News

29 passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius affected by the hantavirus will be flown back to Netherlands via the Eindhoven Airport on Sunday Morning. Thereafter they will have to self-quarantine for 6 weeks, following the safety protocol, per the Minister of Public Health Sophie Hermans.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten has condemned a "very specifically targeted" attack on the D66 party headquarters in The Hague, where a perpetrator detonated a firework bomb on Thursday evening. While dozens of young people were inside the building at the time, police have since arrested a suspect for the act, which caused significant damage and forced the office to close temporarily. This follows a previous incident last autumn where the building sustained €34,000 in damages during an anti-immigration protest, leading Jetten to warn that such "hopeless" attempts at intimidation have no place in a democracy where disagreements should be settled through dialogue.

US President Donald Trump has issued a 4 July ultimatum to the European Union, threatening to significantly hike import tariffs if a pending trade deal is not finalised by America's 250th anniversary. Following a discussion with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump expressed frustration over delays in implementing the agreement reached last summer, which includes the removal of duties on US goods like lobster and industrial products. While the EU maintains that it is in the final stages of negotiations, the President has warned that failure to comply will result in tariffs on European imports, including cars and lorries, immediately soaring to much higher levels.

The caravan is enjoying a significant resurgence in the Netherlands, with new sales figures from trade associations BOVAG and KCI showing an 18 per cent increase in registrations this spring. While caravan sales are currently declining across the rest of Europe in favour of motorhomes, the Dutch market is bucking the trend, driven largely by young families who see them as an ideal way to holiday with children. Industry experts note that since the pandemic, caravans have firmly returned to the radar of younger generations, resulting in over 2,100 new units being sold in just two months.

A large-scale hack of the Canvas learning platform has forced several Dutch universities and colleges to take their digital environments offline, disrupting services for thousands of students. Institutions including the University of Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam blocked access to the software after hackers compromised sites and leaked the personal data of students and staff, such as names and email addresses. Although seven major universities and several colleges have been affected, many are attempting to continue teaching and exams through alternative methods while IT teams work to secure the breached systems.

A KLM flight attendant has been cleared of hantavirus following a negative test result confirmed by the World Health Organisation. The crew member had been hospitalised with mild symptoms after having "intensive contact" with a passenger in Johannesburg who later died from the virus. While the negative result offers some relief, health authorities continue to monitor 388 passengers from the flight, warning that the virus has a long incubation period of up to six weeks.

The AEX index fell further on Friday morning, dropping 0.6 per cent to 1,013.32 points as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to buckle. This latest decline follows a 1.2 per cent slump on Thursday, marking a sharp retreat for Amsterdam’s blue-chip stocks after they reached a new closing record just two days ago. Market sentiment turned defensive as investors weighed conflicting reports from Washington and Tehran: while the US military confirmed retaliatory strikes and Iran threatened to respond "vigorously and without hesitation," President Donald Trump maintained the truce was still in effect despite Iranian accusations of ceasefire violations in civilian areas.

The IMO reports that around 1,500 ships and 20,000 crew members remain stranded in the Persian Gulf due to the near‑closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Some vessels have been stuck for weeks, and an evacuation plan is being prepared once tensions ease.