A round up of the best stories about the Netherlands and all things Dutch from leading international publications
Being raised in a bilingual household and speaking fluent English or German as well as Dutch might sound ideal to some. But what if the two languages are Berber and Moroccan Arabic? Or Arabic and Armenian? Those combinations might raise some eyebrows, along with concerns that a multilingual upbringing could be a disadvantage for the child and exhortations to have them learn to speak Dutch as quickly as possible. More >
A hit squad compared to a “well-oiled murder machine”. A lawyer and journalist shot on the streets of Amsterdam. A blasé approach to killing the wrong person — there’s even slang for every accidental victim: a vergismoord. Welcome to the Marengo trial, where 17 men stand accused of involvement in six murders, four attempted murders and preparing for six others between 2015 and 2017. More >
One day a man in a tan mac and a comb-over appeared at my family’s door. I have no idea how he found me but he had an exciting proposition. More >
The Netherlands has traditionally been important for Russian companies and oligarchs. Even today, hundreds of Russian (letterbox) companies are registered in the Netherlands. Now that the European Union has announced sanctions against Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine, Follow the Money has mapped out how and where the Netherlands can hit Putin in his wallet. More >
Faced with worsening floods and a shortage of housing, the Netherlands is seeing growing interest in floating homes. These floating communities are inspiring more ambitious Dutch-led projects in flood-prone nations, from French Polynesia to the Maldives. More >
The Netherlands Film Fund is increasing the amount it invests in projects to help select Dutch films gain traction in the international marketplace. The maximum amount a project can receive will now be $2m (€1.8) and productions receiving this money should also be able to access up to $1.7m (€1.5m) through the Netherlands More >
Sitting respectfully in our ‘pews’, we put our hands together… and clap. This is not a service but a comedy night. And Amsterdam’s newest ‘church’ is really a theatre for debate and cultural centre in disguise. More >
Following 273 days of tough coalition negotiations, Mark Rutte began his fourth stint as the prime minister of the Netherlands, with his new Dutch government officially taking office on Monday (10 January). More >
Mike van Erp has reported more than 1,000 motorists to the police – including Chris Eubank and Guy Ritchie. He explains how his father being killed by a drunk driver inspires his actions More >
Artefacts from hideout of family sent to Auschwitz death camp with Anne Frank and her family are put on display in Netherlands. More >
Spiegel International debunks the Volkskrant’s reporting on fraud at Mayday, the Netherlands-based organisation which supported the White Helmets. More >
The artist’s mind-boggling works – full of stairways leading nowhere and water flowing uphill – defy logic. But did they also foresee the second world war? And why was he so riled by the Stones frontman? the Guardian asks. More >
When hundreds of rioters piled into Rotterdam centre on Friday night, attacking police, throwing bricks, setting off fireworks and rampaging through the streets, it was no small irony that they left a police car burning outside the Erasmushuis. More >
Drug gangs in the Netherlands have long since graduated from hashish to cocaine – and from dealing on the streets to a spree of contract killings. Police, lawyers, journalists: All are at risk of falling victim to the drug violence that has gripped the country. More >
It’s remarkable to think that just three weeks ago a cartoonist saw fit to depict Sigrid Kaag as a witch in heels flying a broomstick into the Twin Towers, clad in the grinning face of Mark Rutte. Already that sketch seems like a throwback to a different era – not just because of its crude sexist imagery, but because it was so quickly overtaken by events. If we really needed an inappropriate metaphor from the world of terrorism, a better... More >
n June 1940, a Dutch salesman, acting as a consul in Lithuania, issued Jewish refugees with pseudo visas to escape Europe. His remarkable story is only now being told. More >
Willem Frederik Hermans thought the Briton’s famous book was based on his. Now one of his best works is coming out in the UK, the Guardian writes. More >
Dutch politicians are considering plans to force hundreds of farmers to sell up and cut livestock numbers, to reduce damaging ammonia pollution. After the highest Dutch administrative court found in 2019 that the government was breaking EU law by not doing enough to reduce excess nitrogen in vulnerable natural areas, the country has been battling what it is calling a “nitrogen crisis”. More >
The land mass that linked Britain to continental Europe was rich in early human life until it flooded. More >
At some point in the last 400 years a painting restorer probably decided the Dutch vegetable seller was far too glum and should be smiling. Now it has been put right and she is once again enigmatic. More >
