News

More than 160 prisoners were evacuated from a wing of PI Vught after a fire in a laundry room caused water damage. Some detainees stayed elsewhere in the prison, while places in other institutions were arranged for more than 130 people.

Dozens of asylum seekers have returned to Ter Apel after spending the night in Groningen. The temporary shelter was opened as crowding at the registration centre continues, with priority given to the most vulnerable people.

Car parks at The Hague’s beaches have reached capacity during a busy Pentecost weekend. The municipality is advising visitors to switch to public transport or other alternatives. Those arriving by car are being redirected to the city centre.

European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis emphasized the need for increased economic growth and private investment in the EU to address significant investment demands in areas like defense and competitiveness.

AI developer Anthropic is reportedly finalizing a new funding round next week to raise more than 30 billion dollars. The investment could push the valuation of the Claude chatbot creator past 900 billion dollars, overtaking rival OpenAI. Both artificial intelligence firms are also rumoured to be preparing for stock market listings later this year.

Police have arrested Extinction Rebellion activists after they blocked the railway tracks at Utrecht Centraal station. The protest, which follows a sit-in in the station hall, has brought all train traffic in and out of the major rail hub to a complete standstill. Protesters are demanding that the government immediately enforce tougher sanctions against Israel.

Eindhoven has officially launched the countdown to DE OPENING, the three-day festival that marks the start of the national cultural season this August. The event will bring theatre, music, and dance to stages across the city, featuring a mix of regional and national artists. Alongside live performances, a new festival app and a city-wide museum ticket will help visitors discover new cultural experiences.

The Amsterdam benchmark AEX index hit an all-time intraday high of 1,044.63 points on Friday, driven by market optimism following comments from US officials hinting at a swift end to the conflict with Iran. Despite ongoing disputes over uranium stockpiles and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz—which pushed Brent crude prices up to $105.19 a barrel—European markets rallied broadly, with payment firm Adyen leading the Amsterdam gains. The morning session was further shaped by major corporate deals, including a formal €7.8 billion takeover bid for locker company InPost by a FedEx-led consortium, a €160 million European and Australian tech division sell-off by recruitment firm Randstad to LTM, and a €10.7 billion private buyout bid for Italian pharmaceutical company Recordati by a consortium led by CVC.