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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

Steven Lyons (centre) is escorted by police officers in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday, Photo: AFP

Indonesia

Scottish man linked to gang caught in Indonesia’s Bali after Interpol red notice

Steven Lyons is wanted in Spain and Britain in connection with organised crime, drug trafficking and money laundering.

3 hours ago

China-EU relations

Europe urged to ‘learn to fight for itself’ in case US-China truce collapses

31 Mar 2026 - 3:00PMvideocam

Crime

France studies possible Iran link after bomb attack foiled at Bank of America

31 Mar 2026 - 12:47AM

The Philippines

How soaring fuel prices are pushing Filipino farmers to the brink

Farmer Elmer Ullani spent seven hours transporting his produce to a trading post, but says he has nothing left after paying for fuel.

30 Mar 2026 - 11:00PM

Philippine farmer Elmer Ullani spells out “Stop US-Iran War” with his cabbages after having to spend almost all of the money he had earned at the market to pay for the fuel needed to get him there and back. Photo: Facebook / Elmer Ullani

South China Sea

Will Strait of Hormuz blockade push Philippines back to China for energy talks?

Ferdinand Marcos Jnr says a reset in the fractious relationship is under way but observers aren’t so sure.

30 Mar 2026 - 9:58AMvideocam

China trade

UK blocks China wind project on ‘national security’ amid tense business climate

The UK government cited security concerns but gave few details, leaving observers to question if geopolitical pressure shaped move.

26 Mar 2026 - 9:57PMvideocam

China-Germany relations

Germany’s Merz floats EU-China trade deal as European capitals soften on Beijing

Remarks urging ‘strategic partnerships around the world’ underscore how tensions with the US are inducing a more accommodating stance.

26 Mar 2026 - 8:31PMvideocam

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on February 25. Photo: dpa

US-China relations

Why China’s Iran war strategy is working – and may even be an opportunity

Beijing happy to watch, wait and safeguard core interests – oil flows, Taiwan and trade – as its geopolitical rival spends resources on war.

26 Mar 2026 - 8:09AMvideocam

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.

26 Mar 2026 - 1:12AM

Britain

UK police arrest 2 men over Jewish ambulances arson attack

Arrests came after police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group with links to Iran.

25 Mar 2026 - 5:40PM

The burnt out remains of Hatzola ambulances at the Jewish Community Ambulance service in Golders Green, after an apparent arson attack on four ambulances on Monday. Photo: dpa

Stocks

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

The repurchases, along with AI gains, help propel global equities to fresh peaks in 2025, asset manager says.

25 Mar 2026 - 6:19PM

Buy-backs can be an efficient way to return surplus cash to investors once investment needs and balance sheets are funded, according to an analyst. Photo: Shutterstock

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

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

US President Donald Trump complained Nato countries did not ‌want to join the fight against Iran, yet still complain about high oil prices. Photo: AFP

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

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

China’s chip industry is fragmented and has too many small players, according to the nation’s top chip executives. Photo: Shutterstock

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

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

Europe might have trade punches it can land on the US and China but is it prepared to use them? Photo: Reuters

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

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