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The Netherlands

The latest news, analysis and opinion on The Netherlands. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Amsterdam

Head of State

King Willem-Alexander

Head of Government

Prime Minister Dick Schoof

President Donald Trump is seen during an event in the White House on August 31, 2026, in Washington. Photo: AP Photo

Microsoft

Trump sells tens of millions in AI, tech shares, led by Microsoft

US president made over 1,100 trades in July, selling up to US$31 million of Microsoft and US$26 million of Amazon, disclosures show.

23 Sep 2026 - 8:30PM

Alibaba

Alibaba Cloud set to open new data centres in Europe as overseas push gains pace

23 Sep 2026 - 1:32PM

South Korea

South Korea steps up to plug Europe’s jet fuel deficit

21 Sep 2026 - 8:59AM

Donald Trump

Trump says ‘major progress’ made towards US base in Poland

Announcement comes despite a wider US review of troop levels in Europe and tensions over Nato defence spending.

18 Sep 2026 - 4:32PM

US soldiers watch Nato military exercises in Poland in May. Photo: TNS

Banking & finance

What does the rate increase by the US Fed mean for the Chinese yuan?

Analysts weigh whether Beijing is set to push ahead with a rate cut to bolster China’s economy despite the US Fed raising interest rates.

17 Sep 2026 - 7:00PM

Crime

Former Kosovo president Thaci gets 25 years in prison for war crimes

A tribunal said Thaci was guilty of the murder of 96 political opponents during the 1990s conflict with Serbia.

16 Sep 2026 - 6:14PM

Crime

Dutch rail network crippled by suspected sabotage

Dutch authorities discovered items on railway tracks in around 30 separate locations.

16 Sep 2026 - 11:16AM

Train services across large parts of central and northern Netherlands were brought to a standstill. Photo: Reuters

SCMP Highlights

Thais stage rare Israel protest; India-Pakistan water row: 7 Asia highlights

From Thai PM Anutin’s US$90,000 amulet to the Philippines’ big bet on railways, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

15 Sep 2026 - 3:30PM

From our archives

On This Day | Hong Kong mourns Mao Zedong’s death in 1976 – SCMP archive

Fifty years ago, Mao Zedong’s death sent shock waves around the world.

13 Sep 2026 - 11:15AM

Britain

UK lawmakers reject bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales

The bill had proposed allowing adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval.

11 Sep 2026 - 10:43PM

A campaigner against a change in the law on assisted dying holds a placard outside The Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament in central London, on Friday. Photo: AFP

Switzerland

Police say 5 dead, 40 injured in tour bus crash in Switzerland

Coach carrying 45 passengers overturns in Alpine canton of Graubuenden, police say.

11 Sep 2026 - 4:35PM

Emergency personnel at the scene on Thursday. Photo: Engadiner Post/Keystone via AP

Britain

UK, France, Canada block imports from Israeli West Bank settlements

Foreign Minister Ed Miliband says Britain refuses to be ‘bystanders to further suffering and to the destruction of the two-state solution’.

8 Sep 2026 - 10:37PM

European Union

War criminal Mladic buried with military honours in Serbia despite EU warnings

Thousands of mourners gather to attend his funeral in Belgrade, defying EU warnings against glorification of war criminals.

7 Sep 2026 - 11:39PM

Germany

Germany urges UN’s top court to dismiss Gaza genocide case

Berlin says judges lack the jurisdiction to rule on the case and dismisses Nicaragua’s accusations as ‘inaccurate and distorted’.

7 Sep 2026 - 7:35PM

Argentina

Argentina threatens to sanction oil projects around Falkland Islands

On Saturday, oilfield services firms including Schlumberger and Halliburton said they do not and will not work on projects near the islands.

6 Sep 2026 - 7:46AM

Argentina’s President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires. Photo: Reuters

Serbia

Commemoration held for late Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic

The ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ will be buried in Belgrade on Monday in a ceremony expected to draw thousands despite international condemnation.

6 Sep 2026 - 3:57AM

European Union

5 EU nations plan to send rejected migrants to non-EU ‘return hubs’, target 2027

Rights groups have criticised the plan, arguing that European nations cannot guarantee the rights of migrants would be respected.

4 Sep 2026 - 11:55PM

India

India’s push to secure place in global chip supply has ‘secret weapon’: its people

Building up its pool of design talent can gain it a spot higher up in the value chain by turning ‘Make in India’ to ‘Engineer in India’.

4 Sep 2026 - 6:09PMvideocam

An Indian flag is juxtaposed on an
operating chipset. New Delhi has launched the second phase of its mission with a budget of US$13 billion to build an industrial ecosystem spanning chip design to manufacturing. Photo: Shutterstock

Gold in Hong Kong

How Hong Kong can cash in as reserve managers rethink where to store gold

City in race to lure bullion custody as geopolitical risks intensify scrutiny of gold storage, Goldman Sachs report says.

4 Sep 2026 - 5:00PM

Serbia

Body of war criminal Mladic returns to Serbia with military honours

Huge funeral expected for the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’, who died last week in a UN detention facility aged 84.

4 Sep 2026 - 1:53PM

China-EU relations

Pursue a China deal but brace for backlash, Dutch advisory group urges EU

To correct growing economic imbalances, policymakers advise taking stronger defensive measures, despite risk of rising domestic costs.

3 Sep 2026 - 5:47PMvideocam

Flags of China and the Netherlands appear next to each other. Photo: Shutterstock

Central banks

Dutch shift gold from US and Canada to London, citing ‘geopolitical unrest’

DNB moves reserves to boost liquidity in crisis response as analysts warn widespread shifts could dent confidence in US.

3 Sep 2026 - 3:06PMvideocam

Gold bars are stacked in a vault at the United States Mint in West Point, New York. Photo: AP

China-EU relations

EU trade enforcers descend on Beijing demanding China fix ‘untenable’ imbalances

Brussels officials hold talks in the Chinese capital as they seek a commitment to reduce surging exports to the bloc.

2 Sep 2026 - 6:26PM

Semiconductors

What’s next after China court freezes US$318 million in Nexperia assets?

Bitter custody fight sparked by Dutch intervention has affected European supply lines, and assets look to remain frozen for years.

1 Sep 2026 - 9:30PMvideocam

Pakistan

India rejects ruling on water-sharing treaty with Pakistan by Hague court

The court says India must uphold the treaty and curb work on a hydroelectric plant in Kashmir pending a neutral expert’s assessment.

31 Aug 2026 - 11:08PM

People sit on the bank of the river Chenab flowing through Chiniot, Punjab province, Pakistan, in May last year. India halted water flow from Chenab into Pakistan amid rising tensions following a terrorist attack in Kashmir. Photo: EPA-EFE

Human rights

Dutch court jails man for life over role in Rwanda genocide

He had prevented Tutsis from escaping and threw a grenade into the crowd.

28 Aug 2026 - 6:56PM

Many travellers to the African nation of Rwanda include a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide. Photo: Karin Schermbrucker

Bosnia and Herzegovina

‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Ratko Mladic dies in The Hague prison

The 84-year-old, who oversaw the 1995 Srebrenica slaughter, was serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes.

27 Aug 2026 - 10:02PM