefits to dementia patients

Scientists are studying the potential benefits of music for people with dementia, traumatic brain injuries, Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

8 Mar 2026 - 8:07PM

People, many of them seniors with a form of dementia, join in the ‘singing circle’ run by opera singer Maartje de Lint, at the Concertgebouw’s ornate Mirror Hall in Amsterdam on February 24. Photo: AP

Semiconductors

China warns of fresh chip crisis as Nexperia dispute flares up

China warns the ‘Dutch side’ must bear responsibility if the Nexperia dispute reignites global automotive chip shortages.

8 Mar 2026 - 6:30PM

Nexperia is a key supplier of automotive semiconductors. Photo: AFP

Art

Rembrandt painting rejected as not by him in 1960 now confirmed his

After years of scrutiny, ‘Vision of Zacharias in the Temple’ has been confirmed to be a Rembrandt by the Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum.

5 Mar 2026 - 7:15PM

Semiconductors

Top chip leaders urge national drive to ‘build China’s ASML’ amid US curbs

Financial and human resources must be pooled and authorities should start drawing up plans immediately, top executives say in an article.

5 Mar 2026 - 5:32PM

Art

8 of the world’s most exciting art exhibitions to visit this March

Catch intriguing sculpture, paintings, photography and more at New York’s Guggenheim and MoMA, London’s National Portrait Gallery, and Hong Kong’s Palace Museum and M+.

4 Mar 2026 - 6:00AM

Newspaper by Dirk Van Saene, one of the famous Antwerp Six who made a big splash in fashion and design 40 years ago, and whose collected works are now on show. Photo: Handout

China-EU relations

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

4 Mar 2026 - 1:16AMvideocam

While China is directly referred to only twice in 93 pages of legislation and annexes, the act is seen as a crucial prong of Brussels’ efforts to de-risk from the Asian giant. Photo: Shutterstock

France

France to boost atomic arsenal, could deploy nuclear-armed jets to allies

France’s Macron says eight European countries have agreed to a ‘forward’ deterrence plan to bolster continental security.

3 Mar 2026 - 4:41PM

China-EU relations

Is Europe, the world’s geopolitical punching bag, ready to hit back?

The EU could land a range of economic blows if it wants to be more than a lightweight, researchers say.

1 Mar 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU too slow to act as China rewrites global trade rules, trade chief Sefcovic warns

Commissioner calls for faster trade probes and WTO reform as Brussels confronts overcapacity, subsidies and a US$424 billion deficit.

25 Feb 2026 - 9:18AMvideocam

Maros Sefcovic said Brussels is reviewing trade defence tools and monitoring imports of Chinese plug-in hybrid vehicles. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

ICC prosecutor says Duterte bragged about drug war as ‘bodies piled up’

Edward Jeremy alleged that the ex-president drew up ‘death lists’ and children were strangled with wire and ‘sold’ to funeral homes.

26 Feb 2026 - 4:04PMvideocam

The Philippines

Duterte was ‘pivotal’ in murder of thousands, ICC prosecutors say

He has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defence and has always defended the drug crackdown.

26 Feb 2026 - 3:45PMvideocam

European Union

New Dutch government under centrist Jetten takes power

Jetten pulled off a stunning election win in October to dethrone the far-right party led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders.

23 Feb 2026 - 6:20PM

Ministers of the new three-party minority government pose with King Willem-Alexander (middle right, Prime Minster Rob Jetten (middle left) and Deputy Prime Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (front row right) on the steps of Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. Photo: AP

France

France to summon US ambassador over comments on activist killing

France’s foreign minister reacts to a US statement about the death of Quentin Deranque, rejecting ‘instrumentalisation of this tragedy’.

23 Feb 2026 - 12:09PM

Protesters hold a portrait of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who died after being attacked on the sidelines of a far-right protest in Lyon. Photo: AFP

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Who will save the world from a US-China AI arms race?

Unrestrained military AI could doom us all. The window for a global middle-power alliance to rein in the superpowers is closing fast.

21 Feb 2026 - 1:00PMvideocam

Electric & new energy vehicles

Geely’s Zeekr shifts into Italy as China’s European EV push gathers speed

The carmaker is pressing ahead despite tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, betting on demand for high-spec models.

20 Feb 2026 - 12:43PM

Russia

Russia demands ‘concrete’ proof that it poisoned Navalny with dart frog toxin

Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands claim Russia had the ‘means, motive and opportunity’ to kill its opposition leader.

18 Feb 2026 - 9:38PM

Lyudmila Navalnaya touches the portrait of her son, Alexei Navalny, at his grave in Borisovskoye Cemetery, Moscow, on Monday. Photo: AP

Munich Security Conference

In Munich, US urges ‘collective strength’ among allies to deter China

Washington and its Indo-Pacific and European allies emphasise need for cooperation to counter Beijing’s military build-up.

16 Feb 2026 - 6:00AM

Chinese military activities – and the need to respond to them – have been framed as a major driver of cooperation between US allies during this year’s Munich Security Conference. Photo: Xinhua

Marco Rubio

Rubio says US not disputing report of Navalny’s fatal poisoning by frog toxin

Five European governments blamed Russia for killing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny while he was held in an Arctic penal colony.

16 Feb 2026 - 1:15PM

Russia

Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say

Epibatidine, a deadly chemical not found naturally in Russia, was detected in samples taken from the body of the late Putin critic.

15 Feb 2026 - 11:18AM

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The Netherlands

Lost remains of French musketeer d’Artagnan may have been found in Dutch church

DNA testing is under way to verify ⁠the skeleton. D’Artagnan, fictionalised in Alexandre ⁠Dumas’ novel The ⁠Three Musketeers, died in 1673.

UK police arrest 2 men over Jewish ambulances arson attack

Global buy-backs soar but mainland China, Hong Kong see drop: Capital Group

From critic to guest: new Dutch PM to dine with Trump on US visit

Rob Jetten faces a delicate situation with a US president he once branded a criminal who flirted openly with dictators.

China and the Netherlands seek ‘pragmatic’ reset as Nexperia row rolls on

Wang Yi hails ‘positive signals’ from new Dutch minister as US pressure and EU de-risking leave The Hague juggling security and trade interests.

Trump calls Nato ‘cowards’ over lack of support in Iran war, sends more troops

Iran is threatening tourist sites worldwide, renewing fears that Tehran could resort to militant attacks beyond the Middle East.

China woman reunites with birth parents 28 years after being left in toilet by grandad

Banquet and firecrackers greet woman as she meets real family who plan to visit her adoptive Dutch parents this summer.

Papers please: China raises pressure on Panama with ship inspection wave

Intensified inspections for Panama-flagged vessels – among the world’s most common registrations – retaliation for canal port seizure, source says.

North Korea cancels Pyongyang marathon weeks before race, with no reason given

The race had been set for April 5 and would have marked the second year since Pyongyang resumed the event after the pandemic.

Singing circle in Amsterdam offers benefits to dementia patients

Scientists are studying the potential benefits of music for people with dementia, traumatic brain injuries, Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

China warns of fresh chip crisis as Nexperia dispute flares up

China warns the ‘Dutch side’ must bear responsibility if the Nexperia dispute reignites global automotive chip shortages.

Rembrandt painting rejected as not by him in 1960 now confirmed his

After years of scrutiny, ‘Vision of Zacharias in the Temple’ has been confirmed to be a Rembrandt by the Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum.

Top chip leaders urge national drive to ‘build China’s ASML’ amid US curbs

Financial and human resources must be pooled and authorities should start drawing up plans immediately, top executives say in an article.

8 of the world’s most exciting art exhibitions to visit this March

Catch intriguing sculpture, paintings, photography and more at New York’s Guggenheim and MoMA, London’s National Portrait Gallery, and Hong Kong’s Palace Museum and M+.

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

France to boost atomic arsenal, could deploy nuclear-armed jets to allies

France’s Macron says eight European countries have agreed to a ‘forward’ deterrence plan to bolster continental security.

Is Europe, the world’s geopolitical punching bag, ready to hit back?

The EU could land a range of economic blows if it wants to be more than a lightweight, researchers say.

EU too slow to act as China rewrites global trade rules, trade chief Sefcovic warns

Commissioner calls for faster trade probes and WTO reform as Brussels confronts overcapacity, subsidies and a US$424 billion deficit.

ICC prosecutor says Duterte bragged about drug war as ‘bodies piled up’

Edward Jeremy alleged that the ex-president drew up ‘death lists’ and children were strangled with wire and ‘sold’ to funeral homes.

Duterte was ‘pivotal’ in murder of thousands, ICC prosecutors say

He has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defence and has always defended the drug crackdown.

New Dutch government under centrist Jetten takes power

Jetten pulled off a stunning election win in October to dethrone the far-right party led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders.

France to summon US ambassador over comments on activist killing

France’s foreign minister reacts to a US statement about the death of Quentin Deranque, rejecting ‘instrumentalisation of this tragedy’.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Who will save the world from a US-China AI arms race?

Unrestrained military AI could doom us all. The window for a global middle-power alliance to rein in the superpowers is closing fast.

Geely’s Zeekr shifts into Italy as China’s European EV push gathers speed

The carmaker is pressing ahead despite tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, betting on demand for high-spec models.

Russia demands ‘concrete’ proof that it poisoned Navalny with dart frog toxin

Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands claim Russia had the ‘means, motive and opportunity’ to kill its opposition leader.

In Munich, US urges ‘collective strength’ among allies to deter China

Washington and its Indo-Pacific and European allies emphasise need for cooperation to counter Beijing’s military build-up.

Rubio says US not disputing report of Navalny’s fatal poisoning by frog toxin

Five European governments blamed Russia for killing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny while he was held in an Arctic penal colony.

Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say

Epibatidine, a deadly chemical not found naturally in Russia, was detected in samples taken from the body of the late Putin critic.

Opinion | Who will save the world from a US-China AI arms race?