News

Dutch scale-up QuantWare has secured €152 million to build a major quantum processor factory in Delft. Backed by Intel and Invest-NL, the move will increase production twentyfold and solidify the Netherlands' status as a global technology hub.

The Dutch packaging industry is introducing cash lotteries to convince consumers to return more deposit bottles and cans. This initiative aims to meet strict 90 per cent recycling targets and help the industry avoid heavy regulatory fines.

The World Health Organization is tracking a hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship that has killed three people. Medical teams are now evacuating the most seriously ill patients to the Netherlands as the ship heads toward the Canary Islands.

Writer and presenter Splinter Chabot questioned the meaning of freedom in his May 5 lecture at the Domkerk in Utrecht. He spoke about growing intolerance and unseen social pressure, but argued that hope still persists. Through stories of three women from different centuries, he urged each generation to protect peace and freedom.

The Netherlands has donated twenty decommissioned prison buses to Ukraine to help ease pressure on its prison system during the war. The first vehicles were officially handed over in Lviv by State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen. The buses will be used to address a shortage of prisoner transport capacity.

In cities and towns across the Netherlands, people marked National Remembrance Day with two minutes of silence. Ceremonies were held at major memorial sites, including Dam Square in Amsterdam and war cemeteries nationwide. Despite earlier vandalism at the National Monument, all events went ahead peacefully.

North Brabant wants Defence to update its drought protocols after wildfires on military grounds in Gelderland and Brabant. The province says the risks are too high during dry conditions, while Defence argues that year‑round training is essential. Investigations into the fires are still under way.

The KNMI has issued a yellow alert for five provinces as heavy showers and thunderstorms may develop later today. Rainfall could reach up to 30 millimetres in some areas. Conditions should improve later in the evening as the showers lose strength.