In a letter to the Dutch parliament, the country's trade minister has said exporters of chip technology will have to ask for licences to do business abroad, citing concerns over international security. The Netherlands is home to one of the leaders in chipmaking equipment, ASML.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte is due to deliver a speech in The Hague, with other ministers traveling to former Dutch colonies for the event. Some affected nations and groups have criticized the move.

Traveling alone is increasingly common in Germany and Europe. From clubbing holidays to rooming with strangers, tour operators are adapting to the trend.

The Dutch capital Amsterdam has approved a plan to accommodate at least one thousand migrants on a cruise ship moored in the city's port, as the Netherlands seeks to end an accommodation crisis saw asylum seekers sleeping outside a reception center.

Europe's top human rights body, not connected to the EU, has criticized the Netherlands over the handling of migrants at the Ter Apel asylum center.

On the 27th anniversary of the atrocity that killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys, the Netherlands apologized to the relatives of victims and survivors for Dutch peacekeepers' failure to prevent the slaughter.

One of the many firsts at the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar will be the use of female referees. Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita says she will feel the pressure when she steps out on soccer's biggest stage, but hopes to be very much in the background.

Dutch authorities said a Russian spy assuming a false Brazilian identity had attempted to gain access to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Russian energy firm Gazprom says it has suspended supplies of gas to the Netherlands after payments were not made in rubles.

The Netherlands has become the first European country to enact a strict lockdown over Christmas. Omicron infections are spreading rapidly across the country. All nonessential businesses have been closed until at least mid-January.

The shutdown was initiated over fears of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Germany's health minister has ruled out a lockdown before Christmas. Follow DW for the latest.

The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on 24 November. The WHO has listed it as a ‘variant of concern’ and said it could take several weeks to know if there are significant changes in transmissibility, severity, or implications for Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments. Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada are countries where the new COVID-19 variant has also been detected.