The Netherlands: Dutch Foreign Ministry annouced the expulsion of several Russian diplomats and the closure of Russia’s trade mission in Amsterdam.

The Dutch foreign ministry on Saturday announced the expulsion of several Russian diplomats and the closure of Russia’s trade mission in Amsterdam, accusing Moscow of using it for spying.

It was the latest development in a dispute over Russia’s failure to grant visas to Dutch diplomats to staff their embassy in Moscow and the consulate in Saint Petersburg.

Because of the lack of staff, the consulate will close on Monday, though the embassy will stay open, the statement added.

“Despite numerous attempts by the Netherlands to find a solution, Russia continues to try to get intelligence officers in the Netherlands under diplomatic cover,” Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said in the statement.

“We cannot and will not allow that.”

At the same time, it was important to keep embassies open as a communications channel even with relations with Russia so strained, he added.

The Russian diplomats being told to leave have two weeks to leave the country, while Russia’s trade mission in Amsterdam had to be closed from Tuesday, the statement said.

Hoekstra told Dutch broadcaster NOS that he expected around a dozen Russian diplomats would have to leave the country.

Read more at: https://www.macaubusiness.com/dutch-expel-russian-diplomats-close-trade-mission/

China-Netherlands relations:Dutch Foreign Ministry accuses China of setting up illegal police stations in the Netherlands

The Dutch foreign ministry said it was investigating reports that China had set up two "illegal police stations" in the Netherlands to monitor dissidents.

According to Dutch media reports, two Chinese "posts" have been operating in Amsterdam and Rotterdam since 2018.

The "police stations" allegedly claim to offer diplomatic assistance to Chinese nationals but have not been registered with the Dutch government.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

Russia-EU Relations: Russia Expels 36 Belgian, Dutch Diplomats In Tit-For-Tat Move

Russia says it is expelling 36 diplomats from two EU countries in retaliation for similar steps taken against Moscow's foreign envoys over the Kremlin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 19 that it had declared 21 diplomats from Belgium and 15 from the Netherlands "personae non gratae," giving them two weeks to leave the country.

The ministry also summoned Luxembourg's ambassador to Moscow, warning him that Russia may decide to take reciprocal measures for the tiny European state's recent expulsion of Moscow's envoy.

Read more at Russia Expels 36 Belgian, Dutch Diplomats In Tit-For-Tat Move

Netherlands to send military equipment to Ukraine -government

The Netherlands announced it will be sendibg military equipment to Ukraine -government

Read more at: Netherlands to send military equipment to Ukraine -government | Reuters

The Netherlands: COVID-19 in Europe: Netherlands to allow bars, restaurants and cultural venues to reopen

The Dutch government has announced that bars, restaurants, museums, theatres and other venues are to be allowed to re-open under conditions, loosening some of the toughest COVID-19 restrictions in Europe.

For more than a month, bars, restaurants, and cultural venues have been closed, while strict quarantine rules have shut a quarter of primary school classes in the Netherlands.

The announcement by Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday evening comes despite record new coronavirus infection levels, as hospitalisations from the country's Omicron wave have been lower than initially feared.

Read more at: COVID-19 in Europe: Netherlands to allow bars, restaurants and cultural venues to reopen | Euronews

Schengen: Austria Removes UK, the Netherlands, Denmark & Norway From List of Virus Variant Countries

The Austrian authorities have decided to abolish the list of virus variant countries, for travellers from which special stricter restrictions have applied so far.

Thus, starting from Monday, January 24, 2022, travellers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, which countries are currently classified as virus variant countries, will be subject to facilitated entry rules when travelling to Austria.

Read more Austria Removes UK, the Netherlands, Denmark & Norway From List of Virus Variant Countries - SchengenVisaInfo.com

The Netherlands: Dutch museums and concert halls open as hair salons to protest Covid-19 rules

Museums and concert halls temporarily turned themselves into beauty salons and gyms in the Netherlands on Wednesday in protest against the Dutch government's coronavirus restrictions. Advertising

A barber and two nail artists tended to visitors among priceless works of art at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and two barbers set up their chairs on the stage of the Concertgebouw in the capital.

The cultural sector says it is unfair that they must remain closed while Covid curbs were lifted last week on shops and so-called "contact professions" like barbers, nail salons and even sex work.

Read more at: Dutch museums and concert halls open as hair salons to protest Covid-19 rules

Netherlands - Covid -19: Netherlands to ease COVID-19 restrictions

Non-essential stores, hairdressers and gyms will be allowed to reopen for a limited number of customers, broadcasters NOS and RTL said, citing government sources. Students will be welcomed back to their colleges and universities.

Bars, restaurants, theatres, museums and other public places will remain closed.

Read more atL Netherlands to ease COVID-19 restrictions - report | Reuters

The Netherlands: Former Dutch queen Beatrix tests positive for coronavirus

Princess Beatrix, the 83-year-old former Dutch queen, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the royal house announced Saturday.

In a statement, the royal house said Beatrix got tested after feeling “mild cold symptoms.” It said she is in isolation at home and abiding by rules for people who have tested positive. The princess lives in a castle in the central Netherlands.

Read more at: Former Dutch queen Beatrix tests positive for coronavirus - ABC News

Greece-Netherlands Relations: Threatened Dutch journalist flees Greece after confrontation with Prime Minister

Shocking, is what editor-in-chief of De Groene Amsterdammer, Xandra Schutte, called what happened to the opinion weekly's correspondent Ingeborg Beugel in Greece. Beugel was in the news over the past days after the Greek prime minister reacted furiously when she asked him about alleged pushbacks, sending boats full of migrants back, during a press conference. Schutte confirms a report by NU.nl on Wednesday that Beugel is being threatened to such an extent that she will return to the Netherlands.

Read more at: Threatened Dutch journalist flees Greece after confrontation with Prime Minister | NL Times

The Netherlands: Coronavirus: Dutch court dismisses call to scrap 'corona pass' regulations

A Dutch court on Wednesday dismissed a call to scrap the ‘corona pass’ required to enter

The court in The Hague said the government had the right to demand proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test to limit the spread of the coronavirus as most other social distancing measures were lifted last month.

Read more at: Coronavirus: Dutch court dismisses call to scrap 'corona pass' regulations | Cyprus Mail

The Netherlands: 5 Dutch traditions parents in the US should be copying

My American family lived in the Netherlands for three years, and our Dutch neighbors showed us touching ways to commemorate milestones that we've continued even after repatriating to the United States.

The first time I passed a window with pink streamers and a giant decal spelling "Lotte," I didn't think much of it. When my Dutch landlord shook my hand to congratulate me on my son's ninth birthday, I thought he was just being polite. I soon learned that these are full-blown traditions across the Netherlands. And when backpacks start flying from flagpoles in every neighborhood in Holland, well, there's no mistaking how deep these customs go.

Read more at: 5 Dutch traditions parents in the US should be copying

The Netherlands: Dutch Court Rules Border Police Can Use Ethnicity as One of the Gauges for Searches

A Dutch court ruled Wednesday that border police can use ethnicity as one of the gauges for selecting people for checks at the border, although it cannot be the only one.

Read more at: Dutch Court Rules Border Police Can Use Ethnicity as One of the Gauges for Searches

Netherlands remains red on Europe's coronavirus map

As expected, the whole of the Netherlands will remain red on the European Union's coronavirus risk level map for seven more days. Over 4.6 percent of all coronavirus tests performed in the Netherlands over the past two weeks were positive, according to data submitted by the Ministry of Health to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Anything over 4 percent during a two-week period puts an entire country at the red level. Red is the second highest warning color on the map that the European health service ECDC produces every Thursday. All twelve provinces were also at red last week.

Flevoland is relatively the largest fire in the country. In the past two weeks, 281 out of every 100,000 inhabitants tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. That is considerably lower than last week's calculation. Friesland follows, but the number of positive tests there is almost 19 percent higher than with data used to produce last week's ECDC map. With 254 cases per capita, Friesland has overtaken Noord-Holland (244), Zuid-Holland (241) and Overijssel (227). The number of cases is also increasing in Utrecht.

Read more at: Netherlands remains red on Europe's coronavirus map | NL Times

Netherlands: The Dutch are the world's tallest people. But they're getting shorter, study shows

Statistics Netherlands (or CBS), a government institution that gathers statistics about the country, says that Dutch men born in 2001 are 0.39 inches (1 centimeter) shorter than those born in 1980. Dutch women are 0.55 inches (1.4 centimeters) shorter. Despite these drops, the Netherlands still has the tallest people in the world — with CBS reporting that today's generation stands, on average, at 6 feet (182.9 centimeters) for men and 5.55 feet (169.3 centimeters) for women.

Read morwe at: The Dutch are the world's tallest people. But they're getting shorter, study shows

The Netherlands: Dutch military pulled 2,500 people from Kabul including final evacuation flight Thursday

The Dutch military evacuated more than 2,500 people from Afghanistan in the past week, including more than 1,600 people with the Netherlands as their destination. The Cabinet reported this in a letter to Parliament about the evacuation mission which ended on Thursday with a final flight from Kabul to Islamabad in which remaining Dutch diplomats and soldiers were on board.

"It is terrible to have to leave Afghanistan after 20 years in this way," tweeted caretaker Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag. "It is with a heavy heart that the embassy team and the military have left with the last Dutch flight."

Among the evacuees are Dutch nationals, interpreters and their families and people who have worked in the Dutch service in the past and may therefore be at risk now that the Taliban have seized power in the country. The government cannot yet state exact numbers per group.

Read more at: Dutch military pulled 2,500 people from Kabul including final evacuation flight Thursday | NL Times

The Netherlands -Technology Leadership in the EU: How the Netherlands is leading the EU toward its tech future

Though geographically and demographically small, the Netherlands is positioning itself as a European technology leader, making a name for itself in fields like quantum computing, AI, tech start-up innovation and sustainable cities.

This is good news for IT pros looking to advance their careers and enterprises interested in emerging tech, but the country's hot technology market presents some challanges — first and foremost, it can be hard for businesses to find the tech talent they need.

Read more at: How the Netherlands is leading the EU toward its tech future | Computerworld

Afghanistan: Germany and the Netherlands halt deportations to Afghanistan

the Netherlands have said they have stopped forced repatriations of Afghan migrants because of deteriorating security in Afghanistan, as the Taliban press on with their rapid advance in the country’s north.

“Due to current developments in the security situation, the interior minister has decided to suspend deportations to Afghanistan for the time being,” tweeted Germany’s interior ministry spokesperson, Steve Alter.

Separately in The Hague, the Dutch state secretary for justice and security, Ankie Broekers-Knol, announced a “moratorium on [deportation] decisions and departures”. The halt “will apply for six months and will apply to foreign nationals of Afghan nationality”, she wrote in a letter to the Dutch parliament.

Read more at Germany and the Netherlands halt deportations to

The Netherlands: Dutch PM Rutte Hopes to Lift Social Distancing Rules Sept 20

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday said the government is considering lifting social distancing rules on Sept. 20 as COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands ease.

In the week ended Aug. 10, cases fell by 14% in the Netherlands to 103 per 100,000 inhabitants, the country's National Institute for Health (RIVM) found.

Read more at: Dutch PM Rutte Hopes to Lift Social Distancing Rules Sept 20 | World News | US News

The Netherlands: Dutch lead the way in protecting themselves against internet risks

The Dutch are the safest internet users in Europe across all age groups, according to a study of citizens across the continent.

Read more at: Dutch lead the way in protecting themselves against internet risks