2025-07-15 00:50:00
U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced a new weapons deal for Ukraine on Monday in Washington. According to officials, European countries will cover the cost of the military aid. Trump also warned that Russia would face heavy sanctions if it fails to reach an agreement with Ukraine within 50 days, RTL reported.
The announcement came as Rutte visited Trump for the first in-person meeting since the NATO summit in The Hague. The weapons package includes air defense systems, missiles, and ammunition, all financed by European countries, Rutte said.
Sitting beside Rutte during a press conference, Trump praised the Dutch NATO chief, saying, “Mark is highly respected by everyone who knows him, especially European countries,” RTL reported. Trump then expressed his frustration with Russia. “I am very unhappy with Russia. I am disappointed in President Putin. We will impose severe tariffs if they do not reach a deal with Ukraine within 50 days,” he said.
Last week, Rutte had a phone conversation with Trump discussing support for Ukraine, after which Trump hinted at new arms shipments. During the Washington visit, Rutte also met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
2025-07-15 00:00:00
The pilot and co-pilot of the small plane that crashed Sunday afternoon near London Southend Airport were Dutch nationals, Sky News reported. According to the British broadcaster, the families of the two Dutch crew members have been notified.
Authorities confirmed Sunday that all four occupants of the aircraft died in the accident. During a news conference, police said the identities of the victims had not yet been officially established, but they believed all four were foreign nationals.
Sky News reported the victims were three men and one woman. Their ages were not yet known. The woman was said to be a nurse from Chile, while one of the men was a doctor from another European country. The remaining two men were identified as the Dutch pilot and co-pilot.
Other British media outlets, including The Guardian, reported that the aircraft was equipped with medical systems and configured for transporting patients.
The plane belonged to the Dutch aviation company Zeusch Aviation and was on its way to Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands at the time of the crash.
Earlier on Sunday, the aircraft had flown from Athens, Greece, to Pula, Croatia, before continuing to Southend with a planned return to Lelystad that evening.
The British Air Accidents Investigation Branch is leading the investigation into the crash. The Dutch Safety Board said Monday it is part of the investigation team but does not have personnel on site in England.
2025-07-14 21:38:00
Four people died Sunday when a small Dutch plane crashed near London Southend Airport, British police confirmed. Authorities believe all four occupants were foreign nationals, though their identities have not yet been released.
The aircraft, operated by Dutch company Zeusch Aviation, was en route to Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands when it went down and exploded shortly after 4 p.m. The plane was a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air.
The British Air Accidents Investigation Branch is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Dutch Safety Board (OVV). The OVV spokesperson told the Dutch news agency ANP that while no Dutch investigators will be sent to the crash site, they will support the British authorities with any questions.
Witnesses described the moments before the crash as surreal. Plane spotter Johnson, who was watching with his 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, told RTL the pilots waved to spectators as the plane taxied past the airport fence. “Both pilots waved politely to the families watching from outside the fence. For us plane spotters, and especially for the children, that’s really nice. You bond with each other for that moment.”
Minutes later, the plane made an unusual left bank shortly after takeoff, according to Johnson. “That’s a lot faster than usual. Normally, they gain altitude before turning, but now it was only about 100 meters. The left bank continued, and the plane lost more and more altitude until it nose-dived into the ground and exploded. It must have been 600 meters away from us, still inside the airport fence.”
The crash caused an enormous fireball, leaving witnesses shocked. “My son is a plane fanatic; this is even his favorite plane. Then you suddenly see it go wrong… that enormous blaze… everyone was in shock. You could hear everyone gasping for breath. People were screaming.”
2025-07-14 20:15:00
The Rotterdam District Court on Monday ordered convicted drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, widely known as “Bolle Jos,” to pay more than 96 million euros to the Dutch State. The ruling follows a confiscation procedure brought by the Public Prosecution Service (OM), which had initially demanded a record 221 million euros in criminal assets. Leijdekkers, 34, remains a fugitive and is believed by prosecutors to be residing in Sierra Leone.
According to the court, the significantly lower amount compared to the OM’s claim is the result of applying a different legal basis and a revised assessment of Leijdekkers’ earnings from drug trafficking.
The OM’s original demand centered on Leijdekkers’ alleged investments in fourteen cocaine shipments totaling approximately 14,000 kilograms over the course of a single year. Prosecutors estimated the operational costs of these imports at more than 114 million euros. They also cited his expenditures on gold, luxury vehicles, and expensive gifts.
Leijdekkers is regarded as a major figure in international cocaine smuggling. In 2024, the court sentenced him to 24 years in prison. Belgian courts have also imposed lengthy prison sentences against him in separate drug-related cases.
Evidence presented by Dutch prosecutors included encrypted chat communications, which detailed large-scale deals and lavish purchases. Investigators reported that in less than six months, Leijdekkers spent 47 million euros on 975 kilograms of gold, in addition to acquiring properties in Dubai and Turkey. He allegedly bought multiple luxury cars, including two Bentleys, and high-end watches, jewelry, and designer bags, many of which he is said to have gifted to relatives. The OM has described the seizure case as the first step in uncovering the full scope of Leijdekkers’ wealth.
Earlier this year, images surfaced showing Leijdekkers attending a church service in Sierra Leone. In the footage, he appeared alongside Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio. The material was obtained by the Dutch newspaper AD and investigative outlet Follow the Money, which also reported that Leijdekkers may have close ties with the president.
The OM and Dutch police have said they are “completely certain” that Leijdekkers has been living in Sierra Leone since at least six months before the video was recorded. Sources cited by Follow the Money stated he moved freely in the country and may have obtained Sierra Leonean citizenship.
The Netherlands has no embassy or formal diplomatic representation in Sierra Leone, and the two countries do not have an extradition treaty. Nonetheless, Dutch authorities formally requested his extradition in February.
Justice and Security Minister David van Weel at the time expressed hope for “swift action by the authorities in Sierra Leone.”
Sierra Leonean police have since announced a manhunt. According to Inspector General William Fayia Sellu, Leijdekkers is believed to be using the alias Omar Sheriff while evading capture.
2025-07-14 19:00:00
The Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV) is threatening new strikes at Dutch Railways (NS) if the company does not submit an improved collective labor agreement for its more than 17,000 employees. A majority of the union’s members have rejected NS’s final offer for the new contract. Earlier in the day, members of the Union for Train Drivers and Conductors (VVMC) also turned down the proposal, while the smaller union CNV approved it.
“Our members have spoken, and they simply do not consider NS’s final offer good enough,” FNV negotiator Henri Janssen said. According to him, employees are demanding automatic price compensation and better arrangements for physically demanding work.
“If NS does not come to the table, there will be new strikes,” he warned. “But we hope that NS will now take responsibility toward passengers and its own staff and quickly reach a collective agreement that has the support of FNV members. The ball is once again in NS’s court.”
Since negotiations collapsed, NS workers have already walked off the job four times. For two days, no NS trains operated anywhere in the country, while the other strikes had regional impact.
After the earlier work stoppages, NS presented an improved offer. The company proposed a 4 percent pay increase effective March 1 this year, followed by another 2.75 percent raise on March 1 next year. If inflation next year exceeds expectations, NS employees would also receive a one-time payment.
The previous NS labor agreement, which expired on March 1, provided for an average wage increase of 6.6 percent. Although those negotiations were also difficult, they did not lead to widespread strikes. In 2022, however, NS staff did stage major walkouts to demand higher pay, ultimately securing raises of more than 9 percent.
An NS spokesperson called it “disappointing” that members of FNV and VVMC have rejected the final offer. “We now want to listen first to understand what motivated members to dismiss the proposal,” the spokesperson said.
2025-07-14 15:37:00
The number of Netherlands residents prescribed ADHD medication has almost quadrupled since the early 2000s. In 2023, nearly 300,000 people were prescribed medicine like ritalin or concerta, compared to 78,000 in 2006, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Monday.
The number of adult women using ADHD meds increased, in particular. Among children, boys are still more likely to use ADHD medication than girls, indicating that girls often still have to wait until adulthood before getting diagnosed.
ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. For decades, the symptoms doctors looked out for were things like having trouble focusing, being hyperactive, or exhibiting impulsive behavior. But in recent years, it became apparent that ADHD presents differently in girls and women. As a result, young girls are often less likely to be diagnosed.
In 2023, 170,000 adult men and 130,000 adult women were prescribed ADHD medication, accounting for over 1.5 percent of the Dutch population, up from 0.5 percent in 2006. The number of women using ADHD meds increased almost sixfold. The number of men more than doubled. “As a result, the differences between men and women have narrowed,” CBS said.
Up to the age of 20, there are still significantly more boys on ADHD meds than girls. In 2023, the difference between boys (7.3 percent) and girls (3.0 percent) was the greatest in the age group 10 to 15 years old.
The proportion of people using ADHD medication is lowest in the higher-income groups. In the highest income quintile, 1.5 percent of people used these meds in 2023, compared to 1.8 percent in the lowest income quintile.
People who were born in the Netherlands to parents also born in the Netherlands were almost 1.5 times more likely to use ADHD meds (2.5 percent) than people whose parents immigrated to the Nehterlands (1.7 percent) and almost 3.5 times more likely than people who were born abroad (0.7 percent).